San Marcos Mercado

The view of the livestock area of the San Marcos Mercado

This story starts in Huamachuco, Peru. After unloading a few things into the room, we rode the bikes to the other side of the plaza to the secure parking lot the hostal shared with a restaurant. There were already four little bikes in the motos area, so we parked mine and left Josh's bike next to a truck, with a promise to return later in the evening to swap it once the little bikes were gone. As the afternoon wore on, we decided we would just go eat dinner at the restaurant, so we'd already be there when it needed to happen. Great idea, right?

Bad idea. Such a bad idea.

We spent the entire rest of the day in bed with food poisoning, trying to rest and feel a bit better. This was my second time being sick on the trip, and Josh's third--all of which happened in Peru, from nicer restaurants. Screw it, we said, we are going back to eating street food and in tiny restaurants that also sell various, random things.

The next morning, Josh was feeling considerably better, but I was still feeling iffy. As we had no plans we had to follow, I decided I'd stay in bed another day. Somewhere around 8, a stall set up across the road in the plaza, complete with giant speakers, and they began blasting music. And not only were they blasting music, but they started with the Incan flute versions of Simon and Garfunkel songs. I am not kidding.

And then it got worse.

Abba.

Not Incan flute Abba, but Abba cover mashups.

I lie in bed, desperately trying to block it out and fall asleep, until I could take it no more.

Josh got back from getting himself coffee and checking on the bikes, and I asked if we could get them out. When he said yes, I told him to pack his crap. We were out of there. The only thing that was going to make my food poisoning feel worse was to suffer through it while listening to that music.

So we rode on, about seventy miles to the town of San Marcos. I don't remember much of the ride, except it started with crappy pavement, dirt, and mud, then between Cajabamba and San Marcos, the last thirty-six miles very wide easy pavement. Though the riding had become easy at that point, I couldn't ride any farther.

Feeling unwell, and extremely weak and dehydrated, we stopped at the one hostal in the area mentioned on iOverlander. I guess there was no one else staying, because we were given a huge, sparkling clean room with an enormous jacuzzi tub. Later that evening I would fill the tub and find that the jets don't work, but I so didn't care. A bath is not a luxury I've had on this trip with the exception of a few hot springs here and there. I was in heaven and spent easily forty-five minutes just sitting in the hot tub, reading my book.

The following morning we woke to a lot of noise in the town. I was surprised a town that small could be so noisy! I finally felt like eating something, so around 8, we headed to the plaza for a cup of coffee. While walking there, I looked further down the street and saw it was market day. We had only coffee, and decided we would grab something to eat within the street market.

If only I knit...

All the ladies hats and all the shiny pots!

We began slowly wandering through the market, taking in the stalls filled with produce, clothing, brightly designed synthetic blankets, and all the beans, peas, and grains you could imagine. As we turned onto other streets, I realized why the town was so noisy that morning. This is THE market for all the neighboring towns on Sunday. Thousands of people had descended upon San Marcos to sell what they grew, find what they need for the week, and of course, the most important thing--socialize.

In Peru they make baskets out of old tires!

We finally came to one end of the market, and as we looked through the stalls where all the señoras were making and selling breakfast, we saw the livestock portion of the market. It was vast, with hundreds of people and more animals. That portion of the market sat down below the street above, and people were lined up along the rail, watching, pointing, deciding, and waving to others they knew down below.

In the yard, cows, calves, burros, horses, pigs, sheep, and goats all waited--sometimes patiently, sometimes not--for where they would be going next. I was fascinated as I watched the movement and listened to the sounds below. I loved the movement, noise, and smells, wandering through the animals giving them discreet little pats or giving a horse a good scratch beneath its itchy halter.

But, I hated seeing the condition some of the animals were in, and the way some of the people treated them. There was a beautiful grey horse, who was acting like a butthole. I stood watching him from above for at least half an hour. He was spirited, and unhappy about having been tied in one spot all day. After watching all the horses for the better part of an hour, he is the one I would have bought. Despite his attitude, as I watched his male owner handle him, it was clear what had turned him into a butthole.

