Carrot Coconut Curry Soup

I promised I would do this because she's been pressuring me to get back to posting, so before I get started, I'd like to thank my food muse, Frankie, for pushing me to do this again.

Now, onto the good stuff.

I love soup. I have jokingly said I was going to go on an all-soup diet. I've also found myself in possession of very large heirloom carrots from From the Farmer. I was feeling something warm and sweet to really compliment the carrots and, after coming up empty in my Pinterest search, I decided to wing it with things I had around. The end result was this Carrot Coconut Curry Soup, which really checked all the boxes I was looking for.

This is the best photo I have - I didn't plan ahead here.

You'll need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion - quartered
• 4 cloves garlic – smashed
• 2 large carrots – peeled and chopped into coins (~1/2 inch)
• 2 large tomatoes – quartered
• 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 16 oz chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup white wine
• Fresh parsley and basil (I used it whole and just threw in several handfuls (probably 4-5 large basil leaves and a cup of parsley)
• 1 can (8 oz) coconut milk

Recipe:

1. Heat olive oil in large saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and let them sweat until the onions are translucent.
2. Increase heat to high, adding the carrots and stirring frequently to prevent burning. Cook 2-3 minutes (I did this while I was chopping the tomatoes).
3. Add the tomatoes and spices (garam masala, paprika, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper), stir, and then let cook on high until the tomatoes start to release their juices (2-3 minutes).
4. Add your broth and wine. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and tasting the check the seasoning on the broth.
6. Add your parsley and basil.
7. Blend until smooth – you can use a regular blender if you’re careful (I used an immersion blender).
8. Stir in coconut milk. Taste, add additional seasoning if necessary, and either serve immediately or transfer to containers to store for later.

Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms

Today, I felt like experimenting a bit with mushrooms - admittedly, I realized after the fact that everything I made for dinner was a shade of brown. #earthtonedinner

To try this recipe, you'll need
Baby bella or button mushrooms
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Parsley (I used dried, but I'd recommend fresh to brighten the dish up)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Red pepper flakes

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I marinated the mushrooms for about half an hour before they went in the oven, so you have some time here. You may also want to line your baking dish with tinfoil, since the sugar in the maple syrup will caramelize a bit and you don't want it to burn to your pan.

Wash your mushrooms and then cut them into quarters. Add your mushrooms to a bowl. Mince the cloves of garlic fine and add them to the bowl, along with your chopped parsley, salt and red pepper flakes. Add your olive oil and toss until everything is well-coated.

In a small separate bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup, then add this to the mushroom mix. Let marinate for 30-60 minutes.

Transfer your mushrooms to the baking sheet and put it in the oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown but still firm.

Rachel Ate Richmond

I spent this past weekend in Richmond, home of my alma mater, eating at some of my favorite places. 

Friday night featured good beer, appetizer samplers (with Shrimp Toast), and beef pho at Mekong.

Then Saturday evening was the La La Yu Yu Roll and a bucket of tots at RVA's own Sticky Rice.

Both highly recommended for anyone venturing through the River City.

Bourbon Vanilla French Toast

I love French Toast. It has pretty much always been one of my great joys. I also really love bourbon and the way it highlights subtler vanilla notes.  The end result?  My Bourbon Vanilla French Toast.  I made a huge pile of the stuff for a brunch with a few friends from college.

You will need:

• Nice eggy bread like challah or brioche (I have challah, sliced and knotted, because they only had one loaf of each and I was making way too much)
• 2 eggs per serving (~4 slices)
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 1 shot of bourbon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Cinnamon or cinnamon sugar to taste

Heat a skillet or nonstick pan over low-medium heat.

Whisk together your eggs and milk until mostly combined. Add your bourbon and vanilla and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add cinnamon, making sure to whisk between slices.

Add butter or cooking spray to your pan. You'll want some kind of fat to allow for that lovely browning on the french toast.

Coat your slices of bread (I like about 3/4" thick) in the egg mixture and add to the pan.  Cook until the egg on the edges of the bread starts to solidify, then flip and continue cooking until browned but not burnt on either side.

