Marvelous Manderins

Have you ever had the experience where you go out looking for one thing and magically find something else? And loved it?

This weekend, a journey up Walnut Avenue looking for nuts (go figure, with a street name like that!), lead to a discovery of a whole new world right in my back yard. There are one or two families with nut businesses in Brentwood, and to the best of my recollection they were off Walnut. Signs abound for this and that fruit and vegetable stands on this street, so there was no need to check the exact address. Sure, some of you would check the address which is easy to find from an ad in a local newspaper, but that’s just not how I fly.

Nuts I did not find, but the lure of a sign for Wolfe Mandarins intrigued me. Off the road I went. Signs lead me to the end of that road, and onto a dirt road. Past small homes and a larger historic estate. Round the bend. Across the sweetest little wood bridge. Right up onto the Wolfe property and to a small overhang with a table holding the most vibrant citrus ever. Wow! Mind you, all of this is just a stone’s throw from various strip malls with all of the usual corporate brands. Simply amazing.

The little sign said that they were out harvesting citrus, but to go

ahead and purchase mandarins if you so choose and leave the money in the till. Yeah, really.

Now I have a lovely bag of Mandarin Oranges to include in a salad for our small Monday Night Football social gathering this evening. Wolfe’s is now on my “best” list. With a short journey to a magical place and time right here in the neighborhood, who could resist?

Fall Has Arrived – In December

The warm days and evenings of November were delightful. Grilling dinner on the back deck, long walks along the levee, knowing that others outside California were not so lucky … ahhhhhh, the good life. Some years, summer does seem to trail off well into October before Fall arrives, but this year was even later. For those foodies who love to live local, there are benefits. As in, vegetable stands that are still open. Amazing. Enjoy the pics of the onset of Fall in my little neck of the woods. Oh, and those beautiful peppers? Find a few of them in the Spicy Bean Salad.

Szechwan Carrot Soup

Carrots. Such a quiet, unassuming pedestrian root vegetable. For years I avoided these dependable roots that seemingly were just filler in other pedestrian dishes. Need a sturdy veg for a stir fry or curry? Add some carrots. Need some color in a quick salad? Add some carrots. But, if we wait for inspiration, and honor the carrot ITSELF, we find beauty.

When I first found this recipe, I just had to make it. A quick glance at the directions led me to my favorite puree technique; cook up a few key ingredients in 2 o 3 layers, toss in a blender, and reheat. These make quick soups because the ingredients just need to be cut into chunks, making the whole process quicker and not requiring much attention. More importantly, anything with sesame oil, peanut butter, and red pepper flakes either had to be “Wow!” or “Ohhhhhhhh.” This one is either, based on your own preferences. I’ve shared this at a few events, and no one thinks it is just “OK.”

If you’re game, give it a go and let me know if you think it is “Wow!” or “Ohhhhhhhh.”

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 1 celery rib, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• a 3/4-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced thin
• 1/8 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 cup milk

• Garnish: 1/4 cup sour cream mixed with 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

1. In a large heavy saucepan cook onion, celery, and garlic in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened. Add carrots, ginger root, red pepper flakes, and broth and simmer, covered, until carrots are very tender, about 45 minutes.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients and in a blender purée mixture in batches (use caution when blending hot liquids).

3. Return soup to pan and heat over low heat until hot, being careful not to let boil.

4. Serve soup drizzled decoratively with sour cream mixture.

Notes:

* If you are of the “double the garlic and peppers” persuasion, as I am, resist your first time through this one. That little bit of red pepper truly does add quite a bit of pop to the soup.

* To speed this up a bit, chop the first batch of veggies, and while they cook, chop the second batch. Since you don’t need to worry about any type of presentation here, those perfectly cut vegetables are just not needed. Enjoy the break!

* When blending hot soups, do work in batches, don’t fill the blender more than about 1/4 to 1/3 full. I’ve found that removing the center from the blender lid, and gently holding a wadded up paper towel over the hole lets the steam escape as needed while also keeping the soup from flying all over your kitchen cabinets. Yes, this is experience speaking here.

* The squiggly decoration is easily made by using a squeeze bottle.