Zucchini and Chard Soup with Basil

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Four Cooking Together

I don’t typically post recipes on the weekend. Family life is full plus my publishing cycle centers on delivery day. Occasionally there’s an exception though, when we cook up something truly special that makes use of the week’s delivery in a way we hadn’t anticipated earlier in the week. A dish that warrants sharing. This soup follows that pattern. It was born of a crisper drawer loaded with leafy greens and a growing pile of zucchini, as the usual cadre of go-to recipes fell flat with my audience. Something entirely different was needed. A reach. Despite its obviously healthy complexion, even those who wouldn’t normally give green soup a chance in this house were welcoming.

Zucchini and Chard Soup with Basil

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Fall’s Soothing Comfort

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Four Cooking Together

September is a month of change. It’s that way every year, nonetheless we’re nearly always caught unawares. It’s understandable really—shell-shocked as we are by back-to-school and the implosion of family life as we’ve known it for nearly three months. Our happy existence has been replaced by an abyss filled with early start times, carpool spreadsheets, homework and school uniforms that no longer fit—crowned by a teetering stack of five-pound textbooks. Worse yet is the demise of free time. The grumpy teens. And parents. In short, we’re in need of rescue.

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Fennel’s Mellow Side

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Four Cooking Together

Fennel’s my friend. Though in truth we haven’t always been on great terms. It wasn’t until I witnessed a mellower side to the licorice-licked vegetable, that I opened my heart. Chalk it up to a 60s-and-70s-era Midwestern childhood—where vegetables were boiled and served straight up without much embellishment. Butter, yes. Maybe a sprinkling of salt. Choices were simple then. Carrots, peas, string beans. For an occasion, there was always broccoli.

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Quinoa Salad with Apple and Fennel Three Ways

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Four Cooking Together

This salad is light and nutritious. It’s also loaded with fennel—three versions: the raw feathery fronds, braised bulb and toasted seeds. For those less enamored with the licorice-like flavor of the raw vegetable, use more of the cooked bulb, and less fronds. Taste as you toss the salad, and let that be your guide. Substitute candied nuts if you enjoy a hint of sweetness—I keep a bag of Trader Joe’s Candied Walnuts on hand. No need to toast them; they’re ready straight out of the package.

Quinoa is an excellent vegetarian source of protein—and a complete one, unlike most other grains. It offers a wide range of minerals and nutrients as well.

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Slow Roasting – Tomatoes like Candy

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Four Cooking Together

We’ve got a problem. Nothing catastrophic or even remotely unpleasant actually. Just the same dilemma we face this time every year. As far as problems go, this one’s nothing to complain about. Cherry tomatoes—oodles of them. Our plants are loaded with ripe fruit. Their branches bend and droop, hunched over like weary workers bearing the evidence of a season’s hard labor. We harvest each morning—bowls and baskets crowd our counters, bite-sized red and orange orbs spill over the sides. Sweet, juicy sungolds. Plus the grape tomatoes we added this summer—like miniature Romas, firm and dense.

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