Tag Archives: lunch

Jan15

Chicken and Cabbage Soup to cure the bbbbrrrrs

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chicken cabbage soup 2The Creative Cooking Edge on A Very Cold Day

Chicken and Cabbage Soup (to cure the bbbbbbbrrrrrrs)

Serves as many as you wish

OK—enough I say.  It’s 2:37 pm on a Monday afternoon, January 14th to be exact, and it’s only 6 degrees.  Actually my outdoor thermometer had been registering the below -0- F mark most all day and in keeping with that thought, my refrigerator was sort of empty and extra cold as well. In it I had 6 partially still frozen chicken legs, a head of green cabbage, some celery, and 2 carrots. Oh my-not very appetizing.  On the counter top, I had one onion and one head of garlic.  Yes indeed like Mother Hubbard, my cupboards were bare.  I was up for the challenge mainly because I didn’t feel like braving the cold outdoors; I was shivering, even indoors; so what to make to warm myself with my few at home ingredients?: soup of course—including the special ingredients that  I do keep in my freezer such as a stash of herbs as well as cilantro and parsley.  So, I used those, but if I hadn’t them, I would have used my dried variety(substitution mix is usually 1 Tblsp. of fresh equating to 1 Tsp. dried). This clear and delicate tasting soup actually turned out so nice that I wanted to share it and my lovely creative experience with you.

Ingredients:

  1. Chicken parts- 6 legs or what ever else your heart desires
  2. 1 small green cabbage cut into 6 (more or less) wedges
  3. 1 onion- cut as above for the cabbage
  4. 4 or 5 stalks of celery—cut into 4 inch pieces- leaves included up to you
  5. 2 carrots—peeled and also cut into 4 inch pieces
  6. Bacon-I chopped the ends of some whole bacon that I had frozen
  7. Parsley—5 sprigs—once again from my frozen stash
  8. Thyme- 3 sprigs- once again from my frozen stash
  9. Basel Leaves-chopped-from my frozen stash
  10. Whole Star Anise- 1/2 of one
  11.  Whole Cloves-3 or 4
  12.   Bay Leaf—1
  13.   Pepper Corns- 4
  14.  Salt—1/2 Tsp.  and more if you wish
  15. Potatoes (peeled if need be and cut into smaller chunks) optional

Instructions:

  1. In a tallish pot, place enough water to cover the chicken and veggies-that’ll probably be a couple of quarts or more.  Bring water to boil.
  2. Throw everything in that water except for the green cabbage and potatoes.
  3. Bring back to a boil and then turn to simmer.  Simmer for half hour.
  4. Add the cabbage and the optional potatoes and bring back to a simmer for another half hour.

I didn’t feel like potatoes, so I made myself some noodles. Boy my soup warmed me up immediately. Additionally, I enjoyed the light and fresh taste of the seasonings that I had randomly chosen for the broth. Finally, the challenge of using the few ingredients that I had in my space kept me on my toes on a freezing cold day and gave me a creative challenge and an ending satisfaction.  So, that’s what I really wanted to share with you because you too can do this or maybe something even better.  If so, email the Sun with your unplanned and sudden creative dish. Don’t be shy!!!

Jan13

Asparagus and Prosciutto Strata (an overnight casserole dish)

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Asparagus Prociutto Stratta

I used black forest ham in this picture and it reacted a bit like bacon so it’s a bit crispy and very browned.  However, it was delicious, much more economical than prosciutto and still very tasty—always trying to be economical here in my kitchen. This dish was made in an aluminum pan for a friend who had just injured herself in a down hill ski accident.

Asparagus and Prosciutto Strata (an overnight casserole dish)

Serves 8

It’s always such a great pleasure to host a breakfast for a group of people and have them enjoy your cooking efforts with big smiles on their faces.  That’s part of what was so rewarding in having been an inn keeper at my B&B and now that I have the privilege of writing articles for our wonderful local Weekly Sun, they allow me to play inn keeper every now and then.  That’s what just recently happened at our January get together and this is one of the items which I prepared.  Of course I want to share this with my readers as well.

