Weather, Soup Season and Edamame Wonton Soup

Here in Denver, the local news pretty much covers two subjects: the weather and the Broncos. Sure, there might be a report on a random act of violence or a political clip. Maybe you'll tune in when there's a rescue story of a cat who was stuck in a tree (isn't there always one of those), but a good deal of the news coverage in this part of Colorado is dedicated to the weather and football. My husband and I joke that even in the off-season, Broncos coverage hardly wanes, and you'll find out everything you ever needed to know about training camp, recaps of last season and projections for the upcoming one. This is Broncos country and it's close to a religion here. After the Broncos, people want to know about the weather. 
Now I'm hardly a meteorologist, but I too find myself obsessing about the weather. The fluctuation in temperature this time of year is something particular to this part of the country. Since Denver is "high dessert" you might start a morning jog in a parka, spend lunch in a t-shirt, and then crave a big bowl of soup as the temperature drops like a stone once the sun goes down. But during the day it's usually around 50 or 60 degrees, 
and it can feel warm because of the high elevation and the strong sun. That means you can spend a lot of time outdoors. 

That said, the Fahrenheit dips pretty low at night. And all this back-and-forth, up-and-down makes me a bit sniffly. That's when I start craving soup...often, and almost daily. 
So I've stared making a list of the soups I'll be making this month: Mark Bittman's mushroom barley is looking good, so does this one for broccoli-cheddar, and of course I will get a big pot of pesto-minestrone going next week. I've dusted off my copy of Love Soup and I'm looking through it to see what is calling my name...
But I stared my soup season with this edamame wonton soup from The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. (It's worth buying. Yes, it's that good.)

I made this soup a few weeks ago and revisited it again today. I used mushroom stock last time, and this time around I used a good quality vegetable stock (but not low-sodium like the recipe suggests). But play around with this recipe. I think there are lots of possibilities.
Enjoy this one on a chilly autumn night...and happy soup season!
xo

Edamame Wonton Soup (Courtesy of The Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte,© 2012.) 

Ingredients

Wontons

• 4 green onions, white and green parts, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups shelled edamame, cooked and drained
• 2 tablespoons regular or vegan sour cream
• Dash of hot sauce (I used sriracha)
• 40 round wonton wrappers

Broth

• 4 cups mushroom or low-sodium vegetable broth (I used a non-low-sodium, so I diluted it with 1 cup of water)
• 1 lemongrass stalk
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
• Microgreens or pea shoots, for garnish

Instructions

Combine the green onions, sesame oil, basil, edamame, sour cream, and hot sauce in a food processor. Process to a puree.  

• On a lightly floured work surface, place a heaping tablespoonful of the edamame filling in the center of a wonton wrapper.
• Use your finger to wipe a bit of water around the edge of the wrapper. 

   

• Place another wonton wrapper on top of the filling and press down along the edges to adhere. 
• Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. 

       

• To make the broth, warm the mushroom broth in a pot over medium-low heat. 
• Pound the lemongrass with the back of a heavy knife to release its oils and discard the tough outer layer. 

                      

• Mince the inner, pale portion of the bottom of the stalk and add it to the broth along with the mirin and soy sauce. 
• Gently simmer for 10 minutes to combine the flavors. 
• Cover and turn the heat to low to keep warm. 
• Add enough of the broth to a saucepan to cover the bottom, about 1 cup, and add a single layer of wontons (you will probably need to do this in two batches). 
• Cover and steam over medium-low heat until the wontons are warmed, about 2 minutes. 
• To serve, divide the wontons among four shallow bowls and pour about ½ cup of the remaining broth on top. 

• Garnish with a sprinkle of the toasted sesame seeds and sprouts and serve hot.

A great variation to this recipe can be found on Love and Lemons here.

In Instagram: Denver Arts Week (Saturday Night at the Museum)

Before Otis and before Theo, there was a couple- there was us. (Well, there was Omar too- he's our beloved 14 1/2 year old Rottweiler.)Matt and I have been married for 4 years and this year our anniversary coincides with Denver Arts Week. It's the perfect way for us to celebrate.
Since the weather has been spectacular we thought, that in addition to Arts Week activities, a little walking tour of LoDo might be nice too. 

Larimer Square

Old and new...

I took these photos on my phone and ran them through the Instagram filters because I wanted to memorialize the day (and not drag around my real camera). I have to tell you, I'm surprised the camera on my iPhone even works. A few months ago Theodore was smiling and clapping his hands. I waved to him from the other side of the yard where I was gardening with Otis. Then Theo moseyed over to the outdoor lounge chair-- the one with a cup holder which is where I had placed my cell phone-- and yelled the word "hone"(no 'p')before taking the phone and hurling it across the cement driveway. Some shattering ensued. My phone does not look all that great, but I've come to the conclusion that it's probably best to wait until our boys are at least in 1st grade before I purchase/replace anything of value...and for now, I can still take a few decent pictures with my broken phone.

Okay, back to the weekend.

