A Dose of Holiday Spirit and Bowl of Tuscan Bean Soup

I believe this past month has finally caught up with me, after blogging daily for National Blog Posting Month, photographing a number of events for the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival last week, and indulging on Thanksgiving evening.

I spent most of my Black Friday getting my house cleaned and back in order. The rain stopped late in the afternoon, so I decided to go over to the Hotel Del to check out the holiday decorations and ice skating rink. This year's theme is Celebrating 125 Years of Holiday Magic and the historic hotel is adorned with classic Victorian decorations, tartan plaid, antique platinum accents, vintage Santas, and 100,000 white lights. It's easy to get absorbed in the holiday spirit wandering around the hotel this time of year. 

This little boy wasn't too happy after his first ice skating attempt...

This one was quite the whiz kid on ice, but then became a little shy when he realized I was taking pictures of him...

The sun was setting when I came back outside after looking at the tree in the lobby, so I walked down by the water to take a few more photos. 

I'm not sure if it was my bike ride home in the rain on Thanksgiving, standing out on the beach last night in the cold, or a combination of both, but I woke up with a sore throat this morning and wasn't up to doing much of anything today. Thankfully, I soaked some beans overnight and was able to throw on a big pot of Tuscan white bean and ham soup, using the Benton's ham hock from Carmen. I added some sautéed onions, carrots, leeks, garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. A rosemary roll and glass of red completed my late afternoon lunch/early dinner, and there's plenty of leftovers to freeze for a few more dinners.

I'm taking a swig of Nyquil and calling it a night. Enjoy the rest of your long weekend and I'll catch you at some point during the week.

Lentil and Sausage Soup for Girls' Night

Day #3 of NaBloPoMo: This is going to be tough, posting every day for the month of November!

Michele and Nina hosted Girls' Night last evening, before all the holiday madness begins. We were invited to bring along a substantial nibble and our good spirits.

Michele has a gorgeous house with a dream kitchen, ideal for entertaining. The dining table was exquisitely adorned with candles, flowers from Wholesale Flowers & Supplies, and uniquely colored pumpkins from Specialty Produce. I especially loved the creative and elegant flower arrangements made with red tulips, eucalyptus, sprigs of white flowers, basil and green onions.

This is a group of women who love to cook and entertain, so our nibbles were amazing. Nina and Michele collaborated on flatbreads with various toppings and cheeses - mushrooms and pine nuts, butternut squash and rosemary, and roasted beets. Nina made a lovely salad with creamy burrata, red and yellow tomatoes, basil, and Italian green olives. There was a wonderful Spanakopita Pie, gooey baked brie in phyllo with raspberry preserves, crudites, muffins, crackers and bread. I made a big pot of lentil and sausage soup. Nina was tending bar as we all arrived. She offered a choice of cocktails depending on our mood - something with sugar, spice and everything nice, or her signature Dark & Stormy. I think most of us were feeling Dark & Stormy. Later, we uncorked the wine and sat around the table telling stories. For dessert, Michele made an outrageously decadent Baked Chocolate Brownie Pudding (with a touch of cayenne added to the batter), served with Talenti Sicilian Pistachio and/or Tahitian Vanilla Bean gelato, and one of her family's special occasion desserts, Mil Hojas, also known as Thousand Layers Cake. Everything, especially the company, was over the top!

I should have brought my camera because my iPhone photos just don't do justice to the gorgeous spread:

SOUP'S ON!

I recently purchased a package of heirloom lentils from a quaint little market called Stehly Farm Market, knowing I wanted to make a lentil soup. I started with Ina Garten's recipe for Lentil Sausage Soup from Barefoot in Paris. I consulted some similar recipes, as well as my trusted Flavor Bible. Ina calls for French green lentils, such as du Puy (supposedly the most flavorful), but you can also use Spanish Pardina lentils or a blend like I did. She uses kielbasa sausage; I used Linguica. You can use any type of smoked sausage, Italian sausage, or bacon. If you wish to make homemade chicken stock, or have some on hand, the soup will be even better. I used 2 quarts Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock and 1 quart of water. I like a bit of heat, and added some red pepper flakes. If you are using spicy sausage, you may wish to omit. I reduced the quantities of onion and leeks and added an extra clove of garlic. I added a bay leaf, omitted the cumin, and used balsamic instead of red wine vinegar. In the preparation, I sauteed the sausage to get it a little brown, render some of the fat and flavor the vegetables more. I also reduced the cooking time slightly so the lentils and vegetables wouldn't get too mushy. I didn't this time, but you could toss in a few handfuls of chopped kale, Swiss chard or spinach toward the end of the cooking.

