The neighbors obviously don’t read my blog, or check my blog stats. (No big surprise, since they don’t even know my blog exists, but I digress!) So they don’t know that the most widely read thing I’ve ever published (probably even more so than award-winning academic papers! definitely more than my dissertation) is the post about my avocado allergy.Why do I believe this? I found avocados on our front porch table yesterday morning. We got home from travel just after our neighbors left for theirs, so I suspect the unholy guacamole-makings on the front porch are from them (we often hand off uneaten produce or milk before leaving, to keep it from going to waste). Oh well, Jonski Papa can eat them, if they aren’t frozen that is…

This soup is one that I never would have even tried 15 or 20 years ago, but it is really good! If you make it as the recipe directs, it is kind of thin. I prefer it with more vegetables or less stock. And it’s good hot!

I most recently made this a few weeks before Thanksgiving and used the following local ingredients: green chiles (including some from my backyard), carrots, onion, garlic. (I usually make this in the fall and thus don’t have cilantro on hand, so I’ve never tried it with cilantro!)

CHILLED ROAST CARROT AND CHILE SOUP
From 365 Great Soups and Stews
prep: 20 minutes
cook: 45 minutes
chill: 3 hours (optional!)
serves: 6

2 Tab vegetable oil
1.5 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large spanish onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
1 large poblano pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
4 garlic cloves
1.5 tsp sugar
0.5 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne
5 cups chicken stock [I used 3]
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. In a large bowl, combine oil, carrots, onion, poblano pepper, and garlic. Stir in sugar, salt, and cayenne. Spread onto a large cookie sheet and roast 30 minutes. Remove garlic and continue roasting until vegetables are browned and soft, about 15 minutes longer.
2. Transfer garlic and vegetables to a good processor or blender and process until smooth. With machine on, pour in chicken stock. Refrigerate at least 3 hours [optional - I like it hot!] .
3. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream (or plain non-fat yogurt) and an (optional) sprinkling of chopped cilantro.

What do you think, is this a responsible use of chocolate, or irresponsible? They extracted cocoa butter from “waste” chocolate, specifically “4,000 kg (8,818 lb) of chocolate misshapes, the equivalent of 80,000 chocolate bars.” I guess I’m surprised the company doesn’t just melt it down and try again, but then again, I don’t know how industrial chocolate is made! (Apparently it’s nothing like cider syrup…)

And hmm, if it’s misshapes, then I guess it’s not great chocolate, so perhaps Larry Boy’s rejoinder to great responsibility is null and void in such a context!