Here though, before you get to the recipe, are a few little known facts about the asparagus that might be of interest to you.  In France, Louis XIV had a special greenhouses built for growing it.  The finest texture and the strongest yet most delicate taste which is in the asparagus tips, were called, once again in France, “Les points d’amour (love tips)”. Leave it to the French to make a love connection to the asparagus tips.  They were served as a delicacy to Madame de Pompadour.  Asparagus was pictured as an offering on an Egyptian frieze dating to 3000 B.C.  Romans would even freeze this healthy vegetable high in the Alps, for the Feast of Epicurus.  Emperor Augustus reserved the “Asparagus Fleet” for hauling the vegetable and coined the expression “faster than cooking asparagus” for quick action. As well, asparagus is often grown in conjunction with tomatoes because: the tomato plant repels the asparagus beetle while the asparagus repels some harmful root nematodes that affect the tomato plants. So here’s a salute to that “Point D’Amour”.

Ingredients:

  1. One Lb. asparagus, tough stem ends snapped off and the remainder cut in 2 inch pieces.
  2. 1 loaf 3/4 lb. crusty artisan style bread, cut into 1 inch pieces.  I use a French bread loaf
  3. 3 ounces thinly sliced Prosciutto cut into 1/2 –inch thick strips
  4. 1 ¼ C. shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese
  5. 1/2 C. chopped chives
  6. 1 Tblsp. grated lemon peel
  7. 6 eggs
  8. 3 ½ C. milk
  9. 1/2 Tsp. salt
  10. 1/2 Tsp. pepper

Directions:

  1. In a medium pan bring about 2 quarts water to a boil; add asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes-till they are bright green and barely tender. Immerse them in cold water to stop them from cooking more.
  2. In a lightly oiled or sprayed 9 X 13 Pyrex or other oven proof dish spread half of the bread cubes.
  3. There will be 4 layers. Top the first layer of bread cubes with 1/2 of the following ingredients:
    1. Prosciutto or some sort of thin sliced ham–smoked or not
    2. Asparagus
    3. Chives
    4. Shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese.
  4. Now place the other half of the bread crumbs on top and layer again as above in #3.
  5. In a blender blend the eggs, milk, S&P and lemon peel and pour over the layered ingredients.
  6. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
  7. Preheat oven to 350 and bake until center of strata is set and the top is lightly browned (40-50 minutes).
  8. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Jan7

The Magic of Beets

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beet greens cooking beet greens beets and greens on plate beets in aluminum foil

golden beets

The Magic of Beets

Beets weren’t one of my most favorite veggies, however, when I started encountering the golden and other colored milder tasting beets, I became very fond of them.  So, when I saw these three gold beets at the market, I couldn’t resist.  Beets are truly multi faceted because not only can you use the root but the greens as well.  So for dinner last night, I devoured both and it was truly divine.

The history of beets is very interesting.  It has had a long history of cultivation stretching back to the second millennium BC.  Aristotle and Theophrastus mention them.   This little root has been used for food, sugar, fodder, food color, medicine and health, as an aphrodisiac, juice, and wine.  It can be consumed deliciously cold or hot.  Various countries of our world have made this root into a specialty dish and it’s even used as an integral part of a Jewish prayer for Rosh Hashanah.  And that is just the root—because the tops are delectable as well.  So here are two of my favorite recipes for this miraculous vegetable.

Beets Baked in Foil (oh so easy and delicious—try to buy beets which are uniform in size so that they’ll cook evenly.  Additionally, you can store just the uncooked roots in a plastic bag in the frig and they’ll last for weeks.)

  1. Preheat the oven to 400.
  2. Wash/scrub the beets well and leave an inch or so of the green top on to minimize bleeding.
  3. Wrap them individually in foil and place them on a baking sheet.
  4. Cook, undisturbed, for 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours—until a think-bladed knife pierces the beet with little resistance.  (They may cook at different rates—so watch for that.)
  5. You can peel them right away and serve them sliced or whole with butter or olive oil, any vinaigrette, or freshly squeezed lemon juice.  I like them with just butter or olive oil.
  6. You can also remove, cool and refrigerate them in their foil until ready to peel and use.  They’ll last for several days.  Then you could serve them cold with a good dressing; or sliced mixed with olive oil, balsamic, ground pepper and salt served over some Greek yogurt. A bit of fresh chervil to top this last suggestion will make this a perfect dish.

Beet Greens: They actually were “the in- green” eons ago—that is until spinach came along.

