freaks and their fennel

Given the look the cashier gave me, you would have thought that I was buying a dead rodent or some other foul thing -- not a creamy bulb of fennel for Potato-Leek Soup with Fennel. She didn't even really ask me what it was, just sort of stared at me until I told her what it was. When she found it in her produce glossary, she still seemed wary, as if it were really something different altogether. When I was a cashier and a customer purchased something I didn't recognize or hadn't used before I liked to hear what they were going to make with it. Assuming my cashier was curious as well, I launched into a brief explanation of fennel and what it tasted like and what I was going to make with it. She didn't even look in my direction.

I feel like somewhat of an outcast in this town - what with my basket piled high with produce, oils, and whole grain breads and everyone else shoving themselves full of everything pre-packaged and artificial. I think my gardening skills are going to have to vastly improve before we settle down in a rural area because sometimes its hard enough to find what I want here in a suburban area. I remember when a friend of mine moved to Wisconsin and lamented the lack of shallots at the grocery store. Its hard to be a serious food snob sometimes.

As for the soup, its a nice twist on the usual potato-leek. The original version calls for watercress, added at the end and wilted just slightly. I wish I could find it here and I can just imagine the looks I would get for buying something that looks like it was harvested from a marsh. If you can find it, it really brightens the soup.

Potato-Leek Soup with Fennel and Watercress
adapted from Soup (Williams-Sonoma)

2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
2 to 3 baking potatoes (about 1 pound) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel (about 1 pound) white part sliced
6 cups chicken broth
1 bunch watercress, stems cut off

Saute leeks in olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or stockpot until soft and lightly brown (5 minutes). Add potatoes and fennel and cook, stirring occasionaly, until softened (10 minutes). Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for a half hour or so partially covered, until potatoes are quite soft and can be mashed with a wooden spoon (20 minutes or so). Add watercress, if you can find it, and cook until just wilted. Take soup off heat and blend it, in batches. Return blended soup to the stove and heat on a medium-low flame until hot. Serve with some crusty bread. A dash of Tabasco gives the soup an extra kick.

resolve

It might be a little late to write a post about the new year, resolutions, promises, et cetera. I'm sure there are those out there whose best intentions for self-improvement have already been foiled. I've been thinking about my own intentions lately, partly due to the new year, partly because I just turned 27 yesterday. Having a birthday right after the year changes over gives some added weight to resolutions, at least to me. My resolution is to ignore my silver hair. No plucking, combing over, dying - nothing. I used to think that since my grandmother, also a redhead, stayed red until her sixties; that I had it made. But as the grays come in, I discovered that she dyed in secret. I'm ready to accept the fact that I'm getting closer to thirty, about to have a "career", and that my hair won't be red forever.

So, other than that, I'm taking it pretty easy on the resolutions this year.

And now that I'm living an extended life - being away from my core home most of the year and having family/friend networks in two cities- my birthday will be drawn out over several days. I don't mind really. It gives me a great excuse to eat lots of cake, drink lots of wine, and see the people I love over and over again. Those I don't get to see now, I hope to see again before I turn 28 and start writing about wrinkles, or some such thing.

by request

Molasses-Spice Cookies
adapted from The Best Recipe

2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
12 T. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup molasses

Oven heated to 375 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl, cream butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add egg, vanilla and molasses. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

Add dry ingredients and beat until dough forms, about 30 seconds.

Roll dough into balls, using about 2 tablespoons of dought at a time. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Bake until soft and puffy, 11 to 13 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.