After an Absence . . .

We apologize for the recent lack of postings here at Cafe Drake's online home, but CD has suffered a recent setback, one especially frustrating to our self-created world of food, drink and entertaining. About 9 days ago we woke in the morning with a searing pain in our jaw and an inability to open our mouth. A dentist and dental surgeon a day later confirmed we dislocated our jaw! Possibly through nighttime teeth grinding or clenching. Possibly not. Anyway, the joint popped its groove, the circle did not hold and facial muscles spasmed.

For the immediate (and longer) future Cafe Drake is consigned to a liquid diet, punctuated only with daily doses of painkillers and muscle relaxants. Not as fun as it may sound when you literally can't bite a sausage.

Shakes, smoothies, homemade veggie and fruit juices and pureed soups are a current mainstay. Hence a new focus for the moment at Cafe Drake. No more recipes for foods that require chewing; we couldn't bear the torture of salivating over dishes we're unable to consume. Look for smoothie recipes galore and an especial attention to thin soups.

In the last week Cafe Drake has churned out the following smooth soups:

Greek Chickpea Soup ( brown 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes. add fresh thyme and a bit of dried dill. spike it with 2-3 dried red chiles. add a can of chickpeas and simmer with 2 cups of chicken - or veggie - stock for 10 minutes. cool slightly and puree in blender. return to soup pot and add 1 bunch of minced sorrel. can be topped with soft feta crumbles and/or a dollop of Greek yogurt).

Potato and Fenugreek Soup (brown an onion and garlic and brown mustard seeds in 3 T. of oil for 3 minutes. add 3 chopped potatoes, 1 t. turmeric and 3 cups of stock. simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. add 1 bunch fresh fenugreek leaves (chopped) and simmer for 5 more minutes. puree in blender and return to pot. season highly with salt, pepper, a bit of heavy cream and good butter).

Broccoli Soup (brown an onion in olive oil, then add 1 chopped bunch of broccoli, stems included. add 3 cups of stock of your choice and simmer for 10 minutes. puree in blender and return to saucepan. add 1 cup of whole milk and a dash of grated nutmeg. season to taste.

Punjab Spinach Soup (in a stockpot, heat a tablespoon or two of butter and then fry a teaspoon of cumin seeds until they pop. add some chopped onion, a little ginger and 1 chopped turnip. throw in a pinch or two of turmeric and cayenne pepper. Saute all for about 5 minutes. now add 2-3 cups of vegetable stock and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. throw in 1 package of frozen spinach and cook soup an additional 10 minutes. puree in a blender and return to pot. season with salt and pepper.