Hot Soup for Cool Nights

Chipotle Split-Pea Soup
by Penny Rich
serves 8
When the evenings begin to get cooler, warm soup is just right for a main meal. The kids also love this soup after a long day of school and outdoor sports. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped*

3-4 cloves garlic, minced
*
3 cups yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed
8 cups vegetable stock

5 carrots, sliced*

2 teaspoons dried, ground chipotle pepper 

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, fire roasted
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

In a large soup pot, sauté the onion in the olive until translucent. Add the garlic and cook one more minute. Add the rinsed split peas and vegetable stock and cook covered for 30 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until the peas are tender and begin to break apart about 1 hour.

1 cup is about 260 Calories and 17grams of Fiber
*local ingredients

Farm Fresh Eggs

While tasting a tomato at the farmer’s market this week something caught my eye that was just beautiful. It was a blue shelled extra large egg. I turned to the stall with these magnificent eggs and bought a dozen. Fresh farm eggs. They were just as beautiful inside with an almost orange yolk, glistening in my bowl. I almost didn’t want to beat them. But it was time to develope some new recipes. Here is an old favorite, revisited.






Egg Fu Yung
by Penny Rich
Makes 6-8 patties – serves 4

1/2 cup cooked and chopped shrimp*
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
2 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
3 farm fresh eggs
Pinch of salt
2-3 tablespoon canola oil
2-3 scallions, chopped for garnish

Gravy
1 1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon Mirin
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Beat eggs and mix in chopped ingredients and bean sprouts. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan and ladle mixture into pan to form small patties. Fry about 2 minutes, turn over and fry 3 more minutes. Serve with hot gravy and garnish with scallions.
To make gravy, add ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.

*Left over chicken, pork or tofu can be substituted for the shrimp

Local summer salad in a bowl...yum

Gazpacho
by Penny Rich

Serves 8-10

Perfect for those hot summer nights. This gazpacho should be chunky, not pureed. The flavors develop as this soup chills, so visit your local farmer’s market in the morning and prepare this wonderful soup early in the day.

2 large English cucumbers
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
8 plum tomatoes
1/2 red onion
2 garlic cloves
6 cups low sodium tomato or vegetable juice
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoon truffle oil
1 tablespoon salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Roughly chop the vegetables. In a food process, fitted with the metal blade, pulse each vegetable separately just until coarsely chopped. Place each in a large serving bowl to combine. Add juice, vinegar, 2 oils, salt and pepper. Chill for 4-6 hours before serving.

Lentil Loaf

My son Brody, who is now 11, has been a vegetarian since he started eating solid food, and now is learning how to cook. This is a recipe that we created together. We had a great time cooking and eating this tasty lentil loaf.

Lentil Loaf
by Penny Rich
serves 6-8

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 large carrot, grated
2 cups cooked lentils
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/4 cup TVP
1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable broth, or water
1 tablespoons flaxseed, ground
1 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons ketchup, plus 1/4 cup for top*
Dash Worcestershire sauce*
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with oil. Sauté the onion, garlic and carrots until soft. Add to large mixing bowl along with remaining ingredients. Begin mashing ingredients and then switch to a spoon and mix well. Mixture should be moist. Press into the pan and brush the top with 1/4 of ketchup.
Bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool loaf for 10 minutes before serving.

Hushpuppies for my birthday

Birthday dinner at Crook’s Corner would never be complete without the jalapeno hushpuppies. Here is my version of the classic southern fritter. Make a lot. They disappear fast.

Jalapeno Hushpuppies
Makes about 40

2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 Kosher teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried chipotle pepper
2 large eggs**
1 cup buttermilk**
3 tablespoons butter, melted**
1/2 cup scallion, diced finely**
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2-3 jalapeno pepper, chopped finely**

In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients: cornmeal, salt, chipotle pepper, with a whisk to combine. Combine eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and add to the dry ingredients. Stir in scallions, jalapeno and cheese. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
Heat oil*, preferably in a cast-iron deep fryer, to 365°F. Using a tablespoon drop the batter into the hot oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the outside turns a nice brown and the insides are cooked through.

*Fat for deep frying can be shortening, lard, or vegetable oil. I use vegetable oil.
**Local ingredients

Marcy's 50th birthday dinner

The meal.....

Marcy's 50th birthday dinner

I went to San Francisco for my sister Marcy’s 50th birthday celebration and ate and drank the most wonderful food and wine. We went to a very small restaurant on May 7, 2008, which was her actual birthday, just Marcy, my younger sister Deana and me. The restaurant is called BAR CRUDO. Here is what we had.
To start with, Kushi Oysters and sparkling wine. I also ordered the asparagus soup that came with a dollop of crème fresh and tobiko. Marcy and Deana ordered the lobster for dinner, but I needed to experiment so I ordered the small plates starting with the Artic Char served with a creamy horseradish, wababi infused tobiko and dill. Wonderfully delicious and the wasabi infusion was a real treat. I then had the Yellow Fin Tuna, which was served with ginger soy, sriracha, scallions and cilantro. Yum! But I wasn’t done yet. My last dish was the Lobster and Beet salad, Main lobster, chioggia beets, golden beets, pistachio oil, burrata cheese, banyuls vinaigrette topped with mache. I was in food bliss and this was only the first night.