Free Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by Jennifer Schaertl Page B

of the bacon) for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the vegetables and turn the heat down to medium. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and cover the pot to allow the vegetables to sweat for 10 minutes. When you remove the lid, be sure all the liquid that has collected goes back into the pot.
    3 Pour the beans back into the stockpot and stir together with the vegetables. Add the vegetable stock and bay leaves; cover, reduce the heat to low, and allow the soup to cook slowly for 1 hour.
    4 Puree half of the bean mixture in your blender. Add the pureed black beans back into the pot with the fresh thyme, oregano, lemon zest, parsley, and sherry. Season to taste with salt or pepper.
    5 Serve warm with 3 slices of lemon floating on the soup’s surface to garnish the center of each bowl.

Vichyssoise
by No Other Name
    Yields 1 gallon (12 servings)
    Despite its restaurant workhorse title, vichyssoise (vee-shee-so-AHZ) is the quintessential gourmet soup, and it’s easy to make at home in your CLK. To keep the soup free of floating flecks of herbs but to infuse it with flavor, chefs make an herb and spice “sachet” using a square of cheesecloth tied with butcher’s twine. I use a sock, which is perfect CLK ingenuity. My dad taught me this trick in high school when we competed together in my first chili competition.
    4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    6 leeks, finely chopped, washed and dried
    1 yellow onion, finely chopped
    Sea salt, to taste
    4 parsley stems
    1 whole clove
    Â½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
    1 bay leaf
    Brand new, thin white sock (I’m not kidding!)
    1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
    Â½ pound russet potatoes, peeled and diced
    6 cups chicken stock
    3 cups half and half
    White pepper, to taste
    Â¼ teaspoon nutmeg
    3 teaspoons chopped chives
    1 In a 12-quart stockpot, heat the butter over medium heat. When all the butter has melted, add the leeks and onions, season them lightly with salt, and sweat them until they are tender and translucent. During this time, put the parsley, clove, black pepper, and bay leaf into the white sock, and tie the top very tightly. This is the perfect CLK sachet.
    2 Add the potatoes, chicken stock, and sachet to the pot and raise the temperature to high, bringing the soup to a full boil. Now reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the potatoes start to fall apart, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the sachet and throw it away (unless you want to dump out the herbs and try washing the sock for future wear).
    3 Using your blender, puree all of the soup and place it in the refrigerator to chill. Once completely cool, whisk in the half and half, taste the soup, and season to taste with sea salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Serve ice-cold, and sprinkle a pinch of chive in the center of each bowl.

Cure All with Curry
    Yields 2 quarts (6 servings)
    Curry is a blend of spices that generally includes turmeric, coriander, and cumin—all of which have valuable healing properties. Turmeric not only provides yellow color but also helps to fight cancer. Coriander, aids with digestion, acts as a natural diuretic, and helps the body detoxify. Cumin stimulates circulation and can help relieve abdominal cramping. So long story short, eat more curry, and you won’t feel so crappy!
    3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    3 cups small dice yellow onion
    1 tablespoon minced garlic
    1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
    Sea salt, to taste
    Black pepper, to taste
    2 tablespoons curry powder (yellow)
    2 tablespoons red curry paste
    Â½ tablespoon Hungarian paprika
    1 cup white wine
    32 ounces diced tomato, canned
    4 cups vegetable stock
    Â¼ cup crème fraiche, or sour cream
    1 In a 12-quart stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and allow them to sweat slowly. You want them to soften, not brown. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
    2 When the onions are translucent, add the curry powder, curry paste, and paprika, and