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Creamy tomato bisque to warm your autumn nights

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Having spent two weeks in Maine this past summer, I’m sort of overwhelmed with lobster. I like it, but not in the traditional sense. My favorite lobster dish is lobster bisque. In fact, I like just about any type of bisque. As the days cool and we roll into autumn, it’s the perfect time for soups.

Lobster bisque

Soups with clear broths are certainly tasty, but I lean toward the creaminess of bisques to satisfy my hunger and my need for warmth. A bisque is simply a creamy soup, most often pureed. However, some bisques have bits of lobster, crab, or tomatoes. As a cream soup gets chunky, you are moving toward the chowder end of the soup scale. Chowders usually start with a butter and milk roux, which makes them heavier.

Tomato Bisque

I think my favorite bisque is tomato basil bisque. A lot of restaurants carry it and many grocery store delis now have it. But it’s so easy to make, especially if you use your own home-canned tomatoes. So, warm up the soup pot and make a delicious tomato bisque for dinner.

Pumpkin bisque

You can also make a lovely pumpkin bisque by substituting the vegetables with about two cups of cooked pumpkin. Add cinnamon if you like the taste. Crispy fried sage leaves on top give it a wonderful depth.

Tomato Bisque

Serves 4

10 roma tomatoes, quartered, or 2 pint jars of home-canned tomatoes or 2 cans chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 sweet pepper, roasted and peeled
2 carrots cut into 2” pieces
1 cup stock
4-5 leaves fresh basil, minced
½ cup half and half, heavy cream or evaporated non-fat milk if you want to reduce calores.

Roast tomatoes, garlic, carrots and peppers about half an hour at 375 until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork. (Any mix of vegetables will work, but make the base of tomatoes)

When cool, puree with a hand blender. Add stock (vegetable or chicken), herbs to season, and heat until simmering. Turn off the heat and add cream to make it creamy. Heat very gently, or it will curdle. Top with garlic croutons and serve with warm crusty bread and a fresh salad.

Delicious Herbs!

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It’s the time of year to celebrate herbs. They are coming in at a crazy pace, so I have my dehydrator running almost non-stop. Fresh and freshly dried herbs and herb mixes add special nuance to freshly prepared foods that will take your cooking to a new level. And they are so easy to grow.

Basil

Basil

Delicious when used fresh in pesto. The pesto can be frozen for a burst of flavor all winter (freeze in ice cube trays). Be sure to try lemon and cinnamon basil for a new take on pesto. Dried basil is a staple for chicken soups and stews, and on roasted potatoes.

Chives

Chives add essential freshness to salads, potatoes, and even stir-fries. Don’t be tempted to dry them as they usually end up tasting like grass with onion overtones. Instead, chop them fresh and put them in the freezer. They will keep their spring flavor.

Cilantro

Cilantro

Lovely fresh addition to salsas and soups, but unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to preserve it. I’ve tried dehydrating, freezing in water, and freezing in oil. None of these methods preserves the flavor. You’ll just have to rely on the grocery or grow some on your windowsill.

Marjoram

Marjoram

A very floral but quite strongly flavored cousin to oregano. It is an essential component of Mediterranean herb mixes. It’s a delicate plant, and I find it hard to grow enough to preserve. I rely on my local coop, where I can buy in bulk to make my mixes.

Oregano

I have a love-hate relationship with oregano. It is too strong for my tastes. However, it is still a main ingredient in Italian and Provençal herb mixes. So, I do dry it.

Rosemary

Its scent instantly makes my mouth water for roasted potatoes. It is a beautiful addition to focaccia, roasting meats, and green beans. If you dry it, pulverize it before using, or you will have a dish with hard little unpalatable sticks. 

Rosemary cuttings

Sage

I dry some of this for herb mixes and Thanksgiving stuffing. Otherwise, it is pretty strong. Although I did discover fried sage leaves this year – a perfect accompaniment to roasted winter squash.

Thyme

Fresh thyme lends a lovely essence to vegetable and meat dishes; dried thyme is key in many marinades.

