Friday Night Soup

Make this to warm your tummy and heart on a chilly fall Jerusalem night. Or wherever you may be.

Vegetable Soup with Pesto

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 carrot, cut in half lengthwise and sliced

1/2 a bulb of fennel, sliced

1 celery stalk

a tiny bunch of parsley, chopped

salt

pepper

chili flakes

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

about half a large cauliflower, broken into florets

large handful green broad beans, tips removed and cut into halves

For Pesto

Large bunch of Basil

about a 1/3 of  a cup of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

small handful pine nuts, very lights toasted in a pan

salt

First, make your pesto: remove the leaves from the basil and place in blender/food processor- I have this neat little hand blender which is one of the most useful things in my kitchen. I love it. I treat it like a baby. It's perfect for blending soups etc and tailor made for my usually small-kitchen apartment life. Invest in one.
so, you place the basil leaves in the blender container along with the olive oil and garlic. blend till smooth. salt to taste, then add pine nuts and blend in pulses, so the pine nuts aren't pureed completely, rather more chopped. set aside ( this keeps well for about a week in the fridge, you probably won't need it all for the soup. pour a little more olive oil on top to help keep it fresh).

In a large pot, warm olive oil. sauté onion till slightly golden. add garlic, cook for about another minute, then add celery, fennel and carrots. Sautee for another 2-3 minutes. season with salt, pepper chili and fresh parsley and cover with water, somewhere around a liter and a half. Bring to boil, reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Make sure your veggies don't get soggy. Add zucchini, cauliflower and broad beans. cook for another 10 mins or so, till beans are tender but still have some crunch. check seasoning. pour soup into bowls and serve with a nice teaspoon full of pesto on top.

 Shabat Shalom!

Things in the Cupboard

Holidays over, and I'm finally settled into my new place. There has been a lot going on and a lot getting made, but lack of time and adequate internet connection kept me away for too long. lets catch up.

This here lentil dish was somewhat of an improvisation, but it turned out well and I will probably try it again. At my Dad's house I found some green lentils and 1/2 a bag of dried porcini mushrooms. I don't have the exact quantities for this one, but the general idea went like this:

Hot Lentil Salad with Porcini Mushrooms

1 cup lentils, soaked overnight

1 medium red onion

1 tomato, cut into eighths

1 zucchinni, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

handfull dried porcini mushrooms

salt

pepper

chilli flakes

balsamic vinegar

Pour boiling water over mushrooms( till covered) and set aside to re-hydrate. Warm olive oil in skillet. Add onions, garlic, salt pepper and chilli. Sautee lightly, you want the onions to still be crisp and keep their color. Add zucchinni, sautee for about two more minutes, stirring occasionaly, till they start to show some browning but still retain their color and texture. add lentils, stir for about a minute more, then add mushrooms along with the water they were in, tomatoes and a splash of balsamic vinegar. simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Drizzle a litlle olive oil on top, a splash more of balsamic and a handfull of pine nuts.

lentils love balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar too, and I who am I to tear two lovers apart. They are served together alot around here. We had this as a side with dinner, at room temp, but I thought it was much better when still hot, before the veggies became soggie from sitting around. Since the lentils are pre-soaked, it takes very little time and liquid to cook them, and they retain a pretty firm-crisp texture. This was  made with green lentils because that's what I found, but black lentils are superb, and beautiful... and I usually prefer them. So you could go with either.