Putting some 'tude and some tunes in your soup

The Food: Spicy Sweet Potato Soup, Baked Salmon
The Tunes: Phish: “Sample in a Jar”

Master chef Noah came to visit me last weekend and of course, we spent 75+% of our time in the kitchen. We decided to explore some uncharted territory: fish (salmon) and soup, of the spicy sweet potato variety.

I traveled into South Philly/Italian market to obtain the fish and vegetables for the soup, which was an adventure in itself. Italian market is a fun neighborhood to explore. You’ve got cheap although slightly sketchy vegetables at your disposal as well as quality fish, cheese, meat, and of course, pasta. I went to Anastasi Seafood which if you can stand a little fishy smell, will get you some quality cuts at a more reasonable price than a supermarket.

First and foremost, we turned on Phish, “Sample in a Jar” for obvious reasons…. We were making fish. Also, I’ve been looking for an excuse to listen to Phish, as they provide some of the best jams you can find. I know of at least one, semi-reasonable individual that will travel the country just to hear this band for the 3948th time and any band that causes that kind of madness is worth a listen. As they are a jam band, its only appropriate to insert a live video. Here’s a concert in Germany from ’97.


Unlike the baked beans with spinach, this recipe required more than one song. So that we wouldn’t get tired of the song on repeat, we found an easy fix: a Phish Pandora station. As expected, this played an assortment of jam bands allowing for the errant air guitar when we were waiting for something.

We started with making the marinade for two ~7 oz filets. I modified the recipe to be +herbs and –oil.

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 1 tablespoon melted Smart Balance
• 3 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1.5 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped


We marinated the fish for about an hour in the fridge, turning occasionally. This is a pretty strong marinade so I wouldn’t do it for much longer than that. While this was marinating we made the spicy sweet potato soup.

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon Smart Balance
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 4 cups chicken or veggie stock
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, but feel free to spill like I did, making it spicier
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
• 1/4 cup smooth almond butter (you can use PB too)
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt to taste
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced

Directions
1. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and lime zest. Set aside in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend.
2. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add sweet potatoes, and chicken stock. Season with cumin, chili flakes and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

3. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or regular blender (we used a food processor which worked just as well). If using a counter top blender, puree in small batches, filling the blender just a bit past half way to avoid spillage. Whisk almond butter into the soup, and heat through. Stir in lime juice, and salt.
4. Ladle into warm bowls, and top with a dollop of the reserved sour cream, a few pieces of diced tomato, and a sprinkle of cilantro.


We baked the fish at 375 for about 40 minutes, until it could be flaked with a fork.
This made a meal with two predominating tastes: the spiciness of the soup and the succulent salmon.

We left some of the sweet potato chunks in the soup, partially because it was spilling all over the place out of the food processor, but it also added a complexity to the texture which was enjoyable. The extra cumin gave it a kick to keep it interesting but was well balanced by the dollop of lime-infused sour cream. As for the fish, the herbs really brought out the flavor in the salmon, which is pretty mild.

By the end of the meal, we were so satisfied that we couldn’t eat the apple crisp we made until a few hours later. Next time, however, I might pick a more well-suited pairing. The spiciness of the soup might do better to complement a zesty chicken or if we’re going with fish, something that involves Old Bay. However, no regrets on the music-food pairing: I’ll jam out to Phish any time, especially when I’m making it.

“….But in your grasp the fears don’t last, though some of them have stayed,”
Julie, the happiest to have left overs

Vegetables and Immigration

I’m a little obsessed with vegetables. I was a vegetarian for about 9 years before I decided to engage in the occasional meaty meal, but I still retain my fondness for the plants. There are many naysayers to vegetables in the world (i.e. some boys in my college who tried to practice “Meat Week,” a week eating nothing but meat. No one’s GI tract was happy and I’m not sure they lasted more than a day). However, when done right, vegetables can be quick and delicious. The following is an easy veggie burrito including, of course, frozen spinach. You can pretty much put in whatever veggies you want or throw in some chicken if unlike me, you’re not too lazy to defrost.

