Soup and Pimiento Cheese

I’ve been too busy to blog this week. We didn’t cook anything spectacular, except for an Asian noodle soup Judi made Tuesday.

Thai Noodle Soup
Six Servings

2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 medium yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 cup shredded carrots (a couple of handfuls)
1/3 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 poblano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup snow peas (a couple of handfuls), thinly sliced lengthwise
2 quarts vegetable stock
2 cups water
One 3.75-ounce package rice noodles
2 to 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves (a handful), chopped
1 cup fresh basil (about 20 leaves), roughly chopped
1 block firm tofu cut into dice
Juice of 1 lime

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over high heat, add the oil (2 turns of the pan), and when you see the oil ripple; add the onion, carrots, mushrooms and poblano peppers. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, snow peas, tofu, stock and 2 cups of water. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. When the soup is boiling, add the noodles and reduce the heat to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes more at a low rolling bubble. Remove the soup from the heat, add the cilantro, basil, and lime juice, and serve.

Judi added thin strips of beef and a handful of cooked, shelled shrimp to the soup for the meat eaters. Mine was wonderful as is.

This morning we greeted a new librarian to our library system and introduced her to the staff at our branch. As we all chatted about many things the conversation turned to baked pimiento cheese, a specialty of one of the children’s librarians. I don’t know how the conversation got to pimiento cheese, but it did. So here’s her recipe. It’s fabulous, and it is not a diet food. Definitely NOT a diet food.

Baked Pimiento Cheese
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon finely grated onion
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (8-ounce) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (8-ounce) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Garnish: chopped parsley

Stir together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in cheeses. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2-quart or 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until dip is golden and bubbly. Garnish, if desired. Yield: Makes 4 cups

My mother always put a little Worcestershire sauce and a teensy bit of onion in her pimiento cheese that she made for sandwiches. It makes such a difference.