Recipe: Spring Garden Soup

The Berkshires boasts many things, but nothing beats the incredibly strong feeling of community. Whatever you’re into, there’s a group of people waiting to welcome you—and whether it’s music and performing arts, or yoga and mediation, each community contributes to that harmonious local buzz we all love. It’s probably no surprise that we find ourselves most involved in the food community. And at every turn we smack into like-minded souls—in organizations like Berkshire Farm & Table, at restaurants like Prairie Whale, and with farms like Indian Line and its enthusiastic and knowledgeable Market crews.

This weekend, at the bustling Great Barrington Farmers Market, we stopped by the ILF stand to see what was ready for the cooking. Manning the stand was none other than Alana Chernila, local author and our partner in bi-weekly RI recipe-writing crime, who insisted that we bring home a bunch of bright green (a.k.a. spring) garlic. “Here!” she said, “Make a soup! I wanted to write about it but by the time it’s my week again, it’ll be too late!” We love that kind of rushed, eat it while you can and then wait another year, kind of seasonal local eating. So, of course, we said “Why not?”

We had a bunch of asparagus and stinging nettle waiting at home, along with some sorrel that sorely needed harvesting. So, with the addition of our spring garlic bundle, this simple, pureed soup pretty much came together on its own. It’s cooling, light, quick and very, very green – perfect for a light lunch, a casual dinner party kick-off, or a community potluck.

Spring Garden Soup

Serves 8 as a first course

+ olive oil

+ 2 lbs asparagus, tips removed and stalks chopped into 1” pieces

+ 1/4 lb green garlic, cut into 1/4” rounds, green and white parts separated (if you can’t get any, use an onion instead)

+ 8 cups rich, homemade chicken stock

+ 1/4 lb fresh sorrel leaves, sliced into slivers

+ 1/4 lb stinging nettle leaves (if you can’t get any, make up for it with more asparagus or sorrel)

+ 1/2 cup minced chives

+ 1 cup heavy cream

1. Saute the white part of the green garlic with some oil in a pot.

2. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer the asparagus in it for 10 minutes, or until tender.

3. Meanwhile, roast the asparagus tips and the green part of the green garlic in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

4. Once the asparagus is tender, put the sorrel and stinging nettles into the stock.

5. Simmer for another 5 minutes, then add the cream and bring the soup to just short of a boil.

6. In a blender, or with an immersion blender, puree and let soup cool.

7. Serve in small bowls with a few chives, roasted asparagus tips, green garlic and a spoonful of goat’s milk yogurt scattered over the top.

Note: This recipe originally appeared on RuralIntelligence.com on May 27, 2014. It's been back-dated here on our blog so that it falls, seasonally, in the right place.

Recipe: Cauliflower Soup

We just love Brassica oleracea, there is no way around it. For some reason though, this fall we have been really, really into cauliflower. The intensity of our new-ish obsession is fed by the vegetable's consistent presence on the counter at The Meat Market; each week a cornucopia of white, orange, lavender and romanesco cauliflowers come in from Indian Line Farm and The Berry Patch, begging us to take them home.

Unfortunately for our camera, when Jake decided to bring a few heads home from the shop, all that were left were the white ones. On a standard night we'd roast them alone or with a collection of fall veggies - there's nothing better than a nutty, crisp-on-the-edges bite of roasted cauliflower. But, this time we thought we should branch out a little. Looking around on Food52, one of our go-to food blogs, we came across this recipe a favorite cookbooks - Cooking By Hand by Paul Bertolli.

As Paul so often does, he took amazing ingredients in their purest form, graced them with an incredibly simple preparation and created a perfect seasonal dish. Eating this soup is like eating a cloud - it is mind-blowingly light and fluffy. The delicate sweetness of the cauliflower stands out, highlighted by the earthiness of an extra virgin olive oil drizzle. And while managing to be extremely light, it still satisfied our cold weather craving for hot and hearty food. We would definitely recommend this dish with equal enthusiasm for an easy weeknight meal and a formal dinner party - it will definitely make it's way into our cauliflower rotation.

Cauliflower Soup 

From Cooking By Hand by Paul Bertolli

+ 3 tablespoons olive oil
+ 1 medium onion, sliced thin
+ 1 head very fresh cauliflower (any color), broken into florets
+ 5 1/2 cups water
+ Salt, to taste
+ Good extra virgin olive oil, to taste
+ Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. On a medium heat warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Put in the onion letting it brown, about 15 minutes.
2. Add the cauliflower, salt, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower until tender, about 15 min. Then add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
3. Purée the soup with an immersion blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.
4. Thin the soup with 1/2 cup hot water. Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

Recipe: Avgolemono Soup

As we adjust to life in the country, we are faced with a handful of new culinary challenges. One - which deserves much more discussion than we'll give it today - is that it's ironically much harder to buy local produce here than it was in NYC. Another (as the NYTimes warned) is that along with the joys of backyard chickens comes the reality of a constant and consistent supply of eggs that need to be consumed! This, however, is a fun problem.

