Quepash has written an article featuring a tasty dish.

Check out her recipe and add your own!

Also commonly referred to as “lost my job” soup by my Dad.

I found this recipe for Potato Leek Soup in the Nourishing Traditions cookbook, modified it slightly and thought I’d share.  It’s quick to make, simple and quite tastey.

Ingredients:

3-4 Medium sized potatoes

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

3 Leeks (Leeks are basically tube onions, a white stem with leaves that fan out on top)

4 cups chicken stock

Some Sour Cream or Cream Fraiche

Instructions:

Saute, i.e. butter fry, all of your chopped leaks.  If you are new to leaks make sure to only use the juicy white/white-green portions of the leek and not the leaves.  Chopping the leaks into round sections of the stem is good enough.

Once the leaks are nice and soft (should take about 5 minutes), add the chicken stock and chopped potatoes into a pressure cooker (or pot… pressure cookers simply reduce cooking time by a factor of 2 or 3).  Add the leaks into the potatos and chicken stock.

Turn up the heat and boil for 15 minutes (in a regular pot it will be about 45-60 minutes).  Turn off heat and let cool.

Here you can either blend the soup and place in the refrigerator for cold soup or season to taste and eat it hot and unblended.  I prefer hot soup.

Use some sour cream or cream fraiche for a little extra creaminess.

Voila, cheap, easy and tasty!

**This post has been updated in response to a misunderstanding on my part. Thanks to Boquete from Hacienda Esmeralda for the correction!** In my little world of coffee, there has recently been a lot of hype about the Panama “Best of Panama” award winning beans at Ozo, in Boulder, CO. The Best of Panama has essentially the same rules as the Cup of Excellence, where an organization selects the finest lot of beans for a coffee producing country and awards it the prestigious award. The beans are then sold to the highest bidder during an internet auction.

Allegro Roasters purchased some of the winning Panama and sold it to Ozo. I don’t know what these intermediary costs were, but I do know that the cost for me to get the beans in my hands was $45/lb. Needless to say, I had very high expectations for this coffee.

As usual, I ground up the beans in my mill grinder. I was impressed by the very VERY sweet nose on the grounds and was getting my typical coffee anticipation jitters (not really, but I was excited) while waiting for the coffee to brew – french press style.

Press, pour, sip. Hmm… interesting. The coffee is extremely light bodied. I was even concerned that I didn’t use enough coffee, but the color of the coffee and volume of grounds in the bottom of my french press indicate that it should be about right for the amount of coffee I brewed. Just another light coffee (I’m on a roll with these lately). It is difficult for me to distinguish flavors on lighter coffees, and this was no different. Either I do not have a very sophisticated pallet, or this coffee is not complex. It’s smooth and well roasted as far as I can perceive, but it’s not the knock you out of your chair ecstasy that I was hoping for.

At $45/lb, I’ll be happy to finish off what I purchased, but after that it’s back to the Sidamo.

In response to Jason’s comment, this image helps to clarify the difference between the berry/cherry and the raw bean.

Happy Cupping!

Greentheo recently reviewed some frozen Indian food, and it got me thinking about one of my favorite restaurants.The award winning Jewel of India is located in the King Sooper’s shopping Center at the corner of 104th and Federal in Westminster, which is about a mile from where I grew up. I started going there about 10 years ago and I have never been disappointed. Just writing this post is making me hungry. Naan, tandoori chicken, I love it all. The lunch buffet is definitely the best way to check out their extremely delicious menu. Don’t forget to try the Saag. I have never found another restaurant that makes Saag as well as Jewel of India. So check it out and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!!

Nathan

Today, being Monday, I was very sleepy this morning and did not feel much like working. So… I headed on over to Ozo with my coworker Matt. I was in the mood for some tasty black coffee which meant that french press was the way to go. I asked them if they had any conscious coffee beans I could try and they recommended the Guatemalan. Guatemala has long been one of my favorite coffee regions, so I could not pass this suggestion up!

