My little asparagus patch is putting out loads of green shoots. Each day I pick more than a handful. Last week I roasted some for a side dish and on Saturday I made asparagus bisque. The weather was cool, so warm soup and homemade bread made for a comforting dinner.

Asparagus Bisque
1 stick of butter, divided
1 onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bunches asparagus, cleaned, separated and sliced 1″ thick
8 cups vegetable stock
1⁄4 cup flour
1 cup cream
Salt and pepper to taste

I knew I would be making asparagus bisque for dinner on Saturday evening, so that morning I cleaned the asparagus and cut off the woody ends. I used the ends in a vegetable stock set to slowly cook in my crockpot all day. Then David and I went outside and worked on the vineyard trellis reconfiguration. Later that evening after it started to rain, we walked inside to the wonderful aroma of vegetable stock, just ready for the bisque.

Start by separating the asparagus tips from the remaining stalk. Reserve the tips for later while slicing the stalks. Sauté the onion, celery, garlic and asparagus stalks in 4 Tbsp. of butter in a large deep pot for about 15 minutes. Don’t forget to add salt and pepper. Then add the vegetable stock. Cook for another 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Puree the vegetables (using the immersion blender I suggested you get for Christmas) until silky smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

In another small skillet, sauté the asparagus tips in 4 Tbsp. of butter. Add the flour and cook for a few minutes. Then add 1 cup cream and stir until it thickens. Add to the pureed vegetables. Turn the heat on low and stir while the soup thickens. Check and adjust seasonings.

I served the bisque with homemade bread. A dollop of sour cream, yogurt or shredded cheese on top of the soup would be good – if you have it.

Utilizing a bread maker, combine the following:
2 tsp. yeast
1-1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup combined rye flour and ground flax seed
3-1/2 cups bread flour
¼ cup gluten
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. caraway seeds

Select the dough setting on the bread maker and turn it on.

After about an hour and 15 minutes, the bread will have kneaded and risen. Remove and shape into two loaves, placing on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 415 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove, letting the bread cool for about 20 minutes before slicing – if you can wait.

Roughly chop vegetables: 1 onion, 3 celery ribs, 3 carrots, a handful of asparagus ends, or other vegetables you want to use.

Saute in olive oil until lightly browned.

Place in crock pot with a parsley, thyme, and sage bundles, 4 cloves smashed garlic, 8 peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, and 3 quarts of water. Turn the crock pot on low and cook for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Strain the vegetables, reserving the liquid for stock.

Last Saturday morning while walking the beagle pup, I stopped by my asparagus patch hoping for new green shoots. I saw one with another just barely poking up its head. Yes! I love asparagus. I picked the one long green shoot, and since it was just one – the first – I ate it while I walked to the greenhouse to check on seedlings planted a couple of weeks ago. That asparagus shoot tasted so green, fresh and well…like spring! Oh, my goodness, I was inspired.

On Sunday while shopping for groceries, I purchased a bundle of asparagus. Those are good, but not as good as the ones grown in my own garden. However, with anticipation of more to come, I made pasta carbonara with asparagus, bacon and lima beans. It is a rustic Italian dish and wonderfully tasty.

Pasta Carbonara with  Asparagus, Bacon and  Lima Beans
1⁄2 lb. bacon, cooked and diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil (optional)
1 onion, chopped
1 cup lima beans, thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 bunch asparagus, 1-inch sliced
4 ea. fresh eggs
1⁄4 cup parsley, minced
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 lb. pasta, cooked and drained
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Place a large oven-proof serving bowl in the oven to warm.

Boil water in a large pot and cook pasta. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve. I usually cook the onions in the bacon grease, but for a healthier option discard the grease and use olive oil. Cook the onions until tender and then add lima beans and garlic and continue to cook for a few minutes more.

Add wine and chicken stock, reduce heat to low and let simmer until lima beans are tender and liquid is reduced. Add asparagus and cooked bacon. Keep warm over very low heat. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary Just before the pasta is done, pull the warm serving bowl from the oven. Whisk eggs, parsley and Parmesan cheese together in the bowl. Drain the pasta and add to the egg mixture. Toss well to combine. The hot noodles will cook the egg mixture making a creamy sauce. Add the bacon-vegetable mixture and toss again.

Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese.

The Lenten season is well underway and I have always followed the practice of giving up a luxury, making personal improvements and increasing Bible studies during that season. Many people do the same and recently I learned that an Internet poll declared the top 10 things people give up for Lent, starting with number 10, are fast food, soda, chips, sweets, swearing, school, social networking, twitter, alcohol, and the number one thing given up during Lent is chocolate.