  1. Wash the beet leaves, cut and then chop the stems.  Separately chop the leaves.
  2. Bring a pot of water to a boil; salt it.  Cook the stems until they are almost tender (about 5 minutes) and then add the leaves.  Cook a couple minutes more or until it’s tender.  Add butter or olive oil at the very end as well as S&P to your taste.  Additionally you can also add the ingredients in the optional #4 paragraph below.
  3. Optional: add sunflower seeds (or other seeds of your desire) and raisins at the very end.  If you wish you can pre- soak the raisins in warm water for 10 minutes.  Also, you can pre- roast the seeds in a pan.
Dec30

Zucchini and Mushroom Casserole

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Zucchini and Mushroom Casserole

8 serving

 

This is a good, easy and nutritional dish to serve.  Zucchini and mushrooms are so versatile so it’s nice to see them meld together.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 ½ Lb. zucchini, trimmed and scrubbed
  2. Pinch of chopped or dried dill
  3. S&P to taste
  4. 1-2 cloves of garlic
  5. 3/4 Lb. mushrooms, sliced
  6. 4 ½ Tblsp. butter
  7. 2 ½ -3 Tblsp. flour
  8. 1 ¼ C. sour cream
  9. Bread crumbs dotted with butter
  10. Up to 1/4 C. chopped parsley (optional)
  11. Up to 1/4 C. shredded Parmesan (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Cut the zucchini crosswise into one-inch slices.  Place in a pot with salted water to cover. Add the dill and garlic and some S&P.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the vegetable is barely tender (about 8 minutes).  DO NOT OVERCOOK.
  2. Drain, reserving 2 Tblsp. of the cooking liquid, and discard the garlic. Set the zucchini aside.
  3. In a skillet, sauté the mushroom in the butter (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally till they glisten; then stir in the flour. Cook about 2 minutes longer till flour is well absorbed.
  4.  To the mushrooms in the skillet add the sour cream and zucchini and the reserved 2 Tblsp. zucchini cooking liquid stirring constantly.  DO NOT BOIL but heat thoroughly.
  5. Transfer the mixture to a buttered or Pam sprayed casserole dish and top with some buttered bread crumbs.  If you wish, you can mix the crumbs with chopped parsley and/or some shredded parmesan.
  6. Brown quickly under the broiler.
Dec30

Lox Salad Spears Topped with Dill Sauce

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lox spears

Lox Salad Spears Topped with Dill Sauce

Up to you as to how many you want to make

I love good lox.  Having lived in Beverly Hills, CA, I frequented Nate ‘n Als (established in 1945) a lot and they had the best lox ever.  Oh well, that was awhile ago and now I’m in a place where we do not, so far, have a  Nate ‘n Als. I wish we did so that I could revisit my childhood delights more frequently. I don’t travel much to Beverly Hills anymore and even though Nate ‘n Als supposedly delivers most everywhere in the US, that’s pretty pricey.  In any case, if you also like lox and some good unpackaged lox is available here in the valley, here’s a simple appetizer dish that is always a hit.

Ingredients needed:

  • Buy as much of good lox (preferably not pre-packaged) you wish to use.
  • Buy a combination of Belgium Endives and fresh Romaine Lettuce (as much as you visualize that you’ll need.  Left over’s always makes for a great salad.
  •  Also you’ll need the ingredients listed below for the Dill Sauce.

Dill Sauce Recipe 😦 makes about 2/3 Cup)

  1. 1/3 C. mayonnaise
  2. 1/3 C. sour cream
  3. 1 Tblsp. finely chopped onion
  4. 1 Tsp. lemon juice
  5. 1 Tsp. prepared horseradish
  6. 3/4 Tsp. dill weed
  7. 1/4 Tsp. garlic salt
  8. Pepper to taste

Instructions:

  • Mix the above Dill Sauce ingredients in a small bowl.  You can make this at the last moment however if you refrigerate this sauce for several hours it’ll make it taste even better.
  • On individual Belgium Endive and Romaine leaves, place a bit of lox and top it with the dill sauce and finalized with some capers.
  • Place on a pretty dish surrounded by some lemon slices.
Dec29

Shrimp with 3 Different Sauces: Orange Marmalade/Horse Radish & Dill & Red

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Shrimp with 3 Different Sauces

