This was a recent experiment that ended up as a tasty dinner and then lunch the next day. I used a basic carrot soup recipe with ginger and lemon to start but then added a lot of other things to it (curry powder, cashews, coconut cream). It made a very interesting, satisfying soup.

My inspiration for adding all of those extra ingredients were a really wonderful bowl of soup I had a couple of years ago at The Cricket Cafe on Belmont and a recent lazy approach to dinner in the form of Pacific Foods Cashew Carrot Ginger soup.

I think you could easily substitute coconut milk for the cream (it won’t end up as creamy) but you’ll save some fat for a dessert or something. I went ahead and froze my leftover coconut cream in three batches for other recipes. That’s what I do when I open a can of coconut milk and don’t use it all. I’m assuming it will work with the cream as well. No one comment and tell me it won’t work. Do not crush my dreams!

Also, I just want to add that I got the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook for my birthday and I am so excited to cook something from it!

Curried Carrot Soup with Coconut & Cashews
Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appétit
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 white onion, chopped
1 tbsp peeled fresh ginger, grated
Optional: 1 tsp fresh turmeric, grated
1 tsp curry powder
4 cloves minced garlic
3 cups medium carrots, peeled, chopped
1 tomato, seeded, chopped
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup toasted cashews
3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
1/3 cup coconut cream
small squeeze of lemon juice
Optional Garnishes: chopped green onion, thai basil leaves

Frozen pieces of ginger and turmeric, about to be microplaned

Melt butter and heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4-5 minutes. Add ginger (and fresh turmeric, if you’ve got it), garlic and curry powder; sauté 2 more minutes.

Oh, last month I came across fresh turmeric at Pasta Works. I know, neat! I used what I needed then and then peeled some and cut it into about 1-inch pieces, wrapped it up and froze it like I would peeled, fresh ginger. That’s what I used here. If you have access to fresh turmeric, great. If not, just skip it. Or if you wanted to, you could add maybe a 1/4 tsp dried. But I wouldn’t worry about it.

Next, add the chopped carrots, tomato and lemon zest; sauté 1 minute.

Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir in coconut cream and cashews. Cool slightly.

Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Squeeze in a little lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring soup back to a simmer, thinning with more stock, if needed. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with green onions and Thai basil if you have any.

***

Oh, I just added a bunch of images to Flickr, including: Brunch at Country Cat, our last dinner at Carlyle, Lincoln City and assorted food stuff.

We have been trying to reinstate “Vegetarian Saturdays” since the new year began and because we ate a lot of food last year over the holidays. But then, I’ve also made Flank Steak Roll-Ups Pinwheels and Braised Short Ribs, so we’re not all that vegetarian-y lately. Anyway, this was a recent no-meat Saturday meal. I made it without the pancetta listed below and with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Next time, I will use maybe half the pancetta called for and probably the chicken broth (just because it’s what I normally have on hand).

That said, this was a good pasta dish! And I love it whenever you can use the pasta water to help make the sauce. I did want a little more fennel, though, so I adapted the recipe below to use three fennel bulbs instead of the original two. I also caramelized the fennel first to give it even more flavor. I can’t imagine how good it would have been if I did that in the pancetta fat.

Anyway, use meat, don’t use meat, this is still a good, satisfying pasta meal. Below, I listed the recipe with the pancetta and chicken broth but just omit/sub those as you wish. Oh and it really wasn’t that spicy at all.

Spicy Spaghetti with Fennel and Herbs
Adapted from Bon Appétit
1 3-ounce package pancetta (Italian bacon), chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large red or green jalapeño chiles, seeded, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
3 large fennel bulbs, stalks trimmed, cut into thin wedges with some core attached
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro, divided
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1.5 tsp crushed fennel seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
1 pound spaghetti
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2+ cups finely grated Pecorino Romano or Pecorino Toscano cheese, divided
2 green onions, chopped

Sauté pancetta in large skillet over medium heat until pancetta is golden. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in skillet. Add fennel; cook until beginning to get golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and chiles; sauté over medium heat about 3-4 more minutes.

Mix in broth, 2 tablespoons parsley and 2 tablespoons of cilantro, lemon juice, oregano, and fennel seeds. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until vegetables are very tender, 10 minutes or so. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

While pasta is cooking, uncover skillet with fennel mixture and return to high heat. Cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Cook pasta until tender; drain. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid.

Add pasta to fennel mixture. Stir in 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 cup cheese, and pancetta. Add cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Toss pasta; transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining parsley and cilantro, as well as the chopped green onions over. Toss. Serve with more cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Completely Unrelated and Frivolous: Recently, I read this Slashfood post: 10 Hottest Men in the Food Industry and was kind of befuddled by a lot of their list. Plus, it got me to thinking that I have a little TV Chef crush on Michael Symon. Seriously, how did he not make the list? With his love of pork, meat-themed tattoos, and the goofy, high-pitched, laugh-giggle thing. And he’s really hot too.

Here is a recipe that certainly will work outdoors on a grill but also worked quite well in the oven. I found these little 6 X 6 inch or so cedar grilling planks at Sur la Table for $10 and impulse-bought them. Then I on-purpose bought some salmon.

