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.
My favorite time of day is early morning especially whenever I am able to spend any of that time out in the gardens. The thrill of discovering something fresh and new poking up through the soil, opening of buds and unfolding of leaves all give me incentive for the day. It makes me expect good things to happen and encourages me to look for new life developing around me. Right now we are harvesting mostly lettuce. Big, full, beautiful leafy heads — Boston bib, Buttercrunch and several other red leaf types for variety of texture and flavor.
There is no end to the beautiful salads that can be created with these crisp tender leaves and we’ve been using them in that way for most of our meals. We also enjoy them for a main meal in the form of Asian lettuce wraps, a favorite at the convent year-round, but especially nice in this warm weather.
Asian Lettuce Wraps
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Asian Lettuce Wraps
SERVINGS16wraps
|
COOK TIME2mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not to tear them.
- Set aside.
- In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 Tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary.
- Drain, and set aside to cool.
- Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir.
- Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; continue until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
- Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center.
- To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf.
- Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!
It is so amazing to me how the humble little garbanzo bean has grown in popularity over recent years and so firmly established itself in our American diet. Because it is so rich in protein and fat free it is a healthy source of nourishment. Recent tests have now verified that adding garbanzos to one’s diet reduces, in many people, craving for other less wholesome foods. These little chickpeas, as some people prefer to call them, are a fantastic snack roasted in a little olive oil and sprinkled with onion salt or other favorite seasonings.
But our favorite way of having them at the convent is in the form of homemade hummus with pita pockets – when sisters see this on the lunch menu a cheer sounds throughout. Everyone goes away from the meal happy- including the kitchen crew because it is such an easy meal to prepare to eat and to clean up.
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Basic Plain Homemade Hummusv
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Puree in food processor to desired taste and consistency.
Spring is officially here. It’s a lovely day, sun shiney, a bit cool, but leaves are starting to come out. I am keeping a close eye on all of the perennials I planted last fall, and almost all have come up. And of course we have been babying our vegetable seedlings in our grow-tent, which will start to go into the ground any minute now. It’s a very hopeful time of year, full of new beginnings and promise.
We have been hosting special receptions each month as a part of the celebration of our choir’s 25th anniversary. Each month I am faced with the challenge of beautiful finger food that fits in a budget, and isn’t the same every time. I often use ingredients I’ve popped into the freezer. Cheese and crackers are always a good staple. We tried out two different recipes of cheese balls, and ended up combining elements of both to make a really classy cheese ball with lots of flavor. It’s a cheddar/Parmesan with port wine-soaked craisins folded into the mixture. Really delicious, and everyone loved it!
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Rating: 2.5
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Cheddar/Parmesan Cheese Ball with port wine soaked craisins
SERVINGS
|
COOK TIME |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Soak craisins in port wine.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheeses, lemon zest, onion, garlic, pepper, cayenne until well combined, adding craisins at the end.
- Put chopped pecans on a piece of waxed paper.
- Remove cheese mixture from bowl, form into a ball, and roll in the chopped pecans.
- Can be refrigerated, but fine to serve right away.
I grew up in an agrarian area with a mother who appreciated the seasons and food that came with them. We lived next to a highly farmed area. I remember fields stretching as far as the eye could see. Hadley produced mostly tobacco, but also lots of asparagus, and of course butternut squash and apples in their season. Every spring, about this time, my mother would go looking for wild asparagus, since she had noted where the fronds were the previous summer. I think I am a little spoiled, because I have tasted asparagus when it was harvested the same day, and there is nothing like it. We can get asparagus any time of the year now. I love it just blanched, with some butter and salt and pepper. Below is my favorite recipe for soup, which celebrates the intense flavor of the asparagus itself.
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Cream of Asparagus Soup
SERVINGS
|
COOK TIME50mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim the tips from the asparagus.
- Cut the woody stems ends from each spear and reserve.
- Cut the remaining stalks into 1/2 inch pieces. In a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil.
- Add the woody stems and lower heat to simmer, cook 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and discard, reserving the stock.
- Add the tips to stock and blanch until tender about 1 minute.
- Remove with a strainer, and plunge directly into an ice water bath.
- Drain on paper towels and reserve for garnish.
- Reserve the stock.
- In a medium stock pot, melt the butter over medium high heat.
- When foamy, add the shallots and leeks, and cook until just tender.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, then add the chopped asparagus stalks and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes.
- Add the reserve broth and simmer until the asparagus are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat. With an immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor, puree until smooth, adding salt and pepper to taste.
- Return to medium heat and add the half and half and reserved asparagus tips.
- Cook, stirring, until warmed through, about 3 minutes.
