Garlic Soup: Easy and Delicious

Want an easy vegetable soup that might just heal your soul? I love this recipe because it is all about how you cook, rather than relying on specific ingredients. Many truly fantastic recipes are based on the need for good, nutritious food when resources are scarce.  This soup, a descendant of a French peasant soup, is no exception.  You can add whatever herbs and vegetables you have lying around, so long as you stick to a general outline.

Chop a few cups of fresh herbs (I used basil, oregano, and rosemary, but whatever you have around), and at least two entire heads of garlic. I went with almost three, but I love garlic. Sauté everything very briefly in 1/2 cup of regular olive oil. Then add 3 quarts of water and bring to a rolling boil. Simmer uncovered for approximately one hour.

Now add chopped vegetables and any legumes or starch. I put in a diced red onion, kale, and brown lentils. Maintain a simmer until everything is fully cooked.

Add salt and black pepper to taste, and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon. If you want to thicken the soup a bit, you can add tempered egg whites egg yolks (thanks Emy!) or blend slightly with an immersion blender. Or you can do what I did, and add 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast.

Serve with crusty bread for dipping!

Duck: Simply Amazing

Roast duck with orange-pineapple glaze and kale potatoes. The glaze was a happy accident, and definitely not made from the pouch that comes in most frozen ducks. 

For crispy, well-cooked duck, score the skin and steam duck quarters for 45 minutes, then roast for 10 minutes a side. If you cook off the steam water, you can save the rendered duck fat for later use. I freeze it and use for sautéing potatoes.

When I steamed the duck, the orange-pinapple juice from the brine (always brine poultry!) dripped down along with the fat into the steaming water.  When I rendered the fat, the fruit juice reduced and became a syrup-like glaze which added a nice finish to the meal.

It also didn't hurt that Sarah made potato bread earlier.