Thursday 24 August 2017

Shades Of Gold: Peach Lassi, Velouté de Carottes & Carrot Thyme Pakora

It's as if the peaches are getting a head start on autumn with their glowing colour flushed with gold and red.

Our peach harvest has been plentiful this season

A lassi is easy to make if you have a stick mixer. 750 watts is powerful enough to pulverise most fruits. For one large serving or two smaller ones, put 237 ml/8 oz of yogurt, 59 ml/2 oz of water, a tablespoon or two of sugar, and chopped up washed, pitted peaches (3 medium or 6 small) in the tall container that comes with the mixer. A splash of cognac and/or freshly grated nutmeg are nice additions. Mix until smooth. Peaches can be first skinned with a veggie peeler if desired. The colour will be more softly pink then with the skins left on but the lassi will be less fragrant. I like it both ways.


What to do with that nice bunch of freshly pulled carrots?


Velouté de carottes is a wonderful soup. Ingredient list and detailed instructions are in this old post. Sliced carrots, celery, and onions are slowly sauteed in butter till soft, translucent, and fragrant which takes about 20 minutes. Minced parsley and diced potatoes are added and stirred for a minute or two. Chicken broth (veggie broth can be substituted) is poured in. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes.

Besides carrots, the potatoes are from our potager

Puree, add cream, and salt and pepper (freshly ground of course!) to taste. It can be served cold or hot, though during summer The Calm One and I love it lukewarm.


The yellow of chickpea flour teams up with the orange of carrots in these pakora. Served with yogurt, they make a delicious snack.


Heat up several inches of oil (I used a mixture of olive and sunflower) in a medium-sized saucepan. For a small serving, mix 6 T of chick pea flour and 1 T of rice flour with enough water to get the consistency of thick mud. Add a finely grated small carrot, a big pinch of dried thyme, and salt to taste. To test if the oil is hot enough, insert the handle end of a wooden spoon in the centre of the pot. If ready, a steady stream of tiny bubbles will surround the handle. Carefully put teaspoons of the batter into the oil. Let cook for several minutes, then flip them over. I use a metal skimmer to do this. Cook for a minute or two more or till they are crisp and golden brown.


In the potager, the roma tomatoes are close to complete harvest, thusly their leaves are mostly yellow.

View from my office

A glint there, a glow here, all is suffused with mellowness.


À la prochaine!