I admire bloggers who have the time and patience to take step by step photos during preparation. I usually give up after the initial ingredient shots. Sorry, no photos of sauteed vegetables or simmering soup today...

"Chicken Scratch" Lentils

There's lots of chopping and slicing going on!

Lentil and Sausage Soup
Adapted from Barefoot in Paris
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 pound Spanish Pardina lentils, or French de Puy lentils, small stones removed, rinsed (I used a blend of heirloom lentils called "Chicken Scratch")
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 pound smoked sausage (kielbasa, linguiça, or andouille), cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick
3 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions
2 cups coarsely chopped leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed well and drained
3 large cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
3 cups thinly sliced celery
3 cups medium diced carrots
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 quarts (8 cups) low-sodium chicken stock (I used Kitchen Basics)
1 quart (4 cups) water
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Preparation:

Put the lentils into a colander and rinse well under cold water. Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the sausage until it just starts to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, thyme, and bay leaf to the pan and saute for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and saute for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Add drained lentils, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Return the sausage to the pot and add the balsamic vinegar. Simmer another 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Leftover soup freezes well.

***

Baby, it's Beginning to Feel a Little Cool Outside: Black Bean & Bacon Soup with Roasted Chiles and Toasted Pepitas

As I sit at my desk and write this post, the sky is gray and gloomy and the leaves on the two big trees in my yard are finally starting to turn. The owner of my cottage advised me these trees will be cut down next month because the roots are lifting and damaging the wall surrounding the yard. I'm not very happy because they provide nice shade and privacy.

I do like that it's getting chilly at night so I can curl up on the couch in the evenings with a soft, furry throw and then snuggle under my down comforter when I go to bed. I still leave most of the windows open at night and like waking up to the sound of the fog horns or Trapper snoring just outside the patio door. He refuses to sleep inside. It's not warm at all in the house, but I guess he just wants to patrol the yard and sleep in the cooler night air. Every once in a while, usually around 2 a.m., he lets out a few deep barks and then goes back to sleep.

Cooler weather means soup weather. While sipping my coffee yesterday morning, I looked through all the new issues of Bon Appetit, Saveur and Fine Cooking. Of course, most of the content is now devoted to Thanksgiving and holiday features and recipes, and comfort food. One of my holiday desserts will be the Bourbon-Caramel Pumpkin Tart on the cover of Fine Cooking. Have you seen it? Oh my, that is most definitely on my list. Saveur's Fall Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Kale Chips, and Pomegranate Seeds and Bon Appetit's Wild Rice, Farro and Tangerine Salad are both gorgeous salads for this time of year.

I was in the mood for soup today, and this one started out as Bon Appetit's Black Bean Soup with Roasted Poblano Chiles. It's part of the "Good Health" Thanksgiving Survival Diet, designed to be eaten during the week of Thanksgiving so you don't feel as guilty when indulging on the big day itself. But, since we aren't at that point in time, I was swayed by Dave Lieberman's recipe for Black Bean Soup and had to add some bacon.

The ingredients in the Bon Appetit recipe are few and simple: Low-sodium chicken broth, canned black beans, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, roasted poblano chiles, and a dried ancho chile. Garnishes are crumbled queso fresco cheese, lime wedges, and toasted pepitas. No bacon. Gotta have some bacon.

Start by roasting the poblano chiles, either under the broiler or over gas flame. While the poblanos are roasting, toast the pepitas and ancho chile.

Next, cook the bacon until it starts to render its fat. Add the onion and garlic, and then the poblanos.

Add the remaining ingredients (broth, tomatoes, beans, ancho chile, ketchup, Worcestershire, and cumin) and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Again, I kind of merged Bon Appetit's and Dave Lieberman's recipes together. I did not blend the onions, garlic, tomatoes and ancho chile in a blender. I used a little less chicken broth so I would have a thicker soup. If you want a thinner soup, add more chicken broth or even a cup of beer. Definitely squeeze some lime juice over the top. The toasted pepitas and queso fresco cheese are really nice garnishes. I also nibbled on a few pumpkin flavored tortilla chips.

