chop and simmer: ragu Bolognese

11-29-2011 Tue. mild, rain.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with Brussels sprouts and pork cutlet
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- pear
DINNER --- Provencal garlic soup ( garlic, herbs, toasted baguette and poached egg) | pasta with homemade ragu sauce ( onion, tomato paste, garlic, parsley, cilantro, carrot, celery, red pepper and minced beef ) | wine

garlic soup


ragu pasta

• a lot of chopping and mincing in making ragu sauce.
  

Provence in cold days

11-04-2011 Fri. chilly,sunny.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with vegetables
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- apple
DINNER --- Provencal garlic and egg soup | cod and potato stew | sauteed red stem chard with garlic | wine

• almost into winter food, garlic soup warms up, potato and fish stew fills up.
  

soup and porridge

10-03-2011 Mon. chilly, rain.


BREAKFAST ---
LUNCH --- steamed vegetable buns
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- coffee | apple
DINNER --- Provencal garlic soup with poached egg | stir-fried bitter melon with fermented black beans | soft tofu porridge with fish | rice | wine

• only thyme is available at hand, no more fresh sage from garden. somehow thyme does not work in the garlic soup, flavor too overwhelming.
  

Japanese Shishito peppers

9-19-2011 Tue. cool, cloudy.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with chive flowers and smoked tofu
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- English tea
DINNER --- tempura of shishito peppers | Provencal garlic soup with poached egg | sauteed eggplant with shiitake | rice | fennel and lettuce salad | wine

• late crop of shishito peppers from local Japanese market, the size, the flavor, and the thin-walled texture all reminds me the little Padron peppers in Spain.
  

Garlic soup with poached egg

7-26-2011 Tue. hot, blue sky.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- pasta with artichoke hearts and olives | ratatouille
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- nectarine
DINNER --- Provencal style garlic soup with pan-toasted bread and poached egg | sauteed silky tofu and shrimp | sauteed string beans with black bean sauce | salad of fennel and lettuce | rice | wine

• good result from the second try on the garlic soup: broth with good flavor with thin-sliced purple skin garlic and fresh herbs from garden, egg poached with good timing in water, bread pan-toasted with olive oil and a little salt.
  

Garlic soup, Provençal style

7-19-2011 Tue. hot, muggy.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- quinoa salad
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- cherries
DINNER --- salad of fennel, lettuce, radish and cherry tomato | garlic soup with toasted bread, and poached egg | stewed new potatoes with chorizo | wine

what's going into the broth

garlic soup tasted like chicken broth

• had to try this garlic soup recipe Provencal Garlic Soup With Poached Egg from NYT "City Kitchen" recently. two ingredients as simple as garlic and sage could make a very flavorful soup broth, though poaching eggs perfectly need more practice
  

Provençal garlic soup with poached egg

from City Kitchen Columns (NYT) by David Tanis, with modification from practices at home
believe me, this is the garlic soup for the soul, simple ingredients, easy to make, and incredibly tasty. only thing one might need a little practice is how to poach egg perfectly.







for 2 servings:

• 1 head new-crop garlic
• 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 sage leaves
• Salt and pepper
• 2 eggs
• 2 slices day-old French bread
• Chopped parsley, scallions or chives for garnish.

1. peel and thinly slice the garlic cloves. Warm the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and sage and let them sizzle a bit without browning, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and a few grinds of pepper.
2. add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a brisk simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
   
3. pan-toast the bread slices with a little olive oil, golden and crunchy
   
4. heat 5 inch deep of water in a pot and bring to a brisk simmer, poach one egg a time, use a small spoon to gently stir the water clockwise around the egg, about 3 minutes till the egg white formed a wrap around the barely cooked yolk.
5. for each serving, place a slice of toast in a shallow soup bowl. With a slotted spoon lift a poached egg onto each piece. Ladle the soup over it. Sprinkle with a little parsley, scallion, or chives.