I've never been to Senegal, Soup.

Ok, I only heard this is senseless soup. I was watching TV and Emeril (I know, I know, I like the guy) brought up a recipe. I was found with very weird things in my fridge and I happened to have what was needed along with some left over potato. I mean c'mon, it's soup made from peanut butter!

Honestly though, it's delicious. I substituted some stuff like yogurt for coconut milk and veal for chicken stock but this is just superb as a basic idea no matter what you use for dairy substitute or stock. I even threw in some left over roasted red potatoes instead of grilled chicken. You get the idea, as a base this carries pretty far. I can imagine it working very well with green beans too, full length so they feel like giant noodles.

What you need:

1/2 jar of peanut butter
1/3 cup of plain yogurt
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
4 cups of stock (I had veal, you use chicken. Don't use beef)
Tumeric
Cayenne Pepper
Salt/Pepper
Olive Oil

Here's how we do. Little bit of oil in the pot and get the onion going. Throw some salt over it with 5 or 6 good hits of Tumeric and maybe 3 or 4 hits of Cayenne. The onions, as they sweat will pick up the powder and it'll be a searing orange-red. Let the onions go until they're soft, but don't brown them.

Add in the peanut butter. I used chunky 'cause that's what I like with my jelly but you can use any you like. Add the yogurt with the stock and keep stirring until it simmers. Lower the heat and let and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes. It'll mature while it goes. When it's ready, grab a hand blender and blend until smooth. Add your chicken or leftover potato as it might be afterward and insure you heat through.

Before you serve, grab any green herb you might have and chop it fine to float in the middle. If you want to get fancy, throw on some chunks of feta, sheep or other goat cheese.

I think I had a lager beer with this, but it's been a while now and don't quite remember. Hope you dig it.

Pesto! Pasta! Fresh Paizan!

It's been quite some time since I've been on here and I've got quite a few recipes ready for you. I'm going to come in easy with a pesto that's just as exquisite as it is simple. I came up with this one when I was making some risotta that required thyme. Couldn't find and thyme so I substituted mint. (I know, you're wondering, what's the risotto recipe that needed so much thyme?? Be patient my friends, I'm sure it'll rise up here sooner or later.)

So I was hanging out, doing some work at home and I realized I didn't have much food in the fridge... Little bit of pasta, some herbs (left over from a previous recipe) and some simple general ingredients I happened to have in the fridge.

No time, got too much to jot down... Here's what you need for Fresh Paisan Pesto:

Here's what you need:

1 bunch Mint
1 bunch Basil
Grated Romano Cheese
Nuts (deeeez nuts!) I use peanuts because I'm allergic to most all others.
Grape Tomatos
1 Tbsp butter
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1lb Linguine


Easy as pie. Even though pie is pretty complicated. Get the pasta a boilin'. Take your mint and basil and throw it in blender with a handful and half of peanuts and 2 hands of cheese. Pour in about, oh, 2 seconds of olive oil and whirr. Whirr some more, add oil if it isn't moving well but not too much. Taste, add salt and pepper. That's your sauce.

When the linguine is al dente, drain, add back to pot add butter and toss until coated. Add sauce, toss some more. Cut Grape Tomatos in half and garnish with half handful per plate. Refreshing way to do pasta and it's cheap and fast.