My favorite herb mixes:

Creole Seasoning – make dirty rice or season blackened fish

2 ½ T. paprika 2 T. salt 1 T. garlic powder 1 T. black pepper
1 T. onion powder 1 T. cayenne pepper 1 T. dried oregano 1 T. thyme

Italian – essential taste of Italy for spaghetti sauce or delicious on roasted potatoes

¼ c. oregano ¼ c. basil 4 t. garlic powder 4 t. thyme 4 t. rosemary
4 t. chili flakes 4 t. marjoram 4 t. paprika

Mediterranean mix – marinate fish or roast potatoes and other vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini, green beans

1 T. garlic powder 1 T. basil 1 T. oregano ¾ T. salt ½ T. dill
½ T. onion powder 1 t. rosemary powder 1 t. black pepper 1 t. thyme ½ t. marjoram

Mexican – excellent for tacos, burrito bowls, Mexican street corn

1 T. oregano 1 T. chili powder 1 t. cumin 1 t. coriander 1 t. bay leaf
1 t. paprika (smoked or plain) 1 t. onion 1 t. garlic powder 1 t. salt

Mint – delicious and unusual addition to fruit salads

1 T. mint 1 T. marjoram 1 T. tarragon 1 t. lemon balm 1 t. rosemary 1 t. chili flakes

Ranch – use on fish, grilled potatoes, zucchini, and summer squash. Or mix into salad dressing

1 T. oregano 1 T. dill 1 T. ground black pepper 1 t. garlic powder 1 t. thyme

Do you have too much zucchini?

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Zucchini is summer’s overachiever, but the best part is that it can do almost anything in the kitchen. From raw in a salad to sauteed to baked to stuffed to zucchini bread.. All are fair game. Here are a few ideas to help out if you are overrun, as I seem to be.

Raw

Zucchini ribbons – Use a vegetable peeler to slice into ribbons and then toss with olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese.

Zucchini sticks – slice into thick sticks and dip in hummus, tzatziki or salsa.

Grated fresh – adds crunch and mild sweetness to salads.

Fast cook

Slice into rounds and sauté with garlic, olive oil, and a pinch of chili flakes.

Slice into planks, dress with olive oil, salt and pepper, and do a quick sear or grill on both sides.

Slice into rounds and toss with soy sauce, sesame oil, and any other vegetables you favor. Do a quick stir-fry in a hot wok. Add chicken, tofu or shrimp for extra protein.

Classic Italian side dish – saute zucchini rounds with sliced sweet peppers, onions and garlic until tender.

Tromboncino zucchini – a classic Italian variety

Main dishes

Zucchini noodles – slice into thin ribbons or use a spiralizer. Steam lightly and then top with pesto, marinara, or peanut sauce.

Zucchini pancakes – shred and squeeze out the moisture. Mix with egg, a bit of flour or panko breadcrumbs, shredded carrots and finely chopped onion. Saute until lightly browned on both sides. Serve with sour cream and applesauce on the side.

Stuffed zucchini boats – Slice in half and scoop out the center meat, leaving about ¼ inch in the peel. Fill with cooked quinoa, tomatoes, and herbs of your choice. Top with parmesan or mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for half an hour.

And if you still have an abundance, shred it, skin and all, squeeze out the moisture and freeze in portions for soups or breads.

Light Summer Recipes: Beat the Heat

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So, who wants to cook in this heat? I work in the garden in the cool of the morning and bring in my daily harvest. But when I look at the lovelies on the kitchen counter, I find I have no energy left to cook an evening meal. So, I’ve put together some of my favorite ways to avoid heating the kitchen, meals that are quick to fix, use those exquisite fresh ingredients that are abundant right now, and taste refreshing on a hot summer day.

Pasta with tuna and tomatoes

Boil some of your favorite pasta and let it cool. Dress with store-bought or homemade pesto or your favorite vinaigrette. Toss with a can of albacore tuna, quartered cherry tomatoes and fresh Parmesan.

Roasted vegetable salad

Don’t be shy to heat the grill. Any vegetables you have on hand, like bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant, take only a few minutes to carmelize a bit in a grill basket. Toss them with fresh herbs, olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve over crisp greens or cooked quinoa.

Cold noodle salad

Prepare rice, soba or spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Let cool and toss with carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers and snow peas. Toss with a sesame-ginger dressing or peanut sauce.

Cold soups

Gazpacho and cucumber soup are perfect for hot days. Blend fresh tomatoes or cucumbers with onions, garlic, herbs, a splash of olive oil, and a splash of your favorite hot sauce (mine is sriracha). Serve with crusty bread or sprinkle with crisp croutons.

Caprese salad

Layer slices of ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Seafood Tacos

Grill fish or shrimp, add to a taco shell, and top with crunchy slaw, avocado, and a squeeze of lime.

Scents in the Garden (and fruit shortcake)

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I was walking through the garden, on a mission to get pruners from the shed, and was struck by the scent of lilies. The fragrance lifted my spirits, slowed me down and gave me an extra spring in my step to get my task done. 

