Opus2Cafe

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Work
tentative menu
9/21/15 thru 9/25/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup, Peanut Noodles, Hummus Wraps, Smashed Avocado and Garbanzo Bean Bagel-wiches
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Acorn Squash with Roasted Garlic Soup, Feta and Avocado Salad, Hummus Wraps, Baked Cavatappi and Aged Cheddar
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Red Pepper Coconut Soup, A Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Eggplant Parmesan Hero
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Sweet Potato with Chipotles and Fresh Sage Soup, Pesto Tortellini Salad, Hummus Wraps,
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Butternut-Bevy Squash Soup, Seared Garlic Chickpeas Spinach and Farro Salad, Hummus Wraps, Quinoa Fajita Bowl

Music Menu

Mayhem

The low down on this weeks menu - a nod to Ivy with this weeks "orange" soups. In

keeping with our theme this week, we have a bit of work involved in executing the menu.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Demolition Deerby
tentative menu
9/14/15 thru 9/18/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Gingered Butternut Squash Soup, Orzo Salad with Sweet Peppers and Artichoke Hearts, Hummus Wraps, Cheese Stuffed Naan with Basmati Rice Salad
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Cream of Tomato Basil Soup, Scattered Sushi Salad, Hummus Wraps, Pizzettes
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Pumpkin Asiago Soup, Spicy Cold Soba salad, Hummus Wraps, Chevre and Fig Hero
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Smoked Corn Chowder, Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Sweet Potato-Kale-Avocado-Fontina Panini (with caramelized onions)
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Curried Spinach Soup, Coconut Samosa Potato Salad, Hummus Wraps, Black Bean Burritos

Music Menu

The Blues on Monday, Jazz on Tuesday, Old Time Country (read; real) to Carry the Week

The low down on this weeks menu - not sure how ripe the mangoes will be, in regards to Monday's rice salad. It's possible we'll do the mango basmati, but not definate. Pizzettes on Tuesday are almost certainly spinach/artichoke, but reserving the right to improvise. A couple of new salads going on this week, possible contenders.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Farewell To The Hummers

tentative menu

9/7/15 thru 9/11/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Broccoli and Cheddar Soup, Peanut Noodles, Hummus Wraps, Baked Chevre Caprese Hero

Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Moroccan Potato Bean Soup, Pesto Tortellini Salad, Hummus Wraps, Pear and Pepper Jack Panini

Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Squash and Yam Soup, An O2 Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Tostadas

Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew, Roasted Pumpkin Couscous Salad, Hummus Wraps, Quiche

Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Hungarian Potato Soup, Asia Quinoa Salad, Hummus Wraps, Artichoke Calzones

Music Menu

Bye Bye Birdie

The low down on this weeks menu - we have a glut of vitamin A rich vegetables featured in this weeks menu. The plan is to make up some fresh ricotta on Thursday to use with the artichoke hearts in the calzones.

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Hop Harvest
Tentative menu
8/31/15 thru 9/4/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, West African Peanut Soup, Fiery Fruit and Quinoa Salad, Hummus Wraps, Artichoke Hero
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Sherried Carrot Soup, Asian Watermelon Salad, Hummus Wraps, Cheese Stuffed Naan
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, South Western Corn Chowder, Another Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Avocado Hero
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Sweet Potato with Chipotles and Fresh Sage Soup, Green Curry Lentil Salad, Hummus Wraps, Cheddar and Avocado Panini
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Onion Cheese Bisque, Smokehouse Chickpeas 'n Greens Salad, Hummus Wraps,

Music Menu

Return of The Dukes of September

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

In The Beginning...
Tentative menu
8/27/15 thru 8/28/15

Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Gouda Soup, East - West Roasted Corn Salad, Hummus Wraps, Antipasti Panini
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Chipotle Black Bean Soup, Summer Salad with Chèvre and Peaches, Hummus Wraps, Fajita Quinoa Bowl

Music Menu

Summertime and the Living is Easy

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Mums
tentative menu
5/11/15 thru 5/15/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Pumpkin Asiago Soup, French Lentil Salad, Hummus Wraps, Chevre and Fig Hero as requested
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Red Pepper Coconut and Smoked Gouda Soup, Greek Salad, Hummus Wraps, Cheese Stuffed Naan with Mango Basmati Rice Salad as requested
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, Cream of Tomato Basil Soup, Peanut Noodles as requested, Hummus Wraps, Chimichangas
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Curried Spinach Soup, Pesto Tortellini Salad, Hummus Wraps, A Panini
Fri. Vegetarian Chili, Vegetable Soup, Salad, Hummus Wraps

Music Menu

Mayhem

Chenango Valley

Sunday, May 3, 2015

May Weather
Tentative menu
5/4/15 thru 5/8/15

Mon. Vegetarian Chili, Mushroom Barley Soup, Peanut Noodles, Hummus Wraps, Chile Relleno Torta
Tues. Vegetarian Chili, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Soba Salad, Hummus Wraps, Calzones
Wed. Vegetarian Chili, West African Peanut Soup, Moroccan Couscous Salad, Hummus Wraps, Artichoke Hero
Thurs. Vegetarian Chili, Sweet Potato with Chipotle and Fresh Sage Soup, A Green Salad, Hummus Wraps, Cheddar Avocado and Red Onion Pickle Panini
Fri. major menu changes Vegetarian Chili, (Pumpkin Asiago Soup, French Lentil Salad,) Hummus Wraps, (Chèvre and Pear Hero)due to the festivities planned, O2 will only be offering vegetarian chili and hummus wraps. I'll try to work the french lentils and chevre pear hero into next week's menu.

Music Menu

B.B. King Completely Well

Saturn, Antares and Pluto

The low down on this week's menu - head's up, possibility of many changes and substitutions this week.

