Vegetable Lentil Soup

Here's a delicious vegetarian recipe that will use up all the extra veggies in your crisper drawer.

Essential ingredients:

1/2 large yellow onion
3-5 carrots (about 1.5 cups chopped)
4 celery stalks (about 1.5 cups chopped)
4-6 cloves garlic
1 TBSP thyme leaves
1 tsp oregano
2 bay leaves
2 16 oz cans tomatoes plus juice
1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed
1.5-2 liters stock (I used mushroom but chicken or beef would work as well as a non-vegetarian option)
Olive oil

Optional ingredients - use whatever you have on hand and would like in the soup. This is what I had:

1 red bell pepper
3/4 c. flat-leafed parsley
1/4 c. freshly shelled peas
6 i'itoi (green) onions, white and green parts
2 cups chopped greens - I used mizuna but kale or chard would work nicely too

Chop the veggies ahead of time and keep in separate piles.

Put about 2 TBSP olive oil into a large soup pot. Heat until the oil starts to shimmer, then add the onion, carrot and celery to the oil. Cook on medium heat until the carrots start to soften; about 7 minutes. Stir often. The vegetables should sweat, not brown.

Add the garlic, thyme, oregano and optional veggies (minus greens) to the pot. Cook, stirring often, for about three minutes, until you can smell the garlic cooking.

Add the stock and lentils to the pot. Chop the tomatoes and add them and the juice from both cans*. Stir it all together and add the bay leaves. Poke them down into the liquid.

Cover and bring the soup to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, then check the lentils for tenderness. Cook longer if needed. Once the lentils are tender, season the soup to taste with salt** and cracked pepper. Fish out the bay leaves and discard them. Add the greens to the pot. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes.

*This is very much a tomato-based soup. If you don't want such strong tomato flavor, reduce to one can and add two more cups stock to the recipe.
**Add salt at the very end. If it is added earlier in cooking, the lentils will be tough.

Serve with a salad and hot bread with butter. YUM.

What else would work well in this soup? Turnips, added with the greens. Kohlrabi, added with the 2nd batch of veggies. Spinach, added about five minutes before serving. 1/4 c. wheat berries, added with the lentils.

It's a versatile recipe! Enjoy!

Dukkah-Seasoned Wheat Berry Patties

This is what happens when you have a little bit of lots of things to use up, so as always, adjust the recipe to suit your tastes and/or what you have on hand! We made these into pitas (think: Falafel), but can easily be served up like burgers or eaten on their own, perhaps with a nice roasted red pepper sauce or plain yogurt to top them off.

1 heaping cup cooked wheat berries or 2 cups cooked bulghur
3-4 sunchoke tubers (about ½ cup chopped)*
¼ cup chopped parsley leaves
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbs. minced onion
¼ cup hummus
1 Tbs Dukkah (optional; substitute sesame seeds, cumin, coriander or other seasonings as desired)
Salt and pepper
1 egg (or 1 Tbs ground flax seed soaked in 1/4 cup water)
2 Tbs. flour
4-6 pita breads
Desired garnish (finely grated cabbage, carrots, watercress, radishes, cucumbers, pickles, onions, yogurt, hummus, sprouts, etc. etc. etc….)

Grind cooked wheat berries in food processor until mealy (there will be some kernels that remain almost whole, but most of them will be ground up fairly well, not mushy though). Saute chopped sunchokes or steam or bake them whole until very soft and throw them into a food processor with the parsley, garlic, onion, hummus and blend it all together until finely chopped. Combine with remaining ingredients, including wheat berries, to form a thick mixture that holds together into patties. If needed, add a little water or flour to adjust your consistency.

Form mixture into 3-inch wide patties no more than ½ inch thick. Fry in ¼-inch of oil until browned on both sides (about 5 minutes per side). Drain on paper towel and keep warm in low oven if desired. Serve in pita breads with desired garnish.

*Note: you could substitute cooked potato, sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, or other root vegetable for the sunchokes if desired.

Roast Chicken with Roasted Roots

This chicken was so amazingly delicious and simple to prepare I might have a hard time cooking it any other way from now on. And, doesn't it look beautiful?! It was completely satisfying to have a meal like this with pastured, local chicken and organic CSA veggies and sharing it with good friends and conversation.

