THE LADY OF SHALLOTS

Cannellini and Lamb Soup from Jerusalem , p. 135, photo by RM This is probably one of the best soups I have ever made and was absolutely perfect for the snowy wintery weather we've been having. A few things. It calls for 20 cloves of garlic.   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KITCHEN GADGET ALERT: GARLIC EDITION! This is my favorite tool to peel garlic. It shouldn't cost more than 2 bucks. You don't need anything fancier. All you need is a clean, stable, and dry surface. The older the garlic, the easier it is to peel. This actually works, believe it or not, in removing garlic odors from your hands. Yes, I know, you can rub your hands all over your stainless steel kitchen faucet, but forgive me if I think this is more graceful. And a shout out here to Katie (over at Cook The Book Fridays ) who sent me my steel soap one year for Christmas! -----------------------------...

This is the last of my Seafood Extravaganza posts (three total). This one is a lot shorter than the last . This recipe is, once again, from Barbara Lynch's Stir cookbook. This is a fantastic recipe (not reproduced verbatim here) and next time I'll be a little more liberal with the red curry paste...it was subtle and wonderful, but I'll be happy for a little more kick) Vinaigrette: chopped shallot , white wine vinegar , Thai red curry paste , grapeseed oil , crème fraîche Shrimp is lightly sauteed in olive oil, haricots verts are blanched, and hazelnuts are toasted in oven and chopped when cool (skins rubbed off with paper towel after toasting---neat trick!). Toss everything together with some sliced radishes and cilantro , and the dressing!

I currently have us on a "meat every-other-day" plan, but my low blood sugar requires protein in almost every meal. So...I am working very hard to find ways to incorporate beans into our diet. I'm not a big fan of beans (kidney, pinto, black-eyed, lima, you name it). I tend to tolerate them, and really only enjoy black beans in Mexican food. But in my quest for optimal health, it seems practical to find a way to eat them more often. This recipe comes from one of my most-used and most-loved cookbooks, The Cook's Encyclopedia of Thirty Minute Cooking by Jenni Fleetwood. I don't really care about the "thirty minute" part (usually), but I love the variety and ease of the recipes. In addition to blanched green beans (which I love), mixed canned beans (I used pintos and black beans), celery, onion (I used red), tomatoes, fresh parsley, I also tossed in a can of whole kernel corn....mostly for color, but I really liked the little bit of sweetness that it adde...

If you haven't read How to Read a French Fry and Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science by Russ Parsons, Food Editor for the Los Angeles Times , you really should. Understanding the science behind cooking is half the battle and makes it a lot easier to experiment when you have some inkling of what might happen when you cook with a certain oil at a certain temperature. Chemistry aside, Parsons also includes some VERY tasty recipes--including the White Bean crostini (p. 191). Pasta pomodoro, heirloom tomato salad & white bean crostini The white bean puree is incredibly easy, and the only "special" ingredient is white truffle oil. Parsons writes helpful hints, as in this caution about truffle oil: "Too much, and it smells like hair tonic." I haven't finished reading the whole thing, but I've used several recipes from this book and recommend it! Parsons' writing is very accessible, "user-friendly" and humorous!