Bear's Garlic Pesto

Wild garlic, ramsons, bear’s garlic….

Whatever you choose to call it, it is delicious and currently in season. In French they call it l’ail des ours (garlic of bears) as apparently this is a brown bear’s Achilles’ heel! Humans also love these wild, garlic flavoured leaves, which are edible and great to use in soups, salads, omelette etc.

Wild garlic is currently in abundance at the local fruits and veg market. Every stall seems to have a large basked of these bright green leaves. I have taken advantage of this and made a basic bear’s garlic pesto, half of which I keep fresh in the fridge and the rest I divide into smaller portion to freeze. There is just too much to use all at once and as the season is relatively short it is a nice way to enjoy bear’s garlic for weeks to come.

Click link  below for bear’s garlic pesto recipe:

ERIKA ALLISTON : BEAR’S GARLIC PESTO

• 1 1/2 large bunches of fresh bear’s garlic leaves (approx. 280 grams)
• 100 mL olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Generous squeeze of 1/2 a lemon

1. Wash & dry the garlic leaves and remove the stems
2. Using a blender coarsely chop the leaves, adding the leaves handfuls works best
3. Pour in the olive oil, blend
4. Finally add the salt and lemon juice, blend till smooth.
5. Store in a glass jar in the fridge and / or freeze portions for later use

Bear's Garlic Pesto

Broccoli soup

BROCCOLI SOUP with BASIL CREAM

I have been on a green theme lately, avocado, pesto, swiss chard…. it wasn’t conscious I tell you. I take inspiration as it comes. This time it was from the general direction of the fridge, where two broccoli’s & half of a cauliflower were staring me down. Add to that my lack of inspiration for dinner (happens to the best of us right), plus a lonely bouquet of basil and this soup was taking shape.

I have always felt that cream of broccoli soup was missing something, that it needed a little pick me up to tweak the taste buds. Here’s where the basil cream came in. It is not overpowering, in fact you may need a few spoonfuls to put your finger on just what makes this sumptuous soup so much better than the rest.

RECIPE : SWEET PEA Blog

• 350 gr broccoli florets
• 130 gr cauliflower
• 1 medium white onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 100 mL warm water
• 400 mL chicken stock
• 300 mL boiling water
• 1 bunch of basil
• 100 mL light cream
• salt & pepper

1. Wash & cut the broccoli & cauliflower into florets, set aside
2. prepare the onion: coarsly chop, heat the oil on medium heat, cook onions until soft (approx. 5 mins)
3. Add 100 mL of warm water, salt & pepper, cook covered until almost all the liquid has evaporated
4. Add crushed garlic, stir
5. Add broccoli, cauliflower, chicken stock & boiling water. Cover and cook until vegetables are cooked (broccoli easily pierced with a knife, but still bright green)
6. Drain and keep the stock.
7. In a blender, mix the cream & basil. Set aside.
8. In the blender mix vegetables, and gradually add the stock.
9. Finally add the bail cream to the soup.

PUMPKIN SOUP

It is pumpkin season again! I hadn’t quite realised to what extent until last weekend when we were driving through the Swiss countryside and came across huge stalls of every size, shape and colour of pumpkin imaginable. The food bells went off in my head and after much shrieking I had Olivier turning the car around to make a pit stop.

Here things work on the honour system – you take a pumpkin and leave money in the penny jar. If you forget, the headless horseman will come after you that night to remind you. Kidding! So we loaded up the boot, settled the account and drove home with 5 extra ‘friends’.  Now it was a question of what to do with them – soup seemed like a good start.

The secret to this recipe is the use of two different types of pumpkins:

1. The potimarron (aka Hokkaido squash or kuri pumpkin) a small, intense orange pumpkin with dense bright orange flesh and sweet taste with a hint of chestnut (marron = chestnut in French).
2. The muscade of Provence which is a large pumpkin, orange/grey in colour with lighter orange flesh, contains more water and has a less sweet taste.

The mix of the two makes the perfect soup. This recipe will also come in handy for my brother who recently bought a second-hand bicycle in Rotterdam which came with a hand blender (don’t ask)!