Hie owner untied him at the end of the day, readying him and the other three horses not sold to make the journey home. For the most part, the grey was calm, but would occasionally kick or bite at one of the other horses, make some noise, or stamp hooves. His owner, who had tightly wrapped his lead a third time over the sensitive area just above his nostrils would yank on the lead line when he did that, essentially telling him he was bad. But then, at one point when the grey was standing calmly, his owner swung the end of the lead and hit the grey in the face. This of course made the horse yank his head up and behave badly.

So, the horse had basically just been told that when he acted out, he would be punished, and when he behaved well he would be punished. You know what, I'd be a butthole too if I was treated that way.

This is how they loaded all the animals into the large livestock trucks. They don't believe in ramps, and it was often a big step for the animals into the truck.

This wasn't an isolated incident. It killed me to watch, but I also had to remember that this is not my home and not my culture. I don't have to approve, but I certainly won't be listened to here, either, if I voice my disgust. I am the outsider.

These two kept going at each other in a rather comical way. At any time, either of them could have walked away, but they didn't.

There were naked-necked chickens and frizzles!

We spent almost the whole day--until about three in the afternoon--wandering, eating, catching escaped young chickens and returning them to their pens with a grateful "Gracias" from the owners who were working hard to sell them. At one point, as we were standing above, looking down on the cows, one cow directly below us slipped free, and he began wandering the lot. I scanned the crowd, expecting to see his owner come running to grab him and re-tie him, as there were no fences to keep him there. He wandered for a while and I looked at Josh and asked if he thought I should go grab the cow and take him back. He looked at me like I was insane, then said we should probably move so no one would think the gringos had caused the problem.

This is the escapee cow. He wandered for a good fifteen minutes before someone grabbed him and tied him back up.

This little girl with her bull! He started to walk away at one point, and the girl's mom dragged him back. Then, the little girl promptly demanded his lead be returned to her. This is her cow!

And we were the ONLY gringos there. And with Josh being over six feet tall, and me towering over all the women and a large number of the men, too, we were obvious. People stared. A lot. But, a quick smile and greeting in Spanish usually made them smile right back. We had a great conversation with three young girls and their mom, while Josh ate a bowl of chicharron and choclo--the girls practiced English, Josh practiced Spanish, and I helped them all out.

Chicken soup for breakfast. We shared a bowl and after it was nearly done, the señora came over and re-filled it for us. It was delicious! And cost about $1.33US

This is how they make the BEST soup! She built a fire on the ground and set her pots on bricks.

The day wound up being great! This is not the Chichicastenango market--it isn't in every guide book around, deemed a must see in a foreign place that is now a tourist attraction. This was every Sunday in the small city of San Marcos, in the heart of the Peruvian Andes. It was a beautiful glimpse into the lives of the locals, and a culinary experience! I am so glad Huamachuco played that horrid music and forced me out of their city!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Side Notes--paper towels vs. poisonous killers!

I did not grow up in Arizona, but I did get my degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Arizona is known for having a few things that would like to off you, such as nasty cactus, Javelinas, and scorpions.

My old dog, Scottie, and I had a few run-ins with the cactus, often ending in me frantically searching for the tweezers and pulling spines out of his face or my hands. I understand they are called "prickly pear," but I didn't think the pears would be prickly....

The only run-ins I had with the Javelinas occurred when I was in my truck, so that was never a real threat to me. If you don't know what a Javelina is, it's a giant hairy pig-like thing. But, it's not a pig. It's a peccary. You'll have to look it up if you want to know more--that's all I've got from my two and a half years of residing there.

Now, the last is probably one of the more common annoyances in Tucson. The first couple of times I lived there, I was told to close my drain plugs in the bathroom as they would crawl up through the plumbing. I don't really know about that, as I never encountered one. Not once.

