A Pot of Versatile Veggies - Refrigerator Remnants

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a new recipe.  Between making sure I provided a few posts with helpful tips and holiday entertaining, and focusing on fulfilling orders from my customers, I let a period pass without dedicating time to share recipes. Although those may be some reasons, truth be told, the more obvious one is that without our usual entertaining schedule, I’ve been less motivated to experiment and haven’t had the need to invent new dishes to serve guests.  That part makes me a bit sad. Ok, a lot sad.

Even though we haven’t been entertaining doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking.  On the contrary, I’ve actually been cooking up a storm, doing more than ever since I starting providing weekly meal service to select customers in my local area, plus baked goods via shipping.  Plus, I’ve had some catering opportunities pop up as well.  So cooking has been firing up my kitchen, it just didn’t feel like there was anything to blog about.

Or so I thought. As life often does, it shines a light on a topic and then energy is sent forth which appears in full bloom. Here’s a clear example of what I’m talking about. Did you ever think about a friend and then suddenly that friend calls you? It’s like sending out a smoke signal, and you get a return response. That energy swirls around us constantly. It happened just like that to me recently. I had been talking to three friends about the fact that I have not blogged about a recipe in quite some time, and expressed my mixed emotions about it. So, imagine my surprise and thrill when I got the spark to create again. That particular day while I was doing my usual refrigerator ‘cleanse and see what’s still viable’ exercise, I felt a sudden reminiscent pang of my old something from nothing style.  It dawned on me that I have been creating dishes for JuanCarlos and myself all along but just hadn’t been focused on photographing, documenting and writing about them.  When I looked at this batch of veggies that needed some love and attention, I thought this could be worth sharing if nothing else but to motivate you to clean out your fridge. Admittedly, this recipe is not earth shattering. In fact, it’s quite basic. But it’s significance is greater than the recipe itself. One, it motivated me to photograph and document again. And two, hopefully it will inspire you to go through your fridge and figure out what to do with your miscellaneous food items. I should create an ongoing series entitled: Refrigerator Remnants.  You see, inspiration is everywhere.

Fennel, Celery, Rainbow Chard, Garlic, Onions, Carrots. The absolute basics.

Basically, this process is nothing more than pulling out all those unused items in your fridge that are at their last hope for use, and then coming up with a plan on how they all play together.  As I mentioned, this ‘recipe’ isn’t rocket science.  It’s actual a pumped up mire poix or soup base but without the liquid.  But it is hearty, tasty, versatile, and most of all met the requirements of using items that might have ended up in the trash a few days from now. 

This pot of veggies can be used as a side dish to any protein: meat, chicken, fish, beans or tofu.  It can be a main with a heaping helping of rice or couscous or even piled on top of a baked potato.  Or can even be part of a taco filling or quesadilla.  I’m sure there are plenty of other ways to serve up this veggie packed plate. Feel free to use any of my suggestions but I’ll let you figure out how you want to serve them up.  For now, I encourage you to go through the exercise of rummaging through to find your Refrigerator Remnant Recipe. Remember, these were the items and amounts that I had in my fridge. The goal here is to inspire you to create with whatever you have, and balance the flavors with the amounts you have. For instance, even though I had a ton of celery, the fennel was what was most pronounced in the combo below.

Here’s mine:

Ingredients

2 med onions (approx. 2.5 c )
4 lg carrots (approx. 3.5 c)
4 c celery
3c fennel
2 garlic cloves
12c red Swiss chard
Olive oil, salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Cut all the vegetables into large chunks.

As I said, a pumped up mire poix.

2. Cut and discard the ends/toughest part of the Swiss Chard. Then cut the remaining ribs out and chop them into smaller pieces..

3. Cut the leafy part of the Swiss Chard into strips.

4. Pour oil, salt and pepper into the pot to heat up then add all the vegetables except the leafy parts of the chard. Add whatever spice combo you desire. See below of different combos to try.

5. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until tender but still al dente. You don’t want these to cook down so much that they become mush. You want a tooth bite to them.

6. Add Swiss Chard leafy parts, cover and cook over low flame for 5-8. minutes until wilted.

I didn’t add any additional spices since I made such a big batch I didn’t want to commit to one spice profile. I figured I would enhance it each time I warmed it up. This worked out fine as the anise from the fennel really flavored the dish to the point of not needing anything else.  But this is one of those dishes where anything goes.  Make it your own.  Here are some spice combos to try.

