creamy broccoli & leek soup

I made this soup in May when it actually seemed like soup weather, however the weather had transformed into summer the very next day. Soup has pretty much been the very last thing on my mind. And the glorious sunny, hot weather that the Pacific Northwest has been having just seemed to go on and on. But then yesterday the rains came back and this morning I woke up to another grey day. I don't want to face a new weather trend here, but I'm posting this soup recipe because it just seems like the perfect thing to hit the spot. The window reflects October but the calendar says July. Oh well, I need this bowl of warm comfort like nobody's business right now. The sun should come out by the weekend and I can most certainly can turn some of the fabulous local broccoli and leeks and potatoes that I bought on the weekend into this bright green and oh so tasty soup.

creamy broccoli & leek soup
1 leek, sliced thinly (white & light green parts only)
1 large head of broccoli, roughly chopped
2 potatoes, diced
1 t olive oil
4 c vegetable stock
1/4 c whipping cream (or milk)
1/4 c grated old white cheddar
salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and saute the leeks until soft and fragrant. Add in broccoli and potatoes and stir fry it a bit. Add in enough vegetable stock so that the vegetables are just covered. Cover and simmer over med-low heat for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Puree with immersion blender and add in cream/milk and cheese. Taste and add salt & pepper, if needed.

farm fresh dinner: new potatoes, braised greens and a beet salad

This weekend we got out into the country. On Saturday there was a hike to Lindeman Lake (don't listen to your guidebook, it's definitely not "easy") and afterward, there was time to check out a few local farm markets. I was hoping we could find a flat or two of local strawberries, but since we were nearing the end of the afternoon, everywhere seemed to be sold out. Our first stop was Wisbey Veggies in Chilliwack where I walked out with 2 very full bags full of local farm fresh produce for $20. Beets, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, snow peas, new potatoes, carrots, raspberries, zucchinis and mushrooms...all locally grown, all so delicious. A few minutes away, we discovered a goat cheese dairy selling all kinds of goat cheese products from ice cream to yogurt to gouda! I walked away with cheese curds (not goat) and some goat cheese feta. I was already imagining all the menu possiblities.

On Sunday, after a big breakfast and a little garage sale snooping, we decided to head out to visit our CSA farm in Langley for their open house weekend. It's a beautiful farm and we got a great tour from the very enthusiastic farmer, Stephen. We also got to pick out some seedlings to take home and harvest some of our own rhubarb and greens (kale, mustard, chard and arugula)! We even dug into the farm's cooler and into a tub containing mouldy leeks. Stripping off the gooey outter layers revealed a perfectly good leek, so we took a few of those home too. I think it's safe to say that when you harvest your own food, it tastes so much better and you get bragging rights which is always a good thing.

After looking through my haul on Sunday evening, I got to work. First I tackled the beets. I knew I wanted a beet and arugula salad topped with feta. Recalling a similar salad I made last summer, I decided to stick with a good thing but still make a few tweeks here and there. The beets were incredibly sweet and worked so well with the feta and the tangy dressing. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing. For the new potatoes, I took the simple road. Boiled, buttered and sprinkled with fresh herbs from my garden. The mint made this dish and made the potatoes sing. I couldn't leave well enough alone, and as i gathered the beet greens, I decided to make use of the kale and chard as well, braising them simply with the leeks and a lemon. It was a farm fresh dinner from start to finish.

buttered new potatoes with mint & parsley
8 new potatoes
1 T fresh mint, chopped
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 T unsalted butter
kosher salt & black pepper

Boil potatoes in water until tender. Drain. Coat with butter, fresh herbs and salt & pepper. Serve.

beet & arugula salad with goat cheese & pecans
8 baby beets, quartered or cut in half
arugula, torn
1/4 c goat cheese feta
2 T pecans, chopped
1 T sour cherry jam
1/4 c olive oil
1 t dijon mustard
2 T cider vinegar
salt & pepper

Boil the beets until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly so that removing the skin from the beets isn't too painful. Further chop the larger pieces of beets, if necessary. Set aside. Mix the dressing by combining the jam, olive oil, mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper until thick. Adjust seasonings to taste. Scatter arugula on plate, then the beets, feta and pecans. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

braised greens with leeks & lemon
2 lbs of assorted greens (chard, kale, beet greens is what I used)
1 T olive oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes
3 leeks, sliced thinly
zest & juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper

Rinse the greens very well to get rid of any dirt hidden within the leaves. Remove the tough ribs from the kale and discard. Chop the greens and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute the leeks and red chilies until fragrant. Add in the toughest leaves first (kale) and then the chard and then the beet greens. Reduce heat. What looks like a massive amount of greens will soon wilt into a very manageable amount. Add in the lemon juice and zest and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and stir about until all the leaves become wilted and tender, about 10 minutes. Serve.

hide under a blanket of this: colcannon with leeks

Today kind of sucks. It's grey outside and I feel sluggish. Spending the rest of the day under a heavy wool blanket pulled over my head is pretty tempting right now. Instead, I'll write about this dish I made a couple of weeks ago. Just looking at it is almost enough to pull me out of the doldrums....almost.

