Gadget Geekery: Vitamix
June 12, 2011
Broccoli cheddar soup.
About a month ago, J and I were browsing through a local kitchen store and happened upon the Vitamix blenders. We’d first heard of the Vitamix reading Thomas Keller’s “Ad Hoc at Home” cookbook where it’s used in several recipes. I found it odd at first, then telling, that Keller continually referred to it by its brand name. No instructions were given that required the use of a “blender.” After researching its capabilities, I was impressed. So we wanted to see one in person.
The salespeople at the kitchen store had practically granted the Vitamix deity-like status. The floor model glowed with an imagined golden nimbus as the clerk recounted its otherworldly capabilities: powers through ice like a chain saw, spins with tornado-like force, chews fibrous fruit like a ravenous goat. In fact the Vitamix works with such high-speed intensity that it heats the ingredients in its container, as in makes hot soup out of a frozen smoothie, if you’re not careful. Hot soup in a blender in about five minutes: Sold.
The price was steep as a cliff, but we rationalized the purchase by counting it as our next seven birthday gifts, each. We brought it home, and promptly made, of course, frozen margaritas. Not regular frozen margaritas, though. This version had whole fruit. Peel an orange, peel a lime, drop them in — membranes and all — and blend them up with some silver tequila, Cointreau, ice and a touch of water. The Vitamix made short work of ice cubes and blended the whole fruit to a smooth consistency. Whole-fruit fiber hidden in a frozen cocktail? Brilliant! Make mine a double.
Though I usually prefer to keep the kitchen counters clutter-free, the Vitamix earned a permanent home next to the coffee maker. We use the beastly blender daily, whipping up everything from smoothies, salad dressings, mayonnaise, dips, cold soups and even a new version of chile verde. My favorite recipe so far is the hot broccoli and cheddar soup, loosely adapted from the Vitamix cookbook:
1 1/2 c. skim milk
1/2 c. shredded cheddar
2 c. steamed broccoli florets (reserving a few for garnish)
1/3 c. minced onion
1/2 tsp boullion
1/3 c. cooked barley for body
Place all ingredients in the blender in the order listed. With the blender on variable 1, turn it on. Increase speed to variable 10, and set to high. Blend for 5 to 6 minutes, until steam escapes from the lid. Serve with reserved broccoli florets. Presto, hot, creamy soup.
To clean up, fill the container halfway with hot water and a squeeze of dish soap, and run the blender again. Holy molé, the thing cleans itself!
Queue the angels: This is one heavenly appliance.
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- Broccoli cheddar soup.
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- Behold, the Vitamix.
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- Grated cheddar cheese.
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- A little steamed broccoli.
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- All the fixins in the Vitamix.
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- Roommates, soulmates.
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- Beautiful broccoli cheddar soup in mere minutes.
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- A drizzle of Tabasco.
Refrigerator staple: Greek salad
May 22, 2011
Greek salad, a Sunday tradition.
It’s part of the Sunday ritual, so deeply ingrained that the weekend hardly feels complete without it. Every weekend, we make our shopping list, and every weekend, the same few ingredients appear: cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, feta, black olives.
After the groceries are put away, and before any other dinner-fixing starts, the chopping commences. Uncomplicated, and delicious in its simplicity,
our Greek salad serves as a side dish on its own, but more commonly I use it to top my chopped lettuce during the week. Every night. Yes, I eat salad every night during the week. I think of it as a calorie bank: I save up calories during the week that I can in turn spend on weekend splurges.
The essential component to our Greek salad is English cucumber, peeled. I find the seeds and skins of traditional cucumbers to be bitter and generally horrible. In fact, for years I detested cucumbers until I realized their problem could be fixed by peeling and seeding them, and I always question restaurants that slice cucumbers on salads without taking these extra steps.
Grape tomatoes are the other important component of the recipe. During the summer, if large, flavorful tomatoes are available, I’ll use them, but grape tomatoes are usually delicious, if a little expensive, year round.