So tonight, as we are camping in the Virgin River Gorge with the temps topping out at 108.5F, we chose to do our dishes in the ladies room. There is only one other camper in this giant place, so we just popped into one. It was full of dead bugs and looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in a really long time. Regardless, we cleaned a little spot for ourselves, washed dishes, and turned to head out.

I took this pic a few minutes too early. It would hit 108.5F later.

As I open the door, something small comes in, and I pay absolutely zero attention to it. Josh promptly steps back and says, in a very excited voice, "It's a scorpion!"

I said something to the tune of, "Really? Huh. Well, this is Arizona after all."

He re-opened the door and told me I had to see it.

It was nowhere to be found, but nevertheless, the idea of camping in Scorpion Land had me a little nervous. Thankfully, one thing Marmot has done correctly with its tents is make the openings round, with the opportunity to put the zipper heads at the tops. No tiny little Scorpion gaps for those little pukes to get in.

As we walk out of the bathroom for the last time, Josh says, "Well...it might not have been a scorpion.... It might have been a little piece of paper towel floating in on the breeze...."

Wait...WHAT!?! What do you mean a piece of paper towel? You can't tell a scorpion from a piece of paper towel???

In the end, it really doesn't matter. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have nightmares about scorpions army-marching into my tent while sleeping.

Good night!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Pasta!

When I truly have the time to spend in the kitchen without worrying about work, vet bills, speeding tickets, etc., I like to take on the time-consuming, yet rewarding, type of cooking I can't do on a weeknight when I'm working. Pasta is one of those things that, although it is available anywhere one shops, (hell, I think you can buy it at TJ Maxx...) it is fun getting lost in the process and making things that might be more difficult to come by.

A couple of years ago I needed to be at home all day while a guy came to lay carpet, and I took advantage of the time to make ravioli. I made two different fillings: beet with goat cheese and butternut squash with carmelized onions. With the fillings made and chilling in the fridge, I set out to make the pasta. Once it was made and the ravioli filled and cut, I laid them out in single layers and stuck them in the freezer. When they were frozen, I dumped them into ziplock bags and left them in the freezer. I could take them out and toss them into cooking water, a few servings at a time. They were better tasting than frozen ravioli you can buy at the store, but just as easy to cook and I knew every ingredient in them!

Occasionally I break down and buy pasta made with spinach or tomato. The color always draws me in, but I am usually left wondering how much of the vegetable was actually used. I can't taste it. Was there enough spinach used to make the pasta any healthier? Unless you make it yourself, you can't know.

So I looked through a bunch of different recipes and combined a couple to make a truly good-for-you, spinach loaded, pasta. I'm not going to lie--I still couldn't taste the spinach. But I know there is a boat load in there, and the color is gorgeous.

Spinach-enriched Pasta

2 c loosely packed spinach

1 egg

Dash of salt

3/4 c flour

Place spinach, egg, and salt into a blender and purée until smooth. Mound flour on work surface and make a well in the center. A marble board or granite countertop is great for this as the cool stone helps prevent sticking without using a lot of extra flour. But don't worry, a wooden cutting board does just fine too.

Using raw spinach gives the pasta an intense color.

Use a fork and mix, slowly incorporating flour from the inside of the mound of flour, until all flour is mixed in. Eventually I use my hands and knead until all flour is used since it gets too stiff to work with a fork. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes.

Remove dough from plastic wrap and divide into quarters, putting three of them back into the plastic. Working one quarter at a time, put through a pasta machine according to manufacturer's directions. I start on the largest setting and run my dough through 4 times, then through two times on each of the other settings.

This is one reason to work with small pieces of dough.

When I got through the last setting, I spun my machine rollers around and made one quarter angel hair, and three quarters fettuccine. As I got done cutting each section, I hung the pasta to dry.

Having a rack is handy to help with the drying--cooling racks for cookies will work also.

