Sunchoke and Sausage Soup

I adapted this recipe from one I found on multiple internet sites. I'm not sure who to credit. I saw one post that claimed the soup was an attempt to copy a dish served at Vermillion Restaurant in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

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Sunchoke and Sausage Soup

Serves 6

4 slices bacon, diced (it can be pork or turkey bacon)

1 pd sausage, turkey or Italian (if you have links, remove the sausage from the casings)

1 pd sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) peeled, halved and cut into 1/2-in slices

6 small white potatoes, peeled and halved 

3 stalks celery, diced

1/2 large onion

1 leek, white and light green parts, chopped

3 c fresh spinach or swiss chard, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 c chopped parsley

2 T chopped fresh basil

2 T chopped fresh oregano

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1/4-1/2 teas sweet paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 c water

Cook the bacon and sausage, onion, celery, leek in a large saucepan or Dutch oven until the bacon and sausage are browned and the onion and celery are softened. Add the sunchokes and potatoes and pour in the stock. Stir in the parsley, basil, oregano, cayenne, paprika, and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, covered. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook slowly for 30 minutes.

Put the flour and the water in a small bowl or container and stir vigorously until no lumps remain. Pour into the soup and continue simmering, covered for 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach (or chard) and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until the broth is thickened and the greens have wilted. 

Notes:

I harvest sunchokes when garden herbs have frozen. I have used dried oregano and basil as a substitute and it is still good. 

Consider brightening with lemon juice or a bit of wine vinegar.

Chicken with Black-eyed Peas and Cherry Tomatoes

As we approach the end of summer, my garden-based meals start to reflect heartiness often found in fall and winter dishes. I credit the harvest of my black-eyed peas. This recipe is one that can be enjoyed all year round. 

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Chicken with Black-eyed Peas and Cherry Tomatoes

Source: Christian Science Monitor which adapted a Bon Appétit recipe for sausage
Serves 6-8

4 pieces bacon, cut in quarter inch slices

8 bone-in chicken pieces (if using breasts, cut them in half)
salt and pepper
1 rounded teas dried thyme, divided (or 1 T fresh thyme)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c dry white wine
1 11-oz or 12-oz frozen shelled black eyed peas, thawed (about 2 cups)
8 oz fresh green beans, trimmed
8-10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved if large

Place the bacon into a nonstick skillet or saute pan and cook until the fat is rendered and it is as crisp as you like. Using a slotted spoon remove the bacon and hold until later.

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and half of the dried thyme. (If you're using fresh thyme don't add it at this point.) Place the chicken in the pan and cook over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on both sides. Move chicken to a plate or half sheet pan. Remove some of the bacon fat leaving a couple of tablespoons in the pan. 

Cook the onion slices until translucent. Add the garlic and the rest of the dried thyme and cook about 1 minute, until fragrant. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil and add the broth. Stir in the black-eyed peas until combined.

Return the chicken pieces to the pan as well as the juices that accumulated while set aside. Reduce the heat and cover the pan and cook until the black-eyed peas are beginning to become tender, around 15-20 minutes. Stir in the green beans and cook for about 5 minutes more. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until heated about 5 more minutes. The tomatoes should begin to split and the broth should be thickening, If you are using fresh thyme, now is the time to add it. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper if necessary.

While the black-eyed peas and vegetables are cooking, it's a good idea to check the temperature of the chicken pieces. With a probe thermometer make sure the breast pieces are at 165F and the thighs and legs are at 175F. If the chicken reaches the target temperatures, remove and set on a plate while everything else cooks. Replace in the pan and warm the chicken before serving with the chicken placed on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle the reserved bacon over all. 

Serve the chicken on top of the vegetables and black-eyed peas.

Notes: 

You can shell your own black-eyed peas in season if you wish. Aim for about 2 cups of fresh shell peas.

If you prefer to skip the wine, increase the broth to 3 cups and just before serving the dish stir in a couple of tablespoons of white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar.

If you are cooking this when available green beans are substandard, I think you could experiment with subbing other vegetables, such as halved brussels sprouts (although you might need a larger pan since they don't have the slim lines of a green bean). 

Pork Chops with Salted Plums

One of the best things about summer is having fruits with meat. This summer has been more challenging for getting fruits and sometimes what I get is less that the best. This recipe is a good one for plums that come from a grocery store instead of a market or a backyard.

