le sauce

soup, accessorized

Above: Herb Soup with Eggplant Bacon

This time last year, Toronto (and most of the east coast) was cold and covered in a fairly fresh blanet of snow. Last week, it was summertime hot--26C degrees and sunny--which was only about 10 degrees hotter than the average for the past few weeks. It's cooler this week but still mild.

This time last year, I wanted soup for dinner.

This week, I still do.

Because while I want an ice cream cone around noon on the hotter days this month, the nights are still chilly and I'm reminded on more humid mornings that the April showers will be coming. There are grey, damp days ahead and I welcome them. I do love that we (usually) have four seasons, not for the least reason of which is the the food that comes with each season. I'll look forward to peas and strawberries in a few months, but for now, I'm looking forward to more cozy dinners that are just a little lighter than I'd make them in November...

...and that means soup.

Above: Tteokguk, Seared Onigiri in Green Tea Broth, Green soup with asparagus, potato hash, seed crackers.

Soup is not difficult and it's only as boring as you make it. Really, whatever you're craving, it can be made into soup--even a creamy piece of cheese or potatoes or radishes! I don't have a recipe on this site yet (note to self) but you can even make a pretty boozy soup, if you're so inclined. And I don't have to tell you that soup is as good hot as it is cold and pretty much everywhere in between.

But just as you would never forget to put your favourite toppings on your sandwich or pizza, don't forget to accessorize your soup. As you can see, I have a few ideas about how to do that (click on the photo captions for the recipes) and any one of these garnishes can be mixed, matched and tweaked to your tastes--plus you probably have a million more ideas which you should share with me, please. Let your soup simmer, prep your toppings and open a creamy white wine before you sip your way through a super-light but totally satifying dinner.

Below: Roasted Onion and Fennel Soup with Pistou, French Onion and Porcini Soup,Soup and Rice.

 

must make: crispy, savoury french toast, preserved lemons and eggplant bacon!

You know I like the savoury version of anything over the sweet, right? So when I came across this savoury french toast recipe on food52, I was sold--it even came with a recommendation to dunk it into hot sauce and to fry the toast more than you normally would. I mean, this recipe was made for me. Not that it needs improving, but cut into triangles, it is finger food fit for enjoying with a cocktail on a sunny deck--a lazy summer dinner. I highly recommend you make this recipe as written on food52 and execute it as suggested in the picture above.

I'm also crazy into citrus right now (that's a gimlet in the picture above, made with this delicious lime cordial), so this recipe for preserving lemons via Canal House caught my eye. I love the idea of having them on hand for tagines and curries, which after all, are perfect for summer dinners, given the hot climes they originated in.

And lastly, hello, eggplant bacon! Where have you been all my life? I have yet to make this but I couldn't resist sharing it with you. If you tackle it before me, please report back. And don't forget to share the recipes in your must-make list, please! Thanks!

must-make: baked beans and eggs, meyer lemon pudding cakes

sunny & citrusy. 

That's the theme of today's must-make list. Sunny eggs and lemon in everything.

Eggs in tomato sauce, or shakshuka, is almost typical weekend fare in our house. But eggs poached in baked beans? It never crossed my mind until I saw someone else do it, and then it made all the sense in the world. James' grandmother has a secret, unshared recipe for the best baked beans in the world, and I finally put his mom's best approximation of the recipe to the test this weekend. When the beans were baked soft and sweet, I cracked 4 eggs into the them and they went back into the oven for just under 10 minutes. Then they got a little lift from a squeeze of lemon at the end. (I wonder if Grammie uses vinegar in her baked beans--at the end. Maybe cider vinegar?) Some crusty bread on the side and we had a new favourite Sunday brunch special on our hands.  

The other beans I've had my eye on are these black beans made with citrus, ancho chilies and chipotles. They look so good, all black, saucy and spiked with cilantro, and I can imagine them spooned over rice or scooped up with a fresh, soft tortilla.

And since I'm the person at the table who always wants to order the lemon dessert over the chocolate one, I bookmarked this Meyer lemon pudding recipe as soon as I saw it. Definitely sounds like my kind of dessert. I love that they seem to require very little effort--that truly makes them my kind of dessert. 

So despite cold April showers (and some flurries this past weekend? Let's not even discuss it...)that had me sitting in front of a fire and, frankly, scared to step outside, things are looking bright in my kitchen. At least.

must make: marcella's ripiena in brodo, farro and mushroom salad, gumbo and chocolate cake

I'd had Marcella's Hazan's book on hold at the library for weeks and it finally came in. I've already narrowed down what I want to make from it this weekend and I'm not surprised that it's some of her simpler recipes--they seem to be the most intriguing. After all, it was her 3-ingredient tomato, onion and butter sauce that first drew me to her. And having learned a little about her before reading this book (there are some links to interviews with her in an earlier post), I shouldn't have been surprised to read such bold procuremtnts in this book like "If I had invented pasta salads I would hide." Well then! It's an interesting read.