I must have fragrance in my garden. Sticking my nose into a petunia with no scent is like kissing someone through a screen door. All the parts of the scene are there but not the pleasure. So I shop for petunias in the evening when they are releasing their heavenly odors and I can determine just which ones do have that velvety, cinnamon-clove essence. 

Some fragrances are happy natural occurrences, such as the damp woodsy smell that wafts over you when you walk past spruces and white pines. Then there are those scents we deliberately choose. One of my all-time favorites is Oriental lily, which carries me back to the lands of my childhood fantasies, full of knights and Arabian princesses. Sleeping in a room with Stargazer lily floating in a bowl by the bedside induces wonderful dreams.

Oriental lilies are more heavily scented at night, so one year I decided to complement their scent beneath my office window with the sweet perfume of nicotiana, also fragrant in the evening. As the softness of dusk approached, the perfumes began to drift upward, teasing my nose with their embroidered odors. As the evening wore on the combined scents became heavy, cloying and more than I could stand. I no longer felt like an Arabian princess but a nine-year-old who had wandered past the dime store perfume counter, trying every cheap scent on one wrist. I moved the nicotiana. 

I love placing scents so garden visitors turn their heads, looking for the source. We all know to bend over and sniff roses, but who knows that planting an overhead arbor with grapes makes wonderfully fragrant shade? Grape blossoms are sweetly scented, bringing spring weddings and flower girls to mind. Then when the grapes are fruiting, the ripe muskiness evokes another feeling entirely, that of the robust Tuscan countryside at harvest time. 

Memories of people, places and times are inescapably tied to fragrance, and there’s nothing as sweet as being reminded of a favorite person or a pleasant time in one’s life by a scent on the wind. Some scents may make us melancholy, but others can lift the spirits to float on the wind. Nothing makes me hungry faster than brushing rosemary when working in the herb bed. And I always smile when I detect the perfume of freesias, which my step-mom has always put by my bed when I visit. 

Fruit Shortcake

We are at the peak of summer fruit season, and nothing is so appealing as fresh fruit shortcake. Traditional shortcake is very much like a biscuit, just with a little sugar added. Use whatever fruit is in season and embellish with whipped cream, ice cream or simply a sprig of mint.

1 c. wheat pastry flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
½ t. salt
¼ t. Soda
2 T. sugar
6 T. butter
1 c. buttermilk

Blend the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter. Add buttermilk and mix lightly. Turn onto a floured board and roll out to about half an inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter or an upside-down glass and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Split and adorn with fruit.

Easy Spring Stir-Fry Recipes for Healthy Meals

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Happy Earth Day, everyone! At this time of year, the soothing green of plants and the soft spring days override the memories of a cold winter. It’s a time to be contemplative and appreciative of our earth and gardens. It’s the perfect time to recalibrate. clean out those closets, and clean up our food priorities.

It’s so much easier to pull off a healthy meal when the stress of planning and cooking is eased. So let’s put our energy into clean, simple meals that let us focus on our health. Put the heavier soups and stews away for next fall.

Let’s Stir-Fry!

One of the freshest and easiest meals to make quickly is a stir-fry. Serve a chopped salad alongside, and you have a power-packed meal. Varying the vegetables and sauce flavors i the stir-fry can make it different each time.

Do you use all of the head of broccoli? My family isn’t fond of the stems, so I roast the florets for a meal and then peel the stems (quick and easy with a carrot peeler) and grate them. Add to shredded carrot and cabbage for a delicious slaw. I like to make my dressing, but I keep commercial slaw dressing on hand to make things easier.

Best of all, the slaw mix makes a great salad and but can also make quick stir-fry if you use it before adding dressing. Simply add a bit of spinach or whatever greens you have on hand. Even a handful of frozen vegetables will add extra nutrition. Scramble an egg right in the pan for added protein, or add roasted tofu or leftover roasted chicken. Use a bottled stir-fry sauce of your choice, and serve over leftover rice or noodles.

You can certainly make stir-fry sauces yourself, but don’t be hesitant to buy bottled sauces as long as you check the ingredients carefully. Having peanut sauce, barbecue, or any flavor of Asian sauces will make pulling off a quick meal even quicker.

Stir-Fry Sauce - Kikkoman Home Cooks

Classic Stir-Fry sauce

2 T. brown sugar
3 T. soy sauce
1 t. grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ water or broth
4 T. cornstarch

Mix and let sit for half an hour. Add to vegetables when almost done.

