foodessa

Jutting asparagus come piercing their little heads to say an initial hello.

An entrée of fresh asparagus potage precedes a generous Pork tenderloin meal.

Vitamin-rich asparagus lightly spas our skin and strengthens our bones.

Freshly harvested spears have been enjoyed in my parts...

of Quebec between mid May and the end of June.

Not only do the health benefits of fresh asparagus lure me to their command...

they taste delicious on their own or within a variety of recipes.

I always look forward to locally grown green spears waiting to be devoured ;o)

This vibrant green vegetable brimming with tons of fiber and vitamins...

has been enjoyed along many meals at our table.

Here are at least two meals that can be made together or on separate occasions.
Enjoy.

purely Asparagus soup potage

with garnishes of:

Tortilla pieces...a drizzle of Olive oil...and Parmesan shavings

serves 2 people

Printer version

INGREDIENTS:
(American / Metric measures)

Soup-Potage:

. 1 medium bunch fresh asparagus *
. 1/2 tsp. (2.5ml) sea salt

. 1/2 tsp. (2.5ml) granulated garlic powder

. Chile flakes or a pinch of Cayenne pepper (optional)

Garnish:

. a drizzle of e.v.Olive oil

. a few Tortilla chips

. Parmesan shavings

* If time is of essence...here’s how to trim asparagus quickly: Take one of the asparagus and snap it past it's toughest point. Align that one against the remaining bunch of asparagus and slice all of them at once using the first snapped example as your guide.

PREPARATION:

1. Before washing the asparagus, snap off the tougher ends.

2. Either steam or blanch the asparagus until just under fork tender.

3. Immediately soak them into an ice water bath. Strain and puree them into the blender. Pass all of it through a sieve and into an empty pot.

4. Season with a little sea salt, granulated garlic powder and optional chile flakes or cayenne pepper. When ready to serve, just heat this mix in the same pot just until hot to the touch without boiling.

5. Ladle the potage into individual soup bowls. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, a few tortilla chip pieces or croutons and finish off with Parmesan shavings. Another garnish option: A dollop of crème fraîche or thick Greek style yogurt can be added for a touch of richness.

***

Pork fillet slices

with Orange, Coconut, Turmeric

on a bed of Asparagus

serves 2 people

Printer version

INGREDIENTS:

(American / Metric measures)

Meat dish:
. 1 small Pork tenderloin fillet
. 2 Tbsps. (30ml) e.v.Olive oil
. 2 Tbsps. (30ml) unsalted butter
. 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
. 1 large red Bell pepper, thinly sliced
. 1 large garlic clove, crushed
. 1 Tbsp. (15ml) fresh ginger, grated
. 1 tsp. (5ml) ground turmeric spice
. 1 large navel orange, chopped
...
   . 1/4 tsp. (1.75ml) sea salt
   . 1/4 tsp. (1.75ml) granulated garlic powder
   . pinch of both dried basil and marjoram
...
. 1/8 cup (30ml) fortified Sherry or White wine
. 2 Tbsps. (30ml) Maple syrup
. 1/4 cup (60ml) coconut milk

Vegetable bed:

1 medium bunch fresh asparagus *

PREPARATION:

1. Vegetable bed: Before washing the asparagus, snap off the tougher ends. Set them aside until ready to steam or blanch.
2. Meat dish: Clean the pork fillet by shaving off any excess thin layer of membrane. Slice the fillet into thin, finger slices and set aside.
3. Vegetable bed continued: While the main meal is being cooked, briefly steam the asparagus until tender-crisp and set aside.
4. Meat dish continued: In a large deep pan, heat the butter and oil on MEDIUM heat. Add the onions and caramelize them for about 10 minutes. Add the red peppers, garlic, ginger and turmeric spice. Toss and cook for about 5 minutes before adding the orange. Toss and cook for another minute.
5. Make a well in the center and add the pork slices. Lightly cook before adding the seasoning. Flip the pieces over and add the Sherry.
6. After about a minute add the maple syrup and coconut milk. Note: It's ready when the meat should still be lightly pink inside.
. Serve immediately on a bed of the steamed asparagus. Enjoy.

This month has barely felt like Spring around here.

The crisp air has kept me from getting my small garden started.

Even the bush beans have felt too much of a chill to sprout.

In the meantime, as I spring for other light recipes...

hopefully you'll have a chance to spring for this two-part meal with snappy asparagus ;o)

Enjoy some vibrant tulips and have a wonderful week.

Flavourful wishes,
Foodessa

Comments ... ??? ... or suggestions ... write me :o)
Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com

Go HERE for more SAVOURY creations.

Please take note on how I bake and cook...

Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.

Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)

. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.

Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool. Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.

. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc. Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.

