Sichuan Fish-Fragrant Eggplant

Serves 4 as part of multi-course meal

1 1/2 pounds Asian eggplant
2 tablespoons chicken stock, or substitute water
2 tablespoons chili bean paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar, or substitute good-quality balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
Scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

1. Slice each eggplant in half lengthwise, then slice each length into quarters. Cut each quarter in somewhat substantial, but still bite-sized, cubes (about 1 1/4-inch to 1 1/2-inch cubes).
2. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the chicken stock, chili bean paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine, and sugar. Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl the pan to coat the base and sides. Add the eggplants and stir-fry until outsides become golden brown and insides begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorn and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce mixture and mix well. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to allow the eggplant to full cook and the sauce to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, plate, and sprinkle scallions on top.

Spicy butternut squash curry

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoons mango powder (amchoor) 4 tablespoons sugar (cheeni)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (hara dhania)
• 4 cups of sliced squash (kadoo)
• 3 tablespoon oil
• 1/8 teaspoon asafetida (hing)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera)
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (dana mathi)
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder (dhania)
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground funnel seed (saunf)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (pisi mirch) adjust to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (dagi mirch) provides a nice color
• 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
• 4 whole red chili (sabut lal mirch)
• 1 tablespoon shredded ginger (adrak)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (nimbu ka ras)

Method:

1. Peel and cut the squash into cubes.
2. Save about ¼ of the squash peel and chop them.
3. In a small bowl, mix the shredded ginger, coriander powder, funnel, red chili powder, paprika, turmeric, and ¼ cup of water to make a paste.
4. Heat the oil in a pan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready.
5. Add cumin seeds and asafetida after seeds crack add fenugreek seeds and red chilies and stir for a few seconds.
6. Add the spice paste and stir-fry for a minute until spices start leaving the oil.
7. Add the squash, squash peels, salt, and ¼ cup of water. Mix well.
8. Cover the pan and let it cook on medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Squash will be semi mushy.
9. Make sure to stir gently every 3 to 4 minutes. Check if more water needed.
10. Lastly, add the mango powder, sugar and chopped cilantro. Mix everything and cover for a minute. Adjust the salt to your taste.

from http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/

Squirrel ravioli with wild mushroom sauce

Ingredients

1 Tassel-eared squirrel

for the brine:

2 liters of water
1/2 cup of kosher salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cracked black peppercorns
5 dried bay leaves

For braising

one cup of white wine
herbs (thyme, lavender, sage, tarragon)

For ravioli dough:

100 grams of white flower
1 egg

For filling:

squirrel meat
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 lb of broccoli
1/2 cup walnuts
2 Tbsp grated pecorino cheese

For the sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 white onion
1/2 cup of chopped porcini mushrooms
1 tsp flour

Cooking directions

Subdue the squirrel by whatever means available and quickly snatch away from the dog. Remove skin and eviscerate in the field. Bring water with salt, sugar and spices to near boiling; cool to room temperature. Brine squirrel in the refrigerator overnight. Rinse and pat dry.

Dust the squirrel with flour and pan-fry until browned on all sides. Place the squirrel in a dutch oven, add wine and herbs. Braise in the oven at 325 F for two hours.

Remove meat from the bones and chop coarsely. Add crushed walnuts and steamed broccoli (also chopped). Adjust salt and spices. Add grated cheese.

Prepare the dough and make it into thin sheets using a pasta maker. Place the filling on the dough and cover with another sheet; cut and seal the ravioli.

Put the stock from braising into the blender and blend until smooth; filter through a fine mesh strainer. In a frying pan melt the butter and saute the onion until translucent. Add porcinis and saute for another 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan. Add 1 teaspoon of flour to the butter in the pan and fry until golden brown. Add the stock, cream, a pinch of brown sugar. Reduce until thickened. Adjust seasoning. Add the mushrooms to the sauce.

Cook ravioli in boiling water for ten minutes. Serve with the sauce.

