RICH, NOURISHING TOMATO SOUP

First we eat, then we do everything else.

MFK Fisher

 

I love making resolutions. I'm usually on a new trip every few months. Over the course of the last 26 years I have been, in turn, a communist, a very observant Hindu, a wiccan, vegetarian, enthusiastic gym bunny and weekend artist. I have gone through nihilistic, Mean Girls, ice queen, party girl and corporate slave phase.

 

Through ups and downs I've moulded, unmoulded and remoulded my preferences and personality over and over again to try to find the fit I'm most comfortable with. Because this is exhausting (and requires too many wardrobe updates) I've decided to pick my next phase not based on my life right now but what I'd like to have for myself in the future. This is proving to be really difficult since I usually don't know where I'm going to be next week forget next year. But if I don't figure it out, then how am I going to invest in classic wardrobe staples that will last me forever?!

 

Through all these phases there is of course an indelible core and my ever-expanding, indelible core loves carbohydrates, sugar and spicy Indian Italian. Which is why I love this classic, rich tomato soup with its intense tomato, garlic and oregano flavors- it's pretty healthy and can be seasoned as aggressively as you like. I've used oregano in mine but you can add whatever you like.

 

This is great for rainy afternoons and chilly evenings.

 

Serves 2

Recipe my own

What you’ll need:

3 -4 tomatoes (cubed)

1 onion (sliced)
500 ml vegetable stock
100 ml tomato puree
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp oregano/thyme/ rosemary/ Italian seasoning or seasoning of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

How to:

1. Heat the butter and pop in the garlic and onion, cook till the garlic is brown and fragrant and the onion has softened. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook till you have a thick mixture. This might take a while.

2. Puree the mix and adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve hot with crusty bread or a sandwich.

Note: Crack some fresh black pepper for even more kick.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: WASABI BY MORIMOTO, TAJ MAHAL HOTEL

I love Japanese food and few do as good a job with it as at Wasabi at the Taj Mahal Hotel. I'm not going to gush because that's boring. Instead I'm just going to put up a few of the photos I took and hopefully you'll be inspired to visit soon.

Barely steamed, softly salted Edamame

Tender petals of Tofu

Fish eyes!

For the love of Salmon

Superlative Spinach with Soft Sesame Sauce

Flakes of White Fish with Sweet Potato

Sea Bass with Greens, Sprouts and Capsicums

 

Gentle Soy Rice

 

Palate Cleanser

Cream, Ice, Chocolate Boulders

Wasabi Ice Cream

CREAMY, SMOOTH, LEMON AND GARLIC HUMMUS

You don't need a silver fork to eat good food - Paul Prudhomme

 

 

I was chatting with Navy recently who mentioned the blog was looking a lot cleaner and tighter. Ordinarily I'd brush the compliment aside but I know Navy isn't one for insincere flattery. I'd spent hours the week before working my way through each post (there are more than 150!) trying to get through as many glitches as I could.

 

Once I was done I wondered why I hadn't done it before. I was just about to start beating myself up but it's always been important to me to have a visually appealing website. I've been specially conscious of this since I don't have the technological skill to come up with the swirling, swishing imagery I'd like. I guess I just need to accept that this blog has always been the best it could at that stage.

 

Some things just take time.

 

If you're currently feeling you should have been further ahead by now, that you should have accomplished more or gotten more things done, I'd like to share the example of my super, creamy hummus.

 

When I started cooking I thought I'd take a stab at making hummus since I like it so very much. The first time I tried I didn't soak the chickpeas overnight and though I boiled them for what felt like hours they were too hard to be made into a paste. The second time I decided to skip the tahini, thinking it was just a couple of tablespoons, how much of a difference could it make? It tasted like feet. The third time I almost got everything right but no matter how much I blended there was a graininess that just wouldn't go. So much for the third time being the charm.

 

This time I saw soaked chickpeas lying on the kitchen counter and without any hope or expectation I decided to pop it into a pressure cooker for about 10 - 15 minutes.  I peeled the skins off while starting to watch Season 2 of Hart of Dixie because I'd read on the Smitten Kitchen that this would help get it really smooth when I started to pulp it. What was there to lose? 

 

This is the creamiest, closest to perfect hummus I've ever made. I spent a whole weekend scooping spoonfuls into my mouth straight out of the fridge. The slight tang of lemon and the kick of garlic keep it from being dreary chickpea mush.

 

Moral of the story - it took me about 2 kgs of chickpeas, half a bottle of tahini, 6 - 7 lemons, 4 cups of olive oil and 9 months to figure out something I'd allotted myself 45 minutes for.

 

Some things just take time.  

 

 

 Serves 4

Adapted from Sweet Paul

 

What you’ll need:

 

2 cups of chickpeas (soaked overnight)

3 – 5 garlic cloves

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

 

How to:

 

1. Boil the chickpeas (I think the easiest thing is to stick them in the pressure cooker for about 20 minutes).

 

2. Once you’ve taken the boiled chickpeas out let them cool and then carefully pinch each pea till the skin slides off.

 

Note: This may seem odd and I know most recipes don’t need you to waste your time doing all this but the first time I read about this was at Smitten Kitchen’s blog and it is THE secret to super smooth and creamy hummus. And it’s totally mindless so you can catch up on a TV show or catch up with family while you peel your pile of peas.

 

3. Puree all ingredients together till you have a smooth paste. If you end up with a too solid mess then just add a couple of tablespoons of yoghurt to water it down.  

4. Taste and adjust seasoning. Chill and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.