Making a soup & freezing herbs

One way to make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck where your garden is concerned is to utilize every possible part of each fruit and vegetable. Our dinner last night included some fresh broccoli florets from our garden, but once all the florets were trimmed from the broccoli head that I lopped off the plant, I was still left with a broccoli "stump" of stems that will make a delicious addition to a soup.  Even if you purchased your broccoli from a farmers market or store, you likely paid by weight and, therefore, paid for that broccoli stump.  Might as well eat it, right?  I also have leeks, celery, and potatoes from the garden, so I have decided to make a broccoli, potato, and leek soup.  I turned on the music, assembled my supplies, and this preservation Monday began.

Broccoli Potato & Leek Soup:

1 Tbsp sunflower oil
3/4 C chopped celery
1 large broccoli stump, chopped and with any tough skin peeled away
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 med white potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 large leeks, cleaned and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
splash of white wine
1-2 C water or chicken broth
salt & pepper
milk, cream, or yogurt (optional)
2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp flour (optional)

Begin by warming the oil in your soup pot.  Add the chopped celery, garlic, onion, leeks, and a little salt and pepper.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the leeks and celery soften and the onion becomes translucent.  Add a splash of white wine to the pot to deglaze and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.






Add the potatoes and just enough water or chicken broth to cover everything.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.  Remove from heat.  Using an emulsion blender, or in batches in a regular blender, process until smooth.  Return to low heat and add enough milk, cream, or plain yogurt to reach your desired creaminess.  Warm and serve.  For an even richer soup, make a beurre manie by adding equal parts butter and flour to a dish and working it with your fingers until in resembles a coarse sand.  Drop into the pot and stir.  Cook 5-8 additional minutes, to cook the flour and allow the soup to thicken.

Once the soup was made, I decided to try out a tip sent to me by my Aunt Janet, who found it on www.thekitchn.com.  It is a really simple and delicious way to preserve any hard herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage.

Frozen Herbs in Olive Oil:
 
Any combination of hard herbs, cleaned and snipped into 1/2 inch pieces.
Clean, empty ice cube tray
Olive Oil

Pack each of the 12 ice cube compartments with herbs, pour olive oil over them to cover, and freeze overnight.  Then, pop them out and freeze them in a freezer-safe bag.  Add them to soups, stews, and pasta dishes all winter long.