I could not have been more excited to walk into Farms View last week, ready to buy the very first produce of the season - strawberries, arugula and scallions. With produce that's truly fresh from the field, you really don't need to do much to it, so I made this simple risotto that uses farro, an ancient European grain, instead of rice. Farro is rich in fiber, vitamin B and protein, and is a perfect addition to any diet. Combined with legumes, it provides complete protein for the vegetarian diet, so consider serving a lentil salad along with this dish for perfect nutrition. It's also utterly delicious and much more forgiving than rice when making a risotto. Served with strawberries sprinkled with a little sugar for dessert, it was a plate of spring, and just what was needed!
1 cup farro, well rinsed
water to generously cover
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large bunch scallions, sliced, white and light green parts separated from dark green parts
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups well-flavored vegetable stock, kept at a simmer
1 large bunch arugula, thinly sliced
Freshly ground pepper and more olive oil to garnish
Bring water, farro and 1 tsp. salt to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain well and set aside.
Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, and add white and light green parts of scallions (reserve dark green slices for later!). Saute for 2 or 3 minutes with a pinch of salt, then add farro and white wine. Cook, stirring constantly, until wine has evaporated. Working 1/2 cup at a time, add the hot stock. stirring frequently. With the last 1/2 cup of stock, add the scallion greens and the sliced arugula. When most of the stock is absorbed, remove from heat, and season to taste with salt, freshly ground pepper and a little more good olive oil.
This dish is lovely as it is, and makes a perfect light lunch or first course. Those who eat dairy could, of course, stir in a little butter and grated parmigiano at the end, but this risotto is so light and fresh, you may find you don't need it.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Apple Crisp
This is the final recipe from last week's Community Green dinner. Served with a scoop of vegan ice cream, it's heaven on a plate. Go out of your way to seek out fantastic apples for this recipe. New Jersey grows over 30 varieties, so you shouldn't have a problem doing so. My favorite variety, the Winesap, has been grown in New Jersey since the 1700s. When I have time to get out of the area and visit my favorite orchard in New Paltz, I make this with a combination of Ida Red and Northern Spy apples, and nothing tastes better. Experiment and find your own favorite - see my note below for suggested varieties.
Ingredients:
For apple filling:
3 lbs. mixed seasonal apples*, peeled, cored and sliced
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
For crisp topping:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ cups brown sugar
2 ¼ cup rolled oats
3 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
12 oz. Earth Balance butter substitute, well-chilled
Prepare apple filling: Toss peeled, cored and sliced apples with lemon juice, brown sugar and flour. Set aside.
Prepare crisp topping:
Combine flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and sea salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the Earth Balance all at once in small pieces. Rub mixture together with your hands until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Place apple filling in a well-greased 9x11” baking dish. Top with crisp topping. Bake at 325 degrees for about 35-40 minutes, until filling is bubbly and crisp topping is golden.
Serve warm with ice cream.
*Suggested apple varieties: A mixture of any of the following: Winesap, Stayman, Ida Red, Northern Spy, Empire, Jonagold, Jonathan.
Ingredients:
For apple filling:
3 lbs. mixed seasonal apples*, peeled, cored and sliced
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
For crisp topping:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ cups brown sugar
2 ¼ cup rolled oats
3 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
12 oz. Earth Balance butter substitute, well-chilled
Prepare apple filling: Toss peeled, cored and sliced apples with lemon juice, brown sugar and flour. Set aside.
Prepare crisp topping:
Combine flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and sea salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the Earth Balance all at once in small pieces. Rub mixture together with your hands until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Place apple filling in a well-greased 9x11” baking dish. Top with crisp topping. Bake at 325 degrees for about 35-40 minutes, until filling is bubbly and crisp topping is golden.
Serve warm with ice cream.
*Suggested apple varieties: A mixture of any of the following: Winesap, Stayman, Ida Red, Northern Spy, Empire, Jonagold, Jonathan.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Roasted Beet Carpaccio with Toasted Walnuts, Microgreens and Lemon Vinaigrette
Here is another fancy little number from our Community Green dinner. This one looks simply ravishing on the plate, and, in my humble little opinion, blows the raw beef version right out of the water. If you want to go nuts with it, a little shaved fennel would not be amiss here in place of or in addition to the microgreens. Most of your time will be spent slicing the beets, so if you're making this for a crowd, set aside a little extra time. For a family supper, you can skip this step and just use your knife, but I recommend trying it my way if you have the time. Sometimes beauty is worth the price.
