(no subject)
I keep meaning to share news of life here, but I keep getting distracted by, well, life. It is much easier to toss up a short post on FaceBook and run, I admit.
Since returning from the cruise, I have helped with household chores and projects, worked in the garden and cooked. Man, do I miss cooking. When I'm in school and attending school, there's not enough of me to manage cooking dinners too. Add to it that I've really been fighting with arthritic-type pain and, well, yeah, it only happens on rare occasions. But in the summer I get a different chance.
We also run tight on money in the summer so I'm trying to be really careful about using what we have in the garden and house as opposed to caving and ordering out or making a quick run to the store for something "fast".
Last night was a culinary success though. I had been reading a magazine lately in which I saw a recipe for zucchini soup. I'd never heard of such a thing before so when home last night I searched the internet and found lots of recipes but not one that seemed just right. So, I decided to trust myself. I've been cooking on my own for many a year now and I had just reviewed enough recipes that I understood enough about the basics that I should be able to come up with something on my own. (I did print a recipe to remind me of the basics, but I really didn't follow it all that well.)
Below is approximately the recipe. I say approximately, because I've reached that point in life where I do not carefully measure but toss-and-splash.
MamaDee's Zucchini Soup
Half of a Large zucchini, seeded, cut into smallish cubes
4 leeks cut up into smallish bits
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 largish cloves of garlic, cubed
Spices included basil, thyme, rosemary, white pepper, Mrs. Dash, curry and soy sauce (we'll talk more later)
Splashes of white whine (the only one I had on hand was a dry but sweet rhubarb wine, it worked)
4 tablespoons of butter
Generous splash or two (as needed) of olive oil
Four cups vegetable stock (chicken stock if you're not eating vegetarian)
water as needed
milk as needed (about 1/2-1 cup)
OK, so, I know that a lot of the amounts are approximate. Bear with me. Remember, I was "sploshing".
+ Melt the butter in a large frying pan (I used the wok). (I don't recommend doing this in the bottom of your soup pot, the way I was taught when younger, it really works better in a sauteeing type container and then transfer it to the soup pot.)
+ Saute garlic and leeks.
+ Add in spices and wine. OK, here's where the measurements are really vague. I shook in about a teaspoon of dries thyme. I then harvested two four inch sprigs of rosemary from the garden, along with about the equivalent of 12 leaves of purple basil. I added some pink sea salt and white pepper to taste and sat back to let things simmer in. When I didn't agree with the taste or aroma, I reached up and grabbed down the curry and added in about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon, as well as a generous shake of Mrs. Dash (approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons, probably closer to 1). When this seemed about right, I...
+ Add potatoes, zucchini, carrots and potatoes. If necessary, this is where you add in the olive oil to keep things from sticking. Saute together for about 5 minutes.
+ While things are cooking, bring the vegetable stock to boiling.
+ Take all of the yummy goodness from the saute pan and put it in the soup pot. (If you used a big wok pan like I did, save it now. Don't wash it yet! There may be an easier way, but the next step worked well for me.) Add water if necessary to just barely cover yummy goodness. Cook yummy goodness for about 15 minutes.
+ Now, taking yummy goodness out of soup pot in amounts equal to what your blender or food processor can handle, puree it. Put it back into your huge wok pan rather than back into your soup pot that you are still pulling yummy goodness from.
+ Once everything is pureed, splosh in about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and a healthy dose of milk (enough to make your soup creamy, not babyfood thick), stir, reheat some if necessary (most likely not) and serve.
We ate our soup with slices of cheese and yummy bread. A salad would have been a great addition, but by the time I was done with the soup, I was done in.
I have never, ever, shared a recipe before. I feel a bit like simplykimberly! I'm really proud of this soup. It was really, really good and Mr. Coyote and A1 really liked it! (S2 wasn't home and M3, even though she's 15, still eats like a picky little kid!) Hope you enjoy it. It is certainly a good way to use those wonderful zucchini we get during the summer.
