March 8, 2011

Another Tuesday night special! I don't know too many friends who let you come into their kitchen and do whatever you want to their food. And that's exactly what happened! I brought 5 ingredients in a bag, and then proceeded to cook dinner with whatever they had in their refrigerator and pantry. It was kinda' like that show "Chopped", but in reverse. Now, I did have a game plan in my head. I also had a rough idea of a plan B. Whatever the circumstances, the kitchen was now mine. What were the ingredients I brought? Pineapple, Plum Tea, Sweet Potatoes, Thai Coconut Curry Broth and Dulce de Leche Sauce. All I had to do now was figure out what they had available to work with, and then let the magic begin. I already knew what my meat was: a 5 1/2 pound boneless pork loin. That was already there and the plan was some Sea Salt, Olive Oil, Chopped Garlic and Fresh Oregano. Let it go at high temperature and then turn it down to finish. There's nothing like a big slap of meat. The sweet potatoes had plan A written all over it. I was going to create a soup that was going to be something like I've done before, but using sweet potatoes. I started out heating some Olive Oil in a big pot. I then added some Gran Marsala Curry Powder and Pumpkin Pie Spice to the oil to get the ball rolling. My plan now: add 1 Onion, chopped, and 5 Sweet Potatoes. I then covered the whole dish with 1 quart Thai Coconut Curry Broth and 1 quart of Water. Covered with a lid and let it go about 30 minutes until the Sweet Potatoes were done. Took a food processor and blended everything( this took about 5 or 6 batches ), and poured it back into the pot. I tasted it. Needed some salt and heat. I found some Thai Hot Sauce in the fridge, and put about 1 teaspoon of Salt and 2 tablespoons of Hot Sauce into the soup mixture. I then added about 1 cup of Half & Half. Creamy Sweet Potato Bisque Soup! The soup was finished with a dollop of low-fat sour cream that was blended with curry powder sauteed in butter, then cooled. It was dolloped at the table on top of the soup. This was special. It had sweet. It had depth. It had a kick. It was complete. A masterpiece! The proud lady of the house steamed Fresh Green Beans, made a fantastic Green Leafy Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette Dressing and Brown Rice infused with Plum Tea. This meal was special. Just like the friends who opened their doors of food to my culinary forethought. How blessed we all should be!