October 19, 2011: Cream of Asparagus Soup

If you’re making asparagus as a side dish, don’t throw out the woody stalks. Save them to make this delicious soup, which is a great way to prevent lots of leftovers in your refrigerator from going to waste (feel free to add other veggies such as celery, potatoes, cauliflower, etc.).

Cream of Asparagus Soup

1 T. butter

½ yellow or white onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 carrot, peeled and chopped into big chunks

Ends from 1 pound of asparagus, coarsely chopped

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 t. sea salt

½ t. black pepper

½ cup heavy cream

Melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until slightly softened. Add carrot and asparagus and sauté for five more minutes. Add chicken stock and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Cook for about 10 – 15 minutes, or until all vegetables are soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

When slightly cooled, pour mixture into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Press puree through a fine mesh strainer back into the saucepan. Heat to low and add heavy cream. Cook just until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Makes 2 cups soup.

September 28, 2011: Lentil and Sausage Stew Recipe

I don’t know about the weather in your neck of the woods, but around here it’s getting downright chilly at night and in the mornings. It won’t be long now before we get our first freeze.

As the weather gets cooler and the days get shorter, I start thinking about making hot, hearty dishes like stew and soup for dinner. Here’s one that used up a lot of food in my refrigerator. Feel free to substitute other meats and vegetables that you may have in your fridge; adding some greens is a flavorful addition and ham would work equally well with the flavor profile of this dish. To me, there are no hard and fast rules for soup ingredients; experiment with what you’ve got!

Lentil and Sausage Stew

1 T. olive oil

2 cups chopped white or yellow onion (about 2 medium onions)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ cups sliced carrots

1 pound smoked sausage (I used jalapeno cheddar but any variety is fine), sliced

1 pound lentils, rinsed and drained

4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth

1 t. dried sage

1 T. dried fennel seeds

½ t. black pepper

1 t. salt (or to taste)

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven to medium low. Add onion, garlic and carrots and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add sausage, lentils, broth and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 45 minutes, until lentils are soft.  

Note: You may need to add extra water if the stew is too thick.

You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker. Just add all ingredients to your crock pot in the morning and by dinner time all of the ingredients should be thoroughly cooked.

July 26, 2011: Flower, Herb and Vegetable Garden Recipes

Now that July is almost over, your garden is sure to be producing lots of wonderful veggies and hopefully your flowering plants are just as happily producing! Here are a few recipes I’ve taken from a new book I got on my Kindle, Natural and Herbal Family Remedies: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-168 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin). I haven’t tried them all yet but I’m planning on doing so. Hope you can take advantage of your garden bounty with some or all of these, too.

Rose Water

1 cup fresh rose petals, chopped
2 cups cold water

Add rose petals to the water in a jar. Cover the jar and let it sit overnight. The next morning, strain the petals from the liquid and store the rose water in a clean jar in the refrigerator. To use: Moisten a cotton ball with the rose water and apply to your face. It is very refreshing and soothing, particularly on one of those hot, sultry days sure to come at the end of summer.

Sachets

Don’t toss away flower petals when you are dead heading your plants! Fill a square of open-weave fabric with dried flowers and herbs such as lavender, rose, basil, lemon balm, mint, rosemary, geraniums, sage – any plant that smells good! Gather the corners and secure the bundle with a pretty ribbon. Hang throughout the house or toss into drawers.

Fruit/Vegetable Flour

This is a great way to use up an excess of vegetables from your garden! According to the author, any type of vegetable flour can be used in place of a half cup of white flour called for in a recipe (and makes the dish much healthier).

The process is pretty simple; you just slice the vegetables and then steam vegetables until partially cooked (anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes depending on the density of the vegetable). Place the slices on a cookie sheet and put in an oven set to the lowest temperature. When thoroughly dried (which takes anywhere from 6 to 10 hours), grind the vegetables.

I haven’t tried it but I’m thinking you could cover the pan and dry the vegetables outside on a warm day.

Vegetables suggested for making into flour include tomatoes, carrots, spinach leaves, sweet potatoes, apples or pears.

Vegetable Broth

Here’s another way to use up an excess of fresh produce – make a vegetable broth you can freeze and use in winter soups and sauces. Simply chop or mince a variety of vegetables and herbs and add them to about 4 cups of water in a stock pot. Let it simmer until all the vegetables are tender, then strain.

Suggested ingredients: tomatoes, greens, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, peas, green beans, parsley, thyme, mint, basil, rosemary, sage.