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Monday, April 4, 2011

Still Not Spring

Friends, this is what I saw when I pulled up the weather today:

Yuck. It feels like spring is never going to come. There is nothing to do but to make bread from scratch, look longingly at your flip flops, and make tons of soup. Tonight after I got home from class I made a recipe that I bookmarked last week - Swiss Chard and Chickpea Minestrone. I mostly followed the recipe but left out some ingredients I didn't have. Instead of making a bouquet garni (seriously?) with a parmesan rind and bay leaf I added a bunch of penzey's spices and used vegetable stock. I also substituted the tomato paste for a can of diced tomatoes. The soup was warming and the flavors all worked well together. Adding chard or kale to soups like this is one of my favorite texture tricks. Also since they get wilted it is a great way to add dark leafy greens to your diet.

2 comments:

  1. That looks good! I have textural issues with chickpeas...maybe I need to give them another chance.
    P.S. I made grandma's clover rolls from scratch the other day (lots of rising and kneading involved) everything was going well, until I forgot to set the timer and "weekended" them (weekend=burn, as in Weekend at Bernies). So very sad...

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  2. I have never been a huge fan of chickpea either except when unrecognizable (e.g. hummus or falafel). They also seemed too mealy to me. They get very soft from cooking in the soup here so I didn't mind them. I'm sure you could use white or kidney if you prefer.

    Sad sad story about the clover rolls. Ruining bread is the worst since you put so much time into it!

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