This coffee was surprisingly different from the El Salvador that I had on Friday. The tastes were much more subtle and the flavor was very smooth. The nose was also less pronounced than the El Salvador. The amazing thing about the Guatemalan was the smoothness. There was absolutely no hint of bitterness at all! Even as it is cooling down now there is no bitterness. There is even a slight sweetness. I would say that this coffee would be a great way for somebody get into black coffee since it is so smooth and un-bitter. I think personally though, I enjoyed the flavor experience of the El Salvador slightly more than the Guatemalan. Still, an excellent coffee! (I got the last of those beans that they had though, so if you’re interested you might have to try The Cup.

For my first Epicurean.scroggles! post I’d like to review Frozen Indian cuizine.

I am a huge fan of all culinary treats (that we have in America) from India.  Curry, Tikka Masala, Burfi, Gulab Jamun, Chai, Tandoori chicken, Naan, Dahl ….. you name it, I love it.   I was practically raised on it as my father insisted on cooking it once a week at least (he was raised on it too when he grew up in India).

The only problem with it is that it can be hard to cook yourself, and expensive to it eat out all the time.

Luckily, the makers of Tandoor Chef frozen Indian dinners have come along and made quite a tasty and natural dish!  It is being sold around Colorado at Vitamin Cottage and also at King Soopers in the “Organic/Natural” Frozen dinner isle.

Tandoor Chef makes several different dishes but I like the Chicken Curry, Chiken Tikka Masala and the Naan Bread the best.  Generally we get two of the dishes (each dish is just right for one adult) and then we cook a pot of basmati rice with it.

Amazingly it is made without preservatives and is low in sodium.  Also just as amazing is that both the curry are good on spice, heat and flavor.  In fact, I would say that it is just about as good as going to the restaurant.

But perhaps best of all, one dish is currently less than $4, so it wont break the bank.

Good work Tandoor Chef!

I recently purchased a new bottle of Macallan 12 year. Rather than present a full review here, I discovered another review that aligns very well with my own experience. However, I feel the need to expound a little upon the review.

First off, I need to preface my comments with the fact that I am a very inexperienced Scotch drinker and have very few scotches to compare it to. Also, I did not consume FOUR drinks like the author of the review above.

Next, there is one very pronounced attribute to this Scotch that the other reviewer failed to mention. I am assuming that the author had his scotch neat (i.e. no ice, soft water, etc.). My first sip of the Macallan 12 was also neat, and I was surprised by its strong yet smooth flavor. Strangely, I’d say that it tasted smoother than the Glenlivet 12 that I nursed over the last year, but the nose was much stronger and had a nice vanilla/coniac scent. After having a sip neat I added a few cubes of ice, which is the typical way I have had scotch in the past. After allowing the scotch to cool I took another sip. WOAH!!! What happened to my scotch!? The flavor had TOTALLY changed. It was not simply watered down and less harsh, but now there was a very strong flavor in the mix that I can only describe as burning eraser. It was very strange indeed, and the flavor did not fade until the scotch had warmed up a bit.

My recommendation on this Scotch: It’s a pretty good one as far as my experience allows me to guess, but neat is the way to go. If you can’t handle the “Man Scotch” strength of having it neat, I’d suggest going elsewhere for $54.

First, let me say that I’m very excited about this blog. I love trying new culinary, fermented, and brewed adventures. I am somewhat of a beer and coffee connoisseur and also love to cook and ferment whole foods. I especially love stouts and once kept web journal of my experiences at the local pub’s “stout month”. This week I made some of my own pickles from the abundance of cucumbers we got in our veggie share as well as some home made sauerkraut.

Yesterday, on my almost daily trip across the street to Ozo, I ordered a french press of the El Salvador beans from Conscious Coffees. It was highly recommended by the shop owner and Greg the barista. This coffee was very excellent! One of my top 5 french presses I would have to say. Very smooth beginning, subtle nose, strong chocolately finish. It also had a great ‘richness’ to the flavor. I highly recommend it! Man, I wish I had some to drink right now. Hey, wait… there in my travel mug from yesterday… sitting right here on my desk… right in front of me. I can’t drink day old coffee though, can I? I do like iced coffee though. And this coffee was so good. Ok, I’m gonna try it… smells pretty sweet… whoah! not bad at all! That is probably the best day old coffee I’ve had. Doesn’t taste stale at all. Still smooth and no bitterness. The chocolate flavors have subsided some though. This coffee seems to get even better with age!

