The Lyorn's Den

Made it some weeks ago for a brunch.

For 4 people (though not on its own). Note that there's a lot of tolerance for the exact weight of the ingredients. Carrots should make up about half of the total veggies.

Clean and dice 300 grams carrots, one not-to-small (about 150 grams) starchy potato, one parsley root (about 100 grams), and one medium-sized onion (maybe 70 grams). Put 1 tablespoon (about 15 grams) of sugar into a pot large enough for the soup (4 litres should do it), and caramelise slightly. Throw in the onion and a tablespoon of butter (about 20 grams), fry on medium heat without browning, then add the veggies and enough water to barely cover it all. Mix it with a cooking spoon.

Keep it barely boiling for about 30 minutes, stir occasionally. When the veggies are soft, mash or purée it. Add some water if it turns out too thick.

In the meantime, put about 2 tablespoons of salted peanuts and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup in a small pan, bring it to boil and wonder when it might caramelise. I suggest you go by smell. Prepare a sheet of oiled greaseproof paper and pour the hot mass on it, spread it a bit (it's sticky) and let it cool. Then chop not too fine with a large knife. It might be a good idea to a) to oil the knife, b) get the mass on a cutting board so you do not chop the paper.

I am not quite sure if I did that thing right, but putting it on a plate in the fridge to cool made it OK to handle, if still a bit sticky.

Season the soup to taste with a splash of orange juice (roughly 50 millilitres?), salt, and black pepper.

When serving, pour the soup in bowls, add a splash of cream, and put the peanuts in the middle.

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To preapare the day before: Put the caramelized peanuts on a plate in the fridge. Do not add water to the soup if the consistency after mashing/pureeing is too solid. Heat the soup the next day, add hot water as needed, and then the orange juice and spices.

Make it simpler:
- skip the parsley root
- put the peanuts uncaramelised at the bottom of the soup bowls and use the maple syrup to season the soup.

Try it out: Caramelising the peanuts in sugar or part-sugar might make them crunchier and less sticky. However, maple syrup fits the soup well, and you do not want to over-sweeten the dish.

I should have created images from the start, as it is amazing how 500 grams of veggies become 100 grams of edibles.

To prepare beans: Peel them from their pods, blanch in boiling salt water for two minutes, then put in ice water for a short time, drain, squeeze every single bean from its skin. Easier if you cut a slit into the narrow side of the bean with a sharp knife.

So, that's your beans. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes in salt water, then drain, catch a cup of the draining water if you want any kind of sauce, or even for bean mush.

I slowly fried a bit of bacon and a sliced green onion in a bit of butter, deglazed the pan with a splash of the cooking water, put the beans in and let them cook on low for about three more minutes.

As often with beans, the smell was not too good (like old socks), but the taste was way better! And they are very green.

Not journaling, obviously.

( October: A short vacation )
( October 31st: Food )
( November 19th: Another move )
( December 2nd: Choir Concerto )
( December 3rd: Christmas markets and snow )

I do not expect much in the way of holiday stress for December. I don't have the energy left to be stressed, worried, or anything.

Yesterday we were RPGing, and as it's still freezing cold, flederkatz and I cooked a mixed-meat stew with black beans the day before. It looked a little unconvincing (mostly brown), but tasted very good. ( Read more... )
Feeds 6 to 8.

Edited to fix some copy-paste errors.

We didn't play today, because one player is on vacation, another has three tests to take tomorrow, and the one characters has been turned into a fox: This left the party with one fighter, not enough to continue with the adventure.

Instead, we had dinner, and the idea to play some broad games, but we got lost in talking.

( Oven veggies and peaches )

In other news, I got Secunda from the repair shop today.

I promised the role-players to post the recipe, so, here it is: ( Edamame and Chick Pea Salad )

For dessert, we had a simple ( Red currant cake )

ETA: Fixed amount of berries! 250g is correct.

I could have gone to a barbecue to celebrate G___'s birthday today, but I opted for some R&R instead.

( Too little sleep and too much dreaming )But the day was not entirely without its ups, and in the good tradition of the last, what, year? more? saved the day: Food! Specifically, ( Rump steak with Cognac-Orange-Cream Sauce )

Usually I would not have tried a dough that heavy with fruit, but I was curious. ( Black-and-White-Cake with Peaches )

This guy is serious about his quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie: The Science of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. (via siderea on LJ)

I know, I know, "Quiche? What kind of food is that for a monster to eat?" And even worse, it's vegetarian ( pear and camembert quiche )