Springtime is asparagus time! When I was just a young novice one of my most favorite morning responsibilities was to check the asparagus patch. What a way to start the day! The sight of new spears shooting up through the soil was an absolute delight. Then to calculate how many would reach their full height by the end of the day was a “lifegiving” exercise.
Because their growth is so rapid and so obvious from hour to hour, it is unlike most other growing edibles except perhaps mushrooms. In any case, the sight, as well as the taste, of asparagus still pleases me to no end.
Whether it be out in the garden straight from the soil, whether it be simmered and slightly salted right out of the pot at the stove or topped with hollandaise at the dinner table, I always welcome them.
Now that they are so popular roasted I have come up with this simple version that many people seem to like ……bacon wrapped and roasted with a touch of brown sugar and crispy crumb topping.
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Bacon Asparagus Roll-Ups
SERVINGS4
|
COOK TIME15-20mins |
PREP TIME10mins |
READY IN25-30mins |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400º Fahrenheit. In small bowl, mix bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Add parsley, lemon peel; toss well.
- Microwave bacon till fat is melted and the slices are easy to roll around the asparagus.
- Divide asparagus into 4 equal bundles. Loosely wrap each bundle with one slice of bacon. Press brown sugar onto bacon. Press crumbs onto sugared bacon. Place prepared asparagus into shallow baking dish. Brush asparagus tips with oil. Bake uncovered until bacon is crisp – 15”-20”.
I finished hanging up my wet laundry on the clothesline and paused to take in one more moment of this idyllic scene around me before returning to my room. I was on the island of Crete during a Gloriae Dei Cantores choir tour staying at a conference center situated on rocky white cliffs overlooking the bluest water I’ve ever seen. This was, without a doubt one of the nicest accommodations of the trip where we were made to feel so welcomed and at home.
The clothesline we’d been encouraged to use for our handwash was outdoors in the backyard garden of the building. It was fastened to a sturdy lemon tree heavily laden with gorgeous fruit just like the lemon trees under which we had enjoyed our dinner the evening before.
I had grown up savoring the flavors of fresh lemon juice and zest in my food long before it had become as popular as it now is, but never until this moment had it occurred to me why Greeks love and use it as much as they do in their cooking. Now I could clearly see the reason why. These fresh lemon and oregano potatoes are a typical example of the many ways in which these ingredients are regularly used in Greek cooking.
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Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette
SERVINGS6people
|
COOK TIME20-30mins |
PREP TIME15mins |
READY IN35-45mins |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Put the olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, oregano, and parsley in a food processor; to blend; season with salt and pepper.
- Toss potatoes with 1/2 cup of the prepared vinaigrette in a large bowl and spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Reserve the remaining vinaigrette.
- Roast potatoes until tender and golden brown, 20 – 30 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with some of the remaining vinaigrette. Season with salt and garnish with the chopped parsley. Serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.
This weekend, we will be harvesting the last of our peppers from our garden. We have been so blessed to have such an abundance of beautiful vegetables this year, so much so, that we are still reaping the benefits of the eggplant, leeks, butternut squash, and pumpkins. My brain goes into overdrive, as recipe after recipe comes to mind.. what magical combination can we concoct next?
We had a special request for stuffed peppers from one of our Sisters. She adores them, and has happy childhood memories from her Pennsylvania roots. I was delighted to fulfill her request. While in Italy, I came across this wonderfully spicy stuffed pepper recipe. I modified it with the ingredients I had on hand. I’ve never been a big fan of green peppers, but I love the sweet, colored varieties, as recommended here. The flavors of Italy abound: balsamic, red pepper flakes, fennel and spicy sausage. This is sure to be a family favorite.
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Villa Sacra Stuffed Peppers
SERVINGS8
|
COOK TIME1hr30 mins |
PREP TIME30mins |
READY IN1 hr50 mins |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Bring rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has absorbed, 20-25 min. Remove from heat and set aside
- Cook the chopped leek in olive oil over medium low heat until the leek begins to soften (watch that it doesn’t burn), about 5 min. Transfer half of this mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
- Stir tomato sauce, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, and red pepper flakes into the skillet with half the leek mixture; cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Pour tomato sauce mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Combine the ground beef, Italian sausage, fennel seeds, diced tomatoes, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into bowl with reserved leek; mix well. Stir in cooked rice and 1 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano. Stuff bell peppers with beef and sausage mixture, heaping slightly.
