Creamy Asparagus Soup

Here's another recipe from the archives while I'm on vacation. Enjoy! ~Elise

Spring here means strawberries and rhubarb, sweet peas and asparagus, and dreams of the summer bounty to come. Asparagus are everywhere, big, fat, and fresh. And yes, although we can get them all year round, I'm especially happy to eat them in Spring. Not only are they likely to have been grown in the same Hemisphere, and could even be local, their very abundance signals the renewal of the season and a good-bye to Winter. Here is a fresh and easy asparagus soup recipe, a perfect excuse to buy more than one bunch.

Creamy Asparagus Soup Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes

Add to shopping list

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs asparagus, trimmed of woody stem bottoms
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped)
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp dry vermouth
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

METHOD

1 Cut tips from the asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish. Chop the remaining asparagus stalks into 1/4-inch rounds.

2 Melt the butter in a 4 to 5 quart pot on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped asparagus (not the spear tips) to the onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cook another 5 minutes.

3 Add the broth, water, and thyme to the pot. Increase the heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, until the asparagus are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. At the end of cooking, stir in the chopped parsley.

4 While the soup is cooking, blanche the asparagus tips in a small pot of boiling, salted water (about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water), until the tips are just tender, about 2-4 minutes, depending on the size of the asparagus. Drain. Rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

5 Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. (If you use an upright blender, work in small batches, fill no more than a third the blender bowl at a time, and hold down the lid while blending.) For a creamy texture, if you want, press the puréed soup through a sieve or food mill. Stir in the cream. Stir in the vermouth and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with asparagus tips. 

Yield: Serves 4-6.

Beef Kebabs

How is it that two people can remember things so differently? If you ask my mother she'll say she's only made beef kebabs a couple times in her life. If you ask me, one of my favorite childhood memories is my mother's kebabs, cooked over the little cast iron hibachi grill my parents had on the back porch. My most vivid memory of them was the time I was recovering from pneumonia, hadn't eaten anything for 3 weeks, and was allowed for the first time to sip some broth. And sip I did while the rest of the family ate beautiful, smoky, meaty, hearty, beefy kebabs. It. Was. So. Unfair. I can still smell them now. There was nothing I wanted more in the world at that moment than those kebabs. Sigh.

Funny, the emotional ties we can have with food, isn't it?

I love, really truly love beef kebabs. Why? They're fun, they're on a stick. You can make your own, just they way you want them (lots of mushrooms please). If you've marinated the meat properly (several hours or preferably overnight), they're the most juicy wonderful morsels you could possibly eat.

A few tips that will help ensure your kebabs turn out well. Marinate the meat, the longer the better. Use double skewers to make them easier to turn. Use bamboo or wooden skewers so that the inside of the steak pieces stay nice and pink. Keep a little space between the items (more space than shown in the photo above, I sort of forgot that part when I did the batch pictured), so that the food grills versus steams. And most important, keep an eye on them! Do a finger test for doneness, or if the grill is too hot, tap the meat with the end of your tongs to see how much its giving. The meat and veggies will continue to cook a little once you've taken them off the grill and they are resting, so keep that in mind.

Beef Kebabs Recipe

• Prep time: 45 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes

Using bamboo or wooden skewers instead of metal will help keep the steak from getting overcooked on the inside. Metal transfers heat, so is useful to use for chicken, or a meat that you want to cook all the way through, but not so useful for steak that you want done rare or medium rare.

Add to shopping list

INGREDIENTS

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Kebab Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs top sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large bell pepper
• 1-2 medium red onions
• 1/2 to a pound button mushrooms

• About 20 bamboo or wooden skewers

METHOD

1 Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and add the meat. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours or even overnight. (Heck, I've kept the meat marinating for a couple days, still great.)

2 Soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. This will help prevent them from completely burning up on the grill.

3 Cut the vegetables into chunks roughly the width of the beef pieces. Taking care not to poke yourself, thread the meat and vegetables onto double bamboo skewers. One way to do this safely is to put the piece that you are trying to pierce on a cutting board, and then push the skewers through the piece to the board. Using double skewers will help you turn the kebabs on the grill. If you keep a little space between the pieces, they will grill more evenly. Paint the kebabs with some of the remaining marinade.

3 Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is, and how done you would like your meat, turning occasionally. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6.

Grilled Oysters

One of my favorite ways to eat oysters (especially those strongly flavored big ones) is grilled. Guest author Jaden shares a personal lesson from the Shuckmeister on how to do it. Enjoy! ~Elise

Even though I live all the way on the other side of the country, I think I see Elise more often than I see some of my neighbors. Just this year alone, we've been to Seattle, Chicago, Bahamas and twice to San Francisco! Since I talk in my sleep and Elise sings in her sleep, we make excellent traveling companions. I just feel sorry for any hotel guests who share adjoining walls with us!

