When things get quiet around here, it’s a pretty safe bet that things have been crazy at my day job. I’ve been doing what I do for a long time, and I learned early on how to juggle, but these last few weeks I feel like the minute I turn my attention to one task, three more things pop up that require my immediate attention. Couple that with the usual change-of-seasons sluggishness I tend to experience, and you have one tired dame who has struggled to find suppertime inspiration when I get home in the evening.
I had a gorgeous head of otherworldly-looking romanesco cauliflower that I turned into soup last night, starting with a base of chopped leeks softened in butter, then adding romanesco florets and some homemade stock, but when the florets had softened and I pureed the soup, I was less than thrilled with the texture. It was just too thin, and my fiddling with it to achieve something close to the result I wanted meant the soup cooked too long, going from a lovely pale green to an unappetizing greyish hue. I couldn’t even bring myself to take a photo. The flavors, however, were there, the delicate soup getting a nice burst of freshness from a celery leaf and preserved lemon gremolata stirred in at the end, so I think I’ll give this soup another go-round soon.
Woman, you are after my heart with that celery leaf and preserved lemon gremolata.
Yummy, Jen. Never thought of preserved lemons for gremolata (which is one of my favourite things, ever)….And I hardly ever see Romanesco, either. Fuerte with the 2nd try 🙂
Rachel – I never liked celery until we started getting it from the farmers’ market. Now I can’t get enough, and I want to put celery leaves in everything!
Marie – Thank you 🙂 Mike put up a bunch of Meyer lemons, and they’re delicious. I figured I’d try some in gremolata and they were lovely.
I often add a small peeled chopped potato to the vegetable mix when I make a soup of this sort. Adds a little needed thickness.