Spring=new greens, wild leeks and asparagus.<\/p>\n
Summer=tomatoes and corn.<\/p>\n
Fall=roasted potatoes, buttercup squash and dried hot peppers.<\/p>\n
Winter=SOUP! and bread<\/p>\n
We made a big pot of mushroom, bean and barley soup in our house this week. I start most soups the same way: saute a couple of diced onions and a few cloves of garlic with a few diced carrots and celery stalks; sprinkle in a range of seasonings–salt, hot pepper, some mixed italian (thyme, oregono, basil, rosemary), perhaps a generous splash of cumin or curry, bay leaf, a whole dried pepper. Add vegetable or other stock or bouillon, canned tomatoes or water, and simmer for an hour or two. Then add grains and\/or beans, some diced potatoes, any vegetables in the fridge or freezer (corn is always good). Simmer some more, and voila! Soup. A hunk of fresh, heated bread with butter or olive oil completes the meal. (Full disclosure: my husband, who is not a vegetarian, likes a sliced up sausage or two in the vegetable and grain concoctions I come up with.)<\/p>\n
Remember Seinfeld? Remember the NYC soup nazi? Here’s the link to a great clip:<\/p>\n