Lemon Asparagus Soup

Here is a delicious, healthy, and (if you hurry) local ingredient recipe that I found on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Facebook page. If you don't have one or two of the herbs in your herb garden or spice cupboard, I would suggest substituting your own favourites. If you don't have home made chicken broth, organic is strongly recommended.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 cups asparagus

1 cup onion

2 cups (preferably home made) chicken broth

1 Tbsp organic butter (Extra Virgin Olive Oil may be substituted)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp lemon balm, chopped

1/2 Tbsp dried tarragon

Sea salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Wash a bundle of asparagus well to get all the sand out of the heads. (Soak in cold water and let the sand fall to the bottom) Break off the woody ends and chop the heads and stems until you have about 2 cups. Peel and chop a sweet onion.In a medium size pot, melt the butter and gently sauté the onion until it is translucent. Add the chopped asparagus and continue sautéing until the asparagus has turned bright green. Add the chicken broth, parsley, lemon balm, lemon juice, and tarragon. Cover the pot with a lid and let simmer until the asparagus in tender (about 10 minutes).Transfer the soup to a blender and liquefy. Note: This can be a dangerous procedure if you are not careful. Let the soup cool slightly, blend in small batches if necessary, and be sure to cover the lid of the blender with a towel to protect yourself in case of "eruptions."

Return the soup to the pot and keep warm.

PESTICIDE CLEANING OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

There are lots of local fruits and vegetables coming to your market these days. Unfortunately, local doesn't mean organic, and many of these lovely local delights may still have been sprayed with pesticides. Once a pesticide has been sprayed on a fruit or vegetable, it penetrates the skin of the food and begins to make its way into the flesh; but a good pesticide wash is, at least, a start. Organic is still best.

Grapefruit Seed Extract can be found in health food stores.

Enjoy.

Instructions
Things You'll Need:
· spray bottle
· funnel
· small bowl
· 1 cup water
· 1 cup white vinegar
· 2 tbsp baking soda
· 20 drops grapefruit seed extract
1. In small bowl combine 1 cup water, vinegar, baking soda and grapefruit seed extract. Stir.
2. Place a funnel in the mouth of the spray bottle and gradually pour liquid into the bottle.
3. After closing container; spray concoction on fruits and vegetables. Let it sit for an hour or two. Rinse.

GRILLED STEAK WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

Outdoor grilling season makes me so happy. The addition of the chimichurri sauce is really fun, especially if you are growing flat leaf parsley. The sauce should keep in the refrigerator for a few days, but it probably won't last that long.
Enjoy.

Ingredients:
¾ cup finely chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
½ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 ½ tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 ½ teaspoons dried crushed red pepper (see note)

2 grass‐fed beef steaks, your favorite cut, 4 to 6 ounces each (about 1 inch thick)

Note: Use any kind of dried hot spice you like for the crushed red pepper. For instance, I am a fan of ground chipotle pepper. Also, when it comes to adding spices, start slowly, taste, and then decide if you want to add more.

Preparation:
1) Place all ingredients except the beef in a food processor. Pulse until a smooth sauce is achieved.
2) Refrigerate if time permits. (Can be made 1 day ahead.) Bring to room temperature before using.
3) Sprinkle both sides of steaks with sea salt and pepper.
4) Place steaks on barbeque grill and cook until desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium‐rare.
See our notes about cookware here, or in GOOD FOOD if you are cooking on an indoor grill pan.
5) Once the steaks are cooked, let them rest off the heat for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving them. Slice steaks crosswise (across the grain of the meat) and arrange on a platter. Spoon chimichurri sauce over the steaks and serve.

Restaurant Quality Caesar Salad, Complete with Croutons and Dressing

My Romaine Lettuce was fully grown and ready to harvest. I had raw Parmesan cheese from the organic market. Nothing left but to develop a Caesar Salad worthy of my high quality ingredients. Thank goodness for a quiet, rainy Sunday when there’s recipe development to be done.

If you are on the Core Plan, your crouton options include whole grain bread. Just toast it and rub it with fresh cut garlic, then slice it into cubes. If you are on the Advanced Plan, you do not have the bread option, but the crouton substitutions are easy. One option is to use whole raw walnuts or pecans for croutons. We used Parmesan Tuiles (a kind of cookie) broken into pieces once cooled. There are many ways to make the tuiles, but the method below allows make-ahead preparation.

The salad is so delicious, the crouton question will not be an issue. The recipe will serve 4, so make a party of it.
Enjoy.

Parmesan Tuiles

Ingredients:
1 cup freshly grated raw or imported Italian Parmesan Cheese. For best results, grate with a micro-plane or other grater that produces a fine grate.
Yield: 4 to 5 tuiles
(If you have lots of raw Parmesan on hand, you may want to double this amount.)

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. For each tuile, spread 3 tablespoons of the grated cheese on the paper to form a 3-inch round.

Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute.

Using a metal spatula, transfer the tuiles to another piece of parchment paper and cool completely. Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 24 hours. For the Caesar Salad “croutons,” break cooled tuiles into bit sized pieces.

Caesar Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled, then smashed and minced, or grated with a micro-plane
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (plus more to taste if desired)
4 ounces raw or Imported Italian Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon anchovy paste, or 1-2 anchovies, smashed and minced
2 egg yolks
freshly ground black pepper (1/4 teaspoon or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Note: Anchovy Paste is widely available in grocery stores and specialty markets. Be sure to check the label, though, because some anchovy paste products contain canola oil. You don't want that.

Preparation:
In the salad bowl, whisk together the olive oil and garlic. Let this mixture stand for half an hour to infuse the olive oil with the garlic flavor.
Add anchovies and egg yolks to the oil and garlic mixture. Whisk until creamy. Add salt and pepper and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Whisk in half of the Parmesan cheese. Taste, add more lemon juice to taste. The lemon should give an edge to the dressing, but not overwhelm it.
Add torn Romaine Lettuce (approximately 1 or 2 large, or 3 small heads) and toss to coat the lettuce leaves with the dressing. Add the Parmesan Tuile “croutons” and the remainder of the Parmesan Cheese, and toss to serve.