Ripoff Minestrone

Before we get too far into our relationship here, let me explain something:  I'm a hack.  I have some cooking skills that I gleaned from years working in restaurants as a prep cook and a server.  I like to read food blogs and magazines.  I know a little about gourmet cooking, French cooking, Italian cooking, Cajun cooking, comfort food cooking, Alaskan cooking, and almost nothing at all about Asian and Indian cooking.

I don't write my own recipes-yet.  I take other people's recipes, and tweak them, adapt them, or cook them as written.  I have a lot to learn about flavor profiles and experimentation.  There was once a catastrophe involving  flank steak marinated in vanilla extract.  I'm not writing this blog because I'm an expert.

When I saw the recipe for Minestrone Alla Rosa on Salon's Kitchen Challenge, I was moved by the story the author told about what the recipe meant to her.  I was also intrigued that the technique called for a savory vegetable and bacon broth served on top of pasta and cheese, much like gumbo is served on top of rice.  That means if you're dieting (and I am), you can easily customize this recipe to suit your needs.

Still, it makes me feel bad, to take this woman's emotional recipe and blithely reproduce it here for my own self-promotion.  Thus, I present to you: Ripoff Minestrone.

It starts the way many good mornings do:  with bacon.  Dice half a pound of bacon.  You'll be frying it soon enough, but first you need to get a-prepping.

Chop one onion and one leek.  Don't forget your onion goggles!

 A couple technique basics- keep a trash bowl on nearby for your odds and ends.
Another bowl will come in handy to gather your processed veggies.  I like to get every dish in the house dirty while I cook.

Next, dice two potatoes and one turnip.  If your turnip isn't peeled yet, do that.

Sigh.  You'll next be opening a can of tomatoes. If you live in a state where you can purchase a delicious juicy tomato for less than 2 dollars, use fresh!  Cut up some cabbage while you're at it.

Mince three garlic cloves.  Round it all up with a pinch of thyme and smoked paprika.

Now let's fry that bacon!

After frying is underway, add the leek and onion.  The recipe says to let that cook for a few minutes but I let it go for a while because the smell of onion and leek frying in bacon grease is one of the best smells on earth.

When all is soft and savory, stir in the potatoes, turnips, tomatoes, cabbage, garlic, paprika, and thyme.  Cook for a few minutes until the tomato starts to break down.

Time to play with fresh basil.  Here's some technique for your basil.  This is called a chiffonade.  Stack the basil leaves:

Roll them into a tube.

 Slice into strips.  Did you know it's hard to take pictures while executing two-handed cooking techniques?  Here's the after shot:

Add two pints of stock (that's a carton, FYI) and two pints of water to the soup. Stir in half of the basil. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes.

Cut up celery, carrots, mushrooms and zucchini.  I love mushrooms and zucchini so I added extra.  Add all these and the rest of the cabbage and basil.

Cook on medium for another hour.  Adjust the spices as you like.  I thought it needed more thyme, more paprika, and I matched the smoked paprika flavor with a very small amount of smoked sea salt, available at Summit Spice in Anchorage, and Whole Foods or Trader Joes in other locations.  Be careful- a little of this stuff goes a long way.

While this is going on, cook some pasta.   Penne, bowtie, gemelli, whatever you like.

To serve:  put some pasta in a bowl, add a slice of fresh mozzarella, and top with soup.  Eat it in good health.

With pasta and cheese:  10 Weight Watchers PointsPlus
Without pasta and cheese: 4 Weight Watchers PointsPlus

It's sacrilegious, I know, but next time I make this, I'd skip the bacon.  I don't think it imparted any significant flavor, olive oil could have taken its place more healthfully, and honestly, the boiled bacon wasn't all that appealing in the end. 

