From My Hands to Your Face (What’s For Dinner, pt. I)

There has been a running pseudo-conversation between myself and my lovely girlfriend where I make her some form of elaborately plated dinner, she takes a picture of it and says something to the effect of “Oh, you should do a guest spot on my blog about food.” This, of course, leaves me scoffing since I have no particular expertise in food, besides having held a few bakery/cafe positions. I started thinking, however, that it seems to be of very little importance what one’s credentials are for posting things online and that perhaps I am just as qualified as any of the other food bloggers out there to make and photograph tasty food. Regardless, I decided to give it a trial run here before any sort of debut on the big stage of the crafty blog world. I’ll give a simple recipe, basic instructions and then let the photos do the talking. Here goes!

Presenting:

Cream of Asparagus Soup with Grilled Pastrami and Swiss Sandwich

What you need:

Soup

• 1lb of asparagus (one bunch)
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 large shallot (or, if you prefer, some form of onion)
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme, 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (for these, I bought a “fresh poultry pack” and just borrowed from it, leaving me with extra fresh herbs … always good)
• 2 Tbs of butter
• 5 cups chicken or veggie stock (I used bullion cubes and they were fine)
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• Pinch (maybe 1/4 tsp – really just to taste) of salt, pepper, celery seed, cayenne pepper, paprika (mainly for garnish) and, if you’re feeling adventurous, the tiniest pinch of nutmeg

• 1 loaf of a nice sourdough or other such loaf (mine was a “piccolo como”) – something in a paper bag should do you well
• About 1/4 lb of sliced swiss cheese, preferably from the guy behind the deli counter
• Pastrami! The specifics aren’t important, although higher quality meat will taste, well, higher quality.

How It’s Done

• Start your stock. Since I used bullion, I brought 5 C water to a boil and then added my cubes, stirred them in and then used a paper tea bag to infuse the fresh herbs into the stock (this way you don’t have to worry about picking stems out of boiling soup).
• Chop! Slice your asparagus into 1/2 in. pieces, your shallot/onions into thin slices, your carrot into fairly thin half moons and your celery into, you know, celery-shaped slices. It isn’t horribly important how you break down your veg since it’s going to be blended in the end – just whatever you like for sauteing.
• In a good sized pot (4 qt, give or take) melt your butter and toss in the onions and carrots. Let these cook down for a little bit before adding asparagus and celery. Add the dry herbs/spices or, if you prefer, you can add them after you add the stock. Cook the whole mixture for about 10 min, stirring occasionally, or until the sugars in the onions start to caramelize and the carrots soften.
• Add your stock to the veggies. If you feel your herbs have infused enough, pull the tea bag. If not, keep it in there. Can’t hurt. Bring this mixture to a good simmer, stirring regularly to mix up all the flavors.
• From here you will want to have your food processor, be it blender or other, at the ready as well as a spare, empty pan (the previously used stock pan works nicely). In two batches, add soup mixture to the blender, puree, then set aside. When all has been pureed, pour into whatever pan you choose for final cook-down (it should have a nice, heavy bottom – something that would hurt if you got hit with it).
• Add the cream to the puree and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly, and cook until it is the desired consistency (3-5 min). The more it cooks, the more the soup is going to solidify (and more likely it is to burn on the bottom, which shouldn’t be too much of a problem if we’re being honest).
• While the soup is undergoing it’s final cook, get an oven-safe skillet nice and toasty on a large burner for the sandwiches (I have one large burner and three little ones) and turn the oven on to about 350.
• Slice and prep the bread, buttering the halves that will be the outsides. Throw a couple slices of pastrami and a couple slices of swiss cheese onto each sandwich and toss ‘em on yonder skillet.
• I’m assuming the readership understands the basics of sandwich craft so I will skip the gory details save to say that my trick has to do with the oven which you, kind reader, are preheating. I toast the sandwiches for 3-4 min on the first side, flip and toss the whole skillet in the oven for a further 3-4 min (until the bread is the appropriate level of grilled, based on your desired carbon content, etc. I like blackened foods, maybe you do not. The trick is to get everything all melted. I have faith in your abilities; now go forth and toast!
• When you have a sandwich and bowl of soup, put each in an appropriate receptacle and go to town!