Serves Eight.
Beet Carpaccio:
4 large beets
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup shelled walnuts
1 cup microgreens
Lemon Vinaigrette:
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, finely minced
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup finest-quality extra virgin olive oil
Scrub beets but do not peel. Remove the very top and bottom of each beet. Place in a double thickness of aluminum foil, top with olive oil, and wrap tightly. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, until tender when pricked with a fork but not soft. Set aside to cool.
While beets are roasting, chop walnuts and roast for 10 minutes in the oven with the beets. Set aside to cool.
Prepare lemon vinaigrette: Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, shallot, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Whisk in olive oil, drop by drop, using all. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary. You want a very bright, acidic flavor to counter the sweetness of the beets and the toasty flavor of the almonds. Set aside.
When beets are cool enough to handle, peel carefully, then slice very thinly using a mandoline slicer. Aim for slices thin enough to see through. Unless you want pink fingers for a few days, you may wish to wear gloves.
To plate: Toss microgreens with a teaspoon of dressing. Lay beets down center of plate, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Top with microgreens, and drizzle each plate with a little dressing.
Serves Eight.
Beet Carpaccio:
4 large beets
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup shelled walnuts
1 cup microgreens
Lemon Vinaigrette:
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, finely minced
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup finest-quality extra virgin olive oil
Scrub beets but do not peel. Remove the very top and bottom of each beet. Place in a double thickness of aluminum foil, top with olive oil, and wrap tightly. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, until tender when pricked with a fork but not soft. Set aside to cool.
While beets are roasting, chop walnuts and roast for 10 minutes in the oven with the beets. Set aside to cool.
Prepare lemon vinaigrette: Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, shallot, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Whisk in olive oil, drop by drop, using all. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary. You want a very bright, acidic flavor to counter the sweetness of the beets and the toasty flavor of the almonds. Set aside.
When beets are cool enough to handle, peel carefully, then slice very thinly using a mandoline slicer. Aim for slices thin enough to see through. Unless you want pink fingers for a few days, you may wish to wear gloves.
To plate: Toss microgreens with a teaspoon of dressing. Lay beets down center of plate, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Top with microgreens, and drizzle each plate with a little dressing.
Celery Root and Potato Soup with Chestnut Foam and Parsley Croutons
This recipe continues those served at last weekend's Community Green dinner. I meant to get them up sooner, but with Mom (and our beloved family dog Chloe) here recovering from surgery (just Mom, not our Dear Chloe), I haven't had a minute to breathe, let alone write! Now that she's doing great and I've packed her off to her own home, I can get back to business.
This is a grand special occasion soup, although none of the components take very long to prepare. You can make the stock and soup in advance, and prepare the chestnut foam up to the point where it comes out of the blender. Then just finish your foam, reheat the soup, and make the croutons. It would make a lovely first course for Thanksgiving, and is the perfect cool-weather weekend supper with some good bread, a salad, and a fresh fruit dessert.
You will need a whip with CO2 chargers to make the foam. If you don't have one, you can skip the foam and it will be simpler but still quite yummy, but if you are up to the investment, it's a great little product that will also make all kinds of cool dessert items.
Serves six to eight as a first course, or four heartier portions .
For Light Vegetable Stock:
8 cups water
3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
3 shallots, halved, skin left on
Peels from 4 Yukon Gold potatoes
1 bouquet garni: 1 bay leaf, 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, 8 black peppercorns, 1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
For Soup:
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large celery root (celeriac), peeled and diced
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups light vegetable stock 1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
½ cup dry white wine
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
Cayenne pepper hot sauce, to taste
For Chestnut Foam:
1 cup peeled, roasted chestnuts
1 cup light vegetable stock
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
A pinch of cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon agar agar
For Parsley Croutons:
2 cups crusty French bread, cut into ½” cubes
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Earth Balance spread, melted
½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Prepare vegetable stock: Add all ingredients to a medium sauce pan. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare soup and foam ingredients and Parsley Croutons.
Prepare Chestnut Foam:
Roast, peel and chop chestnuts (make an “x” in the bottom of each chestnut with a sharp knife. Roast at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until peels begin to come away. Bottled unsweetened chestnuts may be substituted if necessary.) Combine chestnuts and 1 cup vegetable stock. Simmer for 25 minutes. Puree mixture in a blender on high setting. Strain with a fine mesh strainer, and return to sauce pan. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Heat to a boil, add agar agar, and whisk to combine thoroughly. Chill mixture completely. Set aside in refrigerator. When ready to serve soup, add to a whip fitted with a CO2 charger to make foam.
