Gastroanthropology

Roasted Tomato + Fresh Garlic Soup

I spent this morning at Borough Market. I love going on Thursdays - not all the stalls are open, but the Saturday crowds are nowhere to be seen. I went with a mission to procure some lovage, a new herb I fell in love with earlier this week. I was hoping to recreate a carrot + lovage soup that I had at Lumen Cafe, a new social enterprise committed to serving local, seasonal and sustainable food. Unfortunately, my trusty herb man did not have any lovage today! Fingers crossed he has some next week so I can share you the wonders of lovage.

I was a little miffed I didn't get any love-age so I was tempted to grab some lunch and go. At first, I ignored the tomatoes because its just a little to early for them to be any good. But as I walked by, their scent lured me in. If I can smell a tomato from a few feet away, I know that something good must be going on. 

I got a bunch of tomatoes and roasted them in a hot oven (400F) for about 30 minutes till their skins split and their juices started oozing and browning. Then I broiled them for a few minutes to gently char their skin. Before they went in the oven I food-processed parsley, basil, squirt of lemon, salt + pepper, a few cloves of raw garlic, and lots of olive oil to make a loose pesto. Gently toss the tomatoes in this runny pesto before putting in a baking dish. This is a trick I learned from a fellow chef friend of mine and it really gives great flavor to roasted tomatoes. You could eat them like this as a side, but while I had the oven on I decided to roast this fresh garlic as well.

For the fresh garlic - cut the tops off, douse in olive oil and wrap in foil. They were in the oven the entire time the tomatoes were, so about 40 minutes. What comes out is amazing - the garlic turns into a smooth, mellow, paste that can be scooped out and spread on crusty bread, or literally just sprinkled with a touch of salt and eaten plain.

I roasted multiple bulbs. You can literally squeeze all the insides out of the garlic once they cool enough to handle. Some went in the tomato soup and some went on a lovely pugliese bread that I toasted under the broiler after liberally spreading olive oil and sprinkling sea salt over. The tomato soup was simple...just heat up the roasted tomatoes in a soup pan with the roasted fresh garlic and some chicken (or veg) stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and make smooth with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a bit of raw fresh garlic (it is mild enough to eat raw), parsley, and good olive oil. Serve with roasted fresh garlic bread and little vino. I don't have rules for this goes with red or white - I just drink what tastes good.

If you can't be bothered to make the soup, just smush roasted tomatoes and roasted fresh garlic onto toasted pugliese or similar bread. Just remember add salt and lots of good olive oil. 

Summer is a comin'.

Burns Night Feast

Through the magic of food I went to Scotland last night for a Burns Night Feast, without actually going to Scotland. What is Burns Night you say? Well, its actually today, January 25th, the birth date of Robert Burns (1759-1796). A feast celebrates Scotland's favorite champion of the common man, poet and balladeer. He is best known for poems like A Red, Red Rose; To A Louse; the famous Auld Lang Syne; and, of course the Address To A Haggis.

A celebration dedicated to a man who writes a poem about boiled lamb and beef innards with oatmeal? The Scots really are a fabulous bunch. Burns Night Feasts feature Scottish classics and copious amounts of whiskey.

Last night at Mudchute Kitchen's Burns Night Feast we had:

Haggis is a must for any Burns Night Feast. Rumor has it that the best haggis in all the world comes from Macsween's. The haggis was so flavorful and delicious, and of the few times I've had haggis, this was the first time I can truly say I enjoyed the flavor. Macsween's also has a vegetarian haggis that is tasty as well. The haggis was served alongside another Scottish dish, Neeps 'n' Tatties, or turnips (more likely rutabaga's in the winter) and mashed potatoes.

Before addressing the haggis, we had Cullen Skink. I first tried this smoked haddock soup last spring on the Isle of Skye, and was very excited to have another taste. The smoked haddock stands up to the potato and cream perfectly making the most scrumptious soup.

For dessert, Caledonian Cream was served. It's whipped cream cheese and heavy cream with orange marmalade and whiskey. Chunky orange peel marmalade is actual of Scottish origin, invented in Dundee in the late 1700s. 

