Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Nudge 14, The Grid and two soup recipes

This is a bit more than the usual 5 minute Nudge but - what the heck! - it's a holiday week.
Ah yes, the grid. I love grids (what's not to love?). And I like messy, free-hand grids best but you may like rulers so go for it. I used a Derwent watersoluble sketch pencil (dark wash) and my waterbrush). I'm cross-posting this with more detail over at The Sketchbook Challenge. Two birds and all that ... yeah, ahem, it's a holiday week, hiccup.

We had a soup night here tonight. Split Pea with the leftover Christmas Day ham bone. Really, it doesn't get better than this ... Unless you want to have the Butternut Squash soup with ate with the ham on Christmas Day. Both recipes are here.

My Split Pea Soup (adapted from the back of the bag of split peas and The Moosewood Cookbook)
Ingredients:
Bag of dried split peas
one diced large onion
4 sliced carrots
2 celery stalks (with leaves, if possible)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 quart of good chicken or vegetable stock (the kind in the carton)
Ham bone (if you have it)
2 Bay Leaves
1 small can of tomatoes
about a quarter cup of red wine
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp thyme
sesame oil
loads of pepper

Saute the diced onion in olive oil till soft. I add a bit ole pinch of kosher salt at this point. But if your stock is salted, don't add too much.
Add the carrots and celery and saute a bit. Add crushed garlic.
Add the ham bone (with ham on it) and split peas
Add the chicken stock and about 2 cups water

Bring to a simmer and let it go for a bit until the peas are mushy or smooth - whichever you prefer.

Remove the ham bone. Take the ham bits off the bone and add it back to the soup with
the wine, the tomatoes (chopped) the thyme and sesame oil and pepper. Cook about 15 minutes more.


The Butternut Squash Soup A Sippin' Soup

large onion, diced
butter
Butternut Squash (I get the package of already cubed squash, it is about 1 1/2 lbs.)
Chicken stock, quart
salt and pepper
nutmeg
a little half & half or cream if you have it

Saute the onion with a big pinch of salt.
Add the squash and the stock and simmer until the squash is soft. The stock should just about cover the squash
After the squash is cooked, blend the soup in batches in a blender (or use that awesome blender stick)
  (Be careful blending the hot soup in a blender! Remove that plastic circular handle thingy on top of the cover and put a dishcloth over the hole. Don't fill the blender more than 1/3 of the way.)
Blend til smooth. Return to pot
Add S and P to taste and a nice grating or pinch of nutmeg.
Stir in a dollop of cream (or half & half) if desired

Love ya' all! Happy New Year

6 comments:

Laurie said...

Yeah, those blender sticks are really, really worth the money if you make a lot of soup. And you'd probably make more soup if you have one, so it is a beautiful circle.

A grid may be my solution - I have joined the sketchbook challenge but I may have to limit myself to small 5 minute sketches because of tendinitis. :-( But I'm determined to make my marks some way, anyway.

brigitte said...

both soups sound yummy! i will have to give them a try.

iHanna said...

I ♥ grids too, yours look interesting. I've been emailing you about the nudges, but I don't think you get my emails? They come back so maybe I've got the wrong address or something? Take care and a happy new year to you Diana!

bumblebee said...

Diana, Thanks to the class I took with you this fall@ Art-IS. I'm going out of my comfort zone and trying the sketchbook challenge! Your soups look great. Just an idea to share in the squash soup if you don't want to use the cream add a yukon gold potato (cubed). it too will make it creamy without the fat.

Elizabeth said...

With this nudge I did Grids!! Now I am off to make pea soup. My Swedish Granma made the best pea soup on a ham bone and mine always seperates- so frustrating. Hers was simple, simple simple and I made it with her several times. I need to rally the Swedish tomtens for some halp and I bet that she will show up to perch on my shoulder , as well. Happy new Year to you dear Diana!!!!

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