Souper Sunday has passed but it's still soup weather here. Actually soup weather lasts a long, long time in Wisconsin! Following is a recipe that I think came from 'Sundays at Moosewood' cookbook. I don't have a copy of the book so I can't be sure and as a well-worn family favorite the soup formula is mostly in my head.

Tomato, Lime, and Tortilla Soup (Sopa de Lima)

1-2 cups chopped onions 4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed 3 T. vegetable oil 1-2 minced chiles (1 inch long) (or to taste) 2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds ½ tsp. dried oregano 3 ½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes* 3 cups vegetable stock 1/3 cup fresh lime juice** or to taste Salt to taste

Grated Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese Tortilla chips, crumbled Chopped fresh cilantro Chopped avocados

In a medium soup pot, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are translucent. Add the chiles (I keep a bag of frozen Serrano peppers in the freezer), cumin, and oregano, and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover the pot and cook gently until the tomatoes begin to release their juices. Stir occasionally. This will take longer with winter tomatoes than with summer ones. Add the stock and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Add the lime juice and salt to taste.

Serve topped with grated cheese, avocados and crumbled tortilla chips. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro, if desired.

Notes: *Freezer tomatoes are fine. The only time I use fresh tomatoes is in the summer. I've even used leftover marinara sauce. **Go easy or by taste on the lime juice, depending upon the acidity of the tomatoes you may not need quite that much lime. You can also serve lime wedges and let everyone squeeze their own.

Garden Preserving Note: If I have time during the tomato harvest I will cook up the soup broth and freeze in one quart containers. Then it's winter fast food time – just thaw, heat and decorate!

No black eyed peas for us New Year's Day. This larder has capucijners. Capucijner (pronounced cap-you-sigh-ner according to the Fedco catalogue) peas are one of the richest and most complex soup peas we have cooked with. We've been saving seeds that we think we purchased from Johnny's Seeds about 20 years ago. We're not sure because they don't have them in their catalogue any more but this Dutch heirloom purple podded pea (pisum satisvum) is obtainable from several sources under various aliases such as Blue Podded, Dutch Grey, Blauwschokkers and Pois A Cross Violette. Legend has it that this pea was named after the Capuchin Monks who developed it during the 1500's. Apparently the shape of the pea along with the color – an olive darkening to brown – looked like the cowl of the robes that the Monks wore at that time. (Cappuccino coffee is also derived from Capuchin but we won't go there!)

Here's a picture of this past year's peas (lighter color) and the darker version (the older the seeds get the darker they get) from the harvest of a year ago:

When cooked, these peas stay whole and form their own gravy. They make a great meatless soup because they have a stand-alone flavor. Of course the usual onions, garlic, salt & pepper are de rigueur for all my soup pots. The rest of the ingredients depend on what's on hand in the refrigerator or freezer. Hot peppers and fresh herbs such as cilantro are always nice additions along with carrots, celery, squash and other soup vegetables. (This time I used onions, garlic, one dried hot pepper poked with a fork, 1 cup chopped butternut squash, a handful of chopped cilantro, pinch of sage leaves, 1 tsp. salt, 20 grinds of pepper & 1 T. Liquid Aminos.)

Capucijner peas can take a long time to soften when cooking the long slow method (overnight soaking and simmering all day). I've dug out my pressure cooker for a faster version. Here's the method: Cover about 2 cups dried peas with water by about 2 inches over the top of the peas. Then pressure cook at 15 pounds for about 20 minutes. Let the pressure drop down naturally. While this is happening prepare the rest of the ingredients. When you can safely remove the lid add everything else plus more water (if necessary) and pressure cook for another 20 minutes. Let pressure down naturally. Check the doneness of the peas and adjust the seasonings. (Please read directions for your own pressure cooker. If using split peas they can clog the vent.)

Start a new tradition. Dig out the pressure cooker and rattle those pots and pans, it's capucijner pea soup for dinner tonight!

Since we're still in the resurgence year of Julia Child I thought I'd wind up the year with one of my many versions of her recipe for Gratin Dauphinois or Scalloped Potatoes with Milk, Cheese, and a Pinch of Garlic. I say many because I hadn't opened the book in years for these exact ingredients since I started making scalloped potatoes this way. And usually the recipe is doubled for my 10 x 15 inch pan since it makes a great potluck dish.

