Recipe: Barley Soup with Scotch...

...otherwise known as my New Favorite Recipe.

This recipe appeared in an October 2011 issue of Food & Wine and I'm horrified that I kept it this long without trying it.  That means I've lived TWO YEARS without this in my life.  It's the culinary equivalent of curling up under a warm blanket on the couch...or soft cashmere mittens on a chilly day...or warm mulled wine shared with a friend.

In my version below, I substituted chopped parsley for the celery leaves, adding them to the soup fresh at the last minute.  F&W's recipe also doesn't specify which Scotch to use.  Adam's a peat-y guy - he loves himself some Laphroaig - but I love my Scotch more toasty and woody so I used one of my personal favorites: Balvenie 12-Year Doublewood.

Barley Soup with Scotch
Adapted from Food & Wine
Serves 4

6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup barley grits (I found pearled barley on Fresh Direct)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon Scotch whisky
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 oz. dry salami, sliced paper-thin (about 20 slices)
Crème fraîche, for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.  Keep hot over low heat.  In a large skillet, cook the barley over moderately high heat, tossing, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a plate to cool.
2. Add vegetable oil to the skillet and add the onion.  Cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the barley and stir well.  Add 1 cup of the hot broth and cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until most of the broth has been absorbed.  Continue adding more broth, 1 cup at a time (yes, just like risotto), and stirring often between additions.  The soup is finished when all of the broth has been added and the barley is just tender, about 25 minutes.  Add the Scotch and then stir in the butter.  Season with salt and pepper (make sure to taste it!).
3. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls.  Top with the salami and dollop of crème fraîche.  Garnish with the parsley and serve hot.

Can you believe it?  That's it.  And I really don't think you lose a lot if you leave out the salami and make it vegetarian.  I do insist, however, that you keep that dollop of crème fraîche - it's the divine richness that just makes the entire dish.

And, yes, Isabell ate this.  I just "forgot" to mention the Scotch.  Seriously, guys, she would have gone on about how she's "too young to get drunk" and it would've been a big dramatic thing.  But at a single tablespoon for the whole dish, I hardly think she was in danger of getting sloshed under the dining room table.  (And I diced the onion so fine that there was no way she could even detect they were there.)

Make this dish ASAP while we're all still mildly entertained by winter's charms.  I can guarantee that you'll be flipping off recipes like this one come March...and then you'll have to wait until NEXT YEAR to try this amazing soup!

Eat, drink, and ACT NOW.

Cheers,
Laura

Zipper Test

It's official: this Leek Soup thing is no walk in the park.  I actually felt a bit woozy yesterday afternoon so I took a few bites of the Nutella panini that Bug was eating (stopping at Bar Veloce may not have been my smartest move ever...).  I know some of you are going to do the Leek Soup recalibration as well, and I urge you to make sure you're eating more than leeks, if you need to.  Have a few nuts, or a piece of excellent-quality cheese, or...in my case...some Nutella.  Just make sure to choose your "cheat" carefully and enjoy it!

I read a bit more in FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT yesterday, and I have the perfect passage to share with you.  It's from the beginning of Chapter 3 and it really sums up the essence of what we're doing here:

While diets are often inspired by fear and self-loathing, such emotions do not show the way toward living like a French woman.  To embrace recasting, you have to be ready to embrace pleasure and individual happiness as your goals.  Sounds paradoxical?  At least half our bad eating and drinking habits are careless; they grow out of inattention to our true needs and delights.  We don't notice what we are consuming, we are not alert to flavors - we are not really enjoying our indulgences, and therefore we think nothing of them and overdo it.

When I first read this, I highlighted it and underlined it; it really hit home.  When you're eating, ask yourself if you're really enjoying what's going in your mouth...the flavors, the texture...and, if it's not delicious, why would you keep eating it?  Be mindful and conscious...and indulge smartly.  It's also about self-confidence: you're amazing so why would you settle for second-best?  You're awesome so why would you settle for a low-fat, chemical-laden block of "cheese" rather than something like a tart, crumbly, delicious Bucheron?  Don't settle for anything but the best quality you can afford!

I also had a chat via Facebook with a friend who is feeling the same way I am.  And she said that, in the past, when she has felt less than her best, she cuts out bread, pasta, and/or red wine for a time - that really helps her get back on track.  Which is awesome.  Again, know your strengths, know your body.  That said, I can't go that route - bread and wine, preferably on a daily basis, are things that I love, that I'm passionate about, that make me content and pleased.  So on that note, I like this passage:

Deprivation is the mother of failure.  Any program that your mind interprets as punishment is one your mind is bound to rebel against.  Whether your pleasure is a glass of wine with dinner or a croissant for breakfast, you simply cannot deprive yourself for extended periods of time and not expect your body to take revenge.