Prepare soup:
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat; add leeks and a pinch of sea salt. Cook leeks for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute more. Add celery root, potatoes, vegetable stock and remaining salt. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until ingredients are soft. Run soup through a food mill into a large bowl. Wipe sauce pan clean and return to the pot. Add almond milk, white wine and a liberal grinding of fresh pepper. Simmer for five minutes. Taste, and adjust acidity and flavor with fresh lemon juice and hot sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Prepare Parsley Croutons:
Combine all ingredients. Spread on a heavy sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees, stirring frequently, until golden and crispy. Keep warm.
To serve soup:
Plate each individual portion. Top with chestnut foam and parsley croutons. Serve immediately.
This is a grand special occasion soup, although none of the components take very long to prepare. You can make the stock and soup in advance, and prepare the chestnut foam up to the point where it comes out of the blender. Then just finish your foam, reheat the soup, and make the croutons. It would make a lovely first course for Thanksgiving, and is the perfect cool-weather weekend supper with some good bread, a salad, and a fresh fruit dessert.
You will need a whip with CO2 chargers to make the foam. If you don't have one, you can skip the foam and it will be simpler but still quite yummy, but if you are up to the investment, it's a great little product that will also make all kinds of cool dessert items.
Serves six to eight as a first course, or four heartier portions .
For Light Vegetable Stock:
8 cups water
3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
3 shallots, halved, skin left on
Peels from 4 Yukon Gold potatoes
1 bouquet garni: 1 bay leaf, 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, 8 black peppercorns, 1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
For Soup:
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large celery root (celeriac), peeled and diced
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups light vegetable stock 1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
½ cup dry white wine
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
Cayenne pepper hot sauce, to taste
For Chestnut Foam:
1 cup peeled, roasted chestnuts
1 cup light vegetable stock
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
A pinch of cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon agar agar
For Parsley Croutons:
2 cups crusty French bread, cut into ½” cubes
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Earth Balance spread, melted
½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Prepare vegetable stock: Add all ingredients to a medium sauce pan. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare soup and foam ingredients and Parsley Croutons.
Prepare Chestnut Foam:
Roast, peel and chop chestnuts (make an “x” in the bottom of each chestnut with a sharp knife. Roast at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until peels begin to come away. Bottled unsweetened chestnuts may be substituted if necessary.) Combine chestnuts and 1 cup vegetable stock. Simmer for 25 minutes. Puree mixture in a blender on high setting. Strain with a fine mesh strainer, and return to sauce pan. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Heat to a boil, add agar agar, and whisk to combine thoroughly. Chill mixture completely. Set aside in refrigerator. When ready to serve soup, add to a whip fitted with a CO2 charger to make foam.
Prepare soup:
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat; add leeks and a pinch of sea salt. Cook leeks for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute more. Add celery root, potatoes, vegetable stock and remaining salt. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until ingredients are soft. Run soup through a food mill into a large bowl. Wipe sauce pan clean and return to the pot. Add almond milk, white wine and a liberal grinding of fresh pepper. Simmer for five minutes. Taste, and adjust acidity and flavor with fresh lemon juice and hot sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Prepare Parsley Croutons:
Combine all ingredients. Spread on a heavy sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees, stirring frequently, until golden and crispy. Keep warm.
To serve soup:
Plate each individual portion. Top with chestnut foam and parsley croutons. Serve immediately.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Vanilla-Ginger Chip Ice Cream
This ice cream, based on Priscilla Feral's Vanilla Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream from The Best of Vegan Cooking, is simply delicious. I made a few small changes to the recipe, but the technique remains the same - soy creamer is sweetened with agave nectar, flavored, thickened with cornstarch, and enriched with coconut milk. If you haven't tried vegan ice cream, or if you have only tasted the commercially prepared stuff, this luscious frozen treat will make a believer out of you.
I served this ice cream at this past Saturday's vegan dinner fundraiser for Community Green, with a warm apple crisp (recipe to follow). Although I love to introduce vegan and vegetarian cuisine to those who have never tried it before, cooking for a group of environmentalists, animal rights activists, and other like-minded people energizes and inspires me. Sometimes it's fun to skip the "why" of fabulous vegan cuisine, and and just teach delicious food and advanced techniques to people who don't need to be convinced. Thanks to all who came to eat and learn, and for those who didn't, try the recipes at home and join us next time!
