Ingredients:

• 2 TBL unsalted butter
• 1 Spanish onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and chopped
• 8 ounces shiiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps wiped clean and thinly sliced
• 1 TBL tamari
• 6 cups chicken stock (homemade or organic from the market)
• 1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup medium-dry sherry
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until very lightly colored, about 5 mints. Stir in the mushrooms and sauté, stirring frequently, until completely sorted and cooked down, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tamari and sauté for another minute or so.

2. Stir in the stock and barley, bring to a gentle boil, and then reduce the heat. Simmer, partially covered, over medium heat just until the harley is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the sherry, stir, and warm for a couple of minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve bowls of the hot soup topped with sprigs of fresh thyme.

Note: Like most soups, this one can easily be made ahead of time, but remember that the barley will continue to absorb the liquid and you might have to thin the soup with additional stock.

Ingredients:

Fresh:

• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic minced (this can be left out but i love garlic)
• 1 carrot
• Green and/or red peppers

For topping:

• Avocado
• Cilantro
• Shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
• Optional: Chicken pieces. (I often buy a pre-roasted chicken if I am in a rush and shred the meat for topping)

Spices:

• 1-2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder or more to taste
• 1 tsp Coriander
• Salt & Pepper

Pantry/Freezer:

• 1 qt chicken stock
• 1/2- full pkg frozen corn (roasted frozen from Trader Joe’s is my fave)
• 1 or 2 jars of your favorite salsa. I say 1 or 2 since one is enough (if that is all you have) but two is better.
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can black beans or chick peas
• Tortilla chips or tortiallas cut into strips and lightly fried in pan

Directions:

1. Sauté onions and garlic in 1-2 tbls olive or veg oil for a few minutes until transulcent on med/high heat

2. Add carrots, peppers and any other fresh veg you may want and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes until softening.

3. Add spices and mix to distribute

4. Add chicken stock to pan and bring up to light boil before reducing heat to med/low

5. Add salsa, corn and beans and cook for at least 10 minutes if not more to meld flavors.

6.  At this point you can add chicken if you are using it and mix in the meat to bring to temperature.

7. While it is cooking you can lightly fry the tortilla strips if you plan on using them. Tortilla chips are fine too.  Also while cooking, you can prepare toppings…chop the cilantro, shred cheese and cut avocado

To Serve:

Ladle soup into bowls and top with the cheese (add first so it is sure to melt into soup), tortillas, avocado, and cilantro. Fresh lime juice really adds to the flavor. Any other toppings you might like are fine to add here. I put sour cream or yogurt on the table with hot sauce for those who need spicier food.

Winter Squash Soup

(serves eight)

Ingredients:

• 1 – large Butternut squash, peeled and cut into rough 1 inch dice
• 1 – large Spanish onion, sliced
• 1 – sprig of fresh rosemary and a sprig or two of fresh thyme
• 2 – oranges
• 1/2 pound of butter
• 1 – bay leaf
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 6 – 7 cups of chicken stock (or organic low sodium chicken stock)
• 2 Tbl. brown sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crumbled ricotta salata (to garnish)
• chives (to garnish)
• Truffle oil (to garnish)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in large stockpot. Add onions. Add zest from orange, rosemary (thyme is optional), and bay leaf.

2. Cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add butternut squash and cook about 10 minutes until butternut squash gets soft, stirring every few minutes so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Add white wine and juice from oranges.

3. Cook until half the liquid is reduced (almost syrup consistency). Add chicken stock (to cover squash about an inch). Simmer until squash is completely tender. Remove bay leaf. Blend until completely smooth (Tim and I love the Vitamix…available at Hammertown).

4. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with ricotta salata, sliced chives and truffle oil.

For lots more delicious seasonal food, don’t miss the Fall Festival and Herondale-Sol Flower Farm this Sunday!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, separate, clean. Use only the white and pale green parts, chop.
• 2 Tbsp butter (or margarine if I am, in fact, not the only vegan out there).
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• Marjoram – dash
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce
• Salt & Pepper

METHOD:

1)  Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan, cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Check often. Do not brown leeks! Browning will give leeks a burnt taste.

2) Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan. Add marjoram, parsley, and thyme. Add a few dashes of chili sauce to taste. Add some freshly ground pepper, 1-2 teaspoons salt or more to taste

TOMATO JAM
-Bode-

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds good ripe tomatoes (Roma are best), cored and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated or minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 jalapeno or other peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced, or red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste.

 Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring often

2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour 15 minutes (cook longer for thicker consistency). Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: About 1 pint.

(Serves 10)

Ingredients:

• 10 large beets
• 2 large onions
• 3 carrots
• 1 TBL butter
• 2 tsp sugar
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 TBL fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup sour cream (or to taste)
• creme fraiche
• chives, for garnish

Directions:

1. Wash but don’t peel beets and bake them wrapped tightly in aluminum foil at 400 degrees for one hour or until fork-tender. Cool, peel and grate.

