Spring forward, fall back: Creamy Green Pea and Potato Soup offers hope, comfort

Leeks, potatoes and frozen green peas quickly cook into a creamy, hearty soup that tastes like spring. See Kitchen Notes for a vegetarian version. Recipe below.

Spring in Chicago is being its usual capricious self. Warm, sunny days mix it up with cold, blustery, rain-filled stretches. The range of our outerwear this time of year says it all. Leather jackets, sport coats, shirt sleeves, raincoats and, sadly, even our down parkas all see action.

It’s the same story in the kitchen. Longer days and soft breezes have us longing for fresh asparagus and other tastes of spring. Sudden blasts of cold send us running for comfort food. This soup delivers both. The sweet, green flavor of peas is filled with promise; the thick, hearty, potato-rich base soothes even on an unseasonably chilly night. Continue reading “Spring forward, fall back: Creamy Green Pea and Potato Soup offers hope, comfort” →

The joys of wasting not, wanting not for the holidays: A simple Italian Celery Soup

Leftover celery teams up with chicken, carrots, tomato paste and rice to become Minestra del Sedano, a satisfying meal in a bowl (recipe below). And a pair of utilitarian holiday gifts lead to hidden urban treasure.

This time of year, food magazines, websites and blogs are awash in holiday recipes. How to make the perfect Hanukkah latke or Christmas roast, countless cookie recipes, vegan holiday menus… Sometimes, I’ve jumped into the fray, with Hazelnut Rosemary Jam Cookies, a Cherry Orange Loaf Cake inspired by a gift my grandmother received as a child and even a dinner for two for friends spending their first married Christmas together.

Other years, I’ve skipped recipes in favor of my grandmother’s story, a poem remembered from grade school and even our non-traditional traditional Christmas Eve dinner (and yes, we’re going again this year). Continue reading “The joys of wasting not, wanting not for the holidays: A simple Italian Celery Soup” →

Pesto with a French accent flavors hearty, traditional Soupe au Pistou

Big flavored pistou, a Provençal sauce made with basil, garlic, Parmesan and olive oil, gives a delicious kick—and its name—to Soupe au Pistou, a hearty vegetable soup. Recipe below.

Every spring, Marion plants basil based on my best intentions. And every fall, I scramble to harvest the bounty I’ve failed to convert into numerous promised batches of pesto (I think I made it twice this summer). So Sunday afternoon found me, anorak-clad, gathering basil in the rain, fending off bumblebees as I snipped the flowering tops onto the compost pile. Continue reading “Pesto with a French accent flavors hearty, traditional Soupe au Pistou” →

Black-eyed pea soup with thyme and a lucky New Year’s Day find

Thyme and white wine add a little complexity to hearty black-eyed pea soup. Recipe below.

I know, I know. I was supposed to write about black-eyed peas before the new year. After all, they’re one of those foods you eat on New Year’s Eve (or is it New Year’s Day?) to bring you luck in the coming year. But this soup and this post were inspired by a little neighborhood restaurant we had the good luck to discover on New Year’s Day. Continue reading “Black-eyed pea soup with thyme and a lucky New Year’s Day find” →