Food Minia

Lentil soup is what's for lunch today. I make this soup often. It's rustic and easy to prepare. The nutritional profile is wonderful. Best of all, the lentils remain whole and keep their firm texture. This is a brothy lentil soup. A smoked-paprika scented stock is infused with the earthy flavor of the lentils. The soup is finished with lemon and dill. Fresh dill is one of my favorite herbs. The bright and citrusy flavor of dill counters the richness of the lentils. Spinach is stirred in at the end of cooking to remain vibrant and green. Lots of freshly cracked black pepper is welcome here too.   I typically make this soup in the morning. It reheats well. After a long walk on the beach, I warm some pita in the toaster oven and heat the soup for lunch or a light dinner. I always keep pita bread in my freezer because I'm half Lebanese. Round out this meal with olives, marinated artichokes and/or some roasted red peppers to stuff into the pita. Alternately, you can serve the so...

Sitting in the dentist's office--the dentists who inspired Jane Smiley's novella Age of Grief , about a husband-wife dentist practice--I found a recipe that I dictated into my phone while sitting in the waiting room. And it is really 1 minute. Roasted pepper soup shots one 16 ounce jar fire roasted red peppers with your juices. 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar. 1 fourth cup olive oil. Salt and pepper. Blend and serve in shot glasses. Bon Appetite October 2012 page 104 I wondered if there is anything like this in Julia or de Pomaine. Turned out there is: MAFC II p. 21, Soup Catalane aux poivrons, which I adapted and served last week to Rich and Julie. Serves four as a first course 1 large garlic clove one16 ounce jar fire roasted red peppers with their juices 1/4 cup cocktail onions 2 tablespoons sherry 1/2 cup chicken stock 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 cup cooked rice, preferably brown basmati Salt and pepper Peel the garlic and chop it in a food processor.  Add everything but the rice a...

The bubbly is Segura Viedas Brut Reserva 2011 cava We had a champagne brunch for Easter, just the three of us. Salmon tartare, Maddie's quiche. And to start this melon soup. It's lightning fast. I bought some melon cubes (Chilean) at the store, popped them in the blender with the juices and bubbly, and -- ZAP! -- summrery froth. I found some little airplane bottles of bubbly, so it's possible to make an ordinary day special by making this speedy soup. This is a another dentist waiting room special, adapted from Shape magazine. But it's really elegant, and it sort of tickles the nose. Or maybe that's my imagination. Serves 4 2 cups cantaloupe chunks 1/4 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon juice 1/4 cup champagne fresh mint In a blender, puree all the ingredients except the mint until frothy.  Garnish with chopped mint