If the pasta is used within the first day or two, it takes about three minutes to cook--it's super fast.

For the above dish, I cut two tomatoes into small wedges and quickly sautéed them in olive oil with two finely chopped garlic cloves and shredded fresh basil. When tomatoes were warm, garlic softened, and basil wilted, I tossed the pasta in and warmed it all through. Using tongs, I pulled the pasta out and put it in dishes, then piled the other ingredients on top with shredded Parmesan and fresh basil.

This was the perfect fresh-flavored way to enjoy fresh homemade pasta. Once the garden has come in this summer, I will try beet pasta and tomato pasta.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Sourdough English Muffins--or How I Tried To Start Up The Cooking Thing Again

And...I'm unemployed. My contract with The Denver Center has once again come to an end. Instead of running off to San Diego for the summer, I'm hanging out here in Denver. In March we began a kitchen remodel, and we are slowly finishing what was an epic project. The new kitchen, although not quite finished, makes me so happy. It is much more user-friendly, and some of the upgrades have had benefits I didn't even know they would.

Because the days are warming, the sunroom is the perfect place for things like painting, starting seedlings for my garden, and making a sourdough starter and proofing bread...

Started--lemon cucumbers, Armenian cucumbers, eggplant, cauliflower, Anaheim and bell peppers, basil, sage, tomatoes and tarragon. And a cyclamen for color!

Rosemary, marjoram, chives, thyme, and oregano sit on the wood burning stove, soaking in the sun. I believe the marjoram is attempting world domination.

Happy, lazy basil. A little short at the moment as I made curry the other night and shredded a bunch for garnish.

...or snoozing.

I love bread. I don't really eat much of it, but I love it! Since I have learned appropriate ingredient proportions for different types of bread, making it has become a very fast and enjoyable pastime for me also. With all this extra time on my hands, I thought I might try something I haven't tried before, but always wanted to. Sourdough!

The process of sourdough always seemed so time intensive and complicated to me. And let's be honest--I grew up on central coast California (San Francisco) sourdough. I live in Denver and I know darn well the sourdough could never be the same. But I'm trying it anyway. After doing some online research, I decided to try the King Arthur's Flour method for a starter. You can find it easily, and I started mine with rye flour--all subsequent feedings done with all-purpose flour.

It's easy, so easy. Even as lazy as I am I have kept mine going beautifully. I have made waffles and pretzels with the discard--recipes from KAF website, and I am currently doing a final feeding to make a loaf of sourdough bread tomorrow.

This brings me to the English muffin experience. I wanted something to do with the discard (I really hate wasting it) and decided I would try the muffins. Using the KAF recipe, I got started. I put all of the ingredients--minus the sour salt--into the Kitchen Aid and let the dough hook go at it. This is my favorite way to make bread, especially when I think I don't have the time for bread. Once all the ingredients are combined, I let the hook go until the dough is smooth. It does the kneading so I don't even have to flour a board, work it, and clean it up.

In this case, I used close to 7 cups of flour which is just a bit too much for my size Kitchen Aid to knead easily. This is where my kitchen remodel really came in handy! On each side of the stove, we laid in granite countertops, and I flopped the ball of dough directly onto the cool surface and worked it for a couple of minutes. Nothing stuck, the dough smoothed out, and I put it into a greased bowl and into the fridge.

 

A quick wipe of the countertop and all was cleaned up. For a true cook, or a wannabe like me, granite, marble or quartz countertops can be useful tools.

Refrigerating 24 hours before allowing to rise is optional, but helps develop the sour flavor if that is what you are looking for. This is the tough part for me--waiting! Aargh!! I want to watch the dough rise today, shape it and cook them up. Bread products fresh from the oven, or griddle, are so good, I want them now!

But I will wait...patiently...-ish.

