peasant food: white bean soup

Peasant food maybe, but also incredibly tasty and satisfying. :-) I owe much to the Spanish woman I lived with years ago while attending university in Seville. She was a single mom with three kids and not a lot of money. In the late 1980s there was no such thing as convenience food in Spain. All the meals were prepared from scratch. Because Pastora was a busy woman, many of the dishes she prepared were quite simple but all were delicious.

It was Pastora who first introduced me to dried beans, now an important staple in our pantry. Not only are they incredibly nutritious, but dried beans are also superaffordable, too. I was craving a white bean soup, so last night before I went to bed, I measured out two cups of cannellini beans into a large glass bowl, covered with water, and went off to dreamland. In the morning, I drained and rinsed the beans and then boiled with water for just over an hour. Here's the complete ingredient list:

2 cups of dried white beans, soaked overnight, and cooked the next morning
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 T olive oil
1 large potato, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
8 cups veggie broth
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 bay leaves
Spinach, kale, or your favorite leafy green

Saute the garlic in the olive oil for a couple minutes until lightly golden. Add the potato and carrots; saute a couple minutes more. Next add the beans, broth, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Simmer for 40 minutes. Add several handfuls of chopped fresh spinach, and then cook for a few more minutes, until the greens wilt. Serve with fresh ground pepper, possibly a little grated cheese, and a healthy chuck of ciabatta bread. And give thanks to my old friend Pastora. :-)

carrot curry soup

To kick off Soup Week, I'm happy to share with you one of my favorites---carrot curry soup. It's not only really healthy but also superyummy, too. :-)
Here's what I use:

• Nine carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Olive oil, 2-3 T
• Onion, 1 medium-sized chopped
• Ginger, 1.5-inch piece finely chopped
• Garlic, 4 cloves finely chopped
• Veggie stock, 6 cups (use less if you prefer a thicker soup)
• Fennel seeds, 1 t
• Curry powder, 1-2 t OR I use 1/2 t each of cumin, turmeric, coriander powder, and asofetida
• Greek yogurt (or regular plain yogurt, sour cream, crème fraîche, etc.), 2 small individual containers
• Parsley, to garnish

First I sauteed the onion, garlic, ginger, and fennel seeds in the olive oil for about 10 minutes, medium heat, stirring frequently until the onion was translucent. Then I added the stock and carrots, brought to a boil, and simmered for 30-40 minutes, until the carrots were soft. After removing from the heat, I used a hand blender (if you don't have one of these, get one! Otherwise, use a regular blender) to cream until smooth, adding the curry spices and yogurt. Finish off with a bit of parsley---or a drizzle of fresh cream! Enjoy!!! :-)

week in review

I hope that this first full week of 2011 has treated you well. I confess by Friday I was quite tired and definitely ready for the weekend! :-)

Overall, though, I'm pleased with all I accomplished and the progress I made with my various projects. The sweater I am making for my husband's birthday---January 29th---is coming along. The back is done, and I have finished about one third of the front. This is the first sweater---or anything!---I've made for him, so I chose a supersimple pattern. It's free and you can get the pattern here. The yarn I'm using is Debbie Bliss cashmerino chunky in dark chocolate. I've never used this yarn before, and I love it so far. :-)

In my future project file, this week I've added this free download to print out and make a Moravian star. I went to university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, so I am very familiar with Moravian stars. Therefore, I happily jumped when I saw this posting. :-)

Let's see, in the kitchen I've been busy, too. I have some tempeh that I've been wanting to use, and this morning I found the perfect recipe to also satisfy a craving I've had of late. When I still ate meat, I used to say that I could become a vegetarian if it weren't for sausage. Alas, I became a vegetarian anyway, and yes I do miss an herbed patty with my eggs and pancakes. I have tried the commercially available veggie alternatives here, and they're ok, but I eat so little processed foods that when I do, I find them a bit salty. So when I finish this post, I'm heading straight to the kitchen to make these tempeh soysages. :-) I will post a review of how they turned out next week!