The other day Jake’s dad made his awesome roasted chicken and (for once) we had some leftovers. So we decided to make a stock, picking the meat off the bones and saving it for a soup. The question was... what kind of soup? Nothing too heavy or hearty, but something that would use up some of our eggs!

As you'll probably notice, our palates change with the seasons. During the winter we tend toward mountain foods from Tuscany, Piedmonte, and Auvergne, and as the weather warms we move further southeast to the Mediterranean and Middle-East. Nothing tastes like spring quite like Greek food, so with our chicken and eggs we decided to make avgolemono, a classic Greek lemon and egg chicken soup. This dish is so simple and so tasty - made with a just a few bright, yellow ingredients which meld perfectly. And in our chicken glut, it was like hitting two birds with one stone.

Avgolemono Soup

+ meat from one roasted chicken

+ 7 cups chicken stock

+ 1 cup of orzo, cooked

+ 5 eggs

+ juice of 4 lemons

+ salt and pepper to taste

+ 4 tbsp chopped parsley

1. Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot. When boiling, remove the pot from the heat.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, lemon juice, and pepper until emulsified.

3. While whisking the egg mixture, slowly add a ladle of the hot broth to it to temper. Whisk in another two ladles of the hot broth in the same way.

4. Using the same method of whisking gradually, whisk the egg mixture back into the pot of soup, stirring constantly. Add the chicken meat.

5. Return the soup to the medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes or just until the mixture thickens slightly. Be sure not to let the mixture bubble. Add the the orzo and stir well. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 6-8

Sunday Dinner: Creamy Mushroom & Parsnip Soup with Roast Chicken

This past Saturday, Silka went to the market to pick up some ingredients for the coming week. Without a real sense of direction, but knowing we would find a way to integrate pretty much anything into our meal plan, she grabbed a few staples including some gorgeous parsnips and a pound of bright, healthy mushrooms.

At home, while unpacking the market's bounty, Jake was inspired to make a parsnip and mushroom soup. We couldn't remember ever tasting that particular flavor combo, but it made sense to us! And it didn't take us long to find out that it also made sense to David Tanis, who had just written a recipe for Creamy Wild Mushroom and Parsnip Soup in the New York Times. It was almost exactly what we were looking for, but being the extreme fungus lovers that we are we decided to pump up the mushroomy-ness of the dish.

The rest of meal fell into place fairly easily. We had a couple of tasty-looking Belle Rouge chicken breasts from Violet Hill in the freezer, and we thought they'd go perfectly with the soup. And because we have recently become addicted to the micro radish greens at Two Guys, we served a handful on the side. So there we had it - a simple, tasty, and surprisingly light Sunday dinner. 

Creamy Mushroom & Parsnip Soup

Adapted from David Tanis' Creamy Wild Mushroom and Parsnip Soup

+ 4 tablespoons butter

+ 1 lb of white, crimini, or porcini mushrooms, cut into 1/8-inch slices

+ 2 med onions, sliced

+ 3 large parsnips, peeled and chopped

+ 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

+ 2 garlic cloves

+ 1 thyme sprig

+ 1 rosemary sprig

+ 1 bay leaf

+ Salt and pepper

+ 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

+ 3 tbsp chopped dried forest mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes then drained

+ 4 tbsp crème fraîche, plus more for garnish

+ 4 oz of bacon ends diced into small cubes and fried (optional garnish)

1. Melt the butter in a deep heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, parsnips, carrot, sliced mushrooms, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are fragrant and the onions are soft and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

2. Add the broth and the soaked dried mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to a gentle simmer.

3. Discard the bay leaf and thyme branch and add the crème fraîche. Purée the soup with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor to your desired texture.

4. Garnish with parsley, and a drizzle of crème fraîche. Add some bacon bits on top if you'd like.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Recipe: Rustic Borscht

February is the most difficult culinary month of the year. All winter festivities have long since passed but still spring feels so far away. It's the time of year when we're desperate for warmer weather flavors and some bright colors on our plates, and when a gnawing craving for ramps, asparagus, and fiddle-head ferns becomes an everyday occurrence.

The other night we tried to think of some meals that might trick us into thinking spring was more within our reach, or at least bridge the long gap between now and then. After much deliberation we ended on borscht - and we knew it would deliver on the color front. We've been plating so much brown, red, and yellow lately, but borscht promises a shock of magenta, complemented by a dollop of bright white creme fraiche and a sprig of fresh, green parsley.

