1000 pizza doughs

A Week in Farmer Rick's Shoes

Each week, I write the Summer Creek Farm CSA newsletter for Farmer Rick.  I do this because I thoroughly enjoy receiving my CSA box each week, for a lot of reasons.  [The Grown in Frederick blog posts most of the CSA newsletters on their blog each week, as part of a round-up of local food and farming in and around Frederick.] 

Like many modern workers, I sit at a desk all day.  I stare at a computer screen for my livelihood.  I even stare at the computer during my lunch break, while eating at my desk (note to boss: I was so inspired by Farmer Rick's message, I felt compelled to write about it over lunch, just this once).

Farmer Rick shared a typical week of his life in this week's newsletter.  It made me appreciate my CSA box even more.  Farmers were blending work and personal time long before the BlackBerry; they live at work.  It's easy to lose sight of how demanding a job it is to feed the rest of us.

From Farmer Rick:

We are at the time of year when our college help is returning to school. This month we will lose 3 of our workers and one more will go to part time. I am glad that our farm, with your CSA participation, has provided jobs for this many people in this economy. We have been working very hard this month since it will be our busiest month of the year. By this time of year we are certainly tiring. Our week goes like this:

Monday - Pack Monday Farm CSA, call and get our orders for wholesale and restaurant sales. We then start picking for our wholesale accounts.

Tuesday - Start by picking and then we go on delivery. I leave the farm for two deliveries in Frederick, one in Clarksville and then to Annapolis and back to the farm.

Wednesday - We pick for Frederick CSA, Urbana CSA and restaurant deliveries.  Once the CSA boxes are picked I leave the farm for Frederick CSA delivery, four restaurants and one store delivery, then to Urbana CSA.

Thursday - On our only true farm day, we weed, plant and fix all the issues (well as many as we can get to!).

Friday - We pick for one wholesale customer and our weekend markets. We ship Friday evening to one customer and pack our trailer for Frederick Farmers Market.

Saturday - We are off to Frederick for Farmers market. We set up, sell and then pack it all back up to be home by 3:00 p.m. Saturday evening I pick more for Sunday market and Sunday morning we are off to  Clarksburg for Farmers market.

Sunday - When I get home around 3:00 p.m., I rest. I do some farm work, but not much. I need the rest to start on Monday all over. I do this schedule from May to November. It is no wonder why I love December!

I hope you are enjoying your produce, as you can see a lot goes into keeping a farm running to get it to you. Thanks for your support.

-Farmer Rick

Thank you Farmer Rick, and all of the small family farmers who still work literally every day to feed us. 

 

Summer Creek CSA - Week 11 bounty

Corn Chowder - A Joy of Late Summer

Corn chowder is a labor of love.  Especially this one, from Jannequin Bennet's "Very Vegetarian."  (Here's the recipe, courtesy of Google Books.)  Lots of chopping and dish-washing is required, but the result is an awesome soup.  Perfect with some crusty bread, or a nice gooey grilled cheese sandwich (I like a mix of Jarlsberg and Fontina - try it with a little pesto!).

The author notes:

This colorful soup highlights the bounty of late summer, when corn is plentiful, peppers are fully rip, the potato harvest is beginning, and the nights have begun to have a little chill to them.

It is indeed colorful, and a life-saver to those of us struggling to find ways to cook all those CSA vegetables.  I used these vegetables gleaned from CSA and farmer's market:

• Yukon gold potatoes - Recipe calls for red skin potatoes, but either works fine.  Do cook them separately though.
• Garlic
• Onion
• Bell peppers - Generally, I use all green peppers, since the colorful ones are hard to find locally grown
• Fresh white corn, about 4 ears, removed from cob - Fresh corn is a must for this soup. Frozen is OK in the dead of winter, but do not use canned corn for this.
• Tomatoes, diced (optional garnish)

Other items used:

• Carrots
• Celery
• Fresh cilantro
• Oil - recipes calls for vegan margarine, but I am just not a fan of margarine of any type (butter or nothing, baby!)
• Spices: cumin, dark chili powder, cayenne - Tip: use twice the cayenne for a little more heat.  This is a pretty bland soup otherwise.
• Flour
• Vegetable stock - Store-bought is fine, or chicken stock, if you aren't concerned about keeping it vegetarian (vegan, really).
• Salt
• White pepper (or black, if you don't mind the specks)