RECIPE : SWEET PEA Blog

• 2 medium onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon whole pepper corns
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 laurel (bay) leaf
• 600 gr potimarron pumpkin (see picture)
• 600 gr regular pumpkin (see picture)
• 600 mL vegetable stock (1 1/2 bouillon cubes)
• 20 mL light cream
• Grated nutmeg to taste

Potimarron pumpkin  (above)

Muscade of Provence pumpkin (above)

1. First put all the spices (cloves, pepper corns, coriander & laurel leaf ) into a large closed tea strainer. Set aside
2. Next prepare the potimarron pumpkin: do not peel, just cut in half, remove the seeds etc, and cut the flesh into small chunks. Set aside.
3. Next prepare the muscade pumpkin. Peel this one, and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
4. Now prepare the onions and garlic. Peel and chop into large pieces.  Heat the olive oil & butter in a large / deep soup pot and cook on medium/low heat until soft (approx. 5 minutes)
5. Add 50 mL of the vegetable stock, cover  and simmer until the pan is almost dry
6. Add the two types of pumpkin, stir, cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Add the remaining 550 mL of stock and tea strainer with spices, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is cooked.
8. Remove the tea strainer with spices.
9. If you have time, strain and keep the stock, blending the vegetable 1st and gradually adding the stock till prefered soup thickness.
10. Add grated nutmeg to taste.
11. Add cream.

The DUTCH Series N°5 : Lentil Soup Recipe with Saffron Garlic Roux

It is officially the 1st day of SPRING!

So why am I writing about a winter soup you may ask. Good question. The thing is – the calendar may say that Spring has arrived,  but while it is sunny in Geneva it is still very chilly. I was nearly blown away this morning when crossing the bridge  - literally! It is because of  ‘la bise’ a Northerly wind that comes whistling through the city at a bone chilling rate. It is at these times you really need some stick to your ribs, heart warming food.

Years ago lentil soup was the very last thing on my list of favourite foods. It was something to eat under duress. In fact I was such a terrible child, that once my aunt went to all the trouble of preparing a homemade lentil stew and I turned my nose up and said I couldn’t possibly.  Naughty naughty naughty.

I have since grown up & so have my taste buds.  The first lentil soup recipeI tried will remain nameless, as the spices were all off and it made enough for the Russian army… needless to say, I was not impressed. I have since fiddled and tweaked my way to come up with this version, with a hint of chilly, the tang of lemon, soothed with spices & served with a generous dollop of saffron, garlic roux!

The saffron garlic roux is a thick cream that was inspired by a bouillabaisse soup I had this past summer at a friends house in Provence. She served her fish  soup with a traditional roux made of mayonnaise, saffron & garlic. One of the guests liked it so much that I think we could have left him alone with just the sauce & a spoon! I have made a lighter version using thick Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise and reduced the garlic to half as it is very strong.

RECIPE – SWEET PEABlog

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots
• 1 large carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (net weight can 400g)
• 100 gr (1/2 cup) red lentils
• 50 gr (1/4 cup) barley
• 1L vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 bay (laurel) leaves
• salt & pepper to taste

SPICES:

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (add more if you like the soup spicy)

SAFFRON GARLIC ROUX:

• 250 gr (1 small container) full fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2  garlic clove
• 3 generous pinches of powdered saffron
• pinch of salt

1. First prepare the spices, set aside
2. Next finely chop the onions, carrots & celery, set each aside separately
3. Heat the oil & add the onions & bay leaves.  Use med / low heat as you only want to sweat the onions not turn them brown.
4. Add garlic & spices. Stirring, let cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add chopped carrots & celery.
6. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils & barley. Stir well.
7. Add bouillon, lemon juice, salt & pepper.
8. Cover & simmer gently for 30-40 minutes until lentils & barley are cooked.
9. For the roux, mix the pressed garlic into the yogurt and finally add the saffron & salt. Mix until well combined.

Russian Beetroot Soup

RUSSIAN BEETROOT SOUP – From Russia with love:

Not from James Bond, but from Katya - my gorgeous Russian friend, who definately passes for a Bond girl, but who prefers to spend her spare time in the kitchen rather than being a damsel in distress!

