Root Vegetable Bisque (vegetarian)

Root Vegetable Bisque

I am trying to expand my vegetarian recipe repertoire.  My ultimate goal is to find things my husband, teenage stepsons, and frequent dinner guests will eat, love, and not complain about lack of flavor or meat. In an attempt to clean out the produce section of my refrigerator, I stumbled upon a total winner. It also happens to be vegetarian, amusingly simple, and very nutritious.  Oh--and finished in 30 minutes (bonus).

INGREDIENTS:

• Potatoes, raw, 2 medium or large (3" to 4" dia.)
• Turnip, 1 large 
• Onions, raw, 1 small 
• Carrots, raw, 1 large (7-1/4" to 8-1/2" long) 
• Garlic, 3 cloves 
• Vegetable Stock, 4 cups (I like Trader Joe's)
• Half and Half Cream, .5 cup 
• Salt, to taste
• Rosemary, dried, .5 tsp 
• Thyme, dried .5 tsp 
• Sage, ground, 1 tsp
• Cheddar Cheese, 1 cup, shredded 

Peel vegetables and roughly chop (1 inch pieces are fine).  Add vegetables to a large soup pot. Add vegetable broth (you can use chicken stock, just be wary of the added salt) and bring to a boil.  Add dried herbs and simmer until all vegetables are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Add half and half. Puree with a wand blender until smooth.  Add more vegetable broth if bisque is too thick. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese. I also like to garnish with crumbled crackers. Serves 6 as a side dish or 4 for entree.

I also found an easy recipe calculator (free too) http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp.  This is what it came up with. I'm pretty sure the sodium content is way too high, because the vegetable stock I used had very little sodium, and the website made me choose "vegetable broth" instead, which would have a lot of added salt.  All in all, I think this bisque packs a satisfying and nutritious punch. All of my boys raved about it. It is also fantastic the next day, so it would be a great make-ahead for a dinner party or a work-week lunch. Cheers!

Nutrition Facts Root Vegetable Bisque
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		227.7
Total Fat		8.8 g
	Saturated Fat	5.5 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.4 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	2.5 g
Cholesterol		27.2 mg
Sodium		1,563.8 mg
Potassium		686.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate		29.4 g
	Dietary Fiber	3.9 g
	Sugars	4.0 g
Protein		8.4 g

Vitamin A	41.3 %
Vitamin B-12	3.7 %
Vitamin B-6	23.3 %
Vitamin C	54.9 %
Vitamin D	0.6 %
Vitamin E	1.0 %
Calcium	19.4 %
Copper	9.3 %
Folate	8.4 %
Iron	8.9 %
Magnesium	10.7 %
Manganese	14.9 %
Niacin	8.0 %
Pantothenic Acid	6.2 %
Phosphorus	20.5 %
Riboflavin	9.5 %
Selenium	5.5 %
Thiamin	9.3 %
Zinc	8.1 %

Napolese

Double Chopped Salad (Vegetarian)

Napolese has been touted as a great place to have an authentic Neopolitan pie (imagine that, given the name). I contend that it is this-- and oh so much more.

I send everyone I know to Napolese, especially for date night. The restaurant is casual, intimate, and bustling without being obnoxious. It is also a place where you know immediately that the crowd is comprised of regulars who are definitely in the know. There may be a wait, but never mind. Have a glass of wine and wait it out. The staff is efficient enough that they usually beat the estimated wait time significantly. It would be nice if there were a larger place to wait (it can be tricky to not feel like you are in the way of the service machine that characterizes the entire Patachou brand), but the whole Euro vibe makes you feel a little "C'est la vie" about the whole situation.

The wine list is great. It is Italian excepting a few whites from California, New Zealand, and the like. I really like the Quattro Mani Montepulciano (Abruzzo) a great value at $8 a glass. The Maschio Prosecco Brut (Treviso) is a great bet for a date. At a $24 bottle, it suits most tastes with its off-dry finish and fruit-forward bouquet.

The beer list is comprised entirely of local Sun King selections and a few Italian imports (Peroni, etc). I applaud the effort, but it's just too expensive (each beer is $6) for non draught options. I'd always elect to drink the wine given the choice, but perhaps that is by design.

The salads are my favorite part of this menu.  I can't resist the double chopped salads (an "everything but the kitchen sink" style of salad dressed with a lively vinaigrette). The vegetarian version is my favorite in the fall and winter, because it typically includes roasted squash. The don't list everything in the salads because it fluxes according to the seasonal pie toppings. The version I had on this night had mixed greens with roasted squash, broccoli, garbanzo beans, roasted peppers, shaved mushrooms and several kinds of cheese. I am also obsesses with the arugula salad with shaved mushrooms, simply dressed with Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil, and sea salt.  The salads are perfect for 2 people to share.

The pizza truly is the main event at Napolese. It lives up to the hype. The oven (kept at a scorching 650F or so) creates the perfect, tender-on-the-inside, almost-burnt-on-the-outside crust. I haven't yet had the pleasure of eating pizza in Napoli, but I have it on good authority that this is as close as it gets. Knowing Martha Hoover's exacting standards and attention to every culinary detail, I tend to believe it. We choose the It's Not Easy Being Green pie with arugula pesto, new potatoes, wild mushrooms and provolone. Since we are seated at the counter, we see the cooks in action, treating our pizza with care as they stretch the crust, top the pie and slide it into the belly of the beast. We watch our little pizza in the oven for every painstaking minute that it cooks, anticipating with great joy the moment where we get to devour it. Devour we did. In fact, we were so frenzied that I forgot all about the photo until we were halfway through (my bad). It was delectable! The flavor combination was perfect, and the pesto (admittedly oilier than a red pie) added so much flavor with it's mild but peppery arugula bite. I should mention that we split a salad and a pie and had plenty of food (though we did opt to take some homemade gelato home for later).

It's Not Easy Being Green pie

**I also recommend getting a side of the pizza sauce for dipping the crust (especially for a white or pesto pie). You have to order it when you order your pizza, though, because they heat it in the oven and it takes several minutes. No microwave on site- how refreshing!

I give Napolese 4/5. The only ways it could improve is 1) more space while you are waiting for your table and 2) the beer pricing. Other than those minor detractors, I think Napolese is the perfect night out for a reasonable cost. For 2 glasses of wine, salad, pizza, and gelato we paid $55 with tax and tip. Not too shabby for a night of European enjoyment in the neighborhood.

Hiatus Over!

So I took a hiatus. January just called for a break from blogging. Refreshed, I start 2012 clear-headed and ready to go. Lots has happened in the world of food and wine, so bear with me as I attempt to cover it all without wasting anyone's time!

Here are some things coming up...

Reviews: Napolese, Noah Grant's, Ambrosia, Ripple Inn, Libertine (part 2)

Recipes: Lots of easy pasta dishes, Kahlua-Maple French Toast

Excursions: Nashville (TN), Chicago, etc etc

+ Much more (bargain wines, cocktail ideas, etc).