Orange Marmalade and Horse-Radish Sauce

 Dill Sauce

Red Sauce

I do love shrimp and really, they are light on the belly and perfect to serve as an appetizer before a big meal.  I like to serve these three sauces along with them to give a person a choice of tastes.  Additionally, the easiest jumbo shrimp to get are those that are frozen and precooked but honestly, if you buy the deveined but uncooked frozen jumbo shrimp, they are FAR superior in texture and taste.  It’s really so easy to follow the directions on the uncooked package if you get it that way and if not, it’s still easy to do.  If frozen, defrost the shrimp in a colander with cold water running over them—for about 10 minutes.  Then, bring a large pot of water to a boiling point and add about 3 Tblsp. of salt per quart of water, dump the shrimp in the boiling water, bring back to a boil and then simmer uncovered for about 3 minutes—or till the shrimp are red and you can’t see their translucency.  Don’t let them boil too long though because then they’ll be tough.  I taste one at the 3 minute point and usually it’s just perfect then.  Drain them in a colander and plunge them in ice water so that they will stop cooking immediately.

Main  Ingredients:

  1. 2 ½ lbs large shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked and chilled.

Marmalade/Horse Radish Sauce: (makes 1 C)

  1. 3/4  C. Orange Marmalade
  2. 1/4 C. Orange Juice
  3. 2 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice
  4. 1/2 Tsp powdered ginger
  5. 1 Tsp. Prepared white horseradish
  6. 2 Tsp. Dijon-style mustard
  7. 1/2 Tsp salt

Instructions for the Marmalade/Horse-Radish Sauce:

  1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. Serve at room temperature.

Dill Sauce: (makes about 1 C)

  1. 3/4 C. olive oil
  2. 3 Tblsp. lemon juice
  3. Salt to taste
  4. 1/2 Tsp. dry mustard
  5. 1 Tblsp. fresh chopped dill or 2 tsp. dried dill weed
  6. 1/2 Clove garlic (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well.  Let stand overnight in the refrigerator.  Discard the garlic and serve the sauce chilled.

Red Sauce

Ingredients: (makes about 1 C)

  1. 1 C. ketchup
  2. 2 Tblsp. cider or wine vinegar or lemon juice
  3. 4-6 drops of Tobacco sauce
  4. 1 Tblsp. horseradish
  5. 1 Tblsp. minced chives or grated onion
  6. 1/4 C. finely chopped celery
  7. 1 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  8. 1/2 Tsp. Salt
  9. 1 Tblsp minced parsley

Combine above ingredients well and use for shrimp dipping.  Chill before serving.  (Makes about 1 ¼ C.)

Dec29

Caesar Salad Spears

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Caesar Salad Spears

Serves around 6-8

 

This is a wonderful light and delicious hors d’oeuvres to have-particularly before a hearty dinner.   For a faster version, I have used pre-made Caesar bread crumbs and anchovy paste—but the homemade version is a bit tastier I think.  No matter, you and your guests will enjoy this and beware-they do go quickly.

 

Ingredients:

  1. 2 C. 1/4 –inch-diced white bread or for shortcut use somewhat crushed Caesar store bought croutons
  2. 1/4 C. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus some for garnish
  3. 5 Belgian endives
  4. Lemon wedges for garnish and additional color

For Dressing: (you can double this recipe because it’s good for a left-over salad dressing)

  1. 2 minced anchovies or a comparable amount of anchovy paste
  2. 1 egg yolk
  3. 1 clove garlic, minced
  4. 2 Tblsp. grated Parmesan
  5. 1 Tblsp. red-wine vinegar
  6. 1 Tblsp. lime juice
  7. 1 Tsp. Dijon mustard
  8. ¼ tsp. Worchestershire sauce
  9. 2 dashes Tabasco
  10. 1/2 Tsp. salt
  11. 1/2 Tsp. ground black pepper
  12. 1/2 C. olive oil

 

Directions:

  1. If you wish to make your own croutons, preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, toss the bread with 2 Tbls. of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the bread on a baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes, stirring once, until golden and crisp.
  2. In a food processor, blender or by hand, whisk together ingredient #4 through #14. When well blended slowly add the olive oil.  Taste to see if you wish to add more S&P.
  3. Trim the endives and remove the largest leaves from 3-4 of the heads. If you wish you can stack the leaves and trim them to about 4 inches. (I don’t do this.)
  4. Thinly slice the remaining endive and toss with the dressing and the croutons.
  5. Spoon the salad onto each spear and garnish with grated cheese.
  6. Note: If you wish you can use a combination of endive and romaine heart leaves to fill and also you can chop very finely some of the romaine for the inclusion in your salad mixture.  So then you would have a mixture of endive and romaine hearts.  I personally like this combination.  It’s also more financially economical.
Dec18