 

To make life easier, here are a few tips if you try this:

• Use a large pot.  The one above is 8 quarts, I think.
• First, chop the potatoes, and start boiling them separately.
• Then, chop the onions, carrots, celery and garlic.  Get those on the heat.
• Next chop the peppers.
• Saute the peppers separately.  This takes about 10 minutes.  If the peppers and potatoes finish before they need to go in the soup, just set them aside. They'll warm up at the end.
• While cooking the peppers, remove corn from the cob and chop the cilantro.
• Stage the spices and flour next to the stove, so you don't forget to add them at the right time (I forgot to add the spices until the end this time, and the soup had less depth of flavor).

This soup freezes beautifully for a taste of summer well into fall.

I imagine every vegetarian has been asked, "What do you eat?  Don't you feel deprived?"  Thanks to meals like this one, nope, not a bit. 

Vegetarian "Kitchen Sink" Chili

This chili is from an Emeril Lagasse recipe (who knew - the king of pork fat has some surprisingly good vegetarian recipes!).  It's relatively quick for chili: cooking time totals about 40 minutes, but you'll need to spend some time chopping before that.  The link above goes to the recipe, so I won't reprint it here.  I have made some notes on various ingredients and substitutions below.

CSA (and other) veggies used in this chili:

• Yellow onions
• Green onions
• Green or red pepper
• Hot peppers, like jalapeno or serrano
• Yellow squash and zucchini (any combination of summer squash)
• Fresh white corn, removed from cob (frozen corn works fine too)
• Tomatoes (one 28 oz. can diced tomatoes works fine if you don't have fresh on hand, or don't want to bother with peeling and seeding)
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Portabello mushrooms (Obviously not a vegetable, but a good way to use them. They add a nice "meaty" texture to this chili.)
• Avocado (optional, for garnish)
• Limes (optional, for garnish)

Pantry staples you will need:

• Canola oil
• Spices: chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt
• Cooked beans (drained and rinsed canned beans are fine - I like red kidney beans or black beans, or a combination)
• Tomato sauce, 15 oz. can
• Canned diced tomatoes, 28 oz. can (if not using fresh tomatoes)
• Vegetable stock (can use water instead, but this adds more of that simmered-all-day flavor)
• Brown rice, for serving (start the brown rice first since it takes an hour to cook, then start chopping and preparing the chili)

This chili is even better the next day, and makes an excellent lunch.  I had to answer a few inquiries from co-workers who could not fathom eating vegetarian (vegan, actually) chili without actually being a vegetarian.  They conceded that it did smell really good.

I normally wouldn't eat chili in the summer either, but it was rainy the day I made this, and I had all of the fresh vegetables on hand.  It's the "meatiest" vegetarian chili I have tried thanks to the portabellos (and I tried several during the vegetarian years).  My husband (the "baconator") also liked it.  He's gotten used to vegetarian dinners, especially during CSA season!

CSA Couscous

As the in-season vegetables change throughout the summer, I find myself repeatedly throwing whatever I have on hand into this easy and forgiving couscous. 

 

To make the basic couscous pilaf you'll need:

• 1 cup whole wheat couscous
• 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, or a combination
• 3 cups water, broth or stock (chicken stock or vegetable stock)
• Salt, to taste
• Large (at least 10-inch) skillet with a lid

This "Couscous by the Pilaf Method" recipe is from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, 1997 edition, page 563 (great source of ideas for cooking practically every vegetable you've ever heard of, and some you probably haven't).

Bring the water or stock to a boil.  Meanwhile, melt butter or heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the couscous to the butter/oil, stir to coat the grains, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pour in 2 cups of the boiling water. The couscous will instantly bubble up.  When it subsides, shake the pan to even the contents, cover and set aside for 7 minutes to steam.

Then fluff the grains with a fork, pour in the last cup of boiling water (add frozen peas at this point, if using - see additions below), cover and let stand another 5 minutes.

While the couscous is steaming, prepare the vegetables and dressing.

