Tag: green

Categories
Veggie

Green Pea Mint Soup

one and a half slices green kitchen stories soup recipe collaboration
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Green Pea Minty Soup with Wasabi Crema

The Best in Show

It’s cold. And it’s the time of year when everyone in Northern Virginia wishes they did not live in Northern Virginia. March drags on forever, and just when you think you’ve made it to spring, Easter is chilly and there is sleet on Mother’s Day. Here at OneandahalfSlices we decided to combat the cold with what shall now be known as The Festival Of Soups. Three soups were made in one day, leftovers studied, and the all-star recreated three times in the subsequent 10 days. This, my friends, is the all-star. This green pea minty soup inspired by Green Kitchen Stories stole the show. It basically has a salad on top and the crema can get really creative. So break out the wasabi, the green vibes, and the blender. Best part is this thing takes all of 20 minutes to make. It warms up well so you can make it the night before a dinner party. And if you want to make it a meal with some protein, grill a couple prawns or top with some shrimp sauté. It is bright and vibrant; perfect for Easter, perfect for Spring. You’re welcome. 

what you need

1 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

1 package (~16oz) frozen peas. Alternatively, fresh peas would be ideal.

1 can (~12-13oz) simple, full-fat coconut milk

12-13oz (~1 1/2 cups) vegetable broth

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

10+ sprigs of fresh mint

1 tablespoon coconut oil (or oil of choice)

olive oil for serving

Microgreens such as microarugula for serving  

(optional) 1 tablespoon wasabi paste 

(optional) cayenne and black pepper for serving

🥬🌼

🌷🥬

💐💐

how to make it

Heat coconut oil on medium heat in a large saucepan on the stove. Do not heat super hot – this is a slow roll / low burn recipe. Warm. Not hot. 

Slice garlic and dice onions, adding them to the pot and stirring until they become translucent, ~5 minutes. Add peas, mint, coconut milk, vegetable broth, and a little salt. Bring to a very low simmer for ~2-3 minutes. Do not boil. 

Remove from stovetop and pour soup into blender. Blend on high for a good while. The more you blend, the smoother your soup will become. I left mine on high for two rounds of ~3-4 minutes. The blending also makes it a little foamy. 

If you want to make crema for serving: Mix Greek yogurt with 2-3 tablespoons good olive oil. Add nutmilk, milk, or water to thin it out so it is drizzle-able. You can substitute the olive oil for wasabi paste if you prefer wasabi crema.

Pour into bowls to serve immediately. Soup should be very warm but not hot. To serve:

  • Drizzle with good olive oil
  • Drizzle with crema
  • Sprinkle with cracked black pepper and/or cayenne
  • Place a heaping mound of microgreens atop the soup
More Soup
Categories
Veggie

Pasta Verte

OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Pasta Verte

This is the freshest, crispest, heartiest, lightest, most beautiful springtime thing I can think to make when the chill finally leaves the Virginia air around noontime but the mornings are still a little frosty. The Piemaker says this dish looks like green slime, but acquiesces that it is flavorful, abundant, and filling. You can make it in one pot, with one blender, and with one half hour, which makes it a great weekday lunch if you’re working from home or weeknight dinner if you walk in late. Join me in getting my green on, courtesy of David Frenkiel from Green Kitchen Stories. David takes much better photographs than I do but I’ve made a few design modifications to the original recipe that I think serve this one well. Still not sure you want to try this?… watch David’s Reel. Also, if you feel like following his lead and listening to Nick Drake while you cook, you won’t be disappointed. I did. And to make up for my absence over the past 10 days, I’ve got a little gift for you at the end…🌷

what you need

1 bunch of kale (note: original recipe indicates spinach can substitute for kale. I found this made my sauce thinner and the dish not as hearty. Stick with the kale)

1 bunch of fresh basil

2 garlic cloves

1 head of broccoli, florets cut off

1-1 1/2 cups of fresh green peas

1 lemon

1 substantial glug of olive oil

1 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in the oven (note: original recipe indicates pine nuts OR hazelnuts. I am the world’s BIGGEST hazelnut fan but felt that the hazelnut flavor didn’t serve this dish as well as the pine nuts. Pine nuts are more expensive for sure. Almonds might be worth a try…)

2 servings bucatini pasta (note: try as I might, I could not locate bucatini, so the first time, I used an egg-based tagliatelle. Normally, I prefer egg-based pasta (especially in my Essential Bolognese sauce), but this dish is really better with an all wheat pasta. Boxed is actually best. The second time, I went for macaroni (pictured above… long, uncut macaroni). This worked better than the tagliatelle but I really recommend the bucatini). 

Lots of sea salt and cracked black pepper

how to make it

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a mild boil on the stovetop. Not a particularly deep soup pot.

Add pasta and stir. Break the leaves off the kale bunch and submerge in water on top of pasta, halving the garlic cloves and setting them on top (careful not to lose them! do not stir). Once kale is bright green and wilted, ~5 minutes, remove it and the garlic with tongs and add it to the blender. Return to the pot and add the peas and broccoli florets, cooking until bright green, ~3 additional minutes. Again, you’re looking for the bright green color. You know, the one you’re seeing everywhere these days – the color of new, springtime leaves. 

While the broccoli simmers, add the basil and 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese to the blender. Squeeze the lemon on top and add a hefty glug of olive oil. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Transfer 3/4 of the broccoli florets to the blender, leaving the smallest florets in the pot with the pasta. Transfer about half the peas as well. Add maybe 1/4-1/2 cup of pasta water and blend the mixture. You don’t want this to be too runny. The consistency you’re going for is pesto or slightly thinner. Add pasta water slowly. Sample for taste.

Drain the pasta, and remaining peas and broccoli, and return the drained ingredients to the saucepan (removed from heat). Pour a small palette of green pesto on each of two plates… a bed on which your pasta mixture will rest. Add the rest of the green mixture to the saucepan and stir with tongs to combine. Swirl the pasta around the tongs and gently lift several little swirls of pasta onto the bed of pesto on each plate. Take some of the small broccoli florets and peas with you. Then top with salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle on your reserved parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts, and you’re ready to serve!

Keep reading for the Windows Open playlist…

1
2
3

Now, since I’ve neglected posting for almost two whole weeks (I’ve been outside enjoying the springtime, of course, and experimenting with some new recipes for you all), I decided I would make it up to you by providing a Spring 2021 Windows Open playlist (alternate naming convention: Spring 2021 Windows Rolled Down playlist; hat tip Amos Lee). I don’t use Spotify, otherwise I would have uploaded it there, but here is a YouTube link. The full track list is below. Happy Spring! 🍓🥦🧄🌷🌱

  1. Indonesia – Amos Lee
  2. Windows Are Rolled Down – Amos Lee
  3. Arms of a Woman – Amos Lee
  4. This is the Thing – Fink
  5. C.R.E.A.M. – El Michels Affair
  6. The Last Cherry Blossom – RudeManners
  7. Fade Into You – Mazzy Star
  8. The Only Living Boy in New York – Simon & Garfunkel
  9. How We Operate – Gomez
  10. Past the Mission – Tori Amos
  11.  Cornflake Girl – Tori Amos
  12. One – Tina Dico
  13.  The Sea Symphonic Tales version – HAEVN
First attempt with egg pasta, spinach, and hazelnuts
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Pinterest
Tumblr