Italian Flavor: Dry Thyme | Oregano | Red Pepper Flakes | Cannellini Beans

Indian Flavor: Turmeric | Cumin | Cinnamon | Cloves | Curry | Coconut Milk

Middle Eastern: Cumin Seeds | Fennel Seeds | Sumac | Cardamom | Chick Peas

French: Herbs de Provence | Tarragon | Chives | Chervil

Spanish: Saffron | Pimentón de la Vera/Paprika | Cayenne Pepper

Mexican: Cilantro | Chili Pepper | Cumin | Allspice | Coriander

And here is how I served it up.

I had leftover ginger/red onion paella rice so I shaped it into a large patty and fried it up.  Then topped it with veggies.  For JC I added the leftover chicken thigh he had from the night before.  I know, I know, nothing earth shattering here, but I know I have some viewers who get overwhelmed with trying to figure out what to do.  This is just one way of culling everything together.

Leftover ginger/red onion paella rice. Perfect for making fried rice patties.

Note about the rice patty. Since this was leftover paella rice that had been previously sautéed with oil, ginger and red onion it had a natural stickiness to it that allowed it to hold the shape without any binder. If you only have long grain rice then you will need to add a binder of egg and flour in order to hold the patty together.

Why make one when you can make two. This fried rice patties are so delicious.

Use a cast iron pan with oil and high heat to get a crispy exterior.

Golden brown perfection.

Use the same ring for the veggie mix placement makes a nice, neat presentation.

The bigger chunks make this a more hearty side dish.

Using the same ring mold that you used to make the rice patties, place on top and fill with the veggie mixture, and pack tight.

I added chick peas to my mixture to add protein.

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Celery Overload - The Star Ingredient

If you read my last post you know that we have been getting a good portion of our food supply delivered. Admittedly, a few of those were extravagant purchases; aka caviar and lobster, which we repeated for our New Year’s treat. So, now as I return from cloud 9 and settle back to the reality of creatively nourishing ourselves I offer up a solution for when you have an abundance of one item, and lack of others. The ongoing practice of: Use What You Got.

As I mentioned in that post, there are some items I get from Restaurant Depot and those come in amounts that are way more than what 2 people can easily consume. To be honest, it’s way more than a family of 10 can consume. I hate wasting food ever, but even more so in these times. And so I started using some items in ways I never have before.  Like celery.  I typically have only used this raw in salads or diced fine as part of a mirepoix (for soups, or sauces).  But since we had so much, and were lacking in some other produce areas, I starting sautéing it as the main vegetable.  i know this isn’t revoluntionary but how many of you only cut up celery as your side? Not me, but I must say I quite like it.

Given that I had so much I’ve used it before if you recall in my post entitled; 5 Ingredients- 4 Different Dishes.

But on two nights in a row I really went to town using celery for both meals. The first night I used celery stalks, plus whatever straggler veggies I had.  Then I sautéed some shrimp, made my Ba-Ba-Basil-ed Potatoes and had a complete meal.

After using up everything the night before, I only had celery and onion for the next meal, and so that truly made celery the star. I topped it with sautéd fish and a scallion basil sauce.

When celery is cut on long diagonal it make a more substantial base.

I am only listing ingredients, not amounts, because this is one of those times that calls for using what you have in the amounts you have. I encourage you to use all your senses to judge how much you want to incorporate. The more you use this skill the sharper it will become. And then there will be a time when you just know how much of an ingredient to add. i know that some of you are already quite skilled at this.

Ingredients 

Meal #1 Celery/Onion Sauté with Grilled Shrimp

Celery, sliced
Onions, thinly sliced
Bell Pepper, I had an orange one, use whatever you have
String Beans, sliced on diagonal
Shrimp
Basil-ed Potatoes

For this celery meal, I used a wok for a stir fry effect. Starting with the onions and celery first, then adding the string beans and orange pepper.
I removed those and used the same pan to stir fry the shrimp, which were salted, peppered first.
I had made my Basil-ed potatoes earlier, and then plated it all up.

Although I added a few extra items, celery was the main veg. Since neither the orange pepper or the string beans were enough to make a complete side dish, but enough to beef up the celery and round the whole dish out. Those were the straggler veggies I had. You can do this with a few asparagus, or an extra carrot, whatever you have.