Kadu Bouranee with Quima

Afghani sweet pumpkin stew with meat sauce

1.5-2 pounds fresh pumpkin, with skin and seeds removed, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 large onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup cooking oil

Sweet Tomato Sauce:
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
14 cup brown sugar
4 ounces tomato sauce
2 tablespoons grated ginger root
1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
1-2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Quima

1/2 of a large onion, finely chopped

1/2 lb of ground dead animal of choice

2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons of grated ginger root
1 lb ground beef or ground lamb
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Yogurt Sauce:
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plain yogurt

Brown pumpkin pieces in oil, remove from the pan. Cook onion with coriander and salt until translucent. Add pumpkin and the rest of the sweet tomato sauce ingredients. Simmer covered for 20-30 minutes until pumpkin is tender.

In another pan, fry onion until translucent, add garlic, ginger and garam masala; cook for a couple of minutes. Add ground meat and cook on medium heat until it browns. Add tomato sauce and cook until all liquid evaporates. Pour the fat off the meat.

Serve Quima over Kady Bouranee, top with the yogurt sauce, sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

Borsch

transcribed by Julie Brick. Cooking times at sea level; adjust for altitude if needed

The Stock:


Olive oil (for roasting animal parts and vegetables)



Animal Parts:

2 lbs Beef Marrow Bones

2 lbs Pork neck bones

1 lb Pig feet



Vegetables:

1 med. Onion,

2 carrots

2 sticks of celery

2 parsley roots

2 tomatoes

1 bell pepper



Seasoning:

½ plastic standard package of rosemary

½ plastic standard package of thyme

½ plastic standard package of oregano

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon salt



Preheat oven to 375-400ºF

Place the beef marrow bones, the pork neck bones and the pig feet in a roasting pan and cover lightly with oil. Baste them for 45 minutes, and basting as necessary to prevent burning. At the end of 45 minutes add the onion, carrots, celery stalks, parsley roots, tomatoes and bell pepper to the roasting pan and then baste the animal parts with the vegetables for an additional 35-45 minutes (until they soften). Remove the pan from the oven.



Place the roasted vegetables and animal parts in a stock pot (with the fat). Fill the pot with water until the water line comes about 1 inch above the top of the contents of the pot. Add the rosemary, thyme, and oregano (bundled), black peppercorns, and salt to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer (covered) overnight. In the morning, turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature (a few hours).



Pour all the fluids slowly through a cheese-cloth into a container that can fit into your refrigerator. Discard the herbs, vegetables, peppercorns, and animal parts. Be sure to deglaze the bottom of the pan and also strain the deglazed portion through the cheesecloth. Chill the broth in the refrigerator for a couple of hours until the fat congeals, forming a layer on top of the stock. Skim off the layer of fat with a spoon and discard it. You can now use this stock for your borsch or store it for use at a later time in your freezer.



The Borsch

1 qt. of stock (see above)

1 qt. of V-8

½ lb slice of beef (inexpensive cut : e.g. round) that has been boiled in water for 45 minutes and cubed.



1 med-large potato cut in ¼ inch cubes



1 beet the size of a small apple, peeled and coarsely grated

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp white vinegar



2 medium carrots sliced in ½ circles

½ bell pepper cut in ½ inch squares



1/2 of a small head of cabbage sliced in thin (2mm wide) strips



1/3 of a head of garlic thinly sliced

Bundle of fresh dill



Put the stock, the V-8, and the beef in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add the cubed potato. Then sauté the grated beet in a pan for about five minutes (until it is cooked). Add 1 tbsp of white vinegar to the pan and then mix it (it helps preserve the beet color). Immediately add contents of the pan with the cooked beet to the stockpot. Deglaze the pan with stock.

Then in a frying pan, sauté the sliced carrots and ½ bell pepper in olive oil until they soften (about 10 minutes). Add them to the stockpot. Deglaze the pan with stock.

Next, add the cabbage to the stockpot. Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes.

While the soup is finishing, brown the garlic in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add it to the garlic to the soup. Deglaze the pan with the soup.

Then add a bundle of fresh dill at the same time. Simmer for another 5 minutes (3 at sea level). Your borsch is done.

Can be served immediately but flavor improves if it sits for ½ -1 day. Discard dill bundle in the morning.

cuisines of the world

Translated from a Russian friend's e-mail.

