Delicious Spring cleaning

Not much to say just now except a reminder to recycle your "trash" and save money you don't need to spend. I'm talking about those carrot greens, tops of scallions and leeks, parsley stems, fennel bulb stalks, outer cabbage leaves, kale stems and English/garden pea pods.  Just cut it all to fit a medium or large soup pot, pile it in, more than cover it with water (at least 1" higher), add salt, put a lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Then lower to simmer, walk away and come back in 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let your new vegetable broth continue cooking on its own steam for another 30 minutes. Put a large strainer over a large container and pour your fabulously nutritious and delicious vegetable broth in.  When it cools, you can freeze it or refrigerate it. Use it for risottos, paellas, vegetable soups, dhals, braising meat, even pasta.

It's almost spring cleaning time so get into your fridge and pull out all those odd scraps of vegetables you've been meaning to use, including those that have gone soft on you.  You can make a luscious vegetable soup to eat immediately or freeze for later. For basics, you just need some good broth like the one in the paragraph above, an onion, a stalk or two of celery, a carrot or two and shards of a green like kale or chard or spinach. Even beet greens. After that, whatever vegetable lurks will enhance the soup. In addition to kale, i just used up the top half of a leek, some green cabbage, a piece of white turnip, and a handful of fresh dill.

What to do? Heat olive oil in a medium soup pot or large saucepan. Dice the onion and toss it in with some dried oregano, rosemary and sage plus a grind or two of black pepper. Dice the celery and carrot and toss them in. Stir to blend and cook 3-5 minutes over medium heat until the veggies start to soften. Chop up the rest of what you have into bite sized pieces and toss in the pot. Add salt to your taste and a shake of crushed red pepper flakes. If you have some smoked Spanish paprika you can add a large pinch. If you have old Parmesan rind of any size, here is where it does magic, so toss it in.  Add enough vegetable broth to cover everything with at least 1/2" over the top. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook until veggies are all tender. This could be 20 minutes if you're hungry or longer if you're not. If you want a hardier soup, halfway through add a drained can of cannellini/white kidney beans. When everything is soft and hot, toss in a handful of chopped herb: parsley, dill, cilantro. Taste for salt and fix. Enjoy your amazing trash with great bread and cheese.