But back to the recipes. I've bookmarked some for stuffed, fried vegetables including onions, zucchini and chard stems, an odd-sounding potato custard (yes, like a cream dessert), and especially pasta ripiena in brodo: ricotta-coated (as opposed to stuffed full of) pasta squares in broth. 

Outside of this book but also on my list of things I must make is this vegetarian gumbo recipe, which is eaten during lent. I have three more weeks until Easter, I think. It intrigues me-- with 5 whole bunches of smothered dark greens, and a roux base with Cajun spices it makes me think it'll be a good approximation of the real thing.

I chickened out of making this birthday cake last weekend (maybe another time), but I thought I'd share it with you. It looks like the epitome of the birthday cake, doesn't it?

I did, however, make this amazing ice cream sandwich cake, and highly recommend this simple recipe if you ever want to make a homemade version of the usually store-bought treat.

And I can also recommend that you make this mushroom and farro salad with parmesan, just as I have at least 3 times since I discovered it.

What are you cooking these days? If you've seen something incredible or made something that blew your mind, please share.

must make: smoky eggplant, soup and vanilla bean pudding

The unthinkable has happened. I can't eat. No, I haven't lost my appetite (never!), but I'm not able to eat at the moment. A minor oral surgery has me drinking only broth, juice and tea--not even a mushy noodle can cross my lips for days! Don't even get me started on not being allowed to put wine in my sippy cup. 

And not being able to eat even soft food has me, of course, daydreaming about soft food. As soon as I can manage it, I know I'll be finding a way to make the mashed, smoky eggplant pictured above, without using charcoal (suggestions, anyone?) The recipe (and the picture) are from a new-to-me blog called Istanbul Eats and they've just started posting simple but mouth-watering recipes like this one.

There are two soups I can imagine being able to get down: my roasted onion and fennel soup is silky and still perfect for winter. And I can't wait to try this curried lentil and apricot soup from the famed soup spot RaviSoups! 

Plus this is the perfect excuse to make this vanilla bean pudding, which I'd pick over chocolate any day.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I ate a LOT in advance of this procedure to bring you as many posts as recipes as always. Next week will be a very unique week, in fact. I'm featuring recipes from an entire menu. It was a collaboration and a special meal that I have been wanting to share with you for months. 

must make: feta-stuffed peppers and vegetable bouillon

High, high on my list of things to make are these feta-stuffed peppers. I have a subscription to Saveur and somehow, the image of these flirty peppers is even more tempting on the printed page. I believe I first saw it in one of the 2010 summer issues, and even though it hooked me immediately, it wasn't until I saw it recently featured on Saveur's fave recipes of 2010 list that I remembered them. I think these and a glass of wine are going to be dinner this weekend.

My friend Lulu has been raving about Yotam Ottolenghi's fried cauliflower with tahini recipe and she finally made it for herself. It sounds amazing. She notes, and I've noticed, that all of his recipes take some effort. So far I've been happy enough with the results to return to them and I'll be featuring his laksa curry in an upcoming post. She's convinced me to attempt his cauliflower recipe too.

And if anyone can make a successful vegetable bouillon, it's Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks, right? I have no issue with throwing onion, celery, carrots and herbs into water to make a nice vegetable stock, but sometimes a flavour-packed cube of bouillon is required. Freezing a batch of this paste is the answer, since I hate to use the salt-based cubes sold in stores.

 

must make: pomegranate lentil soup and a different kind of pumpkin pie

My must-make list! Do you have one too? These are the recipes that sound so good I've bookmarked them, and must make them as soon as I can.

But... 

Nigel Slater's pumpkin pie will have to wait a while, what with the cleanse I'm on and the puff pastry that this recipe calls for. But his pumpkin pie, a savoury kind, will probably be the first thing I make when I'm back to being bad again my diet includes a little more butter again.

However, mine will incorporate a little blue cheese.

Did you see the pear, blue cheese and walnut salad recipe below Nigel's pumpkin recipe? When I first skimmed the article, I thought his pie included blue cheese and nuts and I thought that was a brilliant idea. I'm running with it. I think it will add some nice texture and bite to the pie.

I'll also have to postpone making this skillet pancake, to respect the cleanse and also because I don't think I have a cast-iron skillet well-seasoned enough or large enough for this. I'll make my first attempt at this in my wok and hope for the best.

But back to what I can and must make soon. Like this hungarian mushroom soup. I ate so much mushroom soup when I was in Budapest and it was always delicious, everywhere I had it. I haven't been able to replicate it perfectly, so I'm excited to try this recipe.

A variation on this bibimbap is in my future for sure, as is this pomegranate lentil soup. Pomegranate. Lentil. Soup. Cannot wait to try. 

If you have any must-makes, you must share. Merci!