. OVENS are unfortunately not created equal. Mine is so old that it has reached many degrees off it's norm. It's really worth investing a few dollars to test yours with an appropriate oven thermometer. You'd be surprised how many ovens I've heard about not being where they should have been. Before you lose any more ingredients and much time preparing a new recipe...run to the store...you'll thank me later.

Here are a few more related recipes that may be of interest:
- thrifty PORK shank OSSO BUCO
- Porto PORK tenderloin with Cheddar on Swiss Chard
- Feta Fig Squash stuffed PORK roll

CHICKEN TOMATO...
potage soup

Unbeatably tasty comfort found in this flavourful warmth in a bowl.

Usually Friday or Sunday suppers
are pretty much Soup and Cheese nights.

Friday's soup comes from the leftover Sunday soup ;o)
You see where I am going with this.
If you are wondering...
yes, I freeze portions of my soup as soon as its possibly ready to be stored away.
Keeping most of its freshness is definitely key to planning my 'Multi meals' ahead of time. It's great to have last minute preparations on hand.
If we've had a filling lunch which dragged on to a later time...
supper will need to be a little gentler on our system.

What better way than a nice warm vegetable ' minestrone ' soup or...
just plain, tasty dependable chicken soup.

Better yet, leave the regular, tasty chicken soup to when wanting to sooth your cold 'malaise' and kick it up a notch with tomato.

My favourite ingredient to raise flavours as well as adding a healthier component...is something called the lycopene factor. ...which packs a powerful antioxidant punch. Yes, this strange sounding word is primarily found in cooked tomato amongst a few other fruits like: watermelon, guava and pink grapefruit. Every chance I get...if cooked tomato lends itself well to the recipe...I certainly will add it.

Now, here's a recipe that I consider a 'Multi-Mealer'. These are the recipes worth my time and efforts more so than what I consider a 'one-timer meal'. If this chicken soup flops...chances are, the rest of my other meals will suffer the consequences ;0(

Not only do I get my Sunday soup...I'll later have a few more meals such as: soup for another day, chicken left over for a salad, tacos or pita pockets, maybe a pasta toss...yummy lunch sandwiches etc...

Let's not forget...
a great soup starts with well chosen ingredients.

The basics in this case is a good quality chicken, tomatoes and selective vegetables.

What's great about a soup such as this one?

It is the fact that it is so versatile.

Open your fridge veggie drawer...

and see what you can bless the chicken with today.

Therefore, here is my version of what a...

great Tomato Chicken Soup should taste like.

CHICKEN TOMATO
Potage Soup
serves 6-8 persons

Click HERE for PRINT version of RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(American /Metric measures)

Soup base:
. 1 whole chicken (about 3 lb./ 1.5 kg)
. 2 tsps. (10ml) sea salt,
. 2 tsps. (10ml) granulated garlic powder
. 10 medium sun-dried tomatoes
. 2 Laurier leaves
. 4 cups (1 Litre) canned Italian tomatoes, purée

...Vegetable add-ins* (about 4 cups worth):
. 1 medium, sweet onion
. 2 medium carrots
. 2 medium celery stalks
. 1/4 tsp. (1ml) each dried herbs: basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon

* Broccoli, cabbage, fennel, zucchini, can also replace the list of veggies mentioned above.

PREPARATION:

Prep and cooking total time: about 2 hrs.

1. Clean and liberate the chicken from most of its fatty skin. Leave only some on the wings and excess that doesn't come off easily.
2. Place the chicken into an xLarge pot...BREAST up. Cover with enough water to barely skim the surface of the chicken.
3. Place pot covered with its lid on HIGH heat. Wait about 10 minutes or so before a boiling action begins. As the whitish foam appears, grab a pierced ladle and take most of the foam off the surface.

4. Roll over the chicken to the BREAST down position. Remove about 3 cups (750ml) of water.

5. Add the puréed tomatoes, salt, garlic powder, Laurier leaves and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover the pot with lid ajar (watching it closely) to bring the soup to a re-boil point.

6. Bring the heat down to MEDIUM and leave it simmer for the next 40 minutes.
7. Roll over the chicken again to BREAST up. Now, add the vegetables and dried herbs. Lastly, lower the heat to one notch above LOW and continue cooking for another 40 minutes by keeping the cover tight onto the pot.

...Afterwards:
8. Gently remove the chicken and place it into a bowl to be covered. Use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables.
9. Pull apart the chicken and place back the pieces into the soup.
. Serve warm and enjoy.

Warm comfort and flavourful wishes,

Foodessa

Comments ... ??? ... or suggestions ... write me :o)

Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com

Go HERE for more SAVOURY creations.

Please take note on how I bake and cook...

Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.

Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)

. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.

Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool. Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.

. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc. Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.