Freshly dried oregano
Several things came together perfectly for tonight's dinner. Yesterday while getting garden beds ready and cleaning up the yard I discovered a nice patch of rogue Oregano from year's past that decided it liked it's new wild home. I had a small herb garden in this location before which had since been overrun by mint but also noticed a nice fragrant patch of Oregano that is now wild. Most of it ended up going into the food dehydrator. I noted this past Winter that I bought more spices than I would have preferred so I had made a note to dry more this next Summer so that I had better herbs in the Winter time. I plan on harvesting from this patch continuously and building up a nice supply of dried oregano. (I have some fresh also growing in a container for summer dishes). Once dried I just simply ground it by hand and stored it in plastic bags. Smells Amazing!
Today was also the first day of the Farmer's Market. Yippee! I honestly felt like I was waiting for this for way too long. My favorite vendor from Kansas had returned. He sells whatever you can fit into a 5 pound plastic potato bag for $10. Trust me, I get my $10 worth and fill every nook and cranny. Large onions on the bottom and smaller items like mushrooms and radishes to fill the voids as I fill up the bag. Fresh veggies combined with fresh herbs made for an easy Spring Veggie Soup for dinner.
A rather unusual ingredient to this soup is Aromatic Bitters which add a depth of flavor to the soup. So grab a bottle for both your cocktails and for cooking!
This morning's $10 Haul from the Farmer's Market.
FOR THE RECIPE YOU WILL NEED:
8 Cups Vegetable Broth (Or Miso broth)
15 Radishes Diced
1 Large Onion diced
3 Lg. Carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 Zucchini Chopped
6 Medium potatoes diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 Cloved Diced Garlic
1 tsp. Aromatic Bitters
1 TBSP minced fresh oregano
2 Bay leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp dried basil
Diced Garlic chives
2 TBSP Flour
1 egg.
In a large stock pot or cast iron pot saute the onions, radish, celery, garlic, and carrots until just starting to get tender. Mix in the herbs and saute another 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat well and continue to saute another 2 minutes. Slowly add in the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the bitters. Simmer for an hour at low heat. Add the potatoes and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes. Lastly, add the zucchini and continue to cook until zucchini is just tender, about 15 minutes. Removed from heat. Crack an egg into the pot and let stand for 2-3 minutes. With a spoon break the egg and stir slowly so that the egg incorporates into the broth. This adds a great richness of flavor to the soup.
If a slightly thicker soup is desired, puree about 3 cups of the soup then return to the pot.
Garnish with sesame seed oil and fresh chopped chives. Serve with sliced tomatoes or bread and cheese (Or all of it). This is a low fat super healthy and hearty soup.