Also, January is National Soup Month, and in honor of my winter salad in a bowl, I am declaring this coming week Soup Week at Rachel Making Happy. I'll post a favorite soup recipe every day to help you celebrate this yummy holiday. :-)

My other creative project, which you can follow along at Rachel's 365 Project, is also going well so far. It seemed like I hardly took any pictures last year, so I thought signing for this challenge would be a good reason to dust off the old Canon. In my "Week in Review" posts, I'll be posting my favorite photo from the previous week. This is my selection for week #1:

I also took some well-focused shots of the same, but I liked this blurry one best. This could be why I'll never be a great photographer, but never mind. The subject, by the way, is a ceiling lamp we bought in Tangier eight years ago.

My other plans for the day are to give my office a bit of a reorg and tidy up---I always like to start a new editing project with a freshened workspace. :-) Also, I am also taking time this month to clean up my storage hard drives and my multiple backups, which have become unwieldy of late. It IS possible to have too many backup copies, trust me.

Off to make a cup of tea and get started on my soysages. Hope you are enjoying your Sunday = Funday wherever you are. And see you back tomorrow to talk soup! :-D

happy dose #1

I was feeling a bit stressed last evening, the uncertainty of our lives worrying me. But I woke up this morning to this video, which I found reassuring as the man featured, Ted Williams, has finally been given the break he deserves. Offers for major deals have been pouring in since this video was released. Bless him.

My e-mail inbox also held an offer from a client for a new book to edit, so I’m feeling pretty grateful myself. ☺

red pepper hummus

Here's a superquick, easy and delicious recipe---just the way I like it. :-)

Chickpeas
Garlic
Lemon juice
Tahini

Roasted red peppers

Olive oil

I always use dry beans, soak them overnight and then cook the next day, but you can always use canned or jarred (a 15-oz. can works here). Add the cooked beans to a large mixing bowl, along with 2 cloves garlic, juice from 1 lemon, 1/3 cup tahini, a drizzle of olive oil and two chopped roasted red peppers (again, from a jar is fine). Either mash with a potato masher or whip up with a snazzy hand blender---one of my favorite kitchen tools---and voilà! Delish!

projects past and future

One of my aims for the new year is to spend at least thirty minutes a day during some sort of hand work---knitting, sewing, etc. So yesterday in preparation I organized my supply cupboard and inventoried my yarn, much to the frustration of a certain kitty who wanted nothing more than to "help."

My current project is to finish a sweater for my husband before his birthday later this month. It seems over the years I've always been knitting gifts for others that I never got around to making anything for him. Time to right that wrong! :-)

But once that sweater is done, I am turning back to an old cross-stitch that I started last winter and never finished. The project was given to me when my grandmother died two years ago, and I have a feeling she had it for many years too, possibly from back when my great-grandmother embroidered this tea towel.

I think one of the reasons I find this work so rewarding is its connection to the past, to my past. But it's also satisfying to create something beautiful and functional that will keep my special people warm or brighten their day. Best of both worlds. :-)

greetings!

Greetings and bienvenidos to rachel making happy, my personal blog for documenting what I have designated the year of making.


You see, I had an epiphany earlier this month, as I begin to mentally review the past year, that I am happiest when I take the time to stretch my creative muscles, which for me can be knitting, cooking, sewing, writing, drawing, painting or taking pictures. It's what I love to do.


Yet sadly, the realities of this economic recession have kept me from spending much of my time the way I'd like to. That, plus the block I've had personally that finally---I am ever so grateful---has passed.


The past couple years have indeed been difficult, for so many of us. But enough is enough. The time has come for making ourselves happy. :-)


A few more bits about me:

*I am from the old school of blogging. That is, I am not here to promote anything or sell ads or give anything away. I blog simply as a journal of what I'm up to, as a record of the places I've been---physically, creatively, emotionally. Truth be known, that the Internet is used so much today as a promotion vehicle kind of makes me sick. I'm way more interested in the sharing of ideas, experiences, knowledge.

*I work from home, and I love that. Still, I am pondering a career switch that would change that.

*I am happily married to a great guy.

*We share our little home with two beautiful dogs and a handsome, albeit very naughty, kitty.

*I love to eat (but not meat) and I love to cook.

*I also love to make things.

*And spend a lot of time pondering and writing about life.

At the start of this new year, I see rachel making happy as my personal inspiration and score boards to make sure I uphold my personal creative commitments. Readers will find recipes, photos, design and craft ideas, poems, and other snippets that make me happy. Hope to see you here often, and feel free to leave a comment! :-)

Happy 2011!!!

Photo from Design*Sponge.