Roasted pepper soup -- Soupe Catalane aux poivrons

Sitting in the dentist's office--the dentists who inspired Jane Smiley's novella Age of Grief, about a husband-wife dentist practice--I found a recipe that I dictated into my phone while sitting in the waiting room. And it is really 1 minute.

Roasted pepper soup shots
one 16 ounce jar fire roasted red peppers with your juices.
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar.
1 fourth cup olive oil.
Salt and pepper.
Blend and serve in shot glasses.
Bon Appetite October 2012 page 104

I wondered if there is anything like this in Julia or de Pomaine. Turned out
there is: MAFC II p. 21, Soup Catalane aux poivrons, which I adapted and served last week to Rich and Julie.

Serves four as a first course

1 large garlic clove
one16 ounce jar fire roasted red peppers with their juices
1/4 cup cocktail onions
2 tablespoons sherry
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cooked rice, preferably brown basmati
Salt and pepper

1. Peel the garlic and chop it in a food processor. 
2. Add everything but the rice and blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a small sauce pan, add the rice, and heat.

Salade de tomate ou/et concombre / tomato/cucumber salad

The best things are the simplest. I write this in early March, when there is a lot of snow on the ground. And it is barely above freezing days. And I hate Iowa. Next pic, please.

And I do dream of summer tomatoes. Heirlooms, sure. But also just Burpee garden variety tomatoes. With some basil. No vinaigrette. Maybe some salt and pepper. Maybe not.

And then maybe some cucumbers. On the deck. (next pic please). Overlooking the miserable tomato vines that I try to grow almost every year, from the glorious smelly young plants the farmers at the market sell before there's anything else to sell, except maybe rhubarb or greens.

And then, about the fourth of July, I realize, again, that I am no farmer, nor even a vegetable gardener. I am just a tomato eater. And a pretty good one.

I am, however, an excellent tomato slicer. And that is really all it takes. Some say it doesn't even take that. Some eat tomatoes like apples, whole, just biting into them, and letting the juice go where it goes.

Not me. I am civilized. See the pics?

Mushrooms à la Grecque

Mushrooms à la Grecque is for Julia (MAFC I 537) a long process of making a court bouillon, slowly simmering the mushrooms or other vegetables in it, and finally reducing the bouillon. I speed up the process by using a good vegetable stock, which has already got the great vegetable flavors and been reduced. I then add the Greek flavors as the mushrooms are cooking. Fortunately, Wheatsfield coop has some really really good quality vegetable stock.

I like this best with mushrooms, but it works very well with all kinds of vegetables. My favorite thing is to take this on a picnic.

1 cup vegetable stock, best quality, low salt
8 ounces small mushrooms or larger ones cut in half
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 peppercorns
6 coriander seeds
pinch of fennel seeds (1/8 teaspoon)
two branches of celery leaves, chopped roughly
pinch of thyme (1/8 teaspoon)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a covered saucepan over high heat, bring the stock to a boil.
2. Add the mushrooms and cover.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, recovering the pan and shaking it occasionally.
4. After eight minutes, remove the mushrooms, using a slotted spoon or skimmer.
5. Allow the stock to continue boiling for a minute. Then pour it over the mushrooms and refrigerate for six hours or overnight, covered.

Potage Magali: Mediterranean Tomato Soup with Rice

Every year at the end of the season, Doug at the Farmer's Market in the North Grand Mall parking lot brings in big boxes of tomatoes to sell for real cheap. They aren't perfect but they ain't bad. And I just core them, seed them, and run them through the Cuisinart, skins an all, and right straight into three-cup plastic containers from the Dollar Store and then down in the freezer. Unpeeled. It takes almost no time. (See the comment in the introduction to this blog for who cleans up the mess.)

Thawed in mid-winter, this tomato puree is a magic realist window on summer. It smells of August. And made into Julia's Mediterranean soup (MAFC II p. 20), it is August in Nice.