Meal #2 Celery/Onion Saute with grilled Salmon & Halibut
Celery, sliced on the long diagonal
Onions, thinly sliced
Scallions, thinly sliced
Magic 3 (Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper)
Salmon
Halibut

For the Sauce
Scallions
Basil
Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper

Onion, celery and scallions sautéing.

Instructions

Simply slice the vegetables as mentioned above. I used a cast iron skillet for this version.
I sautéd the celery, onion and scallion in olive oil, salt and pepper until tender but still with a good firm texture. Then removed the vegetables and used the same pan to grill the fish.

Salt and pepper the fish on both sides and get a good sear before flipping.

I made a simple salsa for the fish using scallions, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil and buzzing it in a mini processor.

The second meal was pretty similar, minus the orange pepper and string beans. But cutting the celery on that extra long diagonal made them a heartier vegetable able to stand on its own.

I quite enjoyed the large amounts of celery. I think the celery also enjoyed stepping out from behind the curtains of its usual supporting player and taking on the leading role in this movie of the week.  Who knew celery could be more that a filler.  Now I do.

Egg Salad with Zing

As we approach the summer months, tentative thoughts of picnics, BBQs and the like twinkle in our minds. Conjured up images of burgers and buns alongside heaps of summer salads; macaroni, potato and the ubiquitous egg salad. Sure this Memorial Day celebration and seasonal BBQ’s may look different this year, but one thing is certain, we still need to eat. And we definitely need to celebrate and rejoice in life, in being healthy, and any and all good fortunes.

No matter how you decide to celebrate this upcoming Memorial Day, adding a little twist to an old salad standby might be a welcomed change. Although mayo based salads are often the usual accompaniment to BBQs, they rarely grace my table. I seldom, or should say, almost never eat them. Egg salad, most of all. Two main reasons, really. For a long time, I’ve had a food sensitivity to eggs, so I guess that’s a pretty good, and I would venture to say, big rationale. Then, of course, there is the mayo portion, which naturally is made with eggs. The other salads can easily be reinvented/reworked using a blend sour cream and yogurt. But when it comes to egg salad, there’s no getting around the egg portion, and the globs of mayo. Given that eggs make a double appearance in this traditional dish, I’ve steered clear for quite some time. But recently, I starting introducing these shelled wonders back into my diet, and things seem to be ok. With the weather finally showing signs of Spring, Summer and warmth, I figured now was the right time to give a twist to a traditional lunch salad.

I like texture, and I like zing… And I especially like them in my food. When thinking about the typical egg salad neither of those come to mind. In true ‘what do I have’ fashion, I pulled out of the fridge the following line up to answer the call to texture and zing.

Eggs | Mayo | Mustard | Pickles | Capers | Olives | Celery | Lemon

The line up; pickles, capers, mayo, eggs, celery, olives, mustard and lemon.

Ingredients

Yields 1.5 c | approx. 3-4 servings

3 hard boiled eggs
¼ t lemon zest
2 T lemon juice*
¼ cup fine dice celery
1 t capers, chopped
2.5 T chopped dill pickles
2.5 T chopped green olive (I used Spanish Manzanilla olives)
¼ c mayo
1 t mustard (For even more zing, use grain mustard)
(I would have added about 2 T diced red onion if I had it.)
Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. To get a perfect hard boiled egg, place the eggs in a pot and fill with cold water just enough to cover. Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 14 minutes. Then submerge in ice bath to both stop the cooking and to make it easier to peel.

2. Prep all your ingredients in the famous mise en place way, getting everything ready.

I love using these perfectly sized handmade ceramic bowls by Miller Pottery.

As you can see, some bowls are deeper, while others smaller. Choose bowls of varying small sizes to suit your ingredients.

3. Combine the mayo, mustard and lemon juice/zest together and blend. Add pepper to taste.

As I mentioned, I like a less thick mayo style, so I used 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, making a thinner, lighter dressing. Adjust to your taste.

Photo credit: JuanCarlos Casas/lookasithappens

Look at how gorgeous those yellow yolks look. Perfectly done.

Smash to your hearts content. i like mine on the chunkier side. Photo credit: JuanCarlos Casas/lookasithappens

4. Once the egg are done, smash with a fork to the texture you desire and add all the remaining ingredients saving the mayo mixture for last.

