a few weeks ago, the geek and i visited the biltmore estate in asheville, north carolina. mid-january is not a busy time there, so it wasn't too crowded and lines were almost non-existent. by lunch time, we had toured the house and parts of the frozen garden. we were starving and freezing, so we headed over to the stable cafe to eat and defrost. when i ordered their white bean and kale soup, i wasn't sure what to expect. i was cold, it sounded warm, and i just hoped it would taste good too.
it did taste good.
it also tasted very familiar. i had expected to try something new, something i hoped i would like. i did indeed like it; it tasted just like a soup my mom makes, a soup a lot of moms, dads, hungry people and restaurants in hawaii make. we call it portuguese bean soup. instead of white beans and kale it has kidney beans and cabbage. it also has portuguese sausage and elbow macaroni, but the shreds of pork and slightly salty, super delicious tomato broth are the same.
it's january. we're in the midst of winter. the average high for this time of year is 49 degrees F/9.5 degrees C. it's the least likely time to crave the cool deliciousness that is a somen salad.
i blame the recent emergence of spring-like weather for my somen salad craving. it's been sunny and warm, the perfect weather for a cool noodley salad. surely the cold weather will return, but for now, i think i'll put away my winter coat and enjoy me some somen salad.
if you're not familiar with somen salad, let me take a moment to introduce you. somen salad is made up of cold somen noodles, a variety of vegetables, usually one or more types of protein, and a sweet-soy-sesame dressing. in hawaii, it's popular as a side dish (especially at potlucks) or light meal but it can easily be elevated to entree status with the addition of more protein or vegetables.
the geek loves molasses cookies. he also loves the triple gingersnaps we get from trader joes. these ginger molasses cookies are a little bit of both. the recipe is a mish-mash of molasses cookie recipes from around the web (with the primary influence being the pioneer woman's recipe for spicy molasses cookies).
