It’s chilly and drizzly here in Austin, so what could be better than a rich, velvety pureed soup to keep us warm? Really, I could eat this soup any day of the year: the combination of winter & summer greens can be brightened up with sour cream, and those cashews… well, who can resist that buttery goodness?

I first encountered this soup over a year ago in Allison Gaskins’ kitchen (of Bungalow Redemption fame). We arrived for playgroup one day (which, for those of you who don’t know, is a perfect occasion for moms to treat each other and themselves to delicious food and conversation, while tots run ad hoc around the living room) and were happy to see a huge pot of Kale, Zucchini & Cashew Soup bubbling on the stove for our eager consumption. I’m sure she had very little leftover after the invasion.

Anyway, enjoy this on your own winter day… I would imagine that rosemary could substitute as the main herb if you don’t have access to basil. Just use a smaller amount (1 tsp fresh), chopped fine.

Kale-Zucchini-Cashew-Basil Soup

1 large yellow or sweet onion, diced
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
4 medium zucchini, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups basil, loosely packed
1 qt. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups cashews (roasted, unsalted)
Salt, pepper to taste
Olive oil

Sauté chopped garlic and onions in 1-2T of olive oil for 2 minutes, until softened.
Add zucchini & 1 tsp salt and sauté for 5 minutes till soft and creamy. Add kale, and cover with the chicken broth. Cover and simmer to cook off bitterness of kale, about 10 minutes.

In a food processor or blender, add all the cooked items and blend.
The cashews are added gradually to thicken the mixture – blend to about the same consistency as potato soup. Salt to taste.

Allison served with a dollop of sour cream – but I forgot about that part, so it’s not pictured. Maybe next time!

These quantities serve about 4 for a meal or 8 as a small course. This freezes well. Enjoy!

No, Il Brodo is not ‘my brother,’ although we did see my brother (and his dear family) this holiday. Il Brodo was this giant pot of broth that Rick and I made using turkey wings, two pounds of short ribs, and a whole chicken, and which we used to season the turkey gravy, stuffing, and sweet potatoes. Il Brodo was by far the most complicated item we made for Thanksgiving, but the most fun…

mainly because we got to buy this 16 quart pot to cook it in… our first bubbling cauldron! (FYI I found it at Mission Restaurant Supply for $25 – what a steal!)

This year I lobbied for an Italian-themed Thanksgiving meal, which won the family majority only after I assured them that it would include a turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes. Inspired by the November issue of La Cucina Italiana (maybe my new favorite magazine to replace Gourmet), here was our menu:

Garlic, Sage, and Orange Roast Turkey w/ Gravy
Cauliflower Sformato
Caramelized Leek & Sage Stuffing
Cranberry & Pear Chutney w/ lemon zest
Haricot Verts w/ Cherry Tomatoes & Basil
Mashed Sweet Potatoes w/ ginger & cinnamon
and
Brown Butter Custard Pie w/ Cranberry Glaze

We started the Brodo Wednesday morning before the big day, and it was finished by about 1pm. That left time for it to cool down so that we could handle the chicken, turkey, and ribs and remove the meat from the bone. The leftover meat was then combined with egg, parmesan, and mashed potatoes to make these croquettas, which made for a perfect Thanksgiving Eve meal!

The next morning Rick and I started the main preparations…

We sauteed the leeks and toasted the rustic bread for the stuffing…

We made the cauliflower sformato, which was an incredibly sublime dish: boiled cauliflower, wrung of its juices, is combined with bechamel, parmesan, and eggs and then baked in a casserole coated with butter & bread crumbs.

And while the little ones were preoccupied by setting the table…

We got the turkey out of the oven!

We made the gravy in the roasting pan with the remaining roasted garlic cloves, oranges, and turkey drippings.

The old favorites – the sweet potatoes and the green beans – came together in a flash. Now I understand why we should always include those in the menu! They’re just too easy, and too tasty. In the end, it made a lovely spread…

with a sweet ending!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gearing up for Thanksgiving and all its rich, sweet dishes, I think it might be wise to nourish ourselves with some super healthy foods for the next couple of days. One ingredient I always fall back on is quinoa, which is rich in protein, high in fiber, and is a great foil to so many veggies, cheeses, olives, fruit… the list goes on. Deborah Madison offers one lovely quinoa chowder recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone: it includes sauteed onions, garlic, potatoes, scallions & spinach and is finished off with feta cheese and boiled eggs (last time I substituted fresh corn for the eggs and it was awesome). Heidi Swanson over at 101 Cookbooks has so many quinoa recipes that she’s elevated it to a pantry staple in our house: Double Broccoli Quinoa, Delicious Big Bowl, and Lemon-Scented Quinoa Salad, just for example. Her many recipes inspired me to create one of my own, with a new fab combo: kidney beans and quinoa. Here it is!

Quinoa with Kidney Beans, Peppers, & Feta

1 c. quinoa, rinsed well
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1/2 c. crumbled feta
1/2 squeezed lemon

Combine quinoa with 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until quinoa grains start to open up and feel tender. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a large oven-proof skillet, saute cumin seeds in oil for 30 secs, then add onion, bell peppers, & garlic. Sautee for 10 min. until the peppers & onions are nicely caramelized.
Add cooked quinoa to the skillet and toss together with the peppers & onions. Add the rinsed beans to the mixture and top with feta cheese. Put the whole skillet under the broiler to brown the feta cheese.
Finish off with a squeeze of lemon. Serves 2 1/2 hungry people.

Stay tuned for the sweet & savory tastes of Thanksgiving!

Let me just say: I adore Jacques Pepin. For two years I was totally addicted to ‘Fast Food My Way’ when it aired on Saturday afternoons on KLRU (it is no longer showing – boo hoo). First of all, the man chops onions with all the beauty of a performance art: swift, precise, and with formal clarity. And I love how he loooooves every ingredient… I’ve heard him say it time after time: ‘I looooove ceelantro… I looooove anchoveez… I looooove cheeken leevers…’ Not that I agree with his every hyperbolic emotion, but somehow he always captures the quintessential essence of a certain vegetable or offal.

So tonight I was pleased to find this recipe for cauliflower (I looooove collee-flower) from Jacques’ ‘Simple and Healthy Cooking,’ one of my cookbooks that I hadn’t referenced in a while. I was searching for a complement to the little Central Market meatloaf that was cooking in the oven, but I really didn’t want to go the meat-and-potatoes route. I find cauliflower to be an excellent substitute for starch, since it has that easy bite and subtle, nutty aroma. This recipe punches out the flavors a bit with the addition of fresh herbs and toasted bread crumbs: yum!

Fingers crossed that the meatloaf and cauliflower combo will serve as an acceptable toddler meal tomorrow!

Cauliflower with Herbed Crumb Topping

1/2 head cauliflower
2 scallions, washed, trimmed & chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic glove, peeled, crushed & finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 slices french bread, crust removed, and chopped into 1/4″ cubes

Remove and discard the base and green leaves from the cauliflower head and separate the head into florets. Cut the florest into halves or thirds.
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan with a dash of salt. Add the cauliflower and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until just tender. Drain and spread the cauliflower in a small gratin dish.
In a medium size bowl, mix together the scallions, parsley, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs and toss just until the crumbs are moistened with the oil mixture (do not over mix or the mixture will become gooey).
Preheat the oven to 425.
Springle the bread crumb mixture over the cauliflower and bake for 10 minutes. If additional browning is desired, turn ont he broiler and place the dish under it for a few minutes.

Serves 2 (plus toddler, if you’re lucky).

Adapted from Simple & Healthy Cooking by Jacques Pepin.