In go all the tangy items, olives, capers, pickles. NOTE: all these have a decent amount of saltiness to them, which is why no additional salt was needed. Photo credit: JuanCarlos Casas/lookasithappens

Crunchy celery in. Photo credit: JuanCarlos Casas/lookasithappens

Creamy, zesty dressing drizzled. Photo credit: JuanCarlos Casas/lookasithappens

*The two tablespoons of lemon juice makes a loose mixture.  I don’t like mine too dry nor too much mayo.  If you like yours less wet and with a thicker mayo texture then cut down the lemon juice.

Serve this with your favorite crackers. You know by know that my gluten free go to is Mary’s Gone Crackers. Naturally, a bun, or whole wheat toast would be great options. However, neither of which can be found in my house.

For more crunch, devour this with Mary’s Gone Crackers. Or serve it up on celery stalks.

For an even healthier choice that will still give you a crisp crunch, fill lettuce leaves with the egg salad. Less carbs more freshness.

Egg Salad with Zing.

A nice lighter lunch served alongside some ice cold, crispy grapes. Fruit is a great accompaniment to a creamy or mayo based salad. I’m a fan. Check out some other salads using grapes. Chicken Salad with Fruit & Nuts or Graped Up Bibb Salad.

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5 Basic Ingredients - 4 Different Dishes

Being home in shelter in place means so many things to so many people. It conjures up different experiences for each of us. Some people are using the time to get home projects accomplished. Get their yards ready. Some are decluttering. Some are mastering their skill set like solving puzzles. Others are finding hidden talents like painting, dancing or singing. Maybe you are learning a new language. Whatever this time brings, my wish is that we embrace it.

For me, I’ve gone back to my comfort zone which is cooking and baking, using all the food I have, and using it wisely. This has been, and still is, one of my strong suits. It’s how I honed my cooking skills and harkens back to my ‘something from nothing’ style and overall approach to cooking. Which is; check out what you have and figure out what to make, regardless of the ingredients or the quantities.

For those you who aren’t aware of how I began this style, it started when I was in my late teens, just wanting to experiment at home. (You can also click on my About page for more of my back story.) My grandmother, who was both an awesome cook and amazing baker, and one of my strongest influencers, would look on with doubting eyes as I mixed up and cooked up concoctions for the family to try. I often heard her famous line, “What a “mushgononza”. Which is basically the slang version of the Italian word mezcolanza meaning mixture or mash up of several things. I guarantee you that she meant it more as a mixed up mess. However much she may have doubted me during the cooking process, she inevitably would turn to me and say, ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’ Phew, praise from the master.

My Grandma Perri making her famous peaches & cream cake.

However, I would say that this style of cooking truly took form when I used to visit my sister after she first got married. Jill rarely, ok, never had fresh herbs but usually had a pantry full of canned stuff, and a freezer of frozen items. I would look through her stash and try to figure out what can I make from what was seemingly a hodge podge of items. For more on this, you can click the highlighted link for the Zucchini Orzo Pie story.

From that point, I just kept that style in my own kitchen. Not caring too much about recipes, or amounts. Simply buying what looked fresh, and then once at home figuring out how they all would dance together. Which is why I sometimes encourage you to not fuss about recipes so much but try your hand at using however many carrots you have, or to substitute what you. Sure, I give you amounts and recipes. That’s because I want you to cook, and get a feel for how much looks right. Some of you, I know, are pros and already do this, and just use the recipes as guides. My recipes are a jumping off point, and are here for whatever level of cooking you feel comfortable.

And so in that style of use what you have,
I give you 4 super simple dishes using a combination of 3-5 basic ingredients and then adding a protein and a starch, thus turning them into different dishes. Using slightly different cooking methods, you also create different flavors and textures. From sautéing to stir frying, braising or simple soup making. This is like those old Chinese menu ideas; two from column A, one from column B, etc. Feel free to mix and match. That is the beauty of basics, you can create so many variations.

Celery and fennel.

The Basics:

• Onions

• Celery

• Fennel

• Carrot

• Basil

 The Proteins:

• Shrimp

• Cod

• Mushrooms

The Starches:

• Polenta

• Barley

• Rice

Mushroom Barley Soup

4 Basics + 1 Protein + 1 Starch
(Onions, Celery, Carrots, Basil) + (Mushrooms) + (Barley)

Instructions:

1. Cook the barley in a separate pot.

2. In a medium stock pot, sauté onions, celery and carrot in olive oil until softened and season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the mushrooms, over a medium heat cook until softened.

