Just to add a little more excitement for cycling fans in the month of May, the Tour of California now rides into the scene. (Yes, that’s right, for those following along at home, it goes on at the same time as the Giro d’Italia.) This eight day race takes us through some of the most scenic areas of the state, goes over some rigorous climbs and attracts some top-notch teams and riders.

California is truly a melting pot and its cuisine is influenced by a broad palate of flavors and styles.  Food in California is influenced by not only the immigrants that have settled in the state (Asian, Latin American, Italian, etc.) but also from the abundance of local foods that are easily accessible. Honestly, I’m always amazed at the wide-variety of fruits and vegetables that are available on the side of the road any time of the year.

Chefs from around the world have been attracted to the state and have created many popular fusion restaurants that highlight the local and international flavors. (Some places have a reservation wait list so long, you have to predict sometimes months, or a year, in advance to figure out when you’ll be free. Yeah, I’m looking at you French Laundry)

And, finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention all the health food and the general acceptance of the vegetarian and vegan lifestyle. Huzzah!

For those ready for a glass of wine, immigrants not only brought food influences, but also the beginnings of wine production in the state. In the 18th century, the Spanish brought the first grape vines and, well, the rest is history. Fast forward to the 21st century, and now California boasts over 90% of all wine production in the United States. Shall I also cite the 1976 blind taste test that vaulted California into the spotlight for producing decent wines to the Bottle Shock of France?

So, let’s get this California party started with a recipe from one of my most favorite vegan restaurants – Millennium in San Francisco. This recipe features many of the local ingredients found in California but specifically highlights the avocado. Avocados were introduced in California in 1871 by Judge R.B. Ord. (Yeah, that’s right, California history is so young that we even know the name of the guy that trotted across from Mexico with avocado trees and plopped them into Santa Barbara soil.) By the time the 1950′s rolled around there were almost 25 varieties of avocado being grown in the state.

This soup was divine – fresh, healthy and unique with the saffron-lime ice as an extra adornment. It went down smoothly on a warm spring day. It does make a lot (since there are only two of us in the house we had an enormous amount leftover). Note, avocado, by its nature, is very sensitive once it’s cut open so I wouldn’t sit on this soup for more than a day…or two.

Chilled Avocado, Tomatillo and Cucumber Soup
Millenium Restaurant – FabulousFoods.com

Saffron-Lime Ice:

• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 cup warm water for 20 minutes
• 1 teaspoon unrefined sugar
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian or Spanish paprika, toasted
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 teaspoon salt

Soup:

• 1/2 yellow onion cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 jalapeño chile
• 3 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
• 8 tomatillos, peeled
• 1 English cucumber, peeled, halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, toasted
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 teaspoons light miso
• 3 cups water
• salt
• cayenne pepper (optional)

• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted and very coarsely chopped for garnish

Instructions

To Make the Ice: Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and pour into a 2 inch deep pan. Freeze for 3-4 hours until solid.

To Make the Soup: Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over high heat. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeño. Dry toast, stirring frequently, for 7-10 minutes, until half the onions, garlic and jalapeño are charred. Remove from the pan and let cool to room temperature.

Peel and seed the jalapeño. Place the avocado in a mixing bowl with the cooled onion, garlic and jalapeño. Add the tomatillos, cucumber, cilantro, oregano, nutmeg, black pepper, lime juice, miso and water.

In a blender, or using a hand-held immersion blender, blend the ingredients in batches until smooth.

Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until well chilled.

To Serve: Ladle the soup into 6 martini glasses. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the top of each. Scrape the saffron ice crystals off the pan with a fork, and place 2 teaspoons on each serving of soup. Serve immediately.

Entertaining with Cranks. Yes, that’s the name of this cookbook that I almost overlooked at a library book sale. It’s not until I saw the teeny-tiny subtitle, “Creating Sensational Meals the Vegetarian Way” that I knew I found something good. My edition is from 1987.

The original Cranks was a London vegetarian restaurant that expanded into a chain. However, due to some financial difficulties and eventual buyout only one remains in Devon. The Crank brand also lives on with a line of sandwiches, prepared meals, sauces and breads.

This is a neat little cookbook. The recipes are geared towards feeding guests but are easy enough to make for yourself on a weeknight after work. It’s a small cookbook, but they pack a lot into it from finger foods and entrees to biscuits and drinks. If you are getting ready to have people over, they give you the preparation and cooking times separately in case you need to prep ahead of time.

There is a centerpiece of photos that, although now a bit dated looking, do show several recipes at once in a nice little spread.

This recipe came out really really good. I modified it slightly from the original below by using greek yogurt and left out the lemon juice (as the greek yogurt already has a slightly acidic taste.) I would also either peel the cucumbers or consider straining the soup after it’s had a chance to chill a bit. I had a lot of little pieces of cucumber skin, that my blender couldn’t quite catch, that took away from the smoothness of the soup. Otherwise, this is a phenomenally easy soup to make.

Chilled Cucumber & Yogurt Soup
Entertaining with Cranks

• Large cucumber 1
• Tomatoes 1 lb (450 g)
• Natural yoghourt 1 pint (Note: I used 2 cups greek yogurt.)
• Tomato juice 1/2 pint (1 cup)
• Lemon rind, finely chopped 1 teaspoon
• Lemon juice 1 teaspoon (Note: If using greek yogurt, consider leaving out.)
• Salt and freshly group pepper
• Cayenne pepper, pinch
• Paprika 1/2 teaspoon
• Garlic clove, crushed 1
• Parsley, chopped 1 tablespoon
• Chives, chopped 2 tablespoons

Preparation time 10 – 15 minutes
No cooking required

Cut some thin slices of cucumber, allowing 3 per portion, and reserve for garnishing. Chop the remainder.

Combine all the ingredients in a blender goblet or food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste. Chill thoroughly. Serve garnished with cucumber slices.

We’re coming to the last day of the Vegetarian Tour de France and it’s been a long month of cooking. That’s why I’m still looking for simple recipes. This is a unique soup and is a great use for the summer cucumber crop. The next time I make this, I may play around a little with the amount of butter, cream and egg yolk that is in the soup. I think it could be made much lighter…which means it can be eaten that much more often. (And, that also means no worries about having to schlep extra poundage around on your weekend bike ride!)

Cucumber Soup (Crèm Doria)
adapted from Celtnet.org.uk

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 large shallot
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp long-grain rice
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp cream
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Do not peel the cucumber, as the skin is essential for this recipe. Chop both the cucumber and shallot then melt the butter in a pan. When hot add the cucumber and shallot and fry lightly until soft and slightly browned.

Season well and add the rice to the pot.

Fry for 1 minute before adding the stock.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Take off the heat and allow to cool a little before liquidizing in a food processor.

Return the liquid to the pan then add the cream and slowly whisk-in the egg yolk. Allow to warm through, but do not boil (otherwise the egg and cream will curdle).

(Note: Even after processing in the blender, I still had bits of seeds and skin. If you don’t like that…then strain them out before serving.)

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I need to interrupt the special Tour de France programing to report on this week’s CSA delivery. Don’t fret, though. I’ll be back tomorrow with another French-themed recipe.

I was very excited when I opened this box because there was not one green onion. In fact, there were several new things in this box including lots of fruits – apricots, peaches and white plums. We also received some beets (which have since been put to good use), zucchini (also put to good use), and a cucumber. Finally, a nice little herb plant was also included in the mix. I need to do some research to figure out what it is…

Good stuff!