(The grill marks are because making this much food meant I needed every pan I had, including my cast iron grill pan.)

You can serve with fresh fruit and whipped cream or bourbon maple syrup (bonus recipe below):

Bourbon Maple Syrup

• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

Reduce the bourbon in a pan on medium-high heat. Be careful to pull the pan off the heat while adding the bourbon to avoid flare-ups. Bubbles will form as it reduces. Once it's about 1/4 the original amount, add the maple syrup, whisking constantly until evenly combined. Serve hot.

Back from Accidental Hiatus

Hey y'all!

It's been a minute since my last post (kidding - it's been 9 months), and there are some things you might want to know! First and foremost, I'm no longer a grad student - so this blog is no longer Grad Student Eats DC...Welcome to "Rachel Eats DC!" I work in the non-profit world, which means money is still pretty tight and stress is still pretty high, so most of the schtick of this blog is about the same.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was working and schooling full time for the last semester, which left me pretty drained, so when I did cook or go out to eat, it was rarely with an eye on documenting the process -- and when I didn't, I was eating a lot of Lean Cuisine. It was a dark time, I don't want to talk about it.

But this post is an attempt to welcome y'all back to Rachel Eats DC! Since we've been gone, I've fallen in love with Mad Fox Tap Room in Glover Park and Rice Bar on 14th St, finally discovered the entrance to Brown Bag, and found a favorite lunch place that promptly closed (R.I.P.).

Super excited to be back, and I'm planning on trying to run with an election-theme in the next few months, but we also all know how good I am at running with those things, so no promises. What I AM promising is the recipe for my Bourbon Vanilla French Toast in the next week, and a concerted effort to be here more often.

Let's eat, y'all!

Sweet and Spicy Tuna Cake

Let me just start by saying: my sister-in-law makes to die for tuna burgers. Like, I am 100% not sure how she does it, but she elevates canned tuna to actual deliciousness in a way that I didn't really know was possible.  This recipe is mostly an homage to that.

This recipe also costs about $1 per serving to make, meaning it fits well into the grad school budget.

I'm calling this a tuna cake because, as opposed to putting it on a bun and calling it a burger, I chose to eat it with a fork...and it's pretty similar in composition to a crab cake.

You'll need:
- about 1-2 small sweet red peppers, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp of garlic powder (not pictured)
- 1 tsp of onion powder (not pictured)
- 1 can of tuna, drained*
- 1 cup of bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp of vegetable or olive oil

You're going to want to begin by finely chopping your red peppers.  Depending on your personal preference when it comes to chunks in things, you may want to make the pieces larger or smaller.

Now that you've chopped your peppers and hopefully drained* your tuna, add both to a mixing bowl, along with your egg.

Add your spices and mix together with a fork until the mixture is wet and the egg is clearly combined.

Add breadcrumbs a few tablespoons at a time, mixing until the mixture becomes firm and sticks together.

Next, add your oil to the pan and heat your pan to medium-high heat.  Form your mixture into a patty and introduce to the heat.

Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until brown and crispy.

Serve on its own or with toppings.  Since this runs a little spicy, I added a little ranch on the side, but you could use tartar sauce or anything you feel comfortable with.  Guacamole would probably be tasty.


* I've noticed that the best way to drain tuna, unless you have a tuna strainer (hey, my sister does), is to open the lid about 2/3 of the way and press until juice stops coming out of the can.

An Ode to a Cocktail

I'm in love. With a cocktail.

Barcelona Wine Bar recently opened a location in the Northwest of the city near the cathedral, and we stopped in for drinks and desserts the other night. Though their churros with hot chocolate sauce and crepas (crepe-like desserts filled with whipped cream and drizzled with a spicy chocolate sauce) were fabulous, the real star was the Bourbon Spice Rack, a whiskey cocktail. 

Bourbon, lemon juice and cardamom and lavender bitters served over ice.  Floral and balanced, but without outshining the bourbon.  The whiskey was definitely still the main player in this cocktail.  It'll run you $11, which disappointed me a bit given the size of the drink, and it certainly isn't winning any presentation awards, but it might have been the most well-balanced drink I've ever had.

9/10, would definitely order again.