Fresh Tart

This isn't exactly a Spring dish (see the Hearty Summer Soup I posted on Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly this week for a more seasonal option), but it's so delicious I'm going to post it anyhow.  I've made split pea soup a million times, love it.  I know that my dad & stepmom Susanna like it too, and since they were coming to stay for a few days, I decided to make a pot to have on hand for quick lunches and the like.  I prefer the lighter texture of yellow peas (vs. green) but they're not always easy to find.  As I searched the dried pea/bean shelf at Byerly's, I thought I was facing a yellow-pea fail until I spotted a bag of whole yellow peas.  Labeled Lars Own: Yellow Peas for Swedish Style Yellow Pea Soup, I picked up the bag and started reading (who could resist that name?).  With a great story about how yellow pea soup is a traditional Swedish Thursday dinner, and an interesting recipe calling for pork ribs instead of ham or bacon, with a garnish of mustard no less, I was all over it.  I tossed the peas in my cart, swung by the meat counter for pork ribs, and made my way home.

The cooking process for the whole peas is the same as for dried beans, requiring a soak to soften them up before simmering.  The recipe doesn't call for it, but I browned the ribs before adding the water - you might have noticed that I never pass up the flavor of browned pork.  Pork!  Anyhow, as the soup simmers, the peas shed their skins, the soup becomes pleasantly (not overly) thick, the pork almost melts into the broth, and the result is seriously fantastic.  I'm not convinced whole peas are necessary, but I am very, very sold on the pork ribs idea, unbelievably good.  Tuck that concept into the back of your mind for the next time you're planning a batch of split pea or navy bean soup.  (I found the whole peas at Byerly's and see they're available on the Lars Own website.)  I assume this soup freezes beautifully (like split pea and navy bean soups do).

In case you're wondering about the planter pics...look closely, there's a duck nesting in it!  Crazy chick - I've named her Wanda - right there in the open, yet nicely camouflaged so maybe she's on to something.  We keep Puppy Louis (relatively) away from her, hopefully that's all it will take for Wanda to hatch ducklings right outside our front door.  Stay tuned...

Swedish Style Yellow Pea Soup
Adapted from Lars Own yellow peas package
Serves 8

1 lb. dried yellow peas (whole or split)
1Tbsp. oil
1 lb. pork ribs
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried marjoram or thyme
3 tsp. salt (probably more) and freshly ground pepper

Rinse peas and soak overnight in 5 cups water.  Drain peas in a colander.  Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add oil, then ribs, and brown ribs thoroughly.  Remove ribs to a plate and add onion, garlic, and herbs to the pot and saute until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the peas and pork to the pot with 2 quarts of water and the salt.  Cover and simmer over low heat (or in a 225-degree F oven) for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until shells of the peas split and the peas are very soft.  Remove the pork from the bones (discard bones), shred into small pieces, and return pork to the soup.  Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper as necessary.  Serve with Swedish style (brown) mustard and freshly ground pepper.

Minnesota is butt-ugly in March, there's just no other way to say it.  Mud-covered ice just sucks, although fog-covered snirt bites too.  (I love using those words.  That felt good.)

Yeah, it's time for some color.  Time to buy a bunch of tulips (yellow!), time to make tomato soup (red!).  Pretty and warm, tomato soup is almost cliche comfort, but who cares?  It's cliche because it works.  And because it's delicious, especially with a splash of cream.  This version includes roasted tomatoes which gives a big flavor boost.

I like it with this easy flatbread, little more than a quick batter poured over olive oil, sliced onions, and rosemary, then baked until crisp at the edges. It smells like summer, and right now, that means a lot.

Burn your fingers eating it hot out of the oven. Burn your tongue on hot, pretty soup.  Cool it all off with a glass of wine.  Do not look out the window.  Happiness.

Homemade Tomato Soup

Adapted from a recipe by Michael Chiarello

Serves 6

1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes

1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil (divided)

salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 stalks celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 c. chicken broth

2 bay leaves

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 c. chopped basil leaves

1/2 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices.  Put the tomatoes in a medium bowl, toss with 1/4 c. olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, and spread on a baking sheet.  Roast until caramelized, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaves, and butter.  Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Add basil and cream.  Puree with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth.

Easy Whole Grain Flatbread

Adapted from a recipe by Mark Bittman

Serves 4

1 c. whole wheat, cornmeal, or chickpea flour (Stephanie's note: I use 1/2 c. whole wheat, 1/2 c. chickpea)

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. water

4 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves

Put the flour into a bowl; add salt; then slowly add water, whisking to eliminate lumps.  Cover with a towel, and let sit while oven heats, or as long as 12 hours.  The batter should be about the consistency of thin pancake batter.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Put the oil in a 12-inch skillet and scatter the onion and rosemary over the oil.  Set the pan in the heated oven and wait a couple of minutes for the oil to get hot but not smoking; the oil is ready when you just start to smell it.  Carefully remove the pan; then pour in the batter, and return the skillet to the oven.  Bake 30-40 minutes, or until the flatbread is well browned, firm, and crisp around the edges.  (It will release easily from the pan when it's done.)  Let it rest for a couple minutes before cutting it into wedges or squares.

Another egg.  I know!  But what can I say?  Garlic soup ladled over a fried egg is a classic dish and one of the yummiest things on the planet, so there it is.  I added vegetables and ham to the soup, because I had vegetables and ham to use and I knew they'd rock with an egg.  And oh, in the photo there are beans as well, because I had beans to use too.  That's the beauty of soup, right?  You can make it your own.

I like fried eggs a little crispy at the edges, but some would call me crazy for it (among other things).  Certainly cook your eggs more gently if that's how you like them.

I put the egg in a bowl first, then ladle the soup over.  A sprinkle of cheese and lots of freshly ground black pepper make an awfully delicious finish.

You can customize this soup a hundred different ways - as you might imagine, it would be amazing with toasted, crusty bread or fried croutons.  Use pancetta or bacon instead of ham.  Or use no meat at all and vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.  Add a pinch of dried red pepper flakes - or paprika, which is traditional -  if you like a little heat.  You could add cooked navy beans (like I did) or garbanzos.  Peas and tarragon instead of celery and thyme would be spring-y and French.  You get the picture.  Just don't skip the egg - it's heavenly.

Garlic Soup with Vegetables, Ham, & Fried Egg

Serves 4

6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced very thinly

1/4 c. olive oil (divided)

1 leek, white and pale green parts only, washed carefully and sliced thinly

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small

2 stalks celery, diced small

1 large russet potato, peeled and diced small

6 oz. ham, diced small

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 c. white wine

32 oz. chicken stock or broth

4 medium eggs

salt and freshly ground black pepper

grated cheese (Parmesan or Gruyere)

In a Dutch oven, heat 3 Tbsp. oil over medium heat.  Add garlic, turn heat to low, and saute until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the leek, carrots, celery, potato, ham, thyme, and a sprinkle of salt, turn heat to medium, and saute until vegetables are softening but not brown, about 10 minutes.  Stir in wine and simmer for 1-2 minutes, then stir in chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.  Season to taste and keep warm.

Set out four soup bowls.  Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Fry eggs to desired doneness, seasoning with salt & pepper.  Place one egg in each of four bowls, ladle soup over, top with grated cheese and freshly ground pepper, and serve immediately.