2 lbs. potatoes (6 to 7 cups when sliced) – up to half of this could be sweet potatoes

425 degree oven – Bake 30 minutes or until done – this time it took 45 minutes

A fireproof baking-dish about 10 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep

½ clove unpeeled garlic (plus lots of sliced garlic mixed in with the potatoes

4 Tb butter (Julia used a lot of butter but I don't think it's necessary except for greasing the pan

1 tsp salt (or to taste – I used about ½ tsp)

1/8 tsp pepper

1 cup (4 ounces) grated Swiss cheese (or sharp cheddar)

1 cup boiling milk (may use half and half if you like)

This adaptation includes sliced sweet potatoes mixed with your favorite 'regular' potatoes which these days can be red, white or blue or ??? and lots of sliced garlic. After greasing the pan and smearing it with a garlic half, make two layers of potatoes, garlic slices, and sharp cheddar cheese alternately. Pour on the hot milk or cream ( I also squeezed a clove of garlic and added it to the liquid) and set the dish in the upper third of a 425 degree oven for around 30 minutes. It may take longer if you get heavy handed with the potatoes which is easy to do, or if you double the recipe.

Usually I cover the dish for the first half of the baking, especially with the bigger pan, so the potatoes don't get overly browned. It's also important to use a sharp or well flavored cheese if you want the cheese flavor to shine through. The milder cheeses get lost in the shuffle. This is not a soupy dish since most, if not all, of the liquid is absorbed into the potatoes.

My summer version uses freshly chopped garden tomatoes for the liquid. On occasion I've added mushrooms. This is a good basic recipe amenable to alterations of all sorts! Bon Appetite!

Brighten your holiday table with the 'other' green vegetable – greens of all colors. The greens I've enjoyed the most recently are the seared collard greens at the Eldorado Grill in Madison, Wisconsin. Admittedly I haven't eaten collards too many times, they just weren't on the menu when growing up in Minnesota. If you want to try the exact recipe check it out in the 'Eldorado Grill Southwestern Cuisine Cookbook' by Kevin Tubb, owner of this superb restaurant.

For a simplified way to get your seared greens to the table get out your favorite vinaigrette dressing, whether bottled or homemade. Try one made with seasoned rice vinegar or oil and tamari. Heat up your heavy duty cast iron frying pan or wok, chop your favorite greens or combination thereof and toss them with the dressing as if you were going to serve a big salad. Include a hot pepper if you like a little extra bite – a whole one, dried or not, with holes poked in it works well. When the pan is hot add the dressed greens and sear the flavor right into them. Stir frequently and cook for 5-10 minutes or until softened the way you like them. Try not to overcook or the pleasing bright green will turn to olive drab and so goes the fresh flavor.

Red Russian Kale

We happen to frequently use Red Russian kale since Noel has it growing like a weed in the garden. (Note in the pictures that the garden beds have already been blanketed with leaves for the winter.)

Lacinato Kale

This year we planted lacinato kale (received from a friend) for the first time though with its bumpy leaves we at first thought it was savoy cabbage. (Thanks, Geoff, for helping us figure it out before it was too late!) Sometimes it pays to label your plants but then we like nice surprises in the garden.

I love it when the larder is full of sweet potatoes! We harvested 76 pounds this year. Not bad for 20 home started plants in a Wisconsin garden.

There is nothing like a plain baked or roasted sweet potato slathered in butter. The other night I roasted small chunks of sweet potato mixed with Rose Finn Apple fingerling potatoes and cabbage wedges all tossed with olive oil mixed with crushed garlic, salt and pepper. After 45 minutes in a 400 degree oven the sweet potatoes were caramelized, the potatoes crispy on the outside & the cabbage starting to brown. It needed nothing else.

One of our favorite ways to fix these nutrition-packed gems is in a savory dish – Mexican style sweet potato quesadillas. We were served these by a friend about twelve or so years ago and they have been a family favorite ever since. There are lots of recipes for these but the one we like came from 'Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home – Fast and Easy Recipes for any Day' by Moosewood Collective.

Usually after making the same meal several times over the recipe evolves into your own with changes here and there. While we have changed the type of cheese (pepper jack comes to mind) and changed the type of tortillas (corn, whole wheat or ???) or baked instead of fried them, we have determined that the original version is the one we like best. We have found an excellent organic white flour tortilla with no hydrogenated fat at Whole Foods. When fried in the hot oil the baking powder in these tortillas causes them to puff up. The secret here is to make sure the oil is hot before you start, otherwise the tortillas just soak up the oil. If you're intrigued give the following recipe a try. Don't be afraid to experiment, you may come up with your own winner!

• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 4 cups grated peeled sweet potatoes

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1-2 pinch cayenne

• salt and pepper

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas

• Salsa

• Sour cream

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil. Sauté onions and garlic until the onions are transparent. Add in the sweet potatoes, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove the filling from the heat and add salt and pepper; stirring to mix.

Evenly spread the sweet potato mixture onto the tortillas; sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese onto each tortilla. Fold tortilla in half over filling.