To Prepare:

Thaw the chicken and remove the neck and give the chicken a good rinse and pat dry. Make a paste of rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and olive oil. Rub it under the skin, in the chest cavity and all over the bird. We put the chicken on a cooling rack over a cast iron pan in a 385 degree oven which allows the drippings to collect in the pan. While the chicken starts to cook, chop up some potatoes, beets and turnip (any root veggie would be great) and toss with some olive oil, salt and pepper and rosemary and thyme. Once the chicken has cooked for a a bit, add the roots to the cast iron pan and allow to cook stirring every so often. Once the chicken has about a half hour left to cook, we transferred the bird off the cooling rack and placed it atop the veggies. I think cooking time averages about 20 minutes per pound so it will vary depending on the size of the bird. Once it is done (juices will run clear), take it out of the oven and let it rest before cutting. We served it with a delightful CSA veggie salad and it fed 4 hungry women who enjoyed every bite!

Berries of Wheat

In light of all the wonderful wheat berries we've gotten lately, I feel compelled to share some of the recipes and ideas I've come across to use these little gems. Keep in mind that there is a difference between "soft" and "hard" wheat berries (think white rice vs. brown rice...), and I believe we are getting the "hard" kind. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if you cooked the hard ones much longer you could get a nice soft-chewy kernel instead.

I have found that it is not necessary to soak the wheat berries before cooking them as some sources suggest. I simply bring them to a boil and let them cook over medium-low heat (a high simmer if there is such a thing) for an hour or so until they're cooked. Soaking would probably help them cook a bit faster, though. I am intrigued to try cooking them overnight in my slow-cooker to see how well that works, but definitely you can cut your cooking time in half or less by using a pressure cooker! I am also curious if decent results could be achieved from pulsing cooked wheat berries briefly in the blender or food processor to get a different texture (and one that could be used in baking, for instance)--I will be trying it soon and let you know! You can also grind the berries before cooking, but be sure to use a glass jar and a blender or grinder with a strong motor.


Wheat berries are...

...discussed here, including different cooking methods in Wheat Berries 101.
http://culinarybazaar.blogspot.com/2009/01/wheat-berries-101.html

...used in authentic Ukrainian grain pudding called Kutya or Kushya...it's very yummy!
http://www.recipezaar.com/Ukrainian-CHRISTMAS-KUTYA-77525

...combined with yogurt and spices for a refreshing COLD Middle-Eastern soup (may have to save this one for summer).
http://almostturkish.blogspot.com/2007/08/cold-wheat-berry-soup-souk-buday-orbas.html

...made into a sweet, vegan, Indian pudding with cardamom and cashews!
http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2008/08/wheat-berry-payasam-vegan-indian.html

(or in this traditional Indian dessert: http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2008/06/godumai-halwa-wheat-halwa-traditional.html)

...baked into a crustless quiche (in which chard or other greens can substitute for the spinach)!
http://www.bakingobsession.com/2009/01/11/three-cheese-and-wheat-berry-spinach-pie/

...puffed (or popped?) in a hot skillet to be combined with other granola ingredients...!
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=24848.0

...served with lentils in a hearty salad.
http://onceuponafeast.blogspot.com/2005/08/wheat-berry-lentil-salad.html

...combined with dill (if you have any left!) in this wintery salad with cranberries and pecans.
http://www.cookworm.com/2007/06/22/wheat-berries/

...tossed with apple and ham in another filling meal-sized-salad.
http://www.cookworm.com/2007/06/22/wheat-berries/

...combined with mashed beans, herbs, spices and an egg (or soaked flax seed) to make yummy chewy veggie burger patties...recipe coming soon!


Happy Cooking!

Ruby Root Slaw

A delicious and quick and simple side dish to prepare with all these wonderful root (and not) vegetables we've been getting lately! And the color is absolutely amazing! For a super easy way to section oranges and grapefruits, check this out--practically as easy as peeling the fruit!

http://veganyumyum.com/2007/01/making-pretty-orange-segments/


1 ruby-red grapefruit or 1 large orange
1 small/medium raw beet
1 large or 3-4 small kohlrabi bulbs
3-4 small salad turnips
2-3 carrots
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare grapefruit or orange sections--another easy way is to halve the fruit and scoop out the sections with a grapefruit spoon, but they definitely aren't as pretty or as large as doing it the "proper" way! Peel remaining vegetables as desired (of course I peeled the beet and removed the skin and woody layer from the kohlrabi, but the turnips and carrots kept their skins).