Serves three or four

1/2 cup onions chopped fairly fine
2 garlic cloves pressed or chopped finely
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups tomato puree, canned, fresh or frozen (see above)
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/2 cup cooked rice or 2 tablespoons raw rice (or 4 tablespoons couscous)
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence or fresh herbs tied together
salt and pepper to taste
a small pinch of saffron, if you can afford it!

1. Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat. Chop the onions and add them with the olive oil, stirring occasionally, for about seven minutes.
2. Chop or press the garlic, and add it after about three minutes.
3. Assemble the rest of the ingredients, and add them to the pot after seven minutes.
4. Turn the heat to high for one minute, then down to simmer. Check seasoning and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
5. Garnish with herbs and serve.

Braised endive / Endive

Belgian endive, braised MAFC I 493). Yumm. I ate this all over Belgium and northern France, Albertville, for example.
A pressure cooker makes this easy, as with most braises. Vegetables or meats.
Serves from 1 to 12

• For each medium endive, with tight leaves, beautifully light green.
• 1 tablespoon butter
• tiny pinch of salt
• two grinds of fresh pepper
• lemon juice--a small squirt

1. Heat a pressure cooker on high
2. Spray the bottom of the pressure cooker with oil or smear with butter
   
3. Halve each endive and cut off the stem end if necessary
4. Place in layers in the cooker, cut side down
5. Sprinkle the top (uncut) side of each half with a tiny pinch of salt, a grind or two of pepper, a squirt of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of butter
6. Seal with the cover and cook under pressure for seven minutes.
7. Release the pressure and remove the endives, cut side up, to a platter or plates.
8. Garnish with chopped chives or parseley
9. [These will keep in the refrigerator for a week, to reheat or prepare as in the variations below.]
   
   

Variation 1

This takes more than 10 minutes, but not much.

1. While the endives are cooking, preheat the broiler.
2. For each two whole endives (four halves) mix together one half cup cream and one egg. or 2/3 cup béchamel sauce.
3. Lay on a baking dish as many thin slices of boiled ham as there are whole (two halves) endives.
4. When the endives are done, wrap each endive (two halves) in ham.
5. Slather the cream and egg mixture (or béchamel) over the endive.
6. Grate about two tablespoons Swiss or Gruyere cheese on top of each endive (two halves).
7. Broil for three minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

8. Garnish with chopped parsley, chives, or other herbs.

Concombre sauté: Quick cukes: Sauteed cucumbers

Cucumbers are such an uninspiring vegetable. But they are always available, and cheap, and crunchy, and refreshing. And I am trying to find ways this summer to use them.

Julia peels and slices and soaks them in vinegar for 30 minutes before baking them for an hour (MAFC p. 499). Lovely, and probably less than 10 minutes active time. But I never think ahead about veg. I want something to use those cukes in the frig now. I love sauteed zucchini, so why not cucumber? As is often the case, Emiril has good things to do with simple things.

Serves two. Inspired by Emiril.

one large cucumber (English or garden variety) or two small ones
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
chopped basil and/or mint, or dill
optional: fresh grated nutmeg, chopped garlic, minced shallot or scallion or green onion tops, added with about one minute left to go.

1. Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan.
2. Cut the ends off the cucumbers and halve lengthwise. With a spoon remove the seeds, if any. Slice about 1/3 inch thick.
3. Add the cucumbers and sauté, tossing when the cucumbers have browned a bit on one side.
4. Add the herbs, chopped, and toss. Grate a little of the optional nutmeg. Season and serve.

Braised celery

Holidays are, for me, leftovers. And killing time playing games, which we did with Scrabble (see our masterpiece below, in which J and I again lost to our daughter). And I always have not only leftover turkey and potatoes and gravy, but also celery, which I overbuy for the dressing.

Celery takes more calories to chew than it provides to the body. It is calorie negative--or positive, depending on your point of view. So it is the perfect after-holiday leftover accompaniment. And it takes flavors marvelously. Julia has a lovely slow recipe for it (MAFC I p. 491), with a lot of butter. But this one has the butter optional and a lot of other lighter flavor enhancers. If you want more done (less crisp-tender) celery, cut it into half inch pieces or smaller, instead of the one-inch pieces here. Or microwave it (instructions below).