Black Bean & Bacon Soup with Roasted Poblano Chiles

Adapted from Bon Appetit's recipe, here, and Dave Lieberman's recipe, here

Serves 6

2 poblano chiles

1/4 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1 large dried ancho chile

6 slices thick bacon, sliced crosswise into thin strips

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted, diced tomatoes

2 14.5 ounce cans black beans, drained but not rinsed

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco

Lime wedges

Preheat broiler. Broil poblano chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet, turning occasionally, until blackened, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam 15 minutes. Peel, seed, and finely chop (I prefer to roast the chiles over the gas flame on top of the stove)

Meanwhile, toast the pumpkin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Toast the ancho chile in same skillet until slightly darkened and pliable, about 1 minute; transfer to plate. When the ancho chile is cool enough to handle, cut off the stem and tear open the chile so you can remove the seeds. Discard the stem and seeds. Leave the chile in one or two large pieces and set aside.

Heat a large heavy pot over medium heat and add the bacon. Saute until it starts to render its fat, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the chopped poblano chiles and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, and ancho chile. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat down so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Remove and discard the ancho chile. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve soup topped with crumbled queso fresco, toasted pepitas and lime wedges.

It's now almost 4:00 p.m. and the sun is trying to peek out for a few hours. Must be time to get out and play a few rounds of Jolly Ball with Trapper and then find a glass of wine. Enjoy your evening!

Bon Appetit Cook the Cover: Chicken Khao Soi

Each month, Bon Appetit welcomes readers to Cook the Cover - prepare the dish featured on the magazine's current cover and submit a photo and review. The editors share the photos in a Cook the Cover Facebook album and feature their favorites on The Feed. This may be my new monthly challenge for myself. In the past, I've enjoyed participating in The Daring Kitchen's monthly Daring Bakers and Daring Cooks challenges, and French Fridays with Dorie, but I like new challenges - especially those that will help me improve my food styling and photography.

Bon Appetit's March cover features three bowls of Chicken Khao Soi, a northern Thai inspired soup. When craving Thai food, I usually go to a Thai restaurant rather than preparing it in my own kitchen. I have made variations of Thai chicken or shrimp curry at home, but don't think I've ever made my own curry paste. The Khao Soi paste in this recipe is simple to prepare and has wonderful depth of flavor. In the future, I will use this paste in chicken or shrimp curry recipes in place of a store-bought red curry paste. The toppings add more flavor and texture. I loved the crunch of the bean sprouts and tang of the lime juice (I might even add the juice of a lime directly to the soup when adding the fish sauce and brown sugar). For extra garnish and crunch, I threw on some chopped roasted peanuts. I didn't use chili oil, but that would have added some extra spice to the fairly mild soup. I also like the idea of crispy fried onions or shallots for next time.

Can't wait to see April's cover photo and recipe!

Cook the Cover!
Steelite Craft Collection Bowls and Platter

A simple curry paste gives this northern Thai-inspired soup surprising depth of flavor - Bon Appetit

Ingredients for the Khao Soi Paste

Chiles stemmed and seeded; softening in boiling water

Paste ingredients ready to puree

Vibrant chiles and spices

Khao Soi Paste

Garnishes - I also added some chopped peanuts.

Chicken Khao Soi

Bon Appetit, March 2013

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

Khao Soi Paste

4 large dried New Mexico or guajillo chiles, stemmed, halved, seeded

2 medium shallots, halved

8 garlic cloves

1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro stems

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon curry powder

Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 14-ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, halved lengthwise

1 pound Chinese egg noodles

3 tablespoons (or more) fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)

1 tablespoon (packed) palm sugar or light brown sugar

Kosher salt

Sliced red onion, bean sprouts, cilantro sprigs, crispy fried onions or shallots, chili oil, and lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation:

Khao Soi Paste

Place chiles in a small heatproof bowl, add boiling water to cover, and let soak until softened, 25-30 minutes.

Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid. Purée chiles, shallots, garlic, ginger, cilantro stems, coriander, turmeric, curry powder, and 2 tablespoons soaking liquid in a food processor (I used a Vita-Mix), adding more soaking liquid by tablespoonfuls, if needed (I needed about 6 tablespoons total), until smooth.

Soup

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add khao soi paste; cook, stirring constantly, until slightly darkened, 4-6 minutes. Add coconut milk and broth. Bring to a boil; add chicken. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is fork-tender, 20-25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Let cool slightly; shred meat.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

Add chicken, 3 tablespoons fish sauce, and sugar to soup. Season with salt or more fish sauce, if needed. Divide soup and noodles among bowls and serve with toppings.

***

French Fridays with Dorie: Creamy Cauliflower Soup Sans Cream

This time of year, my Calphalon dutch oven stays out on top of the stove so it is always ready for stews, sauces and soups -- like this week's Creamy Cauliflower Soup. After a 20-minute saute of onions, garlic, celery and thyme, the florets from a head of cauliflower and six cups of chicken broth join in for an additional 20 minutes of simmering. The soup is finished with a quick puree in the Vitamix and served with a choice of various embellishments.  Dorie suggests a drizzle of extra-virgin olive or walnut oil, grated cheese, crushed toasted walnuts, crème fraîche or sour cream, caviar, and/or shaved truffles as optional toppings. I really wanted to go with her bonne idée and turn this into Cauliflower-Mussel Soup, but was too lazy to go hunt down mussels on the way home.

Inspired by a recipe for roasted cauliflower with gremolata (a chopped herb condiment typically made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley), I decided gremolata would make a pretty topping for my soup. I zested a lemon and then took it up a notch by frying parsley leaves and thinly sliced garlic "chips" in peanut oil.  A drizzle of olive oil, piece of crusty bread, and glass of wine sealed the deal.

Cauliflower Soup with Fried Gremolata Garnish

My plating inspiration came from Chef Jason Knibb of Nine-Ten, La Jolla, who was one of the celebrity chefs at this year's Gingerbread City Gala at The Grand Del Mar. I was there to photograph the chefs' dishes and some of the magnificent gingerbread structures. I happened to bring along a few of my favorite bowls in case one of the chefs wanted to do a special plating for the camera, and was thrilled when Jason decided to use one of them for his Chino Farms Pumpkin Soup with Ginger Croquette. I loved how he scattered the garnish around the rim.  Now, just picture Dorie's Cauliflower Soup (adapted to include a touch of cream), my fried gremolata, and a Mussel Croquette or two floating about...!

Plating Inspiration: Chino Farms Pumpkin Soup

Dorie's Creamy Cauliflower Soup was amazingly smooth and 'creamy' without any cream, but toppings are a definite must for added pizazz, flavor and texture. Next time, I may give in to the urge to slip in some cream and/or milk in place of one or more cups of the chicken broth. I do enjoy the richness of a little cream, and may be a bit spoiled after experiencing Thomas Keller's Cream of Cauliflower Soup (Ad Hoc at Home). Keller uses twice as much cauliflower for the same quantity of liquid. Instead of chicken broth, he uses 2 cups milk, 2 cups heavy cream, and 2 cups water; garnishes are beet chips and torn garlic croutons.

***

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group, dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours. As members of the group, we have purchased the cookbook and cook along as much as we can. There is a new recipe each week, and we post about that recipe on Friday. We are asked to refrain from posting the actual recipes on our blog. The book is filled with stunning photography, and personal stories about each recipe, which makes it that much more intriguing. I highly recommend adding it to your cookbook collection if you haven't already!

French Fridays with Dorie, et al: A Comparative Study of French Onion Soup

I wanted to love this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Cheese-Topped Onion Soup - I really did. I know I've eaten a bowl or two of French Onion Soup before, but never had the desire to make it at home. Now that I've made it at home, with less than stellar results, I either need to go back to the drawing board, or fly to France, find a bouchon in Lyon, and taste the real deal...just to make sure I'm not missing the boat.

For such a simple, peasant soup, why are there so many variations? Sweet onions, Spanish onions, yellow onions, red onions; chicken broth, beef broth, beef consomme, beef stock, or a combination thereof, canned broth versus homemade stock; red wine, white wine, sherry, apple cider, vinegar; thyme, bay leaves, parsley, sage, garlic; a splash of Cognac; Gruyère, Comte, Emmental, Fontina...my head is spinning.

