By Sidonie Maroon, The Food Co-op Culinary Educator, abluedotkitchen.com

Follow Sidonie on The Food Co-op’s Facebook group Cooking with the Co-op

Recipes Included

Cream of Tomato Coconut Soup

Instant Pot Beef Pho Stock

Shiitake Onion Soup

Barbecued Flavored Snack Sunflower Seeds

Spice Mix for Black, Pinto and/or Kidney Beans

Black-eyed pea and Mushroom Curry

Winter’s here, the endless days of gray, wind, cold and rain. As a Northwest native, and after 28 years in Jefferson County, I’m used to it, but how to keep cooking without getting the blues? One tactic is to elevate the ordinary and invest in activities, tools and ingredients that will kick some sunshine into our lives and meals.

Here’s a peek into my kitchen this January: I’m baking bread, sprouting seeds, ordering seeds for the garden, cooking soups and stews from around the world, eating all kinds of fresh citrus, dreaming up recipes for my new air fryer, and revisiting my love of Northern Italian food.

Good Stuff to Share

Dance

Do you dance while cooking? If you don’t dance outright, how about tapping your toe to the beat? I’m keeping a January playlist of artists and albums. Please give these musicians a try: Ottmar Liebert, guitarist, Maggie Sansone, hammered dulcimer, Mark O’Connor, fiddle.

Black Truffle Salt

Novel ingredients will spice things up, and I’m having a good time with the truffle salt from my Christmas stocking. It’s “Sabatino Tartufi Truffle Sea Salt”. I love it in scrambled eggs, on popcorn and in olive oil as a dip for raw carrots. It has a deep umami cream of mushroom flavor.

Cheesy Bread Sticks

With sourdough from bread baking, I’m making cheese sticks. They’re simple, and you can use frozen pizza dough. Use the same amount of dough as for a 12-inch pizza: add into the dough: 1 cup grated sharp cheddar, ½ cup grated parmesan, 2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves, 1 teaspoon oregano and ¼ cup dehydrated onion flakes. Roll out onto the pizza pan and slice into 1-inch wide strips. Bake at 425 F for about 20 minutes.

New Appliances?

It’s time to unbox that new Instant Pot or Air Fryer — don’t you think? A new appliance can shake up your old habits and usher in adventure. I love my kitchen tools, and all of them have enriched my kitchen life. I was sure that I didn’t need an Instant Pot and now, five years later, I use it three to five times a week. It’s fabulous for homemade Indian food and makes the best braised meats and stews. I’m currently making a weekly batch of yogurt.

The new appliance on my horizon is the Ninja AF161 Air Fryer. No, I haven’t unboxed it yet, but I will and report back!

Homemade Stocks and Broths

Making my own stocks and broths to suit the soup is key to my style. Cooking from scratch, I feel peaceful, connected, and nourished. Chicken carcasses, vegetable peels, garlic, and ginger go into my Instant Pot. I cook broths under high pressure for 30 minutes with a natural release, and stocks for 120 minutes under high pressure with a natural release. I use this liquid gold to make soup, or cook beans in. Sometimes, I make a strong ginger tea using the same 30 minute method.

Sour Cream Dip

Try this dolloped on top of a bowl of homemade split pea soup, or with a side of roasted potatoes.

1 cup sour cream, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish sauce, ¼ cup dehydrated onion flakes, zest and juice of one lemon. Yum.

Cream of Tomato Coconut Soup

Instant Pot

Makes 2 quarts

Creamy and balanced, this is my favorite tomato soup for a cold winter’s day. To make without an Instant Pot, simmer ingredients together over a medium heat for ½ hour, puree and add finishing ingredients.

Ingredients

Instant Pot

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

4 large slices of fresh ginger

4 slices of fresh turmeric, or 1 teaspoon dried

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon fish sauce

6 cups water

To Finish

1 can (14 ounces) full fat coconut milk

¼ cup maple syrup, or sugar

2 teaspoons sea salt

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or black pepper

Directions

1. Add onion, carrots, ginger, turmeric, garlic, tomatoes, fish sauce and water to the Instant Pot. Set to high pressure for 10 minutes with a natural release. Using a high-speed blender, puree until smooth at the maximum speed. If using a regular blender, puree until smooth and strain to make sure everything is blended. Pour the soup back into the inner pot.