Using a clean skillet add a little oil; heat on medium high heat. Place the quesadillas in the hot oil and cook on each side for 2 minutes, until cheese is melted and the filling is hot. Add more oil to skillet as needed and cook in batches.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.

In the last year or so, ever since Anneliese came across an article in "grist.org" by Kurt Michael Friese called 'Simple cooking can produce delicious results - like old-fashioned Austrian pancakes' - see recipe here: Auflauf (like a crepe) has become a breakfast staple in our household. With one egg in each serving it makes a very satisfying meal and the sweetening can be individually controlled.

The filling changes with the gardening season. We've just enjoyed the last of our fall raspberries - the deep freeze is upon us. Now's the time to soak some of your dried fruit, dig out the frozen apple slices/sauce, strawberries or slice up the old standby...bananas.

Top the roll-up with a little maple syrup & yogurt, chopped walnuts if you like, and mmmmm!

Lest you think I jest, take a look at the purple pommes de terre next to the skinny leeks below:

The garden leeks aren't as fat as I would like yet but they are usable and the potatoes are definitely ready. It's time for leek and potato soup.

With all the hype about "Julie and Julia" by Julie Powell these days (I did read the book) I have to recall that my first attempt at this soup back in the 70's came from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", Volume I, by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck. I later added Volume II to my collection along with numerous other diverse cookbooks over the years. I have to admit I did NOT make every recipe in the book(s).

After almost 40 years of playing in the kitchen, reading cookbooks and any food-related articles I could get my hands on my cooking and personal recipes have evolved.

Try this variation:

1 big bunch of leeks – white & light green parts chopped 1 onion chopped 4 – 6 cups potatoes chopped 1-2 T. olive oil or butter or combination 8 cups water, veggie broth or chicken broth Salt & pepper to taste

Sauté leeks & onion until soft and slightly browned. Add potatoes and broth and simmer about 45 minutes to let the flavors develop. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Here's what it looks like before the broth is added. Note these are purple fleshed potatoes which happen to be what Noel harvested.

Sometimes we eat it as is. Sometimes we puree it and add milk or cream. Of course, Julia prefers that you use a food mill instead of a blender!

Last night we were invited to a potluck. I don't usually bring desserts because I rarely make them at home – and I'm not one that can live on just desserts. Besides, who has time to bake?

But how could I not do something with the raspberries that we're lucky enough to have (even if I do have to don a mosquito net over my head to pick them)? Two quarts don't go very far at a gathering but I happened to remember the little used Maryann pan that I purchased over twenty years ago when we first moved to the Madison, Wisconsin area. I decided to go for it and hoped that the dessert would turn out.

Obsttorte is a German cake that is made with a pre-baked base then topped with fresh or canned fruit very similar to a fruit tart. The recipe I have makes a crepe-like sponge cake. After working 'very hard' to get the baked cake out of the pan in one piece I drizzled the indents of the dished top with Grand Marnier and raspberry Grand Marnier glaze then placed the raspberries in circles (no guarantees on the concentric part) and drizzled the rest of the glaze on top. With a little vanilla yogurt we're good to go. Delightful!

The strawberries are dwindling. I believe we just had our last handful of extra sweet ones on our garden fresh greens topped with a little bit of Hook's Blue Cheese.

We've surpassed our previous best of 44 quarts with over 50 this year! We have 3 beds that are 20 feet by 4 feet. We try to rotate the strawberry beds through the garden by transplanting new runners from the oldest bed into a new bed so we always have one, two and three year old beds.

I say 'try' because it doesn't always happen & we have some off years on our pickings. This happens to be a good year so there will be jam and lots of strawberries in the freezer for those special treats this winter. Even mashed a cupful into some banana bread when I was short a banana!

On to the raspberries!!

I like rhubarb crisps best at the beginning of the season. The stalks are succulent and juicy after all the spring rains. I realize there are a multitude of very good rhubarb recipes from pies to cobblers. (And we've tried a lot of them.) Following is a recipe I've developed over the years and our favorite way to enjoy the tangy stalks.

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I harvested our first shiitakes of the year yesterday. We've had a lot of rain this month, and the weather finally warmed up. Perfect conditions for the shiitakes to start fruiting.



These shiitakes are from logs that Noel plugged two years ago. He and his friend Michael recently plugged a new set of logs with mushroom spawn, but it will probably be a few months before the new ones start to fruit.

I still haven't eaten the mushrooms that I harvested yesterday. I may try Judy's Shiitake and Tofu Recipe, or perhaps I'll wait until Geoff comes to visit tomorrow and let him do the cooking. Shiitakes also make an excellent pizza topping (way better than button mushrooms, which I can't stand), so we may go that route. We'll probably end up doing both. There are plenty of mushrooms out there right now, so I have a feeling we will have a number of shiitake-based meals this week.