You will need an ice cream maker. I used a Cuisinart, which does a fine job, but any kind will do - just make sure your mixture is well-chilled before you begin churning to ensure a smooth and creamy consistency.
Gather:
2 cups French Vanilla soy creamer
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup organic candied ginger bits
In a medium sauce pan, heat soy creamer and salt over medium-high heat. Cut vanilla bean in half and scrape the pulp into the pan as well. Reserve vanilla bean pod for another use. Whisk mixture frequently, and bring to a boil.
Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water; whisk until smooth.
Add cornstarch mixture and agave nectar to sauce pan and reduce heat to medium. Whisk constantly until slightly thickened, about four minutes. Stir in coconut milk.
Make an ice bath: Fill a large bowl with ice and a little cold water. Transfer ice cream mixture to a slightly smaller bowl. Set bowl in the ice bath to cool the mixture rapidly, stirring frequently. When it has cooled, transfer ice cream bowl to refrigerator and chill until very cold, about another hour.
Process in an ice cream machine (mine took about 25 minutes), adding ginger chips during the last five minutes of churning. Transfer to a container and freeze.
I served this ice cream at this past Saturday's vegan dinner fundraiser for Community Green, with a warm apple crisp (recipe to follow). Although I love to introduce vegan and vegetarian cuisine to those who have never tried it before, cooking for a group of environmentalists, animal rights activists, and other like-minded people energizes and inspires me. Sometimes it's fun to skip the "why" of fabulous vegan cuisine, and and just teach delicious food and advanced techniques to people who don't need to be convinced. Thanks to all who came to eat and learn, and for those who didn't, try the recipes at home and join us next time!
You will need an ice cream maker. I used a Cuisinart, which does a fine job, but any kind will do - just make sure your mixture is well-chilled before you begin churning to ensure a smooth and creamy consistency.
Gather:
2 cups French Vanilla soy creamer
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup organic candied ginger bits
In a medium sauce pan, heat soy creamer and salt over medium-high heat. Cut vanilla bean in half and scrape the pulp into the pan as well. Reserve vanilla bean pod for another use. Whisk mixture frequently, and bring to a boil.
Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water; whisk until smooth.
Add cornstarch mixture and agave nectar to sauce pan and reduce heat to medium. Whisk constantly until slightly thickened, about four minutes. Stir in coconut milk.
Make an ice bath: Fill a large bowl with ice and a little cold water. Transfer ice cream mixture to a slightly smaller bowl. Set bowl in the ice bath to cool the mixture rapidly, stirring frequently. When it has cooled, transfer ice cream bowl to refrigerator and chill until very cold, about another hour.
Process in an ice cream machine (mine took about 25 minutes), adding ginger chips during the last five minutes of churning. Transfer to a container and freeze.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Nummy Apple Oatmeal
When The Muffin likes something, it is declared to be "nummy". If it's really good, it's "nummy nummy", but that is reserved for such delicacies as fries dipped in copious amounts of ketchup, or muffins (natch). During our morning visit today, I stirred up a big batch of apple and cinnamon oatmeal to celebrate the start of autumn. The apples came in our CSA share this week, and are a little bit tart and very delicious, a wonderful counterpoint to creamy oatmeal. Since The Muffin liked it, I hope you will, too.
I make a big batch of this oatmeal, and freeze it in little containers. Popped into a lunch bag and reheated in the microwave, it's a nutritious and fiber-rich breakfast. Cinnamon provides anti-inflammatory properties, and a touch of fortified organic soy or rice milk rounds it out with protein.
Heat four cups of water, and one cup of organic soy or rice milk. While you wait for it to come up to a simmer, peel and chop one or two apples. When the water/milk mixture is simmering, add one cup each of rolled oats and steel-cut Irish oats, the apple chunks, a teaspoon of cinnamon (more if you are as crazy for cinnamon as I am), and about 1/4 cup of organic sugar or agave nectar. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20-30 minutes. Eat all you like, and freeze the rest (The Ball Mason Jar company makes a great freezer container that holds about a half cup and doesn't spill in your lunch bag - great for pesto, sauces and oatmeal!). If you like, you can pour over a little more milk, a drizzle of agave nectar or honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Trust me, you'll think it's nummy, too.
I make a big batch of this oatmeal, and freeze it in little containers. Popped into a lunch bag and reheated in the microwave, it's a nutritious and fiber-rich breakfast. Cinnamon provides anti-inflammatory properties, and a touch of fortified organic soy or rice milk rounds it out with protein.
