Good Times in Ottawa

I'm taking a bit of a mini-North American tour. I haven't seen Matthew since St. Petersburg in August 2006, so I spent a few days in Ottawa. I'm happy to report that Matt is the same awesome, funny guy... except now he has a rat tail and kinda scary facial hair. He's getting a kick out of creeping people out.

Regardless of the style he's sporting, it was really nice to just relax and spend some time together. It was super nice to eat things Matt whipped up in the kitchen.

Salmon pasta with rose sauce, zucchini, olives, and dill.

Matt made the best curry carrot ginger soup I've ever had. The basic recipe was something like this:
*1 diced medium onion
* 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
* 4 Tbsp of minced fresh ginger
* 2-3 cloves finely minced garlic
* 1½ c. chopped carrots
* 3 c. vegetable broth
* Matt's crazy special mix of curry, cinnamon, and ???

Heat olive oil over medium heat in the bottom of stockpot. Add onions and cook until soft. Add ginger, garlic, spices, and cook until soft and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

Add carrots and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until carrots are exceedingly tender, about 20-30 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender.

Thin with additional broth as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

It was cold and snowing in Ottawa, so we didn't go ice skating, but we did go to the National Gallery. They have a nice Contemporary Art collection. Two sculptural pieces left an impression on us. I really liked BGL’s The Discourse of Elements. There were secret spaces to explore. Matt totally loved watching The Way Things Go, by Peter Fischli and David Weiss. It's one of my favorites too.



Till next time Mr. Pops Locks & Bagels...