Dressing for CSA Couscous:

• Juice of 1 lemon
• Zest of 1 lemon (optional - I only use the zest if I have organic lemons on hand to avoid the waxy coating)
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (use more if you don't want the tart, lemony flavor to be too pronounced)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

Squeeze lemon juice into a small bowl.  Add salt, pepper and zest, if using.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil, and set aside. (This is a good basic dressing for salad greens as well.)

Vegetable additions for CSA Couscous:

I don't think I've ever made this the same way twice.  Here's what I added this time:

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small yellow squash, cubed
• Half a large zucchini, cubed
• Half a red onion, chopped
• Half a green pepper, chopped
• Fresh thyme leaves, stripped from the stems
• Fresh basil leaves, chopped
• Sliced almonds or toasted pine nuts, for garnish

I had the red onion and green pepper already chopped (leftover toppings from taco night).  The garlic, squash, zucchini and basil were from my CSA box this week, and the thyme was from my yard.  I also added some frozen peas.  If using frozen vegetables, try adding them to the couscous before it steams a second time, unless they require lots more cooking.

Saute the vegetables and garlic in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until tender, over medium to medium-high heat while the couscous is steaming.  (If you add hard vegetables like carrots, give them more time to cook.) Add a little salt and pepper to the vegetables at the end.

When everything is finished cooking, add the lemon/olive oil dressing to the couscous and stir.  Then add the vegetables.  Finally, add the fresh herbs, taste for salt and serve warm, garnished with almonds or toasted pine nuts.  This is great as leftovers for lunch.

Here's the Summer Creek CSA haul from week 10 (minus the pint glass - I store my fresh herbs like basil, parsley and cilantro in water in the fridge, a tip from Chef Christine).

Roasted the green beans (idea courtesy of Flour Girl), boiled the potatoes (on request of my part-Norwegian husband - apparently cooking potatoes any other way in Scandinavia qualifies as heresy), and made a nice side dish with the cherry tomatoes, halved and dressed with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped basil, salt and pepper.  Tastes like summer.

Not-so-Macho (Pink!) Gazpacho

So, today I decided to take on another nemesis: gazpacho.  Like stir fry, this is yet another seemingly basic thing I have yet to master.  So, thanks to bountiful CSA tomatoes, I decided to give it another go. 

My previous attempts at gazpacho have tasted more like liquid salsa. Not horrible, but only so much you can eat without reaching for the tortilla chips. I have tried at least a half dozen such recipes--all different, and all tasted like salsa.  So this time, I went to my new standby cookbook, where I found Mark Bittman's recipe for gazpacho.

2 pounds of tomatoes. OK.
1 cucumber. Sure.
2 or 3 slices day-old bread.  Say what now?

OK, well, if you say so Mark. You haven't failed me yet. So, into my blender all this goes, along with the 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1 clove chopped garlic, salt and pepper.

Next time, I think I will have to use fewer tomatoes or make a half batch because, well, this didn't quite fit into my (nice, normal-sized) blender.  I had to add ingredients in stages, and then at the end I was still holding the top down on the blender, as I prefer my nice white kitchen ceiling to pink. (Yes, pink, but I'll get to that.)

Here are my 2 pounds of tomatoes (had to mix in a few Romas... not enough slicers in the CSA basket this week), so I'm sure I didn't use too many, after I cut out the tops.

Overall, this recipe made gazpacho that tastes like gazpacho. (No salsa flavor! Probably because I didn't add lime juice, cilantro or green pepper, as I have in past iterations.)  The texture is nice, and similar to what I've had in restaurants (maybe the bread crumbs add that secret mojo?). But the color: it's pink! (image below is NOT Photoshopped)

I added some little hot pepper slices to my husband's to "manly" it up a little (although they were really cute, small peppers).  His reaction, "We're having fruit smoothies for dinner?" And that's exactly what it looked like: strawberry smoothies.

I won't say this was a failure.  The toasted basil bread with local chevre was great, and the soup tasted right.  So, is that a success?  Anyone know what color traditional gazpacho is supposed to be?

Buy Local Challenge Week: Keeping it Simple

This week was the Buy Local Challenge.  The challenge was to eat at least one locally grown food item each day during the week of July 18-26, 2009, which sounds deceptively simple... until you try it. 

