It is true that the Duck Man has a pool. It is also true that I, in a very uncharacteristically brazen and aspirational way, declared to the Girl Whose Name Sounds Better Pronounced as an Indian Food Dish and to the Equestrian to Kids of the Stars at the Duck Man’s holiday party in December that we were going to be lounging by that pool (and grilling and drinking next to it) all summer. I imagined myself ten pounds lighter (with an extra couple inches attached to my legs for good measure) in a chic black bikini perched as the mistress of the pool, doling out invitations and kebabs with a royal, benevolent flourish.

I am an asshole. Once again, I have counted my chickens before they hatched into chicken nuggets and find myself somewhat short of a 3 piece order. I am hanging out in a loft/sauna with one pissed off cat instead of sunning myself next to a mid century oasis.

It is hotter than asphalt, so I am reminded of my great pool loss on this day, the day that it decided to be summer in SoCal. I guess I should count myself lucky; that I somehow managed to circumvent drawing out a “relationship” (if you could see me in person right now you’d witness the air quotes around that word, relationship) that probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway for a panoply of fantastic reasons, but that hasn’t in any way stopped me from bemoaning my pathetic, pool-less and utterly tragic fate.

It’s true. It has been two weeks since my last real soupapolooza! event, though soup does go on regardless if I am cooking it on Sunday or not. I’m still here, still eating and still planning our next soupventure, which will be exactly one week from Sunday. I’ve been honoring my summer commitments and being, well, a pig in s**t.

In the meantime, I’m posting some ancillary recipes from the previous weeks just to make sure you have something to do while hiding in the AC. Check back in a bit and see what goodies (food? bad/ very good dating stories?) await.

Soup on!

The photo at the beginning of this post is a picture of a crab, or, more accurately, a symbol of my mood. Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration; I’m just not really a “holiday” person in general and I do my best to sleep through as many of them as possible. But, you know, I should totally be able to rally behind the idea of giving the middle finger to “The Man” (in this instance, King George) and stuffing one’s gullet full of meat before getting drunk and watching pyromaniacs blow shit up. I mean those were the integral ingredients to every party I attended from 1986-1993. What’s not to love?

Actually, I think I posted the crab picture because, as I stood in line last Sunday at the J & P West Coast Seafood stall at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, the poor, delicious dead thing seemed to be calling my name. I struggled to find a way to change my soup plans from mussels to crab, but thought better of being so impulsive when I realized I had already bought the ingredients for my supporting courses to the mussel and fennel bisque. I stick to a plan once a plan is in place (maybe that’s why my personal life is such a mess?). And I also think I’m holding out to do a crazy seafood grill party (grillapolooza!) sometime in August out on my sadly underutilized urban patio. I imagine me and a Weber grill and oysters and crab and Bloody Marys and tons of beer. Maybe we could throw some meat in there, too, in honor of the keeper of the family grill secrets, my dad.

Carrot with Toasted Almond Soup

Gourmet | November 2006

The secret to this simple recipe is using the best carrots you can find; taste them to make sure they are sweet and full of flavor.

Yield: Makes 4 (first course) servings

Active Time: 25 min

Total Time: 45 min

ingredients:

1 cup sliced shallots (about 4 large)

1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Rounded 3/4 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

1 small boiling potato (3 oz)

1 1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick

1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)

1 cup apple cider (preferably unfiltered)

1 1/4 cups water

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

preparation:

Cook shallots, bay leaf, ginger, curry powder, and thyme in butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened and pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

Add potato to shallot mixture along with carrots, broth, cider, water, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Purée soup in 2 batches in a blender until smooth, transferring as blended to a large bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to saucepan to reheat if necessary. Serve soup sprinkled with almonds.

Cooks' notes:

•Soup can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over low heat. Thin with additional water if necessary.

•Almonds can be toasted 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

I definitely added more curry (in fact, I easily doubled it) and put in less cider than called for-- and added cider vinegar. And as for potatoes, I used several fingerlings in place of a boiling potato to great result.

Soup on!!

red velvet ice cream sandwiches: don’t even pretend you don’t have pool envy

blog from the hiatus: cooling off is for p***ies (piggies, silly!)

happy independence day!: in honor of american stubbornness I hereby let someone else cook today

mussel and fennel bisque: the shellfish strikes back

purée of carrot with toasted almonds: beets and cabrales and dried cherries... oh my!

Carrot with Toasted Almond Soup

Why? Because soup is cheap, delicious and easy. Kind of like me.

a weekly attempt to eat well and to savor life. or to see how much food I can get on my clothes.