Maryjo Koch - The Artist, the Cook, and the Gardener

Soups

Fresh Pea Soup with Mint and Crme Frache Serves 6 to 8

Peas are one of the first vegetables that we enjoy in spring. I love watching them grow, attaching their delicate tendrils to my garden trellis as they climb. Painting botanicals of pea plants is fun; I use my liner brushes to capture those thin, curling tendrils as they twist and turn. This soup is delicious served hot or cold. When the weather is warm, I like to serve the soup chilled in little teacups as a savory aperitif. As an extra benefit, the solids left after straining the soup make an excellent dip when mixed with plain yogurt and spices and served with pita chips.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup minced shallots (from 5 large shallots)

3 cups chicken stock

4 cups shelled fresh peas or thawed frozen peas (if frozen, from 2 18-ounce bags of peas)

1 small head of butter lettuce, leaves separated

2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves, plus 8 small sprigs for garnish

1 cup crme frache

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Pea leaves and tendrils for garnish

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat until foaming. Add shallots, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the peas, lettuce, and cooked shallots to the simmering broth. Cover and cook until peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Add mint, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes longer.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean saucepan; discard or reserve the solids. Stir in the crme frache. Simmer briefly, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately, garnished with the reserved sprigs of mint and the pea leaves and tendrils. If serving cold, let the soup cool and then transfer to a bowl and chill, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 2 hours before serving.

Peas and bok choy are two of my favorite vegetables, and they do well in the cool winter climate of Bonny Doon. I have a netted garden trellis for the peas and they climb as they grow until ready to harvest in early spring.

As for the garden of mint, the very smell of it alone recovers and refreshes our spirits, as the taste stirs our appetite . .. Pliny the Elder

I love mint and cook with it a lot. I grow several different varieties and enjoy the varied flavors they impart. I use fresh mint in soups and for herbal tea; sprinkle it on salads, pizzas, and tarts; and garnish desserts with leaves and bright green sprigs. Its refreshing taste and aroma enliven every dish.

Carrot Soup with Chives Serves 6

The changing colors of each season often inspire what I like to cook. This silky, sweet carrot soup is a dish I like to make using fresh carrots from the garden in early autumn. The bright orange color resembles the changing leaves of our ripening persimmon trees and garden pumpkins.

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

cup dry white wine

1 pounds carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cups chicken broth

teaspoon ground white pepper

Pinch of ground nutmeg

1 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons minced fresh chives

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saut 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the wine and carrots and cook until liquid evaporates, about 15 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, white pepper, and nutmeg to the saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree the carrot mixture in a food processor. Add the milk and blend until very smooth. Rinse and dry the saucepan. Return the soup to the pan and cook over low heat until warmed through. Serve immediately, garnishing with minced fresh chives.

An artist cannot talk about his art any more than a plant can discuss horticulture. Jean Cocteau

Silky Tomato Gazpacho Serves 4 to 6

Most gazpacho recipes are chunky, but this version is silky and elegant, garnished with minced cucumber and a drizzle of fine extra-virgin olive oil. For a colorful variation, use ripe, flavorful yellow tomatoes and yellow bell peppers.

3 pounds ripe red tomatoes, cored, peeled, and coarsely chopped

2 large slices of day-old French or Italian bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 red bell peppers, peeled, seeded, deribbed, and diced

1 cucumber (about pound), peeled, seeded, and finely diced, 4 tablespoons reserved for garnish

1 large clove garlic, minced

small red onion, diced

cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

cup sherry wine vinegar or champagne vinegar

teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika

teaspoons fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper for garnish

In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients except for the cucumber garnish and toss well to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour to draw the juices out of the vegetables.

Transfer the mixture in batches to a blender or food processor and process until very smooth. Strain in a large, fine-mesh sieve set over another large bowl or a glass 2-quart measuring cup, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon or ladle. Discard the solids and repeat with the remaining mixture until complete. Add more salt to taste.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. To serve, ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Garnish with the reserved diced cucumber, a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper, and drizzle each serving with additional extra-virgin olive oil.

Cucumber-Avocado Soup Serves 6

This is a refreshing, cool soup to serve on hot summer days. Although it tastes rich and creamy, it is low-calorie and gets its silken texture from fat-free yogurt and nutritious avocados. Its a lovely pale green, one of the prettiest colors on our palette. Fresh chives and chive flowers from the garden make a pretty and flavorful garnish.

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup diced yellow onion

2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber

2 cups fat-free chicken broth

2 cups plain fat-free yogurt

1 ripe Hass avocado, peeled, pit removed, and diced