June 26, 2014

Two new recipes today.  The CSA share yesterday included green bunching onions with about 2 feet of beautiful onions greens, looking like scallions on steroids.  I wanted to make something cool with them as it is very hot today, so I made vichyssoise.   The difference between the classic and my version, is that the original only used the white part of the leek - since I was using mainly green onion, the color and texture would be quite different.  Here's how I made it:


Green Onion Vichyssoise

Heat a sauce pan over medium high heat, and add two teaspoons of olive oil.  Saute 4 cups sliced green onions until they wilt.  Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and simmer until they are tender.  Add 1 1/2 more cups chicken stock and throw in 4 cups diced white potatoes.  Add 1 tsp of kosher salt and simmer until potatoes are cooked.  Remove from stove and cool for 15 minutes.  Blend of puree in food processor (I used my immersion blender) until creamy.  Reseason with salt and pepper.  Classic recipe calls for white pepper, but since I used so large a quantity of green onion, the pretty color of the soup wasn't overwhelmed by the coarsely ground black pepper.  Chill in the fridge overnight and serve cold with a dollop of lite sour cream and some fresh tarragon leaves or other herbs.  Yumm.  Note - this is Weight Watcher Friendly because it contains no heavy cream as is customary.  The small amount of lite sour cream could be eliminated and the soup would be just as good.

Vichyssoise - Potato and Green Onion Soup

Dinner - Kale and Chorizo Stew

I wanted to make something a little spicy that would stand up to the hearty kale.  Kale is a very hip vegetable these days, mostly because it is packed with nutrients and minerals, and it is also sturdy enough to hold up to braising, or salad with vinaigrette.

Here's how I made it:

Heat frying pan over medium high heat.  Add sliced Chorizo Sausage ( I used about 6 ounces for 3 people).
Render the fat from the sausage and remove from the pan when it is browned on both sides.  Add 1 chopped onion and saute until translucent.  Add 2 cups chicken stock and 10 cups chopped kale.  Lower heat and simmer gently until the kale is a bright vibrant green, yet still slightly crunchy.  Add 1 can of white beans and 6 ounces of sliced chicken or roasted turkey breast ( I used leftover turkey cutlets from last nights salad).  Season with salt and pepper and hot pepper flakes, smoked paprika and celery seed to taste.  Serve with good crusty bread ( a Peter Mason specialty)

Next up - Sugar Snap Peas - I'm thinking a stir fry with Thai Basil.