Potato and Leek Soup with Parsley-Garlic Chutney

Being unemployed means having plenty of spare time to cook and then take dorky cooking pictures of whatever it is that I’m cooking, which then accompanies these intros.

Which brings me to a new outlook: no excuses.

1. Small changes can make big differences. Sounds lame but, por ejemplo, I cook beans from scratch all the time. I let them soak overnight and I cook them in the morning. The difference between being employed and being unemployed is the method in which the beans cook. As a student, or when I was working, I would either cook soaked beans in a crockpot, or soak beans during the day and nuke them in the pressure cooker once I got home (pressure cooking beans takes all of 20 minutes). Now, I can soak them overnight and cook them in the morning, or soak them all day, and cook them along with dinner. Beans are important foods to a vegetarian - they provide protein, and they aren’t processed. I still buy canned beans for those oh crap moments, but I have found my new routine to have less of those moments. These small changes can have excellent benefits. Having cooked beans in the fridge during the week makes throwing last minute meals a reality (as opposed to my new found addiction to the Dr. Oetker’s mushroom pizza).  

2. Cook meals at home and try to do it everyday. Living in a country with limited ethnic food options has improved upon my cooking skills. If I want Indian, I cook it at home (I am not interested in spending my week’s grocery bill on one measly thali).  Craving Mexican? Cook it at home. Thai? At home. Vietnamese? At home.  

3. Plan your weekly meals. I like cooking and eating so I plan meals. This does a number of things, it allows me to plan to use whatever is already in the fridge and pantry. I can cook more of one thing (increase the pot of beans) to be used in multiple dishes, and I can prep vegetables all at once.  It helps me maximize my food dollars. I buy whatever foods I want, but I make sure to use them in dishes that I will cook that week or the next.

4. Get someone in your household to start baking bread everyday.

Today, I had leftover leeks from a week ago (who knew they stored so well), parsley, and some potatoes that were starting to grow. Ew. So, I decided to procrastinate from my CV writing (let’s see how I can translate this “no excuses” mentality into all aspects of my life?), and instead make potato and leek soup. This is good, tasty, hearty, filling, and healthy. 

Leeks are like overgrown green onions, except they are milder and sweeter.  You can cut up the leeks into 4” sections and fan the layers through water. The leek layers tend to be filled with dirt, so if still gritty, place trimmed chopped leeks into a large bowl of water.

Leeks

Peeled potatoes

Leeks ready to be chopped 

Leeks and carrots

These will make a great chutney to top the soup

Potato and leek soup

Potato and Leek Soup

Yield: 4-6 servings
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
3-4 cups chopped leeks, from 1-2 large leeks Use up to 2” of the green parts on the leeks
1 medium carrot, chopped into 1/4” dice
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp oregano, dried
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp dill, dried
4 medium to large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups (1 quart) vegetable broth plus 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soymilk, you could also use 1/2 cup of either cream or milk



Directions:

1. In a large soup stockpot (one that can hold 4 quarts) heat up olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in leeks and saute 5 minutes.
2. Add in bay leaf and carrots and continue to cook 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add in oregano, onion flakes, and dill. Stir to combine.
4. Add in potatoes and vegetable broth plus water.
5. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover slightly and let simmer 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes, the potatoes should be cooked through.  Take a potato masher and lightly mash the potatoes until you have a chunky soup. You could also puree half of the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. The potato masher method is the most convenient requiring far less cleaning than using the blender or immersion blender.
7. Stir in soymilk, cream if using, or milk, and continue to heat 10 minutes until thickened.
8. Garnish with parsley or serve along with parlsey-garlic chutney (see recipe below).

Parsley-garlic chutney
This is more like a tapenade than a chutney; it is delicious and brightens up the soup.



Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 tsp grated lemon rind
2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese (choose a regular, shreddable kind, it can be basic, nothing fancy see note below.)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup parsley, finely minced to yield 1/4 cup parsley
salt and pepper to taste



Directions:

1. Combine everything together and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Spoon a teaspoon over the soup before serving.

Note: there is a cheese shop, called The Cottage, in town that I really enjoy purchasing cheeses from. The owner and I were chatting and he was telling me how he cannot tell the difference between the regular parmesan and the fancier parmesan reggiano, except for the price between the two. He said they both are salty enough, but the parmesan reggiano is drier and aged longer. This works for me.

Sakkarpara

Sakkarpara are fried spicy wheat crisps that are made out of wheat flour and cream of wheat, or semolina flour. These are like spicy chips or crackers. My mom used to make these, and now does so when we visit home, or she travels to see us.  Being away from my parents, I have decided to try my hand at some of those traditional Guju foods my mom made. I imagine that her recipes had to change once she emigrated to the US, similar to how I have had to adapt many recipes because I cannot find the ingredients, or they are unavailable. I was unable to find cream of wheat or semolina flour, so I used a fine ground couscous.

