Dinner for Two on a Chilly Eve
My new attempts at making fresh produce the centerpiece of our meals are paying off - tonight Scott and I enjoyed a warm, seasonal meal chock full of delicious veggies.
First, we sliced, diced, chopped and minced a lot of onion, garlic, celery and potatoes and simmered them down to make a soup base. Meanwhile, I stirred a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in two cups of milk to make a sort-of instant buttermilk. After the base was simmered (20 min.) I added a head of chopped broccoli and the peeled and chopped stem from the broccoli and two tablespoons of minced fresh basil and simmered for 10 minutes. Then, I blended a bit of the buttermilk and the veggie soup in small batches (about four) in my blender until smooth and reheated, adding salt and pepper, marjoram and thyme to taste. Hence the fantastic Cream of Green Soup.
Then, I sauteed some chard and kale and four (!) heads of garlic with a tablespoon of olive oil until wilted. I added this to a platter of sliced tomato and red onion, some shaved Parmesan, and sliced salami, all of which I layered on pesto-slathered slabs of a toasted baguette, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Thus a towering Tuscan Sandwich!
Both creations are from the Low-Fat Moosewood Restaurant cookbook, practically The Bible in our house. They're meant to be vegetarian, so ignore the salami in the sandwich. (I needed to clean out the fridge, okay?)
I loved this meal because it's a departure from the usual pasta/Mexican/stir fry and it's loaded up with lots of vegetables that need to be eaten instead of collecting fuzzy mold in the crisper drawer. Lord knows I hate to spend $5 on organic chard only to have it turn into slimy sludge later. It's a cool take on the soup and sandwich combo, yet a far cry from the usual tomato soup and grilled cheese.
This is the cookbook I've used the most of all the ones I own. You're welcome. Check it out!
First, we sliced, diced, chopped and minced a lot of onion, garlic, celery and potatoes and simmered them down to make a soup base. Meanwhile, I stirred a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in two cups of milk to make a sort-of instant buttermilk. After the base was simmered (20 min.) I added a head of chopped broccoli and the peeled and chopped stem from the broccoli and two tablespoons of minced fresh basil and simmered for 10 minutes. Then, I blended a bit of the buttermilk and the veggie soup in small batches (about four) in my blender until smooth and reheated, adding salt and pepper, marjoram and thyme to taste. Hence the fantastic Cream of Green Soup.
Then, I sauteed some chard and kale and four (!) heads of garlic with a tablespoon of olive oil until wilted. I added this to a platter of sliced tomato and red onion, some shaved Parmesan, and sliced salami, all of which I layered on pesto-slathered slabs of a toasted baguette, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Thus a towering Tuscan Sandwich!
Both creations are from the Low-Fat Moosewood Restaurant cookbook, practically The Bible in our house. They're meant to be vegetarian, so ignore the salami in the sandwich. (I needed to clean out the fridge, okay?)
I loved this meal because it's a departure from the usual pasta/Mexican/stir fry and it's loaded up with lots of vegetables that need to be eaten instead of collecting fuzzy mold in the crisper drawer. Lord knows I hate to spend $5 on organic chard only to have it turn into slimy sludge later. It's a cool take on the soup and sandwich combo, yet a far cry from the usual tomato soup and grilled cheese.
This is the cookbook I've used the most of all the ones I own. You're welcome. Check it out!
Oh my, you can come to my house and cook for me any time! What a lovely dinner you had!
ReplyDeletephew... you also buy $$ organic stuff and let it rot!
ReplyDelete-Shaloot