Beloved in Blue: Sweet Contemporary Beach Romance (Hawthorne Harbor Romance Book 2) by Elana Johnson

Author:Elana Johnson [Johnson, Elana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: AEJ Creative Works
Published: 2018-07-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Adam left the station about mid-afternoon and went home to make another batch of soup. He’d heard a rumor that the judges strongly favored an autumn themed recipe, and as he looked back through the previous dishes he’d won with—pork with roasted apples and heirloom beets when the theme was apples, and a pumpkin chocolate chip soufflé when the theme was pumpkin, and sausage with sweet potatoes and pecans when the theme had been sweet potatoes.

So he couldn’t serve beef stew at the Fall Festival. He’d stopped by the grocery store and picked up several autumn squashes—acorn, butternut to be precise. They, along with three heads of garlic, were currently roasting in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper while Adam studied a recipe card that had been used so many times, the edges were curled.

He picked up the phone and called his mother, saying, “Hey, Ma,” when she answered. “I’m looking at Grandma’s recipe, and I can’t read one of the spices.” He lifted the card and peered at it on a slant. “It says spicy curry powder, and cumin, and then smoked...something. What is that?”

“Paprika,” she said immediately. “And cinnamon. And cayenne pepper. Are you making that for the Fall Festival?”

“I’m trying it.”

“It’s different. Granny Stevie will like it if you win with her recipe. She switched out some of the butternut for acorn squash you know. And she used to add a single carrot for color too.”

Adam frowned at the card. “She did? That’s not written here.”

“Well, write it in. I was with her the last time she made it, and she added a single, peeled carrot with the other squashes when she roasted them. It gave the soup a richer orange color.” She laughed and Adam heard something bang in the background. “My mouth is watering just thinking about that soup.”

“I’ll bring you some before City Council meeting.”

“If you have time,” she said. “I know these Council Tuesdays are busy for you.”

With all the new ingredients—from coconut milk to goat cheese to smoked paprika—he wasn’t sure he’d have time to get out to the lavender farm before his meeting. He loved cooking while the afternoon sun slanted through the windows along the back of his house, and before he knew it, the soup had come together nicely.

It did look a bit pale, halfway between yellow and orange, and he scratched out a note to add a carrot for color next time he made it. He swirled the coconut ginger cream on the top, and added the goat cheese, the roasted pistachios, a bit of chopped cilantro, and a few arils of pomegranate to the top of the soup. The white, the brown, the pink, the green, and the yellow made a beautiful food picture, and Adam smiled at the soup.

He knew the judges awarded points for presentation, and he wondered if he needed more of a crunchy element. Maybe croutons? He could easily herb up squares of bread and toast them while the soup cooked and add a few to the medley of garnishes.

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