global journey

The journey is the destination!

A very smart lady reminded me of this only a few days ago when I expressed self-doubt about what my purpose is on this blog. It has since then become my motto.

Right now I see this as a much needed creative outlet and I am pleased that so many of my friends and family are encouraging me through it. There are probably some people who think that I am wasting my time rather than focusing on finding a calling that will eventually pay the bills. Oh well! It does not have to represent all that I will accomplish in the future, but for right now it is a journey that I am happy to be embarked upon.

A little bit of this is starting to have friends all over the place, which is pretty amazing if you ask me! I have a regular audience in France - Coucou Suzanne! - and the Netherlands - Hallo Wendy! - as well as a few readers in Indonesia, Venezuela, Brazil and Germany, not to mention Mozambique. Obrigado, ma soeur! I also have a very large audience composed of hits from Russian robot spam referral sites. Stop polluting my stats, robotskis!  Спасибо! Spaseeba! It is impossible for me to determine how much of my "large" American audience is composed of friends or spam hits, and how much of it actually includes people who have just stumbled upon the blog.  Show yourselves, please! I think it's safe to assume that more than half of the 340 hits from my native country of Canada are from my mother. Merci Maman!!

Whatever the case, it's exciting. And I am still fascinated by how easily we can come together thanks to the power of the Internet. I will one day tell my children that I grew up in a world where people connected via telephone and hand-written or typed letters, and they will laugh at how ancient I am (I will also tell them about cash registers, rotary dial telephones, cassette tapes, phone books, penny loafers, encyclopedias, betamax and bright yellow walkmans). Did our words weigh more back then? There were no cell phones, tweets, emails or text messages to provide instant gratification. One could not take invectives back quite as promptly. I still prefer speaking on the phone to writing emails because I feel like my words are often misinterpreted. Sarcasm is better heard than read, I guess (I'm not being sarcastic).  

As usual, I digress. I welcome these changes and I love this new world culture of ours. And since I am meant to segue to food, what better way to celebrate global cuisine and the wonders of blogging than by turning to pioneer Molly Weizenberg, whose curried lentil soup has become one of my favourite go-to weeknight dinners. I do not add the butter, which it really does not need, and replace the sliced green onions with simple sautéed greens (chard is what I had on hand last night, but mustard greens or spinach work, too). I serve it with basmati rice in a small bowl on the side.

Curried Lentil Soup
(Lightly tweaked from Molly Weizenberg's recipe in the December 2010 issue of Bon Appétit)

Serves 4-6 people (4 as a main course, 6 as an appetizer)

Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped, divided
2 tablespooons (or more) curry powder
1 cup green Puy lentils
4 1/4 cups (or more) water, divided
1 14 or 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 bunches swiss chard (quantity of greens depends on how many you are serving)
Lemon wedges

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add half of chopped garlic; stir until vegetables are soft but not brown, about 4 minutes longer. Add 2 tablespoons curry powder; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add lentils and 4 cups water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, puree chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons olive oil and remaining garlic in processor. Set aside.
3. Once your chickpea purée is ready, remove and discard chard stalks and roughly chop the chard leaves. In a separate pan, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil and throw in chard with a small pinch of salt. Sauté until chard is coated in the oil and begins to wilt. Cover for about 3 minutes. Uncover, sauté and boil away excess liquid.

3. Once lentils are cooked, add chickpea puree to lentil soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add water by 1/4 cupfuls if you think the soup needs to be thinner. I like it on the thicker side, as it is closer to a dal, especially when it is served with rice on the side. You can also add more curry powder if you wish. Luigi adds a micro pinch of cayenne to his bowl.

4. Plate the soup and top it with a small bunch of chard. Serve with lemon wedges and a bowl of rice.