Spicy slaw dressing

1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. fresh cilantro leaves packed
1-2 green onions
1 garlic clove
1 lime zested and juiced
1 jalapeño or serrano chile, stem removed
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Blend

Or try one of these on your chopped salad:

Creamy Avocado Dressing

1 ripe avocado, halved, seeded, and peeled
4 ounces plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Blend

Tahini Dressing

1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 lemon juiced, to taste
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic salt
pepper to taste
water as needed

Blend

Simple Vegetable Gardens

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Butter lettuce after spring rain

With the world in such a stir today, the more I can simplify my life, the better I’ll feel. Grocery prices are soaring as are restaurant prices so I’ve made a promise to myself to grow some of my family’s produce. I don’t want to complicate my life by having to manage a large vegetable garden. But many vegetables are easy to grow and can even be grown in a pot on the porch.

One of the keys to success is to grow in season. Unless you have perfect conditions, it won’t be possible to grow spinach, snow peas or bok choi in the middle of a hot summer. They are spring and fall vegetables. But you can grow kale, Swiss chard and many other Asian greens all summer.

Swiss Chard

And planting every few weeks will keep the produce coming. Bush beans grow beautifully in a pot, and planting every two or three weeks will keep them producing all summer.

Afraid that tomatoes need a lot of care – trellising, spraying, etc? There are new varieties of smaller tomato plants with “potato” type leaves that are compact and inherently quite disease-resistant. You can pick a warm, just ripened tomato from a pot on your porch.

It seems every garden store has plenty of onion sets, and planting a few every two weeks will give you scallions all summer long. Plant them in a pot with radishes and you have an instant salad.

Scallions

An herb garden of dill, arugula and cilantro will grow spectacularly in a pot. Add some basil and use them for pesto (what could be simpler and tastier than hot pasta tossed with pesto and fresh tomatoes?).

Classic Pesto

3 cloves garlic
2 c. fresh basil leaves
¼ c. nuts
1 ½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
½ cup olive oil
3 oz. Parmesan

Combine all ingredients except oil and cheese in blender or processor. Add half the oil. Process while adding other half the oil. Stir in cheese as you serve.

Kale or Swiss Chard Pesto for the freezer

3 T. toasted pecans, walnuts or pine nuts (toasting gives them a fabulous flavor that raw nuts don’t have)
7 c. greens, stems removed
¼ chopped fresh basil
2 T. lemon juice
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced (or substitute ½ cup chopped garlic scapes)
2 T. water
1 T. olive oil
¼ c. Parmesan cheese

Place ingredients through garlic in food processor – process until smooth. Slowly pour water and oil through chute with processor on until well blended. Add cheese when serving.

Make it Easy

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I’ll admit that as much as I love to cook, there are plenty of times when I’m just too exhausted to spend the energy to figure out what to cook, find a recipe and gather ingredients. But I have to eat.

I hope to provide simple recipes that avoid the tyranny of long lists of ingredients and extended prep times. Nothing is more discouraging than looking at a tasty recipe and realizing that it has 23 ingredients, many of which you’ll need to go out and buy. Five ingredients make a much less daunting proposal.

You may be an expert cook who is comfortable in the kitchen and can improvise on most recipes. But most of us are novices in some way, so my recipes are basic, with only a few ingredients. Then you can add whatever you have on hand.

Here are a few suggestions for quick meals that are as simple as possible.

–Saute whatever vegetables you have in the fridge (even lettuce) and toss into scrambled eggs with cottage cheese. My faves are shredded cabbage and leftover mashed potatoes.

–Toss chopped vegetables (tomatoes, broccoli, garlic, onions, carrots, zucchini…) with olive oil and roast in a 375 oven until tender and a bit caramelized. Season to taste (garlic powder, Italian seasoning, harissa, etc.). Add to hot pasta with parmesan.

–Open a can of black or pinto beans and add to a medium saucepan (with some of the bean liquid). Season to taste with garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and heat gently. Mash the beans and spread on tortilla chips, sprinkle with grated cheese and broil until the cheese melts. Instant nachos with extra protein. Serve with salsa, chopped tomatoes, lettuce and whatever else sounds good.

–Green beans – as soon as you get home from the market, top and tail them and cook for 5 minutes in boiling salted water. Then, when you want to eat them for dinner, blister them with minced garlic by sauteeing them in a hot pan filmed with olive oil – only 5 minutes. Serve as a side or add to cooked rice for a main dish.

–Chopped salad – make a base of finely chopped vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, sweet peppers, carrot – any vegetables that will hold up for a few days. Don’t dress until ready to eat. Add ephemeral vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes at the last minute to keep them fresh.

–Cabbage – keeps a long time so keep one on hand and you have an instant salad by slicing it thinly and dressing it with a vinaigrette.

–Carrots – also keep a long time and are delicious for snacking or lightly steamed or roasted. Mix with cooked rice for a delicious side dish.

