Pick-me-ups

March is not a good time to be in Maine. We've actually had it pretty good, with no blizzards, and hence less mud than is probably normal. But it's been raining, raining, raining. [EDIT: now that I'm finally getting this posted, the rain has stopped, and it's gorgeous and sunny. Still, a few pick-me-ups never hurt anyone.]

Here are three things that are helping us get through until real spring.

1. Syrup
March is, traditionally, the time to tap your maple trees (warm days and cold nights makes the sap run). Global warming has screwed this up somewhat, and a lot of syrup production has moved northward, but we still have "Maine Maple Sunday" at the end of March.


It's basically a day when a lot of farms and sugarhouses put on pancake breakfasts. It's the kind of thing you do when you have children (or hang out with child-having people). We looked at some cows, packed in some pancakes, and then everyone went home for naps.






2. Tomato-Coconut Soup
This is our favorite soup right now. Well, when Jeff makes chowder that is our favorite soup too. But this is more of an everyday kind of meal, that I can make when I don't want to go to the grocery store (=always). It's basically a can of tomatoes, a can of coconut milk, and a ton of flavorings.

This soup does rely on a good dose of spices that you might not have on hand; in a pinch, you could probably get by on ground cumin, garam masala, and mustard seeds alone. In fact, the last time I made this I accidentally used cardamom instead of coriander and it was still just as good. At any rate, it's worth a a trip to your local ethnic grocer to buy those huge bags of Swad spices that cost about $2. They'll last forever, and you'll be able to make this soup and be happy.

When Jeff finished his soup the other day, he got a faraway look in his eyes and said, "That was the best soup I've ever had." It should be noted that Jeff tends toward the hyperbolic on the subject of food. Yesterday I bought him an Italian sandwich and he had to come running out of his office to kiss me, he loved it so much. UPDATE: Last night, after a dinner of tuna melts at our respective computers (romance!), Jeff said, with great enthusiasm, "That was the best f***ing tuna melt EVER." I'm beginning to suspect that this is a strategy to make me feel better about having to do all the cooking. If so, it's working. Nevertheless, take his word for it on the soup.

Caveat: the measurements aren't too precise, especially with the spices, which I tend to dump right out of the jars. You might want to go easy on mustard seeds--they're a little bitter, and probably not everyone's favorite. But they're so good in this soup! Everything else, I think, is very flexible.

Tomato Coconut Soup
Serves 4-6

Saute in olive oil over medium heat:
1.5 onions—finely chopped
3 T minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves—minced

When onions are soft, add:
1 big can whole tomatoes, chopped, with juice*
1 can coconut milk
1 coconut-can water
1 tsp. salt
1 T cumin
2-3 tsp. coriander
dash or two of red pepper flakes

Simmer for 20 min. or so.

Puree (with your wand blender, or in a blender).

Add:
2-3 T brown sugar*
Salt to taste

If you want it to be thicker, let it cook a while longer. I like it on the thin side.

When ready to serve:
Melt 3 T butter in a small skillet over medium/high heat.
Add:
2 T garam masala
1 T mustard seeds
1-2 T cumin seeds

Cook for a couple of minutes, until fragrant.
Stir spice mixture into soup.

We like to serve this with a scoop of brown rice and a sprinkle of cilantro or parsley.

*Note on tomatoes: I love Tutto Rosso tomatoes, the ones that say "plum-shaped" on the label, and I haven't tried this soup with other brands. They are on the acidic side, so if you use a different brand you might want to cut back on the sugar or add some vinegar at the end.

3. This video

We recently remembered the existence of this delightful short. Watch it and you will be happy.



(If it gets taken down, just do a search for "Pixar One Man Band.")