Fresh Stinging Nettle Tea

2 - 3 quarts boiling water in a big pot

Turn off heat

Add a bunch of washed stinging nettles

Cover and let stand for 10-20 minutes

Strain, cool, and store in refrigerator.
Taste is light and sweet like green tea
Optional: add lemon peel

Not sure what this plant is, but it is growing on a tree behind my apartment building and smells like jasmine. Lovely!

Dijon Curry Stir fry

Fry on medium high heat until vegetables are ready
1 1/2 cups frozen minestrone vegetable mix (green beans, peas, potatoes, carrots, spinach, cannelli beans, onion, celery, red bell pepper)
1 + Tbs olive oil
sea salt and four seasons pepper
Add:
1 egg (pour in center of skillet and stir while cooks, once thickened, mix into vegetables to create a creamy effect)
1/4 tsp curry powder
red pepper flakes
1/8 - 1/4 tsp dijon mustard (thinned mine with some nettle tea I had on the side)

Enjoy!

Asparagus Fennel Soup

The title makes this sound like a simple recipe, but actually there are a lot of unusual ingredient combinations. In my opinion it was very good, but I've learned since adjusting my diet that my tastebuds have been adjusted as well. Experiment and find what you'd like to tweak. I recommend skipping the cucumber juice, it was to tangy and overpowering.

2-3 cups homemade chicken broth
1 medium sized fennel bulb
1/2 red bell pepper
1 cup (+/-) asparagus
juice from 1 small lemon
1/2 cup peas
optional 1/4 cup pickle juice and chopped cocktail dill pickles
1/8 tsp roast herb mix
1/2 tsp (+/-) paprika
salt and pepper

Experiment and Enjoy!

Satisfying Hamburger Vegetable Stew

Precook:
1 cup ground hamburger
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 clove garlic
1 tsp stone ground dark mustard
salt and pepper

3 cups homemade beef broth (with bits of good fat)
1 small yellow onion
1 stalk celery
1 large carrot
(add towards end so to prevent overcooking)
1 small zucchini
1/4 cup fresh parsley
precooked hamburger
salt and four seasons pepper

So.De.li.cious!

This is an easy one to experiment with, the vegetable combination really accents the wonderfully satisfying beef broth. mm mm good.

ENJOY!

Lard Festival in Italy

Io Amo Firenze: Sagra del Lardo di colonnata: Fine agosto.. tempo di sagre. Oltre alla sagra del Tortello a Ronta e a quella della ficamaschia che finisce oggi a Porto Ercole (è un pes...

Asparagus Curry Chickpea Soup

First of all, ...Yum. Spicey, flavorful, with an undertone of subtle sweet, how can you go wrong? [As experimenters we know the opportunities are endless :-P]. You could make this all at once, but I'm dictating here how I ended up going about making it in two batches.

La zuppa prima*
Cook until tender, blend, then strain.
3/4 cup asparagus stems
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
a little salt and pepper (poco sale di marino e quattro stagioni pepe)
herb of choice (non ho ricordo)

La zuppa seconda**
1 can chickpeas (half the water drained)
red pepper flakes (as desired)
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbs balsamic vinegar

Combine: zuppa prima e seconda (per mangiare finalmente)!

Experiment and enjoy!

*may have included additional flavors
**vary amounts according to personal taste.