When I asked her about Russian cuisine, she said that ” it is traditionally based on peasant foods because of the extreme climate, and that it is very common for Russian recipes to include simple ingredients such as eggs, flour, milk, sour cream, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and beetroot.”

When I think of Russian beetroot soup the 1st thing that comes to mind is borscht – made with cubes of beetroot, a variety of other vegetables & served with sour cream.

The current recipe is a hand me down from Katya’s friend, a Russian chef, who gave it to her, she then passed it on to me & I am now sharing my version with you It is a delicious modern take on the traditional Russian beetroot soup. There are no potatoes or cabbage and the sour cream has been replaced by goats cheese.

The taste is surprising complex - as the ingredients work so well together that you cannot immediately distinguish one from the other. Only after a few minutes does each flavour take on its own persona. The goats cheese* is a nice contrast in colour, taste & texture to the soup, which is warming, rich & smooth, just perfect for the winter months.

I did a little improvising when reading through the recipe & decided to make it with only 1L of stock & not 2, giving it a slightly heartier consistency. I also reduced the cream to a fraction - for digestion reasons and put only a 1/4 of the garlic into the goats cheese and dried basil instead of parsley (which I didn’t have on hand) . In the future I will toast the pine-nuts as it brings out their flavour.

*NOTE: If you have a food allergy or do not like goat cheese, I would suggest using cream cheese, crème fresh or greek yogurt. Any one of the three will work. If you are sensitive to raw garlic, you can always omit this or use just a little sprinkle of dried garlic fakes.

RECIPE – SWEET PEA Blog

Soup:

• 1 extra large raw beetroot without stalk (400 gr)
• 1 large carrot (100 gr)
• 1 medium white onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 tablespoon tomato purée
• 1/4 cup light cream
• 1L vegetable stock

Goats cheese cream

• 100 gr fresh goats cheese / fromage de chèvre
• 1/4 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• Pine nuts for decoration

1. Peel & chop the beetroot & carrot into small cubes, set aside.
2. Peel & chop the onion. Heat the oil & sweat the onions for a few minutes.
3. Add the chopped beetroot & carrots. Stir & cook on medium/low heat until slightly soft.
4. Add the tomato purée & then the stock. Stir, then cover. Cook until vegetable become soft (10 minutes)
5. While waiting, in a small bowl mix the goats cheese, crushed garlic, dried basil & pepper to taste. Set aside.
6. Toast the pine nuts till slightly golden.
7. Separate the stock & cooked vegetable. Using a blender mix the vegetable while gradually adding the stock.
8. Finally add the cream to the mixed soup.
9. Serve warm, with a teaspoonful of goats cheese cream & sprinkled with toasted pine-nuts.
   

Roasted tomato & garilc soup

ROASTED TOMATO & GARLIC SOUP

Two factors influenced this recipe:

1. The overflowing bowl of tomatoes sitting on my counter-  I went on a shopping spree last weekend buying up every bunch in sight, with views of chopping & freezing tomatoes for the winter months ahead. I think there must have been some pioneer instinct in me that needed to be satisfied. I clearly got a little carried away, as after my 3rd container the pile was only half used…. Luckily there was a plan B!
2. The fact that it is the cold & flu season, and people are dropping like flies. Is it really any wonder – you leave the house dressed for the north pole, only to find yourself peeling off the layers by lunchtime… just in time for the sun to set early, the temperature to drop and the sweaters to go back on. It’s a vicious cycle. But they say starve a fever, feed a cold, so best to be prepared!

Roasting the tomatoes & garlic, removes the water, concentrates the flavours and accentuates the sweetness. Plus I added a dash of balsamic vinegar to compliment the velvety unctuousness. This dish is perfect as an entrée/starter – due to it’s intensity you do not need a large blow!

Suggestion – I find smaller tomatoes work best as they have less water. Evenly spread them over a baking sheet with edges, as they still release a considerable amount of water when roasted. I use the remaining liquid in the soup. Also do not peel the whole garlic cloves, their skin keeps them tender.

