I’ve been so scattered lately that cooking has gone south. I haven’t made a decent dinner in days! Miss it. But getting started on various new projects and a part-time job, plus having a very bad cold last weekend (not so happy Fourth of July) has had me down.
Coming soon: A cold soup for summer suppers or as a palate cleanser for a special company dinner. I’m working on this one. More on mangoes. Fat-and-calorie-saving ideas. Whatever pops into my head.
New cookbook to check out: The Hawaii Farmers Market Cookbook, Vol. 2. You can find the cookbook at local bookstores and at farmers markets organized by the Hawaii Farm Bureau (KCC, Blaisdell, Kailua, Mililani, Keauhou, Kino’ole, Kaua’i Community; see www.hbfb.org/farmersmarkets.html). Joan Namkoong edited in her usual masterly fashion; well-known local chefs developed recipes for locally grown products from produce to meats, herbs and fish.
Lots of interesting ideas, nothing too fancy or sophisticated for the home cook. (And boy! Has Sam Choy lost a lot of weight!)
I’ve only done two soups, but the one that always works really well is the one you taught me, the chilled zucchini bisque with floating shrimps. I don’t know that it’s a “palate cleanser”, more a smooth, savory heart attack in a bowl! You gotta love starting with heavy cream, but after a stroke, it makes sense to love it only as a memory.
I still try to make gazpacho every summer. I’ve been happy with every batch, Larkin isn’t as easy to please.
Van
Uh, that’s only two *cold* soups.