As a CSA member, I already had plenty of locally grown vegetables on-hand.  Here's what we got from Summer Creek Farm in week 9. (I love that Farmer Rick includes educational materials, like copies of Edible Chesapeake magazine!) Those cherry tomatoes made great snacks for work.

The challenge was the weekend, when we generally eat lunch out at least one day.  Of course there are restaurants in Frederick that feature local food, and thankfully they are growing in number.  However, taking a 3-year-old to say, Volt... it's just not something I am prepared to do.  (I haven't been there yet, as I am waiting for the chance to eat at Table 21.)

Grocery shopping was also more challenging this week than usual, as I was determined to buy as much locally as I could.  I try to do this every week, but this week I was really thinking about it.  It's  mind-boggling to think how far some food travels before we eat it.  (I could go on a Michael Pollan-inspired rant here, but I'll save that for another day.)

The Common Market, which has been my salvation on more than one occasion, came through nicely with some local peaches and blackberries (woo hoo! see earlier post about my blackberry addiction).  I even splurged on some fresh goat cheese from the Cherry Glen Goat Cheese Co. in Boyds, Md.  (It's worth the $12.99/lb.) 

I kept it simple this week, mostly from necessity, as my husband was on a business trip all week, and I have a picky preschooler to feed.  So we ate lots of pasta, with various vegetables thrown in.  I made this pasta again, with several CSA veggies: yellow squash, zucchini, garlic, basil and uncooked tomatoes.  (Trying to work on my photography skills...)

After a 3-year-old's birthday party on Saturday, where the menu was pizza, cake and sodas, I made simple caprese salad for the grown-ups in my house.  (The not-so-grown-up one insisted on having a second piece of cake at the party... she was the only child of about 30 still eating cake come time to go home.)

I probably don't do this the proper way, if there is such a thing, but I just take Farmer Rick's slicing tomatoes, fresh mozzarella slices and big basil leaves, stack 'em, drizzle with good olive oil and a little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. 

Currently, I am making plans for that lovely goat cheese (oh yes, I have plans for you my precious) and eating the rest of this basil bread.  (Mine didn't turn out that pretty, but it was good.  Made some open-faced pulled pork sandwiches today with this bread.  It's a keeper!)

Simple Summer CSA Meal - Zucchini Basil Pasta and Tomato Cucumber Salad

CSA veggies used: zucchini, basil, tomato, cucumber, berries (for the not-so-simple pie)

Sometimes in the summer I just eat whatever vegetables and fruits I have on hand as dinner.  Plain and raw, with maybe just a little salt or olive oil.  That's what I did today, for instance (a cucumber and a peach). Today I had an ulterior motive, however, as I was planning to consume a large piece of blackberry pie shortly thereafter.

Generally, at least for me, it's the complicated recipes that tend to go horribly awry.  The simple ones become my go-to dinners for busy nights, or those sweltering days when the last thing anyone wants to do is stand over a flaming gas range.

One of my favorite such meals is a simple zucchini and basil pasta, with tomato and cucumber salad on the side. 

For the pasta (yes I mixed bow ties and small shells, because I didn't have enough of either), I sauteed the zucchini with some sliced garlic in about 1 tbsp of butter mixed with 1 tbsp of olive oil.  then I mixed in the cooked pasta, turned off the heat and added some parm-reggiano and torn basil leaves from my container garden.  Rocket science? No.  Simple, fresh and delicious?  Yep.  (If you're really anti-butter, it would be fine with just olive oil, but I like the flavor a little butter adds here.)

For a side dish I made a recipe my friend Amy taught me in college.  She learned it from her Italian grandmother. The herbs are dried in this recipe, but it works, and I'm sure fresh would be great too.  Here's the approximate ratio:

• 1 large fresh tomato, cut into large dice
• 1 large cucumber, sliced (and peeled, if you wish)
• 1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Just mix it all together and serve immediately.  It's OK the next day, but not the same--all the juices kind of congeal in the bottom with the oil in the fridge.  Best to make only as much as you plan to eat right then.  It's also good with red onion and/or fresh mozzarella chunks.  (We used to make this with pierogies in the dorm... good times.)

My daughter loves this bowl. It has bees, ladybugs and various critters on it.  Now if only that would convince her to eat a cucumber or tomato...