Mireille Guiliano goes on to advocate a day of rest, a Sabbath, when you can enjoy those things you love in moderation.  But her rules (good ones) are "no junk, good quality, and respectfully savored."  

So this is the last of my perhaps overly confessional blog posts, at least for awhile: today, I'm talking about the Zipper Test...photos and all.  First, I want to share a pre-French photo of myself (yes, I realize I just had a baby in this picture...but this is very representative of my look since about 14 years old):

And here's post-French - this was the weight I truly felt bien dans ma peau:

Now, I picked my pair of pants and shirt that I'm going to use to help me gauge my success.  Some of you are fans of the scale: if you feel like that's the best way for you, then go for it.  But I hate the scale and, personally, I feel like it can be so misleading.  Another way to gauge your success is using a measuring tape.  Again, I'm not a huge fan of that, but that's something else you may want to use.

So here is the shirt:

It's hard to tell from the photo, of course, but the buttons pull so tight around my stomach that you can see glimpses of skin.  And here are the pants:

They can't be buttoned.  Which breaks my heart - I loooove these pants.  Particularly when they used to be my "baggy" pants.

So here we go!

Those of you following along with me, how is your reading going?  Are you automatically thinking, "She's full of crap - this won't work for me!"  Are you enjoying it?  Are you trying the food diary?  What quotes do you love?  Would love to hear your thoughts!

Eat, drink, and study for the Test! 8-)

Leek Soup

You guys, I am so pumped.  Your notes have been so encouraging, inspiring, and motivating.  And after two days of increased mindfulness and new motivation, I feel better already, both physically and emotionally.  And my favorite part is that some of you have told me that you even bought FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT and you're reading along with me!  YES!  You guys are the best!

I read the first three chapters yesterday and was reminded why I love this book so much.  The key is to read it with an open mind, and you need to be ready to really make some changes.  That's where I was at in 2005 when I first encountered it, and that's where I'm at today: open-armed and ready to have my world rocked again.

I loved page 10 (in the hardcover edition) where Mireille Guiliano says:

[...] the goal is to develop what works for you as you cultivate a new intuition.  I'm not presenting prescriptions so much as templates.  Tailor them according to your preferences, paying attention to your own body, schedule, environment, and other unique characteristics.  In fact, my emphasis is on the simplicity, flexibility, and rewards of doing it yourself.

On that same page, she says about Phase Two of her "lifestyle program":

It won't be a dietary boot camp, merely a chance for your body to recalibrate.  There is discipline, but flexibility is vitally important, especially at this key motivational stage: the value of avoiding routine both in meals and in activities, emphasizing quality over quantity.

The bolded words are my own - I wanted to draw out particular points that I find super important.

So today I'm making the Leek Soup that she outlines at the end of Chapter 2 (and at the beginning of Chapter 3).  It's sort of a detox/cleanse.  As I mentioned yesterday, I didn't do this part when I first "went French" in 2005 - I didn't like leeks, or hardly any vegetables, at the time.  But now I love them so I'm going for it.  You can feel free to omit this part of Guiliano's "lifestyle program".  You'll also know from your reading that Guiliano recommends keeping a food diary, but I didn't do that back in 2005 and I'm definitely not going to do it now - it feels way too much like homework to me.  Again, do what works for you!

LEEK SOUP
Recipe from FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT by Mireille Guiliano

2 pounds leeks (about 6 leeks)

1. Cut off the ends of the leeks, both the roots and the dark green parts, leaving the white parts plus a suggestion of pale green.  Clean the leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil.

2. Put the leeks in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered 20 minutes.  Pour off the liquid and reserve.  Place the leeks in a bowl.

Then Guiliano instructs:

The juice is to be drunk (reheated or at room temperature to taste) every 2 to 3 hours, 1 cup at a time. 

For meals, or whenever hungry, have some of the leeks themselves, 1/2 cup at a time.  Drizzle with a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice.  Season sparingly with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley if you wish. 

This will be your nourishment for [two] days, until Sunday [or in my case, Wednesday] dinner, when you can have a small piece of meat or fish (4 to 6 ounces) with a bit of butter or olive oil, and a piece of fruit. 

Presentation is everything!

Again, I'm adapting this to me.  Because, guess what...I'm so eating dinner tonight!  It just doesn't fit my lifestyle to sit at the table with a single leek and some broth...while Adam and Bug eat some awesome dinner that I made for them.  Not gonna happen for me.

But I do plan on cutting my normal portion size in half.  If I'm still hungry after that, I'll have a few bites of leek or drink some broth.

