Well, the predictions were right. Snow, snow, snow. It’s been coming down since early morning, and the worst of it is due in this afternoon.
Luckily, I went to the store last night and stocked up. It’s been awhile since I’ve made a lentil stew, and I thought this recipe might be a good choice. Now that the mint growing wildly in my garden will be dead and covered with snow in a few hours, I figured I could use at least some up while it was still fresh. Enjoy!
Happy Saturday to you 🙂 Forgive me for my inconsistent postings as of late. To say that I’ve been busy would be an understatement, but I’m grateful for your patience. Hopefully, my recent postings have helped you in some way.
I’m trying to get back on track with my Soup On Saturday posts, and today’s offering is simple, easy and tasty. I hope you’ll enjoy it, especially as the weather cools and everyone is in the mood for a nice soup.
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.
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.
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?
Hope you’re having a great start to your weekend. Today’s pasta sauce comes from Naples, and you can use either fresh or canned tomatoes.
My brother gave me a couple of earthbox containers a few years ago, and that’s where I plant my tomatoes. Although they grow a bit smaller, the tomatoes have great flavor and I’ve been harvesting for about three weeks now. I had to supplement my crop with some from my local Farmer’s Market for this recipe, but I’m sure we’ll enjoy every drop of this tasty sauce.
I had to go to the nearby town of Emmitsburg yesterday, and whenever I’m in that area, I always try and stop by the Catoctin Mountain Orchard. They have some of the best local produce around, and I picked up some great stuff yesterday, including a quart of fresh English peas.
I had wanted to make a pasta dish for some friends, and seeing the peas, I remembered I had a recipe for Pasta Piselli, a classic Italian favorite. This is a simple dish, and the ingredients are few: Fresh peas, tomatoes, herbs and onions. That’s about it. If you can’t find fresh peas, frozen are o.k. But try and find fresh.
It’s funny how things work. The hot weather has just about cooked my basil plants and they are looking a bit sad, but the heat is helping my tomato plants thrive. I guess I’ll have to go out and get a couple of more basil plants, since we’re nowhere near August, when Maryland tomatoes are at their peak.
I’m thinking the tomatoes I used for this recipe came up from Florida. They’re good, but Maryland tomatoes are better. 🙂
This is a very easy recipe to prepare. Serve it up with a baguette and salad, and you’ll have a terrific summer meal.
I was sitting in an outdoor cafe in Florence the first time I had Panzanella. The main component of this frugal Tuscan dish is stale bread.
Teamed up with tomatoes, onion, cucumber, and basil, mixed together in a vinaigrette, the dish sings.
Now that things are getting hot and humid, this recipe makes for a terrific light lunch or dinner. Serve it up with a Pinot Grigio or some other light white, preferably from the same region of Italy where this bread salad is a lunch/dinner-time staple.
OK, friends, it’s about 100 degrees where I am today, and it’s just too darn hot to think about making soup. So, as we move into the summer months, Soup on Saturdays may sometimes have something other than soup. Forgive me in advance, but I don’t want to change the catchy page title. 🙂
Just a reminder, lentils are highly nutritional, and you get the added benefit of a healthy dose of vegetarian protein.