POTATO LEEK SOUP

Tis the season for comfort food and with local potatoes and leeks available how can a person go wrong with this time honored combination?  Pair it with a nice crusty bread from your favorite local bakery (ours is Rabbit's Bakery in Lake City, MN) and your meal is complete. This recipe incorporates the entire leek plant.  Enjoy!

POTATO LEEK SOUP

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2003

Ingredients
• 1 large or 2 small locally grown leeks, about 1 pound
• 2 bay leaves
• 20 black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh organic thyme
• 2 tablespoons organic butter
• 2 strips bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 5 cups chicken stock (we substitute using a veg stock)
• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds locally grown organic russet potatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup creme fraiche or heavy organic cream
• 2 tablespoons snipped chives

1. Trim the green portions of the leek and, using 2 of the largest and longest leaves, make a bouquet garni by folding the 2 leaves around the bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. Tie into a package-shaped bundle with kitchen twine and set aside. (Alternately, tie 2 leek leaves, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme together in a piece of cheesecloth.)

2. Using a sharp knife, halve the white part of the leek lengthwise and rinse well under cold running water to rid the leek of any sand or dirt. Slice thinly crosswise and set aside.

3. In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the bacon. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is very soft and has rendered most of its fat. Add the chopped leeks and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the reserved bouquet garni, chicken stock, potatoes, salt and white pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart and the soup is very flavorful.

4. Remove the bouquet garni and, working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. (Alternately, if you own an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot.) Stir in the creme fraiche and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately, with some of the snipped chives sprinkled over the top of each bowl of soup.

GREEN SALSA VERDE

This recipe typically uses tomatillo's, but we needed a way to use our green zebras over the weekend and this is what we did.  When tomatillo's are in season (should be now or shortly) substitute the tomatillo's for the green zebra tomatoes. 

  

GREEN SALSA VERDE

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 POUND GREEN ZEBRA TOMATOES—ROUGHLY CHOPPED
• 4 SERRANO CHILIES, WITH SEEDS
• ¾ CUP FRESH CILANTRO LEAVES (1 BUNCH)
• 2 TABLESPOONS FRESH LIME JUICE
• 1 TSP SUGAR
• 1 TSP SALT

PLACE ALL INGREDIENTS IN A FOOD PROCESSOR OR BLENDER AND PUREE.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
AN ALL-PURPOSE SALSA VERDE, ESPECIALLY GOOD WITH TORTILLA CHIPS, MOST SEAFOOD, AND EGGS.

YIELD: ABOUT 2 CUPS     HEAT: 5

CHERRY TOMATOES

They are of the small variety - cherry's!  You have Lemon Drops, Sapho, Brownberry, Hartman's Gooseberry, and Cherry Roma!  Which ones are which???

Their uses are many---pop them in your mouth for a quick, refreshing snack.  Toss them in a salad or pick them green and pickle them, called a Tomolive™.  Use the Tomolive™ in place of an olive in your martini, if you are one of those that likes to imbibe! 

However you use them, enjoy them now when they are in their prime and filled with the flavor of the sun!

MORNING DEW

 

THE MANY FACES OF CHARD

CRISPY CHARD CHIPS
The recipe is from the blog “A Full Measure of Happiness.”
Recommended by my daughter and the three girls who love them.
Bella—9, Amaya—7, and Ellie—3.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch chard (or kale, or any hearty green)
•  1-2 T olive oil
•  salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

• Rinse the chard leaves and tear them into pieces–they can be as large or small as you want–I went pretty large.
• Drizzle two cookie sheets with the olive oil and divide the chard pieces between them. Using your hands, toss the leaves with the olive oil until they are evenly coated.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper (and other spices if you want–garlic salt, paprika, chili powder…go crazy!).
• Place on a middle rack in the oven and bake until dry and crispy, about 20 minutes.•Once they are cool, they shouldn’t stick to the bottom of the pan (thanks to the olive oil) but they may need to be gently loosened to remove them.
• You can store these in a Tupperware container or plastic baggies, but trust me, they’ll go pretty quickly.



Photo courtesy of Culinate



FRIED EGG SANDWICH WITH GARLICKY SWISS CHARD AND CHEDDAR

Recipe courtesy of Culinate

Introduction

If you prefer, kale may be substituted. Cheddar cheese is just a suggestion; feel free to substitute what you find at the market or happen to have in the refrigerator. It should be assertive; mild cheeses won’t stand up to the garlicky greens.

Ingredients
•1 large bunch Swiss chard, leaves trimmed from stems and rinsed; stems trimmed, rinsed, and chopped in ¼ inch long pieces
•4 T extra virgin olive oil
•3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
•Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes
•1 lemon, juiced
•1 small to medium red onion, sliced thinly
•½ tsp sugar
•4 large eggs
•2 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, sliced thin or grated
•4 crusty rolls (such as ciabatta or Kaiser), split and lightly toasted if desired

Steps
1.Bring large saucepan filled with water to boil. Season generously with salt and add chard leaves. Simmer until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and cool under running water. Squeeze dry, chop coarsely and set aside.

2.Combine 2 tablespoons of oil, the garlic, and crushed pepper flakes in large, nonstick or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until garlic just begins to color, about 2 minutes. Add greens and cook until glossy and covered in oil and garlic, about 2 minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice to taste; transfer to bowl and set aside.

3.Return pan to burner and reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to pan along with chard stems, onion, sugar, and large pinch salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have softened and are beginning to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Push onion and chard mixture to ring around outside of pan; add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to center of pan and crack eggs evenly around center of pan. Season eggs with salt and pepper and cover pan. Cook until eggs are just set but yolks are still runny, 2 to 4 minutes. Top with cheese, recover, and cook until cheese has just melted, about 2 minutes longer. Divide greens evenly amongst rolls, top each roll with an egg, and spread onion mixture over top. Serve immediately.

SWISS CHARD STALKS GRATINEED WITH PARMESAN CHEESE
By Caroline Lewis, from the Caroline Lewis collection, via Culinate

Introduction
The trimmed stalks will keep in the refrigerator for several days.

Ingredients
•2 bunches chard, stalks only, leaves reserved for another use
•Unsalted butter
•Kosher salt
•2/3 cup Parmigianino Reggiano, freshly grated

Steps
1.Cut the chard stalks into pieces about 4 inches long, and wash them in cold water.
2.Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, drop in the stalks, and cook at a moderate boil until they are tender, about 10–15 minutes, depending upon the maturity of the stalks. Drain and set aside.
3.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4.Smear the bottom and sides of a baking dish with butter. Place a layer of chard stalks on the bottom, trimming to fit if necessary to make a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt and with grated cheese, and dot sparingly with butter. Repeat the procedure, building up layers of stalks, until you have used them all. Sprinkle the top layer generously with Parmesan and dot thickly with butter.
5.Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven until the cheese melts and forms a light, golden crust on top, about 15 to 18 minutes. Let settle a few minutes before serving.