The author of Jason in Real Life is the responsible party for my introduction and subsequent addiction to coffee. It’s not really an addiction… I mean, I COULD stop, but why!? For those readers out there who do not understand how people could possibly drink, let alone enjoy coffee, allow me to explain the process of becoming a coffee drinker.

Step 1: Become friends with a coffee drinker co-worker.

Step 2: Accompany said coffee drinker on coffee break, order a fru fru drink like a mocha (a.k.a. the gateway to coffee).

Step 3: After several trips to the coffee shop with said coffee drinker, discover that each trip costs you upwards of 3X what your friend is paying for a normal cup o’ joe.

Step 4: By this time, you are not yet addicted to coffee itself. However, you have begun to expect and look forward to the coffee break. This step is critical in becoming a coffee addict – addiction to the coffee break. Try coffee with scrupulus amounts of milk and sweetener (for me, just milk – I can’t stand the taste of sugar in coffee).

Step 5: Repeat Step 4 for 6 months.

Step 6: Discover that there is such a thing as coffee quality, and you have been drinking stuff barely suited for consumption (as told by coffee connoisseurs)

Step 7: Try some exceptional coffee (i.e. beans from the top coffee lots in the world roasted locally only days before grinding and brewed in top quality machines. Only to find that no cream, sugar, nose plugs, etc. are required to drink this coffee. In fact, it actually tastes GOOD!

Step 8: Due to the 1-2 coffee breaks per day over the past 6 months, you are now addicted to the coffee itself, but at least you have found the good stuff.

Step 9: Begin your journey to finding the truly exceptional coffees of the world, and work on snubbing any and all other coffees that don’t meet your level of excellence.

On to the review:
Recently the coffee connisours mentioned above, a.k.a. the best coffee shop in Boulder, CO, a.k.a. Ozo, began serving french press brews of various coffees, all roasted in Thornton, CO at Allegro Coffee. Due to the extremely fast turnaround on beans in the shop (there’s a line to the door every weekday from 8am – 1pm), these beans are some of the freshest from the roaster that you can buy. Although some reviewers claim that Allegro is not one of the finer roasters, I have not yet had a cup of bad coffee made from Allegro beans. Perhaps I still have a ways to go on my snobishness.

One of the coffees Ozo offers is Ethiopian Sidamo, and it is one of my favorites. Because I now work outside the Boulder area, I am unable to make the daily trip over to Ozo for coffee. Instead, I have worked out a system that allows me to have nearly fresh beans for french press at my office. I pick up a quarter pound of beans, whenever I am in the area, and have them ground at the shop. Many coffee connoisseurs out there are probably cringing right now, as it is well known that ground coffee oxidizes terribly fast once it has been ground due to the increased surface area and release of coffee oils. However I typically plow through the grinds in less than 3 days. Nonetheless, over that 3 day period, a serious degradation in quality is apparent, but even so it is head and shoulders above most other coffees.

My favorite part about this coffee is the nose on the ground beans prior to brewing. That’s a little wine tasting terminology there . The nose = the smell. Immediately after being ground, the coffee has a very rich nose with subtle high notes (i.e. sweet). After being brewed the coffee has a reddish tinge that is similar to, yet not as pronounced as, some Kona coffee that I have tasted. The initial flavor is incredibly smooth and has a medium to light body. I notice a finish that tastes to me like dark chocolate, although others who I’ve talked to describe it as more of a citrus flavor than chocolate.

In my opinion, the Ethiopian Sidamo from Allegro makes the best home brew french press coffee I have had so far, and it will continue to be my regular office coffee of choice.

On a side note: Ozo has recently been pulling in beans from Conscious Coffee, but I haven’t had the chance to try it yet. I hear that it is phenomenal from Jason, so maybe he will let us know what he thinks.

Welcome to the latest addition to the Scroggles! site. The purpose of this Scroggle is to act as a medium on which Scrogglers can post reviews on fine foods and beverages. As a newbie Epicurean (in the sense of enjoyment of new and exotic tastes), the author of Blitherings decided that rather than only keep a personal journal of reviews on fine beverages, why not take those reviews to Scroggles! and allow others to view and provide additional input. Sort of an open source journal, if you will.

If you would like to be a contributor to this Scroggle, please send Derrick an e-mail: wildderrick at gmail.com (sorry, no link. Enough spam as it is!)

Enjoy and remember to savor the tastes of life!