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Pork Chops with Salted Plums

Source:  Alison Roman in New York Times Cooking

Serves 4

Since I'm currently not going to my regular butcher and instead take what I get in a curbside pickup, I learned this recipe works with a thinner pork chop, too. I didn't brine the thinner chops but I was careful not to overcook them--I had to ignore timing recommendations. Thin chops might benefit from a brine, especially if you keep the salt and fish sauce lower in the plums. I did not slice these chops but served them whole.

2 bone-in thick pork chops (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick, about 1 1/2 pounds in weight)

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pd medium  slightly under-ripe plums, pitted and sliced

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 c unseasoned rice wine vinegar or fresh lime juice, plus more, if needed

1/2 teas fish sauce (optional, but tasty)

1 T vegetable oil

1 c fresh mint leaves

olive oil, for drizzling

Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place the plums and onion slices in a bowl and toss with the vinegar and fish sauce. Add a bit of salt and pepper and taste a plum. It should taste tangy and salty. If it doesn't, add more vinegar and salt. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the pork chops when hot and cook. Keep the chops in place for 4-6 minutes and don't move until well browned. Flip the chops and continue to cook until this side is browned about 3-5 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer you may want to use it here. I found that these recommended times resulted in quite pink meat. USDA and the National Pork Board recommend cooking to 145F in addition to a 3-minute rest. 

Remove from heat and place the chops on a cutting board. Allow them to rest while you briefly cook the plum and onions in the same skillet. Toss the mix and try to scrape up the fond and cook only long enough to wilt the onion. 

The author of this recipe instructs cooks to slice thick pork chops and serve with the plum mixture, topping the pork slices with the mint and drizzling with olive oil just before serving. This works tolerably well with very thick pork chop but it leaves the bone and bits of the chop languishing on the cutting board. But, as I mentioned above, thinner chops can be substituted. 

Peach Cobbler with Hot Sugar Crust

This recipe uses a technique which was new to me, except in hot pudding cakes. On first glance it appears it won't work. But this cobbler sports a lovely, crisp topping.

Unless you are serving a large group, I recommend you half this recipe and bake in an 8X8 pan. The cobbler is best right after baking and for a day or two afterwards; any longer and the topping will lose its crunch.

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Peach Cobbler with Hot Sugar Crust

No modifications were made for altitude and it turned out great.

Adapted from Food52.com
Serves 10 or more

10 large ripe peaches (about 4 1/2 pds), pitted but not peeled and cut into chunks about an inch in size
1 large lemon
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
2 c sugar, divided
1 1/2 c AP flour
2 teas baking powder
1 teas kosher salt (or 1/2 teas table salt)
3/4 c whole milk
1/2 c hot water
Heavy cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350F with a rack in the middle

Place the peaches in a buttered 9X13 baking dish. Using a microplane, zest the lemon evenly over the fruit. Squeeze the lemon and drizzle 1/4 cup of the juice over the fruit as well.

Cream the butter and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar on medium for a minute or so, until it is creamy but sandy. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt, and on medium speed, beat until incorporated and all is crumbly (30 seconds or more). Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Slowly pour in the milk while the mixer is on low speed. Beat a couple of minutes until the batter is light and fluffy.

Use a large spoon or the rubber spatula to drop 6 large portions of the mix over the peaches. (Make sure you get all the batter.) Carefully spread the batter with an offset spatula so that all the fruit is covered. Try to spread it evenly so that it is all about 1/2 inch thick overall.

Take the remaining half cup of sugar and sprinkle it evenly over the batter. In a small stream, drizzle the sugar topped batter with the hot water which will melt the sugar.

Place the pan on top of a large baking sheet and place both in the oven. Bake the cobbler until the top is crackly and golden brown, about 70-80 minutes. Use a toothpick to test; it will come out clean or with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Check in several spots.

Allow the cobbler to cool for about 30 minutes. Serve it warm with the cream poured over the top. If you have leftovers, cover and refrigerate.

One-pot Black-eyed Pea and Sausage Soup with Kale

I'm a fan of black-eyed peas and have them in the shell stage in my freezer most of the time. I've not cooked this recipe using the dried legume but I trust the source of this recipe.

Black-eyed peas are delicious with pork and with greens. This soup would be great with any green but spinach (unless you add it at the last minute) so if you don't have kale you can use chard or collard greens. Chard will take less time to cook than kale so add it later.

