When a food or drink is rich in colour, it’s often an indicator that it will also be rich in flavour and nutrition. That is the case with today’s three simple recipes, all whirled up with an immersion (hand) blender.
One recipe is for a tomato soup that takes about 20 minutes to prepare. Its key ingredient is canned Italian San Marzano tomatoes.
I like them because they’re beautifully ripe and red, loaded with flavour and less acidic than other canned tomatoes, making them ideal for a soup such as mine, flavoured with garlic, chilies and basil.
My second recipe is a creamy and classic condiment: green goddess dressing. Lore suggests it was first made at San Francisco's Palace Hotel in 1923, when chef Philip Roemer needed something to acknowledge actor George Arliss and his hit play The Green Goddess. That mayonnaise-based dressing, boldly flavoured with herbs and anchovies, among other ingredients, must have been a hit because folks still make it. I like to drizzle it on salads, asparagus and fish. I also use it as a dip for raw vegetables.
My last recipe is a smoothie you can quickly make when you need an energy boost. To make it, frozen blueberries are blended with yogurt, juice, ginger, turmeric and honey, creating a palate pleasing concoction with vitamin C, fibre and antioxidants.
San Marzano Tomato Soup with Basil
This simple soup has a rich tomato flavour thanks to the deep red and ripe, canned Italian San Marzano plum (Roma) tomatoes used to make it. You’ll find these tomatoes at Italian food stores and in the canned-tomato product aisle of some supermarkets.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes: four (1 cup) servings
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, chopped
• pinch or two chili flakes
1 (28 oz./796 ml) can San Marzano plum (roma) tomatoes, coarsely crushed
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• pinch sugar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 large, whole fresh basil leaves (see Note)
1/3 cup whipping cream (optional)
Place oil in medium-sized pot set over medium heat. Add onion and garlic cook until tender, about four minutes. Mix in chili flakes and cook 30 seconds more.
Add the tomatoes, stock and sugar to the pot, bring to a simmer and simmer 10 minutes. Add the basil to the pot, then purée the soup in the pot with an immersion blender, or transfer it to a food processor or blender and purée it there. Season the soup with salt and pepper.
Return to a simmer, mix in the whipping cream, if using, and then serve.
Note: If you prefer to use dried basil in this recipe, replace the fresh basil with 1/2 tsp of it. Mix in that dried basil when you mix in the crushed chili flakes.
Green Goddess Dressing
Drizzle the tangy, full-flavoured dressing on green salads, grilled asparagus, grilled or poached fish and boiled-egg halves. Or use as a dip for raw crisp vegetable sticks and florets, or cooked, cold prawns.
Preparation time: five minutes
Cooking time: None
Makes: one and quarter cups
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3 anchovy fillets
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
1 Tbsp snipped fresh chives, or 1 large green onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp Tabasco
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Place all ingredients in the cup that came with your immersion blender, or put them in a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth.
Blueberry Smoothies with Yogurt, Ginger and Turmeric
This get-you-going-in-the-morning drink whirls together nutritious berries with tangy, spicy and sweet flavours.
Preparation time: a few minutes
Cooking time: none
Makes: two (about 1 cup) servings
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple or orange juice
1/2 to 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp honey, or to taste
Place all ingredients in the cup that came with your immersion blender, or put them in a food processor or blender. Pulse until very smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.
Victoria chefs gear up for fundraiser's colourful contest
I was inspired to create recipes rich in colour today after learning that this year will be the 10th anniversary of Colour Your Palate.
The event is a fundraiser for the artsREACH program, a Victoria-based, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide high-quality visual and performing-arts training to young children, regardless of their financial means.
Colour Your Palate is also one of Victoria’s best culinary events. This year it is taking place on April 11, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the Victoria Conference Centre.
Organizers describe the event as Victoria’s version of Iron Chef with a twist.
That twist is that a month before Colour Your Palate, a dozen or more incredibly talented chefs, from some of Victoria’s top eateries, are asked to randomly pick a colour from a selection that could include yellow, blue, red, purple, orange or green.
Once the chefs know what their colour is, they begin to create a canapé using ingredients rich with that colour. Unlike the simple recipes I published today, though, what the chefs will prepare will be much more complex, visually, texturally and in flavour.
They have to be, because this is a competition in which a panel of judges, including me, will choose winners in three categories: Best Tasting Savoury Creation, Best Tasting Sweet Creation and Most Colourful Creation.
Those attending the event also get to vote for the People’s Choice Award.
During the evening, at various stations set up around the Conference Centre, the chefs who created the canapés will be serving them up for you to try. While you sample them, you’ll also be able to sip B.C. wine from up to 21 members of the highly regarded Naramata Bench Wineries Association.
Tickets for Colour Your Palate, which usually sells out, are $95 per person. You can buy them at artsreach.ca/colour-your-palate or by calling 778-678-6282.
The event also includes a silent auction and a fabulous door prize.
Readers weigh in with best hot cross buns
Last week, I polled readers on who made the best hot cross buns in Greater Victoria. The response was amazing. Here is a list of the top five recommended locations along with other establishments readers suggested.
1. Cobs Fresh Bread (cobsbread.com)
2. Dutch Bakery (thedutchbakery.com)
3. Fol Epi (folepi.ca)
4. The Italian Bakery (italianbakeryvictoria.com)
5. Breadstuffs Bakery and Deli (breadstuffsbakery.com)
Other recommended locations: Old Towne Bakery (in Ladysmith), Wildfire Bakery, Bond Bonds Bakery, Fry’s Bakery, Portofino Bakery, Thrifty Foods, Quality Foods and Mosi Bakery Café.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His latest is The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
