asparagus - garlic scape soup

 i have been making asparagus soup since we started harvesting from our bed some 40 odd years ago. it has always gotten good comments from the asparagus lovers ( with this vegetable there are lovers or haters). now, i get raves! about 6 or 7 years ago, i learned about garlic scapes on a trip to the regional market in syracuse. what a wonderful part of the garlic plant. it happens to bolt from the garlic plant in the mid to late part of the asparagus season. i use them for asparagus soup but i freeze them without blanching them for use in the winter for all kinds of recipes. so , here goes....


asparagus harvested fresh from the garden, ends snapped off

i  made this soup and took the pictures 3 weeks ago and carefully wrote down the amounts. as with most of my recipes, the amounts are not critical. one can use more asparagus, no scapes, more onions, etc.  it is not critical. by the way,  i can not find the list so as usual i am winging it. i think that the most important part for a cook is tasting the final product and adjusting the seasonings.

ingredients
2 pounds asparagus
1 large handful garlic scapes
1 onion, chopped in chunks
1quart vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups half and half (fat free or regular, heavy cream or soy)...it does not matter
chopped chives...decorative
salt and pepper to taste


asparagus tips and chives to be added with cream



garlic scape in garden



harvested garlic scapes

pour broth into a dutch oven or large pot and add a large handful of scapes and onion. cook for about 5 minutes and add asparagus. you can chop vegetables if you wish but i do not. it is all going to get pureed when it is tender anyway' 

garlic scapes and onions in broth

cook asparagus , scapes until very tender. puree with wand or processor.  add tips and chives and cook 1 minute and turn off heat. now the trick...this can be refrigerated, frozen, cooled, etc. as long as the cream has not been added. when you are ready to serve this, reheat and add the milk product which has been warmed for a minute or 2 at the most in the microwave.adjust seasonings. it can now be served hot, warm or cold and all the asparagus lovers will rave!


ENJOY!

this is a P.S.
THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN FRESH GREENS FROM THE GARDEN

shrimp and asparagus strata...updated

flowers for a graduation party

i needed a make ahead recipe for the brunch the morning after our eldest grandson's graduation party. a strata seemed perfect as it needs to be made a day in advance. it is a recipe from  the 50's and needed a few changes to make it current. i also wanted to add some vegetables and since it is asparagus season... broccoli would also work .

ingredients
8 slices day old bread, cut into cubes
1 pound extra large cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound extra sharp cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 extra large eggs, beaten
1 pound asparagus, blanched for 3 minutes, cut in pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion, green if you have them (i did not)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped (i use my kitchen scissors and cut down the bunch
1 teaspoon tony chachere's creole seasoning (i love this stuff)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups half and half, milk will do



i used multi grained oat bread and am drying it out a bit

i doubled the recipe so,  if you counted the bread, etc it will be double the amounts in the recipe:) get all the ingredients ready.

                                 mix the asparagus, onions, chives and parsley together in a bowl



beat eggs, add mustard, creole seasoning and salt to taste.

there will be 2 layers. first a layer of bread, then the shrimp, followed by the green things and last the cheese. make another layer (bread, shrimp, green veggie mix and cheese.

              drizzle melted butter over all. stir the cream into the egg mixture and pour over the layers


                                                    REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT.

bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. add a little more time if the recipe is doubled

                                                                         enjoy!

in their glory

i do not know the name of this peony. it was given to me by ginny watson many years ago. it is a garden favorite, one of many...i love it's feathery leaves and it it blooms early along with the apple blossoms. the heavy rains damage the delicate petals.

another beauty this year, my white bleeding heart (dicentra). it is related to the wildflower called dutchman's breeches. i like the reflection in the window of the door. with some adjustments, it might make a nice painting.

a very old variety of lilac that was planted the year after we bought the house in 1965. every picture of our daughter in her costumes for dance recitals are in front of this shrub. it is unusual in that some of the blossoms are 2-3 feet long before there is any foliage. it has been cut back at least 3 times over the years. it is so wonderfully fragrant and it wafts my way every year as i am doing my pots for the summer.
                      

                                                                   ENJOY!

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asparagus pizza

YAHOO! the asparagus season is here. our 43 year old, very weedy bed is still giving us an ample amount of asparagus every few days and will do so till july. one of our favorite recipes is asparagus pizza. it is very easy as i make it on a sheet of puff pastry.

Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 1/2-2 lbs asparagus
1 large vidalia or sweet onion,sliced thin
5 or 6 dried tomatoes, chopped
2-4 ounces of butter, i use the lesser amount
salt and pepper
1 cup jarlsberg cheese, shredded

preheat oven to 425 degrees
snap off ends of asparagus and cut off tips. cut the stalks into diagonal pieces.
melt butter in a frying pan and add onion. saute until soft over medium heat.

meanwhile:

on a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to a rectangle. place it on an ungreased cookie sheet and prick it with a fork every inch or so. bake it for about 10 minutes.
while the pastry is baking, add the asparagus and dried tomatoes to the softened onions and saute till tender.

top pastry with the asparagus, onion mix and sprinkle with the cheese

return to oven and bake for another 8 minutes  or until the cheese is melted

slice and serve

ENJOY!

this and that

back from a a family vacation. it was wonderful but i could not plant my tomato seeds till i got back. so after the plants got watered and we got a few groceries in the house, it was planting time. maybe i will be lucky and we will not have a frost until october this year. today they are just poking their little heads out of the soil. i planted black krim, cherokee, jubilee, pink brandywine, yellow pear and black cherry, all heirloom. i will buy a few early bearing plants and a half dozen plum tomatoes.

they have a month to grow before they get planted outside in our growing area. tender plants such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers do better if planted in the beginning of june. they don't like their little roots to get cold and it takes the soil that long to warm up around here.

i am itching to plant the snap peas, arugula and a few other greens. it needs to dry out before we can work the soil. i don't have a big garden anymore...a square foot garden along the pool fence and the tomatoes, some squash and a little corn go out back.



do you think i will ever get a tomato?

next on the list was getting the paperwork done for displaying some paintings on mother's day. sounds simple but it was not. i needed to scan the art work , matt and frame it. actually i pick out the mat board and my dear husband cuts the mats and frames the picture. i think that choosing the paintings is the most difficult part and then deciding how to mat and frame comes next. so here they are....by the way, the paintings will be displayed and for sale on mother's day at sycamore hills garden. http://www.sycamorehillgardens.com/  they open their garden on mother's day  from 11-4 pm to benefit baltimore woods nature center www.baltimorewoods.org/   go and enjoy!

 


stargazing



mike's roses




crocus




tulips



rolled fillet of sole with sweet potato oven fries

 i would like to take credit for creating this stuffed fish  recipe but i got the idea from a blog called 'beyond salmon' and made a few changes. it is a keeper and it its easy.  it would work equally as well with flounder but the grocery store had this beautiful wild pacific sole.

Ingredients for the stuffing
1 bag of baby spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup crab meat, picked
4 ounces light cream cheese, whipped  is easier

remaining ingredients
1-1 1/2 pound sole or flounder
1/3 cup white wine, i used prosecco
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 8th's lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt

preheat oven to 400 degrees

Filling preparation
heat a large frying pan, i use my cast iron skillet , and add oil. dump rinsed and very well drained spinach and stir until just wilted. remove from the pan and cool. remove any liquid from the spinach and combine with cream cheese and crab meat.

rinse and dry fish with paper towels. lay the fillets out on a surface with the smooth side down.( i sprinkled  the fish with my favorite cajun seasoning ). place about 2 tablespoons of filling  onto the thick part of the fillet. roll it. place the rolled fillets in a greased dish with the seam side down. pour the  wine and water into pan with the fillets

 cut sweet potatoes into lengthwise pieces and toss with the olive oil. place on a foil lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt.

place fish and potatoes in the 400 degree preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.

                                                                             enjoy!!

cheesey pasta with roasted broccoli and turkey breast

this dish is basically a casserole that can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed. at room temperature you only need to bake it for 20 minutes @ 400. if it has been refrigerated, i would lower the oven to 350 and bake for 35-40 minutes

ingredients
12 ounces - 1 pound of pasta, cut or amount not critical
1 pound turkey cutlets, sliced into bite size pieces(chicken could be used)
2 quarts broccoli, washed and cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 stick of butter, could substitute olive oil
6 ounces of shredded cheddar
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper( if you have followed this blog, you know that i added some cajun seasoning ;)
4 ounces shredded parmesan, romano combo or cheese of your choice for the topping

preheat oven to 400 degrees. meanwhile place broccoli into a bowl with the minced garlic and 1/4 cup of olive oil. stir till the broccoli is coated with the oil. dump out on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil.
bake the broccoli for 20 minutes. remove from the oven, wrap in the foil and set aside. (roasted vegetables have a more intense flavor)

in a large skillet, place the butter and onion. saute until the onion is soft and throw in the turkey. DO NOT OVERCOOK. just saute till it is barely done and then pour in the white wine. bring it to a simmer and remove from the heat.

 cook the pasta until it is just underdone. drain and rinse with cold water, drain and place in a container large enough to hold all ingredients. the pasta will still be warm . add the cheddar cheese. mix, then add the chicken and the broccoli. stir it and adjust the seasonings.

 place it in a lightly greased baking pan. spinkle the remaining cheese on the top and place it in the oven.

                                                                              enjoy!