Above: all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, and fine semolina

Above: Mom's recipe

Sakkarpara are usually served both savory and sweet. They are usually consumed for breakfast or during tea time.  They travel and store well in airtight containers. I prepared my mom’s recipe in two batches, adjusting the couscous and the wheat flour. I have included her original recipe below, with my adjustments in parentheses besides each item.  I found that they used a lot less oil and cooked quickly while being fried at 300 F. They store well, if you can manage not eating all of them in a few days.

Above: cumin seeds, turmeric, red chili powder

The sakkarpara are ready to fry as soon as the dough has been made and rolled out. If you are not going to fry these immediately, store the dough in a small bowl. To make the rolling easier, split the dough ball into two pieces. Have ample all-purpose flour ready to coat your work surface so the dough will not stick. I used almost 1/2 cup in rolling these out. The chips can be dusted with flour to prevent them from sticking (the extra flour will really tax the frying oil, but you can strain the oil through a tea sieve once its cooled off). The addition of cooked couscous allow these to puff up and gives you a soft wet dough.

Above: the sakkarpara dough ready to be rolled out. This one is a bit on the drier side, you want it moister than this. 

Above: dough is rolled and cut up.

Above: ready to make some?

Gujarati Sakkarpara

Yield: 50-60 chips

1 cup wheat flour or mixture of all-purpose and whole-wheat flour

1 cup cream of wheat, or 1/2 cup of dried couscous prepared with 1 cup boiling water. This will yield about 1 and 1/2 cups cooked couscous.

½ tsp turmeric, use ¼ tsp if using fresh turmeric

½ tsp red chili powder

½ tsp whole cumin seeds

½  tsp salt

1 tbsp brown sugar

¼ tsp citric powder (I omitted, because I couldn’t find it)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup water, or more as needed

½ cup flour, set aside
2 cups peanut oil

Directions:

1. Combine the flour and cream of wheat (or cooked couscous if using) in a large mixing bowl. Next, add in turmeric, red chili powder, salt, cumin seeds, brown sugar and citric acid (if using) and stir well.
2. Stir in vegetable oil and mix well.
3. Add in the water in ¼ cup increments, mixing the dough together. You want to make a soft dough, and the cream of wheat will soak up the water (the cooked couscous will make the dough wetter, so you might need more flour).  If the dough is too dry, add in water 1 tsp at a time until you get it to be the right consistency. Form a ball.
4. Once ready to roll the dough, split the dough into two even balls.
5. Sprinkle a clean work surface with the reserved flour, and push down the dough (dusted in flour) into a 3-4 inch disc. Roll out the dough, rotating the dough every few rolls, so you can get a circle. Flip it over frequently to make sure it is not sticking. Use more flour as needed. If you get another shape, just work with it, it doesn’t matter. Roll out until ⅛ inch thick.
6. With a small paring knife, cut strips along the length of the dough, and then cut strips along the width, so you get squares or diamonds. You can flour these lightly, so they do not stick.
7. Heat up the 2 cups of peanut oil in a wide oil-safe pot over medium-high heat.  The oil is ready when it is between 275 and 300 F.  You may need to turn the heat down to medium once it comes to temperature.  If you don’t have a thermometer, the oil is ready when it bubbles rapidly after placing the sakkarpara chips in the hot oil.
8. When ready, add in 5-7 chips at a time and cook for 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to crowd the pan because it will extend the cooking time. The sakkarpara are done once they are golden-brown. Remove the sakkarpara with a slotted spoon and set on a dish lined with paper towels.

Serve when cool enough to handle, although we would crowd around my mom and eat them as soon as they were warm enough. These are very good and simple to make.


Note: This recipe was tested again with cooked couscous instead of dried couscous and the changes made a much easier dough and sakkarpara. The changes have been reflected in the recipe above.

The South of France

I have always wanted to visit the south of France, it is one of my "bucket list" items. My lovely Belgian friends, Caro and Ingrid, took me along with them on a trip they had planned. Caro’s family lives in Le Thor and in L'Isle sur la Sorgue and these are all close to Avignon, Marseilles, and Montpellier.

We drove down, narrowly escaping five days of constant rain in Leuven. Visiting a place with native speakers is one of the best ways to see a place. I am competent ordering meals, and asking simple questions which are accompanied by hand gestures, but communicating in complete sentences is much much better.

On our way down, we stopped at a budget self-check in hotel.  After exiting the freeway and following the signs towards the center,  we arrived in a small town where everything was shut down.  We found a hotel, and were able to check in through a vending machine which dispensed our room card.  None of us had used this method before so we weren’t sure what to expect of the rooms. The hallways smelled muggy and old, but to our surprise the rooms were clean and the amenities (clean bathroom, enough towels, etc) were fine. The next morning, the town was buzzing, and we stopped in a nice bakery for some croissants and coffee.

