The Husband's Recipes: Snow Day Tortilla Soup

This is what I call "making soup out of nothing at all" (and, yes, I just made an Air Supply reference. Shoot me). Originally it was my own invention, not the Blond's, based on a very non-vegetarian recipe I saw somewhere. I simply liked the idea of a soup with grated cheese on top. Lots and lots of cheese. We each prepare it a little differently, but the basics are the same: sort of Mexican-inspired, lots of spices, and have I mentioned cheese?

This is the husband's version in his words (including some musings on cumin):

Snow days are a new and novel concept for me. Growing up in the equivalent of Death Valley weather does not prepare you to 20 inches of snow and roads that are near impassable for a while. We had a few of those recently, and while the white powder is accumulating outside there is nothing better than a thick spicy soup that can be prepared in less than 30 minutes without going to the store.

I’m not a big cumin fan in general and usually have a huge problem with it in perfume. On my skin it always becomes very pungent and too close to BO for comfort. I still remember the first time I tried Serge Noire. The cumin note was so horrible; I had to scrub it off my hand immediately. I now ask the wife to test every new Serge and let me know if it’s safe before even trying on skin.

I do love cumin in this soup as it adds an irreplaceable aroma and taste.

Ingredients (4 small servings or 2-3 larger ones):

1 can tomatoes (diced, whole or crushed, it doesn't really matter)

1 can beans (pinto or kidney.  Really, any type will work fine), rinsed and drained

1 cup corn kernels (from can or defrosted)

1 table spoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cup water

½ cup white wine

tortilla chips

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

spices (about ½ tea spoon of each) cumin seeds, celery seeds, fennel or anise seeds,
herbs: thyme, marjoram.

salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste.

Preparation:

1. Put 1/2 can of beans and ½ a cup of the corn kernels into the food processor and chop for a few seconds, add the tomatoes with their preservation liquids and process for another 10 seconds or so, depending on what type of tomatoes you use. It should retain some texture but not be too chunky.

2. Grind the seeds  with the rest of the spices. (Gaia roasts the seeds in a pan and then grinds them in a spice grinder. I just grind them in a mortar without roasting. We each maintain our method is much better.)
3. Put a little olive oil in the bottom of a soup pan and heat (medium flame), add the spice mix + chili flakes for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the pureed tomatoes, corn and bean mixture, water and wine with the rest of the whole beans and corn and mix well.
4. After it boils, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so.

5. Pour into soup bowls and add grated cheese and crushed tortilla chips (we add a lot of each, making it a very thick and rich soup.)

Enjoy.

Kosh demands his share of corn. That's what passes as a treat in a vegetarian household:

All photos were taken by the husband.

The Husband's Recipes: Orecchiette With Roasted Cauliflower

Seventeen years ago when I met the Blond he looked at me funny when I said that anyone who really wanted to eat well needs to learn how to cook. Back then he lived on scary amounts of chicken and potatoes and would only consume green stuff if it was in the form of gummy bears. I still married him.

About ten years ago both of us became vegetarians for a variety of reasons (I was no longer eating meat for a while, but never declared myself a vegetarian until he did). In the last few years he took over the kitchen and has been perfecting his cooking skills to my utter joy. He came up with the idea to start contributing his culinary creations to the blog- after all, perfume lovers seem to also be food-oriented and enjoy spices, herbs and the aroma of cooking food. We're starting with one of my favorite pasta dishes, orecchiette with oven-roasted cauliflower.

Of course, we had to discuss which perfume goes best with this dish. The Blond was in favor of something light and Italian in nature. I think Eau d'Hadrien would go well here, or maybe something coastal like Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel or The Different Company Sel de Vetiver. Do you have more ideas?
In any case, here's the recipe in the husband's words. He also took all the pictures, and yes, we're more than a little retro when it comes to our kitchen and serving dishes:

Orecchiette with roasted Cauliflower – Sicilian style

I love cauliflower (a truly shocking statement for people who knew me in my pre-vegetarian days).

The savory/sweet taste and creamy / crunchy texture make it (when not boiled to death) a main ingredient that can stand up to bold seasoning and take center stage.

This recipe is a favorite of ours as it requires little more than the fresh cauliflower. Everything else comes from the pantry and the result transports us back to the sunny coasts of Italy.

