Windy days, warm soup

In true San Francisco fashion, it dropped 30 degrees in the last week, and we’re back to sunny but blustering days. I made a warm soup for the windy day, featuring broccoflower. You can use broccoli, cauliflower, or a mixture of both.


Carmelized broccoflower & onion soup

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
(optional: ½ tsp sugar)
1 bunch broccoflower/broccoli/cauliflower, cut into florets
4–5 c vegetable broth
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
(optional: ¼ c milk or cream)
Blue cheese, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and/or mint

Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Sprinkle with salt (and sugar, if using.) Stir and cook until onions start to turn golden brown (carmelize.) Add broccoflower and cook until florets carmelize around the edges. Stir occasionally to carmelize vegetables evenly. Add vegetable broth, garlic, and bay leaf. Simmer until broccoflower is tender. Remove bay leaf. Puree soup with an immersion blender. Add more vegetable broth if the soup gets too thick. Season with salt + pepper, to taste. Add milk/cream and warm through.

Serve with crumbled blue cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. For a more springtime flavor, skip the blue cheese and serve with lemon juice and chopped mint.

Composing, then composting, the perfect sandwich

I woke up earlier than usual to move my car for street cleaning, the bane of my city-dwelling existence. I had about 10 minutes to spare so I decided to pack a lunch, which is something I’ve been trying to do more often to save money and eat more healthfully. I pulled out all the ingredients to make a Vietnamese sandwich, or “banh mi”: baguette, pickled vegetables, seasoned tofu, cilantro, and Maggi seasoning. I also grabbed some sriracha sauce and homemade chimichurri because they seemed like they would be nice, spicy additions.

I threw the baguette into the toaster to warm it and give it a little extra crunch while I prepped the other ingredients. I washed the cilantro and picked off the leaves. I sliced the tofu to resemble cold cuts. I drained the pickled daikon and carrot. Ready for assembly! Within a few minutes, I had a 4”-high tower of spicy, salty, vegetable-loaded deliciousness. I grabbed some plastic wrap to package it up. And then I heard my sandwich tumble to the floor.

“Shit.” I stood over the mess for a few seconds, in complete disbelief. My beautifully composed banh mi was splattered all over the floor like a drip painting. I considered putting it all back together and taking it for lunch anyway (I adhere to the 20-second rule), but it was pretty scattered. And the sriracha and chimichurri were smeared into the throw rug and across the linoleum. So I grabbed my compost bin and offered my delicious banh mi to the mulch gods. Happy Earth Day to me.

P.S. The banh mi debacle set me back a few minutes, so I literally ran out the door and to my car parked 8 blocks away. The parking police have ticketed me for not moving my car at 7 minutes into the 2-hour window—it’s perfectly legal but completely annoying—so I was desperate to avoid the $60 penalty. When I got to the block where my car was parked, I noticed that no other cars were moved; their windows were still dewy. I checked the signs: “Street Cleaning, 8–10 AM, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month.” Yesterday was the 3rd Tuesday, and today is the FOURTH Wednesday of April. Am I having a bad day?

Sweltering spring

It hit 80 degrees in San Francisco today. The heat, combined with recovering from my sister’s wedding this weekend, made me crave a simple, healthful meal. I made a zucchini ribbon salad and crab-stuffed avocados.




Zucchini ribbon salad

Because this salad is so simple, use the highest-quality ingredients: organic zucchini and lemon if possible, a fruity olive oil that you reserve for eating (not cooking), aged Parmesan, gray salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.

2 medium zucchini
Juice from ½ lemon, ~2 Tbsp
Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt + pepper

Using a vegetable peeler, shave zucchini into long ribbons. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with parmesan shavings. Toss lightly before serving. The longer the salad sits, the more marinated (and soft) the zucchini will be.

Hello, world.

My life revolves around words and food. So here I am, mincing words for mulling over. (You’ll find that I’m not terribly good at mincing words.) Enjoy!