Weekly Dish

Green Soup with Jalapeno-Corn Muffins

1 pound asparagus (1 bunch)

Butter and olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

½ of a green apple, chopped

2 new potatoes, cooked and chopped (I used leftovers from the ones we had with our taboulleh)

½ cup white wine

2 quarts water

¼ cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop the asparagus into bite-sized pieces, reserving the tough ends, and setting aside a few of the tips. Spread the pieces on a baking sheet lined with foil, drizzle with olive oil and pats of butter. Place the tough ends in a saucepan and cover with 1 quart of water. Trim the ends off of the lemon and add them to the pot. Squeeze the lemons over the asparagus, and add shells to the water. Sprinkle asparagus liberally with salt and pepper. Roast until bright green and beginning to shrivel, about 12-14 minutes. Stir the asparagus and butter about half-way through to coat.

Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil, and add 1 t. Kosher salt. Chop the shallots and add any trimmings from them to the water. Once the water is boiling, reduce and simmer for about half an hour; watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t reduce too much. You’ll need about 2 cups of the stock.

In a saucepan (I use the one the stock was in), melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil together. Add the shallot and cook until soft, about 7 or 8 minutes. Add the potatoes and the apple and continue to sauté for about 10 more minutes, or until the apple softens. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of broth, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the asparagus pieces to the soup and puree in the blender. Be careful—hot soup expands, so only blend it a little at a time. Stir in the buttermilk, and serve topped with the asparagus tips and a dollop of Ranch dressing.

Jalapeno-Corn Muffins

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (I know, I know, but I really like it, and it’s sooo fast)

1-2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (with seeds or without, depending on your taste for hot food)

½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Mix up muffin batter according to box; add peppers and cheese.

Posted: Friday, August 26th, 2005 at 4:54 pm Filed under: Vegetables, Soup, Comfort Food, Bread, Vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.