Two  things to note about the preparation:

1.       The cauliflower is roasted in the oven.  Roasting creates a golden tasty exterior and soft moist interior while not being too greasy.

2.       The added benefit of the roasting process is that after the Cauliflower browns well, the pan can be deglazed with white wine. Deglazing adds huge flavor to the dish

Ingredients:

Cauliflower  (1 medium head)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

1 lb (450g) short  and thick pasta with like Orecchiette

Assorted herbs (Marjoram, Basil, Oregano, Thyme)

Crushed Chili flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 cup raisins

¼ cup pine nuts

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat the oven to 380 F / 190 C.

2. Break the Cauliflower into florets or slice ( this is a cool trick: after removing the bottom leaves and cutting the end of the stalk, just slice the cauliflower head into ½ inch (1.25 CM) slices. The stem part can then be cut off but all the rest can stay together, which makes prep a lot easier. The stems themselves are delicious, they can be cut into thin  ¼ inch slices and added to the rest.

3. Arrange the cut cauliflower in a large baking pan, douse with Olive Oil and sprinkle generously with herbs, salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste.

4. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes until it browns nicely on the bottom. Depending on your oven you may need to turn the Cauliflower slices over so they can get brown on both sides. Total time in the oven is usually around 30 minutes.

5. While the Cauliflower is in the oven:

• ·         Put the raisins in warm water and let them soak
• ·         Roast the pine nuts in a small skillet until golden brown.
• ·         Grate the Parmesan cheese
• ·         Cook the pasta

6. When the cauliflower is nice and golden from both sides, take out of the oven and pour the wine into the baking pan. Take a spatula and move the florets into a serving bowl. Deglaze the pan scrubbing all the brown stuff with the wine and pour on the cauliflower.

7. Add the raisins (with a little of their soaking water) to the bowl and then the pasta. Mix well,  garnish with parmesan and pine nuts. Serve.

Andy Tauer's Advent Calendar, A Giveaway And My Mother's Marzipan

Today is day 23 of Andy Tauer's Advent Calendar. I'm honored to host a giveaway of a very special bottle of Andy's creation Le Cologne du Maghreb- an all natural, all botanical eau de cologne. It's a real prize- a 50 ml of a scent that can't be purchased anywhere. And, of course, it smells wonderful- rich citrus like you rarely encounter nowadays over a light wood/incense base. This is Andy's gift (details at the bottom), and here is mine:

December celebrations in my family have always been about more than just Hanukkah. Not that the Festival Of Light on all its deep-fried goodness is anything minor, but my dad's birthday is the 17th of December, my late grandfather's was the 22nd (he would have been 98 this year) and my parents' wedding anniversary is the 28th. This means December has really been one big countdown. With food.

One of the treats that always appears on the table is homemade marzipan. I believe my mom has refined and improved an old family recipe. Her marzipan is delectable, flavorful and ridiculously easy to make. I still remember when I was very young that my mother used a manual food mill to grind the almonds, but that was over 30 years ago. A food processor simplifies preparations- grind, mix and roll into cute little balls. It takes very few ingredients, just make sure not to compromise on quality and freshness. The basic principle is equal parts almonds and sugar, some seasoning and a binding ingredient (the egg white). Quantities can be easily adjusted as is the seasoning. My mother uses vanilla-laced (store vanilla pods in your sugar for a couple of weeks). Or add a few drops of the best vanilla extract to the mixture. This last adjustment is not mother-approved (I'll hear about this in tomorrow's phone call), but it works in a pinch.

Nina's Marzipan

9 oz (250gr) raw unblanched almonds
9 oz (250 gr) sugar
an egg white (probably a little less- depending on the mixture)
zest of a medium lemon, finely grated
a few drops of almond extract


1. Blanch the almond in boiling water- let soak for 1 minute, rinse in cold water and pat to remove skins. Dry. No shortcuts on this- never buy blanched almonds because they are seriously lacking in taste, aroma and texture.

2. Process the blanched almonds and sugar into a very fine and uniform meal.

3. Add egg white one spoonful at a time and mix by hand to dough-like consistency.

4. Mix in extracts and lemon zest.

5. Roll into balls, about 3/4-inch round. Place each ball in a paper candy cup, store in an airtight container and refrigerate until serving.

Yes, that's it.

And now to Andy's giveaway- to be entered please leave a comment and tell us about a favorite holiday treat or a scent memory. 
Art by Craig Stephens