Roasted Potato Leek Soup

As is often the case with spring in New England, an unseasonably warm and sunny day yesterday gave way to showers and cooler temperatures today.  I needed to warm up from the damp chill and more importantly I needed to find something to make with the gorgeous leeks from our first spring CSA delivery.

I decided to rely upon Ina Garten, whose recipes have never failed me, and tried the Roasted Potato Leek Soup recipe from her Back to Basics cookbook.  I am a huge fan of Ina Garten's and have all of her cookbooks which I highly recommend.

The recipe calls for 4 leeks but I only had 3 so I made the following alterations and it still turned out really well.  Perfect comfort food for a rainy night.

Roasted Potato Leek Soup
2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled & cut into 3/4 inch chunks (I used 1.5 lbs.)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts well cleaned (I used 3 leeks)
1/4 cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (I use sea salt)
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed (I used about 2 1/2cups)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used 3/4 cup of Un-Oaked Chardonnay to finish off the bottle)
6-7 cups chicken stock, preferably home made ( I used about 6)
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 oz. creme fraiche (I didn't have any and skipped this altogether)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesean cheese, plus extra for garnish
Crispy Shallots, optional ( I love crispy shallots but ran out of time, will add next time for sure)

As you can see I sliced my leeks rather finely and they browned a bit too much for my taste, I will certainly cut them into larger pieces next time.

The directions call for coating the potatoes and leeks in olive oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper before roasting in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  I kept mine in only for 35 minutes as the leeks got pretty brown.   Next I removed the pan from the oven, placed it over two burners set to medium and added the wine, chicken stock and arugula cooking until the arugula had wilted and some of the liquid had cooked off.  Next I transferred the everything on the pan to my dutch oven and added the rest of the chicken stock and simmered a bit longer.  I used my stick blender to puree the vegetables instead of getting the food processor dirty.  Then, I added the heavy cream and cheese and let it simmer on low to thicken a bit more since I did not use the creme fraiche.

No doubt Ina's version is much richer, thicker and creamier but I was pleased with the results and this lighter version is just right for spring.  Now if only I could get the kids to eat it...

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

My thoughtful sister got me a great Christmas present this year - a gift card to Barnes and Noble.  I usually get my books used so buying a new book is a rare treat.  As soon as I saw the gift card I knew exactly what I wanted to buy, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  I first heard about this book on one of my favorite radio shows Speaking of Faith when Krista Tippett interviewed Kingsolver about her experience of eating locally for one year.  For anyone who reads the place of  origin on their groceries knows that eating only local and seasonal food can be a challenge.  I was intrigued and could not wait to hear about how she did it.

So far, I am only a quarter of the way through the book and loving it.  As I read,  I  am equally horrified by the food culture in our country and inspired by Kingsolver's re-discovery of old fashioned food wisdom.  I have always considered myself as a  conscious consumer concerned with my family's heath and the environment.  I buy mostly natural and organic foods, few processed foods and rarely do we have soda.   But, this book has really raised the bar and made me re-evaluate my food choices.  Organic apples from Washington state are great if you live in Washington or Oregon but not not if  you live in Connecticut.

We spent this past frigid weekend visiting my in-laws in New Jersey, a home where there is never a bad meal.  My mother-in-law stocks up on our favorites for every visit and always gets the best of everything.  New Jersey is the "Garden State" and when they are in season there is nothing better than New Jersey ripe tomatoes, sweet corn and soft shell crabs.  But this weekend we dined on fresh strawberries, avocados, ripe tomatoes and pears all grown God knows where courtesy of Costco.  I was of course grateful for all the tasty morsels but seen in the light of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle  it seemed very decadent.

After a weekend away I had to get a few provisions so I went to Whole Foods where I planned to ease my conscience and find good local organic food to stock my pantry with.  Good and organic were in abundance, local, well not so much.  I looked at the produce aisle with new eyes and read all the labels: Washington, California, Florida.  The closest I got to fresh local fruit was a container of New York lady apples so I snatched them up.

I am not sure if I can go completely local just yet (school lunches) but I am going to try.  I am going to adopt the mindset and practices that my grandmothers and great grandmothers had and eat what is in season and cook accordingly.  I am hoping to join a CSA this year and will be buying eggs from my neighbor across the street once spring comes (too cold for the chickens now too).  It should be an adventure but the best way to vote is with your wallet and I want to make my vote count!


To hear the interview with Barbara Kingsolver on Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett click on the link below.  You can also visit the Animal, Vegatable, Miracle website for more information http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/.
http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2010/ethics-of-eating/

Goin' Bananas

Bananas, one of the most common fruits in the produce aisle, they are there in every season and every store.  We are so used to seeing them that we forget that they are actually exotic and travel a long way to get here.  Everyone in my house wants them on the shopping list yet when they are here they rarely get eaten in time.  Black bananas in the fruit bowl are a common sight.

In my grandmother's youth bananas would certainly have been considered a luxury and wasting them would not have been an option.  Waste not want not - hence the invention of banana bread.  I don't like to waste them any more than my grandmother would, and considering the carbon footprint of a banana shipped to CT it would be crime to.

