The calendar says we are 4 weeks into Springtime, doesn’t it?
It’s time to lighten up the meals – beginning to move away from months of braising and roasting, isn’t it? My first instinct is to lighten up lunch and I often like to do this with soup. As long as my soup has some protein in it, I am ok. Often I look toward adding a little bit of shredded chicken, roasted å la Ina Garten – bone-in breasts roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper or, if I’m feeling a little bit more extravagant I will add some lump crabmeat. But more often it’s beans, and particularly Garbanzo beans work well.
Does anyone not remember eating those well, forgettable, Mixed Vegetables when you were a kid? They were either frozen or in a can and contained Lima Beans. I personally like Lima Beans but I know a lot of people who hate them and they have pretty much gone out of favor. Maybe you were lucky enough to escape these typical “convenience food” menu items from childhood – our mother’s idea of getting us to eat a mélange of vegetables in one sitting. Well, I wasn’t lucky enough to escape these and yet, the idea still works well – only with fresh.
I have been craving Ellie Krieger’s Autumn Vegetable soup for a few days. Plus, I have been dying to try out my new Mauviel stock pot! (Does anyone else LOVE pots and pans? I do and my family thinks I’m nuts. Everytime we are in NY we have to go to the Broadway Panhandler and look at the very same merchandise over and over. Oh well!)
Today, I came back from a meeting and didn’t feel like continuing onto the grocery store to get the Kale and Butternut squash that was needed for Ellie’s actual recipe. And so, I made up a new version which bridges the gap between Winter and Springtime vegetable selections. I had onions, carrots and sweet potatoes from the Winter repertoire and Spinach and Asparagus from the Spring! I figured since the weather can’t make up its mind what season we are in and seems to be straddling back and forth, I would too. What was that cold wind on Wednesday and Thursday? When I drove by my local farm stand (Wightman’s) last night, they had brought in all their plants in what I guess was an anticipated possible frost. And, my heat kicked on this morning – set at 60!
Here is my adaptation of Ellie’s recipe. I am calling it Mixed Medley Winter/Spring Vegetable Soup – I’m having it for lunch outside as we speak…..
yummy and satisfying
MIXED MEDLEY WINTER/SPRING VEGETABLE SOUP – adapted from Ellie Krieger
1 large onion chopped
2 tblsp (or enough to coat bottom of pan) extra virgin olive oil
5 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, cubed
1 lb fresh asparagus, cut in 1″ pieces,
1 bag baby spinach
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes,
4 cups low sodium chicken broth,
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 tsp allspice,
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt (more to taste)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas)
In a large stockpot, sauté the onions and carrots over medium heat for 6 minutes or until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and cook another 2 minutes. Add the allspice, cayenne and 1 tsp salt, and the black pepper. Mix in. Add the asparagus and cook 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, covered for 10 minutes . Add the spinach and garbanzo beans. Adjust seasonings. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs. Sprinkle top with parmesan if desired, and enjoy.
Of course you can make this quick and easy soup with just about any vegetables you’d like. I used as my guide some orange, a green leafy suitable for soup and just about any other fresh veggies you have in the house. The Garbanzo beans, of course, bring in some protein, so it is a balanced and hearty lunch.
Have fun and enjoy this glorious day!
beautiful shot from the front yard yesterday morning!
🙂 Thought for the day: if you get signals for what roads to take in life, don’t mindlessly drive right by their exits on the freeway!