Island Mama

Umm, eight days since my last post. Yeah, the daily thing’s not going so well, I guess. But I’m still posting more often than I used to, and that was sort of the ultimate goal, so I’m not going to get too upset.

Dinner a few nights ago. Fresh fava beans from the garden, with some pasta, loads of fresh thyme and oregano (from the garden) and olive oil and feta. Simple, fresh, and so delicious.

Favas are really good when they’re in season, but it’s a short season, it takes a lot of pods (a couple pounds!) to get enough beans to make a meal, and they’re so much work to prepare. You have to shell them, boil them briefly, then skin each bean. You might start to wonder if it’s really worth the effort.

But then you eat them.

And it is.

And we’re figuring out how we can grow a larger crop next year, because really, we might only get that one meal plus a little more out of this year’s fava bed. And that is not enough.

Sweet Potato Lentil Chipotle

1 onion, chopped

oil (I used canola)

3 medium sweet potatoes, chopped

2 cups red lentils

4 cups broth

6-8 cups water

ground cumin (2 tsp maybe?)

chipotle

Braggs

liquid smoke

Sauté onion in oil until soft and beginning to brown. Add ground cumin and some chipotle.

Add sweet potatoes, lentils, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Turn down and let simmer for half an hour, or until lentils are mushy and sweet potatoes are soft. Add small amount of liquid smoke (1/2 tsp maybe?) and Braggs to taste.

Remove from heat and blend using immersion blender.

Return to low heat and allow to sit for a little while if possible. It thickens up nicely. Add more water if it’s too thick. Taste, add salt, pepper, more chipotle to taste.

You can sprinkle more chipotle once it’s served in the bowls, too — adds a nice swirl of rich red color.

We’ve established a pleasant pattern here of working outside on Sunday mornings, then making soup for lunch and having an afternoon bonfire if the weather’s appropriate. This week’s soup was Carrot Ginger Lentil. 

Here’s the recipe: 

• 1 1/2 lbs carrots, scrubbed and sliced or shredded
• 1 1/2 cups red lentils
• 1/4 cup ginger, finely chopped (that’s about 2″ of a thick root)
• 6 cups veggie broth

1. Add the lentils and broth to a large soup pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Add carrots and ginger and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until lentils and carrots are very soft.
3. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until it is smooth. Add more broth or water to make the consistency you want.

That’s it! Enjoy! Warm, warming, wonderful.  Especially eaten outside at a picnic table beside a fire.