After reading Dorie's recipe, and comparing it to several other recipes from favorite chefs and reputable sources, I was most intrigued with Michael Ruhlman's version, from Ruhman's Twenty, because it claimed to be a traditional onion soup, like those served at bouchon, a specific style of bistro in Lyon, France. Michael warns against using stock or broth, even homemade, because it changes the soup completely—transforming it into beef-onion soup or chicken-onion soup..."At a bouchon, and indeed at most peasant households, a time-consuming and costly stock would not be used for onion soup. Onions and a splash of wine for seasoning and a crust of bread with some cheese melted on it—that is all you need to make a fine soup with a pure caramelized onion flavor."

My first homemade French Onion Soup

So, I sloooowly caramelized the onions as directed. FIVE hours to sloooowly caramelize SEVEN onions. You can speed up the process by simmering the onions over higher heat, but you need to tend the pot and stir often. Obviously, I had nothing better to do with my Saturday. I also used Spanish onions and sherry, as recommended. No stock,  just water, and I didn't use any fresh herbs or garlic. After tasting, I did feel the soup was too sweet, and added the optional vinegar. I also desired a little more depth, and added the optional splash of red wine. Michael prefers the onion-to-liquid ratio with 6 cups of water, but I opted for a more delicate soup, and added the additional cup of water.

Beautiful Onions

Beautiful sliced onions, that take FIVE hours to sloooowly caramelize

I used a nice country-style bread, toasted and cut to fit the top of my lion's-head soup bowls (love these bowls), grated Gruyère, and a last-minute rebellious sprinkling of thyme leaves over the top. I was all set to enjoy this fine soup with a pure caramelized onion flavor.

The top half of the soup was fine, but as soon as I ran out of nutty, cheesy bread to accompany the remaining heap of onions soaking in an inadequate amount of caramelized onion-flavored water, I was done. A heap of sweet onions just didn't do it for me.

The next day, I attempted to revitalize the leftover soup (i.e., heap of sweet, caramelized onions remaining in the pan). This time, I sauteed the onions a little longer with garlic, added some chicken broth and white wine, let it simmer, and finished it with a touch of Cognac, following Dorie's recipe.

Sorry, Dorie, I still couldn't get beyond that top half of the bowl. When I ran out of bread and cheese, it was over. Maybe I'm just not a French Onion Soup kind of gal, but I'll reserve judgment until I try Keller's Soupe a L'Oignon from his Bouchon cookbook, because it really does sound amazing the way he describes it. From my reading and comparative research, I tend to think this soup needs the richness of homemade (not canned) beef stock to balance the sweetness of the onions. I'll switch to yellow onions, and use a splash of red wine or vinegar, a few sprigs of thyme, and a bay leaf. Stay tuned. 

Out of the French Onion Soup recipes I compared, Dorie's recipe is the only one with chicken broth, and Michael Ruhlman's is the only one with water (Keller uses homemade beef stock, but says it's okay to use vegetable or chicken stock, or even water, but never canned broth). Here's my comparison table of the key ingredients (all of the chefs use a bit of butter to start caramelizing the onions, salt and pepper, and either a baguette or country-style bread for the crouton).

CHEFS	ONIONS	BROTH/ STOCK	WINE/ VINEGAR	GARLIC/ HERBS	CHEESE
DORIE GREENSPAN	Spanish (White)	Chicken broth	White wine, splash of Cognac	Garlic	Gruyere
JULIA CHILD	Yellow	Beef stock	Sherry	Parsley, thyme, bay leaves, garlic	Gruyere and Parmesan
THOMAS KELLER	Yellow	Beef stock	Sherry wine vinegar	Bay leaves, thyme	Comte
TYLER FLORENCE	(Type not specified)	Beef broth	Red wine	Garlic, bay leaves, thyme, parsley	Gruyere
ALTON BROWN	Sweet (Vidalia)	Combo beef consomme, chicken broth, and apple cider	White wine, splash of Cognac	Thyme, bay leaves, parsley	Fontina or Gruyere
MICHAEL RUHLMAN	Spanish (White)	Water	Sherry; optional red or white wine vinegar and/or red wine	None	Gruyere or Emmenthal
GOURMET	(Type not specified)	Combo Beef broth and water	White wine	Thyme, bay leaves	Gruyere, Comte, or Emmental and Parmesan
BON APPETIT	Type not specified	Combo chicken broth and beef broth	White wine	Garlic	Swiss and Parmesan
COOK’S ILLUSTRATED	Yellow	Combo chicken and beef broth	Sherry	Thyme, bay leaf	Gruyere
SAVEUR (PATRICIA WELLS)	Yellow (Oven braise 1 hour, 45 min)	Beef stock	White wine and sherry	Parsley, thyme, bay leaves, garlic	Gruyere and Parmesan

