First FO of 2010

I have a love-hate relationship with sock-knitting, emphasis on the "hate" part of it until very recently (as in, the past few days). In the closing weeks of 2009, I purchased a skein of Miss Babs Yummy Sport-weight yarn (in the "oyster" colorway) and a contrasting skein of the sport-weight toes (in colorway "terracotta") at a Miss Babs trunk show at fibre space. Over the holidays, I sat on G's parents' couch, improvising the first of a pair of two-tone cuff-down socks, using the oyster colorway as the main color (MC) and the terracotta colorway as the contrasting color (CC) for the toe, heel, and cuff.



And then I found the SolidSocks group over on Ravelry.

The SolidSocks group hosts a semi-solid color-based KAL each month, with black/greys' being the January color. I rarely buy black or grey yarn, and so as I looked down at the semi-solid grey yarn in my hands, I realized that I was fated to participate in the January KAL. The only question was whether I would have enough yarn to knit two pairs of socks from the single skein of grey yarn: the two-tone socks I was improvising, and a pair of Earl Greys all in grey.

At that point, I was past the heel turn of the first two-tone sock, and I would have been miserable had I had to frog the whole sock. So I decided to continue on and keep my fingers crossed that I wouldn't run out of yarn. I also figured it wouldn't hurt to follow my creepy internet friend (CIF) Elizabeth's advice to just knit faster. So I did.

On January 2nd, I cast on for the first Earl Grey sock, and three days later, I was done with these:



Cast on: 2 January 2010 
Bound off: 5 January 2010
Yarn: Miss Babs Yummy Sport-weight in "Oyster"
Needle: US2 / 2.75mm, magic-loop on 24" KnitPicks circular needle

Because the pattern is written for a fingering-weight yarn and I used a heavier sport-weight yarn, I had to modify the pattern to suit my yarn/gauge. I also did the heel turn a tiny bit differently than specified in the pattern.

Modifications:

CO 50 sts on US2 needles. Worked ribbed cuff for 10 rnds as foll: * k1, p1, k2, p2, k2, p1, (k1, p1) x 8; rep from * once more.

Set up rnd for cable patt:* k1, work first row of cable patt, knit 8, k2tog, knit 7, work the pattern, knit 7, k2tog, knit 7. (48 stitches total)
 

Next round: Knit 1, work pattern, knit 16, work pattern, knit 15.

Cont until desired leg length is reached.

Rearrange sts to work heel as specified, so that you work heel over 24 sts. Work back and forth over 24 heel sts, slipping first st of each row, for 24 rows.

Turn heel as follows:

ROW 1: With RS facing, sl 1, k16, ssk, turn.

ROW 2: Sl 1, p10, p2tog, turn.

ROW 3: Sl1, k10, sl 1, ssk, turn.

Cont until all heel sts have been worked, ending with a WS row. 12 sts left.

Sl 1, k across heel sts, then pick up and knit sts along slipped st edge. Work across held sts, pick up sts on the other side, and cont working as specified in the original pattern.

The major plus here is that I've rediscovered the "love" part of my love-hate with sock-knitting. Using a heavier-weight yarn definitely helps, because the knitting goes by so much more quickly. Also, my Dansko Mary Jane shoes are a teeny bit too large for my (women's) size 6 feet, so wearing slightly thicker socks really helps the shoes stay on the feet.

The other plus is that, according to my knitting math, I might have just enough of the grey yarn remaining to squeeze out the MC part of the second two-tone sock. I'll have to knit toe-up to make sure I have enough yarn to finish the entire sock, and I might have a slightly longer CC cuff. But I can live with that. What a fun(ny) pair of socks that will be: my mismatched (one cuff-down sock, one toe-up sock) matching two-tone socks!

Food experiment #5: Pasta e Fagioli

I've always been a mostly-indifferent fan of soup. I like the idea of soup, especially on a cold winter evening. There are some soups I really enjoy. I absolutely adore a good matzoh ball soup. I crave chili on chilly, drizzly, freezing, rainy, snowy, etc evenings. I want to like soup more, I want to cook soup more, I want to cook soup well, especially since G loves soup and laments that he can't eat soup more often, because eating commercially-produced soup is "like eating a salt lick" (in his words). I know that I won't like soup more unless I'm exposed to it more, I know that I won't cook soup more unless I make an effort, and I know that I won't cook soup well unless I practice. So when I realized that I was left with a big ol' ham bone on my hands after our pre-New Year's Eve meal of spiral sliced ham + fixings, I was faced with the perfect opportunity to practice. The only question was which soup to cook. Initially, I thought of the classic split pea soup, or perhaps a lentil soup. I didn't think my parents would particularly enjoy those. And then, I remembered my family's fondness for pasta e fagioli.

I enjoy a good meal at a fancy restaurant as much as anyone, probably more. I also have very fond memories of yummy meals at chain restaurants and fast food joints. Olive Garden is a particular favorite of mine, thanks to my sister's college years in a small central Virginia town in which you had about four choices of finer eating establishments, all of them chains. I tended to order the pasta e fagioli soup, as did my dad and probably my mom and sister as well. So I knew that my dad would enjoy pasta e fagioli, and I figured my mom would at least be familiar with it.