Thinking of your own Burns Night Feast? You could also include some other Scottish favorites like Cock-a-Leekie, a Scottish chicken soup with leeks and prunes; Scottish smoked salmon; Caboc, a rich, creamy cheese rolled in oats and Scotland's oldest, dating back to the 1400s; and, Typsy Laird, a dessert made with layers of sponge cake, raspberries, custard, oats, and whiskey. If in doubt, just lace everything heavily with whiskey!

The only thing missing from last night's feast was a True Scotsman!

Zuppa di Broccoli + Gnocchetti di Ricotta

There aren't many things I would admit I can't do or don't do well when it comes to food. I will try it, I will attempt to make it, I will master it. Gnocchi, however, is one thing I'll admit I have yet to master. I can never get it as soft, fluffy, and tasty as I want it. The absolute best gnocchi I've ever had was at Lupa in New York City. It was a ricotta gnocchi that was so delicious I wanted to order a second helping. Have you ever asked for a second order of something at a restaurant because it was so good?

It had to be recreated. At home in California I've got a cookbook collection that would put most bookstores to shame. Each cookbook falls in and out of my favor depending on my mood or the season. When I moved to London none of the cookbooks made it with me so I started a new collection. It began with Giorgio Locatelli's Made in Italy. He goes into great detail about the history of many of the dishes and ingredients he uses.

Locatelli is an Italian chef who has trained with some of best here in London. He has a wonderful broccoli soup with ricotta dumplings that sort of remind me of Lupa's ricotta gnocchi. It's simple and in the soup it doesn't really matter if you haven't perfectly mastered the gnocchi. The soup part is a bit involved in order to keep it bright green. Omit the "broccoli breadcrumb" part if your OK with the color broccoli soup tends to turn when heated. This adapted recipe serves 4 starter sized portions. 

ZUPPA DI BROCCOLI + GNOCCHETTI DI RICOTTA adapted from Giorgio Locatelli

• 150 g (about 3/4 c) ricotta cheese
• 3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 leek, thinly sliced 
• 1 large potato or equivalent of, thinly sliced 
• 1 large head of broccoli, plus a few small florets (blanched), to garnish 
• 4 c of vegetable stock (I used chicken stock) 
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 1 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan 
• salt and pepper 

METHOD

Remove ricotta from its container and let any excess moisture drain in fine sieve or cheesecloth. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a soup pan, add the onion, leek and potato, and sweat for 5 minutes, until soft but not colored.

Trim broccoli and peel stalks. Remove a few small florets for garnish. Set aside. With a small knife, scrape off the very tops of all the other florets - so you have a mound that looks like green breadcrumbs. Set aside. Finely chop of the stalks and rest of the florets and add to soup pan. Sweat all vegetables for another 5 minutes. Add the stock and cook until the vegetables are completely soft (about 15 minutes).

In a separate pan, boil enough water to blanch the 'green breadcrumbs'. Put them in a sieve and dip them in boiling water for 10-15 seconds only, just to soften them up. Drain and, while still warm, crush them with the back of a knife until you have a bright green paste. Add a little water, if necessary, to loosen. Blanch the florets you've set aside for garnish for about 20 seconds in the same boiling water.

Take the pan containing the vegetables from the heat and put into a food processor or use immersion blender until smooth (soup will be pale green).

Put the egg, ricotta, and Parmesan into a bowl and mix together well. Keep on the side.

Return the soup to the heat and season if necessary. Turn down the heat to a simmer and whisk in the green paste of broccoli so that the soup turns bright green. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings.

Dip a teaspoon in hot water and scoop out little quenelles of the ricotta mixture. Drop them into the hot soup and let them rise to the surface (about 15-20 seconds). Gently ladle the soup into bowls, taking care not to break the ricotta dumplings, which will be quite fragile. Add the blanched florets and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil if desired. 

