Crème of Parsnip Soup

Serves 4-6

Parsnips are one of my favorite vegetables. Their appearance is similar to a white carrot with a lot of flavor. This creamy soup is the perfect start to any meal.

1 lb of parsnips peeled & cut
1 cup of onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1  large potato peeled and cut
¼ teaspoon of white pepper
½ teaspoon of  sea-salt

1/2 stick of unsalted butter
4 cups chicken stock or 2 herb ox chicken cubes to 4 cups water or substitute vegetable broth

2 bay leafs

1 cup of heavy cream

Suggested Garnishes (optional)

drizzle of white truffle oil in each serving

garlic croutons

fresh snipped chives

fresh grated nutmeg

directions

2 quart covered soup pot

Sauté onion, garlic in butter till translucent
Add parsnips, bay leaf, pepper, potato, salt, chicken stock

Cook on medium- low heat covered until till parsnips are fork tender (25-30 minutes)
Remove bay leafs

Puree soup with a hand held immersion blender
Add cream and return to low heat for 8-10 minutes

Serve piping hot in bowls and  garnish with your choice of truffle oil, chives , croutons or nutmeg

Grilled Artichoke Hearts

Serves 6-8

If you love artichokes here is a side you will want to feature often and  a bit  exotic

Beautiful plated with grilled chicken breasts, shrimp, lamb or beef kabobs

 

 

2 14 oz cans of whole artichoke hearts drained and squeezed dry

place hearts  on skewers in 2 inch deep  rectangle tray

 

Marinade

In a bowl whisk the following:

4-5 garlic  cloves thru a press

1 tablespoon of prepared Dijon mustard

Juice of 2 lemons

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1  medium finely minced shallot

1/2 tsp of sea salt

¼ tsp of fresh ground pepper

 

Garnish ( optional)

1 tablespoons of chopped flat leaf parsley

extra lemon wedges

drizzle of your best olive oil

 

 

cover skewers in marinade and coat evenly

Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight. Turn skewers occasionally

 

Grilll 4-7 minutes. You may serve on skewers or artichokes may also be remove and plated.

Garnish with parsley and a drizzle of olive oil before serving. Serve with additional lemon wedges

Tuscan White Bean Salad

Serves 6-8

 

A very tasty and nutritious side salad. Cooking the beans with seasonings added to the broth  improves  flavor  of this dish. See tip below for using canned beans.

Best consumed within three days

Prepare beans

1 lb of dried cannelloni beans (white kidney beans)

6 cups water

2 herb ox chicken bouillon cubes or vegetarian cubes

2 teaspoons of kosher salt

3 bay leafs

5 garlic cloves thru press

In a large pot

Bring water, boullion, bay leaf to a boil

Add beans and garlic and cover

Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 1 hour.

Turn off heat

Keep covered 30 minutes

Drain and cool beans

Remove bay leafs

Add beans to a medium size serving bowl

Dressing

whisk the following in a small bowl

3 tablespoons of flat leaf parsley chopped

juice of 3 lemons

2 teaspoons of fresh garlic thru a press

2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leafs remove off the stems

1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon of fresh ground white pepper

2 tablespoons of red onion minced fine

cover beans and toss in dressing

chill and rest for 1 hour

Maybe served at room temperature or chilled

Tip:

4 cans of 15.5 oz each of cooked cannelloni that have been rinsed and drained may be substituted if you don’t have cooking time. Add dressing and chill for 2 hours for best results.  Note: Canned beans will be much softer in texture than ones you cook yourself.

Lemon Garlic Hummus

Makes about  4 cups

2 cans 15.5 oz chick peas rinsed and drained (discard any dark discolored ones)

2 teaspoons  sea-salt
¼- 1/2 cup of water (I use distilled)

4  large cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons of tahini paste
Juice of 2 large lemons
½ cup -¾ cup of  extra virgin olive oil

In a large food processor add tahini, garlic, salt and half of lemon juice, half of olive oil  and blend till paste

Add in half of chick peas,water  and puree

Add  remaining lemon juice,chick peas,oil and puree till creamy. Add a small amount of water and puree if  you desire a thinner hummus.

Serve with toasted pita chips or warm pita bread

Last in refrigerator  in covered container  for one week