goblinbox

In which we talk about breakfast! Yum! Because while I read a lot of involved, uplifting, active, and self-referential blogs, personally I’m just not that interesting. Plus: there’s a bunch of food porn!

Yesterday I was craving a big old bowl of the Egyptian breakfast food known as ful medames. The stuff is just so delicious I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Since my shift today didn’t start until one o’clock, I got up and took myself to the grocery store this morning. I didn’t go to Loney’s because they don’t carry fava beans and I never can find any pita bread there. Instead, I took my brother’s truck and went over to Super 1. It was gigantic:

There, I spent about two million years fifteen minutes looking for fava beans and pita bread. They were there, but not where I thought they would be, and I must have covered two thirds of the store’s square footage before I located them.

Then I went home and watched this video again on my iPod Touch, because it’s my favorite recipe for ful and I couldn’t remember how much lemon juice to use:

After that, I cooked up a big old batch of beans with garlic and lemon and garnished it with olive oil, parsley, tomato, radish, hard boiled egg, green onion, picked vegetables, and olives. It looked really pretty plated up:

And then?

And I eated it! With whole wheat pita bread! OMG teh yum!

(G’ma said the concoction “looked pretty, but didn’t taste all that good.” This is because I did not salt it per about ten recipes I’ve read which don’t call for salt. At all. Apparently you’re supposed to salt at the table. Which I did!)

The last time I had ful was in Brooklyn, in an Egyptian place around the corner from Deboka’s brownstone. It was freakin’ delicious there, too, and came with a giant squeeze bottle of tahini (!!!) and even had green peppers in it.

The time before that, I made a batch myself and packed it in a bento box with some falafel:

And here’s an entire gallery of fuul porn, just in case you doubted the status of my fandom for this dish! (Go look. Srsly. I’ll wait.)

Ful is the bestest, cheapest, fillingest breakfast ever. Bonus: it has the added benefit of giving you garlic breath first thing in the morning!

And yes, apparently I did just write an entire post about beans. Guess who needs to get laid?

In which I liked it enough to make it a second time, which means that the recipe goes on the intarwebs for your reading pleasure!

This soup is easy to make, nutritious, and cheap. I’ve made it twice — the first time I made it up as I went along, and it was yummy enough that tonight AmmZon requested it again and I decided to write it down.

So here goes: a simple, filling spinach soup my household really likes.

Creamy Spinach Soup

In a large pot over medium flame, heat:

• 1 T. butter
• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil

add and saute until translucent:

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced.

Add:

• 2 c. whole milk
• 2 c. broth, vegetable or chicken
• 1 c. water
• scant pinch ground cloves (optional)
• dash red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. ground tumeric (optional)

Add:

• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 pkg. frozen spinach

Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the solids into a blender. Add a little broth and pulse until smooth, then return to the soup pot and stir.

Adjust seasonings:

• kosher salt and black pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and serve with a good, crusty bread.

Servings: 4-6
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

Recipe Source
Author: Me!
Source: goblinbox.com

Now that you’re into recipe mode, go read this one.

In which there’s a request — from Shigeki — for a recipe. I’m so happy to oblige!

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

2 T. butter
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 whole clove
1 bay leaf
4 c. water, hot Read the rest of this entry »

This is what I made for dinner tonight. On the off chance you happen to need a chowder recipe, here one is! (I majored in literature so I can say shit like “here one is,” and you all immediately understand that I did it on purpose, for, like, effect.)

Medium dice:
2 stalks celery
1/2 large onion
2 small or 1 medium carrot(s)

Sautee, in a large soup pot over medium flame, in:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter

When veggies are tender, add:
3 c. broth*
1 c. milk

Bring to a simmer.

Dice and add to the pot:
4 medium potatoes

Add:
1/2 tsp. dried parsley

Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Add:
1/2 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels

Remove 1/4 c. of the broth from the pot with a cup. Mix in:
2-3 Tbsp. flour

Whisk the broth/flour mixture until there are no lumps in it, then slowly add it to the chowder, stirring constantly, until the soup has thickened. Let the chowder cook a few more minutes, maybe five to ten, so that the flour doesn’t taste raw.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve. Like all soups, this chowder is great served with crusty bread and a green salad.

*For broth, you may use vegetable or chicken broth, or water. (I always use water and Knorr brand vegetable bouillon, because of all the veggie bouillon on the market it’s the only one I don’t hate.)

To make a non-vegetarian version: fry up 4 strips of bacon and put aside to cool, then sautee your mirepoix in the bacon fat (reducing or omitting the olive oil and butter) and continue with the rest of the recipe as written except add the crumbled bacon to the chowder along with the corn, or sprinkle it on before serving.

Servings: 4-6
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

Recipe Source
Author: Michelle Mook
Source: goblinbox.com

I made this last night. It was good. Here’s the recipe. I’m a freakin’ soup-makin’ goddess.

Pea & Carrot Soup

1/4 c. butter
1/4 white onion, diced
1-2 rib(s) celery, diced
2 c. carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 c. frozen peas
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 clove
2-3 c. broth
1+ c. heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste Read the rest of this entry »

Behold today’s quick-and-easy soup recipe!

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Easy, yummy, and filling. this soup goes great with salad and bread. I made it the day before yesterday and was pretty pleased with the results. Yum!
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Behold the recipe for the yummy stew I made last night for dinner. It was great with tuna melts on pumpernickel!
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