Ukrainian: to make the filling for your cake combine two fried pork chops and bacon.
Russian: cook something, as long as there's enough vodka. Cover with mayo.
Georgian: cook something, garnish with cilantro, add Kinzmarauli (Georgian wine) and suluguni (Georgian cheese).
French: fry a piece of meat (doesn't matter how) and serve with a sauce you struggled to make for at least 3.5 hours.
Italian: gather all the leftovers from your fridge, warm them up and garnish with mozzarella. Serve on a pie or with pasta.
Chinese: gather some weeds in your back yard, then cook on high with a pile of spices and a quart of soy sauce.
Japanese: catch something live in the sea, immediately cut it into pieces and serve while it is still moving with wasabi.
Mexican: add chile. You don't have to add anything else.
Lebanese: Cover it with sesame oil and soak in lemon juice. Serve in about 20 minutes so that nobody really knows where the meat came from.
Indian: Mix curry with pepper, pepper and more pepper. Add to curry. Garnish with peas.
Greek: serve cheap foods simply cut into chunks, not even mixed together. Proudly repeat: "organic"
Romanian: steal a chicken and a cooking pot
Jewish: don't cook anything. Go to a dinner at a friend's house, eat like there's no tomorrow, and don't forget to take away any leftovers.

Cold cucumber soup

Cucumber Soup

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004

• Prep Time

  30 min

• Level

  Easy

• Yield

  2 1/2 quarts; 8 to 10 servings

Times:

Prep

30 min

Inactive Prep

2 hr 0 min

Cook

--

Total:

2 hr 30 min

Ingredients

• 6 pounds cucumbers (about 6 cucumbers), peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (12 cups)
• 2 yellow bell peppers, stem and seeds removed, coarsely chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, minced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cups plain yogurt
• 3 cups sour cream, divided
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Directions

Combine the cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, jalapenos, cilantro, mint, dill, garlic, Essence, salt, cayenne, yogurt, 2 cups sour cream, olive oil, and white wine vinegar in a large bowl. Working in batches, puree the ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Transfer the soup to the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 2 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the soup, with each bowl garnished with a dollop of the remaining sour cream and some of the minced chives.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Kadu Burani pumpkin stew

Burani Kadu, with Qima

This is best with pumpkin, but can be made with butternut squash as well

Burani is a fried vegetable dish; kadu is a generic word for squash, pumpkin, gourd, etc.; and qima is a ground meat sauce.

2 medium onion, diced fine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 largish butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into cubes about half an inch on a side or a little larger
2 cups water
Olive oil

Yet another medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 inch ginger root, minced (optional)
1 lb ground beef or ground lamb
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 cup tomato sauce
Olive oil

Yogurt

Kadu: Warm the oil in a soup-pot over medium-high heat. Fry the onion until soft. Add the salt and spices and fry for another half-minute or so. (It will help to mix them together while the onions are frying.) Then add the squash and the water, stir together, reduce heat to low, and let simmer, uncovered, until most of the liquid is gone and the squash is very soft, usually about thirty minutes.

Qima: In another pot, fry the onions, garlic and ginger (if using) until the onions start to turn golden. Add the meat and garam masala. Fry until brown, then add the tomato sauce, stir thoroughly, and cook until the fluid volume has stopped shrinking, maybe 20 minutes. Drain off the fat.

Spoon some of the squash onto a plate or into a bowl, top with qima, and top that with yogurt to taste. Serve with rice or, even better, naan, because you can never have too much starch. Serves about four.

Notes: Traditionally, this is made with sweet pumpkins, not squash. But the decorative pumpkins they sell at the grocery store this time of year are almost tasteless, and butternut squash actually works quite well. (I haven't experimented with other kinds of squash.) For a smaller meal, just use one squash, and halve the other portions.

grilled lamb short ribs with pomegranate marinade

Put the lamb in a bag with pomegranate juice; refrigerate overnight. remove from marinade and pat dry with paper towels.

In a mortar, mix black pepper, coumin, coriander, fresh garlic, olive oil and lemon juice into a paste. Spread the paste over the lamb and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Grill on high to internal temperature of 135-140F

Pasta in walnut cream sauce

1 pound rotelli or fusilli (corkscrew pasta)
1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a food processor combine the walnuts, butter, salt and pepper. Pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan, then the cream.