I should also note that, should the leek soup thing be too extreme for you, Guiliano also gives a recipe for something called Mimosa Soup.  It's much more substantive with hard-boiled eggs, carrots, cauliflower, and other assorted goodies.  You can give that a try instead.  It's only for two days, and this is truly the only extreme part of "going French".

I'm off to read some more FWDGF and drink lots of water and tea...hopefully that will distract me from the fact that all I had for breakfast were two boiled leeks!

The total of my breakfasts and lunches for the next two days!

Eat, drink, and learn to love leeks, my fellow Frenchies.

Garlic and Wine Soup

I had the loveliest morning today.  I stopped at Joe: The Art of Coffee for an Americano and a coconut cream doughnut.  Instead of walking down the street, munching, I stopped in Union Square to sit on a bench and enjoy my impromptu breakfast.  Small, but bold, birds hopped within a foot of my hand and the morning sun came through the yellow and green leaves.  I thought about autumn.  This season makes me feel contemplative, relaxed, and sleepy (in a good way) - it's, hands-down, my absolute favorite season.  At the risk of sounding corny, my heart just felt so full, sitting there, and I couldn't believe my good fortune in being able to sit in the park and enjoy the morning.  It was, in every way, perfect.

The changing of the seasons is always the best time for food and drink, I think.  By the end of summer, I'm rather grumpy about the heat, declaring that I won't make a single thing for dinner that requires heat and pining for the day when I can roast and braise and fry.  Not to mention exchanging my Vinho Verde and Hefeweizen for Pinot Noir and porter.  Well, the day has come.

It began with the Cauliflower Macaroni and was followed by Garlic and Wine Soup.  Jonny and Amy over at We Are Never Full posted the recipe for this soup ages ago; I bookmarked it back in November 2009 and I've only now gotten around to making it.  And, goodness, I wish I had made it sooner!  It is the perfect way to herald in the new season with its creamy richness and earthiness.

Amy and Jonny, in their blog post, recommend pairing this with a rustic red wine, which I think would be lovely and much welcome in the winter.  However, I went with WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT and drank a Sauvignon Blanc with dinner (the same one I used in the recipe...which is why you should always cook with a wine good enough to drink on its own).  I found the bright citrus notes very refreshing with this soup - it cut right through the richness.

This soup truly celebrates a new season.  And don't be afraid of all the garlic; when simmered for a long period of time, it turns sweet, mellow, and fragrant.  My last piece of advice is that you avoid the mistake I made: don't wait for two years to make this soup.  Make it this week.

Eat, drink, and don't worry about your breath.


SOUPE A L'AIL ET AU VIN (Garlic and Wine Soup)
Adapted - only slightly - from We Are Never Full
Serves 2

4-5 heads garlic (50-60 cloves)
4 oz pancetta, cubed
3 tablespoons plain flour
5 cups warm low-sodium beef stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 egg yolks
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 cup Cantal cheese (Gruyere or Emmentaler would work too), grated
4-6 slices toasted country bread

1. Separate each clove of garlic from the head and crush lightly with the side of a knife.  Do not remove the skin.

2. Reserve one clove.  Peel it and chop it finely.  Keep for later use.

3. Gently render the cubed pancetta over medium heat in a large stockpot, until pieces are golden brown.

4. Add flour and stir into the fat.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.

5. Gradually add warm stock to the roux, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

6. Bring to a boil and add the garlic.  Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, mix the white wine with the egg yolks in a 1-quart measuring jug (or a large bowl).  Also, place bread on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler for about 3 minutes.  Add grated cheese and broil for an additional 2 minutes.  Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn.

8. After 45 minutes, strain soup through a sieve to remove garlic, skins, and pancetta.  Return soup to pot.

9. Add several ladle-fulls of the simmering liquid to the eggs and wine to gently heat (temper) the yolks.

10. Then, add the egg yolk mixture back to the stock post and stir well.

11. Reheat soup until it shows a few bubbles.  Do not allow to boil.

12. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.

13. Mash the reserved garlic clove with chopped parsley (make a persillade).

14. Ladle soup into bowls.  Add bread slice on top, ladle soup over the bread, and sprinkle the whole thing with the persillade.  Enjoy!


NOTE: I actually forgot the parsley on my grocery list.  Which is why you see no persillade in my photo. It worked okay but I'd recommend the persillade, if not for flavor then at least for looks.

A NOTE ON KID-FRIENDLINESS: Who are we kidding?  Bug wouldn't touch this with a 10-foot pole.  She had "Kid Dinner" and then we enjoyed this for "Adult Dinner" after she had gone to bed.

