Italian-Style Cream of Carrot Soup

The story behind this soup is a trip to the grocery store: you know, when you send your husband with a very straightforward list of things to buy and he comes back with a surprise? Yes, that's when I got surprised by a 5-pound bag of carrots (really, I only needed about 4 or 5 of them!) and I had to figure out how to use them. I have to admit that the thought of carrot soup made me not want to eat it; that is, until I had a cup of carrot soup from OIPs in Danville. Oh, my! That was amazing! So, here am I now, on a quest for the perfect carrot soup. This recipe is a bit different, as it contains dry white wine, which gives it a very nice tangy element. With that, the sweetness of the carrots and the left over taste of bay leaves, this soup becomes an adventure - in a good way. Pair it with croutons, freshly baked bread or a salad and enjoy!

Ingredients:

* 2 Tbs olive oil
* 2 small chopped onions 
* 2 lb (1 kg) carrots, peeled and chopped
* 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
* 8 c vegetable broth or water
* 1 c dry white wine
* 2 bay leaves
* salt and pepper, to taste

1)  Place oil and onion in a large soup pan, cover and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, until soft.
2)  Add carrots and potatoes and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
3)  Add broth (or water), wine and bay leaves. Bring to boil, then simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
4)  Remove bay leaves and process in blender to a smooth creamy soup.
5)  Reheat in pan, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce

This sauce can be used with any sort of pasta, and also as a spread for sandwiches or wraps - it tastes delicious. The preparation itself is very simple,but it takes several hours in the oven to achieve that special flavour. It is best to use plum tomatoes, but really any other variety will do as well. Here I used the sauce on some leftover noodles that I happened to have already cooked from the day before.

Ingredients:

* 1 Tbs sugar
* 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
* 1/2 tsp dried basil
* 1/2 tsp dried oregano
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
* 3 lb tomatoes, cut in half
* 2 tsp olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
* chopped fresh basil (optional) 

1)  Preheat oven to 250°F.
2)  Combine sugar, oil, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and tomatoes in a large bowl and toss gently to coat well.
3)  Place tomatoes, cut side up, on a baking sheet. 
4)  Roast for 6 hours.
5)  Let cool for a little bit, then peel the skin off.
6)  Process in blender to a smooth paste.
7)  Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly.
8)  Stir in tomato puree and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes.
9)  Stir in the fresh basil, if using. The sauce can be used immediately or within the next couple of days, for a richer flavour.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a soft spot for chewy cookies - my favourites being the chocolate chip ones. After searching high and low and trying tons of recipes, I've finally settled on one. To be totally honest, I don't even remember where I got this recipe, but this is the one I make and enjoy a lot. Warning: there's a sinful amount of chocolate chips! If you prefer your cookies more 'cooky' and less chocolatey, then just reduce the amount of chocolate chips. Also, if you don't like your cookies too chewy but more crunchy, just increase the baking time by 2-4 minutes. Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

  * 2 c flour
  * 1/2 tsp baking soda
  * 1/2 salt
  * 3/4 c unsalted butter, melted
  * 1 c brown sugar
  * 1/2 c white sugar
  * 1 Tbs vanilla extract
  * 1 egg
  * 1 egg yolk
  * 2 c chocolate chips  

1)  Preheat oven to 325°F and grease cookie sheets.
2)  Sift together flour, baking soda and salt, and set aside.
3)  In a medium bowl, cream together melted butter and all sugar until well blended. 
4)  Beat in vanilla, egg and egg white until light and creamy.
5)  Stir in chocolate chips and gently mix in with a wooden spoon.
6)  Drop cookie dough 1/4 c (for big-size cookies) at a time, with about 3 inches of space between them. For smaller cookies, drop 1/8 c or 1 rounded Tbs of dough.
7)  Bake for 15-17 minutes for the large cookies and 10-12 minutes for the smaller ones, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Vegetarian Chili

As much as I would like to, with a toddler on the go, I don't really have much time to spend in the kitchen on sophisticated meals, so I am always looking for very easy-to-make recipes that do not require much preparation and cooking time. This recipe is both very simple to make and delicious! You can adjust the seasoning according to taste (more or less chili powder) and use whatever beans you prefer or have at the time, no need to necessarily use the two varieties. Serve on a bed of crushed tortilla chips and with some grated cheddar on top - it's fantastic. Not much else to be said about it, it must be tried :)

Ingredients

* 1 Tbs oil
* 2 onions, chopped
* 1 large green pepper, chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1 1/2 dried oregano
* 1 Tbs chili powder (optional)
* salt and black pepper, to taste
* 2 (16 oz) cans of stewed or chopped/diced tomatoes 
*  2 (15 oz) cans black beans
* 2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans
* 1/2 c frozen corn
* crushed tortilla chips (optional)
* grated cheddar cheese (optional)

1)  Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions, green pepper and garlic and saute for about 7 minutes, or until tender. 
2)  Add sugar, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, tomatoes, corn and beans. Bring to boil and then cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes (stir occasionally so the bottom doesn't stick).

Potatoes Dauphinois

I came across this dish while reading one of Alexander McCall Smith's Isabel Dalhousie novels. I must have been really hungry at the time, as the description - potatoes, cream and garlic, baked in the oven - made me vow to obtain the recipe and make it. I had to look it up on the web, of course, and it seems that the right way to make these is without any cheese. Not to worry, though, the milk and cream lend a very 'cheesy' feature to them. I must say, despite their apparent simplicity, the Dauphinois turned out surprisingly rich in their taste: creamy, cheesy-like, with a bit of a smoky flavour. There was just a faint reminder of garlic, but all the same they tasted delicious. My son gobbled up two platefuls of these guys! They work wonderfully with a nice side salad, or a piece of meat, or sausages, for the satisfaction of the carnivorous :) The recipe I chose can be found here, although I didn't follow it exactly.

Ingredients:
2.5 lb (1 kg) potatoes
2 c (500 ml) milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1 clove garlic, sliced lengthwise
1/4 c (60 ml) heavy cream

1)  Peel and rinse potatoes, then slice them thinly (it said 1/10th of an inch, or 3 mm - I used my mandolin slicer).
2)  Without having rinsed the slices, place them in a pan, then add the milk, salt and nutmeg, if using. Cook on medium-low heat until they start to simmer and then stir and scrape bottom of pan regularly for another 8-10 minutes The milk will thicken and become creamy.
3)  While potatoes are simmering, preheat oven to 430°F (220°C). 
4)  Rub the bottom or sides of a baking dish with the garlic. 
5)  Arrange half of the potatoes in the baking dish and drizzle with half of the cream. Follow with the rest of the potatoes, the cooking milk and lastly drizzle the rest of the cream on top.
6)  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until bubbly and slightly browned (you can bake them longer, if you prefer them to be more brown). Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.