Soups and Stews
On that cold and rainy day in California last week, my mom was in the mood for soup. After searching through some magazines and cookbooks, I came across this recipe.
Since mom had some tomato puree in her freezer, the remnant of a bumper crop, I wanted to whip up something that would highlight tomatoes. This did the trick, and I’m sure you’re going to enjoy it.
I had the chance to take my mom to a Farmer’s Market today. It was just a small one in a downtown location, but it was nice to look around and see what was on their tables.
Only one vendor had asparagus, and remembering that I had just seen a recipe in one of mom’s magazines, I picked up a couple of bunches.
I don’t know about you, but I love roasted asparagus, cooked with just a little olive oil and sea salt sprinkled on top. Cooking the spears in that way, and then pouring this wonderful sauce on top would be a great combo. It was. I hope you enjoy 🙂
Friday was an interesting day. In the afternoon, I went to a funeral home for the viewing of a gentleman who died in our parish.
Something happened while he was participating in a triathlon, and he died. By all appearances, he was in top shape. He left a wonderful wife and a young son. Just tragic. I pray that the angels led him to paradise, the martyrs greeting him on the way to the heavenly Jerusalem.
As I was driving home, I was really thinking. This man was younger than me, in better shape than me, and yet he was dead. I thought back to my recognition of my own health issues a few years back, and I was very grateful that I made the changes I did. Of course, I need to do a lot more, and it’s hard to stay in maintenance mode. But, you have to take care of yourself, body, mind, and spirit.
The weather is starting to get colder, and today is a combo of cold and rain. Summer has left us too soon 🙁
Today’s soup is pretty simple, and if you’re looking for something that is hardy and will warm you up, give it a try.
I used a small bag of frozen cheese ravioli, and they were perfect.
Quite some time ago, I posted another recipe for Tomato and Bread Soup, but with all the wonderful tomatoes ripe for the eating, I thought I’d give you an even easier recipe, this one dating back centuries. Pure Tuscany. 🙂
Right now, we’re awaiting Hurricane Irene. The clouds are low and heavy outside my window, and its pretty breezy. The main part of the storm will come later tonight. So, my rationale for making this soup, which is more like a porridge, is that you don’t have to heat it. You can serve it room temperature. If I loose power, I’m not going to go hungry. With this stick to your ribs recipe, I’ll be set. I hope you’ll give it a try, even if it’s a beautiful day in your neighborhood.
With the super-abundance of fresh tomatoes and other veggies right now, there’s no better way to blend them all together than by making a delicious gazpacho.
Although the recipe has a lot of ingredients and may seem complicated, it really isn’t. Be sure to chill the soup well before serving. 🙂
My mom called me the other day, enthused about her super abundance of tomatoes. She wanted to start making sauce, and lot’s of it 🙂
The Pomarola Sauce from a couple of weeks ago hailed from Naples. Today’s recipe is a Tuscan classic. In Tuscany, the rule of thumb is is combine only necessary ingredients, of the highest quality, and in perfect proportions, in order to produce the very best results.
Given the fact that this recipe only has three ingredients, I think you’ll have the chance to taste a bit Tuscany, and how could that not be a good thing?
Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who grew up in the castle depicted to the left. Because he was born and raised in the Basque country of Spain, where Loyola castle is located, I thought it would be fun to find an appropriate recipe to share with you this Saturday. So, in honor of St. Ignatius, I hope you’ll try this hearty vegetarian paella, which can be easily adapted to include chicken and shrimp.
I was out for a hike at the Nature Center near my house the other day. Many of the trails there border acres and acres of corn, and it’s been pretty cool to watch those stocks grow from week to week.
I don’t know where I heard it, but there’s an old saying that, in these parts, a farmer is happy when the corn is knee-high by the fourth of July. The farmers must be very content this year 🙂
Unfortunately, most of the corn grown in my community is feed corn, not meant for us humans. Luckily, some farmers grow delicious corn for us, and my next door neighbor always tells me that the tastiest comes from Old Mrs. Leister, just off Route 27. That sounds far away, but in reality, it’s less than 10 minutes from my house. Yes, her corn is wonderfully sweet. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this healthy recipe, no matter where you get your corn 🙂
So, are you one of the lucky one’s who presently have zucchini coming out their ears? Zucchini are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, and they are prolific at this time. If you aren’t growing them yourself, don’t worry. They are in abundance at a farmer’s market near you 🙂
This easy recipe is sure to please. Just a few ingredients and simple steps make short work of turning a fair amount of zucchini into a tasty appetizer.