**NOTE**

I put the dough into the bowl, as pictured above, thinking it would not rise much due to the fact it was going into the fridge. Boy, was I wrong! An hour later I opened the fridge to find the dough nearly doubled in volume, being smashed by the glass shelf directly above it. Oops!

Sourdough English Muffins

1 c sourdough starter, fed or unfed

2 c lukewarm water

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp yeast

1 tbsp salt

1/2 c nonfat dry milk

1/4 c butter softened

7 c all purpose flour

1/4 tsp sour salt (citric acid) OPTIONAL--I don't have this so I refrigerated the dough 24 hours to build the sour flavor

Cornmeal to sprinkle on cookie sheets

Put all ingredients, except cornmeal, into bowl and mix. I put mine into the Kitchen Aid and used the dough hook to mix everything well. Once it was mixed and I could hear the motor struggling to mix through, I turned it out onto the counter to knead it into a smooth ball. Alternately, you can mix completely by hand or completely by a large mixer until dough is smooth and elastic. It shouldn't be sticky--if it is, add more flour a tablespoon at a time.

Place dough into a large, oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for about an hour in a warm spot until it doubles in size. If you choose to refrigerate dough, put it into the fridge immediately after putting in bowl and covering, and leave for 24 hours. Remove the next day, and let sit at room temp for an hour before continuing on.

Deflate dough, turn out onto floured board, and let sit for about 5 mins. Divide dough in half, and working with one piece at a time, roll to 1/2" thick and cut with 3-3 1/2" cutter. (I used the lid ring from a Ball jar, and got 25 from my dough)

Place on cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal, and sprinkle more cornmeal on top. Cover and let rise about 45-60 minutes, (2 hours if you refrigerated the dough) until they get puffy.

Heat griddle or frying pan over medium-low heat (350 degrees) and place as many muffins overheat as will fit. Cook the muffins 10-12 minutes on each side, until an instant read thermometer reads 190.

**I read a tip somewhere and thought I would try it--it worked well. When the first side is cooking, place a cookie sheet on top of muffins to keep them flat and rising evenly.

Cool on cooling racks and wrap. They're great 4-5 days at room temp, or you can freeze them!

Or give a few to your friend, Roo.

 

Posted with Blogsy

What?? You have 3 1/2 hours with absolutely nothing to do also!?!

The last couple weeks of my life have included paint, plaster, carpet and more paint. Somehow, vacation is not actually being a vacation. I guess I knew that going in, but this has been almost more exhausting than work. One of the things that I have been doing for fun, though, is cooking things that I never took the time to do before. I mean, I can't work all day, get home after 6 pm, and then make a meal that takes 3-4 hours to cook. We would be throwing food down, tossing dishes into the dishwasher and running off to bed. Never mind the fact that I would most likely pass out in my plate of food once I finally got to sit down and eat. And weekends? I don't want to spend half of my hard earned Saturday standing in the kitchen. So, I am attempting things like Beouf Bourguignon and homemade Mole while I can. I think Josh is enjoying my vacation more than I am. He gets the house worked on, amazing dinners, and really great lunches made up of leftovers.

This past Tuesday, I decided to make this time consuming French dish that was recently made popular again by Julie and Julia. My version is very similar to Julia's, but with slightly fewer steps and just as many dirty dishes. I cleaned as I went along, and it still took two of us 25 minutes to clean up after dinner. This dish is for someone who REALLY wants to attempt classic French cooking. It is a lot of work, but I am not going to lie--it is SO GOOD!!!

