Carrot Ginger Soup

This is a lovely, warming soup - just right for a cold winter’s day.    In addition to being tasty, it’s full of vitamins to boost your immune system!
You can vary the amount of ginger and, if you prefer a smoother texture, just whirl it in a blender. 

2 lbs. carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

2medium onions, chopped

1\2 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp. Freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger

4 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

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Caeser Salad (Revised)

Betty's Favorite Caesar Salad

This is our favorite Caesar Salad dressing. Perhaps not entirely authentic, but it works for us!

1 egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon anchovy paste, or 3-4 anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic, grated
4 or 5 drops fresh lemon juice
4 or 5 drops Worcestershire Sauce
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano plus a few shards grated
Freshly ground black pepper
Garlic Croutons


Place all ingredients except olive oil and cheese in a mini-processor and blend for a few seconds. Add the olive oil and blend to combine.
Toss with chopped Romaine Lettuce. Add grated cheese and toss. Add croutons and freshly ground black pepper and toss. Top with shards of Parmigiano. Enjoy!


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Tortellini with a Twist

This is a recipe I found on a website called The Smitten Kitchen.  I was looking for something special for our daughter and son-in-law when they returned from a trip to Paris. 

It's always a slight challenge to prepare a single meal to satisfy everyone when one is a vegetarian!  This fills the bill.  Along with that, it takes only about 20 minutes to prepare!


3-4 thin slices prosciutto
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 10-14 oz. package cheese tortellini
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup water
6 oz. creme fraiche
Freshly grated parmigiana
Few drops fresh lemon juice

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“Fried” Zucchini (Courgette) Sticks

Long a popular appetizer in Italian restaurants, this is a great way to use up some of that bumper crop of zucchini taking over your vegetable garden.  It’s not only a tasty appetizer, but a delicious side dish kids will love!  In addition, it is significantly lower in calories than the fried version.

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini cut into sticks
2 egg whites
¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmegiano cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 425º convection or 450º conventional.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray.
3. Place the egg whites in a rimmed dish and whisk until well blended
4. Combine the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne in a plastic bag and shake to combine.
5. Combine the breadcrumbs and Parmegiano on a sheet of waxed paper.
6. Place half the zucchini sticks in the bag and shake to coat.  Remove and shake off excess flour.
7. Dip sticks in egg whites and then roll in the breadcrumb mixture to coat.
8. Place on the baking sheet, spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray and bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
9. Serve with marinara sauce.

NOTES:  Panko breadcrumbs are large, crunchy breadcrumbs available in most grocery stores.  If you can’t find them, use plain breadcrumbs.  A recipe for marinara sauce can be found here on my website and is also on You Tube. 

A visit to an Olive Oil shop

On a recent visit to Vermont to visit our daughter and her family, we spent a lovely afternoon browsing the shops in Burlington.  We stopped in the newest shop which is the Saratoga Olive Oil Co.  Olive oil from Saratoga New York???  Yes indeed.  

Saratoga Olive Oil Company is a family business owned and operated by Clint Braidwood, Barbara Braidwood and Chad Braidwood. Their goal is to provide the consumer with the freshest Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the world. They  follow the olive crush in the northern and southern hemispheres "to provide the consumer with the most recently produced and healthiest oils available anywhere."

After tasting our way through half a dozen different oils and vinegars, I ended up with a lemon infused olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar - it was a real toss up between that and the chocolate balsamic!  I have already used the oil to roast asparagus - delicious! I also plan to use it to toss with spaghetti and black pepper.  I think the fig balsamic will go well with pork but the crostini recipe at the company’s website sounds really great.

Check this company out - they do mail order.  Saratogaoliveoil.com.

Here are a few more photos;

Burlington Storefront

A tasting station

PHOTOS BY RICK BUSCIGLIO