Expanding our Ship!

I've been doing less blogging and more thinking over the past few weeks (which is why you haven't seen me on here so much).  Now that the summer months are upon us I want to play with all the wonders around me: asparagus, fresh pasta, fragrant cilantro. I want to experiment, to expand the reach of my culinary alchemy.

So, dear readers and fellow food alchemists, I am going to be making more than soup this summer. I am expanding to other dishes that I love, experiments I'm doing that will enrich your kitchen and mine.

There will still be soup! One every two weeks or so (instead of every week...) but there will also be:

outdoor meals for the whole family

scrumptious seasonal sides

tips on what to do with all that kale from your CSA (or local farmer's market)

I'm also going to be including a calculator with each meal so you can estimate how much it will cost you to make. Being food and health and simply YUM conscious doesn't mean throwing your budget out the window.

So come along with me and send me comments and suggestions for what you'd like to see!

Green Love!

Kermit the Frog told us it ain't easy being green but I disagree (it should be noted that I am not a Muppet, so I'm sure I don't quite understand the nuances of being Mr. the Frog). Being green is easy and contrary to opinion of a lot of 5 year olds, quite yummy!

This week's soup takes a favorite of mine and gives it a new, earthy twist. It also sings the praises of going back to the drawing board, back to that base formula that you know works and building on it. As a writer this is an action (and metaphor) that I can get behind.



To make this luscious green goddess, gather up:

1 bunch purple kale (or any kale you like, the purple was looking particularly lovely the when I shopped for this soup), chopped
1 bunch spinach, chopped
4 Tbsp Arborio rice
2 small yellow onions, chopped
1 leek, white and light green parts (do away with any rougher dark parts), thinly sliced
1 pkg (10oz) crimini mushrooms (or other brown mushrooms you may enjoy), chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced

Eyeballing it:

1/2 cupped palmful (or about 1 1/2 tsp) sea salt (to taste! add a bit at a time to be sure you don't overwhelm your soup!)
A few good glugs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp french thyme (I use Penzeys but any thyme or herbes de provance will do!)
A few generous splashes of a nice dry sherry
4 cups veggie broth (I use Rapunzel, no salt added)
1/2 sm. squeezy bottle of lemon juice (to taste! I LOVE lemon so please adjust accordingly)


Get to it:


1) Wash all veggies! De-stem the kale and the spinach, tearing with your fingers for a lovely sensory experience (the aromas really fill the air when you "chop" by hand!).  Put these in your stockpot along with the Arborio rice, 4 cups veggie broth and a few dashes of sea salt.  Bring to boil, lower the heat and simmer covered for at least 20 minutes.
2) On the other side of the stove, heat a few good glugs of EVOO and saute the onions with a pinch or two of sea salt until they are soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add the lovely leeks and caramelize (sauteing and stirring frequently over low-medium heat for up to half an hour).
3) Add another glug of EVOO to the skillet of caramelized onions/leeks and stir in minced garlic. Heat until garlic is golden but not dark.
4) Add the mushrooms, thyme, another dash of salt and a few good splashes of dry sherry. Saute all together until most of liquid cooks away. Your kitchen should smell heavenly.
5) Add everything in the skillet to the soup, deglazing the pan and adding to the pot as well. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6) Add lemon juice and other sea salt or herbs you fancy (I often add a dash of cayenne to my green soups, for an unexpected flourish at the end of each bite).
7) Serve with some very fresh baguette!

Rating: 4 (also, you are getting a week's worth of veggies in ONE BOWL)
Taste: So good you'll forget it's so good for you.
Easy-o-meter: Your cat could do it
Time: 30-45 minutes from chop to serve

Adapted from Love Soup by Anna Thomas