Provencal Greens Soup

I love the NYTimes well blog and recipes, which is where I saw this.  This sounds really good.

In France this simple, nutritious soup is made with wild greens that you might forage on an afternoon’s walk, such as nettles, watercress and dandelion greens. If you must use one green, I recommend Swiss chard.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 leeks, cut in half length-wise, sliced, rinsed of dirt and drained on paper towels

4 garlic cloves, sliced

6 cups chopped greens (leaves only), such as Swiss chard, dandelion greens, watercress and beet greens

1 1/2 quarts water

Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 large eggs

4 thick slices country bread, toasted and rubbed with a cut clove of garlic

Grated Parmesan for serving (optional)

1. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat, and add the leeks. Cook, stirring, until tender, three to five minutes. Add the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute. Add the greens, and stir until they begin to wilt. Add the water and salt to taste, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the greens are very tender and the broth sweet. Add pepper, and taste and adjust seasoning.

2. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Making sure that the soup is not boiling, whisk a ladle of it into the beaten eggs. Take the soup off the heat, and stir in the tempered eggs. Brush the garlic croutons with olive oil, and place one or two in each bowl. Ladle in the soup, sprinkle on some Parmesan if desired and serve.

Yield: Serves four

Advance preparation: You can make the soup through step 1 several hours before serving.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

My Dad makes roasted veggies all the time.  I love them.  They are so incredibly flavorful and the texture is perfect.  Just chop some veggies, toss in a bowl and coat with olive oil and  sea salt (better flavor than table salt), roast in a 425 oven for about a half hour or until veggies are tender. 

Last night I made this and I discovered how AMAZING roasted cauliflour is.  It was so delicious.  I've only had it boiled, which is good (especially with cheese sauce), but this was ten times better.  It was sweet and nutty and mmmmm.  The brussel sprouts were very good too.  Lucy kept begging for more!?!?!  

So here are my recommendations on what is good and what isn't.

Highly recommended:

Beets (golden and/or red), brussel sprouts, sweet potato, onion, mushroom, cauliflour, squash, parsnips, carrotts, leeks.

Not recommended:

Turnips (I gagged and spit mine out)

Roast them altogether or just pick one if you like. I also chopped up some parsley and fresh thyme and we sprinkled them on at the table along with a little fresh squeezed lemon.  Delicious.  Try it as a main dish with a few noodles or rice for a side dish.   

Rhotkhol

Remember how we need to eat more red cabbage.  This is a family favorite, courtesy of Uncle Stephen.  (Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it.)

1 large head red cabbage, cleaned, cored, and shredded

Saute that in a dutch oven with 1/4 c. butter for 5-7 minutes

Add 1/4 c sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 c cider vinegar, 1/2 c water.  Toss and stir until well mixed.  Simmer one and a half hours in covered dutch oven over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally.  Cool.  Stir and reheat to serve.

Swiss Chard with Feta and Pine Nuts

This dish has such a nice flavor.  

Toast the pine nuts (about a half cup) in a frying pan.  When toasted, set aside in a bowl.

In a stock pot fry up 2 diced shallots in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Once the shallots are browned throw in a bunch of sliced swiss chard and toss with the oil and shallots (any variety will do).  Let it steam with lid on for about two minutes, then remove the lid so excess liquid cooks off.  Pour in about 1/4 cup of crumbled feta and let melt.  Place in serving dish (careful not to dump off feta and to not get too much liquid in serving dish).  Sprinkle pine nuts over top and serve immediately.  It has a very nice subtle flavor. 

Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Chop and clean your sprouts ( I quartered them).  Coat with a mixture of 4 TBS Olive Oil and 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar (when I made them I used half and thought they were a bit dry and needed a bit more ooomph, so I've upped the amounts).

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes in a baking pan or foil lined pan.

Remove from oven and add 1/4 cup parmesean cheese and 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (I think any nuts would work).

Roasted Beets

Our produce section has been selling the most scrumptious beets grown by Cal-Organics and I have been serving them up weekly.  They are delicious.  This is how I love them. I chop the beet greens off and rinse them.  Then I chop them up and stick them in a pot with a few Tablespoons of water.  Then I take the beet roots and peel them (I don't know if this is the proper way to prepare them, but that is what I do) and chop them into chunks.  I toss them with a bit of olive oil and a dash of salt and bake them in the oven for about an hour at 350.  Then about a minute or two before we are ready to eat I put a lid on the pot of beet greens and turn up the burner to high and let it go until steam comes out of the pot.  (Basically you just barely wilt them, don't overdo it or you may end up with a sort of slimy batch of beet greens).  Then I serve them up with a generous amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Yum!

Delicious Brussel Sprouts

Not everyone is a fan of these veggies.  I was forced to eat them as a child and now don't have a problem with them.  But my kids do.  Millie made some delicious sprouts a few Thanksgivings ago that everyone devoured with gusto.  They featured bacon and onions and were amazing.  I bought some and made them as a side dish last night, without the bacon.  I fried up some butter and onion in a pot then added the peeled and chopped brussel sprouts, and fried them up a bit.  Then I added about a 1/2 cup of chicken broth and let them steam.  They were really good.  My kids didn't love them (yet), but ate them without tears.  I also thought they might be good with a bit of balsamic vinegar.  I'll  have to try that out soon.