Herb Cottage Newsletter: Winter Gardening!

I thought that you might enjoy reading Cindy's Herb Cottage Newsletter: Winter Gardening!.  Check it out for some good recipes including KALE SOUP WITH SORREL!  It sounds so good! 

KALE SOUP WITH SORREL

1 large bunch Kale or Swiss Chard

About 15 - 20 large leaves Sorrel

Small Bunch Parsley

2 quarts of broth- I like to use Chicken, but if you are a vegetarian or vegan you can use a vegetable broth

1 - 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 onion- chopped

2 Cloves Garlic- chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Add Olive Oil to soup pot, heat. When hot add chopped Onion and Garlic. Cook until slightly brown.. about 10 minutes. Add broth to pot and bring to simmer. Add coarsely chopped Kale and Sorrel leaves and Parsley and simmer until greens are cooked... about 10 minutes.

Cool soup slightly and then puree in blender or food processor. NOTE: if processing hot soup, be careful not to let it spew up and out of blender. It's best to let the soup cool first.

Return soup to pot and heat before serving. Add a dollop of sour cream, if desired and sprinkle with chives. This soup can also be eaten chilled rather than heated.

If you have a lot of Parsley, you can use it in pesto sauces as well as dry it for later use. Sometimes, Parsley doesn't thrive in our Texas summer, so a supply of the newly dried herb will get you through the summer months.

Parsley can be mixed with Basil for a lovely pesto. I like it with Roasted Walnuts added, rather than the traditional Pine Nuts. You can also make a Parsley and Sorrel pesto to flavor soups and even stews where you'd like a tangy flavor.

BASIC PESTO RECIPE

2 cups clean leaves -- you can use all one variety of herb such as basil, parlsey or cilantro OR-- use a mix of herbs and greens or herbs such as Parsley mixed with Basil or Cilantro. Throw in a few Hot Peppers for a spicier pesto. Or, add Roasted Sweet Peppers for a savory flavor.

1/4 - 1/2 cup nuts. Pine nuts are traditional, but you can use pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazel nuts or cashews for a different flavor. Roasting the nuts beforehand brings out their flavor.

1/2 cup grated hard cheese such as Parmesan, Asiago or Romano, or a blend.

5-8 cloves of garlic, according to your taste

Approximately 1/2 cup olive or other vegetable oil.

The amount of oil can vary depending on how much cheese and nuts you put in.

Food Processor:

Add all ingredients and process until you have a smooth, well-mixed pesto. The consistency should be similar to that of mayonnaise.

Blender:

This is a little more work than using a food processor, but makes an equally delicious pesto.

Place about a quarter of the basil leaves in the blender jar adding 1/2 cup oil, the nuts and cheese. Blend (I use the puree setting or high setting.) You'll need a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to push the mixture down onto the blades fairly often.

--Don't do what I did one time.... and stick a wooden spoon in the jar before the blades stopped turning. The spoon was jerked from my hand, bounced out of the jar, sprayed oil and basil everywhere and broke the spoon inside the jar. I threw the whole mess away and had to start over so I didn't have splinters in the pesto. In other words.... wait until the blades have stopped turning before sticking the spoon in!!!

After you have that first mix pretty well blended and the nuts are well ground, just keep adding the basil leaves about a handful at time until all the leaves are used up. If the mix is too thick, add a little oil to thin it down. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth. In fact, I like the pesto a little coarse so I can see the leaves, but the nuts should be well ground.

To preserve the pesto, I fill ice cube trays with the mixture and freeze it over night. The next day I remove the pesto cubes and store them in a plastic bag or tub in the freezer. One cube is one serving. If you make different pesto with lots of green ingredients, be sure to label the bags so you'll know which is which!