Borscht is often thought of as a heavy and thick soup. But it doesn’t have to be - and that wasn't at all what we were looking for. Inspired by an incredibly simple- and light-sounding borscht recipe on Food52, we left the large vegetable chunks swimming in the bright broth. We also threw in some Sun Fed cubed beef chunks for a more grassy and irony umami. Na zdorov'ya!

Rustic Borscht 
Adapted from Naked Beet's Dr. Zhivago Borscht

Note: The meat in this dish is totally optional. This would be a perfectly flavorful vegetarian soup as well!

 

+ 1 lb cubed beef

+ 8 cups of chicken stock or water

+ 2 tablespoons of olive oil or lard

+ 1 large onion, finely chopped

+ 1 bay leaf

+ 3 medium sized beets, cubed 1”

+ 3 medium sized carrots, cubed 1”

+ 3 medium potato (like Yukon gold), cubed 1”

+ salt

+ 1 tablespoon creme fraiche or sour cream (per bowl)

+ 1 sprig of parsley or dill

1. Pat the cubed beef dry, and salt heavily.

2. Place a large heavy pot or dutch oven on high heat. With the lard or oil, brown the beef in batches. Set aside.

3. Lower heat to medium-high and cook the onions. When they begin to soften and become translucent, add the beef back along with the stock or water and bay leaf.

4. Bring to boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover for 45 minutes.

5. After 45 minutes add beets. Bring to a boil again, and turn down to a simmer.

6. After another 15 minutes, add the carrots and potatoes. Let cook for another half hour, or until a fork goes through the potatoes.

7. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of parsley or dill in each bowl.

Serves 4-6

Recipe: Easiest Turkey Soup

By the time Sunday rolled around this week, neither of us felt much like cooking - or eating for that matter. An enormous Thanksgiving faded into an amazingly pigged-out weekend at Old Field Farm in Cornwallville, NY (more to come about that later this week!) and by the end of the weekend we were exhausted, cooked out, and had pork fat coming out of our pores (again, more to come!). 

Luckily we didn't have to do much to make an deliciously light and easy meal with our Thanksgiving leftovers. We had made a rich stock from the holiday's gorgeous Violet Hill turkey and more than enough meat leftover so with a few just a few carrots, onions, and potatoes we put together a wonderful turkey soup in about 20 minutes. We flopped down on the couch, bowls in laps, and didn't budge for the rest of the night.

Easiest Turkey Soup

+ 6 cups turkey stock

+ 1 lb cooked turkey meat, cut up or shredded, or more depending on how much you have and how meaty you want the soup

+ 6 carrots, cut into ½” chunks

+ 2 onions, cut into ½” chunks
+ 2 tbs ground black pepper

+ ½ lbs of potatoes, cut into ½” chunks

1. Saute the onions in a large pot until they start to turn translucent. Add carrots, and saute for another 5 minutes. 

2. Add stock, pepper and potatoes, simmering until the potatoes are soft - about 10-15 minutes.

3. Add turkey meat and simmer for 5 minutes more. Serve!

Serves 4 and then some!

Recipe: Portuguese Kale Soup

We are obsessed with Iberian cuisine - largely because of the amazing way it pairs cured pork and potatoes. Whether it's dipping patatos bravas in the fat of fried chorizo, or eating a piece of Serrano ham with tortilla espanol, we can't get enough! One of our go-to soups is based on this perfect paring: Portuguese Kale soup. A yummy combination of chorizo, potatoes, kale and stock makes it a simple hearty soup that's as rich as a stew but made in a fraction of the time.

A major craving for this soup washed over us as soon as we saw the first post-frost kale at the market. It's unique sweetness is the perfect counterpart to spicy pork. We grabbed a few bunches from Windfall Farms along with some of Flying Pigs' impeccably seasoned chorizo (smoky, spicy, and lots of cumin) and potatoes from Berried Treasures. With a little time spent chopping, and an hour of simmering we had two bowls full of silky, rich soup with enough left over to last for a week of lunches. 

Portuguese Kale Soup

+ 2 garlic cloves, minced

+ 1 1/2 cups onions, chopped

+ 3/4 cup carrots, chopped

+ 1/4 cup olive oil

+ 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

+ 4 cups chicken broth

+ 3/4 pound chorizo cut into 1/4-inch pieces

+ 1/4 pound kale, cut into 1 1/2-inch strips

+ 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

1. In a heavy pot, brown the chorizo then put aside.

2. In the remaining fat at the bottom of the pot saute the garlic, onions, and carrots over moderately low heat. Stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened.