So when your bananas are goin' make some banana bread.  My friend Donna, who is also a thrifty Yankee gal (and Red Sox fan), makes banana bread all the time.  Her tasty loaves are filled with chocolate chips and often given to friends  - now that's a way to make someone's day!  I like banana bread but find that banana muffins make very convenient snacks, great with a cup of tea or in a lunch box. 

My favorite recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks: Dairy Hollow House, Soup & Bread, A Country Inn Cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon

Banana Muffins:

1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar 

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup of milk

6 tablespoons of melted butter

1 large egg beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 mashed bananas

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F .  Combine all dry ingredients, in a separate bowl mash bananas and set aside, combine all wet ingredients, add bananas to the dry ingredients followed by the wet ingredients, fold together gently until combined.  Add nuts or chips.  Fill paper muffin cups or greased muffn tin 3/4 full with batter.  Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through in center.  Enjoy!

Dying from Consumption

A hundred years ago, if you said the word consumption you would be referring to the wasting away that comes with tuberculosis - think Mimi's tragic death in Puccini's opera La Boheme.  Today, however, if you were to mention that word, you would not think of illness but consumerism: how much we buy and use, carbon footprints.  Unfortunately, we are still dying from consumption we just don't have TB.  Time for us all to cut back.

I  recently read a great book called Give It Up, My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less by Mary Carlomagno and want to put its message into action.  The main point of the book is that there are many things in our lives that we spend a lot of time and money on that we can actually live very well without.  What can you live without?  Are you being weighed down by all your stuff?

Now before you think I am getting preachy or holy than thou, I must confess that shopping is one of my favorite past times - I LOVE it.  I love shopping in malls, shops, flea markets, online, in catalogs, it's all great.   Consequently I have too much stuff.

It's spring so time for some spring cleaning.  I thought that we were outgrowing our house but it turns out we just had too much in it.  I feel like our house is getting bigger with each load of junk we remove.  So why don't you join me!

Go ahead, get rid of that jacket you have not worn for three years.  No, you are not going to wear it again and no, it won't be in style again before the moths eat it so time to give it to someone who really needs it.  Whatever you have not used or seen in a year -  let it go, give it to a friend, give to the needy, sell it on ebay.  

Once you have cleaned out and reclaimed your space try not to fill it up again!  The next time you shop be ruthless and buy only what you need (this will be my greatest challenge).   Don't buy that third pair of red shoes even if they are on sale.  The French have this concept down, they buy fewer things but better quality, think little black Chanel dress worn a million ways and always fabulous.  It is better to spend a little more on one quality item that will last than it is to buy 3 cheap ones that won't.  

Next time you go out don't add to the landfill, make your coffee or tea at home and take it with you in your re-usable travel mug.  Don't buy that romance novel, go to your local library, it's free and when your finished with that book it won't be taking up space in your basement!  You will find that when you really stop and think it is easier to put that item back on the shelf.  If you find catalogs too tempting, cancel them.  There are a million ways to cut back, be creative!

So if you knew where I lived you would understand how crazy this is going to sound; but if you really have to buy something consider buying second hand, go to ebay, go to consignment shops, you will save natural resources and your wallet.  You don't have to do your part to help keep our economy going, it is more important for you to keep your personal finances healthy - don't die of consumption!

Here are a few great sites to help you:
http://www.freecycle.com/

http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites

http://www.ebay.com/

http://www.goodwill.org/

http://www.bookturtle.com/
http://www.dressforsuccess.org/
http://www.catalogchoice.org/

Good Wives Almanac

Good Wives!!??  No, this is not a personal assertion of my wifely perfection nor is it a nod to a misogynistic past.  Goodwives is the name of a small river here in Connecticut where I live.  It is also a reference to the book Colonial Dames and Goodwives written by Alice Morse Earle chronicling the lives of colonial american women who are my ancestors.  I would like to pay homage to these strong women and am inspired by them to be more resourceful and to live a more sustainable life in this modern world.

I am a seventh generation descendant of Revolutionary War heroine Mara Sargeant Grace.  A woman who not only served bravely on the front lines at the Battle of Bunker hill but also did washing and ironing for the Washingtons; making lace caps for Martha and knitting silk  stockings for George.  Just when I think I have it tough dealing with my laundry...  I imagine that if we could transport her to our time she would be rather envious of our many modern conveniences (clothes washers especially) but I think she would also be horrified at the wastefulness of our society.

The Almanac in the title is a nod to Poor Richards Almanac that gem of simple wisdom and the Farmer's Almanac which never goes out of fashion.  I believe we can look back to learn from the collective wisdom of the past and apply it to our rapidly changing and uncertain world.  There is a lot to be said for re-cycling some old fashioned ideas and make them work for us today.  I will share what I have learned and what I stumble across and hope you will too!  

For more reading about these pioneering and pragmatic American women I highly recommend 

Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts.  

view of the Long Island Sound from our town beach