Ripoff Minestrone

½ pound bacon (diced)
1 large onion
1 leek (both green and white parts)
1 turnip (chopped)
2 potatoes (chopped)
1 cup cabbage or curly kale (chopped)

4 fresh tomatoes or 1 can of chopped tomatoes
3 cloves garlic (chopped)

1 pinch thyme
½ bay leaf
½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
2 pints water
2 pints stock (optional -- water can be substituted)

½ cup fresh parsley or basil (chopped)

3 mushrooms (chopped)
1 carrot (chopped)
1 stick of celery (minced)
2 small zucchinis (minced)
3 cups precooked pasta
1 pound fresh mozzarella
grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon in a large pot over medium heat. As it begins to fry, add onion and leek, and sauté until the bacon is cooked and the onions and leeks have begun to soften, a few minutes.
Add potatoes, turnip, ½ of the cabbage or kale, garlic, thyme, paprika, some pepper, tomatoes and the bay leaf. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down.
Add water and/or stock, and ½ the parsley or basil, bring to a boil, and turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add the rest of the vegetables and herbs. Cook until these vegetables are cooked, but still have some snap for texture.
In each bowl, spoon pasta and top with slices of fresh mozzarella. Ladle soup over the pasta and cheese and serve.

Review: Peter's Sushi Spot

This is my first food review for Anchorage's alternative weekly, Anchorage Press.  It's been a while since I've written food reviews, and I think I'm a little rusty, but it sure was fun.  Especially the eating.  Big thanks to Brendan for getting me back on page.

Back from the ashes

By Kate Consenstein
Wednesday, January 12, 2011

After several years of inspiring Anchorage diners to appreciate sushi, Peter’s Sushi Spot was destroyed by a billowing inferno in the summer of 2008. It was hard not to imagine pallets of top grade raw tuna, never meant to feel the kiss of flame, sizzling in the ashes. While fire marshals investigated the fire’s cause, Anchorage sushi lovers grieved. In a town with abundant sushi options, Peter’s Sushi Spot was a standout. Some customers migrated to other sushi joints, while others coped by joining a Facebook group called “My Life Took a Turn for the Worse the Day Peter's Sushi Spot Burned Down...”

A fledgling arson investigation in to the Pete’s blaze turned up no conclusive evidence, and now, like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, a new Peter’s Sushi Spot has opened to satisfy Anchorage’s sushi gourmands. Located in a strip mall off Minnesota Drive and Northern Lights, behind City Diner, the new Pete’s is smaller than but just as ambitious as its previous incarnations.

Once through the front doors, the strip mall ambience recedes. Black lacquer with warm red accents, stone walls, and displays of backlit sake bottles accent the long room. Stunning fabric cleverly separates private dining areas. Even the soy sauce looks sexier here, decanted into glass and silver cruets instead of the standard red-capped Kikkoman bottles. There are a still a few tone-deaf notes. One wall near the bar area is covered by a large TV that was tuned to a schizophrenic shuffle—it flickered from football to Japanese television to Kung Fu Panda during our meal, and was utterly distracting. Our booth was separated from another bank of booths by a sleek stone and bamboo border—on top of which was perched a tacky display of dried flowers. At 7 p.m. on a Tuesday night, the restaurant was close to full. Many of the employees were familiar faces, and our server said much of the kitchen staff were previous employees who had returned to work at Peter’s. Peter’s features a new dinner menu, with higher end entrées, as well as a new izakaya menu. According to Peter’s website, an izakaya is an informal Japanese restaurant often used for after-work relaxation, where customers usually share dishes with one another among their party.

We ordered off the izakaya menu during our first visit. The menu runs the gamut from sashimi to yakitori to more exotic fare. Our favorite dish was the hamachi kama (grilled yellowtail collar, $12). A big, golden, meaty ring of fish that was clearly sliced right off the neck, it fell from the bone, oily and delicious. Pescatarians, take note: This is the fried chicken of fish. Served with lemon and ponju sauce, my husband and I fought over the last morsels.

A similar duel took place over the remains of our fresh tuna tartare ($15). A long-time Pete’s favorite of mine, this maceration of tuna chunks, mango, tempura flakes, and citrus sauce is the equivalent of baby food for grownups. Really, really good baby food. At once creamy, crunchy and defined, this dish is a stand out and has been emulated by many other lesser sushi restaurants.

We ordered a couple rolls, which Pete’s became popular for, and we were satisfied by them, though neither were standouts. The sushi and roll menu have remained largely the same as in previous incarnations, and deviate very little from classic Japanese fare.

