Esalen Cookbook (21 page)
Authors: Charlie Cascio
Jason Brodsky
VEGAN VERSIONReplace milk with soy milk, and butter with a good quality vegetable margarine.
This is one of the Esalen staff favorites, brought to us by Bill Herr. I suspect many people’s flavor image of tomato soup is heavily influenced by an early overexposure to Campbell’s Tomato Soup. This version of Cream of Tomato Soup (made with milk), while not a slavish imitation, does pay homage to the nostalgia.
Serves 4
1 tablespoon finely diced onion
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
cups tomato juice
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Briefly saute onion in butter over medium heat until translucent. Whisk in flour to make a roux. Add milk, a cup at a time, mixing well and allowing mixture to thicken after each addition. Stir in tomato juice, season with salt and pepper, and heat to serving temperature.
ROASTED CARROT SOUPJason Brodsky, a professional sound engineer for rock music groups, decided to take a year off and explore his inner self at Esalen. He created this recipe in the Esalen kitchen while living and working in our community. He turned out to be a very creative cook, and since he was a vegan, he added a number of vegan recipes to our kitchen. He is now back traveling around the world working with musicians. He asked me to tell you that you must prepare this soup while listening to good music—it gives it a better taste!
Serves 4 to 6
5 pounds carrots
1 medium-size apple
2 tablespoons olive oil
1teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¾ cup diced white onion (cut in ½-inch dice)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
8 cups vegetable stock or water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the carrots and apple into thirds and toss them in a mixing bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once they are coated with the oil mixture, place them on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until slightly brown, about 45 minutes.
In a 6-quart soup pot over medium heat, saute onion in vegetable oil until it becomes translucent, and then add garlic and saute for 1 minute more. Add the vegetable stock or water, and then turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and drop in the baked carrots and apple.
It’s necessary to puree this soup. This can be done easily by using an immersion blender (also called a hand or stick blender). Or you can pour the soup into a blender in 3 or 4 batches and puree it. If you have none of the above available, the last resort is to use a potato masher and mash the vegetables as best as possible; finish with a whisk.
Return the pureed soup to pot and let it simmer for about 2 hours. It may be necessary to skim the top of the soup during the simmering if a natural foam-like substance appears. Finish the soup by adding the vinegar and salting to taste before serving.
VARIATIONFor an excellent taste, add chunks of fresh goat cheese or fresh cream to the soup before serving.
Most people have eaten butternut squash without knowing it. The canned pumpkin that is found in the supermarket that a lot of people make pumpkin pie out of is, in all honesty, butternut squash. Butternut has an exceptionally good flavor and a creamy texture. Roasting concentrate the sugars and flavor of this orangefleshed winter squash. The spicy curry and the creaminess of the coconut milk give this soup another dynamic.
Serves 4 to 6
1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
i medium-size onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 stalks celery, cut into ¼-inch dice
2 tablespoons curry powder
3 cups coconut milk
2 teaspoons sea salt
3 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Sunflower seeds for garnish (optional)
Place a large butternut on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F. Roast for about 1 hour; it is done when you can stick a knife into the squash and there is no resistance (it goes through like butter). Split the squash in half; scoop out and discard the seeds. Scoop out the pulp and set aside.
Place oil in a 6-quart soup pot over high heat and saute onion until it is translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the celery and curry powder and saute until the celery is tender. Turn heat down to medium and add the butternut pulp, coconut milk, salt, and stock or water. Blend with a hand mixer or whisk by hand until you have a smooth consistency. Heat until soup is hot, add cilantro, and serve.
Roasted Butternut &
curry soup
curry soup
At the Esalen kitchen, students from the Culinary Institute of America come and fill their internship requirements for their degree. This French onion soup recipe was created by Talia Rotter, one of the culinary students who, after her graduation, came back to Esalen to work as a staff chef. Red onions, tomato paste, and soy sauce give this soup that real full-body brown flavor without using meat *stock.
Serves 6
1 head garlic
Olive oil
6 large red onions
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 cups vegetable stock or water
1teaspoon freshly chopped rosemary
½ cup tamari soy sauce
Cut the top off the garlic head and drizzle with a drop of olive oil. Place in an oven preheated to 450 degrees F and roast until the cloves are soft and it starts to have a sweet aroma.
