Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Thanks for all the helpful hints on bean cooking!  I think I've figured out that my need to always make things differently sometimes comes into play at the wrong time...Some things are meant to always be cooked the same :)

We've reached 50!  Kinda exciting! :)

[[Another review from Mom!! Danke!]]

50.  Basic Corn Bread, pg. 78

I followed the recipe using a recommended substitution of some whole wheat flour.  I used 1/2 c. of white and 1/2 c. of whole wheat.  Since the dry milk powder was optional, I used only 1/2 c.  I'm not sure why I haven't used this recipe before but I'll definitely make it again.  It was great fresh from the oven and served alongside a bowl of ham and bean soup.  Dad ate 3 pieces of the corn bread although the last piece was "small".

51.  Pumpkin Soup, pg. 206

I was first truly introduced to pumpkin soup while staying with a friend in Germany ... and I haven't gotten enough since!

I'm really not much of an accurate measurer when it comes to soups, but with this recipe, it really doesn't matter.  All that goes into this soup is lovely, and when put together, there is little chance for failure. 

Slightly undercooking the onions turned out to be a beautiful idea -- they remained crunchy and pungent in the end product.  Instead of using milk, I always use coconut milk in pumpkin soups.  The rich, fatty flavor lends itself very well to the pumpkin, and the soup is delightfully creamy with it.  For the pumpkin, I had just baked down one small kabocha, and didn't puree it as called for.  While there was the occasional squash chunk, overall the squash was soft enough that it broke up well just by stirring.  Lastly, make sure to add about a teaspoon of ground ginger.  I would never eat this soup unaccompanied by ginger.  If you have fresh ginger on hand, then grate about a teaspoon and toss it in towards the end of the onion cooking.

I really enjoyed this soup, but also felt like it was missing a bit of a kick.  I typically like to add a hearty dash of orange juice to pumpkin soup, but decided to try this one without.  I would definitely recommend adding OJ if you have it, or taking the alternative route and adding cayenne or hot sauce.

Overall: 4 out of 5  Quite lovely, warm, and rich...but needs an extra kick

1 comment:

  1. This blog is amazing, Valerie! It's like reading my mom's margin notes from More-With-Less, only with spunk and kabocha....

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