we made it, and it was good

Tuesday:
Coconut Red Lentil & Split Pea Soup

I made it exactly as directed, but in the future, I'd probably make it without the split peas. I normally like them, but in this soup they just didn't do it for me.

I think it's actually spring now

I feel like this is the first real spring recipe I've made this year. Hello, Spring 2010 - I am so very glad to see you!

I love going to the farmer's market and letting a menu fall into place while I'm there, but that's not really possible during the winter. This recipe is the first thing I've just thrown together with farmer's market finds and stuff we have on hand.

Morels and Asparagus with Pasta
inspired by this recipe

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 bunch green garlic, white parts only, sliced
• 1/2 lb fresh morels, cleaned and sliced
• 1/2 water + 3/4 tsp "better-than-bouillon" (or 1/2 C broth)
• 1/4 C 2% milk
• 3/4 tsp Wondra (or flour)
• 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the butter. Saute the green garlic and morels until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it's mostly cooked off (about 5-10 min).

Add asparagus and water or broth to the pan (if using bouillon, add it now, too). Simmer, covered, for 4 minutes or so (asparagus should be crisp-tender). Meanwhile, mix the Wondra or flour into the milk.

Add milk mixture and tarragon and continue cooking, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened (2-4 minutes more). Season to taste and serve over pasta.

serves 2 if you want lots of veggies with your pasta

early spring recipe round-up

This probably won't be very interesting for anyone actually trying to read this blog, but it's useful for me to be able to find the recipes later. Here's what I've been making that I liked enough to make again:

• Onion-Topped Pot Roast (Cooking Light Five-Star Recipes)
• Vegetarian Borsht (Winter Vegetarian)
• Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes (Smitten Kitchen)
• Garlicky Greens (101 Cookbooks)
• Kabocha French Lentil Soup (101 Cookbooks)
• Mushroom Bourguignon (Smitten Kitchen)
• Southwestern Pulled Brisket (Smitten Kitchen)
• Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup (Cook Local)
• Beans with Caramelized Onions and Bacon (Heirloom Beans)
• Sweet Potato Noodle Kugel (Cooking Light)

Roasted Tangelo Marmalade with Rosemary

I'm not 100% sure that this "counts" for this month's Can Jam, but it's what I've had time to make this month. Also, it came out incredibly well, so it's worth sharing either way. (I was hoping my mint would be up so that I could make a lemon-mint concentrate syrup for the Can Jam, but our cold weather thwarted me.)

One of my very kind friends sent me some ultra-fresh citrus all the way from Arizona! I started a batch of preserved lemons and made this marmalade with the amazing tangelos she sent. I ended up making several batches.

The first one I overcooked, so that it darkened and caramelized slightly, but I have to admit that it's my favorite. It has an almost nutty quality that's incredible with the rosemary; I'm planning to use most of that batch as hamantashen filling since it also ended up being quite thick. I can't wait to have my dissertation finished so that I can get to the baking - I'm really eager to try the resulting cookies.

I also made a batch with thyme sprigs instead of the rosemary, but I haven't tried any of that yet.

Roasted Tangelo Marmalade with Rosemary
My recipe is adapted from this one.

• 2 lb tangelos, scrubbed
• 1/2 C sugar per C of chopped citrus and juice (about 3 C)
• 1/4 C fresh lemon juice
• clean rosemary sprigs (1 per jar)
  

Roasting:
Cut tangelos in half, pick out the seeds, and put them cut-side down in a pan or cookie sheet(s). Roast in a 400F oven for 25 minutes (uncovered). Remove from the oven and let cool.

Making the marmalade, day 1:
When the tangelos have cooled, cut or dice them (peel and pulp) into shreds or very small (approximately 1/4-inch) rough cubes. Measure the chopped citrus and juice together. You should have about 3 cups. For each cup of chopped fruit and juice, measure into a large pot 1 1/2 cups of water.

Bring the citrus/water mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to stand overnight (or at least 12 hours).

Making the marmalade, day 2:
For every cup of the fruit pulp and liquid , add ½ C sugar. Add the fresh lemon juice. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Allow to boil until marmalade jells. This will probably take about 30 minutes – stir it occasionally until it sets, both to check the set and to prevent it from scorching on the bottom.

When the marmalade has jelled, ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Add one rosemary sprig to each jar. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Makes approximately 6 half-pint (1 cup) jars.