Garlic & Pinto Bean Soup

This serves, I think we can safely say, two or three people as a meal and perhaps more if it's just appetizer soup.

You will need:

-a can of pinto beans

-a bunch of garlic, both fresh and powdered.  (I used half a head!)

-half an onion

-2 cups vegetable broth

-cumin

-thyme

-3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice.

-some olive oil.

Chop up your garlic (make it a little chunky) and dice up your onion.  I usually hold back some of the onion so that I can have a nice raw onion garnish at the end; this is up to you.  Start off your garlic and onion simmering in some olive oil on medium-low.

Shake garlic POWDER onto this--yes, this soup hails from Garlic Town.  Be as copious as you like.  Also shake a generous amount of cumin on there, and a pinch or two of thyme.

Let these things get a little tender and then add your beans, which you needn't bother to drain since we are, after all, making soup.  Also throw in your lemon juice here.  Cover it and stir it and let it simmer for a while.  Feel free to add some more garlic and cumin if the spirit moves you (it always moves me).

Get your broth going now -- whether in the microwave or on the stove.  Personally, I favor Knorr's Vegetarian Vegetable bullion.

When the broth is brothy and ready, pour it in.  Keep uncovered and let the soup simmer/boil a bit more--there is no real science to this, just that soup gets better as it gets simmery.  I take as much time as I need to clean up and butter some bread, and then I usually get impatient and decide soup is served.  Soup's easy: ss long as it's hot, it's ready, but you can't oversimmer either.

There's your story!  I rocked this out with a buttered ciabatta roll today, which was both delicious and unpronounceable.  I recommend it!

Fancied Up Fake Potatoes (Oregano Experiment #1)

As some of you know, I'm growing herbs and a few other things this summer.  It's pretty exciting business, and every so often I send an excited text to a friend like "My cilantro is bolting!" or "My oregano thinks it owns the world!" or "Peppers are growing, peppers are growing!"

Anyway, my oregano DOES think it owns the world, and despite being Italian, I kinda missed the bus on oregano.  Basil has always been the herb of choice for my family.  But, so, I've got all this oregano and I decided it was time for experimentation.

This experiment went well and will satisfy you folks who have been asking for Quick and Easy.

Ingredients:

-Potato Flakes 

-Milk

-Water

-Butter

-a handful of fresh oregano 

-a clove or two of garlic

-salt and pepper.

Here's your story: the potato flake package can tell you how to build mashed potatoes out of them.  Most types involve first microwaving water-and-or-milk and then adding flakes.  This is the kind you need.

Get your bowl ready.  Put in your water-and-or-milk.  Then chop up a clove of garlic.  Very small!  The only cooking this garlic is getting is in the two minutes in the microwave, so it will have a zing.  You want very small pieces unless you're a garlic fiend like me, so it doesn't shock your delicate sensibilities.

Drop in the clove of garlic.  And take your fresh oregano and rip it up some with your fingers: this releases the flavory juiceness*.  Also, you probably don't want to be getting entire leaves in your potatoes, so rip it up nice and small.  Drop that into the bowl as well.

Then just prepare your potatoes according to the directions on your Potato Flake Package!  I recommend the addition of copious amounts of butter, salt, and pepper, because that's how I roll.

*Flavory juiceness: it's an industry term.

The Curry that Larrin Likes

You will need:

-Rice (plenty)

-a can of coconut milk (16 oz is good)

-olive oil (this is probably not the most authentic, but hey, I'm Italian)

-A can of chickpeas (same size as the coconut milk can)

-Any miscellaneous veggies that you feel like throwing in.

(Feel free to throw in precooked meat, too, if you're One of Those.)

-Perhaps an onion, chopped

-Fresh Garlic, chopped

-Many spices!

-Curry powder, Cumin, Turmeric*, ground cloves, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne pepper**

-Bunch of fresh cilantro

-A tomato

*OK to leave out if you haven't any because there's plenty in the curry

**if you want it hot

Soooo here's your order of operations.

First, get your rice cooked.

Then start off your curry in a large frying pan.  (You can do that while you're doing the rice, but keep in mind the curry will keep you busy.)  Start by throwing some oil in the pan and tossing your onions and garlic in there to simmer on Low.  As soon as you've got the heat on, begin adding your multitude of spices.

The key to spicing is to get a balance between the sweetish spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves) and the other spices.  Remember that a little bit of ground cloves goes a long way.  Let your nose be your guide, or dip a pinky in and taste what you've got going on every so often.  Basically, you want a lot of everything.  In fact, I recommend re-spicing throughout your cooking -- and in the respicing you can balance out if you've got too much or too little of anything.  Also at this point, you're adding all your seasonings exCEPT for your cilantro--that does not get cooked and goes in last.  Be sure that you're stirring this fairly constantly because you don't want your stuff to scorch. 

As far as heat goes, cayenne pepper gets hotter the longer it's fried in oil.  So if you want it damn hot, add plenty of cayenne pepper right away.  If you want it a little hot, hold off until after you add your coconut milk (that's coming).  And if you don't want it hot at all you can always leave it out.

Next add your chickpeas.  Just throw 'em into your spicey mix from a can.  Stir well.  Turn the heat up and let them simmer for a while.  They'll get nice and yellow.  Here's where I would add round two of spicing.  

Then your coconut milk.  Again just dump it on in.  Stir and simmer, stir and simmer.  Last round of spicing goes in here.  Cover your pan (but it's a good idea to leave a passage for steam to get out), turn down the heat and let it simmer.  

Now, dice up your tomatoes and chop up your cilantro.  Think of them like a garnish -- their raw flavors really complement the spicey cooked curry flavors.

Okay, you're ready!  Serve your curry over your rice, and garnish with your fresh tomato and cilantro.  Enjoy!