Three-Greens Soup with Spinach Gremolata

The other night I was looking for something warm and nutritious to cook that included some of the beautiful greens that are still at the farmer's market. I found this recipe in the latest issue of bon appétit, and it was so lovely! Perfect on a cold winter night! The flavor is earthy and lemony; anytime there's gremolata or pine nuts involved I'll probably be happy. And it's super easy to make!

The beautiful greens (and reds) all rinsed

Here is the recipe, copied from the January 2012 issue of bon appétit:

Three-Greens Soup with Spinach Gremolata
4 servings; 40 minutes total

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 sm onion thinly sliced
s & p
4 garlic cloves, 3 thinly sliced, 1 finely grated
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 bunch collard greens (8 oz.), center ribs and stems removed, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 bunch Swiss chard (12 oz.), center ribs and stems removed, chopped (about 8 cups)
1 5-oz bag packaged spinach (not baby; I used fresh), stems removed (about 4 cups), divided
2 tsp. (or more) fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. finely grated lemon juice
1 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and season with s&p. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thinly sliced garlic to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add broth, potatoes, collards, and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer soup until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes.

Add Swiss chard to pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cups spinach and 2 tsp. lemon juice until spinach is wilted.

Meanwhile, chop the remaining 1 cup spinach; place in a small bowl. Add lemon zest, finely grated garlic clove, and the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to chopped spinach; toss to coat. Season spinach gremolata to taste with s&p and more lemon juice if desired.

Season soup with s&p. Divide among bowls. Mound spinach gremolata on top of soup in bowls. Garnish with pine nuts.

Enjoy! :)

Oktoberfest!

A couple weeks ago, Jimmy and I had a little mini Oktoberfest at home. I made one of my favorite things that I learned how to make when I lived in Austria, which I used to make all the time but hadn't made in way too long... Käse Knödel! Knödel are traditional dumplings found in German and Austrian food; there are many different kinds: Käse Knödel, made with cheese; Speck Knödel, made with Tyrolian cured ham, Spinach Knödel, Liver Knödel, and more. Sometimes they are served in a soup, sometimes with meats and gravies. I love them so much! But my favorites are definitely the cheesy ones. We had them with our favorite tiny bratwursts from TJ's, and some yummy sauteed kale, and a good German beer.

Knödel are easy to make, and a good thing to do when you have bread that is a couple days old and has dried out (or you can just toast some in the oven). Cut the bread up into small cubes, then brown some butter and add that to the bread. Whisk 2 eggs with some milk and add to bread; add salt and pepper. Chop up a little onion and garlic, and some chopped fresh parsley, (and optional, a little bit of lemon zest and a pinch of nutmeg) add to mixture. Finally, add your cheese, chopped into small cubes, (cheese should be one that melts easily - I've always used Austrian or Swiss cheeses with a nice nutty flavor) and some flour to thicken it all up. The dough must be moist but not too sticky; adjust with flour and milk. Wet hands with cold water and roll the dough into round balls, about the size of a baseball. Drop into hot salted water (not boiling or they'll fall apart) and cook until done, 10-15 minutes.

I also made an Apple Strudel with chocolate sauce for dessert. It was tasty, but I don't think I'll make it again. It was pretty difficult to put together, and I'm not convinced it turned out right. However I did really enjoy making the filling:

Simmering star anise, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean in apple juice, then adding the apples and dried cherries... the smell really got me in the mood for yummy fall desserts!!! More to come!