RECIPE - SWEET PEA Blog

• 1kg  (14-16 small) whole tomatoes
• 6 whole garlic cloves (NOT peeled!)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (3 for tomatoes & 1 for onion)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 large white onion
• 5 whole coriander seeds
• sprinkle of salt
• 350mL vegetable stock (bouillon)

1. Line a large baking sheet with sides. Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F) convection heat
2. Wash & dry the tomatoes well. Cut each into 4 wedges.
3. Evenly place the tomato wedges (skin side down) and garlic cloves on the baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, whole coriander seeds and balsamic vinegar.
4. Cook for 45 minutes
5. While waiting, coarsely chop the onion and fry on a low heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil until they are soft & translucent.
6. Prepare the vegetable stock.
7. Remove the roasted tomatoes/ garlic from the oven. Cut the tops of the garlic skins off and squeeze the pulp out, if this doesn’t work just peel the skin.
8. Using a blender, combine the roasted tomatoes, garlic (& their remaining juice from cooking), onions and vegetable stock.

EMILY THE GREAT’S CARROT & PEAR SOUP

First there was Catherine the Great of Russia (1729 – 1796), and then a few hundred years later, came Emily the Great, my good friend, who proudly gave herself this name at the ripe old age of 2, for surely one great lady in history deserves another!

And a great lady she is, one who I am proud to know, and who was a lifesaver (the pink kind with a gold star) at my wedding this September 6th. So how does the soup fit in you may ask - well in amongst the dress fittings, dinners, last minute ribbons, welcome packages, speech preparations, vows etc, we all had to eat…. so each member of the family took turns putting something delicious together.

Emily’s contribution to the soup pot – was in fact soup, her version of fresh garden carrot, autumn William pear, and spicy Cayenne pepper. Top that with oven baked, olive oil & garlic croutons, and you have a great fall dish, that I couldn’t wait to put on the blog. Afterall today is the 1st day of autumn / fall.

RECIPE – SWEET PEA BLOG

This a new taste for me, a sweeter soup than I am used to, but one that I have fallen in love with. What is nice is that you can taste each individual ingredient – the sweetness of the pears & carrots, nicely offset by the spicy cayenne pepper & brought together with the tangy yogurt.

Ingredients:

• 6 large carrots
• 4 medium William pears
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 medium onion
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups chicken broth (approx 1L)
• cayenne pepper to taste

Preparations:

• peel & cut the carrots into small rounds
• peel & cut the pears into small pieces
• peel the garlic and chop into small pieces
• peel & coarsely chop the onion

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion & garlic. Let cook on a medium low heat until the onions become slightly soft (approx 5+ minutes)
2. Next boil the 4 cups (1L) of water and add a bouillon cube to make the chicken broth. Add this to the onions & garlic.
3. Now add the chopped pears & carrots, and simmer until they are well cooked.
4. Using a hand blender, mix the soup well, until it is evenly blended and slowly add cayenne pepper to taste.
5. SERVE: topper with a spoon of thick greek yogurt & homemade croutons.

HOMEMADE CRUTONS:

• cut1/2 a bagetteinto 2cm (1 inch) cubes, toss with olive oil and crushed garlic.
• Evenly spread onto a lined baking tray.
• Bake for approx. 10 mins in a 180°C oven, turning ever so often so they cook evenly

{SOUPE FROIDE AUX ASPERGES BLANCHES ET A LA VANILLE} While I know that the asparagus season is officially coming to a close, I wanted to sneak in one last recipe, as there are still bunches of white asparagus appearing in our farmers market, and next spring is a full 365 days away!!

Do not be fooled by my images…. what looks like a sumptuous vanilla cream is actually CHILLED white asparagus soup with the added touch of vanilla bean. This was an intentional trompe l’oeil  (AKA fooling of the eye), which demonstartes my love of taking ingredients, typically used in sweet recipes and using them in savoury ones (& vice versa). The outcome is an awaking of the senses!

Our senses need a wake-up call from time to time, as we all find ourselves EATING THE SAME THING week in week out - does this sound at all familiar???  The problem is not a lack of ingredients or imagination, but more of falling into the cooking comfort zone….  and while I love my traditional asparagus soup, things needed to be shaken up a little – so I removed the onion, added the vanilla bean + white pepper and dropped the temperature to a cool summer chill.  

Besides, it really is too HOT to cook, & heating a saucepan for 10 minutes is my outside limit at the moment!

