Poor Richard’s Almanac

Silence Dogood here. We’ve had a mild and beautiful winter here in our corner of Pennsylvania–snow geese in the fields, little Hawk Run burbling happily away beside the deck, and all the shades of gold and rust and brown and grey and deep, dark green that punctuate a blessedly undeveloped, hilly area, backlit with one gorgeous skyscape after another. When an area is beautiful in winter, you know it’s beautiful, period.

Still, being gardeners, we’re hungry for spring. We keep looking for the cheerful snowdrops and sunny yellow winter aconites that herald its arrival, but so far, our only blooms are the green-flowered (I refuse to call them by their true name, which is “stinking”–it must be true, since the botanical name is Helleborus foetidus, but I’m not sticking my nose in a bloom to find out) hellebores, which remain in bloom here all winter, even when frozen. 

We’re also hungry for spring in a more literal sense. We’ve enjoyed the heavy, warming comfort foods of winter, such as the Curried Pumpkin Soup I gave you the recipe for in an earlier post and our friend Delilah’s incomparable Crock-Pot Mac’n'Cheese. (If enough of you ask, I’ll post that recipe, too–it’s the best mac’n'cheese we die-hard macaroni lovers have ever tasted.) But now our thoughts are turning to warmer weather and the inevitability of shedding clothes and exposing our ever-expanding selves to the world in shorts and tee-shirts or, God forbid, a swimsuit.

To prepare for that evil day, it would be wise to start lightening up on our dishes’ calorie counts. So, while we wait for spring and the first tender greens, green onions, asparagus, and radishes to make an appearance in our gardens, here are a couple of recipes I just invented to kick-start the season. Try them, you’ll like them!

Silence Dogood’s Casbah Salad

There’s a wonderful Middle Eastern stand at the local farmers’ market that offers all kinds of delectable treats, from the best fresh-made feta cheese and baba ghannouj to homemade pita and fava bean hummus. When I saw that they were selling ready-to-eat falafel patties, this salad was born. Quantities are inexact, since the only thing that matters is pleasing your palate–the salad is very forgiving.

The base for this salad is a large bag or container of super-fresh spring mix. Put the greens in a big salad bowl and top them with liberal amounts of sliced green onions (aka scallions; we love the green Vidalia onions that are available in some stores in this area and are pretty spicy; slice the whites into the salad as well as the greens), chopped yellow tomato (you can of course use red if you can’t find yellow), red bell pepper (use yellow or orange if you’re using a red tomato for color contrast), kalamata olives (warn guests if they’re not pitted, please), and crumbled feta. Crumble falafel patties (the “croutons” of this salad) over  the salad. You could also add chopped snap peas for an additional spring touch.

Dress the salad with a simple vinaigrette of olive oil (extra-virgin organic if you can get it–it’s such a gorgeous green), white balsamic vinegar, and dried oregano, basil, and thyme. We love Real Salt and add it enthusiastically, but we also love Herbamare and Trocamare, and you could use either of those instead of salt if you’d prefer, or simply skip the salt. As for the white balsamic vinegar, we love full-bodied “regular” balsamic, but a friend who finds most vinegars too acidic recommended the white to us. He claims that Alessi is the mildest, sweetest brand, and we can’t dispute that, since it’s the only one we’ve tried; let me know if you’ve found other brands that you enjoy.     

Silence Dogood’s Ginger Snap Soup

Despite the slow-cooker revival, I confess that my own ancient Crock-Pot sat, hidden away, for eons, and might still be hiding in obscurity to this day if it weren’t for my friend Delilah and her famous mac’n'cheese. But after enjoying success with the macaroni, I was determined to branch out to other forms of slow-cooker cuisine. Chili and soups came to mind.

I’m an intuitive cook–I like to read a slew of recipes on a dish I’m planning to make, then take the best elements and create my own–and usually end up with something delectable. But I admit, the slow-cooker defeated my early attempts. “Soups” came out as gelatinous masses that ended up in the chicken yard. (Unlike us, the “girls” loved them.) Clearly, I couldn’t add as much rice, lentils, or what-have-you to a slow cooker as I could to a Dutch oven on the stove. Finally, after numerous attempts, I came up with a warming and flavorful but lighter and brighter soup that is great in a slow-cooker. And I’m convinced that its spiciness boosts the metabolism so your hard-earned exercise time will really pay off. (At least, I’m hoping…) See for yourself!

1 large sweet onion (WallaWalla or Vidalia type), diced

1 or 2 leeks, halved and sliced (white and light green parts only)

2 green onions (scallions), sliced

large carton veggie stock (I’ve tried at least four brands and they’re all good–organic, too–though some are paler than others; if you end up with a pale one, a dash of turmeric will bring out that rich, inviting golden color without adding an off-taste)

carton super-firm diced tofu

sliced mushrooms (button, crimini, baby bella, shiitake, or a mix), about a cup sliced or to taste

1/2 cup (or to taste) wild rice mix (I use one mixed locally that has wild rice, long-grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, wehani rice, and black Japonica rice–whew!–but you could just use brown rice in a pinch)

fresh ginger, peeled and minced, 1 tablespoon or more to taste

ginger paste (available in groceries here in tubes in the lettuce aisle)

ginger chutney

red miso

Thai seasoning (you can substitute Thai curry, Indian curry, garam masala, or Chinese 5-spice blend if Thai seasoning isn’t locally available)         

hot sauce (I like Pickapeppa)

Real Salt, Herbamare, or Trocamare

extra-virgin olive oil for sauteeing

Sautee the onion, leeks, and mushrooms in olive oil until onions have clarified. Add salt, Thai seasoning, miso, hot sauce, ginger paste, and ginger chutney (I tend to favor a heavy hand, so use a heaping tablespoon of spices, miso, ginger, and chutney, with a generous dash of hot sauce and salt), stirring to mix; add veggie stock as needed to prevent burning. Add tofu cubes and stir to coat thoroughly.

Transfer cooked ingredients to the slow cooker; add veggie stock to fill, stirring well to blend. Rinse the rice in a sieve and add it to the soup, stirring it in. Add the minced fresh ginger, cover the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. (Basically, make it in the morning and serve it for dinner.) Taste and adjust seasonings if needed when soup has been cooking for 3-4 hours. It’s wise to have a second carton of veggie stock on hand to refill the slow cooker if the soup cooks down, but water will do in a pinch. Stir well before serving. Add sliced green onions to the top of the pot just before serving or use them as a garnish on individual bowls. This soup keeps well and makes a great light lunch, too.