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One-pot Black-eyed Pea and Sausage Soup with Kale

Adapted from: seriouseats.com
Serves: 6

1 T oil, olive or vegetable
12 oz andouille sausage, cut into quarter inch slices (or another sausage if this is too hot)
6 oz salt pork or slab bacon (or regular if that's what you have) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large leek,white and pale green parts only, cleaned and finely chopped (about 1 1/2 c)
1 large onion, finely diced (about 1 1/2 c)
2 ribs celery, finely diced (about 1 c)
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 c)
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional or to taste)
1/2 teas red pepper flakes (optional, depending on spiciness of sausage)
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (or minced in a garlic press, if you're in a hurry)
1 pd dried black-eyed peas
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
chopped parsley, as a garnish, (optional)

In a Dutch oven heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in sausage and salt pork and cook until browned. Add leeks, onion, celery, green pepper, jalapeno (if using), red pepper flakes, and garlic. Cook about 10 minutes, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the Dutch oven.

Add the black-eyed peas, chicken broth, and bay leaves and a bit of salt and pepper (you can add more later--remember the sausage, salt pork, and broth are all salted). Cover the black-eyed peas with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat but keep simmering until the black-eyed peas are tender, 45-75 minutes. This will depend on the size of the peas and their age. When the peas are getting close (try one--you should have some resistance but nothing hard) add the kale and cover until it has wilted--you might have to do this in batches. Cook until the kale is tender and the black-eyed peas are done.

Stir in the vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. This can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.

If you use black-eyed peas in the shell stage, they will only need 35-45 minutes of cooking so you may want to add the kale a little sooner. 

Tomatoes, Finally

I've battled with leaf hoppers, thrips, and hornworms, plus a disease or two, all of which delayed the harvest but finally we have more tomatoes than we can eat. I'm in heaven!

Help: Bumper Crop of Green Peppers!

Harvest season is on, in my neck of the woods. Here's what a typical picking of my garden (every other day) looks like, except that this was over a week ago and now I have more beans and tomatoes:

What this doesn't show, however, is my bumper crop of these beauties:

My fridge is filling up with green peppers, and I don't know what to do with them. I have chopped some up and frozen them, but I think I've only got one recipe that calls for them. Friends, I need your help. What should I do with my green peppers? What do you do with green peppers?

September 15 Bouquet

We had a late freeze in the spring, so our peach crop was much smaller than last year's, at least in number.

We had four of these big beauties, with about 10 smaller peaches. And the smaller fruits have teeny pits, not much bigger than a dime.

August 18 Purple Bouquet

Almost everything I picked today was purple except for a handful of sungold cherry tomatoes and a lemon cucumber none of which made it to the basket. I'll admit I graze when I harvest.

August 12 Garden Bouquet

Caprese pasta tonight, BLTs later this week...

July 31 Harvest, sort of

Even though I didn't "plant" this butterfly, I have nurtured beds of dill and fennel and kept watch while multiple striped caterpillars chewed on the herbs knowing that this is where they were headed. This morning I found this beauty under my picnic table.

Magic

July 14 Harvest

 

Yesterday we harvested 3 frames from our beehive and now we have 12 more pounds of honey. Even though I understand the science behind the process of honey production, it still seems like magic to me. It is one of the great wonders of the natural world.

July 11 Garden Bouquet--Squash

Today's garden bouquet of squash includes two zucchinis on the left, two yellow squash on the right, and four hybrids. The three light green ones look and taste like a hybrid of zucchini and yellow squash. The yellow squash on top looks like a hybrid of acorn squash and yellow squash, but I haven't opened it yet, so we'll see...

July 10 Garden Bouquet

This is the last of the garlic harvest of over 300 heads. Harvesting garlic is a pleasant job because of how good it smells.

The garlic on the right weighed 6 3/4 ounces and its circumference was 8 1/2 inches. It is among the largest I grew this year.

June 9 Bouquet--First Harvest of Garlic

Can you believe how pink this is?

Today's Garden Bouquets

Garlic scapes are one of the best things about early summer and they come when last years garlic harvest is long gone, so they are very welcome!

 

 

Here's a lettuce posy which I think is as pretty as one made of flowers. Notice the tiny head forming. It's only about 1 inch across.