Colcannon also known as bubble n' squeak is pure comfort food...potatoes and cabbage and a nice amount of butter to make the lumps go down easy. I decided to play with the good ol' Irish standby of Colcannon and its close relative Champ (which is potatoes mixed with chives or green onions) which have the onion-y bite that I love. For the onion-y bits, I used leeks instead seeing that it's a good, solid winter vegetable and can be found cheap and plentiful this time of year in local markets. I also never peel potatoes because I love that extra texture (and nutrients!) from the skin. Plus, since I used red potatoes, the jackets make the dish extra pretty.

Now, this should be a side dish served alongside of some sausages or roast chicken. But not for me. I like a mound of this served in a bowl, no other supplements needed. Like I said before, this is comfort food and for me, eating this along while watching some trashy television (like ANTM, for instance) is like being huddled under a giant woolen blanket. It's good company for the blahs.

colcannon with leeks
4 red skinned potatoes, cut into quarters
1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced
1 leek, (white and pale green parts only), cut into slices
1 c whole milk
4 T butter
salt & pepper

In a medium pot, boil up the potatoes. Meanwhile, combine milk, cabbage, leeks, half the butter, salt and pepper into a large pot and bring to a simmer. Cook until the cabbage is soft, about 15 minutes. When the potatoes are fork tender, drain well and add to the cabbage mixture. Mash with a potato masher, adding in remaining butter and more salt & pepper if necessary. Dim the lights, turn on the television and hunker down with a ol' big bowl full.

stank you very much: spicy tofu with shiitake mushrooms

Sorry for all of this quiet on the blog front, but this past weekend my little brother got all married up in a small and beautiful ceremony. This was also the weekend that a crazy snow storm hit Southwestern Ontario. Luckily we flew in Thursday afternoon when the weather was still clear and while our Friday drive from Toronto to London, Ontario took 4 hours instead of the normal 2 hours, we arrived safe and sound. Our flight heading back to Vancouver was delayed for a little bit on Sunday night, but we made it back to balmy Vancouver temperatures no worse for wear.

A little jet-lag aside, I'm posting a recipe I made a couple of weeks ago. This year, I've decided to to try new things. My eggplant recipe from last month is one such example...I tried it and hey, I liked it! This meal is another kick in the pants for me: dried mushrooms. Normally, I'm not a fan but I came across this recipe on Epicurious and decided to take another look. I played with the ingredients to suit what I had on hand and lucky me, this meal was amazing served over brown rice.

Now if you think that conquering this fear was a breeze, I assure you it was not. Cutting up the rehydrated mushrooms was a painful process because no one told me that dried mushrooms have a very earthy nasty stank. It was so pungent that I almost didn't go through with it....but like any trooper, I forged ahead. When the meal was ready to eat, I made Cornelius (also a mushroom hater) try the first bite. He liked it...so I cautiously dug in too. Thankfully, this was amazingly yummy! It was spicy, vegan and delicious and it tasted like a great meal from my favorite Chinese restaurant. While the recipe list looks long, it's actually pretty quick to whip up once the mushrooms have soaked. Stank or no stank, I'm making this recipe again!

spicy tofu with shiitake mushrooms
20 dried shiitake mushrooms
3 c boiling water

1 c vegetable broth
2 T soy sauce
1 T white wine vinegar
2 t agave nectar (or honey)
1 T cornstarch
a few grinds of freshly ground pepper

2 T canola oil
1 package of extra-firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 leek (white and pale green parts only), cut into slices
2 T black bean sauce
2 T minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t chili-garlic sauce

1. Place mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 2 hours, drain and remove stems. Slice caps and set aside.

2. Prepare sauce by mixing the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and honey together. Whisk in the cornstarch until blended.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large skillet or wok and stir fry the tofu until golden brown. Remove from the pan. Heat the remaining oil in pan and stir fry the mushrooms for a couple of minutes until brown. Add in leeks, ginger, garlic and black bean sauce and stir to coat mushrooms. Add back in tofu and pour in sauce. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Serve over brown rice.