2. Add the finishing ingredients to the soup, stir and taste. Correct as necessary.

3. Serve hot. It’s excellent with cheese sticks.

Barbecued Flavored Snack Sunflower Seeds

I was hankering for barbecued chips, and these satisfied my craving. Beware: although healthy, they’re addicting. They’re great as salad or sandwich sprinkles.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups raw hulled sunflower seeds

Dry Spices

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

Wet Flavors

2 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons maple syrup or to taste (I would add an extra tablespoon, if you like sweet.)

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon ginger paste

Sprinkle on after dehydration

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Grind dry spices together.

2. Mix wet ingredients together.

3. Rub wet and dry ingredients into sunflower seeds and marinate for 1 to 2 hours.

4. Spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet or dehydrator tray. Dehydrate or bake at a low temp. 105F for 2 hours or until crispy and completely dry. Sprinkle extra salt on if desired.

5. Eat right away or let the flavors continue to develop. Keep in a dry cool place in an airtight container, and use within 2 weeks.

Instant Pot Beef Pho Stock

Makes 16 cups (1 gallon)

3-4 hours, mostly hands-off

You’ve heard the hype about bone broth? Well, Beef Pho is bone broth with Viet flavors. Pho is a traditional breakfast food in Vietnam; smart because all the warm spices, collagen, gelatin, vitamins and minerals are wonderful to wake the digestion. I’ve amplified the traditional stock with the additions of kelp and dried mushrooms, because both bring umami flavors and add nutrition. The Instant Pot saves time, makes the process straightforward and mostly hands-off. You can freeze the stock by the quart for full meals, or by the cup for quick breakfasts.

Ingredients

3 lb mix of grass-fed beef bones (or grass fed and grain finished)

1 lb chicken wings

1 gallon cold water

1 strip kombu cut into 2-inch pieces

1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms or ½ ounce dried shrimp

1 large yellow onion, halved and thickly sliced

1 small tart-sweet apple, cut into quarters with the seeds removed

2-inch piece unpeeled ginger, cut into thick pieces and bruised

3 star anise pods

3 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons fish sauce

4 teaspoons fine sea salt

2 teaspoons organic sugar (optional)

Instructions

We can do all the steps in the Instant Pot

1 Blanch the bones to create a clearer stock: Cover the bones with cold water, bring to a boil and cook at a high simmer for 20 minutes, drain and rinse.

2 Dry roast the spices on medium saute until fragrant. Add and slightly char the ginger and onion stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes. Add the bones, other ingredients and water. Set to high pressure for 120 minutes, using a natural release.

3 Strain the finished stock through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Chill the stock. The fat will rise to the top and solidify. Take most of the fat off, leaving some for flavor. Save the skimmed fat for other uses; it’s delicious and healthy. Taste for salt and correct as needed. Use the stock right away or freeze in quart-sized containers for quick pho meals.

Cook’s Notes

Use a 2:3 bone to water ratio when pressure cooking or simmering beef stock.

2 lbs bones to 3 lbs water = 3 pints (1 pint of water = 1 pound)

Use bones rich in connective tissue like oxtail (beef tail), knuckle bones, joint bones, neck bones and chine (beef back). Marrow bones will cloud the broth. Vietnamese cooks sometimes add pig’s feet or chicken backs to beef pho.

Kelp adds minerals and aids digestion. This is not usual to pho but seaweeds in Vietnamese beef soups are.

Dried mushrooms and dried sea animals like shrimp, anchovies and scallops add umami flavor and are also traditional to Vietnamese soups.

Roasting bones create a darker, richer tasting stock, but is not traditional for pho where prized is a clear and lighter flavor.

Spice Mix for Black, Pinto and/or Kidney Beans

This mix will spice 2 ½ cups dry beans or 5 cups cooked. Cook the dry beans with two dried chilies. I use a pasilla and an ancho. When the beans are done, puree the chilies in a high-speed blender, with some of the broth and return to the pot. Add the spice mix and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or acid of choice.