3. Add the russet potatoes, broth, and 4 cups water to the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

4. With the slotted spoon transfer the cooked potatoes to a blender with 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid. Purée the mixture until it is smooth. Stir the purée back into the pot, add the chorizo, kale, red potatoes and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Simmer the soup, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Recipe: Lamb and Freekeh Stew

Spoiler alert: we make a lot of stews throughout the fall and winter months. We'll usually make one on Monday night, eat it all week for lunch, and throw the extra in the freezer. And we'll do this over and over. This week Jake wanted to make something that tasted the way our recent Berkshire hikes smelled. Hey, inspiration comes from all places, right? 

As an earthy starting point, we got some cubed lamb pieces from Arcadian Pastures, and a variety of mushrooms from Mardura. Next, we were off to Cayuga Pure Organics, once again seeking their grain wisdom. Even before we finished describing what we had in mind, they handed us some Freekeh. Freekeh, they explained, are roasted green spelt berries and we love spelt so it was an easy sell. Another bonus: the grain comes from North African and Middle-Eastern cooking traditions, where lamb is often the focal point.

We already had some duck stock in the freezer from our last roast and we figured it would play into our stew perfectly. We picked up carrot and leek bunches from Migliorelli and headed over the Windfall Farms to do some research on greens. They suggested Senposai - or Japanese collards - which are very similar to American collards, only sweeter. Sounded great! And finally to serve along side, a boule from Hot Bread Kitchen, knowing we still had some Monterey Chevre in the fridge.

We headed home, took out the cast iron kettle and started to cook. Almost immediately the apartment was filled with the most amazing aroma - just like the woods after a rainy fall day!

Lamb Stew with Freekeh

+ 1 pound lamb cubed for stew (cut from the shoulder or leg)

+ 1 pound of Freekeh

+ 1 pound of mushrooms, sliced

+ 4 cups of stock

+ 4 carrots, cut up into ¼ in slices

+ 4 leeks, cut up into ¼ in slices

+ 1 bunch of heart greens, like collards, sliced into ribbons

+ 1 cup of flower

+ ½ cup salt

+ 3 tablespoons of oil

1. On a large plate mix salt and flour. Coat the the lamb pieces in the mixture.

2. In a heavy pot or dutch oven heat the oil on medium-high heat. When hot, brown the lamb in batches, a few minutes on each side.

3. Meanwhile prepare leeks and carrots. When all the lamb is browned put in a bowl and set aside. Add the carrots and onions to the pot. 

4. When the carrots and onions begin to soften and brown, add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms start to brown and emit a strong mushroomy aroma, add the stock and the lamb and bring to a simmer. Cover.

5. After a half hour, rinse the freekeh like you would rice and then add to pot. Bring back to a boil and then bring down to a steady simmer. Cover.

6. After another half hour add greens. Cover and simmer for half hour. Serve.

Serves 6

Recipe: Spicy Cucumber Gazpacho

Taking stock of our terrace harvest the other night we realized there was a glut of cucumbers and jalapenos. Silka turned to one of our favorite recipe selection techniques, which is to Google the ingredients on hand and see what comes up. This time we clicked on a recipe for spicy cucumber gazpacho. We were initially hesitant because, as a good friend once said, "gazpacho is just blended salad." But there was no cooking involved and we were feeling lazy, so we thought we'd go for it.

Are we glad we did! On top of it's brilliant color, the soup was unbelievably refreshing and had the perfect amount of spice. Plus it was super light, so we didn't feel too bad about polishing off a whole batch in one go. 

Spicy Cucumber Gazpacho
Adapted from The Luna Cafe

+ 2 English cucumbers, peeled and chopped (4 cups chopped) - we used Kirby, and it was still great!
+ 1 green bell pepper, chopped
+ 3 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
+ 2 jalapeno chiles, halved lengthwise and seeded
+ small handful Italian parsley
+ small handful spearmint or lemon verbena leaves
+ 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
+ ½ cup chicken stock, or water, plus a little extra just in case
+ ¼ cup olive oil
+ 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
+ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
+ several drops of Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce
+ 1 teaspoon salt

The original recipe offers directions for a garnish, but we like to forgo the decoration and start eating as soon as possible.

1. Put the cucumber, bell pepper, green onions, jalapeno chiles, parsley, spearmint or lemon verbena, and garlic into a blender and liquefy.
2. Add the stock, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, Tabasco, and salt. Pulse to combine.
3. Taste and adjust the balance of salt and lemon juice if needed.
4. Adjust the thickness of the soup by adding a little more chicken stock if needed.
5. Chill for at least two hours.
6. Just before serving, pour the soup into individual cups. Top each serving with a tiny sprig of spearmint or lemon verbena.

Makes 2 quarts; serves 6.