Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

FRESH TOMATO SOUP

SERVES 4

1 teaspoon olive oil
½ large yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8 Roma tomatoes, cored, blanched, skinned,
seeded, and chopped
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over
medium-high. Sauté the onions, garlic, basil,
and oregano for 5 minutes. Add the toma­
toes, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the
heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Don’t sieve or
puree; serve just as it is.

Per serving : 63 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 9 g
carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 2 g dietary fi ber, 181 mg
sodium. Exchanges: 2 Vegetable

GRILLED PORTABELLA



MUSHROOMS WITH



TOMATO JALAPEÑO SAUCE

This is one of my special-occasion side dishes,
usually served with a red meat or game, but it
could also become an appetizer with a water­
cress or arugula garnish.
SERVES 6

For the Mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, bashed and fi nely chopped

¼ teaspoon cayenne

⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

6 medium portabella mushrooms, cleaned

with stems removed

For the Sauce

½ teaspoon light olive oil

2 cups roughly chopped sweet onion

3 jalapeño chiles, cored, seeded, and roughly

chopped

6 small (or 4 large) Italian plum tomatoes,

such as Roma, quartered

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon arrowroot mixed with ½ cup

dealcoholized red wine or water (slurry)

Combine the garlic, cayenne, allspice, salt,

olive oil, and lemon juice in a bowl. Place the

mushrooms in a shallow dish and brush with

the garlic mixture. Set aside while you make the

sauce.

To make the sauce, warm the oil in a me­

dium frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the

onions 3–5 minutes until slightly browned.

Stir in the jalapeños, tomatoes, salt, allspice,

and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low and cook

10 minutes. Press the tomato sauce through

a  sieve into a saucepan, discarding the pulp.

Add  the slurry to the sauce and stir over me­

dium heat until thickened. Remove from the

heat and keep warm until ready to serve.

254 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE