Post-Cleanse!

Easing yourself into solid foods after a juice cleanse is just as important as easing yourself off them beforehand. For lunch I made a salad and this broth with kale, yams, and red lentils. I added in a big chunk of fresh ginger, garlic, bay, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and a healthy dose of cayenne, and I cooked it until everything was nice and soft. Even after only three days of juicing, it was so exciting to have something savory and (semi) solid!!!

Lentil Soup

I saw lentil soup on another blog recently and decided I should make some. I improvised mine- first I made some veggie stock (carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, bay, peppercorns), then I cooked lentils in it along with some more carrots, celery, and onion, puréed about 2/3 of that, and added the rest back in for texture. I had it with some whole grain bread from Acme, and it really hit the spot!

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Piper whipped up this tomato soup for us after a couple of hours of romping in the snow; I made some grilled cheese using her beautiful homemade bread to go with it. (Bourbon hot chocolate not pictured.) What a perfect snow day lunch!

Fava Bean and Cucumber Soup

I had this at Moro when I was in London this summer, and now that I have their cookbook I've been dying to make it myself. It was just as delicious as I remembered and surprisingly easy to make. We made it with fresh fava beans instead of the dry ones in the recipe, which made it even quicker to put together.

Hopple Popple

A childhood favorite, and the perfect thing for recovering from strep throat this week: split pea soup with hot dogs. Recipe here.

Chickpea, Pasta and Tomato "Soup"

Another not-so-soupy dish from River Cafe (courtesy of Erik), but much prettier this time.

Borlotti Bean Soup with Papardelle

I have to admit that this River Cafe dish is probably the least appetizing-looking thing I have ever cooked. The picture really doesn't do it justice- it is sort of a vomit-gray paste with pasta. In order to make it more soup-like, we added a bit of pasta water, and have dressed it up here with some olive oil and herbs. In spite of its appearance, it was rather tasty. I think if I made it again I would fry the pancetta first (instead of boiling it and pureeing it), and leave the beans whole (instead of pureeing them with everything else), and serve everything tossed together as more of a pasta dish than a "soup" (which this was not exactly anyways).

Jamie's Goulash

Jamie Oliver has a new show on the Food Network!!! It's all about using fresh produce, straight from the garden (or, in my case, the farmer's market). You know, even if he wasn't kind of cute, and even if he didn't make cooking look like a walk in the park, I would watch his shows because his producers make his food look GORGEOUS. Seriously, it is like pornography! Everything just glistens and the colors are brilliant, and you just salivate watching it. Or maybe that's just me. I'm a little jealous of the Brits, who are currently getting to watch Jamie's other recent effort, "Jamie's Fowl Dinners," which is about where our poultry comes from. What a guy!


Anyways, the show premiered this week with an episode devoted to chilis and peppers, and this is one of the recipes that was demonstrated. Goulash seems perfect for the cold, rainy days we've been having, so I thought I'd give it a go. I cut the recipe in half because I was only cooking for two of us, but we still have leftovers. I think it came out delicious, but I would add more of just about everything except water next time; it was a little runny, and a little bland. Also, I served it over egg noodles, which seems appropriately Eastern European, but Jamie recommends rice. I think a spaetzel would also be really good, but I was feeling lazy.

4 1/4 pounds pork shoulder off the bone, in 1 piece, skin off, fat left on
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 fresh red chiles, seeded and finely chopped
2 generous heaping tablespoons mild smoked paprika, plus a little extra for serving
2 teaspoons ground caraway seeds
Small bunch fresh marjoram or oregano, leaves picked
5 bell peppers (use a mixture of colors), sliced
1 (10-ounce) jar grilled peppers, drained, peeled and chopped
1 (14-ounce) can good quality plum tomatoes
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
14 ounces basmati or long-grain rice, washed
2/3 cup sour cream
1 lemon, zested
Small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Score the fat on the pork in a criss-cross pattern all the way through to the meat, then season generously with salt and pepper. Pour a good glug of olive oil into a deep, ovenproof pot and add the pork, fat side down. Cook for about 15 minutes on a medium heat, to render out the fat, then remove the pork from the pot and put it aside.

Add the onions, chili, paprika, caraway seeds, marjoram or oregano and a good pinch of salt and pepper to the pot. Turn the heat down and gently cook the onions for 10 minutes, then add the sliced peppers, the grilled peppers and the tomatoes. Put the pork back into the pot, give everything a little shake, then pour in enough water to just cover the meat. Add the vinegar - this will give it a nice little twang. Bring to the boil, put the lid on top, then place in the preheated oven for 3 hours.

You'll know when the meat is cooked as it will be tender, and will break up easily when pulled apart with 2 forks. If it's not quite there yet, put the pot back into the oven and just be patient for a little longer!

Stir the sour cream, lemon zest and most of the parsley together in a little bowl. When the meat is done, take the pot out of the oven and taste the goulash. You're after a balance of sweetness from the peppers and spiciness from the caraway seeds. Tear or break the meat up and serve the goulash in a big dish or bowl, with steaming rice and your flavored sour cream.

Chicken Soup

This recipe is from "The New Basics Cookbook." It's perfect for a cold day. I've added some fennel, and I think it would be nice with mushrooms if you wanted to add them at the end. I also set aside a couple of diced carrots to throw in at the end. I recommend serving this with either rice or noodles.


1 chicken (4 lbs)
2 large onions, halved
4 whole cloves
4 ribs celery, with leavs
4 carrots, peeled
3 parsnips, peeled
3 cloves garlic
1 small bulb fennel, quartered
6 sprigs dill
6 sprigs parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 quarts water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 1/2 C cooked peas
1/4 C chopped fresh dill
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs chopped fennel fronds
1 C chopped carrots


Rinse the chicken well and ploace in a large soup pot. Stud each onion half with a clove and add them to the pot along with the celery, whole carrots, parsnips, fennel, garlic, dill and parsley sprigs, and salt and pepper. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for two hours. Occasionally skim off any foam that forms on top.

Remove the chicken from the soup and allow it to cool. Strain the soup, discarding the vegetables, and return the liquid to the pot. Add the bouillon cube and adjust the seasonings. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat. Set aside.

Cook the rice or noodles in the broth with the diced carrots. Before serving, stir in the chicken and the peas, chopped dill, parsley, and fennel. Heat through and serve.

Roasted Winter Squash Soup

This soup is like autumn in a bowl! I like to use a variety of squashes, but you could make this with just Butternut or Acorn, if you can't find the others.


2 medium Sweet Dumpling squashes
2 medium Butternut squashes
1 medium Sugar pumpkin (plus four to serve in)
2 large carrots, chopped
4 small parsnips, chopped
1/4 C butter, softened
1/4 C brown sugar
1 onion, sliced
4 5 cloves of garlic, halved
8 C chicken stock
2 C white wine
1/2 C half and half
Salt and pepper
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp sage
2 Tbs chopped chives
Creme fraiche

Cut the squashes in half and remove the seeds. Place cut-side up in two roasting pans, and fill the cavities with the butter and brown sugar. Rub a little butter on the cut flesh of the squash as well. Surround the squashes with the garlic, onions, parsnips, carrots, and sage. Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper. Pour a half cup of wine and a half cup of stock over each of the pans, and cover with foil. Bake for about a 45 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the vegetables and squash are soft.


Scoop the flesh out of the squashes and discard the skins. Put the flesh in a large pot with the rest of the vegetables and the remaining liquids. Add the allspice, and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree in a blender (or with a hand-held blender) and serve with a spoonful of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chives.

Hopple Popple (Split Pea Soup)

When I was a kid, my mom travelled a lot for business, and she would sometimes leave my dad and I with a pot of split pea soup to eat. My dad would serve it to me with cut up hot dogs in it, and he called it "Hopple Popple." Now that I'm all grown up, I still like hot dogs in my pea soup, but you could just as easily add ham, or just leave the meat out all together.

1 lb dried split peas
1 C chopped carrots
1 C diced potatoes
1 C chopped celery
8 C chicken or vegetable stock
1 small onion, diced
2 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper

Cook the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour, or until all the vegetables are very soft. Puree in a blender or food processor. Serve with sliced hot dogs.