Angel Hair with Herbed Shrimp

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herbed shrimp on red pasta with herbed shrimp

Angel Hair with Herbed Shrimp

Serves 4

Fresh shrimp bought from your fish monger is really superior, however, often when I want a last minute meal and don’t have anything much in the refrigerator I dig out my shrimp bags from the freezer.  Shrimp are not very high in calories and I enjoy them—even if they do come from a foreign country.  I know that there is controversy about this. No matter, for my taste, this is an easy dish to fix and I think that it’s good for just you and yourself (the way I often am) or for your family or even for a company dish—accompanied by a delicious green salad.   I like to use the two varieties of shrimp listed below just for the fun of it.  As well, for sure you can use fresh uncooked shrimp purchased from your fish monger and then it’ll be even better.  You have a bit more work to do, but there’s nothing like fresh uncooked shrimp.

Ingredients:

8 oz. angel hair pasta

6 oz. frozen cooked tail on shrimp (about 1 ½ Cups)

6 oz. frozen cooked tail off shrimp (about 1 ½ Cups)

1 – 1 ½ C. sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4 to 1/2 C. chopped fresh tomatoes or drained canned tomatoes (depends how much you want the tomatoes to influence your dish)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 Tblsp. olive oil

1/4 C. white wine

1/8 C. lemon juice

3/4 to 1 C. chicken stock(and more if you feel that the sauce needs it)

1 Tblsp. snipped fresh basil or 1 Tsp. dried basil, crushed

1 ½ Tsp. snipped fresh oregano or 1/2 Tsp. dried oregano, crushed

2 Tbsp. flour

S&P to taste

1/4-1/2 C. shredded Parmesan for garnish

1/4- 1/2 C. snipped parsley for garnish

Instructions:

  1. If necessary, thaw shrimp according to package directions.
  2. Cook pasta according to directions and keep warm.
  3. Mix the wine, chicken stock, lemon juice and herbs in a cup or small bowl.
  4. In a large sauce pan, warm the olive oil and place the flour in it along with the garlic and onion. Sauté gently over medium heat till they are translucent (about 3-5 minutes). Then add the mushrooms and keep stirring till they moisten. (another 3-5 minutes).
  5. Add the liquid ingredients mentioned in #3 to the pan and stir over medium heat till thickened and bubbly.
  6. Add shrimp to the mixture; cover and simmer about 2 minutes or if need be, till shrimp turns pink.
  7. Stir in tomatoes.
  8.  Add S&P to taste.
  9. Place the pasta on a pretty dish, top with the shrimp sauce and then a final sprinkling of the Parmesan and parsley.
  10. PS–if you want to make the sauce a bit creamier and richer, add some half-and-half to it at the end.  Be careful to not boil it.
Dec16

Lamb Shanks with White Beans-A Dish to Comfort

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lamb shank with white beans

Lamb Shanks with White Beans

Serves 2-8 if you don’t concentrate on the meat only

Newtown really got me down.  I needed some comfort; so I turned to this recipe.  First of all, it took me awhile to make but yet didn’t take too much concentration so that I could think and meditate about what a tragedy and horror had just happened.  Second of all, once made, it soothed me and helped me heal a bit.  We need recipes like this every now and then—and sadly enough, more often lately than not.  I hope that maybe you may take some solace in this recipe as well——

Ingredients for the White Beans:

  1. 1 Lb. dried white beans (I used the little ones but the larger variety are fine as well)
  2. 4 Cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
  3. 1 C. Cored and chopped tomatoes—(canned and drained are fine)
  4. 1 Bay leaf

Herbs to be used for both the beans and the shanks: 

  1. 1 Tblsp. fresh sage leaves or 1 Tsp. dried sage and some left over for extra seasonings
  2. 1 Tsp. fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 Tsp. dried thyme
  3. A dab more thyme leaves for browning the veggies.

