A Bowl Full of Comfort (aka: The Birth of Carrot Ginger Curry Soup)

This one is for my friend and fellow foodie Walt, who was the first person who popped into my head that knew I *had* to share this recipe with :)

As many of you know, I spend my weekdays jetting all over kingdom come for IBM, and the two things that sustain me while spending all that time away from home are getting to sample into some pretty amazing restaurants while on the road and working with amazing folks like Walt and others (you know who you are!) who are not only colleagues but friends, too. I'm blessed to work with some of the smartest & greatest folks around...It's good to be an IBMer!!  And now...on to the food!

This soup was a meal born out of necessity: I needed an inexpensive meal that could bring some serious comfort to my family & I when Grandpa (whom you all know is the love of my life!) was convalescing.  It sustained all of us through some trying times & I have a feeling will now take center stage and replace the butternut squash soup that's the favorite in my family.  I'll forever associate this soup with my G'MoE Shirley (short for "Grandma on Earth") because it gave us the strength & nourishment we needed so we could be strong & nourishing for Grandpa.  Here's Nonno Mario & G'MoE at Christmas...Aren't they a couple of lookers??

The soup starts with tons of carrots. I highly recommend grabbing organic carrots at your market...at many stores, they're typically the same price as regular ones (or maybe a whopping 10 cents more per pound) but, like apples, they absorb more pesticides than most other fruits & veggies so they're worth making the switch.

Cutting the carrots on the diagonal gives them a larger surface area, which means more room for caramelization while cooking...and makes you feel like a fancy-pants gourmet chef too ;)

Get the oven preheated to 400 and grab the largest jelly roll pan you can find. While 3 pounds of carrots may sound like enough to feed Bugs Bunny for a season, trust me, they'll cook down on ya.  Coat with about a tablespoon of fruity olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh thyme, pop them in the oven for about an hour until the edges turn a nice chestnut brown color and the sugars caramelize a bit.  You'll want to stir them after about a half hour to make sure they don't brown too much on the bottom...toasty carrots are good, burnt carrots are no bueno!

While the carrots are cooking, peel about 2" of fresh ginger and grate on a microplane.  The ginger will grate down into a pulp & infuse the base with a gentle heat. Ginger has great anti-inflammatory properties; gotta love something that tastes good & is actually good for you, too!  Make a paste out of the ginger, curry powder and butter and cook it down a little before adding the onion.  Cooking your spices in oil/butter is common in Indian cuisine and infuses the entire dish with even more flavor; check out a GREAT cookbook, 5 Spices, 50 Dishes for some easy techniques you can incorporate into your everyday cooking.

The other big secret to this dish was swapping out some of the stock for Barsotti's Apple Cider.  The trick is to use an unfiltered apple cider that has some pulp to it...It gives the soup a fabulous texture and keeps the sodium to a reasonable level, particularly if you're going to use canned chicken stock.  I've played around with it a bit and I've found that half stock, half cider is just right.

Once everything simmers for a bit, use an immersion blender (or a "boat motor", if you're this guy) to puree the ingredients into a nice, thick soup.  While you can top it with anything you like, I've found that my favorite combo is a quick drizzle of agave nectar, a nice dollop of Greek yogurt for some acidity, and a dash of Chipotle (or Cayenne, if you have a nasty winter cold that you want to kick!)   When you make it...tell me what you top it with! Always on the lookout for interesting combinations. 

Mangia bene, my friends!!

Heeeeeere Fishy Fishy!!

There's something so satisfying about making a meal that tastes absolutely amazing but is healthy, too.  In this time of new years resolutions, fish always becomes a more plentiful staple in my diet, and my two go-to recipes are Seared Ahi Tuna and Cioppino (the latter of which you'll have to stay tuned for...cuz it's all about the Ahi today!)

Of course, I hafta start with a special note to all my friends out there who are soon-to-be-mommies (and jeez, what's in the water, cuz there's a lot of you!!)  Remember to discuss with your doc about eating rare ahi and other fish (like seabass and swordfish) that can potentially cause complications for your lil bun in the oven...we're going for 10 fingers & 10 toes!!  ::end of PSA::

Start with 2 5-6oz ahi tuna steaks. As always, get to know your local butcher/fishmonger (especially if he's as cute as the one over at my local Bel Air!) to make sure you know when the best days of the week are for selecting fish.  Rinse the fish under cold water & pat dry.  Prep & combine the marinade ingredients in a shallow tupperware with a lid.  I recommend holding 1/2 of the mango for later; try keeping it on the seed so the color doesn't turn or get mushy.

Shake the ingredients well in the tupperware to combine, then add the tuna and marinate for 30min to 3hrs.  If you marinade longer, the fish will begin to break apart and lose some of its characteristic texture. In a medium skillet, heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium low heat.  In a second large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over high heat.  While oil is heading, remove the ahi from the marinade & pat dry.  Set aside.

Strain the solids out of the marinade & add them to the medium skillet.  Keep the liquid for later...it's going to become a great glaze!  Add the remainder of the cubed mango & cook over medium heat for 5-8min...This makes one heck of a mango salsa :)

 

Now for the tuna...Add the ahi steaks to the second pan over high heat and sear without moving the steaks for 1-2min on each side for rare.  Remove the steaks to a plate and put into a warm oven until ready to serve.  Now it's time for the glaze: Take the liquid and add to the hot pan, turn the temp down to medium high, and gradually reduce the sauce until it thickens.  Using a high pulp orange juice will give you a great consistency when the marinade reduces.  This takes about 4-5min total, and you should stir constantly because the sauce has a high sugar content and can burn easily.  

Now comes the best part: dishing it up!  I like mine paired with Florentine-style asparagus and a little pinch cup of the glaze on the side.  Buon appetito!!