I soaked my plank for about an hour and a half. If it was going on a charcoal grill the fish *, I would have soaked it for at least two hours. I let the plank heat up in the oven for about 5 minutes, before placing the salmon on it. I don’t actually know how much flavor the cedar imparted on the salmon, but wow, did it smell good while in the oven. These planks were officially, single serving size but I found I could easily fit the two pieces of salmon on it.

Also, since my plank was not too charred, I rinsed it off with hot water (no soap) and plan on using it again.

Oh and I can not stress enough how good the maple-mustard-rosemary crust on the salmon was…really, I can’t. I just can’t at all. Nope, not even going to try. And, if you didn’t have a cedar plank, I would still recommended making this recipe just on a baking sheet.

Cedar-Plank Salmon
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, via Deerholme Farm, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp minced rosemary
1/2 tbsp grated lemon zest
3/4 lb salmon fillet, cut into two pieces
Special Equipment: a cedar grilling plank

Soak cedar grilling plank in water to cover 1-2 hours, keeping it immersed.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir together mustard, honey, rosemary, zest.

Salt and pepper fish first and then spread mixture on flesh side of salmon and let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.

Set plank in the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove and put salmon on plank, skin side down (if salmon is too wide for plank, fold in thinner side to fit). I put my plank on a baking sheet to avoid any oven messes.

Cook until salmon is just almost cooked through, 12 - 14 minutes. Turn on the broiler and let the top get a little golden and form a crust, about 1-2 minutes. Let salmon stand on plank 5 minutes before serving.

We had the salmon with some oven roasted sweet potatoes and green beans.

Awesome quick green beans - trim, rinse and saute for a couple of minutes in some olive oil. Salt and pepper lightly and add about a couple of tablespoons chicken broth. Lower heat, cover and cook about 15 minutes. Remove lid, turn up heat and let broth evaporate. So good!

* To cook the salmon on a grill: Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas). Open vents on bottom and lid of charcoal grill.
Grill, covered with lid, 13-15 minutes.

This is a great, quick meal. I found this recipe online, at Bigoven.com when I was looking for something to do with frozen halibut steaks.

Sometimes I make this at night (not even for dinner) and we take it for lunches the next day. It reheats well and is always tasty. Plus, best of all, it is a great use for the wild, frozen halibut steaks that they have at Trader Joe’s. Thus, it qualifies as a Cheap Fish Project.

If you do use steaks, just cut the skin off if you prefer (I do) and defrost if your fish is frozen. You could of course, use fillets here but it works just wonderfully with the steaks.

Mediterranean-Style Baked Halibut Steaks
Adapted from a recipe on Big Oven
1 tbsp olive oil + more for baking dish
1 small zucchini, chopped
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried thyme or oregano
1/4 cup white wine
1 small tomato, diced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt & pepper
2 6-oz halibut steaks

If your halibut is not defrosted, you can do that in some cold water. Just submerge the package for 15 or so minutes and that should do it.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking dish.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion, thyme, and garlic. Cook and stir 6-7minutes, or until tender and getting some color.

Add the wine, and tomatoes and mix to combine. Stir in the feta. Salt & pepper to taste.

Arrange halibut steaks in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.

Spoon equal amounts of the vegetable-feta mixture over each steak.

Bake 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

This was an experiment that I took to work for a Halloween party last week. It was an extra fun cake to make, as I had just bought myself a new bundt cake pan in honor of National Bundt Cake Day coming up on November 15!

Where did I learn that bit of trivia? Why here: Food Librarian’s ‘I Like Big Bundts’ extravaganza! Now that is an awesome task right there. While I am not delightfully crazy enough to make a bundt a day, I did make one — this Sour Cream Pumpkin Bundt with a Streusel-y inside.

The recipe is from Libby’s (the makers of canned pumpkin), although I used a can of Trader Joe’s Organic canned pumpkin. The cake turned out so well! I added orange zest, pecans and a few more spices to the streusel and I also used a chocolate ganache as a glaze, rather than a traditional powdered sugar icing.

Sour Cream Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Streusel
recipe adapted from Libby’s
Streusel
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp orange zest
2 tsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp orange zest
Optional: 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan.

For streusel: Combine brown sugar, spices and zest in small bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Add pecans.

For batter: Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat granulated sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add pumpkin, sour cream and vanilla extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

To assemble: Spoon half of batter into prepared pan. Now, here after making this once, I think it would be easier if after you put half the batter in the pan, you take a spoon and make a little indentation around the middle of the batter for the streusel.

So, you can try that and then carefully sprinkle streusel over batter, not allowing streusel to touch sides of pan.

Top with remaining batter. Make sure batter layer touches edges of pan.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Mine baked for 60 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes in pan on wire rack. Invert onto wire rack to cool completely.

Make Glaze:
Place chips and zest in a bowl. Heat the cream in a pot until it just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and pour oven chocolate and orange zest. Let sit for about 30 seconds then stir until, all the chocolate is melted. Let cool for a few minutes.

Set cooled cake over a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Drizzle glaze over cake and sprinkle pecans over top. Let glaze cool and harden.

Eat.