• Writers Block EXTREME

    by emily • August 26, 2009 • San Francisco, soups • 3 Comments

    I know I should be reflecting and writing about the recent CAW visit to California, but I just can’t. I am way far more excited about the soup that I just made, than reflecting upon things we all did.

    Although, I will, I promise. Eventually.

    While Billy is away enjoying the sights and sounds of Yosemite with his childhood christian brethren, I am at home attempting to not freak out about the mess left behind; and the toilet seat that was up- a clear indication of man-boy rampage prior to their departure this morning.

    How do I relax? I brief clean up, and immediate cooking adventure and a characteristic analyzation of my day.

    Today was the Castro Farmers Market- a savior on a day where fumes were emitting from my ears for approximately 8 hours straight. After consuming a delicious lunch of Hummus and Tabbouleh* with sesame pita, around 4 o’clock I felt it was time to go for a walk.

    I enjoy eating my lunch at my desk, and then going for a stroll later in the day, in lieu of a full blown lunch out. On this day, I decided that I did not crave cookies (although that was tooootally what I needed on Monday, from Hot Cookie)

    I craved strawberries. Sweet Delicious strawberries.

    Now it is not strawberry season, so I question the integrity of these apparent fresh market berries, but god damn you these were stupendous! They saved my day.

    But I digress. Savior of Soup. Simple, delicious, my mind is a-flutter as to what to do with the savory leftovers.


    Red on Red on Red Lentil Soup

    1 small onion diced
    1 large carrot grated
    5-6 gypsy or lipstick peppers
    1 excessively large ripe heirloom tomato, diced
    about 1 cup frozen corn- although fresh would suffice

    1/2 cup red lentils
    4 cups water

    larger bits of ground fennel seed
    1 T crushed black pepper
    pinches of salt
    sprinkles of onion powder
    1 pinch cumin
    some garlic powder
    a little mustard powder
    some nutmeg

    Methods:

    Coat the bottom of a heavy pan with olive oil. Add carrot and onion, cook for a long while. meanwhile, dice the peppers all nice and tiny-like. Add these. At this time add some salt and lots of black pepper. Cook for an f-ing long while, add tomatos and cook until they give off their water. Add various spices now. Add lentils. Add water. Cover and cook for a long while, until lentils are cooked until you can’t tell they were once tiny little things, and the soup is of a consistency that makes you happy. Turn off the heat, add the corn, mix. Eat with bread, or rice, or alone!

    *a great lunch btw

    About emily

    The Story of Miz Emily

    Told by VBar

    Miz Emily, crow extraordinaire, hails originally from Connecticut and moved to Boston for college in 2004. She and Vbar met their first semester freshman year at Northeastern University and bonded immediately over their love of fresh food, the middle east and the likelihood that they will never get decently paying jobs. In the proceeding years, Emily lived first in the Mission Hill area of Boston before moving out to Jamaica Plain to roost. In the summer of 2008 Emily migrated west to San Francisco she still lives with her man Billy. Emily loves global travel and has spent time backpacking around Europe as well as in Turkey and Brazil.

    Emily’s cooking style can be described as clean, natural and adventurous. Never one to back down from a challenge, can-not-do is not a phrase in her pantry. A master of substitutions, she rarely follows a recipe exactly, often with deliciously innovative results.  Always one to be inspired by her surroundings, she enjoys shopping for new and inexpensive ingredients in farmers markets and ethnocentric neighborhoods, in particular Chinatown. Emily’s meals are strongly tied to the seasons particularly since she is lucky enough to have access to fresh California produce. Emily’s strong caw and yummy mowables make her a truly upstanding west-coast representative for the Crows.

    http://crowsinthekitchen.com

    3 Responses to Writers Block EXTREME

    1. Holly
      August 27, 2009 at 6:12 am

      What's a gypsy/lipstick pepper-i'm intrigued!

    2. emily
      August 27, 2009 at 12:20 pm

      I'm not sure the official definition, but i think its a hybrid pepper thats some sort of combo of red bell and yellow sweet. The interwebs are not providing me with the answers I desire.

    3. Sissy
      August 27, 2009 at 2:17 pm

      mmm, i think i just figured out what i'm having for dinner. And I'm intrigued too… looks like maybe they're similar to cubano peppers?

      PS – I mmm mmm second your vote for tabouleh and hummus pita, I think i had that for lunch every day 2003-2005

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