Toast the anise seed, cumin and coriander over a medium heat until fragrant. Using a spice grinder, grind all the spice ingredients together.

Notes: You could also use this mix by the teaspoon for other bean dishes. I cook my beans in an Instant Pot on the bean cycle, or 45 minutes with a natural release. I salt the beans with 1 teaspoon sea salt and add water to cover by 2 inches.

Ingredients

Toasted Spices

2 teaspoons anise seed

1 tablespoon cumin seed

1 tablespoon coriander seed

Other

¼ teaspoon decorticated cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup dehydrated onion flakes

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon roasted chicory

2 tablespoons carob powder

(You can substitute 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for the carob and chicory. )

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

Shiitake Onion Soup

Makes 8 servings

Time 2 hours

This soup, when done well, makes memories; deep, sophisticated yet direct. The secret is to allow the onions to caramelize to a deep bronze, then add the shiitakes half at a time so they saute instead of steam. The shiitake flavor is foremost, with the onion in the supporting role. Use a finishing salt at the end and apple cider vinegar to open the rich flavors.

Ingredients

2¼ lb onions (about 4 medium), use a mix of sweet and yellow, slice onions thinly with the grain Chinese stir-fry style

¾ lb fresh shiitake mushrooms, bottoms minced and caps thinly sliced

6 cloves minced garlic

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup medium dry golden sherry

5½ cups good quality beef stock, preferably homemade

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

To finish

finishing sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or until flavors open.

1/2-lb Gruyère grated

¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 In a large heavy-bottomed stockpot, over moderate heat, cook the onions in butter until a deep golden brown for about 45 minutes. Stay close, stir often, and don’t let them burn.

2 When the onions are caramelized, add ½ of the shiitakes. Allow them to sweat 4-5 minutes before adding the other half. When the shiitakes are ready, about 10-15 minutes total, add the garlic and saute another 2-3 minutes.

3 Add the sherry, deglaze the pan, and let it cook off until it doesn’t smell of alcohol.

4 Make a bouquet garni, tie together thyme and bay leaves and add it to the pot. Add the stock and let the soup simmer, uncovered, until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni, and taste for salt. Add the apple cider vinegar, only one teaspoon at a time, stir and wait briefly before tasting. The right amount of acid and salt will fully open the flavors of the soup. Add freshly ground pepper at the table.

5 Ladle oven proof bowls full of soup, sprinkle a handful of Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each bowl, and briefly melt the cheese under a broiler. Serve bubbly hot.

Black-eyed pea and Mushroom Curry

Ingredients

2 cups dried black-eyed peas soaked overnight then rinsed

Freshwater for cooking peas to cover by 2 inches

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large onions cut into a small dice

1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

1 entire head of garlic peeled and finely minced

1 cinnamon stick

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

2 teaspoons toasted cumin seed

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2-3 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon turmeric

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Directions

1) Cook black-eyed peas with garlic, cinnamon stick and 2 teaspoons sea salt until tender for about one hour. (Refer to how to stovetop cook peas)

2) Toast whole cumin

3) Measure out and grind all other spices together and set aside

4) Sauté onions in butter on medium heat for 15 minutes with whole toasted cumin

5) Add sliced mushrooms and saute for 10 minutes more

6) Add tomatoes, ground coriander, turmeric, cayenne and pepper.

7) Add black-eyed peas to the tomato mushroom onion mixture. Stir the mixture and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8) Correct seasoning. Adding more salt if needed and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar.

9) Remove the cinnamon stick before serving. Serve with cilantro.

Cook’s note: Add pre-cooked black-eyed peas to the curry for a quick meal

How to home cook on the stovetop black-eyed peas

1 cup dried peas makes 2 cups cooked peas

1) Soak 1 to 2 cups black-eyed peas in water overnight. The water should cover the peas by about 2 inches. Next day: drain and rinse peas and look for any rocks or debris. Put the black-eyed peas in a medium pot with 2 inches of water covering them.

2) Bring them up to a boil on medium heat. When they come to the boil, pour off water, put in fresh water and bring to a boil again. Turn heat to a simmer, and continue to cook until tender 45 minutes to 1 hour.