Spicy Love~ The SOUP of Scarlet Desire

        Valentine's Day is an annual ritual of pleasant niceness-- sugar-sweet and deep as a Hallmark card. An excuse to eat chocolate, to dress up, all that. Nice.

     But love in its purest form isn't nice. It is wicked-gorgeous Much more interesting, anyway, than nice.

          Love is simply not encapsulated in those boxed heart-shaped candies. Love is vibrant and alive, a gushing energy that can float and shimmer above the clouds or churn violently beneath the surface of things like red-hot magma. It can tame, it is untameable. (Ah me. Is it hot in here?)

         Several of you have emailed the NC, requesting a special dish to serve to your current honey-bunnies. And you know we aim to please. So my mind has been open to any inspiration on the subject...

          I wanted to give you something vibrant, shimmery, a bit wicked, and nothing less. Nothing less.

         Ruthie was my muse this time. She immediately crashed into a chair in the NC kitchen when she dropped by last week and described the red pepper soup she had just feasted on at a friend's house: ".... and I thought, 'Oh, we could really do something with that soup and our spices..."

        Red. Creamy. Soup. Hm.

         With the right spices, maybe that soup could go from nice to wicked-gorgeous (with an emphasis on the gorgeous). It could be lovely, it could be love. The soup of love...

         "'The Soup of Scarlet Desire,'" I said to Trobee the next day.  "Imagine: a red soup, made shimmery with North Indian-style spicing. A bit creamy, though just a bit... so that there is room for, you know, other things..."

          Trobee shrugged. "You could."

          Hmf. I was encouraged, however, by the enthusiasm of Mo Digital-- our celebrated photographer-- who seldom makes suggestions when it comes to our food. "It must be creamy," Mo insisted, "but in a light way."

         This little project would be a challenge. I had high standards as to how it must affect the tastebuds, and hence, the taster.

         I was baited into trying. I skimmed through traditional 'Red Pepper-Tomato Soup' recipes. They all contained sugar, flour, ample butter and heavy cream. I thought of Ruthie crashing upon the chair as if she were loaded down by bricks. Nope. Couldn't have that.

          Let me think: I had cherry tomatoes left over from the recent pasta salad-making spree-- maybe using them instead of regular tomatoes would eliminate the need for sugar. Also, I wanted to try using a touch of light coconut milk instead of the heavy cream-- that would even keep it vegan (which we love to do at the NC. Hi, Becky.).

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RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N

"So what are we gonna use for spices?"  Trobee had taken her seat and had the pen and notebook ready.

I had been indecisive on this one, but I had come up with an interesting idea: "Remember that fabulous Malai Kofta I had in the fridge last week? We're gonna use a spice plan that is ordinarily used for a Malai Kofta and use it on this soup. Whaddya think?"

"You could," she mumbled as she jotted stuff down.

Malai Kofta, a classic North Indian dish, is paneer (soft white Indian cheese) stuffed with minced vegetables and smothered in a rich tomato cream sauce. It is my favorite thing to order at an Indian restaurant. It is very decadent indeed.

*     *     *

Trobee's enthusiasm wasn't sparked until grinding time. Once she had whizzed up the roasted spice mixture in the coffee grinder, she inhaled deeply with a coy little smile on her face. "Smell this mixture, Court! SMELL it!"

And when she stirred it with the vegetables: "Court: This is gonna be freakin' wonderful! I know it !"

"But will it be good enough," I said. "We'll see."

*    *    *

Who needs all that butter?

"Two teaspoons of oil is perfect. It covers it all real nice-like."

She happily sang away to the AC/DC song blasting from the radio: "Who made WHO? Who made YOU?"

*    *     *

"Bee-YOO-TEE-FUL!" Trobee proclaimed after blenderizing the mixture.

"Seriously? Wow."

She admitted she was nervous to add the coconut milk. But she did.

Silence in the NC kitchen-- a rare thing.

"What's it taste like? Did we ruin it? Huh, did we?"

"I'm not telling."

"Wench!"

Trobee laughed wickedly. "That's gotta suck when I'm the cook. I have the control! Now don't worry-- mama will give you a tasty-taste."

I closed my eyes as if anticipating a kiss.  That is, after all, how this soup must be. I was not disappointed. "Oh Tro. This is like...'Sex and the Soup'. Oh wow. Better than I had thought possible."

"I know!" she said. "It is dee-LISH!"

Mo Digital stole a taste, and was instantly reaching for a bowl....

photos by Trobee and Mo Digital

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Scarlet Desire Soup

"Now this is a soup that everyone will love!"

• 2 tsp oil
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• ½ tsp garlic paste
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• ½ cup light coconut milk
• Salt and pepper

Masala:

• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 whole cloves
• ½-inch cinnamon stick

1. In a small pan over medium heat, dry-roast the masala until the cumin seeds have darkened a few shades. Whizz to a powder in your coffee grinder.
2. In a soup pot, heat the oil, the saute the onion and garlic until the onion is soft and translucent.
3. Add the masala, plus the nutmeg, turmeric, and cayenne. Saute for another minute.
4. Add the tomatoes and red peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the broth, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool down before transferring the contents to a blender.
6. Now blenderize it into a smooth puree. Then return the mixture to the pot and cook on medium-low heat. Stir in the coconut milk and add salt and pepper to taste. Done.

We have selected this recipe to take part in Meena's (of Hooked on Heat) "Cookng For Love" theme for her 'From My Rasoi' food blogging event. Check out the other Indian-inspired 'love' dishes she will showcase on Feb. 25...