A Georgia C production

AARGH.
Things were moving along swimmingly
with our blog until, suddenly
they weren't.
New posting instructions will be sent out
post haste.
Mrs H

March 4, 2012

I am not the greatest fan of veggies.

Frankly, if I could live without them,

I would.

Alas, they are much too important to

our body’s health and well being to

completely ignore so the challenge then becomes…

how to prepare them in ways that let you forget

you are eating them.

These are some of the dishes I was inspired to create by the

myriad veggies which floated through the culinary kitchen

last week.

They were pretty, pretty yummy, I must admit.

Not at all your mother’s canned bean casserole.

Cream of Spinach and Mushroom Soup Plus

Makes Enough for a Small Crowd

¼ cup olive oil

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing

1 stick butter

3 small onions, small diced

2 lbs assorted mushrooms (Cremini and button), rough chopped

a few sprigs of fresh thyme, picked

2 quarts stock (chicken or veg, depending upon your persuasion)

3 lbs fresh spinach, stemmed and washed

2 cups heavy cream

4-6 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Salt and Pepper

1 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced and sautéed lightly in butter

To make the soup:

In a heavy saucepot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add sausage and sauté until cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon until sausage is in medium sized crumbles. Remove cooked sausage from pot. Set aside.

Meanwhile, lower the heat to medium low and add butter to the pot. Add onions and sweat until translucent. Add assorted ‘shrooms and cook until wilted. Add the thyme and the stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the caramelized “fond” which formed on the bottom of the pot from the sausage and onions. Let simmer, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes on low heat to allow flavors to meld and veggies to soften.

Add the raw spinach to the pot and recover, allowing the spinach to steam and brighten in color, about 2 -3 minutes. Turn off flame.

Using a hand held wand, carefully puree the soup until smooth. Add gorgonzola and cream and “zap” with wand a minute or two longer.

Eat immediately or chill and reheat later.

Serve with sautéed shiitakes, sausage crumbles and perhaps a final twist of fresh pepper. Don’t forget the crusty bread and butter.

Stuffed Artichokes

Yield: 6 largish “flowers”

6 large artichokes, trimmed of stem and pointy leaf ends

one lemon

2-3 cups fresh bread crumbs

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup sausage crumbles, stolen from previous recipe

2-3 T fresh minced garlic

¼ cup grated parmesan

zest of one lemon, minced

¼ cup fennel fronds or parsley, chopped

red pepper flakes, optional

sea salt and pepper

To cook the artichokes:

Submerge the atrichokes in lemon scented, salted water. Use a pot large enough that the chokes are completely covered, and a smaller lid can be used to hold them below the surface of the water. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for approximately 45 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the bottom of the choke. Remove from pot and either eat immediately with lots of melted butter and lemon or allow to cool. Before stuffing, gently open the center of the artichoke and using a small spoon, remove the “choke”, the fuzzy feathery stuff at the bottom of the vegetable.

To make the stuffing:

Place bread crumbs in medium size mixing bowl. Add melted butter and the remaining ingredients and stir to mix completely.

To stuff the artichoke:

Fill the cleaned artichoke cavity loosely with the stuffing and then spoon filling in between as many of the leaves as you have patience to stuff. Place the stuffed artichokes into an ovenproof dish. Add a splash of stock or water to the bottom of the dish.

To bake:

Place the stuffed artichokes, loosely covered with tin foil, in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are heated through. Serve solo or with yet another bowl of melted lemony butter. Go to town.

Note:

I never said these recipes were particularly “healthy”,

but if you do prepare these dishes, you can safely say you have met the recommended 3-5 daily servings of veggies, and you didn’t have to plug your nose to do it. You might even LIKE it!

Mrs H