soups and salads

Mixed Green Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette
From Health, September 2001
Serves 4

4 cups Red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
4 cups Kale, main stem removed and leaves shredded crosswise with a sharp knife
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, sliced and quartered
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons pine nuts, toasted
Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Place vegetables into a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette just before serving. Place on salad plates and top each plate with 1/2 teaspoon pine nuts.

Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Juice of half of a large lemon
2 Tablespoons dry white wine (such as 2014 Soaring Hawk Viognier)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a small bowl. Add the olive oil slowly while whisking to emulsify. The dressing can be kept up to three days in the refrigerator.

SOUPS
Red Curry-Carrot Soup
Recipe by Jill Fariss, Soaring Hawk Vineyards
This is a quick and easy recipe.  This soup gets even better when you make it ahead, after melding together for a day or so. If you make it ahead, just add the coconut milk later, just before heating and serving.  This soup is fantastic paired with Soaring Hawk's Barrique Blanc or a lightly oaked Chardonnay.
Serves 8

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
6 cups chicken broth
2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 tsp red curry paste
2 tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp white pepper
1, 13-oz can coconut milk
 
Directions
In a large pan or Dutch oven, over medium high heat, add butter and onions and cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent, but do not brown. Add broth, carrots, ginger and red curry paste, stirring to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced. (I put in an electric pressure cooker set for Soup/Stew mode for 10 minutes.)
 
Remove from heat and transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender. Pulse the blender to start it and then purée until smooth.
 
Bring soup to a simmer, add coconut milk, salt and pepper and serve hot. Garnish with Yogurt-Lime drizzle (see below) or unsweetened coconut chips and finely chopped chives.

Yogurt-Lime Drizzle
1/2 cup plain Greek non-fat yogurt
Zest of one lime
Add fresh Lime juice to get to desired consistency, about 1/2 to one lime

Combine all ingredients and place in a squeeze bottle or zip top bag with a small hole cut in the bottom so you can make fancy drizzles on your soup.