4. Then add chicken or vegetable broth or water to cover and let simmer.

5. Add the barley once cooked. I added basil which I had on hand and it gave it a nice floral note that I enjoyed.

Serve with a salad or crusty bread and lunch is served. And check out the video below. I’m getting all fancy now and inserting moving visuals. Enjoy a steaming hot bowl of comforting soup.

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Simple Shrimp Sauté

3 Basics + 1 Protein + 1 Starch
(Onions, Celery, Basil) + (Shrimp) + (Polenta)

Instructions

1. Cook polenta according to the package. (You can add cream and butter at the end to make it luxurious and extra creamy, but keeping it in the basic mode, use just water.)

2. Sauté the sliced celery and onions until softened, then season with salt and pepper. Keep the celery leave tops and use them along with the basil to finish.

3. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink, then add the freshly chopped basil and celery leaves.

4. Top the polenta with the shrimp mixture. Yum and Yum

Another video for your viewing pleasure.

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One Pot Poached Cod

3 Basics + 1 Protein + 1 Starch
(Onions, Fennel, Celery) + (Cod) + (Rice)

Instructions

1. Wash, dry and cut the cod into chunks (approx. 2” squares) and set aside.

2. Sauté the sliced onions, celery and fennel in olive oil, and slowly cook until softened.

3. Add water and then nestle the cod pieces into the pan. Cover and let poach until the cod is white and cooked through. Depending on how thick the pieces are this should only take 8-12 minutes. A beautifully flakey cod with braised vegetables is soothing and delicious.

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Leftover Rice & Mushroom Stir Fry

2 Basics + 1 Protein + 1 Starch
(Onions, Basil) + (Mushrooms) + (Leftover Cooked Rice)

Instructions

1. Chop the onions into a small dice. Sauté using olive oil until softened, add salt and pepper.

2. Slice the mushrooms and add to the onions and let them cook together until the mushrooms get browned.

3. Add the cooked leftover rice until completely heated through. Add seasonings to taste. (Salt, pepper or even red pepper flakes). Finish with chopped

And there you have it, 5 basic staple ingredients combined with other fairly basic proteins and starches. And just like that you have 4 different meals that are complete, hearty, delicious, and I dare say… EASY.

Send me your mix and match creations. I would love to hear how you are making the most of your basic items.

Carrot, Ginger, Coconut Milk Soup

Oh the woes of having to eliminate foods from my diet. The struggle is real. Sometimes we forget that our internal body needs looking after. All too often we abuse and mistreat ourselves as if we could go in for spare parts or replacement pieces, or take a pill and get better. It’s not that simple. There are many reasons why our bodies get out of whack. Certainly environment plays a huge role. Genetics another. And then, of course, there is our own care or mis-care. As individuals, our stories vary greatly. As for me, I will attest to the many, many years I worked crazy, long hours, went entire days without drinking anything else but coffee, ate pasta and pizza as quick fill me ups at all odd hours and got little sleep. Bad, bad, and badder. Those were typical days in my life of television production. It wreaked havoc with whole system.

When you are young, you don’t think much about it. You just go, go, go not realizing the damage that is being done. I don’t want to get all preachy. That’s not what my blog is about, but from time to time I do like sharing tidbits of info that show up in my life and are food related. So this is what’s been happening lately. As you may remember I have been eliminating wheat, yeast and handful of other foods from diet after I developed a reaction when consuming those foods. But then a sinus issue has been bugging me. After seeing several traditional doctors to no avail, I knew it must be all related to one thing. The fact is that most of my issues are related to gut health. Now, I can’t be certain that the past misuse of my body is why my gut health is poor right now but I would venture to bet that it has some serious bearing. I also don’t claim to have the answers. Each of us is different and finds cures and results in various ways. I have gone to different types of doctors, naturopaths, Ayurvedic practitioners with minor successes, but nothing major. In an effort to continue making improvements, I starting seeing a new naturopath. I feel confident that I will fix the issues once and for all. In doing so, he asked me to alter my diet by following the GAPS regime for 8 weeks to eliminate all carbohydrates and grains and any starchy vegetables, legumes. All the stuff I LOVE!!