Grate the vegetables into a bowl, toss with grapefruit (and any juice that remains in the membranes--just give it a good squeeze over the bowl), olive oil, salt and pepper and enjoy!

I have to say, this is the first time I have eaten raw beets and actually enjoyed them! I think the secret was to not have them front and center, as the bulk of this salad comes from the other vegetables and the beets are added mostly for color (and really only made it into the salad because I still had one lingering in my fridge!). You could also make this without the grapefruit or orange if desired, and substitute a tablespoon or two of red wine or balsamic vinegar.

Bubble & Squeak, Colcannon, Rumbledethumps, Stamppot...Call it what you like, we call it comfort food!

I have been making some variation of these traditional European dishes for quite some time now, but never really knew how similar they were to one another. The dish can be SOOOOO easy to prepare; quick, simple, warm and comforting. It can be a meal in itself, or it can be served with any number of meat side dishes; corned beef, sausage or ham is common, and frequently is mixed right into the hash, but a fried or poached egg is delicious as well.

Traditionally, these hashed potato and cabbage (or kale) dishes were a way to use up vegetables leftover from a Sunday roast dinner. Most frequently, the potato and cabbage are the only vegetables, but you can use carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, or any other veggie that suits your taste. Adding some chopped dark greens helps liven up the color contrast a bit as well. If it suits your taste, you can also mix in diced or shredded cheese (strong Irish cheddar.

In addition, you can prepare the dish in any number of ways, from a simple hashed/mashed version, to fried patties of hash. We have also prepared a version of this dish as more of a soup/stew to which I add egg noodles when I add the cabbage. The proportions listed below are flexible and forgiving. I usually use about a 1:1 ration of potatoes to cabbage, but it very easily accommodates more cabbage or more potatoes depending on your preference. One item to note, if you opt for doubling the cabbage, you might need to add an egg to hold it together for frying into patties.

1 lb potatoes, cubed (we usually leave the skins on, but this is up to you)
1 lb cabbage, chopped roughly
2-3 cups water or broth*
2 scallions (or I'Itoi onions), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs butter or olive oil (optional)

Place water or broth in large pot with potatoes and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook 10-15 minutes or until almost cooked through (this will depend on how big your chunks are). Add cabbage and return to a boil. Cook until cabbage is tender, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat, add onions, salt and pepper, butter or oil (if using) and mash coarsely with a potato masher. At this point, you can serve the dish as-is (or dressed up to your liking), or you can opt to fry the mix into patties. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat with a few tablespoons of oil. Scoop mixture about 1/2 cup at a time into skillet; flatten to 1-inch thick patties with a spatula. Cook about 3-5 minutes on each side until browned and slightly crispy, adding more oil as needed. They are tricky to flip because there's not much holding them together, which is why I prefer to skip this step; you could possibly try coating the patties in breadcrumbs first, but I personally haven't tried this to know how it would work. Serve the patties or hash topped with sour cream or yogurt if desired.

*You can use more water, as if for boiling the potatoes and cabbage completely submersed, but you will have to drain it off and add the cooking liquid (or milk) back in if you are mashing the mixture. Also, if you opt to include egg noodles as mentioned in the headnotes you may need more water, or you can cook them separately and add them to the vegetables when they're finished cooking. When adding noodles, there is no need to mash the vegetables, just toss it all together with plenty of butter, salt and pepper!

This Week's Harvest

Wow, I was hit with a wallop of an illness for the past two weeks and I haven't done that much cooking or blogging. For awhile there, I was munching on saltines and broth, but I have my appetite back. My CSA cooking hasn't been particularly interesting besides making wonderful salads with all the great greens we have been getting. However, I have a new favorite ingredient for my scrambled eggs in the morn': beet greens! Yep, I chop those babies up, saute them in a little butter, add some beaten eggs and top with a little cheese, salt and pep and gobble it down! If I have Iitoi onions on hand, I will throw those in too. The greens are uber-nutritious and a really, nice mild green. I always chop the greens off the beets when I take them home to keep them getting wilted. Okay, so on to this week's harvest:

Red Potatoes
Citrus
Cabbage
Braising Greens or Swiss Chard
Iitoi Onions
Broccoli
Haruki Turnips
Dandelion Greens