Serves 4

1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock (preferably homemade chicken stock--see this blog)
1 pound celery (slice off about two inches of the end, and reserve the leaves).
1 tablespoon Wondra
Salt & pepper to taste (be generous with the pepper)
Optional: One or more of the ingredients below:

1. Heat the stock on high in a skillet large enough to hold the celery in a single layer.
2. Meanwhile, wash and trim the celery, then slice into one-inch pieces.
3. Add the celery to the skillet and stir to wet.
4. Sprinkle the flour and salt and pepper over top.
5. Cover and shake a bit, holding down the lid, till the flour is no longer visible (a glass top lid is helpful here, but it's really impossible to go wrong).
6. Cook til the celery reaches the 'crunch' you like, shaking or stirring occasionally.
7. Garnish with parsely and enjoy!

VARIATIONS: Add at the beginning (or adjust seasoning with at the end),
Butter
Olive oil
Garlic, chopped or minced
Onion, chopped or minced
Lemon juice--a few drops to brighten the taste
Vinegar: white wine, balsamic, or cider (again a few drops)
Coriander seed, crushed with the flat of a knife or a mortar and pestle.
White wine
Sage leaves (for a lovely late Fall aroma)

Microwave Instructions

1. Mix celery slices, stock, salt, pepper, and any other ingredients in a plastic microwave safe bowl (or in a plastic bag, tied loosely, and set in such a bowl--to save cleanup).
2. Cover and microwave on 'MAXIMUM', for 3 minutes.
3. Stir or shake to mix well.
4. Cover and microwave again 'MAXIMUM', for another 3 minutes
5. Leave to rest for 2 minutes.
6. Garnish with parsley.

Rattatoulli in 10 minutes

I had lunch in a little restaurant in Avignon, near the ancient wall. The plat du jour was grilled tuna with ratatouille. And it was so different from Julia's (MAFC I 503), so full of little morsels of colorful vegetables al dente, and grand flavor, that I thought it might be 10 minuteable. The little morsels of red pepper, lightly golden zucchini, diced eggplant, and onion sat there on the plate in Provence as a challenge.

After some tries, and a lot of dirty cookware, I conclude that it is possible. (Note that no-stick skillets are cleanable with a good wet wipe, one minute tops.) The trick to 10 minute ratatouille is to be good with a knife. If you can't rough dice an onion in 1 minute, then forget 10 minutes. But really, if it's 15 minutes for this, then it's worth the stretch. It serves six easily. And the ratatouille that's been around awhile gathering character and delicate flavor is much, much better than the fresh--like my wife.

olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced about 1/2 inch.
1 zucchini halved lengthwise and then sliced 3/8 inch thick
1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice
1 large red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
optional: three strands of fresh thyme and two basil leaves

1. 0.00 Heat three pans (two large and one smaller is fine) over high heat
2. 0.30 Dice the onion and saute it in the small pan, in 1 tablespoon oil, tossing frequently. Season with salt and pepper.
3. 1.30 Peel the eggplant and cut it into 1 inch dice. Saute it in the second large pan. Season with salt and pepper. 
4. 2.30 Cut the pepper into 1/2 inch dice. Saute the peppers in a large pan, in 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper.
5. 3.30 Halve the zucchini lengthwise, slice it 3/8 inch thick, and sautee it in the pepper pan adding an another 1 tablespoon olive oil, tossing when the first side is begins to brown. Season with salt and pepper.
6. 4:30 Add the tomato paste to the onions and lower heat to simmer
7. 6.00 Peel and mince the garlic. Add it to the pepper/zuchinni pan and toss.
8. 7:00 Stem the thyme and make a chiffonade of the basil
9. 9:30 Using a rubber spatula, scrape the peppers/zuchinni and garlic into the eggplant pan, along with the onion mixture.
10. 10:00 Add the thyme and toss, correcting the seasoning as necessary. Let stand 5 minutes or more. Garnish with the chiffonade of basil.