So, peel, quarter and chop the cucumber, add a little salt. Halve the grape tomatoes lengthwise and add to cucumber. Finely mince 1/2 red onion and give the salad a toss. Though I buy pitted kalamata olives, I chop them to detect any lingering pits. In they go. Cube or crumble the feta and pile it in. Season with salt and pepper keeping in mind that the olives and feta add some saltiness. A drizzle of olive oil is the final touch. If I have a lemon, maybe a squeeze of juice, but I don’t go out of my way to buy lemon. Stir it up, and it’s done.
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- Greek salad, a Sunday tradition.
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- English cucumbers are the way to go.
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- Grape tomatoes.
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- Red onion.
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- Feta cheese.
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- A drizzle of good olive oil.
Pork roast and farro, arugula salad.
After our decadent weekend of dining out, Sunday dinner was a welcome break.
Just before we embarked on our afternoon walk, J rubbed pork leg roast with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and a generous sprinkling of granulated garlic. He first browned it on a hot grill, giving it a nice crust. Then it went into the oven with a can of beer to maintain a bit of moisture. Four hours at 250 degrees yielded flavorful, tender meat (J thought it was overcooked, I thought it was delicious).
To accompany, we improvised a earthy, peppery salad of farro, mushrooms and baby arugula.
1 pound mixed mushrooms (crimini, shiitaki, oyster and enoki) sauteed in leftover soffrito oil until softened. Cooled.
1 cup farro cooked in 5 cups broth for 50 minutes until al dente. Drained and cooled.
1 package baby arugula. Washed and dried.
Lemon vinaigrette (fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar, minced onion, fruity olive oil.)
In a large bowl, I mixed the cooled mushrooms and farro, salting to taste. Then I tossed in baby arugula until there was an even balance, half and half-ish. Spooned on some vinaigrette, then using a veggie peeler, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano into the bowl and tossed. Garnished with more Parm on the plate.
A simple recipe with balanced textures and flavors. This one’s a keeper.
Farro, arugula, mushrooms, lemon vinaigrette and cheese.
Refrigerator Staple: Soffritto
April 1, 2011
Soffritto, draining.
Onions.
Olive oil.
Tomatoes.
Garlic.
Salt.
Whenever J and I make a meal, you can bet that, in most cases, at least four of the five ingredients above are featured in some way or another. But in one of our newest refrigerator staples, they are the stars.
Helloooo, soffritto, you sweet, jammy medley.
We had our first encounter with soffritto over the holidays last year, following the recipe from Thomas Keller’s “Ad Hoc at Home” cookbook in the ever-engaging “lifesavers” section. His is a simple recipe, really: Finely dice onions (3 cups) and combine in a large pan with olive oil (1 cup, though I sometimes us a bit more so there is more to save) and a bit of salt. Bring the oil just to a boil, then reduce the heat and place the pan on a heat diffuser. Simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
Cue the tomatoes. Keller gives instructions for halving one pound plum tomatoes lengthwise, and grating the flesh on a box grater until only the skin is left in your hand. I did this once. But in December in the Northwest, plum tomatoes are pretty anemic. And while the process of hand-grating tomatoes is not difficult, I feel it’s not entirely necessary when a box of good-quality Italian crushed tomatoes is a fine shortcut. Add the tomatoes (1 cup or so) to the onion/olive oil stew, give a stir and simmer for another 2 1/2 hours. Low, slow.
Remove the pan from the heat, add one or two (Two! No, three!) minced garlic cloves and let the mixture cool on the stove. Use a fine-mesh sieve to drain off the extra olive oil, reserving it for the next batch of soffritto (Keller’s advice), or for sauteeing vegetables (our advice). Either way, refrigerate the oil, refrigerate the soffritto. Enjoy.
How to enjoy? I eat my fair share of quesadillas, and this mellow-sweet, onion-y condiment is a luxurious topping. It’s also delicious on frittata, fish or pasta.
Or, by the spoonful.
(I would never do that.)
Chile Verde Chronicles 