Soup Love

One of the first things I loved about my husband was his love of soup. Not a lot of guys are that into soup, but this one loves just about any food in liquid form. When we were just acquaintances he served a cold chipotle tomato soup at a dinner party.  It was a very bold move. While most people polity stirred it around and choked back a few insanely spicy spoonfuls, I ate it up, stars in my eyes.

Now that we're married, we make soup together a lot. We both just can't get enough of the wonderful feeling of a piping hot, flavorful, nutrient-packed broth making its way down our insides and warming us through. The healthy-conscious side of me loves how many veggies you can pack into one dish - and how many bowls you can eat without feeling guilty. I still prefer chunkier stew types and he favors silky purees but we've both leaned to appreciate the spectrum. A perk of our union was inheriting his immersion blender, which has opened up a whole new world of soupy goodness.

These days Dave's repertoire has expanded and he's learned to be a little less heavy-handed with the spices, but he still has a weakness for one store-bought soup. His favorite soup chain, Hale and Hearty Soup used to make a wonderful Tomato Cheddar and whenever we're back in New York he wistfully scours the sandwich boards of every outpost we pass, hoping his beloved will be the soup of the day. It's been a while, however, since we've actually had a sighting, and I'm starting to think they may have discontinued it entirely. So I decided to learn to make it for him. 

Re-creating a tomato soup wasn't much of a challenge, and after searching a few copycat recipes on the internet I concluded that with the right mix of cream and cheese he'd be over the moon. I had been saving some old Gouda rinds for a moment like this, and after sawing off the waxy parts I threw them into the broth. Half an hour later I had some tough, cheesy bits floating around but an incredibly richly flavored broth.

And instead of keeping this recipe a surprise, I decided to involve the connoisseur himself. I wanted to use as little cheese as possible (both to keep it somewhat healthy and for my own enzyme deficiencies), so I stirred in small chunks of cheddar bit by bit, soliciting expert opinion along the way. After a few rounds, he pronounced it almost perfect. I seasoned it with salt, and he was in love.

Tomato Cheddar Soup

Inspired by Hale and Hearty Soup

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Several stalks of celery, diced

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used Better than Bullion)

1 28-oz can diced or crushed tomatoes

1-2 tsp dried thyme

cheese rinds - gouda, parmesan, or other aged cheese *be sure to remove wax before melting!

1/2 cup half-and-half or cream

6-8 oz cubed cheddar, or more to taste

Salt, to taste

Saute the onion, garlic and celery until onions are translucent. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add thyme and cheese rinds and let simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour, until tomatoes are falling apart and cheese rinds are moist and spongy (see picture above). Remove cheese rinds and puree with an immersion blender (or cool and pour into standing blender). Add cream or half-and-half, and stir in cheddar bits until desired taste is achieved. Be sure to salt along the way as you will probably get to the right flavor with less cheese needed.

Enjoy with a nice slice of toast and your valentine.

Risotto with pea greens and peas

I made a decision this year to stick with my Veggie Box for the entire winter. At first it was a fun challenge, learning new ways to prepare fennel, radishes, kohlrabi and the like (I've never eaten so many potatoes). But I admit, after pulling yet another cabbage out of that (incredibly heavy!) box, I was beginning to wonder when it all would end. And then I got this gem:

I think I've heard of pea greens before, but I'd never tasted them and certainly had never cooked with them. After a nibble of a raw leaf I concluded that they were a bit like spinach - but so much prettier, and reminiscent of spring! I had to think of a new recipe to do justice to this welcome winter guest.

Risotto is a wonderful dish, both for its comforting and rib-sticking qualities, and also for its versatility. You can make a deeply flavored risotto with wine and mushrooms, or a light springy one with asparagus and peas. Eyeing a bag of frozen peas and some turkey bacon in my freezer and the fresh sprigs on my counter, I decided this would be the perfect hearty and satisfying winter dish, with some light notes of spring (which is still many months away).

I used to think risotto was hard to make, but it turns out the hardest part is paying attention. You have to add the liquid little by little, and stir the rice constantly so the starch breaks down or something and gives you that nice, creamy texture. Other than that it's hard to go wrong, as long as you include some aromatics, some liquid (broth, wine, water, or a combination) and of course the veggies.

As I am starting to do with so many recipes, I turned to trusty Mark Bittman for a base. Since my veggie box was thoughtful enough to include shallots I threw those in as well, but I imagine onions would do just fine. 

Risotto with pea greens and peas

Original risotto recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

2 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

4 oz bacon or turkey bacon, diced

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

4-6 cups of chicken broth

1 cup frozen or fresh peas

bunch of pea greens

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1-2 tbsp butter, to taste

Saute shallots and bacon in olive oil until onions translucent. Add arborio rice and saute for a few minutes. Add white wine and then add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until rice is tender (about 20-30 minutes). Fold in peas, pea greens, cheese, and butter. Garnish with more cheese and serve with the rest of the wine.

Ode to Gluten

Passover was rough this year. Fortunately we pulled through and now I love bread more than ever. After a wildly productive week, I decided the best way to spend the final days of my April staycation was definitely baking. And faced with another two months of inpatient rotations, kicking it off with a week of nights, I decided I'd better bake something hearty. And portable.

Now normally I wouldn't gravitate towards a recipe from The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook, but this one is so simple and delicious. And chock-full of whole wheat, fruit, and nuts, it fits right into my ever-expanding repertoire of healthy breakfast baked goods. Its popularity is fast spreading throughout my whole family, and after an impromptu cocktails-and-bread night last night, my friends as well. The recipe is so huge it makes two loaves, and I find the second makes a perfect housewarming or thank-you gift.