Recipe Review: Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup

I have folders where I keep all the recipes I tear from magazines (organized by category):

Lately I've been trying to go through them and make the dishes that have been sitting too long.  Tonight, it was Rachael Ray's Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup, which I have had in my folder since...wait for it...2007!  It was time to either make it or get rid of it.  So here's how mine turned out:

The verdict?  I probably won't make it again.  The roasted garlic combined with the roasted squash and the caramelized onion just made for a soup that was waaaay too cloying for my taste - it was really sweet, guys.  It would have been a total wash had it not been for the tartness of the yogurt to balance out the sweet.  If you make this, the yogurt is a necessity. 


I did make some changes to the recipe.  First, before serving, while the soup was on the heat, I added a tablespoon of heavy cream.  I wanted to loosen it up and smooth it out a bit.  I also had some leftover pancetta breadcrumbs from this ah-mazing recipe a couple nights ago and added that as well.


It was also a weird choice for Super Bowl dinner - I'm not quite sure what I was thinking - but it was fine.  


Ugh. Can't you sense my ambivalence about this one?  A lot of effort but not enough ROI (the marketer in me...Return on Investment).  As stated earlier, I won't make this again - there are just too many stellar, mind-blowing recipes out there to settle for blah.


Eat, drink, and weed the collection (that's librarian talk for de-cluttering...)

Speaking of food writing...

...Remember yesterday I talked about exceptional food writing?

Today, I have an example of...to put it kindly...not good food writing:

When stewed in a cauldron, the big, tough-looking leaf becomes wonderful and delicious, tender and emotional. [referring to collard greens]

This appeared in my latest issue of Saveur in the article "Green Goddess."

I don't want to be mean.  I don't.  But this sort of writing brings out the mean in me.  I love Saveur and I certainly won't cancel my subscription over this (because the photography alone is worth the price of admission, for me).  But this writing is so affected and overwrought.  "Emotional" collard greens?!  No.  Just...no.  "Wonderful and delicious"?!  No.  It's one thing for an inexperienced blogger such as myself, but you're Saveur.  For goodness sake.

On the upside, "emotional" has become a catch-phrase in our house.  Adam and I enjoyed a late-night snack of burrata on toast this weekend and we absolutely declared it to be tender and emotional.  It really was so good - with some lemon zest, flake salt, and fresh pepper - that I wanted to cry.

Eat, drink, and emote.



Note: Another upside is that the Collard Greens, Cornmeal, and Sausage Soup looks really amazing. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

I know I've been posting a lot of food lately and thanks to all my bookish friends for being patient. I've actually written three posts in the last two weeks about work and books and life...but I couldn't quite write them in a way that was...uncontroversial. So until I figure it out, I'll talk about food.

Last weekend was glutinous. On Saturday night, thanks to Eatery Row: Forest Hills, we discovered the local joy which is Manor Oktoberfest. I ate every bite of an enormous bratwurst and drank a whole pint of my new favorite lager, Kostritzer. Sunday morning started with poached eggs and potatoes fried in duck fat for breakfast. Sunday night ended with Boeuf Bourguignon. It was worth it but, by Sunday night, we were drinking lemon ginger tea to help our digestion and popping Tums.

So this was a cleansing week. On Tuesday night, I made Chicken Noodle Soup from my new cookbook, Simple Chinese Cooking by Kylie Kwong (a Christmas present from MC [mother-in-law] and her husband). I had to make some minor alterations but here is how it turned out:

Chicken Noodle Soup

(a variation on the recipe from Kylie Kwong)

1/2 bunch bok choy

9 oz. package fresh linguine noodles (Buitoni brand is available in most grocery stores)

6 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp ginger julienne

2 tsp oyster sauce

1 tsp white sugar

13 oz free-range chicken breasts, cut widthways into 1/2 in. slices

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 scallion julienne

1 red jalapeno, finely sliced on the diagonal

Remove cores from bok choy, cut crossways into 4, then wash thoroughly and drain.

Place noodles in a colander and rinse well under hot running water, then drain.

Bring stock to a boil in a large heavy-based pot. Add soy sauce, ginger, oyster sauce, and sugar and stir to combine. Reduce heat, add drained noodles and simmer gently for 30 seconds. Add bok choy and chicken (yes, raw) and simmer for a further 2 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through (took about 5 minutes with my soup). Stir in sesame oil, then remove pot from stove.

Ladle soup into large bowls. Place scallion and pepper in a separate bowl alongside the soup or do as I did and just sprinkle over soup as garnish.

This also turned out to be a super kid-friendly meal since I just gave Bug the broth and noodles. You could also make it vegetarian by omitting the chicken and use vegetable broth instead. The soup had a bright flavor and it was so cleansing and fresh after all the heavy winter food I had been eating!

Eat, drink, and don't prescribe to the idea that winter only means heavy foods!