Month: August 2018

August 28, 2018 Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan

Rain happens. And when it does day after day I am less likely to make my way out to the garden. Unfortunately that doesn’t stop the veggies from growing. A prime example of this is the bush and pole beans Back in the early spring it’s easy to dream of vines loaded down with beautiful slim beans. Haricot Verts, as the French call them, only need a quick steaming, finished with butter, garlic, thyme and squeeze of lemon.

The beans I picked that first day without rain were well beyond their haricot verts stage but still usable. Since we love just about every other vegetable roasted, why not green beans? Using the method I use for other vegetables, I was certain they would turn out great.

Start with about a pound of beans, we have green, yellow and purple beans this year. Purple beans are pretty on the vine but when you cook them they do not stay purple, they become a very dark green color.

After you have rinsed the beans lay them out on paper towels and pat them dry as possible. This will allow for the beans to be thoroughly coated with the olive oil. Place the beans in a bowl large enough to toss them in. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and toss the beans well.Then add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and toss again. Place the beans on a lined baking sheet spread out as evenly as possible.

Roasting time is a function of how old your beans are. Slimmer beans may only ten to fifteen minutes, larger ones fifteen or more. When I made the first batch I timed them for ten minutes and rotated the pan, then every five minutes so they wouldn’t burn. As soon as the beans are close to being done, take them out the oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return the pan to the oven to melt the cheese. Serve warm.

Joe is growing both bush and pole beans.
One days pick.

Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan

Ingredients

  • 1 lb green beans, medium to large in size
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • ½ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F
  2. Rinse beans in a colander with cool water. Removing all stems and blemishes, then blot with paper towels to remove off excess moisture.
  3. Transfer beans to a bowl large enough to toss them in. Use enough oil to lightly coat all the beans.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and toss them again to coat.
  4. Put beans on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the beans evenly on the sheet.
  5. Roast for ten minutes, then pull out the oven and toss the beans in the pan again.
  6. Return the beans to the baking sheet and continue to roast until the beans are browned in spots.
  7. Remove pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle with Parmesan as evenly as possible. Return pan to the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.  Serve warm.

 

August 8, 2018 Spicy Cucumber Avocado Soup

Nothing is more refreshing to start a meal on a hot and humid summer day than a chilled soup. It’s even better when those ingredients can go right into the blender, no need to spend time cooking over a hot stove. This recipe combines crisp juicy cucumbers and creamy avocado with tangy lime and garlic chives.

All the “green” in the recipe is courtesy of the garden, except the avocado and possibly in the future we will have those as well. Our wonderful and very thoughtful sister-in-law Jody, gave Joe an Avoseedo, an ingenious seed starting device that helps you sprout an avocado pit. With minimal attention, changing the water every 1-2 weeks, in a few months you will have an avocado plant. He’s planted two in pots so far. Certainly beats the old toothpick over a glass of water method. Be sure to use a ripe avocado for a smooth puree.

This is primetime for cucumbers in our garden, just wish they didn’t come in all at once. Since our cukes were more mature they were a bit seedy and the skins thicker, I peeled and seeded them for this recipe. First trim the ends, peel, then cut in half. I found a melon baller (small side) to be the best way to scoop out the seeds. Cut the sections into half-inch chunks. I used three cups of peeled and seeded chunks.

The jalapeno and other hot peppers are making an earlier than usual appearance in the garden. That’s good but there is a rabbit that is taking a bite out of quite a few of our peppers before we can harvest them. Time to put up the chicken wire. Half of a jalapeno added to the soup was the right amount for our taste. Peppers can vary in heat so taste a small piece of the pepper first and add accordingly. Our Persian lime tree is producing the most fragrant and juicy fruit, about two dozen on the tree at last count.  Fresh lime juice adds the right acidity and brightness to the soup.

Garlic chives, also known as Chinese chives are the perfect herbal accent for this soup. If you are not familiar with them, common chives are tube-shaped and bright green while Chinese chives are a darker green and flat. Common chives have pinkish-purple globe like flowers that appear in the spring while Chinese chives have white star-shaped blossoms that are only starting to appear now. The flavor as the name indicates, is garlicky, but milder than a garlic clove.

The soup couldn’t be simpler to make, put all the ingredients in the blender and puree until the soup is smooth. Add yogurt to your liking, anywhere from a half to a full cup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a bowl and refrigerate for 4-6 hours to allow the flavors to blend. Before serving you may need to thin the soup out with a little water or milk. Garnish with chopped garlic chives and flowers. Makes a delicious first course or light lunch.

Garlic chives in the garden.

Garlic chives are flat with white flowers.
The heat in the jalapeno comes from the white ribs.
I used the smaller end of the melon baller to scoop out the cucumber seeds.
Chop into 1/2 inch pieces.
Into the blender
Puree until smooth

Spicy Cucumber Avocado Soup

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cucumbers, peeled and seeded, cut into ½-inch chunks
  • 1 medium ripe avocado
  • ½-1 c Greek style low-fat plain yogurt
  • 2 t fresh lime juice
  • ½ chopped jalapeno (or to taste)
  • 2 T chopped garlic chives
  • kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Peel and pit the avocado. Cut into chunks.
  2. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if desired. Thin the soup out with a little cold water if necessary.
  3. Refrigerate the soup for several hours to blend the flavors. Serve garnished with chopped garlic chives and flowers.