Driving through France is expensive, and most of the major freeways connecting cities are toll-roads. However, it is easy to get around and absolutely worth driving in.  We drove through Lyon, and the changing fall colors gave the city a nice glow.  I gathered that the northern part of the town is prettier than the southern more industrial part. Driving south from Lyon, you begin to notice the mountains that are probably some of the foothills of the Alps. The landscapes change a bit more and you notice the vineyards and fruit orchards that follow the Rhone river. The leaves have just barely started to change so we were getting pretty excited. The vineyards are golden.

We stayed in Le Thor with Caro’s amazing family. Each town has a city hall and a much older looking church.  The buildings are white-washed concrete with tile roofs. Le Thor is surrounded by vineyards and reminds me of the northern California chapparal. Caro’s family lives in the middle of town, and we got to explore their Saturday market (where I was able to pick up some tea, fava beans, and Provencal herbs). Her family hosted us and fed us. They were amazing.



The following pics are from L’Isle sur la Sorgue.  They had a market going on where we picked up some picnic items. I truly enjoyed being a tourist: walking around, taking photos, awkwardly standing out taking pictures of the things I had just walked past.






I warned you about the walking and taking pics. Then there was a market right next to this church...with lots of yummy finds.





And yes I did not eat this, but I can appreciate the slow foods of it:

and these:


And how would we consume all our finds?


Finally, we arrive in Marseilles and have a picnic in the old harbor.



When we got back Caro’s family asked us how we liked it (I should mention it was my first time). I thought it was very nice, pretty, old harbor, steep but attractive streets, populated. The locals opinions differ: it's okay, but their is much more to see outside and far away from Marseilles. I learned that Marseilles is the largest French port, and is the second most populated city after Paris.

Avignon proved to be much more impressive. When you arrive, you notice that the city has maintained it’s old medieval walls.  The historical significance never gets old to me, although my awe and questions were probably annoying for my friends.  The Palace of the Popes is huge and makes up most of the old part of town. The streets surrounding the palace are narrow and cobblestoned. The main parts of town are beginning to assemble their Christmas markets and decorations.






So far, I am totally impressed with the wines, weather, and history.  My limited French is annoying, but my Dutch is improving. Because this is already ridiculously long, here are some of my faves of Montpellier. Caro’s cousin walked us around, but only after a 4 hour lunch. 

Things I love about France: croissants, bread, coffee, wine, water at meals, food, leisurely meals, the countryside, the random fresh markets that are everywhere.
Things I do not love: rest stops with pit toilets (really?).

Chocolate and Carrotcake Cupcakes

The chocolate cupcakes are light and fluffy, and pair well with a saffron infused cream-cheese frosting. Yum. The recipe for carrot cupcakes is below.

Chocolate cupcakes

Ingredients

Baking chocolate

I used a box grater to grate the chocolate - voila - cocoa powder!

Naked choco-cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes with Saffron Cream Cheese Frosting

(adapted from a Cooking Light recipe)
Yield: 1 dozen


Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened
2 large eggs (I used 3 small eggs)
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (about 5 ½ ounces)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup low-fat buttermilk (I used yogurt instead)
1 tsp vanilla extract



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place brown sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
5. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring well to combine.
6. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in vanilla extract.
7. Spoon batter into 18 muffin cups (I got 16 cupcakes). Bake at 350 for 12 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back lightly.
8. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Saffron Cream Cheese Frosting
1 tbsp butter
pinch saffron threads
1 cup powdered sugar
1, 8-oz block cream cheese, softened

1. Warm butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add in saffron and let steep over very low heat for 20 minutes.
2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium-speed until well-combined. Increase the speed, and continue beating until smooth.
3. Spread about 1 tbsp of frosting over each cupcake.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

(carrot cake recipe adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

1 cup pastry or all-purpose flour
¼ cup whole-wheat flour  (the flours should total about 5 ¾ ounces)
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup canola oil
⅓ cup cooked mashed carrots
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ¼ cups grated carrots (4 ounces)
½ cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Spoon flour into measuring cups and level with knife.
3. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
4. Combine sugar, oil, mashed carrots, and eggs in a large mixing bowl, stir to combine.
5. Add the sugar-oil-egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir together until just moist. Stir in the grated carrots and walnuts. Stir to combine.
6. Spoon the batter into muffin cups. Should make 16 to 18 cupcakes.
7. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8-oz block cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium-speed until well-combined. Increase the speed, and continue beating until smooth.
2. Spread about 1 tbsp of frosting over each cupcake.

Cupcakes ready for the final decorating

Cake stands at the ready