This blend is of course named after Lord of the Flies, the iconic 1954 novel by William Golding. I first read it in middle school and liked its darkness I reread it a few years ago and thought "Damn! They let me read that in 8th grade?!?" I bought a used copy at a book sale to reread and swore that I still had the book for photos but was bummed to fin this morning that I could not find it anywhere! So much for a book in the photo but I promise you the soup recipe will make up for that!
William Golding’s 1954 novel "Lord of the Flies" tells the story of a group of young boys who find themselves alone on a deserted island. They develop rules and a system of organization, but without any adults to serve as a civilizing impulse, the children eventually become violent and brutal. In the context of the novel, the tale of the boys' descent into chaos suggests that human nature is fundamentally savage.
With Lord of the Fries its name, a natural recipe pick would be jazzing up French fries but this peppery garlic blend (roasted garlic, sea salt, onion, and white pepper) states that it is "great on fresh cut fries, baked potatoes, or veggie burgers" (I'm definitely going to try it on all of those things) but I thought it would also be delicious on gnocchi, those plump little potato dumplings.
What I wanted to do with my gnocchi was put them into creamy soup (a vegetarian version of the one so many people love made famous by Olive Garden), and use it as seasoning in my creamy garlic soup base too--for a double punch. In order to give those little potato pillows even more flavor (and better texture too), I melted butter, stirred in my Lord of the Fries seasoning and pan-fried them until the were a bit crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.
Of course you could use any garlicky seasoning blend to make this recipe but I recommend Lord of the Fries since that is what I developed the recipe for, and I think the added onion and white pepper make it more complex than plain garlic salt and especially good in the soup.
Lord of the Fries Seasoned Pan-Fried Gnocchi in Creamy Garlic Soup
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes 4 Generous Servings)
2 Tbsp butter
medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, chopped small
2 celery stalk, chopped small
2 tsp Lord of the Fries Brewpub Garlic Fries Seasoning
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp celery salt
4 cups broth (I used a non-chicken-style broth paste)
2 Tbsp cornstarch + 1/4 cup cold water
1 can coconut milk or 1 1/2 cups other non-dairy milk or half-and-half
Lord of the Fries Seasoned Pan-Fried Gnocchi (see recipe below)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
sea salt and black pepper
grated Parmesan to serve if desired
Heat the butter in a large soup pot. Add the onions, carrot and celery and saute over medium heat about 5 to 6 minutes, until onions turn translucent and veggies begin to soften. Add Lord of the Fries seasoning, celery seed and oregano, and cook for another 2 minutes until really fragrant.
Add broth and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer vegetables for about 5-7 minutes, or until they are mostly softened. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl until completely smooth. Add to the soup and simmer another 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the coconut milk, the gnocchi, and the fresh parsley to the soup and simmer for about 5 minutes more, until the gnocchi is warmed through.
Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy, with grated Parmesan and cracked black pepper if desired.
Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy, with grated Parmesan and cracked black pepper if desired.
Lord of the Fries Seasoned Pan-Fried Gnocchi
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp Lord of the Fries Brewpub Garlic Fries Seasoning
Melt butter into and large pan over medium heat and stir in the seasoning mix. Add the gnocchi and toss so that the seasoning is evenly distributed.
Cook over medium heat, stirring every few minutes, until lightly-browned and crisped up to your liking--about 10-15 minutes. (The picture above is at about 9 minutes.) Cover and set aside to add to soup or serve as-is with your favorite creamy sauce.
Notes/Results: Perfectly garlicky, perfectly delicious, with the veggies and the crispy, chewy, soft gnocchi, I may be in serious like with this soup! The Lord of the Fries is an excellent blend of garlic, onion and pepper and with the creamy, slightly sweet coconut milk. It is pretty delectable--especially if you love garlic as much as I do. I am really happy with how this soup turned out and the gnocchi too, which I think would be wonderful in an Alfredo sauce or other mild creamy sauce if you weren't in the mood for soup. I practically licked my bowl clean and I will happily make both again.
Many thanks to The Book Club Cookbook for providing me with this tasty seasoning blend. I received no compensation for taking part in the virtual 2020 #BlendsBash party and my thoughts and experience using the blends are my own.
I'll be sharing more recipes between now and December as will more than 30 other bloggers as part of the 2020 Blends Bash! You can check out all the bloggers participating in the #BlendsBash here
Here's a sneak peek at the other blends I'll be featuring over the next couple of months in their adorable packaging. These blends are so delicious and fun that they will make wonderful gifts for your foodie friends and fans of the many book, TV and song blends they feature. Check out a list of blends here.
Speaking of soup, let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here this week!
Debra of Eliot's Eats brought a soup and sandwich combo, Thick and Hearty Minestrone with Piquillo-Mozzarella Panini. She says, "Love this soup. I changed up the original recipe a bit. I used refried black beans instead of regular refried beans and added a few more fresh herbs and more veggies. This is a keeper. (This was also supposed to have 2 c. of chard and 1 T. balsamic vinegar stirred in at the end. I totally spaced and forgot to add it. It was still delicious.)"
The Crafty Gardener is back this week with Potato Soup saying, "When the days cool down I always yearn for a delicious bowl of soup. For ‘Soup’er Sunday here is a quick and easy potato soup. It takes a few minutes of prep and about half hour to cook."
Thank you for joining me this week!
(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...
To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
- Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
and
On your entry post (on your blog):
On your entry post (on your blog):
- Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
- You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).
Have a happy healthy week!
Yes, but 8th graders love this book. It is a good one to keep them engaged! :) Love the soup idea. I am really thinking that some of these spice packs would be great for holiday gifts since we will probably have to ship everything this year anyway. :( Be well!
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