April 28, 2010
Spring Vegetable and Wild Rice Soup
I bought leeks, green beans and asparagus for a recipe I’ve had brewing in the back of my head for the last couple of weeks. I had good intentions Monday. No after work plans. I’d attempt this culinary brainchild. But Monday brought with it a case of the Mondays. Driving home from work, my good intentions began to fade. I could feel the early symptoms of cushion syndrome creeping in. It begins with reasoning that it’s too windy for a run, followed by determining that you most certainly have enough clean underwear to get you through the week, thus doing laundry is not necessary, and convincing yourself the fresh vegetables you just bought will likely last until Thursday, your next open weeknight. Then full blown cushion syndrome presents itself as follows: You walk in the house, set down your keys, drop your shoulder bag, slide off your shoes and make a beeline for the couch cushions. All bets are off at this point. No run. No housework. No cooking, for sure.
And so it happened this past Monday. My tush found its way to the cush. Then the voices started. (I know, right! Cushion syndrome and voices? What a Monday, indeed!) The guilt voices. The ones that pointed out dust on the coffee table and the dishwasher full of clean dishes. The voices that convinced me I really should do a load of whites to save me from having to wear hole-y underwear. And the voices that asked why I didn’t just jump on the treadmill if it was so windy outside. That did it. I made my way to the kitchen. Productive procrastination. I’d cook. Then I’d be doing something without doing what I should really be doing. Hey, everyone needs to eat! It all makes sense in my mind. But the thought of experimenting with a new recipe did not appeal in the slightest. Instead, I turned all of those fresh vegetables into this soup. It was next to mindless but promised something comforting, a sure treatment for the Mondays. Soup never disappoints.
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March 5, 2010
Red Lentil Soup
I’m considering renaming this blog ‘for the love of lentils’ or ‘the sentimental lentil’. Have you caught on to my mild obsession with this legume?
The past few sunny days we’ve been enjoying suggest that Spring weather might actually make an appearance before May (details on the exact date and time are forthcoming; Mother Nature is all about the element of surprise this year). But, alas, Winter still reigns which means soup is still on the menu. You won’t hear me complaining, especially when it comes to this red lentil soup. Kyle and I used to enjoy something very similar at a tiny Middle Eastern restaurant in Chicago. It was always served before the main course in a small white bowl with a generous wedge of lemon. While all of the food was authentic and fantastic, the soup won me over every time. Before finishing school and moving back to Cleveland, we asked The Nile’s ever gracious owner about the secret to his soup. He claimed there was really no exact recipe (which I took to mean he wasn’t disclosing the family secret), just a sauté of aromatics blended with stock, red lentils, turmeric and lemon (if my memory serves me correct). While this version isn’t The Nile’s, it’s pretty close and takes me back to my favorite college days.
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February 1, 2010
Creamy Leek and Potato Soup
We spent the day Saturday skiing with my family in New York. It was a very good time. And it was very cold. I don’t believe the thermostat registered above 9 degrees, sans windchill. After about two hours I swore on every lift up that it would be my last run, as I’d be just as happy watching from the lodge with a mug of hot cocoa (which really meant a hot toddy which really meant a glass of cabernet). Yet I kept falling into the chairlift line at the end of every brisk trip down, somehow ready for more. In addition to wiggling my toes and fingers for the duration of the trip back up, I’d distract myself with my grocery list, chores for the rest of the weekend and the work week ahead. I also distracted myself with thoughts of hot steaming soup and decided that Sunday most definitely called for a pot.
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January 1, 2010
Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup
I think if you live in the midwest (or any place where the mercury dips below freezing three to four months of the year) you are conditioned to welcome the sights, aromas and deliciousness that is a steaming bowl of soup. Here in Northeast Ohio, in the dead of a winter’s chill, I crave chicken noodle, hearty minestrone, tomato basil and any soup chock full of beans, legumes and grains. A favorite in my house is this recipe I’d like to share—Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup. Because everyone deserves a darn good bowl of lentil soup, don’t they?
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