Soupe du Jour

A note from Sylvie:

I find that I have strange combinations of leftover vegetables and fresh herbs in my fridge at times. I love the challenge of trying to use them, and even though it is a trial and error process, it can sometimes turn out to become a delicious and original new recipe. I decided to use Tahini sauce in this soup. I remembered my friend Moshit, from Janjou Patisserie, mentioned using it as a creamy thickener in one of her soup recipe. I was intrigued and decided to give it a try. I really loved the tanginess and texture it added. It also made this “leftover” soup taste unusual and somewhat exotic!


In my fridge:

1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Yellow Onion, minced

2 small Shallots, minced

2 Leeks (white parts), finely chopped

1 Red Pepper, cubed

1 Fennel Bulb, finely chopped

1 medium Yam, peeled and cubed

1 cup Watercress, chopped

1 cup Spinach, chopped

1 cup Parsley, finely chopped

1 ½ Tbsp Roasted Tahini Sauce


In my pantry:

1 Tbsp Low-sodium Tamari Sauce

1 15 oz can Garbanzo Beans

6 cups Organic Vegetable Broth


I also used:

2 Garlic cloves, crushed and minced

¼ tsp Turmeric

½ tsp Cayenne Pepper (If you like it spicy)

½ tsp Pepper Flakes

In a large pot sauté the onion for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the leeks, shallots and garlic, and cook for another 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the yam, red pepper, fennel bulb, spices, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour the broth over the mixture and add the tamari sauce,garbanzo bean, spinach, and watercress. Simmer covered for 20-25 minutes. Turm off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Right before serving stir in the tahini sauce. Voilà!

The Cook's Pantry, Part 3: The Freezer!

By Sylvie Ryan, Boise Co-op Culinary Educator

My mother is quite the expert when it comes to freezing hand-picked fresh fruits, garden vegetables, homemade pie crust, leftovers and such. She owns a trunk freezer, and we never ran out of bread, meat, fish, herbs, and homemade stock. I learned a lot from her techniques, but was never willing to invest in such a large item (and didn’t have the room for it, either). My home freezer section is quite small, but I always know it contains staples I can rely on. It’s a wonderful way to enjoy vegetables and fruits from the garden in the middle of winter.

Some of the things you’ll always find in my freezer include:

• Loaf Breads, pre-sliced so I can use only what I need.
• Naan Bread or Pita Bread, which make quick and delicious individual pizzas.
• Corn or Whole Wheat Tortillas, which I use a lot in Mexican casseroles, quesadillas and other Latin fare.
• Edaname, which makes a wonderful and healthy snack. 
• Homemade Stock, whether chicken, fish or vegetable. A great trick is to freeze them in ice cube trays so you can use them as needed in recipes. 
• Pesto, in small containers. I make a lot of pesto in the summer and love using it all year long on pizza, pasta and soups. 
• Lunch size containers of leftovers,. When I make soups, lasagna or any casserole, I save enough for at least one individual portion for a cheap, easy, and quick lunch. 
• Frozen garden peas, as I often make Potage Saint Germain, a pea soup. 
• Frozen berries for scones, muffin or cobblers. 
• Handpicked cherries and Italian plums. My friends have a small orchard and these freeze very well and allow me to enjoy fruit pie in the winter. 
• Homemade pie crust. I always make extra pie crust and reserve some that I roll out and line in a pie dish, I then put it in a freezer bag and it keeps for 2-3 month. It makes for a quick, improvised dessert. 

Freezer Storage Tips

I would say that the most important step is to write the date on your packages or containers before freezing them. Some items get freezer burned faster than others. The type of package matters as well. Invest in some good quality, heavy duty freezer bags, as they make a difference. I reuse mine numerous times. Her are some guidelines regarding freezer storage of items:

Pie crust: 2 months

Bread: 3 months

Tortillas: 3 months

Fresh fruits: about 6 months to a year

Meats: typically 6 months to a year

Stocks: 6 months to a year

Soups: 4 months

Casseroles: 2 to 3 months

Chicken: 1 year

Fish: 6 months

Most vegetables: 8 months to a year

Jicama Orange Salad

• 4 Oranges

• ¼ teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder

• Kosher Salt and freshly ground Pepper

• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Juice of 1 Lime

• 1 medium Jicama, peeled and diced

• 3 Scallions, chopped

• 2 Tablespoons fresh Cilantro

• Seeds of ½ Pomegranate


Peel and segment the oranges with a paring knife. Squeeze the empty membranes over a large bowl to release the juices.

Whisk the chili powder, salt and pepper to taste, the olive oil and lime juice into the orange juice. Toss in the orange segments and jicama. Before serving, add the scallions, cilantro and pomegranate seeds.

Mexican Brownies

By Liz Allred


• 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, plus more for greasing

• 2 cups Sugar

• 4 large Eggs

• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

• 2/3 cup good-quality Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

• 1 cup all-purpose Flour

• 1 teaspoon ground Mexican Cinnamon (canela)

• ¼ teaspoon pequen Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper

• ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt

• ½ teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Press the paper into the corners of the pan and lightly grease the paper with butter.

Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat; do not boil. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, chili powder, salt and baking powder and mix until smooth.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fudgy, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack, then use the parchment paper to lift out the brownies before slicing.

Apple and Spelt Berry Salad

By Liz Allred


1 cup cooked Spelt Berries (cooking instructions below)

2 or 3 Granny Smith or Green Apples, cored and sliced

2 stalks of Celery, sliced

¼ to ½ cup dried Cherries or Cranberries or Raisins

1/3 cup plain Yogurt or Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Cream Cheese, Ricotta or small curd Cottage Cheese (to thicken it a bit)

2 tablespoons fresh Lime or Lemon juice

2 tablespoons Honey orAgave Nectar

½ to 1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice, to taste (apple pie spice is a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice)


1. To cook the spelt berries, boil 1-1/2 cups water, then add 1/2 cup uncooked spelt berries. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about an hour and a half, until tender. Drain any remaining liquid and cool before adding to the salad. (A tip: make a larger batch and put some in the freezer for a future salad).

2. Make the dressing by whisking together or blending until smooth the yogurt or mayo, the cream cheese, lime juice, and honey. Add some apple pie spice. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

3. In a large bowl toss the sliced apples, celery, spelt berries and dried cherries with the dressing until everything is coated. Serve immediately or chill first in the refrigerator and then serve.

Teff Polenta

1-3/4 cups Water

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

7 cloves Garlic, sliced thick

1 cup Onions, coarsely chopped

1 cup Green Peppers, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup Teff grain, uncooked

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 cups Plum Tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 cup fresh Basil, coarsely chopped

Grated Parmesan (garnish)


In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.

In a 10-inch frying pan add the oil and warm over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peppers, and saute for 3 minutes or until peppers are bright green. Stir in the teff grain. Turn off the heat.

Add the boiling water and salt to the frying heat. Set heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and basil.

Cover and continue simmering for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water is absorbed. The polenta is done when the teff is no longer crunchy.

Place polenta on a 9 inch pie plate. Garnish with grated parmesan. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves 4 -6

Fried Sunchoke Chips with Rosemary Salt

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Unpeeled Sunchokes (also called Jerusalem Artichokes) *scrubbed

Organic Canola Oil (for frying)

1 Tbsp Celtic sea salt

1½ teaspoons minced fresh Rosemary


Fill large bowl with cold water. Slice sunchokes into thin rounds (about 1/16 inch thick), immediately dropping into bowl of water to prevent browning. Rinse and drain 3 x. Pat very dry with paper towels. Piour enough oil into large deep skillet to reach depth of ½ inch. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Mix 1 tablespoon salt and rosemary in small bowl. Using fingertips, blend well, rubbing salt and rosemary together. Working in batches, fry sunchoke slices until golden brown, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes. Using skimmer, transfer chips to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle chips with some rosemary salt. Chips can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temp.



Sunchoke Dip

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1-1/2 lbs Jerusalem artichokes

Salt

1 to 2 tbsps minced fresh jalapeño chilies

Blue or red corn chips (or a combination)

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled


Preparation: Peel Jerusalem artichokes & rinse. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add Jerusalem artichokes & cook this until tender when pierced, about 12 mins. Drain. Step #5 In a mixer or food processor/blender, garlic, whirl Jerusalem artichokes, lemon juice, and  oil until smoothly puréed; scrape container sides as needed. Add chilies & salt to taste. Scrape into a bowl. Enjoy with Sunchoke Chips!!

Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika

By Liz Allred

Kale tends to collect dirt in the leaf wrinkles, so rinse carefully before using. To prep, cut the leaf away from the center rib and stem of each leaf. Discard stems and center ribs.


Ingredients:

1 lb fresh kale, carefully rinsed, stems and center ribs cut away and discarded, leaves coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (also sold as Pimenton), sweet or hot

Pinch of dried crushed red pepper

Salt

Directions: Bring a large pot (4 qts) of water to a boil. Add a Tablespoon of salt to the water. Add the chopped kale. Cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the smoked paprika and crushed red pepper. Add the kale and sauté for several more minutes. Sprinkle on more salt and smoked paprika to taste.

Serves 4.

Baby Bok Choy with Cashews

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 cup chopped Green Onions, including green ends

3 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 pound Baby Bok Choy, rinsed, larger leaves separated from base, base trimmed but still present, holding the smaller leaves together

½ teaspoon Dark Sesame Oil

 Salt

½ cup chopped, roasted, salted Cashews

Directions: Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add onions, then garlic, then bok choy. Sprinkle with sesame oil and salt. Cover, and let the baby bok choy cook down for approximately 3 minutes. (Like spinach, when cooked, the bok choy will wilt a bit.) Remove cover. Lower heat to low. Stir and let cook for a minute or two longer, until the bok choy is just cooked. Gently mix in cashews.

Serves 4.