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jaunthieI'm working from home again today, as the hill outside my house is one big ice sheet, the temperature is still well below freezing, and they're predicting more snow this afternoon. I'm about to take a lunch break, so I figured now was a good time write up a little LiveJournal food porn. Click on the cut-text below if you wish to indulge. Warning: these recipes subscribe to the "add a pinch/dollop/bunch" school of thought, as opposed to nothing but precise measurements.
Ingredients:
1 medium-to-large soup kettle (depending on the amount of soup you want to make)
1 large onion
several stalks celery (I only had 3, but it could have used more)
lots of carrots (I had 6 big carrots)
1 head garlic (small but potent inchellium red from this year's harvest)
splash of olive oil
1 mess of frozen greens from the garden (mix of swiss chard, mustard greens, and spinach, and yes, they were frozen! Also would be good with kale, but I didn't have any to hand.)
1 box of frozen chopped spinach (because it was too $#!#!!! cold outside to harvest as much as I wanted)
3-4 fresh bay leaves (or dried if you don't have a bay tree growing on your porch)
whatever herbs you want to snip from your frozen garden and add to the soup (I snipped a little thyme, a little sage, and a little borage)
1 turkey kielbasa (or you can use regular kielbasa, or you can take this recipe vegetarian by adding a goodly bit of smoked paprika instead of the sausage)
salt, pepper, nutmeg, Chipotle Grail (or cayenne pepper if you don't have any of Uncle Andrew's Chipotle Grail)
2 1/2 to 3 cups split peas (depending on the size of your pot and how thick you like your soup)
boiling water
Method:
Coarsely dice celery, onion, and carrots; smash, peel, and mince all the cloves of garlic from the head of garlic. Put a splash of olive oil into the bottom of your soup pot and heat. Sautee onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. While they're softening, go out and pick your greens and herbs (because it can't really be that cold, can it?) Come running back inside (yes it's that damn cold!) Wash and chop your garden greens; add to mix and stir. Chop up your kielbasa into cubes and add to mix and stir. Add bay leaves, washed and chopped herbs, and at least 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper and a good shaking of Chipotle Grail to mix to mix and stir. Add split peas and stir to coat; then add boiling water. Toss in the frozen spinach; add a few grinds of fresh nutmeg. Bring to a simmer and cook until the split peas are softened and the soup is thickened. It'll take at least an hour and a half, and this isn't a soup you can overcook (as long as you don't let it scorch; make sure to stir occasionally.) Add salt and adjust seasonings if necessary before serving. Fish out the bay leaves before serving.
Serves many; makes fabluous leftovers.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons yeast
3 cups flour (your choice; I used a mix of wheat flour and a little rice flour)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 dollop of crystallized honey from the last smidgen in the big jar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
egg wash for glazing
Method:
If you've got a bread machine (and yes, I do, big surprise there), add the yeast, flour, sugar, salt, oil, and egg to the pan. Microwave that last bit of honey in the jar so it's liquid, and then add the milk and water to the jar. Screw on the lid and shake until all the honey is dissolved in the milk/water and the mixture is frothy. (If you don't have a leftover honey jar, just skip this part and add the milk and water and dollop of honey directly to the pan; I just wanted the last of that honey out of my cupboard, and I always add a little honey to my homemade breads to retard spoilage). Set the bread machine on the dough setting and let it process.
(if you don't have a bread machine, combine all the ingredients per above in a glass bowl, knead, and let rise for an hour or so in a warm place.)
After dough has risen, remove from pan and place on a lightly floured board. Knead and shape dough just enough to form into a long log. Divide log into 12 equal-sized balls (okay, mine are never quite equal, but it still works). Place on greased cookie sheet. Put cookie sheet in warm, still place and let rolls rise at least an hour, until doubled (or more) in size. (Me, I slightly preheat my oven just before turning out the dough, turn off the oven, and when the rolls are shaped, let them rise in the warm, still oven. Keeps them out of the way in a controlled environment.)
When rolls are risen, bring them out of the warm still place and preheat your oven to 375. Brush the roll tops lightly with egg wash. You could sprinkle them with seeds or onion bits or herbs or whatever if you want to, too. Put rolls into preheated oven and bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and firm. Remove from oven, remove rolls from cookie sheet and onto a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve with soup, or as sandwich rolls, or maybe make into French Toast...mmm, might try that for lunch!