And just for fun, here's my first-ever successful blackberry pie!  (Note, not the first attempt, by far.)  Made the crust (my mother was horrified when I told her I put two sticks of butter in it!), and even pre-baked it with weights (OK, not real pie weights... used some dried orzo of indeterminate age).  Burned my forearms twice in the process... but it was worth it.  (Anyone know where I can get potholders that go to the elbow?) It's not going to win any beauty contests, but it brought back memories of home.

Fried Green Tomatoes - Slime Wars!

Cooking Away my CSA is a group started by Heather of Flour Girl for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) members around the country to share recipes and tips for using all those veggies.  I'll post the CSA banner on CSA-related posts, and put the CSA ingredients I use in green at the top, to save y'all some time.  (Ya'll... in honor of today's topic.) 

CSA ingredients used: green tomatoes, chard (for a side dish)

Summer Creek CSA - week 8 (green tomatoes, chard, zucchini, cucumber, garlic, green beans, cherry tomatoes, yukon gold potatoes) [Another bad photo, thanks to the Bold. Must. Get. iPhone.]

Now, on to fried green tomatoes...

Before tonight, my only experience with fried green tomatoes was the movie, despite growing up in the South, where they deep fry everything.  It never occurred to me that people actually eat this... I thought it was one of those things like pickled pigs feet that everyone knows about, but no one ever actually eats. 

While researching recipes for the Summer Creek CSA newsletter this week, I found hundreds of recipes for fried green tomatoes.  And you know what?  They all looked about the same as anything else you bread and then fry.  It seems that traditionalists use corn meal for the breading.  I used panko crumbs (trendy maybe, but they have the best crunch!).  And parm-reggiano because, well, it makes everything better.  I used a skillet because I don't have a deep fryer.  Yet.

Here's the recipe, more or less.  (I have to pause here and add a disclaimer. Was reading an article about tweeting recipes today.  The bottom line: recipes in 140 characters works if you're an artist cook, not a scientist cook.  I won't say I'm an artist, although I really would like to take up ice carving if only for an excuse to buy a chainsaw--hubbie won't let me, sigh--but I am firmly in the whatever-looks-right artist camp. So, happily, most of my recipes work if you use about the same amount of ingredients.)

Ingredients:

• 2 green tomatoes, sliced thick
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs (near the sushi fixins at the store)
• 1 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
• seasoning for bread crumbs (I used cayenne, cajun seasoning mix, salt and pepper)
• egg wash (1 egg, beaten, with 2 tbsp. water)

I used the same procedure here that I use for my favorite pork chops.

1. Heat butter and olive oil together in nonstick skillet on medium-high.
2. Stick parmesan to tomato slices.
3. Dip in egg wash.
4. Dip in seasoned panko crumbs.
5. Fry em up until golden brown, 4-5 minutes each side.

The parmesan didn't stick too well to the tomatoes.  The egg wash slid off the tomatoes more than it seems to with meat.  (Maybe some sort of slime war: tomato slime vs. the egg?) It worked well enough, and... they were great!  (Confession: I had low expectations on this one.) 

Above: fried green tomatoes (that's garlic scape pesto I made and froze last month on top), leftover onion risotto and chard with garlic.  The only thing that would have made this better would have been some pie.  Thinking of trying blackberry/peach pie of some sort this weekend... making myself hungry again!

Fajita stacks, and "not just rice and beans"

What to do with green peppers, onions, tomatoes and leftover chicken...

Had some great green peppers, onions and tomatoes from the new Urbana farmer's market this weekend.  (Thrilled to see that it was packed!)  Also had some leftover cooked chicken which, unlike leftover pizza, does not seem to magically disappear in the middle of the night.

Here's what I started with, plus a few staples like shredded cheese, sour cream and canned black beans.  (Bad image quality = me with a not-so-steady hand testing the not-so-great camera on my new Blackberry Bold.  It's no iPhone, but alas, I also did not pay for it, thank you day job...)

Into the (hot baby!) skillet: a little olive oil, chopped garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.  Then, about a minute later, half each of a roughly chopped green pepper and red onion.  Feel the sizzle for about 5 minutes, then add leftover chopped chicken to heat through (douse it with cayenne first, if you dare). 