- Place stuffed bell pepper halves in the baking dish over tomato sauce; cover baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
- Remove aluminum foil, sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano, and bake until the meat is no longer pink, the peppers are tender and the cheese is browned on top, an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Andiamo Mangiare!
I went out to the gardens the other morning to see them-after they’d been put to bed a few weeks ago. This is always a bittersweet moment for me each year. They were nicely raked and everything all carefully harvested (which is to me the sad part). That is, almost everything harvested, because I did spy something that suddenly gladdened my heart. …….a vibrant green patch of kale in the farthest corner. This means that one of the healthiest of green vegetables will be available to us all winter long. No need to rush and gather it before the frost because the frost simply sweetens it and makes it more flavorful.
I grew up on kale when it was not so widely recognized and used as it is today. Just during this past year kale has rapidly increased in popularity as awareness of its nutritional value has been discovered. One of the richest sources of vitamin C, it is a perfect winter food.
I love it simply sautéed in fresh garlic and olive oil and simmered till soft and tender the old Mediterranean way, but it also makes a marvelous hearty Tuscan soup for a cold weather meal when served with good crusty bread.
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Hearty Tuscan Kale Soup
SERVINGS
|
COOK TIME40minutes |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Warm oil in a pot over medium heat.
- Saute sausage until browned, about 10 minutes; set aside.
- Add onion and celery; saute until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic and red pepper. Saute 1 minute.
- Pour in broth, raise heat to high and bring just to a boil, scraping up brown bits.
- Return sausage to pot; stir in tomatoes and beans. Bring back to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Season soup with salt and pepper. Stir in kale, cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
- Stir in parsley and top with Parmesan, if desired.
I went out to the gardens the other morning to see them-after they’d been put to bed a few weeks ago. This is always a bittersweet moment for me each year. They were nicely raked and everything all carefully harvested (which is to me the sad part). That is, almost everything harvested, because I did spy something that suddenly gladdened my heart. …….a vibrant green patch of kale in the farthest corner. This means that one of the healthiest of green vegetables will be available to us all winter long. No need to rush and gather it before the frost because the frost simply sweetens it and makes it more flavorful.
I grew up on kale when it was not so widely recognized and used as it is today. Just during this past year kale has rapidly increased in popularity as awareness of its nutritional value has been discovered. One of the richest sources of vitamin C, it is a perfect winter food.
I love it simply sautéed in fresh garlic and olive oil and simmered till soft and tender the old Mediterranean way, but it also makes a marvelous hearty Tuscan soup for a cold weather meal when served with good crusty bread.
Hearty Tuscan Kale Soup
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Rating: 4
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Tuscan Tomato, Bread And Herb Soup
SERVINGS
|
COOK TIME36mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Warm oil in a pot over medium heat.
- Saute sausage until browned, about 10 minutes; set aside.
- Add onion and celery; saute until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic and red pepper.
- Saute 1 minute.
- Pour in broth, raise heat to high and bring just to a boil, scraping up brown bits.
- Return sausage to pot; stir in tomatoes and beans. Bring back to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Season soup with salt and pepper.
- Stir in kale, cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
- Stir in parsley and top with Parmesan, if desired.
This week I am in an unfamiliar kitchen that is “equipment-challenged.” Anyone that has worked with me will tell you I am a “from-scratch” cook and have been known to look down on packaged mixes and ready made products. However in my older years I am mellowing in my opinions… So when I wanted to make chicken-pot-pie for a crowd this week and knew I lacked a pastry cutter and rolling pin, I realized that this was one of those moments to put aside pride! So off to the store for some pre-made pie crust. I did however make my own broth. Why waste boiling a whole chicken? Chicken-pot-pie is almost the first thing I think of when the leaves start to turn in earnest.
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Chicken Pot Pie
SERVINGS
|
COOK TIME30-35minutes |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put all of these ingredients in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
- Remove chicken and set aside. Keep simmering broth.
- When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from the bones and return the bones to the broth.
- Continue cooking until you have about 4 to 6 cups of broth, after straining through a colander. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Melt butter in a stock pot
- Add onion, carrots, celery, parsnips and mushrooms and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes.
- Add thyme and cook another minute.
- Add flour and cook again another couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add 4 cups of the stock and bring to a boil to thicken.
- Turn heat down and simmer a few minutes until vegetables begin to get tender.
- Chop chicken into chunks and add that and parsley to the pot.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pile into a 9″ glass pie plate. Sprinkle peas on top.
- Place crust over all, crimp edge decoratively. Brush egg wash over crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