It’s very restrictive, so after one week of following this regime, I thought I would go stir crazy. That’s right, only one week in and I was miserable. My stomach was gurgling and begging for something soft and warm… Like a big bowl of pasta. But alas, I would not give in. I decided that some sort of creamy type of soup would be my salvation and I needed it ASAP! Which meant I absolutely had no time or patience for shopping. I always have beans in the pantry which would make a great soup, but those, too, were a no no on this regime. Seriously, beans? Thankfully, carrots were in copious amounts in my fridge. Thinking, thinking, thinking, carrots and what? Other items in abundance in my house; ginger and coconut milk which seemed like excellent companions. They were on my list of “yes, thank goodness you can eat those”. Thus Carrot, Ginger Coconut Milk soup would soothe my soul.

Since my tummy was feeling delicate, I made this soup very mild in flavors. But this is one of those soups that can be easily altered to up the flavor ante. Much like my Faux Creamy Cauliflower Soup, you can spice this up, adding toppings or make it as thick or soupy as you desire. These types of soups are an ideal base to build upon, as well as just a great soup. I didn’t want anything too spicy, so I held way back on the ginger, but that is one ingredient that you could add more of to really bring out that spicy note.

(I wanted to give you a guide line for the spicer version, so I made a second smaller batch and increased both the ginger and garlic which definitely gave it a kick. I’ve given you both recipes below. Also, you can add ground ginger to fully round out that flavor, I just didn’t have any on hand.)

Simple stars of the show, or should I say soup.

Ingredients

Mild Version
6-7 c Carrots, rough chop
13.5 oz can coconut milk
1 c celery, chopped
1 c onions, chopped
1 T heaping ginger, grated*
1 t heaping garlic, grated
2 t turmeric
2.5 t salt
1/8 t ground pepper
3 T olive oil
6 c water (veg or chicken or broth)

Spicier Version/Small Batch
3 c carrots, rough chop
7 oz. coconut milk
1/2 c celery, chopped
1/2 c onions, chopped
2 T ginger, grated**
2 t garlic, grated
2 t turmeric
1.5 t salt
1/8 t ground pepper
3 T olive oil
3.5 c water (veg or chicken or broth)

*Note: It’s important to grate the ginger instead of just cutting it into chunks. Ginger is very fibrous and when you blend it those fibers do not fully break down. Grating it gives you a smoother consistency.
** Note: The smaller batch is half the amount of the milder version yet the ginger and garlic are doubled which is actually 4x more than the mild version. Adjust to your level of spiciness.

Instructions

1. Chop up all the veggies in chunks. You can make these large or small, it doesn’t matter since everything will be blended together. However, if you want to soup to be ready quicker, cut smaller chunks so they cook through faster.

Funny, the vegetables in this soup are usually the base for any other soup AKA mirepoix or the trinity. In this case, THEY are the soup.

2. First sauté the onions and celery in olive oil. Then add ginger, turmeric, garlic, salt and pepper and cook over medium low heat until the spices are toasted. But careful not the burn the garlic and ginger since they are grated.

3. Then add the carrots and let cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add water or broth and bring to a boil then let simmer until the veggies are soft enough to blend.

5. Next blend the soup.

• If you are using an emersion blender, first remove about 4-5 cups of the liquid and set aside. By doing this, you can decide on the thickness of the soup. If you prefer it thick and chunky, don’t add any more of the broth back in. If you want it more smooth and soupy, then continue to add the liquid until you reach your desired consistency.

• If you are using a regular blender, use a slotted spoon to remove the veggies and add them to the blender with about 1/2 cup of liquid to start. IMPORTANT NOTE: Remember when using a blender with hot liquid do not completely cover the lid. It is important to let out some of the steam while blending or the top will pop off and burning hot liquid will splatter. Add liquid until you reach the thickness you want.

6. Once you have the desired consistency, add the soup back into the pot, add the coconut milk and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Thicker version. More filling.

The more cooking liquid you blend back in not only creates a smoother, more soup like version, but also yields more soup.

As I mentioned earlier, this was a very mild soup which makes it great for kids, too. Because it’s so neutral it can be used in several ways.

• Hold back on the adding the broth to keep it super chunky, then use it as a base purée for seared or poached salmon, or filet of sole. Top with crispy shallots.

• Add all the broth and make it super soupy and use it as a sauce for rice noodles, topping it with fresh scallions, cilantro and chopped peanuts.

• Spoon it over rice, add roasted shrimp and chili peppers.

Black cod with broccoli rabe and the thicker carrot puree.

This is the start of a beautiful carrot crusade. It definitely soothed my achy woes.

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