Ingredients
• Oil (a couple tablespoons?)
• About half an onion
• A halfish can of beans
• All the frozen spinach you want (I used about ¾ cup)
• Salsa
• Mexican cheese
• Cajun seasoning
• Tortilla
Cut up onion and sauté in oil for a bit, until soft. Here you could put in some other fresh veggies like peppers or mushrooms. Add frozen spinach and let thaw. Add beans. Add salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Let it mess around in there for a little while. Take your veggies out and put on a plate. Toast the burrito on the pan and flip over. Put veggies in burrito and top with salsa and cheese. You could also throw in avocado, sour cream, or guacamole, whatever you like!

Now comes the part where I failed: fold the burrito up like a burrito

…or submit to using a fork, your choice.

The tunes!

The burrito is a Mexican food (although it is made much differently from this in Mexico, usually containing just refritos, rice, and meat). Accordingly, I chose the class “Clandestino” by Manu Chao. It has a slow, methodical beat that will have your hips swaying ever so slightly. The tune is quite catchy, and when you look up and translate the lyrics, it can put certain things in perspective.

“…Solo voy con mi pena
Sola va mi condena
Correr es mi destino
Por no llevar papel
Perdido en el corazn
De la grande Babylon
Me dicen el clandestino
Yo soy el quiebra ley…”

Which translates to….

“Alone I go with my sorrow
Alone goes my sentence
To run is my destiny
For having no papers
Lost in the heart
Of the great Babylon
They call me clandestine
I’m the lawbreaker“

Here, Manu Chao is referencing illegal immigration and the struggle that people go through while trying to migrate to and stay in the US. I think this part of the immigration discussion is sometimes lost. I’m not exactly sure how more empathy will change the discourse, but certainly taking the perspective of these people is important when decisions need to be made about immigration issues. In terms of the current economic debate, many want to point fingers at immigrants as being those that are “stealing” our jobs when unemployment is so high. While I’m not of the persuasion that we should open up the border, if we do want change we have to look at employment practices instead of going after the illegal aliens here.

Anyhow, ¡Buenos noches!
Julie

Weekend Edition: Bavarian Breakfast

WARNING: Easy and simple and healthy is not necessarily the name of the game of this post, but fun certainly is.

This weekend, my friend Michael and I traveled to the other (slightly lesser) side of the PA turnpike for a reunion of sorts. We joined residents master-chef Noah and sarcastic-comment-master Jeff along with visiting master-moocher Shubham. Of course, cooking ensued, the highlight of which was one Bavarian breakfast, part of which was our Saturday morning project, soft pretzels. This is the recipe that we quadrupled (and holey schnikies, it was a lot of pretzels) while listening to some German rap. My suggestion to make an applesauce substitution for the two sticks of butter that this called for when quadrupled was swiftly rejected by all gentlemen present.

The music: "Die Fantastischen Vier - Einfach Sein"



The recipe: Homemade soft pretzels

Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• Pretzel salt

Directions
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butt, mix until well-combined, and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel.
(so this was done 32 times)

Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula.
Return to the half sheet pan and sprinkle with the pretzel salt (we just used kosher salt). Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
________________________________

Glorious
Add a special sweet Bavarian mustard, sausage and in the German way, Hefeweitzen beer for the true Bavarian breakfast. Noah did some sort of magic for the homemade mustard and Jeff and Noah collaborated on the homebrew, which tasted fantastic. Luckily, they didn’t get the alcohol content as high as they wanted so anyone could go to lab afterwards and do some milling, which is a procedure that apparently may take a stray finger if you’re not careful.

The after effects of eating an average of 5 giant soft pretzels each.

Pretzel-rolling creativity gone severely awry.

We rocked out to some German rap by Die Fantastischen Vier while making the pretzels: songs entitled Ernten was wir säen and Einfach sein. At the beginning of the post is the very German video for Einfach sein which of course, includes singing olives and dancing on bars.

The music strays far from traditional Bavarian music, which involves a lot of accordion and lederhosen, but is more fun to rock out to (see video). Some sample lyrics:
Und sie fragt ?Echt?? und ich sag ?Ja, ja?
Und sie fragt ?Echt?? und ich sag ?Na klar!?
Und sie kommt mit auf die Bude und sieht ? top aus?
Und ich sag ?Ich bin der Smudo, zieh dein ? Top aus?

(????????????????????????????????????????????????????)
A heavy language barrier makes my lyrical analysis extremely superficial. The songs are in German, the breakfast is German: what more do you need?

Auf Wiedersehen!
Julie