Recipe 47: Fresh Pea Soup St. Germain

I select this recipe for one reason, and one reason only:  I am dying to see green.  This winter has been long and hard.  I am ready for spring!  I want to see little green things poking up from the cold frozen ground!  As bonus, this recipe was not only violently green, but mindnumbingly easy and quick.  I doubled it, and while it is decent, I wouldn't say it's all that great.  If you like green peas, and I recommend this soup.  I would also recommend adding more flavor to the recipe below, either in the form of garlic, maybe some curry...other spices...something.  It tastes just like fresh peas, so if that is your thing, you will love this soup! As per, it came from my bible, The Soup Bible.   Size wise, this is maybe the only recipe in the book with a realistic outlook on servings.  My only other suggestion is get rid of none of the water if you want your soup to be at more soupy than smashed pea-y.  Seriously.  Just stick a blender in there and have at it.  This recipe features a special Le Creuset guest, Blue's baby brother, Blue's Baby Brother.  From here on out, he will be referred to as Triple B.  

Say hello to Triple B!

Triple B looks good in spring green, don't you think?

Fresh Pea Soup St. Germain
(from The Soup Bible, by Debra Mayhew)

Ingredients:

A small knob of butter (hehe, knob.  I'm twelve)

2 to 3 shallots, minced

3 cups fresh peas, or frozen peas that have been thawed and rinsed

2 1/4 cups water

salt and pepper

a crouton or bread garnish

OPTIONAL: 3-4 tablespoons cream (if you prefer creamy soups)

 What to do with your ingredients:

1. Melt the butter in your pot.
2. Add your minced shallots and cook for approximately three minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become tender.
3.  Add the peas and water to the pot, season with some salt.  Cover and let this simmer for approximately 12-18 minutes, until peas are tender, bright green, and taste cooked.  Don't overcook or they will turn Army Puke Green. 
4. When the peas meet the tender green description above, remove from heat and either add the mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.  Remember, use all the liquid if you want it to be more soupy, less if you want it more firm and like smashed peas.  
5. I did not strain my soup because I am lazy, but the OG recipe recommends it.  Whatever, if you want to do more dishes and have a high class soup, be my guest.  
6. If you want to use the cream, add it now, while reheating the soup on low.  I chose leave it out and let my guests cream their own soups.  Yes, that's what she said.  Also, gross.
7. Garnish and serve hot to your non-pea hating friends.  

A Classic Case of the Terribles: Tiny Redcoats

It is rare that things are both unbearably cute and totally messed up.  I like to call this mishappenstance (it's a word now, punks) a case of the terribles.  

I think the following qualifies:  Boston tots are reinacting the Boston Massacre, complete with fake foam snowballs, pistol-whippings via musket, and you know, the inevitable massacre from whence the name came. Nothing says field trip like a good massacre reinactment!

 

How can you resist tiniest little redcoat drummer ever?  I bet if our colonial masters had looked like this, we would not have thrown our tea party in the nursery, not the harbor. 

Tsk, tsk, England.  Classic rookie miscalculation while you were powdering your wigs and marmalading your toast.  Next time, colonize with kindergarteners. 

Called it! The Girl Who Could be Katniss?

Since about a hot minute into True Grit, I knew I wanted one thing:  Hailee Steinfield as Katness Everdeen.  Oh snap, Hollywood.  Thanks for catching up.  If you can make this pipe dream a reality, we'll be in business! Not going to lie, I'd be pretty happy if they cast Jeff Bridges as Haymitch, but seeing as that movie is already called True Grit, I'm also open to other suggestions. 

Source:  Bookshelf of Doom (font of mucho awesome)

Recipe 48: Lentils with Wine-Glazed Winter Vegetables

Today's recipe was a big first.  This is the first time I've ever encountered the weirdest looking vegetable in all the vegetable lands (or at least top ten):  the uber fug celery root. 

The scourge of my vegetable drawer meets its match.

Doesn't it look a bit like the trolls from Ernest Scared Stupid?  Proceed with caution, this movie terrified me as a child.  

Isn't it terrifying?  Every time I peeked at it in the vegetable drawer, I kept worrying that my celery root would have turned into that guy and shanked me with a carrot spear or something.  I have a very active imagination.  Even after I peeled it, it still looked crazy!  I had to chop it into small cubes to feel good about it not turning into a murderous troll. 

In which I crush the spirit of my celery root.

As per usual, I digress.  As fug as the celery root was, this recipe caught my eye because it has two things I love, red wine and dijon mustard.  Also, I'm a sucker for roasted vegetables.  And now troll-like vegetables.  This recipe is not pretty.  In fact, it has the same coloring as our friend, Mr. Troll.  But gosh darn it, it is delish and easy to make.  In a departure from almost every other recipe I've made in Blue, this one actually makes the four servings it claims to.  Enjoy this recipe with some nice crusty bread and a side salad.  

Lentils with Wine Glazed Winter Vegetables
(via MyRecipes, from Cooking Light)

Lentils with Wine-Glazed Winter Vegetables

Ingredients:

3  cups  water

1 1/2  cups  dried lentils

1  teaspoon  salt, divided

1  bay leaf

1 1/2  teaspoons  olive oil

2  cups  chopped onion

1 1/2  cups  chopped peeled celeriac (celery root)

1  cup  diced parsnip

1  cup  diced carrot

1  tablespoon  minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon, divided

1  tablespoon  tomato paste

1  garlic clove, minced

2/3  cup  dry red wine

2  teaspoons  Dijon mustard

1  tablespoon  butter

1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine water, lentils, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes. Remove lentils from heat, and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a medium cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add the onion, celeriac, parsnip, carrot, and 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, and sauté 10 minutes or until browned. You can now breath easy; your celery root is officially dead and should look something like this: 

The only good celery root is a dead celery root.

5. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, tomato paste, and garlic; cook mixture 1 minute.
6. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
7. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in mustard.
8. Add lentil mixture, and cook 2 minutes.
9. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf, and stir in butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, and pepper.
10.  Eat with some bread!  I strongly recommend the Sesame Garlic Rolls from When Pigs Fly Bakery for this and for life in general.  I'm drooling right now.

Greatness, thy name is Amazon Wireless Beta

I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop, to find out I've actually gone and married a Nigerian prince after a night of drinking in Vegas.   But I'm feeling pretty good about mentioning this, because seriously you guys.  Amazon Wireless Beta?  Possibly the greatest thing EVER (unless you say, have Verizon Wireless and want an iPhone.  Then it sucks to be you.).

I've been needing a new cell phone for nigh on a while now.  My old LG enV has survived a full dip into a water font (of sorts...okay, fine, the toilet) and has worked for three years, the last of which it has had a fully cracked front screen.  The power cord has to basically be folded in half for it to charge and the phone has taken to turning itself off with great passion when there is a temperature change.

I came to terms with needing a new cell phone, I just wanted to get an upgrade to a smartypants phone.  After much hemming and hawing and chatting with less than amused sales dudes, I settled on the Droid 2 Global.  Verizon wanted to charge me $150.  That would be WITH my $50 upgrade credit (the program expires in June, get on  it stat!).  But I accidentally stumbled across it on Amazon, and seriously.  Seriously guys.  Not only is it a collaborative thing with Verizon (as in I still get my bill from them, I'm just buying the phone from Amazon), it is a truly magical thing.

They are charging me $20.

Twenty bones! It will be here in two days!

There are some conditions, like having to keep the phone for 181 days.  I think I can handle that, after having had my junker for three years.  If you at all belong to Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T, or T Mobile, do yourself a favor and check there.   

But if you wind up with a Nigerian Prince, know I just wanted the company.