Boeuf Bourguignon

1 tbls olive oil
6oz bacon cut into 1/4" slices
3 lb bottom roast cut into 1 1/2" chunks
1 med onion cut into 1/4" slices
2 carrots cut into 1/4" slices
3 tbls flour
3 cups red wine (big, full bodied)
2-3 cups beef broth
2 tbls tomato paste
4-5 cloves garlic smashed
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large heavy skillet (I used cast iron) heat the oil over medium/high heat, and saute bacon for 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to oven proof casserole/dutch oven. In batches, begin browning beef. Saute each side for a couple of minutes, salting and peppering each batch to taste. Transfer to same dish as bacon. When finished, add a little olive oil if necessary, and saute carrots and onion until lightly browned. Add beef and bacon back to skillet, sprinkle flour over all, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add wine and 1 cup of broth, tomato, garlic, and herbs. Stir to combine and heat through to simmering. Pour back into casserole and add enough broth to just cover all ingredients. Cover and put in oven. Cook in oven for about 3 hours. check occasionally in first half hour to make sure it is simmering (not a fast boil), and adjust oven temp as needed. I eventually lowered my oven to 325 degrees for duration.
About an hour before stew is done, start onions:

Braised Onions

1 1/2 tbls olive oil
1 1/2 tbls butter
18-24 pearl onions
1/2 c beef broth
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

Melt butter in olive oil over medium heat. Add peeled onions (instructions for doing this should be on bag of onions) and saute for about 10 minutes, rolling frequently to brown evenly. Add broth and herbs, season to taste, cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes. I just shoved them in the oven along with the stew and let them simmer there.

About 10 minutes before stew and onions are done, start mushrooms:

Sauteed Mushrooms

1 1/2 tbls olive oil
1 1/2 tbls butter
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

Melt butter in olive oil over medium heat. When butter stops frothing, add mushrooms and saute, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.

Assembly!!
I served this over bowtie pasta, but it could be served over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or even rice. Spoon the carbohydrate of your choice onto a large platter. Using a slotted spoon, add stew meat, onions, and carrots over top, leaving sauce and herbs in casserole. Spoon onions and mushrooms over top. Strain sauce, or if you are lazy like me, simply pull out the herbs and any large chunks. Adjust seasoning as needed. Sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon lightly. If it is too thin, simmer over low/medium heat to reduce. Pour over top of everything and serve.

A Warm Winter's Squash

Okay, I killed two birds with one stone. I figured out what to do with Buttercup Squash, which I had never before eaten or cooked, and I made mashed potatoes better. Some people like mashed potatoes just the way they are. Some people like to enhance them with cheeses and garlic. I don't get excited by plain mashed potatoes, and the bleu/goat cheese addition is good, but I was ready for something new. I have recently mashed parsnips or celery root with the potatoes, and really enjoyed the simple addition of the other veggies, while not adding calories with high fat cheeses.

When we were in Montana, one of the garden items we were sent home with was Buttercup squash. It is a slightly sweet squash that looks like a green pumpkin. Adding some mashed potoatoes to the cooked mashed squash made a super yummy side dish, and adding the leftovers to a bread recipe made amazing bread, perfect for sandwiches at lunch, or even toast with marmalade in the morning.

Browned Butter Mashed Squash

2 Buttercup squash, halved and seeds removed
3 medium Russet potatoes
3 tbls butter
10 leaves fresh sage finely chopped
milk or vegetable broth
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash in large dish, cut side down, with about 1 inch water in bottom. Steam until a fork pierces flesh easily. Scrub potatoes and cut into one inch chunks. Boil until tender. Strain and put potatoes in a large bowl. Scoop flesh of squash bowl with potatoes. Using a hand masher, smash potatoes and squash together to your preferred texture. On stove top, melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add sage, and simmer, swirling often, until butter begins to brown. Pull off the heat and pour over potato/squash mixture. Stir to combine, adding milk or broth until squash is creamy. Season to taste and serve hot as a side dish.

This made quite a lot, so we had some leftovers. The next day I pulled out the bread maker, found a recipe for bread using mashed potatoes, and made a great loaf of bread using the leftovers. It made a loaf that was really nice for sandwiches, but the savory flavor was also really tasty toasted with a thin layer of butter and a thick layer of orange marmalade. And what a great way to use the leftovers.