On our last trip to San Francisco, we participated in the Foodbuzz Festival. The first night was sort of like a street food party, where the best of the best San Francisco street food carts came and camped out right in front of the Ferry Building. About 200 hungry hungry hippos (i.e. food bloggers) came to enjoy the pulled pork sandwiches, thin-crusted pizzas, local beers and oysters. Oh oysters galore! Hog Island Oyster Company brought hundreds of Kumamoto Oysters and Small Sweetwater Oysters! Their "shuckmeister" shucked and served...Elise and I slurped and swooned.

We got to talking with the Shuckmeister (forgot his name) about grilled oysters, a popular way to enjoy oysters in the SF Bay Area, especially in Tomales Bay.

There are several ways you can make their grilled oysters - it all depends on your ability to shuck a raw oyster (Shuckmeister made it look really easy...but it takes a ton of practice) and how big your oysters are. I'll give you all of the options!

Grilled Oysters Recipe

I know for sure that Hog Island doesn't put their oysters on a bed of rice! But the rice helps steady the oysters and prevents the flavorful sauce and juices from spilling. Of course, I only used rice because I didn't have any rock salt in the house. You can use either, or if you're able to balance the oysters on the grill grates, go for it!

Add to shopping list

INGREDIENTS

Makes 16 oysters

• 16 whole live oysters
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes (or substitute with dashes of Tabasco)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon finely minced parsley

METHOD

Heat a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the butter. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, chili pepper flakes, salt, pepper and parsley. Turn off heat.

How to grill oysters
If you can find large, fat oysters, you can place the oysters directly on the grill grates. It's best to wear long, sturdy BBQ gloves so you can handle the oysters by hand instead of using tongs, spoons or spatula. However, if the oysters are small and flat, you'll run the risk of spilling its valuable, flavorful juices as well as the garlic-butter sauce. You can do what I've done, which is to place the oysters on a bed of rock salt or rice in a small pan -- and then placing the entire pan inside the grill or under a broiler. This steadies the oysters and prevents them from wobbling.

If you are a shuckmeister
Shuck the oysters, spoon a little sauce in each oyster. Place oysters on a very hot, preheated grill, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the edges of oysters curl slightly.

If you can't shuck
Place the oysters, cup side up on a very hot, preheated grill, cover and cook for 1 minute. The oysters should now be slightly open. Quickly remove the oysters. Hold an oyster with an oven mitt and use a shucking knife (or a clean screwdriver if you don't have one) to pry open the oyster. It should easily open. Spoon sauce into each oyster and return oysters to the grill. Cover and grill 4-5 minutes.

Bacon-wrapped Pork Roast

An easy way to dress up a simple pork roast is to wrap it in bacon. The bacon fat brings extra juiciness and flavor to the roast.

Bacon-wrapped Pork Roast Recipe

Add to shopping list

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pork loin (1 1/2 pounds)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 lb bacon, thinly sliced
• 1 cup white wine

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Pat pork roast dry with paper towels. Season pork roast with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Sear pork on all sides until browned, about 10 minutes total. Remove from heat.

2 Rub pork with chopped rosemary; wrap with bacon, overlapping strips slightly. Tie pork roast wih kitchen string.

3 Roast in oven, basting occasionally with cooking juices, until internal temperature is 145°F on a meat thermometer, 35 o 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Transfer pork to a serving dish.

4 Make pan sauce. Place the roasting skillet on the stove top over low heat. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrap up any browned bits from the pan bottom. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Skim off the fat. Reheat to serving temperature if necessary.

Yield: Serves 4.

Asparagus

Selland's market-cafe in Sacramento is an uncommonly good café and often a source of inspiration for foods to prepare. Recently I had some of their asparagus and loved the texture - slightly crunchy (definitely not mushy!) - and the hint of lemon flavor along with the olive oil and Parmesan. Upon inquiry I was told that the asparagus had indeed been parboiled for 2 minutes and then tossed with Parmesan, olive oil, and some lemon zest. So easy!

Asparagus Recipe

• Cook time: 10 minutes

Add to shopping list

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch of medium sized asparagus, about 1 lb
• 2 Tbsp of the most exquisite extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest - freshly grated lemon rind
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1 Prepare the asparagus by rinsing them thoroughly, break off any tough, white bottoms and discard. Cut into 1 to 2 inch sections, slicing the asparagus at a slight diagonal.

2 Fill a medium sized saucepan half way with water, bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly to a simmer. Parboil the asparagus for exactly 2 minutes. Drain the hot water. While the asparagus are still hot, toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon rind. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temperature.

Note that when you are working with so few ingredients, it's important to make sure they are of the highest quality.

Yield: Serves 4.

Eggs Nested in Sautéed Chard and Mushrooms

This is my lazy girl's lunch. Lazy, because even when I've eaten every last pickle in the fridge, I can usually find a few fresh eggs, a couple mushrooms, and half an onion there. Lazy, because when I can't be bothered to go to the store, I have to look for what I can scrounge in the garden, and the only things thriving in my garden bed at the moment (early March) are parsley and chard. And who wants to eat a big plate of sautéed parsley?

