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Okay, so a “media blitz” might be over-doing it, but I sure felt like a celebrity!
A couple of weeks ago, the editor of our newspaper called me saying she’d read my blog, loved it and wanted to do an interview for a weekly column featuring locals. I struggled with my nerves but said, “yes, I would love to do it.” I even took it a step further and suggested she join me for lunch after the interview so we could taste the recipe. Now, I’m not a person that’s usually in the newspaper so I fretted over what to cook, what to say, what to wear . . . ridiculous how many things I found to stress over! In the end, I found Jasmine to be a very friendly, outgoing person and we had a very pleasant afternoon of cooking, interviewing, photographing and best of all – eating.
To make things interesting, I made a never-before-tried Thai soup that I’d been hungry for since I started seeing these packages at Costco.
As often is the case, I found 3 or 4 recipes to compare and combine. I ended up slightly adapting a super easy recipe I found on Tastebook.
I made some fresh, healthy spring rolls ahead of time to go with this delicious soup. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve made spring rolls, but it came back to me as I worked. All you need are spring roll wrappers and a nice combination of super fresh ingredients cut into bite-sized pieces. I used these – but pick your favorites!
To make the rolls simply soak the wrapper in very warm water for about 30-60 seconds until it’s soft and pliable – the wrapper continues to soften as you work and needs to be handled delicately. Place the wrapper on a flat surface such as a dinner plate. Arrange a short row of ingredients near the bottom of the wrapper. I placed four pink shrimp in a neat row, then arranged cilantro leaves all around forming a colorful outside layer – pretty when rolled up! Stack the desired ingredients on top of the shrimp and carefully fold the bottom of the wrapper up and over; fold the sides in, then roll the wrapper around the ingredients. Finish by gently pressing the wrapper down until the roll sticks together before placing it on a serving plate. Continue until you have the desired amount – two apiece is enough for a lunch side-dish.
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until time to serve. Side with your favorite dipping sauce – I used a spicy sweet Thai chili sauce.
Our lunch plates looked pretty tasty . . . turns out, the soup was terrific!
Thai Squash & Peanut Soup
- 2# package of butternut squash cubes – OR 1 large butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- ground cayenne
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 can light coconut milk
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- desired garnishes: crushed peanuts, a drizzle of cream, fresh cilantro. I also used some FABULOUS carmelized coconut from Neal Brown’s Mojo Chocolate kitchen! (thanks, Neal)
Roast Squash: (may be done a day ahead)
Preheat the oven to 375 °. Place cubes in a large glass baking dish with a 1/3 cup of water. Cover with foil and bake until tender – mine cooked 50 minutes. If using a whole squash, halve it lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, place face down in a baking dish with a little water, cover and roast until tender – scoop the meat into a bowl after it cools.
Prepare Soup:
Heat oil in stock pot over medium heat. When hot, add cumin and sauté until fragrant. Increase heat to medium-high, add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, seasonings. Cook until vegetables soften.
Stir in chicken stock, peanut butter and cooked squash. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes; taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Reduce heat and slowly add coconut milk while stirring.
Simmer to blend flavors, then purée mixture. (I used an immersion blender)
Garnish as desired and serve hot.
In my humble opinion, the spring rolls were a great side for this soup.
Larry said:
Everything looks great and congratulations local celeb.
Vickie said:
Thanks, Larry! It was a fun day.
Nancy said:
Looks great, Vickie! And sounds great! Was the deer at the top of the page invited to lunch? 🙂 Now I know TWO food blog celebrities!!
Vickie said:
The deer invite themselves, Nancy. And I think LeaAnn is a bigger celebrity than I, but I feel famous today. 🙂
doggybloggy said:
what a deluxe lunch – WOW! When does the interview come out – will you post it? I wanna see the pictures and the interview!
Vickie said:
Thanks, Christo! I’ve seen your idea of deluxe, so I’m honored.
I’ll send you a link if you’d like.
Russ said:
Congrats on the good press — watch out for papparazzi!
Vickie said:
I’m wearing a hat and dark glasses when I go out – starting today.
Michelle said:
Hey Vickie, I loved your post, everything looks so colorful & delicious! I cant wait to try the recipe! Thanks for writing such a great blog!! Love you, Michelle
Vickie said:
Thanks, Michelle! I should have called you over – you are always such a good sport to try my concoctions! 🙂
Chris said:
I went through that last year and yes, I invited our reporter over too. Very nerve racking but still fun, right?
Can’t wait to see the article, it looks like you rocked it out.
Vickie said:
Did my best to represent, Chris. 😉
Karen said:
Wow! How much fun was that?? I love the Spring Rolls – they look so fancy and a perfect thing to serve with that delicious sounding soup. I love Thai food so I might have to step outside my comfort zone and make something!
Vickie said:
Hi Karen! This is the perfect dish for you – very simple, straightforward and delicious. If you make it, let me know what you think.
leaannbrown said:
I can’t beleive you successfully made a Spring roll. I tried once and had a Fall roll. Everything was falling out and poking out, it was a mess. Guess I better try it again. This is a great post. The meal looks wonderful. I would have been just like you. I would worry about the things that you should worry about and then find more unnecessary things to worry about.
Ok, so how did you get the words on the photo?
Vickie said:
LOL, If it makes you feel better, I had to throw away about a half dozen wrappers due to blow outs. I was glad to have a big package of wrappers to work with. 😉
As for words on photos, I used photo editing software and it was a cinch – I just wanted to try something different.
leaannbrown said:
I don’t think Picassa has a word function. What program do you use? And yes, thankyou, I feel much better that you had some blow outs. 🙂
Bill Melton said:
Looks very tasty!
Vickie said:
My crew seemed to like it a lot. 😉
lisetta said:
Yum! This looks delicious! You’ve inspired me to make spring rolls too. I also haven’t made them in years, but love how simple and healthy they are. Congratulations on the ‘media blitz’. 🙂
Vickie said:
Thanks, Lisetta. The spring rolls were great and I wondered why I hadn’t made them in so long. It won’t be so long next time. 😉