My search of leftover ham bone based pasta e fagioli soup led me to this recipe. As usual, I modified the recipe as written, and made it my own. Here's what I did:

Pasta e Fagioli [8 servings]

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Beans & Ham Stock

1 (16oz) package dried navy beans

1 leftover ham bone, with some meat on it

7 C water

1 medium onion, halved

1 carrot, cut into large (2") chunks

2 stalks celery, cut into large (2") chunks

3 cloves garlic

Soup

6 oz boxed elbow macaroni

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (16oz) can diced tomatoes, no salt added

2 stalks celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I used half regular, half chipotle)

grated Parmesan, to taste

salt & pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Cooking the beans & ham stock:

Rinse navy beans, then place in Dutch oven with ham bone, halved onion, large celery and carrot chunks, whole garlic cloves, and 7 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over medium-low heat, covered, until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Cooking the soup:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking, then set aside.

When beans are nearly ready, heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until the onion softens and becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes (with liquid), celery, carrot, red pepper flakes, and 1 cup of the stock from the pot of beans. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the carrot has softened, about 10 minutes. While the tomato mixture simmers, remove the ham bone from the beans, separate the meat from the bone, dice the meat, and discard the bone.

Add the beans, cooked macaroni, and diced ham into the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Add the rest of the ham stock. Add a handful or two of grated Parmesan, salt, and pepper, to taste. Simmer gently until the macaroni and beans are tender, anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes). Stir in the chopped parsley right before serving.

Food experiment #4: Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup; Gussied Up BLT

G and I decided that a cold, windy day called for a hearty, simple meal, like sandwiches and soup. I'd been craving a BLT with avocado, and G loves tomato soup, so we decided those two particular items would fit the bill nicely. The last time I had attempted a tomato-basil-cream soup, it had turned out bland and disappointing, so of course, I went and did some more research to find the perfect tomato soup recipe.

Most such recipes require pureeing the soup ingredients into a smooth, homogenous texture. Well, G doesn't have a blender, a food processor, or an immersion blender (yet), so I decided to improvise and go for a chunky soup (which I prefer to super-smooth soups, anyway, as I find the texture of the latter a little creepy).

I'm fond of the smitten kitchen blog, so I was drawn to her recipe from the "classic grilled cheese + cream of tomato soup" entry. However, this Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup from AllRecipes.com also seemed intriguing. I didn't want to give up either of these recipes, so I created a blend of the two recipes - a delicious concoction of yummy goodness that I'm definitely adding to my "Recipes to Keep" box!

A few words of advice: If tomatoes aren't in season, definitely spring for the organic vine-ripened tomato at Whole Foods or a similar gourmet (translation: pricey) grocery store. If you don't have a day or two to wait for the avocado to ripen, buy it from Whole Foods. Splurge on the $6.99/lb thick-sliced smoked bacon at the Whole Foods meat counter. Your sandwich will be happier, and so will you.

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup [6-8 servings]
A fusion of the smitten kitchen and Allrecipes versions.

3 red bell peppers
1 (28oz) can whole peeled plum tomatoes (no or low sodium preferred)
1 1/2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 thick-cut slices smoked ham, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chipotle dried red pepper flakes
pinch ground allspice
1/8 tsp white sugar
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes (no or low sodium preferred)
3 C chicken stock (low sodium)
pinch cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
salt & pepper, to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp brandy

Roast bell peppers under broiler until skin is charred black. Remove from heat, place in a bowl, and cover tightly with saran wrap for 15 minutes. Peel and seed, then chop and set aside.

Reserving all liquid, remove peeled whole plum tomatoes, seed, and spread in a single layer on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over tomatoes, then roast for 20-30 minutes in 450 degree oven until liquid evaporates and tomatoes develop a light, even color. Remove from heat, chop, and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium to medium-low heat, then add onions, bacon, and garlic. When onion mixture begins to brown slightly, add thyme, paprika, red pepper, allspice, and white sugar. Continue to cook until mixture is well caramelized.

Add diced tomatoes with liquid, chopped roasted tomatoes, and chopped roasted red peppers. Cook for a few minutes, then add the chicken stock, reserving a small amount (about 1/8 cup). Allow to simmer for a few minutes, then add reserved liquid from can of whole tomatoes and cayenne. Stir in butter until it melts. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, then add salt & pepper, to taste.

Combine the flour with the reserved chicken stock until it dissolves into a slurry, then add flour mixture to the soup to thicken, stirring thoroughly. Allow to simmer for a few minutes, then remove from heat and stir in brandy. Serve with sandwiches.

Gussied Up BLT [2 sandwiches]

4 slices whole-grain sandwich bread
4 slices vine-ripe tomatoes
8 thin slices avocado
4 thick-cut slices smoked bacon
2 handfuls baby arugula

Cut the bacon slices in half (to fit the bread), and arrange in a single layer on a rack placed on top of a broiler pan. Cook bacon in 375 degree oven until barely crisp, then remove and drain.

Toast the bread. For each sandwich, on a slice of bread, layer 2 slices tomatoes, 4 slices avocado, 2 slices (or 4 half-slices) cooked bacon, and 1 handful arugula, then top with another slice of bread. Serve with tomato soup.

* Note: If you'd like, you can add a tablespoon or so of the bacon drippings to the soup for flavor. I certainly did! (Of course!) *wink*