Denver Arts Week is a week long celebration of arts and culture in the city, and it runs from November 2nd-10th. We secured a babysitter for Saturday night and hit the town. The city's museums were open to the public without charge, and shuttle buses took us where we wanted to go. (This event is called "Saturday Night at the Museum" and you should *totally* put it on your calendar for next year.)
There were lots of museums to choose from, but we settled on the Clyfford Still Museum, which is one of my favorites and my husband had yet to visit. I was toying with the idea of going to the Kirkland Museum (Cherner chairs, yes please!) because children under 13 aren't allowed and this would have been a perfect time to go (as we were sans children). But we spent so much time at Still and still (whoops, no pun intended) had to shuttle over to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is on the other side of town and a few blocks away from where we were going to have our anniversary dinner.

"Redacted"-- yes, I have experience with this...

After our museum-hop it was time to eat. We had 9 p.m. reservations and I was hungry! 
When we got to ChoLon, a fantastic modern Asian bistro, it was jam packed. We gave the hostess our names (I got my OpenTable points), and went over to the bar for some pre-meal cocktails. The meal itself was delicious: Soup Dumplings (with french onion and Gruyere), Mushroom & Asparagus Salad (with sous vide oyster mushrooms and a truffle soy vinaigrette), fried rice (with dried pineapple, tofu and a poached egg), and Kaya Toasts (which have been written up here). My husband ordered some meat plates. 
We both agreed that it was a perfect way to spend the day and the night... 
On Sunday we took the boys to the Van Gogh exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. Tickets were sold out for the day, but I ordered the tickets in advance. Good move. The exhibit was beautiful and thematic, and I may have to go back just one more time before it leaves Denver in January. 

It was a high art, high culture sort of weekend. It was so much fun! 

What are your favorite spots for art in Denver? Or in your own hometown?

And here's some miscellany for you...

I love this print.
And this breakfast. Which I top with fantastic green chili.
I'm picking up this tote.
If you find yourself in Denver, definitely check this out (and get tickets in advance. Weekend slots get sold out.)
I think this pie looks divine. (Thanks to this blog for putting me on to it.)
Can you ever have too many radios...
or too many cookbooks...
or too many aprons.
If you are a parent, or just like children's books, this is hilarious.
I plan to read this next.
And if you want to do something nice for a stranger, this is how you can.

When In Rome: Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper)

I think I've mentioned this before, but there's a Murray's Cheese Bar in my local supermarket! One of my favorite cheese shops from Greenwich Village (which is where I lived during my college years) has a little outpost here in Denver and I've been eating a good deal of high-quality cheese over the past few weeks. Bulgarian Feta, Broncocci, Manchego, smoked Gouda, for example. Anyway, this week I picked up some Cacio de Roma and Pecorino Romano for Cacio e Pepe (literally cheese and pepper), a classic Roman dish. 

The pasta is tasty, its minimal ingredients are simple, and it's easy to make. You can prepare this dish in under 15 minutes. Cacio e Pepe is unpretentious, unambitious, but still entirely delicious. 

Making the ubiquitous Roman dish reminded me of Italy, which is where I vacationed in 2006 during a layover after visiting the Middle East. It was a lifetime ago- before marriage, before Otis, before Theo, and before Colorado... 

On that trip I walked and ate, and the walked some more. The city of Rome is really one of a kind.

I dined at cozy, dim-lit restaurants, but had my fare share of street food too. I ate amazing tiramisu, roasted chestnuts, wonderful bread and drank fabulous wine too. Of course I am a semolina junkie, so I consumed one bowl of pasta after the other. I mean, how could I not? But back to Cacio e Pepe...

The first time I had Cacio e Pepe it was served in a hollowed out Parmesan wheel. I wondered how the wheel was cleaned for re-use and the general sanitariness of it all, but after a bottle of red wine I didn't really care anymore. It was good, good, good. 

I found myself craving it last night after looking through my travel pictures. I had good quality pasta in my pantry, olive oil, freshly cracked black pepper, Pecorino Romano and Cacio de Roma, thanks to Murray's. Dinner was on. 

So here it is. I promise you that one bite of this will have you conjuring up images of the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica. It's a classic and when it's made right (with high quality ingredients) it's makes the perfect dinner. Bon Appetito!

Cheese and Pepper: Cacio e Pepe 

(Courtesy of Saveur Magazine, from Anya von Bremzen's "Eternal Pleasures," April 2010.)


Serves 4.


Ingredients

Kosher salt, to taste

1 lb. pasta, preferably tonnarelli or thin spaghetti (you could use vermicelli too)


4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil


2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste


1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano


3⁄4 cup finely grated Cacio de Roma (some recipes use Grana Padano or Parmesan)


Directions

 Bring a 6-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. 

Add pasta; cook until al dente, 8–10 minutes; reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain pasta.  

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  

Add pepper;cook until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. 

Ladle 3⁄4 cup pasta water into skillet; bring to a boil. 

Using tongs, transfer pasta to skillet; spread it evenly. 

Sprinkle 3⁄4 cup each Pecorino Romano and Cacio de Roma over pasta; toss vigorously to 

combine until sauce is creamy and clings to the pasta without clumping, about 2 minutes, 

adding some pasta water if necessary. 

 Transfer to 4 plates and sprinkle with remaining Pecorino and more pepper.

Pairing Note: A medium-bodied Sangiovese, like the 2005 Brancaia Tre Toscana ($21), 

will complement this dish's peppery notes. — David Rosengarten