The real changes have taken place on the dinner menu. Printed on fine-weave stock, it lists a number of dinners, most of which fall in $16 to $24 range. I was tempted by the teriyaki rib-eye steak topped with birch butter ($28), but I was most curious about two Thai dishes. In a town with lots of Thai restaurants, why would Peter’s cross into Thai territory? It must be damn good…

Unfortunately, the pad Thai ($14) was probably the biggest letdown I experienced at Peter’s. Marred by overcooked pork and a lackluster sauce, it didn’t compete with some of the finer (and far less expensive) examples of pad Thai that can be had in Anchorage. The Thai seafood salad ($16) fared the same, featuring overcooked shrimp, squid, and mussels in a flyweight sauce. Both dishes were unremarkable.

The new Peter’s Sushi Spot has gone big, with a better look and higher prices. The interior decoration is sleek and beautiful, but marred by jarring touches like the massive television. The menu has been expanded and prices increased, but dishes are a mixed bag. With all the competition that’s sprung up since Peter’s initially led the way in Anchorage’s sushi renaissance, it will have to go the extra mile to convince diners that they are worth the extra price. But I would go back today just for the hamachi kama, and I suggest it for a special occasion—an anniversary, or a third date.

Peter’s Sushi Spot

3020 Minnesota Drive

562-5187

Mon. – Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Sun. Closed

January Tundra Soup

Welcome to my food blog.  Some of it is about cooking in, some of it is about eating out, and some of it is about dieting. You have been forewarned.

It is so tres chic to brag about the virtues of eating locally, and eating seasonally, and while I make a strong effort to do both, it's usually an accident when I do.  This soup can be made in Alaska in mid-winter with mostly local seasonal ingredients!

This soup is one part Russian borscht, one part caribou stew, and then there's this bright lemony flavor that is going to make you dream of spring.  Adapted from the "Colorado Cache Cookbook" from the Junior League of Denver, it was originally called White Russian Vegetable Soup.   I changed the name and tweaked the recipe, so don't worry about what the Junior League would think.

You're going to start with a big wad of meat.  Beef chuck roast is what was called for, but you could use venison, caribou, moose, or whatever.  I would have used caribou, if my brother had managed to shoot one this year.  Alas, it is cow.   The recipe calls for 4 lbs, but that made it a staggeringly fatty soup, so I amended it to 2 lbs.

Yes, that is boiling meat.  I was a little uncomfortable with it as well, but it really will turn out, never fret.

While the meat cooks a while and renders a delicious broth, you'll start cutting up vegetables.

Cabbage, beets, onions, parsnips, and some canned tomatoes.  If you did your due diligence garden wise, you might have all these stored in a cool place.  If not, no worries- the farmer's market, your CSA box, or any regular grocery store has all these things.

I'm lazy, so I didn't peel those beets.  They're going to simmer so long, it doesn't matter at all.  The original recipe called for just beets, but I diced up the beet greens too and threw them in.  I'm so glad I did, because first, beet greens are so good for you, and second, it added a dark green dimension to my overall composition that looked fantastic.  You'll see in a minute.

Do you have onion goggles?  No?  Oh man.  Get some.

So, after the meat has cooked for about an hour, add all the veggies, plus a lot of fresh lemon juice, and some spiced.  Simmer covered for 2 more hours.

After that, your meat should be falling to pieces anyway, but fish it out with some tongs, and chop it up.  Stir it back in.

When you serve it, add sour cream on top of your bowl.  Goat cheese would be good too.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus:  9

This soup is utterly amendable.  Next time, I'll probably add kale and turnips.

January Tundra Soup
2 lbs chuck roast
2 cups diced beets and their greens
4 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups diced parsnips
3 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
2 large onions, chopped
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 small bay leaf, crumbled
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peppet
sour cream or goat cheese or whatever you like to top

8 servings

Cover roast with 2 quarts water.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 1 hour.  Taste stock for flavor, add salt, pepper, or boullion as needed.  Add vegetables, lemon juice, and seasonings.  Simmer covered 2 hours.  Remove roast and cut meat into bite-sized pieces.  Return meat to soup.  Serve with a generous spoonful of sour cream or goat cheese per serving.