This time around I decided to get fancy, creating a cinnamon-raisin swirl instead of just kneading them into the dough. The result was a bit messier, but once the sugar had cooled and set, it promotes the bread from everyday loaf to special weekend breakfast. Or late-night snack, if you ask my friends.

Whole Wheat Raisin-Nut Bread

1 package (5 tsp) yeast

1/2 c. warm (110-degree) water

1 1/2 c. warm (110-degree) milk

1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
1/3 c. honey

2 eggs

3 c. whole wheat flour

3 1/2 c. white flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 c. raisins, soaked in warm water

1 c. chopped walnuts

extra cinnamon and sugar, for the swirl
egg white and water, for the glaze

1. Combine yeast, warm water, and a pinch of sugar. Let stand. A layer of foam should appear on top; this means the yeast is alive and excited about the sugar, which it is starting to ferment. The fermentation process is what will produce all those wonderful carbon dioxide bubbles and make the bread rise.

2. Combine flour and rest of dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Attach a dough hook to your mixer. Combine yeast/water, butter, and eggs (I saved a tiny bit of egg white to use for glaze later). Add dry ingredients. As I mentioned, this is a HUGE recipe so add flour slowly unless you want a mini blizzard in your kitchen (as you can see from the picture, I did not add it slowly enough).

If you don't have a stand mixer, or just want a real hands-on breadmaking experience, just combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead away.

4. Lightly oil a large bowl (or use cooking spray). Drop the ball of dough, and turn once to coat. Cover with a moist towel and let sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours.

5. Divide dough in half. Turn onto a clean workspace. I love this Tupperware mat. If you're not into the fancy swirl, skip this step and just knead the nuts and raisins in.

6. Flatten each ball into a rectangle (-ish) with your hands. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar, then nuts, then raisins (I used golden and regular in the photos shown here).

7. Roll into a loaf, tucking the raisins and nuts inside. Pinch the ends closed and tuck under so the contents don't fall out. (See pictures at end for example). The sugar gets very syrupy and sticky as it heats up, and if there are open ends it will spill out of the bread. Which could be delicious. But messy.

8. Beat egg white with a little cold water to make a glaze, and brush the top of each loaf. Place in lightly oiled loaf pans.

9. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. You'll know the bread is done when you knock on the top and it sounds hollow. If you like a crispier crust you can remove from the pan and put straight on the oven rack or on a baking sheet for another 5-10 minutes.
10. Let cool. Slice, butter, and devour. Give the other one to a friend.

Step 7: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar, raisins and nuts on dough, then jelly-roll and pinch ends to prevent liquid sugar from leaking out.

Postcall Pretzels

When you’re post-call, or jetlagged, or just really sleep- deprived, food just seems to be the only answer. Tucking into a warm bowl of soup or a crusty loaf of bread does wonders for weary limbs and overtired minds. Or maybe it’s just me. But whenever I find myself with a wide open day after being up all night, all I want to do is cook and bake. It probably helps that I spend most of the night (after saving all the patients of course) browsing recipes on Pinterest and getting hungry.

Which is how I found myself, after a week of night float in the PICU and too wired to nap, tackling these pretzel rolls. You may have noticed that the pretzel is making a huge comeback. It’s the hipster baked good of the moment. I mean, the Grange’s brunch menu has a pretzel bread french toast option (which is amazing, by the way). It was only matter of time before I, helpless in the face of overwhelming trends, attempted my own pretzel bread.


After carefully scrutinizing the recipes (read: yummy photos) on Pinterest and cutting out any with too many fancy ingredients or too long a wait (Let rise for another hour?! But what will I eat??) I chose this one. It’s simple, quick, and as delicious as the photos promised. The trickiest part is probably taking the time to roll them into smooth balls instead of dunking chunks haphazardly into boiling water, which I learned after producing a few lumpy (but still delicious) specimens:

Pretzel Bread

2 Tbsp. butter

1 c. milk (I used skim, whatever you have probably works)

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 packet (7g) yeast

3 cups white flour

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

large-grain salt for decorating

1. Heat milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat, to 100 degrees. This is important, as temperatures over 140º can kill live yeast. And then you’d have matzoh.

2. Pour mixture into a mixing bowl, and add brown sugar and yeast. I used a candy thermometer to avoid casualties, but any thermometer probably works. Or just heat the milk to warm, not hot.

3. Using your dough hook, start the mixer. (For those without, I’ve heard spoons and hands are pretty good at making bread too. And according to some old-fashioned types, much more satisfying.) Slowly add flour  and salt (mixed with in measuring cup beforehand). Beat until dough is smooth. If it’s super sticky, toss in a handful of flour until it’s manageable (you should be able to pick it up and scrape it off your fingers without too much effort).

4. Transfer mixture to an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Half-fill a large pot with water (I used the one below), add baking soda and bring to a boil. It’s important to add the baking soda BEFORE you boil. Otherwise Chemistry ensues. And nobody likes chemistry.





6. Form dough into balls, sized to your liking. I made a few dinner (burger)-sized rolls, and a bunch of bite-sized ones. As I mentioned earlier, make sure to roll balls until each is smooth and uniform.

7. Drop balls into boiling water, let cook for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to oiled cookie sheet (I used cooking spray on an old beat-up one since I couldn’t bear to tarnish my new shiny ones with baked-on oil).

8. Brush each roll with 1 egg beaten with a few splashes of water. Sprinkle with the largest-grain salt you have. I didn’t have the presence of mind to shop for big salt beforehand, by my kosher salt worked out ok.

9. Bake for 15 minutes at 400º, then turn oven to 350º and bake until browned to your liking.

10. Let cool. Or just eat them all standing up.