Every once in a while, the people packing the CSA box seem to lose track of where they are on the packing list. A couple of boxes ago, this resulted in getting two packs of red raspberries and no red radishes. This week, it resulted in a double helping of purple carrots. Look how pretty.
I decided to use the carrots to make soup. Often times the quantity of veggies included in the box isn't enough to make soup, but with the double helping I though it would be enough.Here's the ingredients for the soup:
2 bunch purple carrots, peeled and chopped3/4 Walla Walla sweet onion, chopped1-2 cups chicken stock (veggie stock would work too)salt and pepperI started by heating just a little olive oil in a sauce pan. To this I added my onion and let it sweat for about five minutes (sweating cooks the onion through, but doesn't color the onion at all). Once the onion was cooked, I added the carrot and then added just enough broth to cover the veggies. I let this simmer until the carrots were tender, about 10 minutes.
I blended the soup in a couple of batches until is was very smooth, then I returned it to the pan. At this point I decided the soup was a little thick, so I added more chicken broth until it was the consistency that I wanted.While the carrot soup was simmering, I decided to make a little cream sauce to further flavor the soup. With a search through the crisper drawer I came up with some English Peas and thought that the green of the peas would contrast nicely with the purple carrot soup. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been making a Pesto Pea Soup for some of my clients, and thought that a take on this soup would be good for the cream.Here's the ingredients for the Basil Pea Cream:
1 pound English Peas, shelled (this resulted in roughly one cup of peas)1/4 Walla Walla sweet onion, chopped2 clove garlic, smashed1/2 cup cream1/2 cup chicken broth (again, veggie stock would work too)a bunch of fresh basilsalt and pepperBasically, the pea cream followed the same steps as the carrot soup, with the addition of the cream to the pan for simmering. 
I added the basil to the cream when I put it in the blender.Once the soup and the cream were both done, I ladled the carrot soup into the bowl and then spooned on a bit of the basil cream (giving it a little swirl for good measure).
How was it. Delish! Both the soup and the basil-pea cream were wonderful on their own, but together they were great. My only disappointment was that I expected the carrot soup to be purpleyer (is that a word?) but the flavor more than made up for it.
Of course the carrot soup could easily be made with orange carrots instead of purple. Or you could get really crazy and make orange carrot soup, purple carrot soup and then the green basil pea cream. That would be really striking.Labels: almost vegetarian, Full Circle Farm, root veggies, soup
1 bunch Red Chard
2 Tomatoes
1 Sweet Onions
1 head Purple Garlic
.75 pound Asparagus
2 Green Bell Peppers
1.5 pounds Red Potatoes
1 bunch French Breakfast Radishes
.5 pound Snap Peas
1 bunch Carrots
2 Lemons
1 bunch Broccoli
1 Mango
Today's box included the largest stalk of asparagus ever. On the left, a normal-size asparagus, on the right, the one that was in my box today.
Labels: box contents, Full Circle Farm
Recently, in an effort to both conserve money and eat better, I've re-dedicated myself to cooking at home more. You see, when you cook for a living, sometimes the last thing that you want to do at night when you get home is cook dinner.
I keep a well-stocked pantry and have a freezer full of meat but the one thing missing was vegetables. I decided to sign up for the CSA program offered through Full Circle Farm (a local farm just outside of town). Now every two weeks I get a box of delicious, organic fruits and veggies to work with.
I'll try to blog new recipes inspired by the contents of my box a couple of times a week and each time I get a new box I'll blog it's contents. Occasionally I may also blog a random thought or two.
One caveat, I don't fancy myself much of a writer. I have a tendency to ramble and I love parenthesis (I like to explain myself). So, if you can put up with my writing, I hope to provide you with some inspirations for your own kitchen.Labels: Full Circle Farm, welcome
I decided to use the carrots to make soup. Often times the quantity of veggies included in the box isn't enough to make soup, but with the double helping I though it would be enough.
2 bunch purple carrots, peeled and chopped
I blended the soup in a couple of batches until is was very smooth, then I returned it to the pan. At this point I decided the soup was a little thick, so I added more chicken broth until it was the consistency that I wanted.
1 pound English Peas, shelled (this resulted in roughly one cup of peas)
I added the basil to the cream when I put it in the blender.
How was it. Delish! Both the soup and the basil-pea cream were wonderful on their own, but together they were great. My only disappointment was that I expected the carrot soup to be purpleyer (is that a word?) but the flavor more than made up for it.
1 bunch Red Chard