Maybe another day I'll share my Caribbean-inspired tequila and guava marinated pepper tilapia and herbed polenta in a lime and mango salsa....
Since returning from the cruise, I have helped with household chores and projects, worked in the garden and cooked. Man, do I miss cooking. When I'm in school and attending school, there's not enough of me to manage cooking dinners too. Add to it that I've really been fighting with arthritic-type pain and, well, yeah, it only happens on rare occasions. But in the summer I get a different chance.
We also run tight on money in the summer so I'm trying to be really careful about using what we have in the garden and house as opposed to caving and ordering out or making a quick run to the store for something "fast".
Last night was a culinary success though. I had been reading a magazine lately in which I saw a recipe for zucchini soup. I'd never heard of such a thing before so when home last night I searched the internet and found lots of recipes but not one that seemed just right. So, I decided to trust myself. I've been cooking on my own for many a year now and I had just reviewed enough recipes that I understood enough about the basics that I should be able to come up with something on my own. (I did print a recipe to remind me of the basics, but I really didn't follow it all that well.)
Below is approximately the recipe. I say approximately, because I've reached that point in life where I do not carefully measure but toss-and-splash.
MamaDee's Zucchini Soup
Half of a Large zucchini, seeded, cut into smallish cubes
4 leeks cut up into smallish bits
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 largish cloves of garlic, cubed
Spices included basil, thyme, rosemary, white pepper, Mrs. Dash, curry and soy sauce (we'll talk more later)
Splashes of white whine (the only one I had on hand was a dry but sweet rhubarb wine, it worked)
4 tablespoons of butter
Generous splash or two (as needed) of olive oil
Four cups vegetable stock (chicken stock if you're not eating vegetarian)
water as needed
milk as needed (about 1/2-1 cup)
OK, so, I know that a lot of the amounts are approximate. Bear with me. Remember, I was "sploshing".
+ Melt the butter in a large frying pan (I used the wok). (I don't recommend doing this in the bottom of your soup pot, the way I was taught when younger, it really works better in a sauteeing type container and then transfer it to the soup pot.)
+ Saute garlic and leeks.
+ Add in spices and wine. OK, here's where the measurements are really vague. I shook in about a teaspoon of dries thyme. I then harvested two four inch sprigs of rosemary from the garden, along with about the equivalent of 12 leaves of purple basil. I added some pink sea salt and white pepper to taste and sat back to let things simmer in. When I didn't agree with the taste or aroma, I reached up and grabbed down the curry and added in about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon, as well as a generous shake of Mrs. Dash (approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons, probably closer to 1). When this seemed about right, I...
+ Add potatoes, zucchini, carrots and potatoes. If necessary, this is where you add in the olive oil to keep things from sticking. Saute together for about 5 minutes.
+ While things are cooking, bring the vegetable stock to boiling.
+ Take all of the yummy goodness from the saute pan and put it in the soup pot. (If you used a big wok pan like I did, save it now. Don't wash it yet! There may be an easier way, but the next step worked well for me.) Add water if necessary to just barely cover yummy goodness. Cook yummy goodness for about 15 minutes.
+ Now, taking yummy goodness out of soup pot in amounts equal to what your blender or food processor can handle, puree it. Put it back into your huge wok pan rather than back into your soup pot that you are still pulling yummy goodness from.
+ Once everything is pureed, splosh in about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and a healthy dose of milk (enough to make your soup creamy, not babyfood thick), stir, reheat some if necessary (most likely not) and serve.
We ate our soup with slices of cheese and yummy bread. A salad would have been a great addition, but by the time I was done with the soup, I was done in.
I have never, ever, shared a recipe before. I feel a bit like simplykimberly! I'm really proud of this soup. It was really, really good and Mr. Coyote and A1 really liked it! (S2 wasn't home and M3, even though she's 15, still eats like a picky little kid!) Hope you enjoy it. It is certainly a good way to use those wonderful zucchini we get during the summer.
Maybe another day I'll share my Caribbean-inspired tequila and guava marinated pepper tilapia and herbed polenta in a lime and mango salsa....