Whit’s Picks: Three sesame, sweet potato and carrot soup.

Marczyk Whit's Picks soup

The humble carrot doesn’t often play the starring role in main dishes, but carrot soup is one of the best exceptions.  And yet… most carrot soups fail to satisfy.  They are often either too bogged-down by heavy cream and butter to even taste like carrots or they are so light and refreshing that they don’t really work as a meal.  I’d like to think this recipe is the perfect compromise of the two.  The soup has a nice, creamy consistency and a thick body thanks to the sweet potatoes and the addition of tahini.  Soy sauce gives it a complex, meaty “umami” flavor.  In contrast, it is still a nice, light soup with plenty of refreshing ginger and lively heat from the Sriracha.

I would highly recommend investing in all the Asian ingredients that are called for because they are great staples, are found in lots of different Asian dishes, and make this soup incredibly flavorful and unique.

Three-Sesame, Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
serves 8

2 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 lb carrots, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup mirin or white wine
8 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup tahini
2 T soy sauce

Garnishes:
black sesame seeds
Sriracha sauce
toasted sesame oil

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onions in olive oil until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots and ginger and cook until ginger is fragrant, about two minutes. Deglaze the pan with mirin, then add stock. Raise the heat to high and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes and carrots are very tender, about 40 minutes.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, add a little of the hot liquid to the tahini and stir to dissolve. Add mixture to soup and puree with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy (alternatively, you can puree the soup in stages in a food processor or blender). Serve with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and a drizzle of oil and Sriracha sauce to garnish

My name is Erin, and I’m a chocoholic.

I have begged for and stolen chocolate, eaten entire bars of bitter-sweet and even gobbled up those pieces that fell on the ground when you weren’t looking. I am recovering.

The 10-Minute Mug Brownie is a quick and easy treat for one made using basic pantry ingredients, and the microwave. Yes, a microwave.

Unlike other cocoa powders that may leave a grainy texture in your treats, Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder refines their flakes to a size 50% smaller than other brands for a brownie that will melt in your mouth. And boy, is it smooth.

1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Tbsp milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Dash of salt

1. In a microwave-safe mug, soften butter for approximately 15 seconds.
2. Add sugar, flour, Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, milk, vanilla and salt, and stir together.
3. Mix in any other treats you may fancy (I like walnuts and chocolate chips).
4. Microwave for one minute. The top of the brownie should look solid but glossy. If it doesn’t, microwave at 10-second intervals until it does.
5. LET YOUR BROWNIE COOL FOR A MINUTE. Failure to follow this step will result in mushy brownie and burned mouth.
6. Top with your favorite Sweet Action Ice Cream (I like Crunchy Peanut Butter and Salted Caramel… they’re all delicious), milk, or whipped cream. Or don’t. It’s still good.
7. Eat it!

Wisconsin cheeses rock! Hard to believe this small state is setting the standard for artisan cheeses, but they are: they are the only state to require certification for cheese making.  Europeans who moved here generations ago brought their craft, and the number of award-winning cheeses coming out of Wisconsin is amazing. Come try the ones we carry, like the Widmer’s Lagerkase brick cheese (Christopher’s fave) or even the cheese curds! Go to Marczyk’s website for a bread cheese recipe. Bread cheese does not melt when cooked, so you can grill it, heat it, and it holds its shape.

New Seasons, New Faces

You may have noticed a few things you haven’t seen lately in the produce department at Marczyk’s; fresh, Colorado-grown, organic brussels sprouts, on the stalk, sweet Italian peppers and the most beautiful apples you’ve ever seen - straight from the western slope.  

We’re excited this fall to be working with some of Colorado’s best farmers, carrying some of the tastiest produce in the world.  Berry Patch Farms in Brighton, Colorado is sending us peppers of all types, from green and yellow bells to sweet narellos and jalapenos.  Their cilantro is cut fresh every week and our customers have been loving BPF’s vine-ripe tomatoes for months now.  

Munson Farms in Boulder is responsible for most of the wide variety of pumpkins and squash you see in the store these days.  Bob Munson and his crew picked every one of these exotic breeds specifically for us.  After a summer full of their incredible corn, give a Munson gourd an hour in your oven and see if it doesn’t change your perspective on pumpkins.  Kevin bet me that I wouldn’t sell the 60lb Long of Naples squash on the front table, so take a look ’cause this baby will fill your freezer for the winter.  It’s the best 75 cents a pound you can spend!

Ela Family Farms continues to stock our tables with apples; from buttery, sweet goldens to tart and juicy johnathans and perfect, school-lunch galas.  You won’t find a bad apple in this bunch.  Look forward to apple cider, and check out their jams, butters and sauces in the grocery section.

Finally, Elaine Granata keeps us in stock on her specialty veggies like fairytale eggplant and baby-bell peppers.  From her Denver urban farms throughout Capitol Hill, Elaine delivers artisan produce directly to our shelves.  With leeks, summer squash and purple scallions on the shelves this week, it’s almost better than having your own garden.

Local fruits and veg aren’t the only specialties you’ll find around the produce cooler.  Our staff is fresh too!  

I’m Dave and I grew up picking berries and running rhubarb in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.  A year ago I was crunching numbers for the Man, but after a stint cooking in the Puget Sound, I couldn’t be happier here at Marczyk’s.  Dustin darkened doors around eastern Washington and Boise, Idaho before he showed up here and traded graphic for gastro artistry.  Angela is our newest add-on, she comes to us from Ohio and if you can get her to stop smiling, she might tell you about her favorite way to cook beet greens.  You just might find Marlena sneaking away from the check stand to lend a hand in the produce department, us newbies couldn’t do it without her. 

This week, watch for the most beautiful green bell peppers ever grown and take advantage of apple season while it lasts!  We’re stoked to be setting a new standard in our corner of the store, selling the best food that our corner of the world has to offer.

Good Eating!  

Dave