Tag Archives: chives

Beauty In A Glass

In the heat of summer it’s always nice to have something so fast, so beautiful, and so delicious you can serve it to company, have it for a brunch, or the start of a romantic dinner. I’m a huge fan of cold soups, and this one does not disappoint. I made this as an appetizer last weekend and it received accolades! I used my VitaMix which gave it a particular silkiness, but you could also use a food processor or stick blender. Just make sure that it’s mixed completely until it’s smooth. You probably have the ingredients in your pantry (except maybe the cooked shrimp).

Although I used cannellini beans, you could also use any white bean of your choice. The roasted peppers however give it its beautiful color. I also used sherry vinegar, but you could also use wine vinegar. I think the cold shrimp give it a particular restaurant look, and you can control the thickness by the amount of stock you use. Nobody seemed to mind using a spoon, and I prefer my pureed soups a little thick.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans, strained and rinsed
  • 4 jarred roasted red peppers, patted dry and diced
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2-1 cup vegetable stock, homemade if you have it
  • 1/2 pound cold cooked shrimp (I use two shrimp per serving)

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • In a VitaMix or food processor, place the beans, red peppers, garlic, thyme leaves, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper and process until mixed completely. Mixture with be thick.
  • While your machine is running, slowly pour 1/2 cup vegetable stock into your blender or processor. Scape down the sides and check for thickness. Continue to add 1/4 cup stock at a time until the soup has the thickness you enjoy. Process for 2-3 minutes until completely mixed and silky. Taste and add additional salt or vinegar if needed.
  • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Pour into decorative glasses. Garnish with chopped chives and cold shrimp.

Serves 4-6

“Worries go down better with a cold soup on a hot day.”

Spring Green

During these times of perceived scarcity, it’s always good to recognize that nature offers up gifts to those who’s eyes are willing to see them.  Our land during Civil War times was a brickyard.  The clay was ideal for profits from this product and bricks were shipped by rail between Detroit and Chicago.  In World War II, the land was turned into an onion farm to help feed the troops.  This is where our story begins today, as the land is covered with wild chives by the thousands waiting for someone to notice them.  I dry them in our food dehydrator to use in the winter, but the real treat is when they are turned into pesto.  Now there are as many pesto recipes as there are cooks, but isn’t it wonderful when you have something randomly growing that can be used?  I think so.

This morning I put a teaspoon in my scrambled eggs; whipped it into the eggs with a little half and half and it was delicious.  The options for using wild chive pesto are only as limited as our imaginations.  Try using it as a base for a vinaigrette, or thinning it with additional olive oil, vinegar and mustard then tossing it with hot red-skinned potatoes for a French take on warm potato salad.  Don’t be afraid to add other herbs to it like dill or parsley; it makes a good dip when mixed with sour cream or Greek yogurt.  Swirl it into a brothy soup for a touch of spring.  I think you’re getting the idea.

WILD CHIVE PESTO

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 cups cleaned, lightly packed wild chives, cut into manageable lengths with scissors
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (or walnuts or pistachios)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup olive oil

 

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INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. You will need 3-4 4 ounce canning jars ready, as these are perfect size for freezing this pesto.  Then with your food processor running, drop your garlic cloves in one at a time until they are minced and clinging to the sides of the bowl.
  2. Open up your food processor and place your 4 cups of lightly packed wild chives in the bowl.  Add to this your pine nuts, and salt.
  3. Pulse your ingredients for about 5 times, so they are blended together; then with you processor running, slowly pour in a 1/4 cup of your olive oil.  Stop your processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
  4. Turn your processor back on and pour an additional 1/4 cup of olive oil.  Open your processor and check to see if it’s at the consistency you want (I usually look for a loose paste).  Taste to see if the salt component is to your liking.
  5. Spoon into 4 ounce canning jars and top with additional olive oil.  This will easily keep in the freezer for up to a year.

Yield: 3-4 4 ounces jars

“The real voyage of discovery is not seeking new landscapes, but seeing with new eyes.”

—Marcel Proust

 

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