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New Dish of the Week Profile -Acorn Squash with Roasted Garlic Soup - so o.k., this isn't very new to us here, but it hasn't been profiled yet. Do we have any curious cooks in the house? Both the squash and the garlic are roasted. The shallots and celery are sauteed. The spinach is tossed in raw. Dry sherry and whatever extra dribs and drabs of milk we have are added towards the end. Seasonings are exactly what you'd expect. Mom approved. nutritional info per 8 oz. serving, based on the assumption that I'm going to find mainly skim milk dribs and 1% drabs -cal. 197, fat - 8.7g, carbs - 27g, pro - 4.3g, choles. - 22mg, sodium - 135mg

Here's the Opus 2 recipe for clumping granola - melt 1/2 c butter, stir in 1/4 c honey and a splash of vanilla, set aside. In a large bowl, mix 4 c rolled oats with 1/2 c sunflower seeds and 2 cups almonds (whole or sliced). Toss butter/honey mix with oat mix. Add a bit of water if it seems too crumbly. Spread granola out on a parchment lined half sheet pan. Press firmly. Seriously. Cover with foil and bake at 250 degrees for about 70 minutes, or until you can smell the granola. Remove the foil and continue baking until desired shade of medium brown, anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan, and when totally cool, break up into clumps. Mix in some dried cranberries or raisins. Some times we add wheat germ and/or pepitas,

Wild Grape Pie
We at O2 spent a pleasant day making a wild grape pie. Here's the recipe.
Harvest at least 2 pounds worth of wild grapes. Wash and dry them carefully. Measure out 6 cups worth, and gently peel them. Put the skins in a bowl, the pulp and seeds into a saucepan. This will take a couple of hours if you have help, but it'll be a fun couple of hours.
Bring the saucepan of pulp to a full, rolling boil, and boil vigorously for 5 minutes. Strain the seeds away from the pulp, discarding the seeds. Mix the pulp in with the skins, and between 1 and 3 tablespoons of tapioca. Place this mix of skins and rapidly thickening pulp into a refrigerator to chill for about 2 hours. While this is chilling, make a pie dough recipe of your choosing. We are fond of a basic pate brisee, heavy on the butter.
When the pie dough has relaxed sufficiently, roll it out and fit it into an 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Remove the grape filling from refrigeration, and stir into it about a cup's worth of sugar. Scrape this filling into the bottom crust, top with a full or latticed top crust. Bake as any fruit pie, making sure you have a pan underneath it in your oven. Enjoy cool.

O2 Onion Cheese Bisque.
really.
Cook up a big bunch of onions in butter over a low flame. When they are just starting to caramelize, stir in some flour. Cook off the raw flour taste, and add in milk. Lots of milk. We use an assortment of fat levels. Add in some grated cheese. We use an assortment of types. Stir, taste, season. Add in some vegetarian worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard. Partially puree with your wand of chaos.
nutritional facts based on 2% milk and medium sharp cheddar - calories for a 12 oz serving - 315.4, fat - 21.2 g, carbs - 19.1 g, protein - 13.5 g

Dear Charlotte [crispy];
Thank you for being such a loyal customer. I hope that this will help.
1. Acorn Squash, Roasted Garlic and Spinach Soup -
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut 2 acorn squash in half, scoop seeds out. Roast squash, cut side down for about 45 minutes, until it feels tender. Roast 4 heads of garlic at the same time. In a pot, saute 2 onions in butter until starting to brown. Add 4 cups of water or vegetable broth and 2/3 c dry sherry. Add in the flesh from the squash and the roasted garlic. Puree. Add in 1 bunch of clean, chopped spinach. Heat and add salt, pepper, a little bit of fresh nutmeg, and 2/3 cup half and half or heavy cream.

2. Chinese Velvet Corn Soup
In a splash of oil, saute 4 cups of diced onions. Cook until caramelized, then add 6 cups of corn kernels and 8 cups of water. Cook a bit, then add 1 teaspoon of szechuan peppercorns, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1/2 cup dry sherry, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 4 teaspoons sugar, a good dollop of sambal oeleek, and some chopped chives. Remove about a third of the soup and with an immersion blender, coarsely puree what's left in the pot. Add the unpureed soup back. Dissolve 1/2 c of cornstarch in about 1/3 cup of cold water. Pour this into the hot - but not boiling- soup. Taste for and add salt.

3. Chipotle Sweet Potato and Fresh Sage
4. Masala Root Soup
5. Onion Cheese Bisque
6. Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup
7. Roasted Cauliflower Soup
8. Roasted Red Pepper and Coconut Soup
9. Sherried Carrot Soup
10. West African Peanut Soup.
Let me know if something really important to you is missing.

Pesky Wild Violet Invasion
It's that time of the year again, wild violets marring the new lawn. Spraying is so politically incorrect.
'Violets contain rutin, a phytochemical with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may help strengthen capillary walls'. Eat them.
Clean violets carefully. Dry thoroughly.
Beat a couple of egg whites, then strain into a small bowl.
Work with one violet at a time.
Using a clean paintbrush, paint egg white on all surfaces of the violet. Don't get excessive, egg shouldn't be dripping.
Immediately sprinkle superfine sugar over all coated surfaces.
Place violet on a wax paper covered wire rack to dry.
Repeat process.
Flowers are extremely perishable and should generally be served fresh. Candied flowers like these wild violets will last up to a year. Do not store in the refrigerator.
Today's important [p.c.] disclaimer here;
Introduce flowers slowly to your diet to avoid any potential upset or allergic reaction, especially important if you have allergies to pollen.
Next week - dandelion jelly.

Opus2Cafe

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Sunday, May 3, 2015

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