When the pasta is done, place it in a large bowl while still very warm. Stir in the walnut sauce. Add the reserved pasta liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, until the sauce completely coats the pasta, using only as much as needed. Sprinkle with the parsley, toss, and serve.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Cilantro pesto pasta

Cilantro Pesto:
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups cilantro leaves
1 jalapeño pepper seeded and coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic crushed & peeled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs fresh lime juice
freshly ground pepper to taste (usually about 1/2 tsp)

Onion Mixture:
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped sweet onion (vidalia would work)
1 cup diced red bell pepper
4 1/2 oz can mild green chilies
12 oz dried orecchiette, gnocchi, or medium shell pasta
1 cup grated cheese (pepper jack or parmesan)

Put water to boil and make pesto - toast almonds until light golden and combine almonds with cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, salt & pepper in a food processor. Chop, then add 2 tbs of olive oil and lime juice, chop some more until mixture forms a paste.
Add pasta to boiling (slightly salted) water. While pasta is cooking heat 2 tsp of oil in a skillet. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until tender, stirring often (5 min or so). Add green chilies from a can and pesto and cook for another minute until uniformly heated.
Just before pasta is cooked scoop out 1/3 cup of pasta water and add to pesto. Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl (warm up the bowl so it doesn't cool too fast and stick). Add onion-pesto mixture and cheese and toss until well coated.
Serve (feeds about 4 people).

Suffed baked tomatoes

2 or 3 large firm tomatoes or 4 to 6 small firm ones
3 tablespoons mascarpone
3 tablespoons goat cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 anchovies, finely chopped
1/4 cup panko or other coarse bread crumbs
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. If necessary, slice a very thin layer off bottoms of tomatoes so they will stand upright. Core tomatoes, and carve them out, stopping about 3/4 inch from bottom and sides. (Do not remove too much, or tomato will collapse when baked.) Season inside of each tomato with salt. In a small bowl, stir together mascarpone and goat cheese.

2. To prepare topping, melt butter with oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and anchovies, and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Stir in bread crumbs, and saute 2 minutes more. Season with pepper.

3. Fill each tomato with mascarpone mixture. Top generously with bread crumbs. Transfer tomatoes to a baking sheet, and bake until they are slightly blistered and the tops are golden, about 10 minutes.

Yield: 2 to 3 servings.

Courtesy of Steph

Cream of mushroom and leeks soup

8 oz mixed mushrooms (Shitake, portabella, oyster), sliced
1 leek, trimmed and chopped coarsely
1/2 tsp freshly groud black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 cup half and half
1 liter of beef stock
4 tbsp of butter

Sautee mushrooms, leeks with salt and peper for 10-15 minutes (until soft). Add the stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree with a blender, add half and half and bring back to boil. Enjoy!

grilled baby bok choy

Baby bok choys, split in half

Olive oil (enough to brush on while cooking and then drizzle a bit when they come off the grill)

All the following ingredients should be “to taste”, depending on how much bok choy you have and how much olive oil you need to use.

Salt

freshly ground black pepper

Fresh, finely chopped basil

Fresh, finely chopped thyme

Garlic

Onion

combine the herbs, onion and garlic and mince together; add oil and lemon juice



Place split baby bok choy halves on hot grill, flat side down. It’s best to place them around the perimeter of the coals so the bulbous end is over the heat source (coals) and the leaves are closer to the outside. Close the cover so the heat begins to soften the bases of the bok choy. Check on them every few minutes and when the flat side has nice grill marks on it, turn them so the flat side is up. Stir olive oil because the ingredients settle at the bottom. Brush or spoon on the flat side. When the flat side is up, it will hold the oil instead of it all running off. Close again and grill about another 5 minutes.

Remove from grill and serve on platter, flat side up. If desired, drizzle additional oil over before serving.

Pho Bo

Work in progress

Stock:

3 l water
5 lb oxtail or beef short ribs
5 star anise
1 2" cinnamon stick
5 cloves
2 medium onions, halved
1 tsp black peppercorns
2-3' piece of ginger
1 lb chuck or similar cheap beef
5 tbsp Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce

Boil oxtails vigorously for 5 minutes in water, discard water, rinse oxtail and the pot. Add 2 l of water and bring to boil. Add anise, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns. Char ginger and onion pieces over gas flame, then add to the pot. Boil gently uncovered for 30 min, skimming foam as needed. Add 1 l of water, bring back to boil and continue boiling gently and skimming foam. When foam stops rising, lower the flame to medium-low and simmer for another hour.
Add the stewing beef and fish sauce, simmer uncovered for 2 hours. Remove the beef, cool and slice as thinly as possible.

