weekend nourishment

Posted on Posted in food and garden, lace/shawls, projects

we’re having an excellent summer weekend—are you?
happy father’s day to all those that are celebrating today; hopefully, that means at least a few of you are kicking back and knitting most of the day.

i’ve been doing a few of the usual summer weekend things, though gardening was not among them, since i took care of that on thursday (more to do, yes, but it can wait a few days).

and i cooked on friday afternoon, so as not to have to do any of that this weekend, either (we have lots of leftovers from last week). i wanted to use up the spring greens i thinned from the garden on thursday, before they wilted or got old. and i knew exactly what i wanted to make—greens in broth with chick peas, a favorite soup of ours.

it’s the easiest thing; it’s only got a few ingredients and it’s a dish you don’t want to cook for very long or the fresh flavors will be lost. i use garlic, sweet onion, scallions (because i happen to have them growing in the garden) and grated carrot. this soup would also be excellent with fresh peas, if you have those. you’ll also need olive oil, a couple quarts of light, clear broth (we use veggie, but chicken would work), two cans of chick peas, drained, fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper (i don’t like to complicate it with a lot of spices and herbs). orzo pasta is optional, but a nice touch.

sauté the garlic, onion, and scallion root in oil til soft at the edges; season with parsley salt and pepper (and if you like hot pepper flakes, go for it). add the chick peas and sauté until everything is soft and caramelized and the chick peas have begun to brown. add the broth and bring to a simmer (try not to let it boil). let cook for 20-30 minutes and then shut the heat and let it sit til 30 minutes before dinner.

at this point, david and i went out on our bikes to do our weekly shopping. it was hot, but a lot of fun. we’ve been using the bikes for errands more and more, even for the heavy chores like groceries. it’s just more fun, but it saves on gas, too.

and it’s the perfect interlude for letting the chick peas steep in broth without killing the green veggies we plan to add later.

just before dinner, turn on the heat and bring the soup back to a simmer. put water on to boil for the orzo. heat a skillet, add oil and garlic, swirl to get the aroma going, then add enough greens for as many portions as you plan to serve. put a cup (or so) of orzo in the water and add shredded carrot and chopped scallion tops to the soup pot.

toss the greens quickly in the skillet to cook evenly, sprinkling them with pepper. when the greens are wilted, but still bright green, shut the heat. drain the pasta when it’s done.

add a little pasta to each dish and spoon the soup over that, then top with sauteed greens.

we ate ours at the table on the porch, with a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other.
buon appetito!

after dinner, david went back to work on his fencing project and i sat down for some long-awaited knitting time. it was still light out too.
i love summer evenings, don’t you?

later that night, we ate fresh strawberry shortcake and watched bike races. i remembered some lavender sugar i had in the cupboard and tried that on the strawberries and WOW, did we ever love that, mmmm. it’s our new favorite berry preparation. i wonder if it’s good in pie?

yesterday i worked at my desk most of the day, getting ahead caught up on some pattern work. and today is more of the same, except that right now, i am going out for a ride, before the thunderstorms hit.

and this evening, more knitting, i’m making great headway on a secret project in the hopes that it will be off the needles soon so we can get back to our regularly scheduled knitting events.

14 thoughts on “weekend nourishment

  1. The soup sounds great! Did you use store bought veggie broth? I haven’t found a brand I like, so would love a recommendation if you have one.

  2. The recipe sounds delicious! I began eating a vegan diet in December as part of the Daniel Fast, and I’ve stuck with the diet…make that LIFESTYLE ever since. I am always on the lookout for simple, flavorful dishes.

    Thank you for sharing!

  3. That looks delicious, (and nutritious). I should have made strawberry shortcake–it’s my favorite–but there’s still rhubarb at the market so I made a strawberry rhubarb pie instead.

  4. Anne, your cooking always inspires me! You seem to be such a natural at it. Sadly, the woodchuck got my greens and my brussel sprouts and he nipped the tomato plants.

  5. yum yum and double yum yum for the yarn on that secret project! wanna give us a hint about the yarn???

  6. Sounds like a wonderful weekend! Busy – but not strained! Everything looks just lovely, including the yard.

  7. Will the soup work with Swiss Chard? I grew alot of it for my Parrot and found out that its not all that good for them so I will have lots of extras. By the way thanks for shopping at Giant Eagle (Iw ork for the company hehe).

  8. The soup sounds yummy-thanks for sharing. I ususally just add the fresh greens (usually spinach or baby kale) directly to the soup. I never thought of sauteing them and adding them to the finished product. I like that idea better!

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