Broccoli Potato Soup

It has been unseasonably cold in Toronto this past week so much so that I took my winter coat out of storage, grudgingly removed the dry cleaner's cover and wore it to work today. But it's not even Thanksgiving yet, I pleaded. Sigh.

So as my winter weather clothes come upstairs from our basement storage, it is time for me to pack away my the warm weather recipes of salads, light summer suppers and usher in thick woolly sweaters, slow cookers and comfort foods. So it begins...

Hmm. Did that sound overly negative about winter... Let me clarify... it's not a bad thing altogether. I do love comfort food. I love the warm, rich dishes we allow ourselves to indulge in when it's cold outside because we feel it fortifies our bodies and nourishes our souls... But I guess I was having a hard time, just because there are little green orbs on my tomato plant that sits on my backporch garden and there wasn't enough of the sun's rays to warm those little darlings to red. I just wasn't ready to say good bye.



Well, not all of summer is lost, yet... While the air feels chilled, there is still one remnant of summer with us. Our CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) half summer share continues for the rest of this month. In the early days of summer, we received tastes like garlic scapes, rhubarb, and strawberries. As the summer progressed, we were treated to tastes like exotic lettuce mixes, garlic, onions, herbs, peppers, potatoes, jalapenos, cantalopes, and watermelon. The half share brought a connection to the earth we never had before with our food. While we do our best to eat local, support the farmer's markets and eat foods in season, our weekly bounty from our organic CSA really made an impact to the way we think about our environment and the challenges farmers face.

This June, it rained hard and our first half pint of strawberries were on the small side and pock marked. The following week, the weather had improved and our strawberries were bright, fragrant and juicy. As an "owner" of a half share of a CSA farm, we are receive a "share" of the weekly harvest. What the weekly share is is highly dependent on what is ready to be harvested by the farm's owners. In the earlier weeks of the summer when the weather was unseasonably cold, our weekly box reflected this. At the height of summer, we would gasp at how many vegetables were in our box. There were weeks where we struggled to eat the contents of our "half share" and this week was no exception.



Now as summer fades into fall, our summer deliveries are winding down but our weekly take is still bountiful. With a small bunch of broccoli threatening to whither, about a pound of potatoes, and a bright grapefruit size white onion, I decided that a warming, hearty soup would be a good use of some of the gorgeous produce we received this week. It was also a good excuse to use my new Le Creseut dutch oven.



Broccoli Potato Soup
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bunch of broccoli - washed well - no stalks
5-6 medium sized white potatoes - peeled
1 medium sized onion (or a half of one large one)- chopped roughly
1 liter of vegetable stock

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute gently. Sweat the onions, until they are soft and glossy.
2. Chop the potatoes into a large chunks and add to the pot.
3. Add broccoli and vegetable broth. Lower heat to a simmer and cover.
4. Cook until the potatoes are soft and crumble underneath your spoon.
5. Carefully, insert an immersion blender and whiz the soup until smooth and creamy. Do this slowly and carefully. If the soup is too thick, you can thin it out with additional vegetable broth. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning.

Farmer's Market Summer Vegetable Pasta

At the height of summer (ok ok - I have been negligent to post), the tables at the farmers markets overflowing with an abundance of gorgeous ripe, fragrant produce. Thursday is the night we head to the farmer's market which is around the corner from the depot where we pick up our CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) half share allotment. We always catch the tail end of the market and sometimes some of the farmers are packing up. But I love going anyway. There are always a small handful of vendors who wait for the stragglers like me. The market closest to our foos is situated on the edge of a park and children's playground. Every week, swarms of tiny children covered in face paint descend upon the park, laughing, running, falling down and sometimes crying under the watchful eyes of their parents.

I love markets, particularly at the height of the season when the tomatoes, corn and basil shine. In fact, it's hard to keep me away. Some girls like shoe shopping, I like food shopping. I love looking at the long rectangular tables abundant with fresh vegetables everywhere glistening and fragrant of the earth and the possibility of what could be for dinner that night.

As we walked home, I thought about how I could put a meal together that would be simple and quick but would allow the natural fresh flavours of this week's harvest to shine through. This little gem is what I came up with...

1 lb cesarecce pasta (or other short pasta like gemelli)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
4 large cloves of garlic, minced (lots I know - but I love it)
1 onion
2 zucchinis
25 cherry tomatoes
1 small red chilli – deseeded, finely sliced
2 handfuls of flat leaf parsley and curly parsley
salt & pepper to taste




To save time in the kitchen, prepare your vegetables as the water for your pasta boils. You will need to prepare your vegetables in the following order:
Mince garlic
Thinly slice onion
De-seed chilli and finely slice (it can be very hot so be careful and wash your hands thoroughly)
Dice zucchinis
Halve cherry tomatoes
Chop herbs

1. Bring water to a boil, generously salt, add pasta. Stir briefly to prevent sticking. Cook to package instructions (8-10 minutes)
2. As the pasta cooks, this is the time to finishing preparing the vegetables. Work quickly. Melt butter in a large pre-heated pan. The pan should not be too hot because you want the butter to melt gently until its slightly foamy and not sizzling. Add garlic, onions and chili and stir until translucent. Add diced zucchini and stir until it softens slightly. Add herbs to pan. Stir to incorporate.
3. Just before the pasta is al dente, scoop pasta out with a slotted spoon into the pan.
4. Mix the pasta with the vegetables, add a small amount of the pasta water if you need to loosen
5. Serve!!

Weekday Stir Fry

This summer Ryan and I signed for a half share of a Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA). We used to have organic vegetables delivered to our condo but stopped when our lifestyle changed. Since we bought the house, we have been more conscious of our ecological footprint and how we live and the decisions we make daily impacts the world around us. I read an article about CSA and found one that delivers to our neighborhood. It seemed like an appropriate answer to the our need for fresh food and we liked the idea of supporting a small scale farm doing something we believe in.

The depot is a ten minute walk from our house and down the street from a new farmer's market. We walk to the farmer's market first to top up on the meats, fruits and cheese, and then off to the depot to pick up our weekly vegetables.

Serves 4
Stir fries are one of the fastest and healthiest ways to bring a meal to the table – and you usually have all the ingredients right at home. This recipe is almost vegetarian. And you shouldn’t roll your eyes if you aren’t inclined that way because you don’t believe it’s a meal without meat. Give it a try.

If you’re wondering why I have used quinoa which is a high-protein grain instead of rice (and boy do I love rice!), it's a nice change and still just as satisfying. Quinoa has a nutty and crunchy texture and it is a delight, even if it is unusual pairing for a stir fry.

1lb block of tofu
4 baby bok choy – rinsed well (or use 4 c of bagged baby spinach)
1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp malt vinegar
1 tbsp corn starch + 2 tbsp of water mixed thoroughly to make a slurry

1 tsp black sesame seeds

2c quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2c vegetable stock

1. Add quinoa and stock into a saucepan and cook on medium-high
2. Quickly chop vegetables into bite size pieces.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok, once the oil shimmers, add vegetables and sauté quick, once the greens have wilted, add tofu, fish sauce, oyster sauce, & vinegar.
4. Once warmed through, stir cornstarch and water together and add to vegetables. The cornstarch will turn the liquid cloudy, once it heats, the cornstarch transforms into a shiny translucent glaze. Stir to coat vegetables & tofu. Turn off heat and plate. Sprinkle black sesame seeds on top of stir fry.