More pelmeni

I am still dealing with 200 pelmeni from one of my December posts. Well, I guess they are down to under 100 now.

Cooking pelmeni in a clear broth and serving them with it makes a fast and warming one-pot meal (Hello, ravioli in brodo, meet wonton soup!)

Any tasty homemade stock will work. I used my fresh made chicken stock, but beef stock would be even better, and vegetable broth or, in a pinch, salted water, are good. I never use store bought stocks for clear soups. They may be OK in sauces or pureed vegetable soups, but in a clear soup you taste the broth straight, and the packaged stocks never taste right. Also, in a clear soup the broth should be clear and beautiful, I haven't found packaged stuff that's perfectly clear. Please, don't do this shortcut. Use water.

So, bring your homemade stock or lightly salted water with a bay leave in it to a boil, drop frozen pelmeni in, bring back to boil, reduce the heat, simmer until pelmeni float, then two more minutes. Ladle the soup into deep bowls, garnish with herbs of your choice - parsley, dill, green onions are mine - and tons of freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy in front of a fireplace, with a shot of ice-cold vodka.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:San Rafael, CA

Last years tomatoes

With the weird weather this year, my garden tomatoes were not producing very much over the summer. But now - in the middle of January! - there are suddenly lots of cherry tomatoes on the last years plants.



They don't ripen completely, I guess the days are too short. So I pick them orange, and let them ripen in the kitchen for a day or two. They are not as super-sweet as summer tomatoes, but they taste great! Even in their orange state the taste is complex and sweet.



The rains and cold weather are coming, and they will kill my plants for sure, but for now we are enjoying tomatoes fresh off the vine in the middle of the winter.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:San Rafael, CA