Recipes from Barbara Pool Fenzl

Here are two recipes that I have been making for my family during this pandemic. Together they make a great dinner combination and they use quite a few ingredients that are available at Tres Estrellas.

Creamy Carrot Soup

Serves  4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 tclove finely chopped garlic
• 3/4 pound carrots (about 3 large), peeled and sliced
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned, with the juices, may be used)
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and diced
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Procedure

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, tomatoes, serrano, and stock.  Bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until carrots are very tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Put into a blender, in batches, if necessary, and purée until smooth. Stir in the orange juice and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls.

Shrimp Tacos with Green Chile Sauce

Makes 12

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and finely diced
• 1 pound large shrimp (31-40 per pound)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
• 12 corn tortillas, warmed
• ¾ cup salsa verde (Herdez or La Victoria brand)
• ½ cup finely grated cotija cheese (optional)
• Diced avocado
• Cilantro (coriander) leaves

Procedure

Shrimp:  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onion, garlic and serrano and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring shrimp is cooked, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the yogurt. Set aside.

Spoon some of the sauce into each warm corn tortilla, top with three shrimp, sprinkle with cheese and garnish with avocado and cilantro. Serve immediately.

Barbara Pool Fenzl wears many hats in the culinary world.  She owns and operates Les Gourmettes Cooking School in Phoenix, Arizona, which she started in 1983; she hosted the 13-week PBS series, “Savor the Southwest,” which showed in over 90 markets; and she has written three cookbooks: Southwest the Beautiful Cookbook, Savor the Southwest, and Seasonal Southwest Cooking.  Barbara hosts Arizona PBS cooking-related pledge drives and is a regular guest on “Your Life A-Z,” a local morning television show.  She was a regular contributor to Bon Appetit magazine for over 10 years and is the former food editor of Phoenix Home and Garden magazine.  Her first love is teaching, and, besides teaching all over the U.S., she conducted cooking classes in Southwest France for 13 years and is returning to Rancho la Puerta for her eleventh time.  Barbara served as president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and was a member of the James Beard Foundation Restaurant Awards Committee for 10 years.  She has studied cooking at the Cordon Bleu (London), École LeNôtre, and Luberon College.