Meanwhile, toast a small whole wheat tortilla in a medium (dry) skillet until just browned, a minute or two on each side. Remove veggie/chicken mix from heat and pile on top of the toasted tortilla (I cut it first with a pizza cutter, just to make it easier to eat with a fork). 

Garnish with lime juice, fresh diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, sour cream and whatever else sounds good.   Voila: a fajita stack.

Confession: I sometimes cook separate meals for my husband.  I really like rice and beans, and could happily live as a vegetarian 99% of the time.  Hubbie?  Well, let's just say  his favorite meal is "anything with bacon."  I suspect he got the idea from his father--a grilling master--that it's not dinner without a hunk of meat.  (Why he could not instead get the do-it-yourself handy gene including the ability to build any piece of furniture known to man, I'll never know...)  So, using most of the same ingredients,  I made some "not just rice and beans" just for me. 

Smaller skillet, medium heat:  olive oil, chopped garlic, crushed red pepper flakes.  Then the other half of the chopped green pepper and red onion.  Cook for about 5 minutes, then drain a can of black beans and dump it in there, along with some ground cumin.  Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes or so, or until heated through.

Remove from heat and add the juice of half a lime and a handful of chopped cilantro. Serve over cooked brown rice, and garnish with sour cream, chopped fresh tomato and avocado. 

(Confession: I ate a whole one because it was already mushy... and I really like avocados.)  The triangles on the side are the (yet a third) dinner I made for my preschooler, who enjoys her tortillas sandwich-style with cheese, and dipped in sour cream.  (Her fingers were also dipped in sour cream, and her elbows, and I swear she tried to get a knee in there...)

This will also be lunch for the next couple days at work, minus the avocado (all out).  Looking forward to green tomatoes, yukon gold potatoes, and a lot more from Farmer Rick in my CSA box tomorrow! Tomorrow, I might finally become a real Southerner... going to fry those green tomatoes!

Chard Soup with Cilantro

This recipe used two of my CSA veggies this week: chard and new red potatoes.  Could also have used leeks instead of onions, but I didn't have any on hand.  This recipe was inspired by Deborah Madison's "Chard Soup with Sorrel or Lemon" recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (page 205, 1997 edition). 

I didn't have any sorrel (confession: no idea what sorrel is!), so I used cilantro instead.  The original recipe called for 6 1/2 cups of water, which looked like an awful lot once I started adding, so I cut it down to about 5 cups.  The soup still turned out really thin, even after pureeing. If you try this, I would recommend using 4 cups of water to start, or enough to just cover the veggies during the boiling stage, and maybe adding more potatoes too, to thicken it a bit more.  You can always add more water later, but after pureeing it's pretty much impossible to remove the extra liquid. 

Since this came out thinner than I prefer soup, I used leftover barley from stir fry night in the bottom of the bowl.  Gadget warning: you will need a blender or immersion blender to puree this soup.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 small red potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch chard, stems removed
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of one large lemon
• Salt and freshly cracked pepper
• 4 teaspoons sour cream (garnish, optional)
• 4 teaspoons chives and/or green onions (garnish, optional)
• 2 cups cooked barley or brown rice (1/2 cup per soup bowl)

Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to color, about 8 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup water and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze.  Add the chard and cilantro and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.  As soon as the chard wilts, about 5 minutes, add 4 to 5 cups of water (start with less, barely covering the veggies).  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer partially covered for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes cook through.  Turn off the heat, then use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot, or transfer to a blender to puree.  Return pureed soup to the pot (still removed from heat), then add the lemon juice.  Taste for salt and pepper, and serve over barley or rice, garnished with sour cream, chives and green onions (or any combination of those).

Serves 4 to 6.  After two of us had a serving for dinner, I had enough left over for two days of healthy lunches at work.  (Had one at work yesterday.  Bonus: it is highly unlikely that anyone will swipe your green soup from the work fridge!)

I served this soup with fresh-baked whole wheat French country bread and herb- and goat cheese-stuffed chicken breasts.  Herbs were from my back yard, including some Greek columnar basil I bought at this roadside stand over the weekend (honor system payment--how often do you see that any more?).