Heat four cups of water, and one cup of organic soy or rice milk. While you wait for it to come up to a simmer, peel and chop one or two apples. When the water/milk mixture is simmering, add one cup each of rolled oats and steel-cut Irish oats, the apple chunks, a teaspoon of cinnamon (more if you are as crazy for cinnamon as I am), and about 1/4 cup of organic sugar or agave nectar. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20-30 minutes. Eat all you like, and freeze the rest (The Ball Mason Jar company makes a great freezer container that holds about a half cup and doesn't spill in your lunch bag - great for pesto, sauces and oatmeal!). If you like, you can pour over a little more milk, a drizzle of agave nectar or honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Trust me, you'll think it's nummy, too.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Spinach Soup
We’re officially nine days away from our move, and I feel as though I am living in a forest of cardboard. I’m having trouble remembering what and when we’ve eaten, which is very unlike me. I observed to a friend the other day that our meals have begun to resemble those eaten in college days, with random soup from the freezer poured over rice, or a sad veggie burger heated up in the microwave.
Most of my cookware has been bubble-wrapped and packed, but I still have a soup pot at the ready, and I am determined that the next week will include good food that is good for us.
Craving antioxidants, clean flavors and some low-fat goodness, I pulled this recipe out of my archive this morning to make for tonight’s dinner. This spinach soup is velvety, nutritious, and lovely served hot or cold. Garnish it simply with minced chives, or make it special with a tiny dollop of tofu sour cream stirred together with finely minced parsley and tarragon and a drop of lemon juice. This makes a beautiful and simple passed hors d’oeuvre when served in a demitasse or sake cup, and is highly restorative when eaten by the large bowlful.
Spinach Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 yukon gold potato, peeled and finely chopped
4 cups light vegetable stock
½ cup Italian parsley, leaves only, packed
1 ½ lbs. fresh spinach, tough ribs removed
Lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper
Wash parsley and spinach well in several changes of cold water. Drain, roughly chop spinach, and set both aside.
In a large sauce pan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and carrot, and sauté until soft and translucent. Add vegetable stock and potato, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
Add spinach and parsley to pot, and return to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and allow to stand for five minutes. Puree the soup, either using an immersion blender, or in batches in your blender (do be careful when using the blender – fill no more than halfway, remove the center piece of the lid, and top with a heavy towel. You don’t want a hot soup explosion!).
Taste soup, and adjust seasoning with a bit of lemon juice and hot sauce. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. If you are looking for perfect texture, you may wish to run the soup through a chinois or a fine mesh strainer at this point.
Serve immediately, or, to serve chilled, pour into a bowl set in an ice bath, stir until cool, and refrigerate until cold.
Serves 4-6.
Most of my cookware has been bubble-wrapped and packed, but I still have a soup pot at the ready, and I am determined that the next week will include good food that is good for us.
Craving antioxidants, clean flavors and some low-fat goodness, I pulled this recipe out of my archive this morning to make for tonight’s dinner. This spinach soup is velvety, nutritious, and lovely served hot or cold. Garnish it simply with minced chives, or make it special with a tiny dollop of tofu sour cream stirred together with finely minced parsley and tarragon and a drop of lemon juice. This makes a beautiful and simple passed hors d’oeuvre when served in a demitasse or sake cup, and is highly restorative when eaten by the large bowlful.
Spinach Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 yukon gold potato, peeled and finely chopped
4 cups light vegetable stock
½ cup Italian parsley, leaves only, packed
1 ½ lbs. fresh spinach, tough ribs removed
Lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper
Wash parsley and spinach well in several changes of cold water. Drain, roughly chop spinach, and set both aside.
In a large sauce pan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and carrot, and sauté until soft and translucent. Add vegetable stock and potato, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
Add spinach and parsley to pot, and return to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and allow to stand for five minutes. Puree the soup, either using an immersion blender, or in batches in your blender (do be careful when using the blender – fill no more than halfway, remove the center piece of the lid, and top with a heavy towel. You don’t want a hot soup explosion!).
Taste soup, and adjust seasoning with a bit of lemon juice and hot sauce. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. If you are looking for perfect texture, you may wish to run the soup through a chinois or a fine mesh strainer at this point.
Serve immediately, or, to serve chilled, pour into a bowl set in an ice bath, stir until cool, and refrigerate until cold.
Serves 4-6.
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