Trying to cook with what's available or what's left of the harvest in the middle of winter is a challenge. We're eating a lot of soups and stews these days, along with other meals we've squirreled away in our deep freezer.
My fairy kitchen helper searching for goodies in the pantry
Onions and shredded carrots from the garden we kept in the freezer. Potatoes and celery past their prime. Butternut squash from the garden that we're desperate to work our way through. Amazing, fatty bone stock from our Thanksgiving turkey.
Last year's garlic is over-eager. Can't wait for fresh garlic again!
How I preserved some of our garden herbs - in shot glasses
Throw it all together, cook 'till tender and blend till smooooth
Looks like baby food. Would totally work for baby food. And adult food too. It's very tasty.
I added some of the purée to turkey bone broth and shredded turkey we had in the freezer along with a little extra sage and thyme. The veggie purée thickened the soup and gave it some amazing flavor. No extra veggies or noodles required. My husband and I have been eating on this turkey soup for several days.
As for the rest of the purée, we may eat it just as a thick soup with a chunk of bread or I might add some meatballs to it to stretch it for a few more meals. I love experimenting with ingredients I have on hand mainly to see if it can be done. Our great grandparents wouldn't have thrown out those potatoes, I'm telling you.
Mid-Winter Garden Leftovers Soup:
8 small russet potatoes, peeled
2 butternut squashes, cooked and puréed
4 stalks celery
1 cup diced sweet onions
2 cups carrots
3 cups bone broth (I used turkey. Vegetable broth would work, too)
2 cups water
8 cloves garlic
1 oz pesto with no nuts
Pinch rubbed sage
Pinch ground thyme
Pinch ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Sounds yummy! We don't throw much out either. We have also been working to use up a lot of squash (an acorn variety) that my parents grew. I have been throwing it in almost everything. It is a really yummy addition to yeast bread.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried adding squash to yeast bread. Do you have any recipe suggestions?
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