Skinny carrot and bok choy soup

Sometimes I make something and I think: this isn't blog worthy, it's way too simple. But simple is often (very often) quite good, if not quite scrumptious. And thus I present this simple soup whose flavor has only improved since I cut the heat over two hours ago and which, by tomorrow at lunch time, will surely be all the more delicious.

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• About 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
• 1 medium head of bok choy, washed and chopped (stalks and leaves)
• Lots of salt
• Soba noodles, cooked and drained

In a large pot, heat some oil. I used grapeseed oil because I was out of olive oil, and I found it to be better because it was lighter and didn't compete with the ginger and carrots for taste. Sautee the onions, garlic and carrots for about five minutes. Add the stalks of the bok choy and stir to cover with the oil. Cook for a few minutes, and then add about 10 cups or so of cold water. Salt generously and bring to a boil. Drop the heat and simmer until the carrots are just tender. Add the bok choy leaves and allow to simmer for five more minutes or so.

Spoon some soba noodles into a bowl, then ladle the soup over the top. This recipe will make many servings. Store the leftovers and cook more soba noodles for a second or third round as needed. Don't add cooked noodles to soup to sit overnight in the fridge, as they will get mooshy.

Enjoy hot on a cold winter's night, or reheated at noon in the office!

Nut bread

This is a variation of the wheat bread recipe, which is the post that preceeds this one, so please refer to that post for the recipe. The only thing you do differently for this variation is kneed nuts of your choice to the dough before setting it under the towel to rise for an hour. I used coarsely chopped walnuts and sunflower seeds, which is what I had on hand, but any nut variation would do. My favorite nut for bread is hazelnut, and I also enjoy hazelnut and chocolat.

Easiest wheat bread

This recipe comes from my 99 year old aunt, Jeanette Moreau Pomerleau. Originally, it's a recipe for raisin bread, but I make it without the raisins and it's lovely. The recipe calls for sugar, but I leave it out without much change in taste or texture. I also use olive oil instead of lard, as my aunt does. And finally, you can replace the molasses with honey, though it makes for a lighter colored bread. This recipe, along with a few more easy bread recipes, is included in the cookbook I wrote based on my mother and her sister's recipes.

• 4 cups each white and whole wheat flour (see note below*)
• 3 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp yeast
• 3 generous tbsp melted lard (or olive oil)
• 1/2 cup molasses (or honey)
• 3.5 cups hot water
• 3/4 cups raisins (optional)

In a large bowl, mix the flours together. Make a hole in the middle of the flour and add all of the ingredients (even the raisins if you choose to include them) into the hole, adding the water and the molasses last. With your hand, starting in the middle of the hole, mix by making little circles until all of the flour is incorporated. You may need to add more flour if the dough is still sticky at the end. Knead on a floured surface until you get a large, smooth ball. I don't knead for that long, maybe five minutes or so. Rub a small amount of oil over the dough and place in deep bowl. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until it doubles in size, about an hour. When the dough has doubled, separate into two or three round balls. Place them on a baking stone or in bread pans (depending on the size you choose to make) and allow to rise again, covered, for about an hour.

Bake at 375 for about an hour. For a crispier crust, spray the inside of the oven with water every ten minutes. Enjoy with butter as a side with soup, or for breakfast with more butter and jam.

*Note: I made this bread again since posting this and realized in the process that I had no more white flour. What I did have was some unbleached white flour (about a cup and a half) and wheat flour. I made the recipe with this and discovered that the bread had better flavor. The next time, I may just try it with all wheat flour to see what happens.

Sumo Noodles

Adele made this soba noodle concoction tonight and it was so good that we wanted to keep eating it until we became as big as sumo wrestlers. A few days ago we bought several large boxes of buckwheat soba noodles from an Asian market in Cambridge and now we're hooked. In the regular grocery stores they're not much of a deal, so try checking out an Asian market for bulk soba.

• Half a large onion, sliced thinly
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp powdered ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• Juice of one small lime
• Generous half teaspoon each dried cilantro and dried mint

Get a pot of water boiling for the soba noodles. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the onions and the garlic with the salt and ginger over low heat until very soft and translucent, stirring often. Add the fish sauce and the lime juice and stir to cover the onions. Add the cooked, drained soba noodles (they take about 4 - 6 minutes) and stir to cover. Add the cilantro and mint, stir again and cook for a few more minutes, stirring.

Makes two servings as a main dish. Excellent with a side of steamed bok choy.

Red lentils with ginger and cilantro

Josh and I dined in a great little Indian restaurant last night in Cambridge where I had Mushroom Saag. I have no idea how to make Mushroom Saag, but I did take some mental notes on the tastes that the dish boasted: ginger, cilantro and coriander. So I thought I'd try out the combo this evening with some red lentils. The end result, served warm with a dollop of crème fraiche, a side of steamed broccoli and a fresh salad, was heavenly!

1. 1 small onion, chopped
2. 2 cloves garlic, minced
3. Fresh ginger, peeled and roughly minced (about 3 tablespoons)
4. 12 ounces of red lentils
5. A teaspoon or so coriander seeds, crushed in a mortar
6. 2 teaspoons salt
7. A good handful of fresh cilantro, washed, stemmed and minced

In a deep pot, heat about two tablespoons olive oil over low heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and coriander and cook until the onion is translucent. (The smell is fantastic!) Add the lentils and stir to cover with oil. Add the salt and about 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and then drop the heat to simmer, covered, until the lentils turn to mush, about 30 minutes. Uncover, add the cilantro and cook for a while longer, stirring. The lentils should not be watery; if they are, cook at a higher temp for a few minutes and let the excess liquid evaporate. Remove from heat and let the lentils set for about five minutes before serving.

Creamy celeriac dip

These are the three celeriacs Josh and I got last week from our CSA. They look like something out of Lord of the Rings which will come to life and attack your face, but these ones got turned into a nice dip that Josh and some friends I tested it on said was better than hummus.


Peel the celeriac with a sturdy knife, cube and place into a pot with barely enough water to cover, salt and about a teaspoon of turmeric. Bring the water to a boil and cook the celeriac until it is soft. Spoon the pieces out of the pot with a slotted spoon and place into a food processor with the metal blade. Add a teaspoon or so of salt and puree until very smooth. (Drink the cooking water... it's actually quite good, and full of antioxidants!)

Serve warm with crackers. Enjoy!