Cafe Cannibal, Paris

Monday, again. Another opportunity to start life on the right foot! After a Sunday of too much caffeine, I decided to begin my weekly chores last night. With the BBC’s production of Pride and Prejudice in the background, I managed to do most of the household chores, plan the menu for the week, and even cook a couple of things. Spring is in the air and I hope to either spend more time in the garden or zip up to Oakland in the afternoon. Either will be a very pleasant diversion from my current work load!

Menu for the week: Carte pour la semaine:

~White bean soup with prosciutto and sage

~Beef and chickpea stew

~Early Spring Vegetable Frittata 

~Chicken liver salad

~A pot of beans!

~Oatmeal cookies

White Bean Soup with Prosciutto and Sage

1. 2 cups dried cannellini beans
2. 2 cloves garlic
3. 1 leek, cleaned and sliced into thin rounds
4. 1/2 lb. prosciutto, coarsely chopped
5. 1 cup tinned tomatoes, pureéd
6. 1/2 cup fresh sage
7. Salt
8. Parmesan cheese

• Place the dried cannellini beans in a soup pot with 8 cups of water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer
• In a sauté pan, slowly cook the garlic and olive oil in 2 tablespoons olive oil
• When the garlic and leeks are lightly browned, add the prosciutto and quickly cook through. Set aside
• Check the beans regularly making sure they have plenty of water.
• When the beans are cooked thoroughly, in about 2 hours, add the garlic mix, pureéd tomatoes, and sage.
• Cook for another 25 minutes, salt to taste.

NB: Omit the prosciutto and you have a very flavorful vegetarian soup!

This soup is delicious served with Parmesan cheese and a crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Planning and organizing are second nature to me. Lately, between a handful of jobs and a 2 1/2 year old that has stopped napping, my world comes to a grinding halt if I am not prepared. For years I struggled with a partner whose effusive, charming, and spontaneous energy overwhelmed my daily life. I always felt as if there was something seriously lacking in my nature because it was so very hard to accomplish the simplest of tasks. Although spontaneity is a wonderful state of mind, sometimes planning is necessary to accomplishing the smallest of goals. If you are a creative and self employed individual with varied interests, planning and organizing are guiding lights that add structure to your life and allow you to somehow squeeze it all in. I am amazed at my current level of productivity and, for the first time in a very long time, all the different parts of me are solidly unifying. So don’t let anyone call you uptight, stand proud besides your lists and post-its!

Every week I make a pot of beans, one soup, some kind of chicken stew or pasta sauce, and a batch of scones or quick bread. It does sound like a lot for two people but between my daughter’s voracious appetite and friends who stop by, everything always gets eaten! And in a pinch, all I have to worry about is quickly preparing some vegetables. The last few days have been cold and very damp so I decided to make my favorite spiced chickpea and lentil soup. Always a welcome treat on cold days.

Obama Soup

1. 3 cups cooked chickpeas
2. 1 1/2 cups orange lentils
3. 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
4. 2 carrots, cut in half length wise and finely sliced
5. 3 celery stalks, cut in thirds lengthwise and finely sliced
6. 1 clove of garlic
7. 1 bay leaf
8. 6 cups chicken broth
9. 4 cups water, or liquid from cooked chickpeas
10. 1 cup tinned tomatoes
11. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
12. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
13. 1 teaspoon tumeric

• Cook the chickpeas according to instructions on the package
• In a soup pot place 2 tablespoons olive oil and the onion and cook slowly.
• When the onion is soft, add the carrots and celery. Cook until soft and lightly browned.
• Add the garlic, lentils, bay leaf and  chicken broth and water.
• Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 25 minutes.
• Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and all the spices.
• Simmer for about 45 minutes 
• Use a bean masher (ricer to the rest of the world) to mash all the ingredients for a thicker soup.
• Salt to taste.

I like to serve this soup with a dollop of plain yogurt, chopped cilantro, and crusty bread. The spice and texture of this soup create a hearty and satisfying meal on a cold gray day.

NB: This is a wonderful vegetarian soup, simply omit the chicken broth and cook the chickpeas in plenty of water. The chickpeas and their broth can become the base onto which to build this soup.