Foodarama Contessa,shares her vision through cooking, publishes her original food writing providing recipes, restaurant critics and product reviews in her very unique blog.

DIRECTIONS


every country in the world has discovered the healthful, cost-saving, convenient benefits of serving soups and stews. Soups can be used as the first course or they can stand alone as main entres. Whatever their use, soups are quick and easy to prepare; and they are satisfying, nutricious, healthy and very light especially in cold winter days. And todays star called ''celery creamy soup''. Celery is my winter saver, my hero. You can cook it with little onions, carrots and with the adding of little bit olive oil, it turns a great healthy and light meal. Or in the winter you can cook this delicious celery soup, for your self and loved ones. So if you don't like dairy products in your soup you can cook it without milk. So enjoy!!
Method
Chop onion fine. Heat oil of choice in a soup pot and add the onion. Sauté until the onion is soft. Add milk product of choice, bay leaf, cloves and thyme and keep warm on a low flame until the rest of the ingredients are ready. Stir from time to time. This allows the liquid to take on the flavor of the spices. Cut celery into 1" pieces. Place celery and leaves into a food processor or blender and chop until fine. Add the steamed potato and continue chopping.
Add the bouillon, a little a time, continuing to work the machine until a soup-like consistency achieved. Add soup to pot and warm. Do not allow the soup to come to a simmer. Stir frequently. Salt to taste.

Boil the lentils for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put the vegetables, fresh herbs and bacon in a food prosessor or mince it manually with a shark knife untill everything is cut into small, but not too small pieces and fry it in a large caserole together with the cinnamon stick and the bay-leaf for a few minutes. If the bacon has a lot of fat, you don´t need to add any oil or butter. Strain off the water from the lentils and put them in the caserole together with the vegetables and bacon. Add the bouillon and fresh water and let the soup boil for a few minutes to make the flavours mix. Add the orange juice in the end, and some salt or more bouillon and extra spices if you like. Bon Apetite!
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This is a very lovely recipe from Purple Haze Lavender Farm. 
Savory vegetable soup is a traditional way of incorporating astragalus, garlic and medicinal mushrooms into your diet. Eat this soup as often as you like to strengthen your immunity.
1 ounce dried astragalus root slices
1⁄2-inch piece fresh gingerroot, slivered
1/4 cup brown basmati rice
8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1⁄2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup winter squash, chopped
1 cup shiitake or maitake, sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons light miso, or to taste
8 medium cloves garlic, minced
1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, minced
Simmer astragalus, ginger, rice and stock in a heavy covered pot for 1 hour. Sauté onion, winter squash and mushrooms in olive oil for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Add sautéed vegetable mixture to the soup pot, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add corn and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Remove astragalus. Dilute miso in a small amount of hot broth and add to soup. Thin soup with additional broth if desired and add more miso to taste. Add garlic and parsley, let stand for 5 minutes and serve.
Bon Appetite!!
Rice SaladHeat the oil in a pan, stir in the rice, then pour in the boiling water or stock. Add the salt, stir once and allow it to come back to the boil. Cover, then reduce the heat to give a bare simmer. Cook gently for 40-50 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just tender.Next chop up the spinach leaves and spring onions very finely, and fork into the rice along with the herbs and grated lemon rind. Cover the pan with a folded cloth and leave aside for 10 minutes.Make the dressing by crushing the salt, peppercorns and garlic together with a pestle and mortar. Add the mustard, vinegar and olive oil, the shake the whole lot together in a screw-top jar. Tip the salad ingredients into a bowl, pour the dressing all over and fluff it with a skewer. Serve the salad warm or cold.
This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course and Delia Smith's Complete Illustrated Cookery Course.
Bon Appetite!



Spinach & Artichoke Dip
