Smokin'!

I grew up a carnivore and I believe I will always be a carnivore. Although I can go for days without meat*, I eventually give in to a craving at some point. Especially in the winter. I crave really hearty things. Filipino Pork Sinigang, Vietnamese Beef Pho , Lamb Vindaloo, a good roast chicken. But in the days when I just want to satisfy that “umami”, adding a little turkey bacon to a vegetable stew can do it for me (sprinkle a little Parmesan on top and I’m really good to go). And then I discovered Smoked Spanish Paprika. Wow, it made my lentil stew taste like it had some chorizo in there. So, so good.

French Lentil Stew with Smoked Spanish Paprika
Serves 4-6 (more like 4 in our family)

4 strips lean turkey bacon (natural, no nitrites*), chopped
2 tbsp EV olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
2-3 cups diced tomatoes (I use Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted)
4-5 cups broth (I used organic, fat free)
2 cups French lentils
1/2-1 tsp. oregano
½-1 tsp. thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
2-4 cups chopped greens such as kale or spinach

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot, medium high heat. Put in turkey bacon and sauté for a minute. Add garlic, onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until onion is a little soft. Add the spices and sauté for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir until it is covered with the vegetables and slick with the juices and oils. Add the tomatoes and broth. Boil and then simmer until lentils are cooked – about 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (or more paprika if you like). Add spinach and simmer until just a little soft. Serve.

This is a beautiful soup. The next time I make it, I will take a photo.

A note on meat and nitrites.
Making headlines recently is the largest study completed on the causes and prevention of cancer. It is the study of 7000 studies on cancer -- the study OF studies, samples multiplied 7000-fold, what more can you want?. The conclusions are obvious – only because we’ve heard snippets of it here and there through the years but really have not listened. Its almost like the whispers on how bad nicotine is for you twenty years ago.

From worldchanging.com:
“The most rigorous study on cancer ever, by the World Cancer Research Fund, has recently released its findings. Based on over half a million published studies, as reviewed by nine institutes over a six-year period, researchers concluded the following:

To avoid cancer, don't eat too much. Stay lean. Avoid red meat. Walk.”

The published study can be found here http://www.wcrf-uk.org/

*Although I love cured meats, I do not love nitrites. They really should be banned. Thank god, Whole Foods makes buying nitrite-free sausages and meat so easy. For more on nitrites and (un)health:
http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/food/hotdogs.htm
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19626284.000-ten-ways-to-avoid-cancer.html (from the same study above)

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Caraway Seeds

I never follow recipes to a T. I see recipes as the beginning of something. Often, when I have an idea of what I want, a flavor I am going after, I will look at multiple recipes and decide what my version will be. Looking at each ingredient. Imagining the flavors with each addition. And always, always, I (at least) double the spices called for – the same for garlic. I am not shy about garlic. I think it’s the best flavor in the world (more on that later). And I think recipe writers sometimes get shy about spices or they have access to some pungent spices out there not available to mere mortals.

Which brings me to today. In a way.

Its fall. High of 44 today. There is an abundance of cauliflower at the farm. I have four heads that need to be cooked. I want a Creamy Cauliflower Soup but with a kick. Mark Bittman (my bible for basics) suggests one that is too plain. Mollie Katzen has a better idea – use buttermilk and add caraway seeds (I tripled the quantity suggested – see above). Yum. Tangy, hint of rye bread. Sounds good.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Caraway Seeds
Inspired by Mollie Katzen

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
3 cups potatoes, small dice
5-6 cups chopped cauliflower (I used two small heads)
5 cups chicken broth
¾ tsp to 1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp. mustard powder
Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 cups buttermilk (I used whole cultured)

In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery and carrots (mirepoix for you Francophiles – this triumvirate hardly fails) for a few minutes until the vegetables are slightly soft. Add the mustard and caraway seeds. Sauté for a minute or so. Add the potatoes, cauliflower and the broth. Simmer until the vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes).

Pour the buttermilk – start with 2 cups.

I used a hand blender to puree the soup, you can use a food processor or a blender (I hate making another receptacle dirty – especially if it doesn’t fit in the dishwasher). I discovered a trick today to make the job fast – tilt your hand blender ever so slightly so that the chunks feed right in (I used to lay the blender flat on the bottom of the pot for fear of scalding myself with chunks flying out – this made the process take forever).

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add more buttermilk to desired tanginess.

I really wanted more of a caraway flavor so I sprinkled even more caraway, stirred the soup a bit and let it sit – the whole seeds just infused that much more flavor to make it perfect.

I served it with a quick “Jambalaya” fried rice – Make a little stew with chopped Andouille sausage, garlic, onions, green peppers, cabbage (only because I had a ton of it), a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes, peas, salt and pepper. Add some cooked brown rice.

Hearty. Hearty. Hearty. Fall Perfect.