Avocado Buttermilk Soup

This is quick, easy and delicious -- a great soup for when the weather is hot. Makes a wonderful light meal accompanied by a salad and a baguette, or an elegant starter. Quantities can be multiplied, although for very large quantities you'll need to blend it in batches. This soup can be made ahead and kept chilled in the refrigerator. If you do this, bring it to near room temperature -- that is slightly chilled not cold -- before serving.

1 avocado, peeled, coarsely chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup of buttermilk, or more to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lime juice
chives for garnish

Combine all ingredients except the chives in a blender and process until everything is smooth and well incorporated, scraping down the sides with a spatula as necessary. If the soup is thicker than you would like, thin with additional buttermilk.

Pour into indivual bowls and garnish with chives. I think zest of lemon and/or lime would be a nice garnish as well, and next time I make this I want to see how it is with a bit of pimenton as a garnish.

The quantities given here make enough soup for two to three people.

Asparagus Risotto

1 small bunch of asparagus
1 quart homemade vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
½ stalk of celery, minced
1 shallot, minced, or equivalent amount of red onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup of Arborio or canaroli rice
¼ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
Zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped

Trim the woody ends from the asparagus and reserve. Slice the rest of the asparagus on the bias into pieces about an inch long. Blanch the asparagus in the broth until just barely cooked through (time will vary with the thickness of the asparagus). Remove it to an ice bath with a slotted spoon, drain when cooking has stopped and allow to come to room temperature in a colander.

Put the woody stem ends and the bay leaf in the broth and simmer. (Recipe can be prepared ahead to this point.)

Cook the shallot, celery and garlic in 1 tablespoon of the butter until soft, about four to five minutes. Add the rice and cook stirring constantly until the rice is well coated and starting to become translucent – two to three minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is all incorporated. Stir in the stock in ladlefuls until the rice is cooked al dente, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in the lemon zest, parsley, cream, and reserved asparagus, and cook until just heated through. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese.

Fideos - Sopa Seca de Fideos

4 cloves of garlic
6 oz. fideos
olive oil
1/2 white onion, sliced
1 14 oz can tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon chipotle puree, or to taste
1/2 Mexican grey squash, chopped
2 Anaheim peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/4 cup peas
crema, sour cream or Greek yogurt, to taste
1/2 avocado, sliced
cotija cheese, crumbled
green onions
pickled onions and/or green olives
chopped cilantro or Italian parsley

Roast the garlic in foil in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Saute the fideos in oil in a nonstick pan, in batches if necessary, until they are light golden. Remove and dry on paper towels.

In the oil remaining, saute the sliced onions for a few minutes until they are translucent. Remove the garlic from the foil and peel.

Put the garlic, onion, tomatoes and chipotle puree in a blender and process until smooth. Return the puree to the pan and add the fideos, the squash,the chile peppers and the oregano. Bring to a simmer and cook until the fideos are done and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. If necessary you can add a little additional hot water or broth. Add the peas and cook until they are heated through.

Put the fideos on plates and garnish with the crema, avocado, cheese, onions, olives and cilantro or parsley. These quantities make two servings, or three if you have other courses.

NOTES: If you don't have Mexican grey squash, zucchini is a fine substitute. If you don't have cotija cheese, feta will work well. If you don't want to bother with roasting the garlic, you can sautee it with the onion. If you don't have a white onion, use red or yellow. No one will notice.

Spanakopita Pie

This is basically spanakopita, but baked in a pie shell instead of filo dough. I don't have the patience for filo dough. This is a forgiving recipe, and you can vary the amounts of everything. The dill is essential, but you can substitute a smaller amount of dried dill for fresh if necessary. You don't need salt at all because the feta is so salty.

This is a good dish for a picnic, or a potluck. It's what I always take to friends when there's been a death in the family because it will keep for several days, and it's familiar enough that it doesn't frighten carnivores. You can serve it at room temperature, or reheat it in a moderate oven until heated through. It also freezes well.

2 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed
2 small yellow onions or one large, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 eggs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
3 to 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1 pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Squeeze all the water from the spinach and put the spinach in a mixing bowl. Saute the onions in the oil until they are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook a couple of minutes longer. Add the onions and garlic to the spinach and mix well to combine. I find bare hands work best for this.

Add the eggs, dill and feta, and stir well to combine (NOT bare hands!).

Put the crust into the pie plate and poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Add the spinach mixture and spread it evenly. Bake the pie until done -- about 50 minutes to an hour. Check the pie occasionally and if the exposed crust is getting too brown, protect it with a pie crust shield or strips of foil. I find the crust shield usually needs to go on at about 40 minutes. If you are going to be serving it right away, let it rest for five to ten minutes.

