Split Pea Soup and Sweet Potato-Meatloaves

Meal 1:Split Pea Soup, Semolina Rolls, Escarole and Spinach Salad• Warm the soup in a saucepan. Thin if necessary.

• Warm the roll and dress the salad.

Meal 2: Sweet Potato Loaves, Chic Pea Salad with Chevre, Roasted Cauliflower
• Warm the loaves and cauliflower in the oven. Allow the loaves to begin sizzling – the vegetarian ones will not, so heat to warm – about 10 minutes.
• Serve the salad at room temp.

NOTES:

• This roll is an homage to the bread from Sarcone's Bakery at 9th and Christian in Philadelphia's Italian Market. http://www.weblaunchsolutions.com/sarconesbakery/index.html Their bread is the best as they combine sesame and semolina.  My first memory of independence was being given the money to go and the bread one morning, and having enough extra to get myself a mini loaf.  It was a foggy, cool morning and the loaf steamed as I tore it open and ate the whole thing plain on the walk back to meet my parents.  Get there early or they sell out by 10:30am every day.

 Meal 1:Butternut Squash and Black Bean Empanadas, Red Rice with Pepitas, & Creamed Corn

• Carefully cut the wrap and open the empanadas. Warm them in the oven at 350 until hot and just crisp - about 10 minutes. Do be careful to not burn them!
• Warm the corn in a saucepan. Thin if necessary. It is dairy free, but feel free to add a little butter cream etc. to enrich it.
• Heat the rice in a sauté pan with a little oil and then a splash of water.

Meal 2: White Bean Florentine with Kale, Oat Flour Peasant Loaves, Green Oakleaf Salad
• Heat the stew in a sauce pan, thin is necessary. Heat to just simmering. Do not over-cook the kale.
• Warm the bread and dress the salad.

Notes:

• The empanadas are delicate so please be careful.
• I like the soup.  Good 'Italian' flavor.  The roasted red peppers are a nice counter point to the earthiness of the beans, kale, and carrot. I'm adding some Moore's sausage and our homemade meatballs to our own tonight.
• Summers hard work pays off in this appearance of both the peppers and the side of creamed corn.  The brothfor the corn comes from the white bean stock - adding protien as well as body.

Line 'em up and knock 'em out.

Roasted Roots and A Country French Dinner

Meal 1:Roasted Beet Borscht, Golden Pumpkin Crescent Rolls, Oakleaf Lettuce Salad

• Warm the rolls in the oven and dress the salad.
• Warm the soup in a saucepan and garnish with yogurt or sour cream.

Meal 2: Potato and Spinach Frittata, Creamy French Lentils, Roasted Carrot Medley
• Heat frittata gently in the oven at 300° until just warm ~ 15-20 minutes. Ditto the carrots, but maybe give them a 5 minute head start.
• Heat the lentils in a saucepan. Garnish with a little grated romano type cheese if you like.


Notes:

• Yeah, I know Frittata is a Spanish name but I refuse to call it 'Egg Bake" and its not a quiche, but its still country.  And really, the lentils say it all.  G-d I love them. Add some goose fat if you have it.
• The borscht is made from roasted beets and other vegetables.  Unfortunately a little parsnip goes a long way and I think the flavor took over on this one.
• I know not everyone likes to eat beets, but man are they pretty!  Just peeling and cutting them was an aesthetic experience, and roasted, they are divine.  No other vegetable combines earthiness with sweetness like beets.