Tomato Soup
My fridge was loaded with tomatoes. I guess they were so beautiful in the supermarket, so I stocked up. Then they got old on the shelf.
Do you have a recipe for an award-winning tomato soup I asked one of my friends, with whom I was hanging on the phone.
Sure, he says. Pour some hot water over your tomatoes, peel the skin off carefully, cut into quarters, discard the seeds, chop the flesh and sauté the tomatoes in olive oil lightly. Then in a separate pan sauté yellow onions until nicely browned, sneak some sugar into that pan to further caramelize your onions. In yet another pan give some diced celery and carrots a chance to soften over low fire; the vegetables should be both soft and crunchy. Boil two or three small potatoes, they will thicken your soup, then throw everything except the onions into the food processor for a short grind. Salt, pepper, parsley, cilantro, mint or basil are all welcome, a dollop of cream or yogurt. Tada, can I come for dinner?
I was falling asleep on the other end of the line. The visions of two pots and three pans came to me, I was scrubbing them clean in my dream.
No way. I am not cooking dinner for Bradley Cooper, I am just making soup for myself.
Anyway, I threw everything into just one pot including tomato skins and seeds, celery and carrots, thinly slice potato, brought it to a short boil, zapped it with a Magic Wand, threw in some translucent onions, wow what a great soup that was!
Best one-pot meal ever!
Crossings Sauvignon Blanc or Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling with your sushi
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Azia Restaurant & Lounge will be offering sushi workshops combined with wine pairings. Chef Gerald will provide professional instruction for the sushi class, and a sommelier, on staff at Pepia Est, will lead the wine pairing.
This is what you should do, form a group of up to six people, and sign up for a most enjoyable afternoon of sushi & wine, from 1pm to 3pm.
Those signing up for the experience will learn the secrets of sushi preparation, as Chef Gerald will take you through all steps, demonstrating the correct rolling technique — you must have soft hands — and the proper presentation — the roll must be properly sealed — of California Maki, Vegetable Temaki, Tuna Temari and Salmon and Tuna Nigiri.
Azia Restaurant & Lounge will provide students with knives and rolling mats, Japanese rice, fresh fish and crab, nori sheets, and other ingredients such as avocado, cucumber, shredded carrots, and wakame salad. At graduation, you will be presented with a handsome certificate of course-completion.
Call Tel: 588 2599 and sign up at $59.50 per person.
Sushi & wine pairing, with four kinds of sushi and two kinds of wine make perfect birthday celebrations, and are especially effective in bringing people together for a fun time.