***

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group, dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s newest book Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours. As members of the group, we have purchased the cookbook and cook along as much as we can. There is a new recipe each week, and we post about that recipe on Friday. We are asked to refrain from posting the actual recipes on our blog. The book is filled with stunning photography, and personal stories about each recipe, which makes it that much more intriguing. I highly recommend adding it to your cookbook collection if you haven't already!

Horses, Barns and Soups

During our stay at The Home Ranch, on a very cold, but relaxing morning, we bundled up, left the warmth of the lodge, and walked down the driveway to the pasture and barn. The youngsters were particularly curious, and willing to lose their space around the hay feeder to come say hello. This yearling followed me around like a puppy dog, and insisted on nibbling at my jacket every time I tried to take a picture.

John had his own little romance going on a few feet away...

We could have spent hours in the old barn, photographing the weathered wood, windows, rusty hardware, chaps and hats hanging on the walls, and tack.

These are two of my favorite necklaces, made by Jodi Rosano out of her home here in San Diego.  She uses tips from naturally shed antlers, shells, crystals from antique chandeliers, gemstones, pearls, and antique chains, to create her pieces.   Jodi's tag line is Glamour Comes to the Ranch, so I thought it would be fun to photograph my necklaces in the barn.

After having our gloves off for an hour, our hands were numb and it was time to gather in the dining room for a bowl of hot soup. At least two different homemade soups were offered for lunch every day, in addition to salads, hot entrees, and dessert.

Since we've back from the ranch, I've made a couple of big pots of soup for us and mom. Last weekend, I tried Dave Lieberman's Split Pea with Smoked Ham Hock Soup (with Whole Foods' Wellshire Smoked Ham Shank), and Azorean Kale, Sausage and Bean Soup, from David Leite's My New Portuguese Table. Both soups warm you right up, are ideal for a quick lunch or dinner this time of year, and freeze well. If you have enough freezer space, make double batches!

I made some slight changes to this soup, using cannellini beans instead of kidney beans, and chicken broth instead of beef. David adds an additional step to give the soup a little extra body. While the soup is simmering, he suggests spooning a third of the beans and a bit of the soup broth into a food processor, pulsing to make a loose paste, then, if desired, passing the paste through a sieve, and adding the paste back to the soup. I was lazy and omitted this step, but I'm sure it does add body and creaminess.  The original recipe is published here.

Azorean Kale, Chorizo and Cannellini Bean Soup
Adapted slightly from The New Portuguese Table, by David Leite
(8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 pound dried cannellini beans, picked over, rinsed, and soaked overnight in water to cover by 3 inches
2 tablespoons olive oil, or more if needed
8 ounces chouriço, linguiça, or dry-cured smoked Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch coins
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 Turkish bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups homemade chicken stock, or low-sodium store bought broth
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 bunch kale (about 1/2 pound), thick center stems and fibrous veins removed, torn into pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Drain the beans, dump them into a medium saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender but still hold their shape, about 45 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Toss in the chorizo and saute until browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the slices with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pot, or if the pot is dry, drizzle in more oil so you have 3 tablespoons. Add the onions and bay leaf and cook, stirring often, until the onions are deeply golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to prevent the onions from burning.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock and 5 cups of water, add the potatoes, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are just tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

When the potatoes are cooked, stir in the kale, chorizo, and beans. Turn off the heat and let the soup sit for 10 minutes to marry the flavors.

Remove the bay leaf, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, and ladle into warm bowls.

Serve with crusty bread and a nice bottle of wine.