The Charmed Kitchen

Asparagus and Sausage Soup

I had just picked up some beautiful asparagus and decided to use it in a soup. It was a chilly day and the thought of a nice, hot bowl of soup really appealed to me. I did my usual scouting around and found some sausage in the freezer. I thought it would go well with the asparagus. Added just a few other ingredients and had a great pot of soup in no time. That is the beauty of soup. You can toss all sorts of things together in a pinch and often come up with something quite wonderful. This combination is one I would most certainly make again.

Asparagus and Sausage Soup

2 T. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. breakfast sausage links, uncooked, sliced into ¾ -inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 c. chicken stock
1 lb. trimmed and washed asparagus- sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 sweet pepper, seeded and diced
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 t. ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of hot sauce
Drizzle of sesame oil
Heat oil in soup pot and cook onion until tender. Add sausage and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook a couple of minutes longer. Add stock and cook, covered until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Add asparagus, peppers and seasonings and cook until asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve. Serves 4-6.

Greek Salad

I will confess the first time I had a Greek salad I didn’t like it. It was at a little restaurant, with friends, many years ago. The salad was so full of feta that the saltiness overwhelmed everything else. I have learned to love Greek salads since then and eat them often. There are so many variations out there. This is the recipe I use most of the time. although I do play around with it.

Greek Salad

8 c. mixed salad greens – I like Romaine and spinach
3-4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 roasted sweet pepper, seeded and diced*
2 c. sliced cucumber
1/2 sweet onion, sliced thin
1/2-3/4 c. sliced olives
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Dressing
Juice of 2 lemons
2-3 cloves garlic
1 t. sea salt
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 -2/3 c. olive oil

In large bowl combine vegetables. In blender combine lemon juice with garlic, salt, oregano and pepper and blend until smooth. With machine running add oil in a slow steady stream until it becomes emulsified. Adjust seasonings. Toss with vegetables and top with olives and cheese before serving. Serves 4-6.

* Here is how to roast a pepper, in case you didn’t know.

Roasting Peppers

Mixed Berry Scones

I had been cleaning out the freezer and found some frozen berries from last Summer. I decided to use some of them to make these scones.  Even when the weather is chilly- fresh berry scones make me feel warmer. I used a combination of blueberries and  blackberries but raspberries would work nicely, too. I had one with a cup of coffee for breakfast, but they could also be used as a dessert in a berry shortcake.

Mixed Berry Scones 

2 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 T. baking powder

¾ t. salt

6 T. chilled butter

1 ½ c. berries, fresh or frozen- do not thaw berries – I used blackberries and blueberries

1 t. lemon or orange zest

2 large eggs

1/3 c. heavy cream

Mix dry ingredients together in bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Toss in blueberries and zest. Beat together eggs and cream and stir into flour mixture. Mix very gently to avoid bruising berries. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out batter and place on baking sheet. Place scoops about an inch apart. Press down slightly. Brush with a little cream and sprinkle with a little extra sugar. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 20-22 minutes. Makes 15-18.

Versatile Bean Dip

If you only use bean dip as an appetizer paired with veggies or chips at parties you are really missing out. Bean dip can be used for a lot more than that. Certainly in other Tex-Mex dishes like burritos or enchiladas.  I like to spread it on fresh tortillas and top with cheese, chopped peppers, onions and olives- then bake until hot and cheese has melted. It can also be spread inside pita bread and then the bread filled with sprouts or sliced veggies for a quick sandwich. You can also add it to hot cooked veggies like corn, green beans or carrots, in place of, or in addition to, the butter. It also can be added to stir fries for extra flavor or to a soup as a thickener. I sometimes add it to chilli, too. I often make a big batch and freeze some for later use.

Versatile Bean Dip

2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed – you can use other beans
1 c. salsa, store bought or homemade
¼ c. olive oil
2 T. cider vinegar
2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
Healthy dash of hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

In food processor blend all ingredients until smooth. I usually start the beans first for 30 seconds or so and then add everything else. If you want it thinner you can add some extra oil. Makes 3 cups. Freezes well.

Starting this Thursday I will be teaching a series of gardening classes in Mentor. All classes will include a lot of information and handouts to take home with you. If the Winter blues are getting to you- come to a gardening class and think Spring!!

