zucchini spinach basil soup w/ corn

I came across this soups beginnings at a little bistro in Silver Lake called Blair's. Dependable for lunch, really really decent for dinner. It's a charming place and the dinner menu is my kind of eating. Homey, farm to table centric, creative. Understated but elegant.

I have no idea what Blair's actual recipe is but I found myself craving it one day and noticed I had the key ingredients in my fridge and freezer so I set out to make it as closely as I could. This one is pretty close actually. So, here it is, loaded with vitamins, iron, fiber and really tasty. Excellent paired with a salad of red oak lettuce, currents and blue cheese dressing. Make it in large batches. It freezes well. Add corn to each dish never to the whole pot.



Ideally we pick our own squash, corn, basil, leeks and perhaps even our spinach straight out of our own kitchen gardens, those beautiful landscapes we look out at every morning as we sip our tea and plan our day. But maybe you, like me, get most of your goods at a local farmers market and make up the difference at your local Trader Joe's or if you can afford it, Whole Foods. Or Maybe you get all your goods from Ralphs or the corner bodega's freezer section or maybe you pull your fresh veggies out of your neighbors garden! No matter, this is a soup worth the jail time.

If you do have a Trader Joe's near by I want to point out a few quick tricks that will make quick work of this dish. See the cheat sheet photo below....

Leeks are good but any onion will work.... but leeks are good.

Zucchini Spinach Basil Soup w/ Corn

5 large zucchini, washed, sliced and salted
2 quarts fresh chopped or 2 bags frozen spinach
2 large bunch basil or 1/2 package of Dorot's frozen
2 large leeks, washed, halved and sliced
2 quarts vegetable broth or water
2 ears of fresh corn, sliced off the cob
salt & pepper
very fruity extra virgin olive oil

• Toss sliced leeks into a large pot with a couple tablespoons of olive oil.
  
• Sautée until soft.
  
• Pat excess liquid from sliced/salted zucchini and add to pot.
  
• Stir over med heat until zucchini is soft and changes texture, about 10 minutes.
  
• Add spinach, basil and broth. If broth doesn't cover vegetables by 1/2" add more water. I'd add a couple generous shakes of salt here. Always coarse sea salt never that iodized table salt (just break up with that tiresome "the sun 'll come out tomorrow" girl already....).
• Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
  
• Cool for 10 minutes and portion soup into a blender. Blend each batch on high for 2 minutes at least. Soup should be smooth and velvety. Don't worry if it seems frothy the soup will settle and lose the air.
  
• Complete puree and return batch to the pot to simmer a bit longer.
  
• Add more water, salt and pepper to attain your desired consistency and taste.
• Corn can be flash sauteed over a high heat or steamed or even served raw if it's high summer and the corn is sweet.
  

This soup serves well poured hot with a mound of corn in the center, a garnish of fresh basil and a generous drizzle of your best olive oil. You could even add a dash of paprika or fresh ground pepper over the top.

Eat up!

Hand Me My Purslane

Hello sweeties,

I went to the market this weekend. It's so hot I was motivated to get there a bit earlier than usual. I think I was plodding around by 8am this time. Getting there early is good for two reasons, a less determined sun and the best pick of everything. Guess what i stumbled on? A little herb called Purslane. I've heard it mentioned but never had seen it before. It looks like a cross between Lambs Ear (that lovely dusted ground cover clever people add to their gardens) and watercress. For a buck a bunch I couldn't pass up the opportunity to experiment.

Once home I found this out online:
Medieval herbals describe purslane as ‘cold,’ meaning that it was considered a cure for a ‘burning’ (or malfunctioning) heart and liver. Greeks call it a ‘blood-cleansing’ herb. In Mexico, purslane is considered good for diabetics. Recent research has confirmed that purslane is one of the best vegetable sources of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as carotenes and vitamin C

excellent! I'm on this anti-inflammatory diet a month now - as I mentioned - and I've decided to go another month. But more about that later.

Another attention grabber at the market were the little goblin melons called lemon cucumbers. Again, heard of them, I suppose I've seen them before but had never tasted them. So, I got a sample from a hurried young man at a booth and got myself about 4 of them. I wasn't overwhelmed by the flavor at that point but did detect the lemony essence and I liked the texture. I wasn't in a mood to quarrel with myself about it.

With no real plan for any of the ingredients purchased that day Moj and I went about dinner. We were in foul moods that night. Self pitying and snarling at one another. She took to the grill for fish tacos and I opted for the salad of the evening. Here is what I made:

Purslane Lemon Cuke Salad with Summer Corn

2 bunches of Purslane leaves
3 lemon cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 cob fresh uncooked sweet corn (yellow is has more beta carotene)
a bit of really good olive oil
a generous splash of white balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper
a bit of lemon thyme if you have it (skip it if you don't the other kinds are too strong)
Or fresh basil chiffinod (roll the leaves together lengthwise and slice, deary, gives you sweet little ribbons of basil throughout your salad)

Toss together and let stand for 15 minutes while making the rest of dinner. Just before eating squeeze a bit of lemon over the salad. Toss and serve.

yum,
Romy

Oh, and Moj's tacos were awesome too. She makes a marinade out of tequila.. not on the diet but overlooked just this once. Maybe she'll give us her recipe sometime.