Zuppa di Pesce

Portofino, Italy

Before Nate and I moved to London we spent six months living in Geneva, Switzerland. Since Geneva is so centrally located in Western Europe and they drive on the "right" side of the road we took many weekend road trips. One of the most memorable was driving along the North-Western coast of Italy. We weaved around the small roads and drove through many towns. We also took a train to Cinque Terre, five little fishing villages, inaccessible by car...

To remember the much better weather and delicious food I made Zuppa di Pesce - fish soup - for dinner.

There are hundreds of types of Italian fish soups. Depending on the regions and the particular cook the ingredients vary, except that they all have fish in them. Most seem to have tomato, but not all. Pesto, garlic, basil, pasta bits, chili peppers - might or might not be included. I've included barley in mine because I prefer the texture and look to pasta bits, but I don't think I've ever seen it in a recipe. Use the recipe below as a guide, but tweak it to meet your tastes. If its got fish and its in broth - it's Zuppa di Pesce.

ZUPPA DI PESCE

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 medium onion, small dice
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 chili pepper, minced
• 1 handful basil leaves, save a few for garnish
• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, or about 500g
• 2 1/2 c fish stock (chicken or vegetable stock is fine too)*
• 1/2 c barley
• 500 g mixture of fish and shellfish**
• salt and pepper to taste
• Sliced thick country bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic

METHOD

Sweat onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chili pepper, cook for another 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, and barley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and tear pieces of basil into the soup. Cook for about 15 minutes or until barley is cooked through. Add more stock if its too thick for you. Add fish, reserving any shellfish or prawns. Cook for about 6-8 minutes until fish is nearly cooked through. Add shellfish or prawns and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serves 4. Serve over warm, toasted bread and add a sprig of fresh basil.

*Sometimes I find fish soup to be too fishy. If fish stock is too strong as I find it sometimes is, use chicken or vegetable stock.

**I used a combination of the most sustainable fish available to me...line-caught Icelandic cod, Atlantic gurnard, tilapia, Arctic prawns, dive-caught scallops, and UK gig-caught squid.

Split Pea Soup

 

Having worked as a chef people always ask - what's your favorite thing to make? I'm sorry, I hate that question. My favorite thing to make changes the instant I see chocolate, or peaches, or cinnamon sticks, or even bread flour. Today, while exploring a new neighborhood in London, I came across this bag of organic split peas and my most favorite thing to make was Split Pea Soup!

It's been one of those weeks where you've been busy with so many little tasks that all the days past have mushed into a blur and your mind is still running. It's time to quiet all the voices in your head and have some soup. The kind that you slurp out of a cup or where a crusty piece of bread is the only necessary utensil.

Another question people always ask chefs - what's your secret ingredient? Mine's no secret. It's chicken stock. It's saved me more times than I can count. When I had pasta and sausage, but no sauce...a little reduced chicken stock and a pat of butter with chopped parsley...saved. When my mom was sick and wanted seaweed soup (P.S. I had never made seaweed soup)...a little bit of chicken stock and dried seaweed ...saved. She wanted to know how I made because she admitted it tasted better than hers.

Here in London the grocery stores have yet to discover the benefits of selling pre-made chicken stock. Its been a bit of a blessing in disguise because making the real deal at home really does taste better. So now I make some every once in a while and freeze it for nights like tonight. It is the something special that makes almost everything taste better.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

• 4 oz. ham or bacon, medium dice
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 medium carrot, small dice
• 1 medium onion, small dice 
• 2 c split green peas, picked over and rinsed
• 4 c chicken stock (reduced sodium)
• 2 c water
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

 
METHOD

If you are using bacon or uncooked pork for the soup, brown meat first in soup pot. Remove meat. If there is enough fat to sweat vegetables omit butter. Sweat onion and carrot till soft. Add split peas and stir. Add liquids. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for 45 minutes. Add more liquid if necessary. I use a potato masher at this point and smush some of the peas...you can blend a portion of the soup if you'd rather. Add ham or cooked bacon. Heat through. Add cayenne and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4 healthy portions.

Toast thin slices of heavy, crusty bread. Rub with garlic clove and butter. Serve with soup. A little mustard on the side for a Nordic touch.