WHITE ASPARAGUS FACTS

• AKA spargel – the German name for asparagus (where most asparagus is white!)
• Grown covered in soil to avoid photosynthesis preventing the shoots from turning green
• This produces a less bitter, more tender, sweet taste
• Season is from April to June

VANILLA BEAN FACT

• Name : derived from the Spanish vainilla meaning “little pod”
• Vanilla is the fruit of an orchid flower, grown in the form of a bean pod
• Originated in the Gulf of Mexico
• Now grown in Madagascar (3/4 world’s supply), Tahiti : see Chocolate & Zuccini blog, Mexico…
• Over 110 vanilla orchid varieties
• 1 variety, vanilla planifolia (Bourbon vanilla), produces the majority of commerical vanilla beans
• Hand harvested, rinsed, & rolled in blankets to “sweat”, then gently dried in the sun
• Uses: INSIDE – of the bean is used to flavour cakes, ice cream, sweets, drinks etc. PODS – Keep & dry, placing them in a container of white sugar, to give a vanilla perfume. POWDER – finely grind the dried pod and use in cooking!

RECIPE – SWEET PEA Blog

• 16 large white asparagus (approx 560g)
• 2 medium sized potato (approx 140g)
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 vegetable stock (bouillon) cube (6g)
• 400ml boiled water
• 100ml full fat cream (25%)
• 1/4 of an vanilla bean (use inside only)
• pinch of white pepper¨

1. Prepare the asparagus : wash with cold water, remove the flat end, peel 3/4 of the stalk (not the pointed end), cut into little 1cm (1/2 inch) pieces, set aside
2. Peel the potato, cut into small pieces & set aside
3. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan
4. Add the asparagus & potatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes
5. Boil the water in a kettle
6. In a separate container add the bouillon cube to the boiled water and mix well = stock
7. Now add the stock to the asparagus / potatoes
8. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes
9. Using an electric blender (not a hand mixer – normally not powerful enough), mix the soup well.
10. Add the cream & pinch of white pepper and mix well
11. Cut the piece of vanilla bean. Next open the bean using a sharp knife, cutting a long silt lengthwise down the piece. Scrape out the inside on the bean and add to the soup mixing well
12. Pour into a container and refrigerate for at least an hour or until completely chilled
13. Serve chilled

{SOUPE FROIDE DE COURGETTES A LA MENTHE} When I was a little girl you couldn’t have paid me to eat a courgette (zucchini), much less a cooked one, and come to think of it, that went for most other vegetables that weren’t served raw! Now I naturally can take no responsibility for this fact and must blame it on inherited genes…. as my mother, 5 years old, sitting at the dinner table, was known to secretly hind her unwanted vegetables under the rim of her plate! Her master plan was working well, until my grandmother cleared the table… 

My palate has developed a little since then and after moving to Geneva, thanks to my fiancé, courgettes have become one of my favourite veggies. So I was thrilled when he decided to make this soup for dinner, and have since slightly modified the original ‘ELLE à table’ recipe used.

NOTE: This recipe must be made ONLY  1 hour in advance of serving! Otherwise the skins of the courgettes turn and give the soup a bitter taste.

RECIPE – SWEET PEA BLOG 

• 4 small firm courgettes (approx. 480g chopped)
• 180g natural yoghurt
• 8 fresh mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• pinch of hot red chilli ( I use sambal ulek (oelek) an Indonesian hot red chilli sauce made with small red chillies, salt & vinegar)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. First put a kettle of water (approx. 1/2L) on to boil. While waiting, wash the courgettes well, removed the tops and bottoms, then cut into small bite size pieces and place in a saucepan or heat proof bowl.
2. Next pour the boiling water over the courgettes and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Now drain the courgettes and cool them in cold water for another 5 minutes. Wash and dry the mint leaves.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked courgettes, yoghurt, olive oil and mint and blend.
4. Once well blended add the cumin, coriander, chilli, salt and pepper to taste. (The original recipe called for much less spice but I felt the taste was improved by adding a little more plus the coriander)
5. Divide the soup evenly between the glasses and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. Serve cold with a little fresh natural yoghurt on top. I sometimes sprinkle the top with sumac http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Rhus_cor.html