Makes a light roll with even crumb and excellent texture for soaking up soup.
I do love to cook - and to have time to cook!
Ingredients:
1 medium-to-large soup kettle (depending on the amount of soup you want to make)
1 large onion
several stalks celery (I only had 3, but it could have used more)
lots of carrots (I had 6 big carrots)
1 head garlic (small but potent inchellium red from this year's harvest)
splash of olive oil
1 mess of frozen greens from the garden (mix of swiss chard, mustard greens, and spinach, and yes, they were frozen! Also would be good with kale, but I didn't have any to hand.)
1 box of frozen chopped spinach (because it was too $#!#!!! cold outside to harvest as much as I wanted)
3-4 fresh bay leaves (or dried if you don't have a bay tree growing on your porch)
whatever herbs you want to snip from your frozen garden and add to the soup (I snipped a little thyme, a little sage, and a little borage)
1 turkey kielbasa (or you can use regular kielbasa, or you can take this recipe vegetarian by adding a goodly bit of smoked paprika instead of the sausage)
salt, pepper, nutmeg, Chipotle Grail (or cayenne pepper if you don't have any of Uncle Andrew's Chipotle Grail)
2 1/2 to 3 cups split peas (depending on the size of your pot and how thick you like your soup)
boiling water
Method:
Coarsely dice celery, onion, and carrots; smash, peel, and mince all the cloves of garlic from the head of garlic. Put a splash of olive oil into the bottom of your soup pot and heat. Sautee onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. While they're softening, go out and pick your greens and herbs (because it can't really be that cold, can it?) Come running back inside (yes it's that damn cold!) Wash and chop your garden greens; add to mix and stir. Chop up your kielbasa into cubes and add to mix and stir. Add bay leaves, washed and chopped herbs, and at least 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper and a good shaking of Chipotle Grail to mix to mix and stir. Add split peas and stir to coat; then add boiling water. Toss in the frozen spinach; add a few grinds of fresh nutmeg. Bring to a simmer and cook until the split peas are softened and the soup is thickened. It'll take at least an hour and a half, and this isn't a soup you can overcook (as long as you don't let it scorch; make sure to stir occasionally.) Add salt and adjust seasonings if necessary before serving. Fish out the bay leaves before serving.
Serves many; makes fabluous leftovers.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons yeast
3 cups flour (your choice; I used a mix of wheat flour and a little rice flour)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 dollop of crystallized honey from the last smidgen in the big jar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
egg wash for glazing
Method:
If you've got a bread machine (and yes, I do, big surprise there), add the yeast, flour, sugar, salt, oil, and egg to the pan. Microwave that last bit of honey in the jar so it's liquid, and then add the milk and water to the jar. Screw on the lid and shake until all the honey is dissolved in the milk/water and the mixture is frothy. (If you don't have a leftover honey jar, just skip this part and add the milk and water and dollop of honey directly to the pan; I just wanted the last of that honey out of my cupboard, and I always add a little honey to my homemade breads to retard spoilage). Set the bread machine on the dough setting and let it process.
(if you don't have a bread machine, combine all the ingredients per above in a glass bowl, knead, and let rise for an hour or so in a warm place.)
After dough has risen, remove from pan and place on a lightly floured board. Knead and shape dough just enough to form into a long log. Divide log into 12 equal-sized balls (okay, mine are never quite equal, but it still works). Place on greased cookie sheet. Put cookie sheet in warm, still place and let rolls rise at least an hour, until doubled (or more) in size. (Me, I slightly preheat my oven just before turning out the dough, turn off the oven, and when the rolls are shaped, let them rise in the warm, still oven. Keeps them out of the way in a controlled environment.)
When rolls are risen, bring them out of the warm still place and preheat your oven to 375. Brush the roll tops lightly with egg wash. You could sprinkle them with seeds or onion bits or herbs or whatever if you want to, too. Put rolls into preheated oven and bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and firm. Remove from oven, remove rolls from cookie sheet and onto a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve with soup, or as sandwich rolls, or maybe make into French Toast...mmm, might try that for lunch!
Makes a light roll with even crumb and excellent texture for soaking up soup.
I do love to cook - and to have time to cook!