2. While the beets are baking, peel and mince the onions and peel and finely grate the carrots. Saute the onions and carrots in butter for 10 minutes. Add the beets, sugar, and broth. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, cool slightly and puree in a food processor, Vita mix or blender, gradually adding dollops of sour cream until the taste, color and consistency please you.

4. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Chill. Serve with a swirl of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chives.

Ingredients:

• 4 TBL unsalted butter
• 1 lb. fresh ramps (can substitute leeks)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 lb. new potatoes
• 1/4 cup cream (optional)

Directions:
1.  Chop garlic and bulbs of ramps, reserving green ramp tops.  Saute garlic and ramps with butter and 4 TBL stock until soft.
2.  Add peeled and diced potato, bay leaf and stock.  Season to taste with salt.
3.  In separate pan saute ramp green with butter until wilted.  Puree ramp greens in blender with stock  (Job recommends the Vita Mix blender…Hammertown will be stocking them soon).
4.  When potato-stock mix is soft add to blender and puree again.  Check Seasoning.  Serve.

Sausage and Peppers (adapted from Mario Batali’s  Molto Italiano Cookbook Recipe)

Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb package of organic sweet Italian chicken or turkey sausage
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 2 small onions (red, sweet or yellow), thinly sliced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (cored, seeded, and cut into ½ inch wide strips
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (cored, seeded, and cut into ½ inch wide strips
• ½ bulb fennel (anise) – thinly sliced
• 1-2 tsps. Red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 2 tsps dried oregano
• 2 TBL tomato paste
• ½ cup dry red wine
• Rice (brown or white) or Polenta

Directions:

1. In a 12 inch sauté pan (I used our ScanPan), heat the olive oil over medium heat until smoking.  Add the onion, bell peppers, fennel, red pepper flakes and oregano.  Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 8-10 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste turns a darker color (about 10 minutes or less). Add the red wine and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

2. In another skillet brown the sausages over medium heat, turning often, until golden brown, 7-9 minutes.  Add the browned the sausages to the pepper mixture and prick the skins of the sausage a few times and bring everything to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, adding water a little at a time to keep the consistency near that of a ragu.

3. Serve over rice or polenta.  You can serve sausages whole or cut into large pieces.

(Serves 4)

Add a green salad and a glass of your favorite red wine and you’ve got a delicious and healthy meal.  And it’s pretty enough for company!

Ingredients:

• 2 Acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 2 medium potatoes, washed and cubed (not peeled)
• 3 TBL butter
• 2 large onions, minced
• 4 cups seasoned chicken or vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
• 1 cup milk (for lighter version, eliminate milk; for richer version, use half milk and half cream)
• 2 carrots, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Tabasco sauce…add sparingly.
• Crème fraîche (Optional)
• Dill (optional)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place squash in oven and bake until soft.  Take out of oven and cool.  Peel, seed and cube.
2.  Melt 3 TBL butter in soup pot.  Add onions, carrots and salt and pepper  Cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes.  Add potatoes, squash and broth and simmer for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.
3.  Puree in food processor, or use immersion blender, or Vita Mix (you know I love the vita mix!! ).  If using a food processor, to get a fine puree, pour soup through sieve and put vegetables in processor with very little liquid.  Do in small batches and process until smooth.  Place pureed vegetables in pot with liquids.  Mix pureed vegetables with liquid, add cream or milk, and season lightly with tobasco, salt and pepper.  Heat thoroughly.
4.   Serve with a dollop of  crème fraîche and a sprig of dill (or sage, parsley or thyme).

PRINTER FRIENDLY

Makes 6 servings  

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped (or if you prefer, sliced diagonally)
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped (of sliced)
• 1 1/4 cups French Green Lentils (can use other types of lentils if not available)
• 4 cups organic chicken stock
• 2 cups water (6 cups if not using chicken stock)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons (or more to taste) chopped fresh thyme
• 4 oz smoked sausage (I used an organic chicken sausage)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or to taste (this is important…really makes the soup!)

Directions:

1.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until they just begin to brown, about 6 minutes.  Add carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add lentils, water/stock, thyme, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender but not mushy (about 30 minutes but check after 20 minutes).

2.  While lentils are cooking, heat remaining tablespoon oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown sausage on all sides, about 5 minutes. Cool sausage slightly on a cutting board, then cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch-thick diagonal pieces.  Add sausage to soup and stir in vinegar.

Garnish with a branch of thyme or sprig of parsley. Could also add a dollop of lowfat sour cream.  Add a salad, some crusty bread and a glass of Malbec…and you’ve got a great winter dinner for friends or family!