fresh produce – Hungry for Louisiana

In time for St. Patrick’s Day: White bean, greens and smoked sausage soup

Last week, I picked up a beautiful bunch of rainbow chard at our Red Stick Farmer’s Market and immediately thought about how great it would taste in a batch of white bean, greens and sausage soup. The combination of beans, greens and sausage, along with aromatic veggies and fresh rosemary, is just delicious in soup. I especially love this in the springtime, but it’s fun to make it year-round with whatever seasonal greens are emerging from local farms.

Desserts, Healthy, Hungry for Louisiana, Local, Louisiana, Southern, Strawberries

From the fresh strawberry file…mmm…sorbet

I live with four people who love gooey, chocolate-y, creamy desserts, dense cookies and brownies and oversized bowls of ice cream. No shortage of SweetTooths in this house. But I admit to preferring the palate cleanser, something cool, light and nuanced that rounds out a meal without making me lose consciousness. And as the weather has started to warm up, I’m thinking sorbet is the thing.

Local, Vegetables

Casserole conflict? The green bean solution.

How to serve green beans is one of the more hotly debated holiday meal topics, with some cooks sticking with the classic gooey casserole formula and others going minimalist. It’s not unusual for families to be divided along these lines (mine sure has been) with die-hards staying loyal to that homespun pan of creamy indulgence and the texture-conscious going for beans sautéed quickly and perhaps set off by lemons or almonds. Well, here’s a way to make both extremes happy. Cook your green beans simply, but serve them with a topping bar that will allow guests to get as straightforward or saucy as they like. Green beans, God bless ‘em, pair well with a wide range of flavors and textures. A day or two before the holiday, trim and blanch the green beans, then reserve them in a food storage bag until you’re ready to cook. Saute at the last minute in olive oil, butter and minced garlic. Then let your guests have their way with toppings like these:

Roasted cashews with fresh rosemary
Creamy mushroom sauce with splash of sherry
Sauteed pine nuts with lemon peel
Toasted almonds
Hollandaise sauce
Curls of fresh parmesan
Mornay sauce (Bechamel sauce with added grated cheese, usually Swiss)
Caramelized onions or shallots
Diced avocado, fresh tomato and lime (you can still find Louisiana tomatoes at the farmers market into November)
Local Meyer lemon wedges
Peanut or satay sauce (Amazing with green beans! Really.)
Crumbled bacon
Homemade chow chow
Chutney
Toasted pumpkin seeds
And yes, even canned French fried onions