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Sorrel showed up in my organic CSA food box over the summer. In a pinch and short on time, I blended it up into a wonderful, tangy pesto. You are going to love how quick and easy this is after all that hard Thanksgiving cooking. Sorrel looks like a longer, skinnier spinach and it has a lemony taste. Read more about this magnesium and calcium-rich green here.
Sorrel Pestoby Cayenne Serves 2-4, freeze the leftovers1 bunch sorrel4 garlic cloves2 handfuls shaved Parmesan cheese3-5 tbsp olive oil (your favorite stuff)1 handful pine nutsSalt + pepper to tasteWash sorrel as you would any other leafy green. No need to spin off the water. In a mini cuisinart (or whatever blending tool you have). Add handfuls of leaves, garlic, 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Whiz. Whiz. Whiz. Keep adding sorrel leaves and olive oil until a slightly dry paste is formed. Thin out the paste with a few tbsp of water. Whiz in the pine nuts. Taste. Add salt + pepper and cheese. Whiz. Throw over your favorite pasta. Maybe add some fresh tomatoes, olives, and parsley. I freeze the leftovers in small tuppers, they defrost well in the microwave.
These weeks are flying by, next week's Sunday Supper will be sweet and a bit more festive.
photo credit: Cayenne 08.16.09
Winter Wishlist Boots: I am thinking about gearing up for cold weather in a wet environment. Strangely enough San Diego and Fairbanks, AK have one thing in common despite the drastically different temperatures - dry, low-moisture climates. Living in rainy climates is very foreign to me. I lived in DC for 3 years but I don't think that I mastered the cold, windy and wet winter. Here is what I have on my wishlist if I have to move to where it rains more than 3x/year.1. Tall waterproof and warm boots that can handle icy sidewalks.
Cydwoq desk boot, pictures from Ped Shoes, 440$. I normally wear European size 39 but sized way down to 37.5 in these American-made shoes. The tailoring was near perfect and good for people with slim calves.
2. Aquatalia by Marvin K, Spunky boot in chocolate brown, 400$. I owned these for about a week before I took them back due to the price. To date they have been the most comfortable boots that I have put on. They have a cushioned foot bed and a narrower calf, though you can see from the photos that the calf area was still a bit big on me. The lug sole is great for slippery sidewalks and all the reviews I read said the suede holds up in rainy weather (Seattle-based reviewers). I am waiting for these to show up on Sierra Trading Post next year. 
I think the Aquatalia Kerry Suede Waterproof boot is a beauty too.
Wouldn't all these boots look lovely with the Lole plaid Stylish jacket, 190$ (polyester, not wool!).
Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Clean-out-the-fridge Turkey (or Chicken) Soup.
I made this soup back when I "tried" to roast a chicken (on the list for a redo next year). I think it would be perfect when made with turkey stock. I hope you remembered to save your turkey carcass from Thanksgiving dinner! See Thursday's post to read about preparing homemade stock. Stock keeps forever in the freezer but only a few days in the fridge. Jar it and freeze it. Might as well make extra soup and freeze that too. 
Lentil + Sausage SoupBy CayenneHot Italian Sausages, sauteed and broken into smaller pieces 1 onion, chopped1-2 cloves garlic, minced8-10 cup of turkey or chicken stockhandful or two of mixed, dried lentils (bulk aisle at whole foods)1 bunch kale or chard, destemmed (use the stems but add them earlier) and choppedhandful of cubed, cooked potatoescayenne peppersalt + pepperIn a largish soup pot saute the sausage (you want the pot to be big enough for the entire soup). Once the sausage is browned add the onions, cook for 1-2 minutes. If there is a lot (more than 2 cm) of grease in the pan drain some of the grease off. Otherwise go ahead and use it for flavor. Throw in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the stock and lentils, bring soup to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the lentils are soft. You can stop at this point and freeze the soup for later when you can add whatever you can find when you defrost it. The rest of the recipes depends on what you are adding to the soup. Always add things that take longer to cook first and the more delicate veggies near the end, e.g. any greens or already cooked squash or potatoes. Carrots, the woody stems of kale and chard, or uncooked potatoes will take a bit to cook so add those early on in the cooking process. Taste at this point so that you can add cayenne pepper, salt, fresh black pepper to suit your spice preference. I use very little salt in my food because my mom never salted anything and TEB just happens to be really sensitive to salt. For this particular soup I would not add any spices until the very end. The sausage adds a lot of spiciness and salt so I would not be surprised if the soup only needs a touch of pepper.
