Peace Pasta

When we both work on the same day, neither one of us wants to cook anything elaborate. But we both want to eat! 

    

So he found boxed pasta. I know oh no blue box mac 'n cheese. Well, kinda. 

  

It's a nothing artificial added product that actually tastes quite good. We chopped up some vegetables, maybe brown some hamburger and diced onion too. And the pasta, as you can see, are these miniature peace signs. So very cute.

  

  Even comes in a tie dye box. With a bunny logo. 

Oven Roasted Potato & Leek Soup

A little twist on this soup is to first oven roast the leeks and potatoes. It gives the finished product a greater depth of flavor. Yet the process is simple, it is a bit more time consuming.

  

First you cut and clean the white part of the leek and place on parchment paper in a shallow baking pan. Cut and quarter potatoes and place on parchment paper in a separate baking pan. Drizzle both with olive oil and liberally salt and pepper them. Roast at 350 degrees. 

  

The leeks (I used three) cook faster. So watch for doneness, a little charred on the edges and pull out when finish. Let the potatoes continue to cook until fork tender. Leeks took about 20 minutes. Potatoes took 45 minutes. This is why they are in separate baking dishes. 

  

When everything is cooked, proceed to make the soup. Saute one half of an onion finely diced and one quarter cup of celery chopped in a knob of butter for a few minutes. Add two minced garlic cloves, a one teaspoon each of dry mustard, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Add roasted vegetables and box chicken stock to cover. Simmer.

  

When the soup is grooving, turn off the heat and let sit. Get out your blender or immersion blender. I used a regular blender. In batches, liquefy. Return to pot and add milk to get a looser consistency. I suppose you could use stock or water if you wanted. I want the calcium, so milk is the ticket.

  

Turn on the stove top to heat (do not boil or heat too fast) and adjust seasoning if necessary. Served here with roasted chicken and sliced bread.

Ahhh Gratin Scalloped Yummy Potatoes

Last Spring when these photos were taken I went through a series of perfecting my Au Gratin dish. I looked at recipes and read about the purist forms, read about rustic forms, even engaged in a debate of whether it is called Au Gratin or Scalloped Potatoes. People have issues with these topics! 

  

After making and eating this dish a dozen or so times over a four month period, I think I figured it out. Each time I would experiment using a different potato or a mix of them. Same with the cheese and the milk products. There is no one way to make this dish. However I found one way that received a four star review from the mister. 

First of all, the liquids. Milk, heavy cream, half & half, water and/or chicken stock. About two cups total of some mix of those liquids. I like to use mostly milk and heavy cream with a half a cup of chicken stock.

  

Second goes the cheese. 8 oz of Tillamook Medium cheddar grated, plus an assortment of this and that if you have it on hand. If not just combine your favorites or use more cheddar. You'll need between 3 to 4 cups grated.

Thirdly you will need potatoes. This is where I went round and round. I have always used waxy potatoes to make this dish, reds, roses, whites. I tried a combo. I tried them alone. I tried Yukon golds, which are a little fluffier. The dish comes out fine and it re-heats well for leftovers and it is very filling. 

But then I tried Russets. Pealed, sliced with the mandolin (not too thin), and boiled in salted water until fork tender. It doesn't take long because they are sliced. And yes I know it's a hassle to get a big pot of water to boil for something that is going cook in the oven for an hour, but this step gives the dish an incredible texture. So light like a souffle. Please try it.

Onward. Make the sauce first. In a small frying pan, melt 3 Tablespoons of butter with two cloves of minced garlic. When foamy, add 3 Tablespoons of all purpose flour. Fry a little bit. Don't let it get too brown. You have a roux.

Put the roux in a medium saucepan. Heat the two cups of liquid in the microwave for two minutes. Pour in saucepan that is now on medium heat and stir. Add grated cheese by the handful and continue to stir.

When thicken you will have a lovely cheese sauce. Taste for seasoning. It's probably salty enough because cheese is usually salted.

Cut and boil potatoes. Strain and put into baking dish. Pour cheese sauce into dish and give a little shake to make sure it is in all the layers. Do not stir.

Bake covered for 45 minutes and then uncover for the final 15 minutes. Allow to sit for about 10 to 20 minutes. Plate up. 

Shown here with crispy bacon and steamed asparagus.

What I Grew In Spring and Summer 2008

I thought to make an exhausted list of everything I planted thus far in my garden, starting with vegetables. I usually keep a notebook but not everything gets in it for some reason.

  

What I really wanted to do today was clear out a raised bed and replant for the fall. But every bed has at least one thing still being productive, so I have to re-think what I'm going to do. And in the mean time, take inventory.

  

From seed unless otherwise noted.

What succeeded.

Radishes: French Breakfast

Lettuces: Thai Green, Red Sails, Four Seasons

Purple Mustard (self sowed)

Shelling Peas

Arugula

Carrots: Baby, Regular

Cilantro 

Basil

Borage

Oregano

Artichokes (from plants)

Zucchini: Raven, French Round, Yellow Crocked Neck Miniature

Chard: Bright Light, Ruby Red

Lavender: 2 kinds (from plants)

Parsley: Flat Leaf, Curly Leaf (from plant) 

Eggplant: Japanese (from plants)

Tomatoes: 2 Juliets, one Ping Pong, six Romas (all from plants)

Bell Peppers: four Tri Color (all from plants)

Corn: Flour Variety Oaxacan Green and Hopi Blue

Beans: Kentucky, Dow Gauk

Tomatillos (self sowed)

What failed.

Red Onions: root maggot (from bulb)

Tomatoes: first round was too early and a hard frost got most of them (from plants)

Harvest Pantry Soup

This is my new site, well, actually it's an old site revamped, now titled Judy's Garden and Recipes. Since much of my creating in the kitchen is due to the inspiration of my garden, I thought to combine. So this will be a double post with my main blog, Judy's Notebook to get it going and hopefully I will have enough to say to keep it alive. 

My recipe tonight is Harvest Pantry Soup. In my garden I have zucchini, carrots, green beans, and tomatoes available for this soup. In the pantry I have canned beans, Orzo pasta, and chicken stock. 

This is an easy side dish to dinner or a quick main dish for lunch. I saute (all finely chopped) half an onion, two stalks of celery, and carrots in olive oil for a few minutes. Add to that dried oregano and basil, some cumin and ground coliander, and a bit of cayenne. And fresh garlic, minced. 

Cook for a bit. To that add a can of beans and 8 oz of chicken stock. Get to full burble and add a small amount of the pasta called Orzo. 

To this add chopped vegetables like green beans and zucchini, and simmer for awhile. 

When ready to serve, spoon into a bowl and add chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese. Stir. Top with tortilla chips. And enjoy a healthy yummy harvest soup!