Another tradition observed during Lent is not to eat meat on Fridays – somehow fish isn’t considered meat. We always ate fish on Fridays and I suppose crab cakes, shrimp or tuna steaks were really a delicacy not a cause for suffering. However, one of my sons once declared that he’d be giving up fish for Lent – funny kid. Last Friday I made curried-shrimp and vegetables served over rice.

Curried Shrimp and Vegetables
1 large onion, julienne sliced
2 carrots, sliced on a bias
2 celery ribs, sliced on a bias
2 Tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-oz. can coconut milk
1 Tbsp. curry paste
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1⁄2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1⁄2 cup frozen lima beans, thawed
1 lb. shrimp, peeled
2 tsp. dried basil
Salt and pepper
4 cups cooked rice

Begin by sautéing the onion, carrots and celery with the oil, adding a little salt and pepper, over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Add the coconut milk, curry paste and brown sugar. Stir until all is incorporated and turn the heat down to simmer.

Add peas and lima beans. Bring the contents back up to a simmer. Then add shrimp and dried basil. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Don’t over-cook the shrimp. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice; the recipe feeds 4.

If I had it, I would’ve used freshly chopped basil sprinkled over the finished dish instead of dried. Also, using chicken instead of shrimp is an option. If so, cube, cook and remove from the pan before sautéing the vegetables. Then add back to the dish at the end.

Another idea – and more in line with observing Lent – is to double the amount of peas and lima beans, skipping both shrimp and chicken. The recipe is just a guideline; that’s what I love about cooking.

There was a lot of activity at our little farm last week. Planting bare-root vines, watering them in and tilling the garden patches kept us very busy. So when it came to preparing dinner, I kept it quick and simple. I have to give Earl Hill credit for the Rueben sandwiches in this week’s article since he made them once for a Leader lunch.

I made Ruben panini sandwiches, green beans (another effort to regain freezer space) and kale chips (in an effort to clear the garden of tired plants and prepare for spring tilling).

Rueben Panini Sandwiches
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
8 slices rye bread
1 package sliced roast beef lunchmeat
6 ozs. Swiss cheese, sliced
Thousand Island salad dressing
Sauerkraut
(makes 4 sandwiches)

Heat a panini press to high. If you don’t have a panini press, substitute an iron skillet and a clean brick covered with aluminum foil.

Slather one side of rye bread with Thousand Island dressing. Place Swiss cheese slices to cover the bread. Layer roast beef slices on 4 pieces of rye and sauerkraut on the other four. Put each half together and butter the bottom of the four sandwiches.

I laid two sandwiches at a time on my press. Butter the top of each and then gently close the lid. After 3-4 minutes, lift the lid and check the sandwich. The rye should be golden brown and the cheese should be melted and oozing out the sides.

If using the iron skillet-brick method, lay the sandwiches on the hot skillet and gently place the brick on top. After 3-4 minutes, flip and cover again with the brick, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Green Beans
Sauté 1 chopped onion in bacon grease (reserved from another night when we had breakfast for dinner). Then I added the thawed gallon bag of green beans and enough chicken broth to almost cover. Put a lid on the pot and cook until the beans are heated. Add salt and pepper as necessary.

This time of year I usually start taking stock of my freezer-situation. It is still full of frozen okra, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, squash and eggplant. I also have boneless skinless chicken breasts and shrimp in there, so I decided to use some of it along with fresh ingredients to make a freezer Creole.

Freezer Creole
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 Tbsp. oil
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 small onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 bell pepper (or the frozen equivalent), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart whole tomatoes (or large can)
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 pkg. Polska Kielbasa sausage, sliced
1 quart beef broth
1⁄2 gallon-bag breaded okra
1 small pkg. raw shrimp
Salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste

Begin by searing the chicken in oil in a large pan, seasoning with salt, pepper and chili powder. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and reserve. The chicken will probably not be completely done, but it will finish later. Add onions, carrots, celery and peppers to the pan and sauté about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add whole and crushed tomatoes, breaking the whole tomatoes with your spoon and using the spoon to loosen any bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Add the sausage, chicken and broth to the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the breaded okra and bring the ingredients up to a soft boil. The okra breading will begin to thicken the Creole. Cook for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning as necessary. Then add the shrimp and cook until it turns pink. This won’t take long – less than 5 minutes – and the shrimp will be done. Shrimp turns rubbery if cooked too long.

Serve over rice or with a slice of crusty bread. This recipe makes enough to feed 8-10 people. We made two dinners and a few lunches from that recipe – and the freezer is a little less full.