Beautiful, happy, survived-with-winter, about-to-be-eaten Swiss chard

Now that I think about it, this dish could also be considered a lazy girl's dish because it's really easy to make, and only uses one pan, preferably one with a stick-free coating (meaning that it takes less than a minute to clean up.)

But the real reason I love this dish? Because it tastes so good. Fresh Swiss chard is probably the most delightful leafy green you can eat. Tender, not bitter, almost sweet in fact, and I'm convinced it's got built-in seasoning. You just don't need to add much salt to chard. Top it with a runny egg and the egg yolk creates a luscious dipping sauce for the chard. The mushrooms are just there for fun. I love mushrooms with eggs, and shiitakes pack a lot of flavor, so you only need a couple.

Eat your greens!

Eggs Nested in Sautéed Chard and Mushrooms Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes

Shiitakes are highly flavorful mushrooms, and will really make this dish special if you use them, though you can use just about any mushroom. You can also skip the fresh mushrooms and sprinkle the eggs with truffle salt.

Add to shopping list

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 pound of fresh chard
• 2-3 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 eggs

METHOD

1 Cut out the thick, tough center ribs of the chard leaves. Chop the ribs into 1/2 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Add the chopped onions and mushrooms to the bowl. Cut the remaining chard leaves crosswise into 1-inch ribbons, set aside.

2 Heat the olive oil in a large, stick-free sauté pan (with cover) on medium high heat. Add the onions, chard ribs, and mushrooms. Sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are a little brown on the edges and have started to give up their moisture.

3 Add the green sliced chard leaves to the sauté pan. Use tongs to turn the leaves over in the pan so that the leaves get coated with some of the olive oil and the onions and mushrooms are well mixed in with the leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4 Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Crack one or two fresh eggs in the center of the pan, over the chard mushroom mixture. Lower the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, checking after 3 minutes. When the whites are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and use a spatula to gently transfer the eggs and chard to a plate to serve.

Serve immediately. Cut into the egg yolks so that the runny yolks run over the chard and mushrooms and form something of a sauce.

Yield: Serves 1.

Broccoli, Chicken, and Almond Sauté

One of the things I love about cooking is how some ingredients, tossed together on a whim, can turn out unexpectedly well. Like two people meeting for the first time, instantly recognizing they will be friends forever (has that ever happened to you?) Dear broccoli, meet toasted almond, and her friends grilled chicken, sesame oil, and red chili flakes. You are all going to get along swimmingly.

This was one of those what-can-we-put-together-for-dinner-with-what-we-have-on-hand meals that was a surprising success. We almost always have broccoli in the fridge, because it keeps well, and I could eat it practically every day without tiring of it. Toasted almonds are another well-loved pantry item—great for snacking, and good for you too. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are usually not my favorite (give me bone-in, skin-on thighs any day), but they are wonderfully convenient when you want a quick meal. No fuss.

The big "ah hah" with this dish? Broccoli and toasted almonds are meant for each other. With a little sesame oil and chili flakes, you don't even need the chicken, so feel free to skip it if you want to go meatless with this one. But, it's great with the chicken too.

Broccoli, Chicken, and Almond Sauté Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes

The amounts are estimates, adjust to your taste.

Add to shopping list

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 lb to 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt
• Olive oil
• Your favorite spice rub for grilling (optional)
• 1 lb broccoli florets
• 1/4 teaspoon chile flakes (more to taste)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1 Put a 2 quart pot of salted water (about 1 Tbsp of salt) on to boil. While the water is heating, start the chicken cooking in the next step.

2 Place the chicken breasts in a bowl and sprinkle seasoning on all sides. Use at a minimum some salt. Or if you have a favorite spice rub, you can use that too. Heat a grill pan, or prepare a grill, for high, direct heat. (If you don't have a grill pan or grill, use a cast iron skillet, and only season the chicken with salt.) Rub some olive oil all over the chicken breasts. Grill the breasts for a few minutes on each side to get some nice char marks, then lower the temperature to low and leave on the grill until the breasts are just almost cooked through. They'll cook a little longer in the sauté pan, so they can still be a little pink in the middle at this point. Remove from pan or grill, set aside for a minute, then thinly slice.

3 Once the chicken has cooked and the water is boiling, add the broccoli florets to the salted boiling water. Allow the water to come back to a boil, and once boiling again, let cook for about 1 minute. Drain.

4 Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan on high heat. Add the red chili flakes. Once the red chili flakes are sizzling, add the broccoli florets, sliced grilled chicken, and toasted almonds. Drizzle dark sesame oil over the broccoli and chicken, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss and cook until all of the chicken pieces are no longer at all pink in the center, a minute or two.

Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 4.