In the Mood

The last couple of days have actually felt like winter, "California style" anyway, with day long fog and chilly air.  Now some would say that this weather is for wimps and we even joke that it feels like spring in New Hampshire.  I used to live there and let me tell you that winter is no tea party.  It is frigid!  So cold, in fact, that the hairs inside of your nose freeze and when you breathe, your nostrils stick together.  One winter, we (my patient husband and I) lived on a pond in a rented cabin type house.  We had an incredible view and a lovely fall until winter struck hard.  It was an exceptional winter as temperatures for the month of January never exceeded 0 degrees F, and our water lines froze.  I was camping in Death Valley by myself (had enough of the cold), but my poor husband had to drink pond water for a while.  Our driveway was on an incline and the entire piece of paving froze, leaving us stranded.  Our other car was buried under so much snow that we couldn't find it until April of that year.  My husband needed to work, so we hired a tow truck to come pull us out and it got stuck in the driveway.  They had to call another tow truck to pull them out.  It was like comedy...if you weren't the one with frozen nose hairs and a class waiting for you.

JUST FOR KICKS: My husband thought that it was not only romantic, but downright fun to do donuts on the frozen pond (more like a lake) behind our house and took me out for a spin.  I remember freaking out totally as the car spun out of control on the ice...not sure if I should get into crash position or beat my husband with my frozen glove.  We ended up  moving to another more insulated place for the remainder of the winter, but I made a promise that I would not spend another one in New England.  And I have not!

These days call for soup and delicious bread, hot baths and hot beverages.  I made a soup the other night with coconut milk and beautiful, sunny yellow split peas.  I am including the recipe here to brighten up even the foggiest of days.

Adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Soup cookbook

2 cups yellow split peas (soaked for at least 1 hour)

bunch cilantro

onion 

garlic

3 whole cloves

2 bay leaves

1-2 t turmeric

1-2 t curry powder

ginger

1 t coriander ground

red pepper flakes or ground red pepper

coconut milk 1 cup

juice of 1-3 limes

wilted spinach, kale or chard

rice to go in soup

yogurt topping with cumin seed

Rinse peas and put in soup pot w cloves and 2 quarts water and bring to boil.  Meanwhile saute onion, garlic cilantro stems and spices in fry pan.  After a few minutes, add 1/3 cup of the pea soup water to veggies and let cook 10 minutes. Add veggie mix to pea soup and cook until peas are done.  I add more spices to soup while it is cooking and you will need to figure out how much as the original recipe is definitely not enough....I put a lot in as I like a lot of flavor. 

Now cook a pot of rice!  Stir some cumin seeds and red pepper into plain yogurt

When peas are soft,  remove cloves and bay leaves, puree soup and veggies and add coconut milk.  Squeeze the fresh lime juice into the soup, add some cilantro leaves

Saute or wilt spinach or kale

Ladle soup into bowls, add rice and greens and top with yogurt

This is another one of those soul enhancing soups.  You feel cheery and warm eating it.  

Happy Winter (even if it is in California)!