Gardening Classes

Shrimp with Spinach and Bacon

I had intended to make a salad with some fresh spinach, but something told me to go in another direction. Since I already had bacon and shrimp, I decided to just put them all together. With just a few extra ingredients tossed in I ended up with a really good dinner. The shrimp and bacon would have been fine, but the spinach really made the dish better. I didn’t have a lot of time so the fact that it was ready in about 15 minutes was nice, too. I put the pasta on to cook when I started cooking the bacon to save even more time.

Shrimp with Bacon and Spinach

3-4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 shallots- or 1 small onion- chopped fine
2 cloves minced garlic
8 oz. fresh spinach
8 oz. raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
¼ c. sherry
¼ c. chopped parsley
½ t. grated ginger
½ t. red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. cooked pasta

Cook bacon in skillet until almost cooked. Add the shallots and cook until shallots are just turning brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until spinach is wilted down. Add shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are just barely cooked. Add sherry and seasonings and cook 2 minutes more. Toss with hot pasta and serve. Serves 2.
Note: You can add some fresh Parmesan cheese when serving, if you like.

Blueberry Sweet Rolls

Warm weather can’t come fast enough for me. Sick of snow and winter and cold I decided to cheer myself up – along with a couple of my neighbors – and make a batch of these using some blueberries I had frozen last summer. Just the ticket to kick the snowy blues away!!!  When I went to serve coffee- realized I was out of milk. We had to use a carton of whipping cream. Best coffee ever. Take that, winter.

Blueberry Sweet Rolls

3-3 1/2 c. bread flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 c. evaporated milk
6 T. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 egg
6 T. butter, melted

1/2 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. grated lemon or orange peel
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

In bowl combine 1 1/2 c. of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Heat together the milk and 2T. of the butter until warm and add to the flour mixture, beating 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes longer. By hand stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed until dough becomes moderately stiff. Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat and cover. Allow to double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down, cover, and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 14×8 inch rectangle. Brush dough with the melted butter. Combine the remaining sugar, peel and cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough. Top with the blueberries and press the berries into the dough. Starting at the long side roll up dough jelly roll fashion and seal edge by pinching. Repeat with second roll. Cut each roll into 12 slices and place 12 rolls in greased 9 inch round pans. Cover pans and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. While rolls are warm, you can top with a powder sugar glaze, if desired. Makes 24.

Smoky Sprouts

I was going to start this post talking about how much the flavor of bacon goes with Brussels sprouts. Oh, I would have come up with another word for it- maybe “compliments” or “enhances.”  But I feel like it’s been said before- a lot. Not just by me, either. Truth is the earthy taste of Brussels sprouts are fine all on their own- or roasted lightly and tossed with olive oil and maybe some garlic. I like Brussels sprouts so much I am happy just steaming them and eating them pretty much plain. Still, when I sauteed some up the other day with bacon, shallots and a little fresh parsley I was in heaven.

Smoky Sprouts

I washed and trimmed the sprouts and set them aside. Then, in a large skillet, I cooked up about 4 or 5 thick slices of bacon, which I had cut into 1-inch pieces. They were pretty meaty slices so there wasn’t enough fat to worry about draining off. I added a couple of small shallots that I had chopped up- but a small onion would be fine, too. Once the shallots were wilted I added the Brussels sprouts, about a pound, and cooked them until they were tender and a little browned. I think that extra browning adds more flavor. I finished the dish with some fresh chopped parsley, salt and a little pepper. Simple and quite yummy. You could also add some grated cheese on the top, if you like.

I don’t mind complicated and long cooking dishes sometimes. But for me, often, there isn’t that much time and meals that are full of flavor and don’t take a lot of time or too many ingredients are just what I am looking for. This is one of those dishes. Ready in no time and full of flavor.

Rosemary Biscuits

I really enjoy baking with herbs. They add so much flavor to both sweet and savory baked goods. I love these rosemary biscuits. You can have have them ready for baking in just a few minutes. One of life’s simple pleasures is enjoying homemade biscuits warm from the oven.

Rosemary Biscuits

3 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1 ¾ c. biscuit mix, like Bisquick, I use homemade.
½ c. milk
2 t. minced fresh rosemary or ¾ t. dried

In mixing bowl cut cream cheese into biscuit mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and rosemary and stir until soft dough forms. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough holds together, about ten times. Shape dough into a 6-inch square and cut into 4 3-inch squares. Cut each square in half diagonally and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Makes 8.