**Quick note: I have also taken the ends of that loaf of bread and put them in the freezer. I will pull them out at Thanksgiving and use them in my bread dressing. When I went back to school, I was given a breadmaker and made all of my bread for the 2 1/2 years I lived in Tucson. Living alone, I often did not finish a loaf, but found that the frozen ends came in handy anytime I wanted to make a bread dressing, especially since they almost all had a firm crust, enabling the bread to hold up well to other ingredients and moisture.

It's been so long...

I just realized it has been 11 months since I posted anything. Well, this weekend gave me something to write about. Josh and I left Thursday night after work and began driving north. We stopped in a small town in Wyoming (so small I cannot remember the name) for dinner, then stayed the night in Casper. Friday morning, we got on the road and drove to Bozeman, MT to visit Howard and Molly Dreiseszun. Josh lived with them and their daughter Robin for two years when he played hockey for the Bozeman Ice Dogs.

We had a GREAT visit!! We hiked in the nearby national forest, explored the "main street" downtown after the MSU homecoming parade wrapped up, visited with the neighboring horses--a special delight for me and Scottie--and had dinner with Howard, Molly, Robin, and Clint (Robin's boyfriend). Of all the great things we did, one of the best was going to Sir Scott's Oasis, what Josh called a true Montana steakhouse. It wasn't the best because of the huge slabs of cow overflowing people's plates, or because of my dinner which consisted of chunks of steak which were battered and deep fried, the local beer, or even the great company. All of that was wonderful.

The crowning moment came at the end when everyone was finishing dessert and geting ready to be rolled out of the place. The hostess passed by our table, paused, then asked Josh if he had played for the Bozeman Ice Dogs, "like a decade ago?" Oh yeah, that's right. He told her he had and she said she didn't think there could really be that many guys named Josh Prues, so she figured he had. She used to be a season ticket holder and had recognized his name. Twelve years after leaving the team, Josh is still famous! I loved it, he was embarassed. The truth is, Josh played for the team the first two years it was in existence, and the second year brought them a brand new arena to play in. They packed the arena, every game--standing room only. Molly said they were the biggest thing to hit the city when they came in.

Anyway, enough bird-walking, as my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. McCalip would say. Molly and Howard, well Howard mostly, had a huge beautiful garden. Before we left, Monday morning, Howard raided it and gave me a ton of veggies to bring home. Included in the bounty were: Beets, carrots, horseradish, onions, buttercup squash, tomatoes, Swiss chard, and rainbow chard. Last night I put a number of those vegies together in my own version of Italian Marriage Soup. I am going to get the horseradish into the ground, and as soon as I figure out what to do with the butercup squash, I will post that too.

Italian Marriage Soup

1 1/2 lbs meatball recipe, uncooked--can be found in a previous post
1 c diced carrot
1 c diced celery
1 c diced onion
3/4 c fresh fennel stems and fronds diced finely
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tbls tomato paste
10-12 leaves fresh basil finely torn or chopped
1 large fresh Rosemary sprig
1 med can diced tomatoes
5 c vegetable broth
6 c chopped Swiss chard
Orzo pasta

In a large soup pot, saute the onion, carrot, and celery for about 10 mins on medium heat. Add the fennel and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and saute for 2-3 minutes more. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the basil, rosemary, tomatoes, chard and broth, and bring to a boil. Use a small scoop or spoon to drop meatballs in to soup. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Cook Orzo using the instructions on the package. Spoon pasta into a bowl, ladle soup over the top. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve hot.

This was a great dinner, all on it's own, as it is very balanced and one can control the fat content by the amount of olive oil used, and the fat content in the meatballs. I actually used an extremely lean ground beef from the meat counter for this.

Some people just toss the pasta into the soup for the last 10 minutes of cooking time, which is fine if it will be consumed the first night. But, if it is going to be eaten as leftovers, it is best to make fresh pasta so that it does not swell up to the size of New Jersey while sitting over night in the soup.

FYI--we folowed it up with chocolate cupcakes for dessert. :-)