Spring Greens Gammon Soup Food

SPRING GREEN MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• For the soup: In a small food processor, puree 1/4 cup of the butter beans until smooth. Set aside.
• Place a heavy saucepan or stockpot over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Add the leeks and garlic and sweat until translucent and softened, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the stock, pasta, pearl onions, tomatoes and remaining butter beans. Bring to a simmer and simmer until the pasta is cooked, about 5 minutes. Check the seasoning. Add the haricot vert and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the bean puree, spinach, peas and parsley.
• For serving: Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with a small spoonful of pesto, some radishes, cilantro and scallions, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH MIXED GREENS

Steps:

• Heat the EVOO in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the anchovies into the oil and stir until they melt away into the oil. Add the garlic and chiles, and stir for 2 minutes. Then add the vermouth. Add the potatoes, celery, carrots and onions, and cook partially covered 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and season with pepper. Wilt in the greens and season with a little nutmeg. Once the greens have wilted, add the chicken and vegetable stocks and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes. Then season with salt, if necessary.
• Cool completely and store in the refrigerator for a make-ahead meal.
• To serve, reheat over medium heat and stir in the parsley. Serve with cheese and bread.

SPRING GREEN SOUP

Steps:

• Halve cucumber lengthwise; cut one half into eighths and the other into 1/4- inch dice. Set aside. Cut asparagus spears into 2-inch lengths. Puree in a blender with 1/2 cup cold water until smooth.
• Add spinach, scallions, cucumber eighths, and another 1/2 cup water. Blend until thoroughly pureed. Add avocado, mint leaves, and lemon juice; puree until smooth, adding remaining water a little at a time until soup is desired consistency. Add salt, and season with pepper. Scrape down sides of blender with a rubber spatula, and puree 5 seconds more.
• Cut sorrel into fine strips, if using. Divide soup among four bowls; garnish each with diced cucumber, sorrel, and a mint sprig. Serve immediately.

SPRING GREEN LIMA BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a soup pot or Dutch oven, place the broth and water over high heat. Add the lima beans and cover.
• Peel and chop the onion and add it to the pot. Add the salt, pepper and garlic.
• Keep the pot covered until the mixture comes to a boil. Then uncover and stir. Cover the pot and cook on medium-high, keeping a steady boil for 10 minutes, or until the beans are tender.
• Remove the soup from the stove. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is smooth (or you can use a potato masher to do this). Place the pot over medium heat.
• In a small jar that has a lid, add the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cool tap water, and shake to mix well. Drizzle the cornstarch mixture into the soup, and stir constantly until the soup thickens, about 2 minutes.
• Serve immediately, garnished with bacon bits, sour cream and parsley, if desired.

SPRING GREENS WITH LEMON DRESSING

Steps:

• To make the dressing, mix the garlic, lemon juice and zest, olive oil and some seasoning together. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, then add the broccoli and greens, and cook for about 5 mins until tender. Drain well, then toss through the dressing and serve.

GREEN PEA AND HAM SOUP

Steps:

• Make the broth:
• Combine the hocks, vegetables, bay leaf, peppercorns, and 8 cups of water in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to low, put the lid on, and cook at a nice steady simmer until the meat on the hocks is so tender it's almost falling off the bone, 4 to 5 hours.
• Carefully remove the hocks and put them in a big bowl. Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve into the bowl, and discard the vegetables and aromatics. Let the hocks cool in the liquid.
• When the hocks are cool enough to handle, pull off the meat in bite-sized chunks. Discard the bones and any hard bits and some of the fat, but don't throw away the skin-I add the skin to the soup in thin slices, along with the chunks of ham. You don't have to, but I like the way it goes sticky in the soup. You can keep the stock and meat (moistened with a splash of stock) in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to two days. Gently warm the meat and skin before proceeding with the recipe. This recipe requires only 4 cups of stock-you may freeze the leftover stock for up to a month for your next batch of soup.
• Make the soup:
• Put the butter in a large pot that has a lid and set it over medium heat. Once the butter starts to froth, add the onion, carrot, and salt and stir. Cover the pot and cook, stirring every now and again, until the onions are soft and creamy (but not colored) and the carrots are tender but firm, about 15 minutes.
• Add the wine and bring it to a boil (turn the heat up if you need to). Let the wine boil until it's all but gone, about 5 minutes. Add the mint and 4 cups of the ham broth and bring the liquid to a boil, then add the peas. (At this point, the carrots will have bobbed to the top. I like to pick out most of the carrot chunks before pureeing the soup, then add them back after. That way, you can nibble on them in the soup, getting that bit of texture.) Cook at a simmer until the peas are warmed through and tender, about 5 minutes.
• Blend the pot's contents, in batches, until smooth. Return all the bright-green pea puree to the large pot, add the ham pieces and carrots, and cook at a very gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, just to let the flavors mingle and heat the ham. Have a taste, and season with salt. How much you need to add will depend on how salty the ham hocks are.
• Add a generous drizzle of olive oil, several twists of black pepper, and the torn mint leaves. Then add the crème fraîche in little blobs here and there, so everyone will get a bit. Serve the soup in the pot, with small bowls along-side.