Salade de Carotte / Carrot salad : Django Bistro

This is a bistro favorite. It's refreshing. It gets better the next day, and the day after. And it makes this season--when things are just blooming but not ready to eat--promise the summer.

This dish is not at Django, the new Bistro in downtown Des Moines, Django, where J and I ate at 10 (the place was packed) after watching our Katie compete for Yale in the national collegate mock trial competition at the Hotel Fort Des Moines. (The results are kept secret till the end, so stay tuned).

But they do have sweetbreads, the only place in Iowa that I know of that has them. So this makes me miss the little places in France that do such simple things. It's better with freshly grated carrots. So if you have an extra, oh, three minutes, it's worth it. But hey, this is is MA10MFC, not MAFC.

Salade de Carotte / Carrot salad

10 ounce bag of grated carrots
1 tablespoon lemon juice (1/2 lemon squeezed)--double it if you like!
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (2 if you like)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons small capers

1. In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients and toss

By the way, the bowl in the photo above is from J's grandmother, via her mother. When I was newly married and moving, we had a bigger bowl from her grandmother, and my dear sister-in-law accidentally slammed the door on my finger while I was putting the bowl in the car. The bowl broke (my finger didn't break, but was blue for weeks). And my dear s-i-l gave us this little bowl--also from J's grandmother--as a consolation. I have cherished it ever since.

Official MA10MFC Launch and the Forgotten Cabbage

I had a party Saturday night to launch this blog, officially. I released it to the grinding search engines, and to the world (wide web). Nine people. Champagne. A lot of 10 minute dishes, of course. Brie with jam, salmon rillettes, roasted salmon, parfaits, and the best: grilled asparagus from my gourmet brother-in-law (who also took this commemorative photo).

And gifts of very slow food from my colleague and farmer's market friend right: pickled beets and beans and onions.

As sometimes happens, I forget to serve a dish. In this case it was red cabbage with raisins and balsamic vinegar. It stayed quietly in the microwave, until the next morning, when J discovered it there. "Did you forget to serve this?" Hmmm.

It's so fast to cook that it's easy to forget. Like so many of my vegetable dishes these cruel winter days with no farmer's market, it begins with a bag of pre-cut vegetables thrown into the microwave and cooked unopened.

Serves 4

16-ounce package shredded red cabbage
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup golden raisins
salt and pepper

1. Place the bag of cabbage in the microwave and cook 4 minutes on high (if the bag breaks, no problem).
2. Carefully open the hot bag (scissors or a knife help) and pour into a serving bowl.
   
3. Toss with the other ingredients and serve.
   Note: this keeps a good long while in the microwave--or the refrigerator

It's also very good with black raisins, and it makes a really nice little first course with red wine, especially if the balsamic vinegar is good. Very refreshing and crunchy.

Soupe de carottes au curry--Curried carrot soup

The secret to 10 minutes is buying a 10-ounce package of grated carrots and throwing it unopened into the microwave.

This soup is even better the next day.

10-ounce package of grated carrots
1 quart vegetable or chicken stock in a microwave-safe container.
1/2 onion (pre-sliced or diced if possible)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt (a pinch--1/8 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)
1/8 Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
[optional: 2 teaspoons minced garlic]
[optional: 2 teaspoons grated freshly peeled ginger root]
1 orange
1/4 to 1/2 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream, even no-fat)

1. Put the carrots unopened into the microwave and cook on high for 5 minutes. (If the bag pops or breaks, no problem.) Put the stock in the microwave to heat also
   
2. Heat a fait-tout on high. Chop the onion finely. Add the oil, butter, and onion to the pan and cook on medium high until the onions are softened, stirring often. [add the optional garlic and ginger]
   
3. Add the curry, salt, and Cajun seasoning after about three minutes. Juice the orange.
4. When the carrots are done, open the bag carefully (use scissors or a knife) and add the carrots to the pot, along with the stock, creme fraiche and orange juice.
5. Puree the soup finely with a blender wand or in a blender (in batches).
6. Serve garnished with a minced (chiffonade) parsley OR chives OR scallion tops.