Ingredients for the Lamb Shanks:

  1. 4 Lamb shanks—3/4 to 1 Lb. each (mine in the picture was almost 2 lbs. WOW—what a lamb!)
  2. 1/3 – 1/2 C. olive oil
  3. Flour for dredging
  4. 1 Medium onion rough cut
  5. 3 Stalks of celery rough cut
  6. 2 peeled  carrots rough cut
  7. 1 clove garlic rough cut
  8. S&P to taste
  9. 1 Bay leaf
  10. 3/4  C. red wine
  11. 3/4  C. beef stock
  12. Minced fresh parsley or sage leaves or thyme sprigs for garnish

Instructions:

Cooking the Beans

  1. Quick boil or soak the beans overnight (according to package directions).
  2. Place the beans in a deep pot and cover the beans with water.
  3. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil; skim the foam if necessary.
  4. Turn the heat down so that the beans simmer and add the garlic, tomatoes, bay leaf, and 1/3 of the herbs mentioned in this recipe.
  5.  Cook 1-1/2 to 2 hours —till they are tender.

Cooking the Shanks:

  1. Blender or Osterize chop the celery, carrots, garlic, onion into a small chop.  I do leave aside a couple of carrots and celery large cut just for the look of the dish-but doesn’t feel obliged to do this.
  2. Mix the remainder of the seasonings in enough flour to dredge the shanks a bit and rub it on the shanks.
  3. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and brown the shanks on all sides. (About 8-10 minutes). If you have a lot of shanks, you may have to do this in more than one session.  When browned, set aside on a separate plate.
  4. In the remaining oil (if you need more, pour a bit in), add and stir the veggies with a dab more of thyme over medium heat until they are glistening. (about 7 minutes)
  5. Put the shanks back in the pot on top of the veggies, add the wine and beef bouillon and a bay leaf; simmer covered on very low heat for 3 to 3 ½ hours or till when you insert a toothpick in the fleshy part of the shank, it’ll go in and come out easy (that almost sounds “risqué” doesn’t it.  Oh dear.
  6. Keep an eye on the shanks just to make sure they don’t need more wine or bouillon.

lamb shank with white beans

The Finished Product:

  1. At this point, I like to have a lovely country styled platter to take my beans out with a slotted spoon and some or all of its liquid as well and top it with my lamb shanks, veggies, sauce and all. I then garnish it with the parsley, sage, or thyme.
  2. There are 2 more ways  of finishing this dish so here it is:

Way One

  1. Don’t cook the beans till they are too soft because you are going to place them in an oven proof dish.
  2.  Pour the shank’s sauce among the beans and some or most of the bean’s liquid (depending how much is left), a bit more dried or fresh sage; then nestle the shanks in. Put the dish uncovered in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes.  Then garnish and serve.

Way Two

  1. Cook the lamb as directed; then take it all off the bone and shred it.
  2. Stir it back in the beans and top it with bread crumbs.
  3. Broil it carefully in the oven till the crumbs are light brown.
  4. Voila Cassoulet?

 

Dec14

Creamy Watercress Soup-Good Hot or Cold

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watercress yes 2 creamy watercress soupwatercress yes 2

watercress yesCreamy Watercress Soup

Serves 4

 Watercress is usually pretty pricey to purchase, but every now and then, it’s a real treat to have and to serve for guests.  Because of the potatoes, this can become a pretty thick soup.  If you wish a thinner consistency, cut down on the dairy and make up for the amount in the stock.  All in all, I really like this soup because of the unique taste of watercress.  As well, it’s also good cold.

Ingredients: 

  1. 2 Tblsp. Butter
  2. 1 large onion, coarsely choppedwatercress yes 3
  3. 2 Yukon gold potatoes, coarsely chopped
  4. 4-6  C. coarsely chopped watercress (more if you want a stronger watercress taste)
  5. 2 C. vegetable stock (you can use chicken or beef)
  6. 2 C. half-and-half or milk
  7. S&P to taste

Directions:

  1. Place the butter in a large, deep saucepan and turn the heat to medium.
  2. Add the chopped potatoes and onion.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and onion are nearly tender, about 15 minutes.
  3. Then add the coarsely chopped watercress and cook, stirring, until it’s wilted—about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the stock, bring ALMOST to a boil, lower the heat and cook briefly till the watercress is tender ( this won’t take very long).
  5. Put through a sieve or food mill, or carefully puree in a blender.  Return to heat and add the half-and-half or milk.  DO NOT BOIL.  Season with S&P.
  6. Enjoy and Bon Appétit.
  7. Remember, you can add more stock and less cream/milk and don’t let the mixture come to a boil.
  8. I like to top mine with a bit of sour cream or yogurt, slivered green onion tops and avocados.  Well—you get the idea.