Peel and chop the onions; first in half, then in half again, and then slice into 1/4-inch quarter moons. Place a small amount of vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed 4-quart soup pot and saute the onions over medium-high heat until they turn translucent. Lower the heat and slowly cook onions until they start to be a caramelized golden brown, about 30 more minutes.
Add the tomato paste and continue to saute for a couple minutes more. Take the garlic head out of the oven and squeeze the pulp out of each clove. Place the roasted garlic pulp into the soup pot and add the stock or water. Add rosemary and soy sauce and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Serve with herb croutons.
HERB CROUTONSslices old, dry bread (Sourdough Rye is my favorite,
see page 38)
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon dry basil
¼ teaspoon dry oregano
¼ teaspoon paprika
Pinch salt
Sourdough rye bread is my favorite to use for making croutons. In a medium bowl, mix the herbs, paprika, and salt with the oil. Cut the crust off the bread and cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss the bread cubes in the oil mixture until they absorb all the oil. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp. Turn the croutons halfway through baking. Baking time will vary depending on the age and dryness of the bread. Croutons can be used immediately or stored in a sealed container.
GINGER YAM SOUPBalancing the warming, spicy flavor of the ginger with the sweetness of the yams is what makes this simple-to-prepare soup a tasty success. Fresh ginger not only adds great flavor to food, but it also acts as a tonic for the whole body, especially the lungs and sinuses.
Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-size yellow onion, cut into ½-inch dice
1½ pounds of garnet yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
5 cups water
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, and saute for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Add the yams to the onions, saute for 3 minutes more, and then add the cumin, salt, ginger, and water.
Lower the heat, cover, and let simmer for about 30 minutes.
Place mixture into a blender in batches, or use an immersion blender, and puree until smooth. Return to the soup pot if needed and warm through. If a thinner consistency is desired, add water. If a richer taste is desired, add a little cream. Sprinkle the scallions over the top and serve.
FRESH CORN CHOWDERFrom the beginning, whenever the Esalen kitchen served meat or fish, it always provided an alternative for vegetarians. Currently, approximately 25 percent of the Esalen staff and guests are vegetarians. In the early days, before vegetarian cuisine was common, the alternative vegetarian protein would be a chunk of cheese. The kitchen has evolved since those days and now serves a world-class vegetarian fare. Here is a recipe created by Robin Burnside that is often served as an alternative to Clam Chowder.
Serves 4 to 6
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut into ½-inch dice
2 stalks celery, cut into ¼-inch dice
2½ cups freshly cut corn or frozen corn
2 cups diced red potatoes
⅓ cup diced red bell pepper
3 cups vegetable stock or water
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 fresh bay leaves
1 cup half-and-half, scalded
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup fresh parsley
2½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
Pour the oil in a 6-quart soup pot over medium heat and saute the onion until it begins to brown. Add celery, corn, potatoes, and bell pepper and saute for 5 minutes more. Then add the vegetable stock or water, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover and lower the heat to simmer. Let this cook for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are done but still firm.
Pour 1 cup of the soup in a blender and blend until smooth, and then return it to the soup pot. This will help give the chowder a creamy texture. Add the half-and-half, nutmeg, parsley, salt, and pepper. Warm through.
CLAIM CHOWDERChowder Feast is a once-a-month menu item at Esalen, especially during the colder months. Our famous fish cook, John Blunt, would always be on hand to cook up his three types of tasty chowders. Here is his recipe for the New England version.
Serves 4
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium-size yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 (16-ounce) can clam juice
1 pound chopped clams, drained
1 pound red potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
1 stalk celery, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch ground white pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
In a 6-quart soup pot, melt the butter and saute the onion for 5 minutes or until it becomes translucent. Stir in the flour until it is well mixed with the onion and then add the clam juice. Bring this all to a boil, and then add the clams, potatoes, celery, salt, pepper, and half-and-half. Bring back to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer. Let the chowder slowly simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley, basil, and thyme.
HEARTY MINESTRONE SOUPThis is a fragrant and hearty soup that is perfecf for a cold winter day. It can serve as the center of a meal or as a first course to a light meal.
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