White Bean and Ham Soup

Last night I used up the last of the Christmas ham in this very simple but satisfying soup. I threw in some fresh parsley, some of the last that I harvested from the garden a couple weeks ago. If I had had kale or other greens on hand, I would have added them as well. I bet this would be tasty with sausage or bacon instead of the ham, too.

1 large onion, chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups white beans, picked over and soaked for several hours
2-3 cups diced cooked ham
Water or stock
1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh or frozen parsley (or a couple cubes if frozen in trays)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat some olive oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add the beans and ham and enough water or stock to just cover them. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the beans are soft (30-60 minutes depending on the size and age of the beans and how long they soaked beforehand). Check periodically in case more liquid is needed. The end product should be a thick soup.

When the beans are tender, add the parsley and salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Serves about 4.

Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner was at my house for the first time ever, and my sister and I did virtually all the cooking together. Fun all around. We managed to put together a menu that featured local foods as the main ingredient in every dish.

First of all, there was the ham from Bostrom's, of course. We baked it and covered it with a clementine-peppercorn glaze that was both sweet and deliciously savory and peppery. It went beautifully with the ham.

Then we served roasted local fingerling potatoes with dried figs and garlic, roasted local butternut squash with roasted garlic, maple roasted sweet potatoes from Red Fire Farm, and green beans that I froze this summer from the farmers market, steamed and served with sauteed slived almonds and butter. It was all fantastic. Everything but the green beans was a new recipe for our holiday table, and I think a few will be repeated in future years.

Christmas Ham from Bostrom's

Saturday Donovan and I braved the sort-of-plowed streets and made our way over to Bostrom's Farm here in Greenfield to see if we could find something good for Christmas dinner. We had hoped to go up to Wheelview in Shelburne but decided it wasn't worth it given the condition of the roads. We got ourselves a lovely smoked ham (quite enormous, but I'm looking forward to freezing leftovers), met Kyle Bostrom, and got to introduce 15-month-old Nate to the cows (which he thought might just be really big dogs, he wasn't totally sure). We had hoped to pick up some of their bacon as well, which is really excellent, but learned that Hope & Olive had recently bought all they had. Oh well. A good endorsement anyway!

I'm going to bake the ham with a peppery citrus glaze. Half of it anyway. I might just cut it in half and only glaze part of it, since there's no way the six of us are going to consume and eight pound ham, and glazing will make the leftovers less generally useful.

If you live in Greenfield or come into Greenfield frequently, Bostom's is super convenient (it's on Colrain Road) and they have a self-serve farm stand with the meat in a freezer. They sell eggs and raw milk as well, though we didn't check to see if they had any in stock this weekend. Kyle said they are currently out of beef and are expecting to have a bunch in starting in February. They still have some pork.

Savory Roasted Delicata Squash

Delicata squash is exceptionally sweet. You could actually serve it for dessert, topped with some maple syrup or brown sugar and sweet spices. But it's also good as a sweet/savory side dish. Here is what I did with one last night.

1 medium delicata squash
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried sage

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the squash in half the long way and remove the strings and seeds. Place the two halves cut side up in a baking dish. Drizzle squash with olive oil, using your fingers or a pastry brush to coat the surface. Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and sage.

Add a little water to the bottom of the baking dish and loosely cover the squash with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until squash is tender.

Serves 2.

Squash Soup with Sage and Garlic

Here is another tasty pureed winter squash soup. It's easy to make with butternut squash because butternut peels so easily. But if you want to use a not-so-easily-peeled squash, just cook the squash first (by steaming, roasting, or whatever method you like), then add it along with some water when you are ready to puree.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
8-12 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp dried sage
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
Water or stock (veggie or chicken)
1 14-ounce package silken tofu (optional)
2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh sage leaves for topping (optional)

Heat the butter or olive oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and onions and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Add the dried sage and sauté briefly.

Add the squash to the pot, along with enough water to cover it. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender (20 minutes or so).

Add the tofu (if using) and puree the soup using an immersion blender (or you can do it in batches in a regular blender or food processor). Add salt and pepper to taste.

If desired, fry some whole fresh sage leaves to garnish the soup. Serve hot.

Serves 4-6.

Pureed Sweet Potato Squash Soup

This is adapted from a recipe that appeared in the New York Times a month or so ago. The original called for a regular potato in addition to the sweet potatoes; I didn't have any potatoes, so I skipped it, and didn't miss it in the end product. This is a gorgeous, bright orange soup, smooth and rich tasting. I served it with popovers.

1 Tbsp canola or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 medium butternut squash (about 1.5 lbs), peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
Water or stock (chicken or veggie)

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and saute another minute or so. Add the squash and sweet potatoes and enough water or stock to cover them. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender (about 20-25 minutes).

When the vegetables are tender, puree the soup with an immersion blender (or do it in batches in a regular blender or food processor).

Serves about 6.

Variations: I haven't tried it yet, but I bet carrots would also work beautifully in this soup in place of the squash. Or maybe even in place of both the squash and sweet potato. Also, you could add silken tofu for some additional protein.

Pasta with Tomato Bacon Sauce

The night before last I made potato kale soup with bacon and had half a package of thawed bacon (from Bostrom's Farm) left over that needed using. This is what I came up with. I used two quart-sized bags of tomatoes from the freezer, and they provided a lovely blast of summer flavor. I threw in a bunch of fresh parsley because I had recently harvested the last of it from the garden and had lots in the fridge. To easily remove the skins from the frozen tomatoes, run quickly under warm water and they slip off.

6 oz. bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 quart bags frozen tomatoes, skins removed, cut into chunks
1 15-oz can red beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley or 1/2-3/4 cup frozen
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb linguine or other pasta

Cook the bacon in a dutch oven. Remove and drain on paper towels. Drain off most of the bacon fat from the pot, leaving 1-2 teaspoons. Return the pot to the heat and add the onions. Saute for 3-5 minutes, then add the tomatoes. When it starts to look more like sauce, add the beans, salt, and pepper. Simmer until it reaches a nice consistency, or for as long as you have time for.

While the sauce simmers, heat a pot of water and cook the pasta.

When ready to serve, add the parsley to the sauce and stir so it wilts. Serve the sauce over the pasta.

Serves about 4.