–Fast noodles – keep ramen on hand and cook according to the package (without the flavor packet). They take about 3 minutes. Add absolutely anything to them for an instant meal. Roasted vegetables, leftover protein of any kind, cheese, scrambled egg. You can dress them with miso, soy or hoisin sauce for an Asian take. Add shredded carrots, chopped celery and shredded bok choy.

Potato Leek Soup with fresh Sorrel

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We know that fall is the traditional leek season, so I picked up a bunch at the farmers’ market this week and decided to make potato leek soup, one of my favorites. And for a riff on the traditional, I decided to give it a lemony freshness with sorrel. I realize sorrel is usually considered a spring vegetable/herb since it makes such an early appearance when we’re so hungry for fresh greens. But mine is spectacular right now. It was ravaged as usual in summer, but the new leaves are large and lush because of the fall coolness. 

The idea wasn’t an original. I took inspiration from Marian Morash in The Victory Garden Cookbook, published in 1982. Remember the PBS show The Victory Garden with James Underwood Crockett? It was a Saturday morning staple, especially because Marian Morash always cooked something directly from the garden. That show and Organic Gardening Magazine still put me in a nostalgic haze. They helped make me who I am today.  

When I couldn’t find a good recipe to use sorrel (other than my sorrel sauce for salmon), I looked to Marian’s cookbook for ideas. Here is her basic recipe, with a few tweaks of my own. I have reduced amounts to make soup for two. 

Potato Leek Soup with Sorrel

  • 2 good-sized russet potatoes
  • about ten sorrel leaves
  • 1 T. butter
  • ½ c. chopped leeks (one or two, depending on size; white parts only)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
  • Lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ c. evaporated milk or buttermilk 

Peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Wash the sorrel and remove the ribs and stems. Chop. Melt the butter and saute the leeks and garlic over gentle heat until soft. Cook the potatoes and half of the sorrel in chicken broth until the potatoes are fork-tender (about 20 minutes). Add the leeks and garlic, and puree. Return to the pan and season to taste. Stir in the remaining sorrel and milk or buttermilk and heat gently. Serve either hot or chilled. My dill is going crazy so it’s a perfect garnish. 

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Helene and Vegetable Bean Chili

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I live in Asheville. We survived and are coping. Hurricane Helene caused untold damage and suffering, with many, many houses damaged in our neighborhood by falling trees and inundating rain. But we are Asheville strong and will recover and rebuild.

Being in a situation without power, water or communication certainly makes one take stock of what is important. We scrambled for candles and lanterns, potable and flushing water, and gas to run generators. We frantically tried to cook everything in our freezer as it thawed (I am lucky to have a gas stove we could light with matches). As we handed food out to neighbors and hosted neighborhood dinners, I decided never to let my freezer get that full again. I love to put food by, but the food I lost was such a huge waste.

The community spirit certainly lives on, and our neighborhood, which came together to help each other through the last month, is having an outdoor chili supper tonight. We will all bring food, be grateful for the electricity to plug in the slow cookers, and happily drink our bottled water (no potable water available yet, and probably not for another month).

It’s to be a cool evening, perfect for chili, and there will be a myriad of chili flavors for all to sample as well as plentiful sides and delicious desserts. Most of all, it’s a chance to check in again with neighbors and friends to see just how everyone is doing.

I’m taking vegetable chili, full of vegetables, beans and most of all, tummy-warming flavor. You can put anything you like in this chili and it will keep a week in the fridge and in the freezer for three months. This recipe serves 4-6 and is easily doubled for your own neighborhood chili supper. It’s a great slow-cooker meal.

Vegetable Bean Chili

olive oil for sauteing
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can chopped green chilis
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled if you like, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. chili powder of choice (I like a combo of regular chili powder and chipotle chili powder
2 t. ground cumin
1 ½ t. smoked paprika
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, with juice
2 15 oz. cans black beans (I don’t drain and rinse – the juice adds flavor)
1 15 oz. cans pinto beans (see above)
2 c. vegetable broth or water
1 to 2 t. cider vinegar (brightens the flavor)

Garnishes: chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream, grated cheddar or jack cheese

Warm the olive oil until shimmering in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, chiles, carrot, celery and a few shakes of salt. Saute until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook until fragrant stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes and their juice, beans and broth or water. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or put into the slow cooker on medium for about three hours. At this point check for salt. If you used unsalted beans, it will definitely need salt. Before serving you can remove a third and blend it to make a thicker chili if you like. Garnish to taste.

My path in the woods before Hurricane Helene

My path after Hurricane Helene