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jaunthieI've been asked this on occasion, particularly in regards to the massive amount of garlic I harvested earlier this year. Sometimes I even ask myself this question, like last night when I realized that I had WAY too many greens to use in a single pot of soup. (I used about half of what I harvested yesterday; the rest are washed and waiting for me in the refrigerator.)
So what do I do with all these veggies/herbs/spices that I harvest? Eat them, of course!
This isn't a classic chowder by any means. For one thing, it doesn't have a drop of cream in it. But it is extremely tasty, very healthy, and uses a lot of what I've harvested from the garden this season. Items from my garden are marked with a *, for those who want to know.
your trustiest large soup pot
splash of olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of said pot)
6 leeks*, washed and chopped
2 stalks of celery, washed and diced
2 carrots, washed and diced
3 portabello mushrooms, washed, de-gilled, and coarsely diced
8 large Yukon Gold potatoes*, washed and chopped
1 pound (or thereabouts) of Luciano kale*, washed and sliced into inch-long ribbons
1 package turkey kielbasa, diced (if you want this to be a vegetarian soup, skip the kielbasa but add at least a teaspoon of smoked paprika, some sage, and some dill)
splash of lime juice
1 stem of basil*, washed, with leaves intact on stem (you'll be fishing this out later)
1 bay leaf*, washed (ditto)
boiling water
6 heads of garlic* (Yes, heads. Not cloves, entire heads), peeled
1 package of frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1/2 cup (more or less) Greek yogurt
1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in soup pot. Add leeks, celery, carrots, and mushrooms, and sautee until tender and starting to carmelize. Add potatoes, kale, kielbasa, lime juice, and basil, and then add boiling water to cover. Put lid on pot and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all the veggies are tender and potato bits pierce easily but aren't dissolving into fragments (much).
While the soup is simmering, place the defrosted corn kernels and the peeled garlic in a food processor with the yogurt and about half of the broth. Process until smooth and thick. (This mix is replacing the cream as a thickening and sweetening agent in the soup. It works really well.) Pour mix into the gently simmering soup. Use the rest of the broth to rinse off the clinging bits into the pot (you want to get all of it in there.) Bring soup back up to a bare simmer, taste, and add salt and pepper to your preferred levels. Fish out the basil and bay leaf, turn off heat, and serve. Makes a LOT.
The soup is definitely garlicky, but not as much as you might think. The whole effect is rather like eating a really yummy stuffed baked potato that has magically transformed into soup, only nowhere near as caloric. And you're eating lots of veggies. What's not to love?
So what do I do with all these veggies/herbs/spices that I harvest? Eat them, of course!
This isn't a classic chowder by any means. For one thing, it doesn't have a drop of cream in it. But it is extremely tasty, very healthy, and uses a lot of what I've harvested from the garden this season. Items from my garden are marked with a *, for those who want to know.
your trustiest large soup pot
splash of olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of said pot)
6 leeks*, washed and chopped
2 stalks of celery, washed and diced
2 carrots, washed and diced
3 portabello mushrooms, washed, de-gilled, and coarsely diced
8 large Yukon Gold potatoes*, washed and chopped
1 pound (or thereabouts) of Luciano kale*, washed and sliced into inch-long ribbons
1 package turkey kielbasa, diced (if you want this to be a vegetarian soup, skip the kielbasa but add at least a teaspoon of smoked paprika, some sage, and some dill)
splash of lime juice
1 stem of basil*, washed, with leaves intact on stem (you'll be fishing this out later)
1 bay leaf*, washed (ditto)
boiling water
6 heads of garlic* (Yes, heads. Not cloves, entire heads), peeled
1 package of frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1/2 cup (more or less) Greek yogurt
1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in soup pot. Add leeks, celery, carrots, and mushrooms, and sautee until tender and starting to carmelize. Add potatoes, kale, kielbasa, lime juice, and basil, and then add boiling water to cover. Put lid on pot and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all the veggies are tender and potato bits pierce easily but aren't dissolving into fragments (much).
While the soup is simmering, place the defrosted corn kernels and the peeled garlic in a food processor with the yogurt and about half of the broth. Process until smooth and thick. (This mix is replacing the cream as a thickening and sweetening agent in the soup. It works really well.) Pour mix into the gently simmering soup. Use the rest of the broth to rinse off the clinging bits into the pot (you want to get all of it in there.) Bring soup back up to a bare simmer, taste, and add salt and pepper to your preferred levels. Fish out the basil and bay leaf, turn off heat, and serve. Makes a LOT.
The soup is definitely garlicky, but not as much as you might think. The whole effect is rather like eating a really yummy stuffed baked potato that has magically transformed into soup, only nowhere near as caloric. And you're eating lots of veggies. What's not to love?
no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 11:19 pm (UTC)-amelia
(had to be anonymous, because it wouldn't let me leave one otherwise??)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 04:39 pm (UTC)Your blog is great - and it's wonderful to hear from you!