photo credit: Cayenne 08.09.09, 09.11.09
Happy Thanksgiving!
We are on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of WA on this beautiful Thankgiving day. Tomorrow we will be giving thanks with family and friends. It is never too late to have a Thanksgiving dinner.Save those turkey carcasses because this week's Sunday Supper will make good use of them. In fact, turn it into turkey stock by doing the following:1. Place turkey carcass in a large pot and fill with water until turkey is covered2. Fridge clean-out = add whatever veggies (roughly chopped) you find in the fridge, e.g. carrots, celery, onion (save the potatoes, yams, and squash for later)3. Spices - a bay leaf or two depending on how big your turkey was, 5-10 peppercorns, garlic, and any left over fresh herbs you have.4. Bring to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer covered for 2-4 hours. Add extra water if it is gets too low.5. Strain entire pot so all you have left is a nice broth. Will keep for a few days or you can put in glass jars and freeze (leave a few cm of room at the top for the liquid to expand once frozen)See you Sunday for Supper!
Cayenne & Carob's Sunday Supper: Ina Garten's Red Spaghetti Sauce from Barefoot Contessa Family Style Cookbook.
Pasta is a good ol' standby in my house. One can always find various kinds of pasta (Swiss Egg Noodles, organic whole grain penne etc) and a jar of pasta sauce hidden somewhere in the kitchen. Jarred pasta sauce is always a little bland so I saute up some onions and garlic, maybe throw in some kale or whatever left over veggies are in the fridge. I always thought homemade red sauce was this extra step that I could not possibly have time to do. It was only recently that TEB and I found crushed tomatoes in the pantry and were forced to make the stuff from scratch. It turned out delicious, I might never go back to the jarred stuff. Well maybe only as a second backup. Barefoot Contessa's Red Spaghetti Sauceby Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style1 tbsp olive oil1 cup chopped yellow onion1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (double if you love garlic, like i do)1/2 cup good red wine (used whatever old stuff was in the fridge)1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley1 1/2 tsp kosher salt1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepperHeat the olive oil in your favorite pan (for some flavor I use my cast iron pan). Saute the onions until they are translucent, then add the garlic. Cook until very fragrant ~ 1-2 minutes.
Add the wine and cook on high heat until almost all the liquid evaporates (4-5 minutes). Add the canned tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
Serves 6, with 1 1/2 pounds cooked pasta and lots of shaved Parmesan. I pile on the black olives and leave them off for TEB who is a member of the "I hate black olives club." This is another recipe to keep on file for when you are cooking for a crowd. photo credit: Cayenne 09.23.09
During an 8 hour layover in Seattle, TEB and I ventured down to Pike's Place Market. We bought some carrots from one of the veggie vendors and fresh donuts. On our way to lunch with TEB's family at SAM we quickly ran through Tuuli, a cute shop that features Marimekko textiles. In the Marimekko Christmas Newsletter I discovered these lovely illustrations of how to use fabric to wrap gifts. I might just try it for this year's Christmas presents. I was getting a little tired of my recycled paper bag + stamp combo.
Tuuli1407 First AvenueSeattle WA 98101Tel: 1.206.223.1112tuuliseattle@gmail.comphoto credit: images from marimekko christmas newsletter 2009
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