Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

Now I could have gone and posted a nice picture of a pale white soup, probably in one of my white bowls, that isn't much to look at but decided it probably wasn't worth it. A photo would not convince you to make this soup. This soup is the ideal anecdote to the winter "OMG it's so cold out" issue. I made it last weekend (and haven't gotten around to posting - yeah I've been crazy busy. You know post-vacation recovery takes a while). Last weekend was frigid, no other words for it. This weekend was 50, and yes it is still February - go figure. Go and be brave and make this soup without knowing what it looks like. Potato Leek Soup (adapted from a fairly empty refrigerator) 2T butter 1T olive oil 3 leeks, 1/4" slice* 4 green onions, chopped 2 clove garlic minced 1/3 c white wine 4 potatoes, cut into small cubes 4 c chicken stock 2 c milk Salt/Pepper Melt butter and add olive oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Add leeks and some salt. A...

At first I thought this was a stupid tourist trap thing but then I remembered the fishing for piranha that we did in the Amazon in June. That sounded so touristy and ridiculous, but it really ended up being fun. It started as a group of friends who would serve dinner to "foodie" tourist in their apartment. They then got some backers and built a restaurant. So I signed us up for The Argentine Experience . Boy were we glad. Yes it was a little camp with the aprons and the bogus chef's hat (although it was worth it to see the Sous Chef don the chef's hat), but the food was great and we met some really nice people (2 Argentinians and 1 Brazilian). In a way it was all a little clandestine, as you had to get buzzed into the place. We started out with meat breaded and fried with aioli (sorry I didn't get a picture of it - I'm also bad with the Spanish name for it). It reminded me of spiedini (Italian breaded fried thin strips of meat - which could be where this A...

Argentina food: When we first got to Buenos Aires we were exhausted. After a shower and nap, we were hungry for something light. We ended up at  Florida Garden Cafe for a quick light bite. I ordered a turkey sandwich on "English Bread," which turned out to be white bread with the crusts cut off. I felt like I was in grade school, but it was exactly what I needed - some protein and nothing too heavy. I had a nice cup of tea because that always sets you up for a good reset of the body! It was tea leaves in a nice little tea pot - can't beat that. Dinner was excellent at El Federal Restaurante , which was about two blocks from our hotel . I just happened to find it while cruising around on Google maps. The Sous Chef and I shared the potato roti with 60C poached egg and prawns as a starter. (I assume the 60C egg was made in a Sous Vide) I had the trout with potato and fennel and the Sous Chef had the lamb. We shared a slice of chocolate cake and chocolate ice c...

Although this has nothing to do with food, I thought you might find it interesting what I was wearing in that last posting photo. Feet: Muck Boots (on loan from the ship ) Shearling Insoles Fleece boot liners Smart Wool Socks Body: 2 layers of thermal bottoms Insulated Waterproof Pants Thermal Shirt Fleece zip up Down Vest 2 Neck Gaiters (1 thin and 1 fleece) 1 pair thin liner gloves 1 pair heavy duty waterproof mittens Coat issued by Cruise Company (inside liner and waterproof shell) Life preserver (inflates on contact with water) Head: Insulated Wool Hat Sunglasses Hood All this took quite a long time to put on. We went out on excursions twice a day. Timing was essential - put it on too early and you were a melted blob waiting to get on the Zodiacs. We were generally out for about 2-3 hours on each excursion. Temperatures were usually around freezing. Winds were somewhat to quite windy. When the wind kicked up, the water got a little choppy, and then there wa...

That's me under all those layers - standing on the peninsula proper Did you think I forgot about you?? No - I've been busy exploring the 6th (for me) continent - Antarctica. We're missing Australia. For most people Antarctica is the 7th continent, but we roll a little different here. We had a fabulous time. We passed the arctic circle (that's 66 degrees 33' for all you coordinate fans out there).  The views were spectacular - every which way you looked was unbelievable. We got to see lots of penguins and seals. I'll post a few more pictures in the coming days, as well as report on the food we ate in Argentina. Stay tuned...

No I'm not jumping on the Gluten Free bandwagon. Sometimes you have a friend that has food issues and you just need to accommodate them. I do have to say this is quite a good cake and I would make it again just to eat. Gluten Free Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (Adapted from Health ) 2/3 c olive oil, additional for greasing pan 6T cocoa powder, sifted 1/2 c boiling water 2t vanilla extract 1t chocolate extract 1 1/2 c almond meal 1/2 t baking soda 1/4 t salt 1 c sugar 3 eggs Grease a 9" round pan with a little olive oil and line it with a round of parchment paper.  Set aside. Whisk cocoa powder into boiling water. It will be smooth but a little thick. Add vanilla and chocolate extracts; set aside. In a small bowl mix almond meal, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a mixer combine eggs, sugar, and 2/3 c olive oil. Beat on high for about 3 minutes. It should be pale yellow and creamy looking (3-5 minutes). Add cocoa mixture slowly. Add almond meal mixture slowly. P...