to all other foodies

What is it really that makes one a foodie..genetics, nature, nuture, culture, metabolic syndrome, boredom?
Like most things in life, the 'why' is almost impossible to answer, all the other interrogatives, easy.

I am an inveterate foodie because:

I have, on occasion, starved to save up for a good meal in a hideously-out-of-my-reach restaurant
I will, on every occasion, starve before I eat something below par.
I will try almost eveything once.
I will come home after a 12 hour day and cook to keep from eating food that doesnt excite me.
I rarely order the same things twice.
Food is, to me, as effective as prozac, and, in fact better, as it actually puts me in the mood..

Now that I finally have my own kitchen and a partner to cook with, weekends have become cook-fests. I pick a recipe and cook my heart out.

This weekend was a Farmers Market Minestrone:

Things needed:

leeks/shallots/onions
garlic

carrots
potatoes
fava beans* (footnote for tips on buying/cooking these yummy things)
asparagus
peas
beans
zucchini (baby ones, if you can find them)
green peppers/poblano peppers

thyme (a little)
parsley (a lot)
lemon juice

parmesan**

pasta (any shape you like, i like using egg fettucine)

olive oil

Method

Set the peppers (green or poblano) to roast on a flame. You want a char on most of the surface of the veggie. The poblanos will add a kick that I love.

Mince the leeks/onion/shallots and garlic and add them to a pan with a couple of glugs of olive oil. Sprinkle some salt on (this aids caramelization and flavour) and let it go on a low flame till your kitchen smells heavenly and the veggies are softened and brown.

Meanwhile, get started on your other veggies. Chop the potatoes, carrots, asparagus and beans into roughly the same size. Take the skin of the roasted pepper (I dont really bother too much with this) and slice into strips. Peel the fava beans. Chop the thyme and parsley fine.

Add what looks like enough water to make soup of all the veggies you have into the pan with the garlic mixture, adn bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add in all the veggies and the herbs. Save about half of your parsley. Cover and let it go till the potatoes are nearly cooked. Add in the pasta and cook till the pasta is a consistency you like.

In a mortar and pestle, grind up the remaining parsley with some garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add this to the soup to taste. (Totally skip this step if you want to, but i think it takes the soup to different level.)

Grate the parmesan and sprinkle over individual bowls.

Enjoy.


*Fava beans are in season now. They usually have two shells that need to be dealt with. The big outer one, and the outer casing of each bean. The problem with this second shell is that it tastes kind of bitter and turns an unappetising gray when cooked. Try buying the slim ones, they maybe tender enough to not require the second shelling.

**Buy a hunk of real parmesan and toss it in the fridge in a ziplock bag. It will keep forever and tastes way way better than any packaged crap. The parmesan was a truly delight in this soup.