Discard all solids and filter the broth. Refrigerate to skim off fat.
At this point, the stock can be frozen and stored for a month.

Chinese Halibut

Yield: 4 servings

4 lg halibut steaks, 1/2 lb each
3 tb finely chopped fresh ginger
6 tb finely chopped scallions
2 tb light soy sauce
1 tb dark soy sauce
2 tb chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tb Chinese sesame oil
1 1/2 tb minced fresh coriander

Lay the halibut steaks on a platter. Puree the marinade ingredients in a blender and spread it evenly over the halibut steaks. Allow to marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator or 1 hour at room temperature. Approximately 40 minutes before you are ready to cook, make a charcoal fire and, when the coals are ash white, grill the halibut steaks for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, depending on their thickness. Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve immediately.

Simple basil pesto

This recipe has been adapted to be made from a regulation size pack of basil

1 plastic package of fresh basil leaves, about 1/2 cup packed
2 tbsp freshly grated Romano cheese (or Parmesan)
2.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tbsp pine nuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Blend everything in a food processor

Grey sole ceviche

Serves 6.

Ingredients:
2 pounds white-fleshed skinless fish fillets such as flounder, sole, or corvina (cod)
Salt
1 cup fresh lime juice (about 12 limes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small clove garlic, chopped very fine
1 or 2 fresh aji amarillo (yellow Peruvian chili), seeded and chopped fine, or substitute the canned aji (any hot pepper, e.g. serrano)
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 medium onion, chopped fine (1/2 cup)
3 or 4 lettuce leaves
4 ears of corn, cooked and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound sweet potatoes, roasted in the skin, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 pound yuca, peeled, cut into little-finger-sized slices, and boiled until soft
A few strands of yuyo (a tangy seaweed, optional)

Preparation
1. Cut the fish into strips 1 1/2 inches long by 1/4 inch wide. Soak the strips in lightly salted water for 1 hour to tenderize. Drain well.
2. Put the fish in a bowl and fold in the lime juice carefully. Add the salt, garlic, and aji and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Just before serving, mix in the parsley, cilantro, and onion.
4. To serve, line a bowl or large platter with the lettuce. Place the ceviche in the center. Surround it with 3 separate mounds: corn pieces at the top of the platter, sweet potato slices on one end, yucca on the other. Garnish with the seaweed, if using.

Pan-fried walleye pike

Heat the frying pan over medium flame. Add a tablespoon of avocado oil and a sprig of fresh thyme, tarragon and sage. Saute for a few minutes. Move the herbs to the side. Sprinkle walleye pike fillet with salt and freshly ground pepper. Fry on each side over medium-low heat uncovered for five minutes.

Cream of asparagus soup

Fresh asparagus - 2 lbs chopped in 1" pieces
Fresh tarragon - 1/2 bunch chopped
Red Onion - 1 large chopped
Chicken (or veggie) stock - 4 cups
Yellow or Red pepper - 1 roasted
Olive oil - 4 tbsp
Heavy cream or half & half - 1/2 cup
Salt, pepper & cayenne pepper to taste

Saute the onion in 4 tbsp of olive oil until it is soft. Add asparagus and 1/4 of tarragon and a pinch of cayenne and saute until asparagus is almost soft (but not brown). Add veggie stock and another 1/4 of tarragon, cook for 20 min or until asparagus is soft. In the meantime, roast the pepper under broiler and peal. When asparagus is soft, add another 1/4 of tarragon and mush until soup is smooth. Add salt, pepper & cayenne pepper to taste. Add cream or half & half to make soup creamy and simmer for a few minutes. In a blender, mush the pealed roasted pepper, some heavy cream or half & half and a little bit of tarragon into a sauce. Add cayenne and salt to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with pepper sauce and sprigs of tarragon.

Credits: courtesy of mom