Afghan Eggplant - Badenjan Boorani

This is a recipe I adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's indispensable World Vegetarian. The main change I made was to brown the eggplant in the oven first thing, rather than deep frying it at the last minute.

You can cook the eggplant the day before you serve the dish and the tomato sauce is actually improved by being made a day ahead.

If I have leftovers, I puree everything in the blender and add vegetable stock to make a wonderful soup. In the summer I add yogurt to the soup and serve it chilled.

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste

1 large eggplant

olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped fine

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, plus juice

1/4 cup water or tomato juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons of fresh mint or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried

Greek style yogurt (a half cup or more to taste)

mint or flatleaf parsely sprigs

Toast the cumin and coriander in a dry pan until they are very fragrant. Turn off the heat, add the cayenne and stir to combine. Set aside.

Cut the eggplant crosswise in slices 1/2" to 3/4" thick. Spread each slice with a little bit of olive oil on each side and bake on a nonstick baking sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven until they are nicely browned but still somewhat firm -- 20 to 30 minutes.

Put 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Saute the onion in the oil until it is softened and transluscent. Add the garlic and stir for about a minute. Add the reserved spices and stir well to combine. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the water or tomato juice, the salt and pepper, and the chopped mint. Simmer gently for ten to twenty minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Put the eggplant in a lightly oiled baking dish in one layer. Cover with the tomato sauce and bake in a 350 degree oven until it is completly heated through.

Stir the yogurt with a fork until it is smooth.

Put one or two slices of eggplant on a plate (or all the slices on a platter). Top with the yogurt and garnish with mint or parsley. Serve with rice. This is a very light dish, so I like to precede it with a salad that includes garbanzo beans. This recipe serves about three to four people.

Cabbage Salad with Carrot Pickle

I threw this salad together because I had some left over rice and beans that I wanted to use up. I was very happy with the result.

The amounts below are for a single main course salad, but obviously they can be increased to serve more. The proportions of the various ingredients aren't that important anyway, except you need enough carrot pickle to wilt the cabbage and to flavor the salad.

1 cup of very thin sliced cabbage

2 generous tablespoons of carrot pickle

2 tablespoons minced red onion OR 2 scallions, sliced thin

1 small tomato, diced

1/3 of a jicama, peeled and diced OR 6 radishes, chopped

1/2 cup of garbanzo beans or white beans

1/2 cup of cooked rice

1 teaspoon Greek style 2% yogurt

1 teaspoon mayonnaise

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Italian flatleaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Combine the carrot pickle and cabbage in a bowl and allow to sit for ten to twenty minutes. The salt in the carrot pickle will wilt the cabbage. (The pickle is very salty and you won't need any additional salt in the salad.) Add the rest of the ingredients except the parsley and toss until all ingredients are well combined and the salad is dressed. Garnish with parsley.

Pasta with Garlic, Parsley, Pepper, Lemon, and Pine Nuts

This is a recipe I developed when I found myself longing for the light, simple, flavorful pastas we've had in Italy. The ingredients below are for two servings, adjust accordingly for more, but this is a dish that must go from skillet to table quickly. I wouldn't make more than four servings. It's just too unwieldy in larger quantities to get it to the table while it's still hot.

Do not substitute curly parsley for the Italian. You can use arugula or spinach in place of the parsley (or use a combination) for a different but still interesting dish. If you don't have pine nuts on hand, walnuts (also toasted in the oven) will work.

2 large cloves of garlic, or more to taste, chopped fine

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 small bunch of Italian flatleaf parlsey, stems removed, leaves chopped

Red pepper flakes to taste

Zest of one or two lemons

1/4 cup of pine nuts, roasted in the oven until light golden

Pasta such as linguine, spaghetti or fettucine

Parmesan cheese, grated

Put the oil and garlic in a large nonstick skillet. Turn on the heat to medium and saute until the garlic is just beginning to brown. Turn off the heat and add two thirds of parsley to the pan and toss until it is wilted. (This also stops the garlic cooking.) Add the red pepper flakes. Combine the remaining parsley, lemon zest and pine nuts.

Cook the pasta in boiling water until it is al dente. Drain well and put into the skillet with the parsley, garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute briefly over high heat until all the ingredients are very hot. If the pasta seems a bit dry, add more oil, or butter, or a combination.

Divide the pasta between two plates, top with grated cheese, then with the parlsey, lemon, pine nut mixture. Serve with additional grated Parmesan. Despite all the garlic, this dish is better with white, rather than red, wine.