Potatoes, Garlic Chives, and Poaching

Last week, we came back from the farm with a hearty bag of potatoes.  After an entertaining lesson from another volunteer in unearthing them with our toes and then digging up the many different varieties (red, white, purple) by hand, I couldn't stop dreaming of potato leek soup.  This autumnal and overcast day was the perfect opportunity for this delicious recipe.

This recipe (Jae Steele's from Get It Ripe) became a favorite in the colder months of last year; maybe it's because it's the first batch of this cooler season, but this soup is even more luscious than I remember, but I rather think it is the peak potatoes. Tonight's meal was also another great vehicle for the garlic chives from my garden.  To think, once upon a time, I couldn't understand the appeal of potato soup!

We also finally tasted the Butternut, Roasted Garlic, and Sage bread.  Let's just say it is a darn good thing that potato soup is so filling; otherwise, it would have been a "Loaf down!" evening for sure!

Again, the bread recipe was a modified version of the "Potato Bread" recipe in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It makes two large loaves, also works as buns, and freezes/thaws beautifully. In addition to subbing 1 c. roasted butternut for the 1 c. potato she calls for, I added the leaves of one sprig of rosemary, eight fresh sage leaves, and 1 bulb of roasted garlic which I roughly mashed after squeezing out the cloves.  Love that you can see the flecks of butternut and garlic if you look carefully.  Oh...and though it may look like this bread rocks a rhombus lifestyle, please know that it simply got slanty due to our overly eager, and thus hasty, cutting and toasting!  Tomorrow, this bread will enfold Garlic and Sage Sausages (a testing recipe for Carla Kelly's upcoming Vegan Al Fresco cookbook) with Apple Jicama Chutney.  Eeeeeee!

In preparation for the sausage making, today's technique was poaching:

Carla's recipe called for "Poached Garlic," and while anything garlic has me at hello, I had only ever seen poaching happen on the Food Network (usual with something I wouldn't eat).  According to Cooking A to Z (a technique-oriented book I borrowed from one of my chef friends -- thanks, Ed!), to poach is "to cook food gently in liquid that is hot, but not quite boiling (...the surface of the liquid will show some movement, with small bubbles just starting to appear)." (450).  The book refers mainly to poaching animal products and most often in some kind of stock, but it is interesting to think of the many applications if all that is really required to poach is some heat, some liquid, and some large pieces of whatever you'd like to have participate in a flavor exchange with the liquid.  Hm...looks like some poaching-based infusions are in my future!  For today, however, I couldn't believe how easy the poached garlic was to do (with the added bonus of making the kitchen smell amazing! ). It is also a fantastic alternative to roasting garlic with the benefit of infused oil to use elsewhere in the same (or a later) meal.  Woohoo!

To paraphrase the late, but eternally great, Paul Harvey, "Now, I know the poaching story"... and so do you, if you didn't already!  Learning is so cool. :)

Fur Family PB Truffle Snacks and Soup in a Bread Bowl

Peanut Butter Truffles with Dried Carrot and Apple Sprinkles

My horoscope has really been speaking to me lately...or maybe I just want to feel that is speaking to me. Either way, it was spot on today, and I really should have just called it a day and snuggled in with a book. But gosh darn it -- I had planned on experimenting and applying various odds and ends from the refrigerator. I did, and ten hours later, I am writing this post.

I was having a rough time getting started, so I made some brown rice for tomorrow (this was oddly calming, kind of like having a cup of tea or knitting, if that's how you roll).  Then, I had some investigators in the kitchen, so I decided to start with our goody first.  Here's a great homemade treat for the puppies that can use apple peel/carrot scrapings that you have as scraps or the cleaned apple/carrot choppings if you are sharing with them.

Fur Family PB Truffle Snacks  

(Pet-only version since using the peels)


Servings: 12-16 small truffles

For middle:
4 med. carrot peels, finely minced
1/3 large apple, finely minced.
1/4 c. peanut butter (smooth is best)

For topping:
1 c.  mix of carrots and apples

Preheat oven to 200. Dry for 2-3 hours (or put in oven while you are baking something else...just not sure if they will burn at higher heat.)  Line baking pan with parchment paper.

Mix all middle ingredients together in a bowl. (may heat PB to loosen it before you mix).  Roll into 1/2"-1" balls.  Put in fridge.

Spread topping mix over parchment paper.  Once toppings are dried to your liking (slightly crispy so as not to brown form air),  put into a bowl and roll balls to coat.  Then, serve; check out the audience reception.

Oooh.  That looks AWESOME!  Let's share!

                      

I will now sit closer than you -- all the better to get the treat quicker!  If only I could catch them...

Nestle (back): Delicious.  Just checking to make sure I didn't miss any crumbs.

     Boomer (front):  She's slow, but I'm ready.  I now give you the treat stare down.

Doggies make life happy; share your treats with them!  If your pets love pb and produce, these are a great alternative to straight carrots (our house fave) or conventional treats (that often have substantial grain filler and potentially problematic by-products).

And now...Dinner: A Mixed Review

1) Sunflower sprouts are awesome!  A nice, colorful alternative to carrots when you just want an easy veggie.  Look for a lovely variety at your local Farmers Market.

2) BREAD BOWL!  I really just wanted to see if I could make one, and I just wanted to make this beer bread.  Bowl factor -- yay!  Beer bread --I used this recipe  http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/breads-yeast/beer-bread.  I wouldn't use a winter lager next time.   Otherwise, texture was fantastic and PERFECT consistency for the bread bowl eating.

3) I really wanted Broccoli soup (a la days of yore when that used to be my meal of choice at a certain P chain), but I had no broccoli -- thus butternut squash.  I wanted to change it up a bit so I subbed half of the broth for beer (in keeping with the theme) and then added some different spices.  I don't know if it was the combination or the addition of tarragon, but it wasn't as yummy as usual.  Ah well -- can't improve without risk!

My activities didn't stop here.  Check out The Revisionist's Treatery (see link to the right) for odds-'n-ends applications and some new items:  Popcorn Balls -- Updated!; Cinnamon-Infused Chocolate Cake with Almond Ganache and Caramelized Almond Popcorn; and Mom's Trifle -- Revised!

Zzzzzz....
K

P.S. I didn't have any cake flour (as needed for the bread) and found this substitution suggestion online http://www.food.com/recipe/cake-flour-substitute-87689 -- totally worked!  Just thought I'd spread the info, as we all have those inopportune missing ingredient moments!