luluTrying to use up everything in the refrigerator before leaving for Maine requires some creativity. The fruit we can snack on, milk can go on cereal or in a smoothie, but the chicken sausage, spinach, kale, onion and salad fixings are another story.
So what to do with a collection of odds and ends? Soup seemed to be the best answer, and here’s what I pulled together.
Add to these a teaspoon of Hungarian sweet paprika which I have enough of to last a lifetime. I will have to do as what was done in Hungary and put some in everything.
The end result of this concoction was pretty darned good and the accompanying salad’s ingredients used up the rest of the odds and ends. The only thing missing was a good piece of cornbread!
If you are a soup lover, you might like this one that is hearty but not too heavy and very easy to prepare.
3 c. chicken broth
2-4 chicken sausage links
2-3 c. spinach and kale, torn into small pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cans of cannellini beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 heaping t. of sweet paprika (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Blend all ingredients except for the greens together and simmer for about 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Add spinach and kale and continue cooking until they are wilted.
i so appreciate your visit and the comments you leave behind
Before we were frozen out of Maine a few days ago, we had dinner at one of our favorite Rockport restaurants, Nina June, in the heart of the village.
It is the brainchild of Sara Jenkins who combines her love of Mediterranean food with her Maine roots. She is also a cookbook author, the most recent one written with her mother Nancy Harmon Jenkins, a food guru in her own right.
I started with the known ingredients and added chicken broth and half and half. I can’t promise that it was as good as Sara’s, but it wasn’t bad. Here’s how it went together.
Simple enough, the soup was very tasty and a perfect meal with a green salad and cornbread muffin. Next time I make it I might add a few drops of Tabasco and I can also imagine it with spinach or kale as an ingredient. Hmmm, what started at Nina June may take on a life of its own.
For two years I looked high and low for these candelabra that fit so nicely into a bottle and are terrific on any table. Finally, they’ve been found hiding in a basket under some books. How did they get there!!
Ironing a tablecloth from Provence, I noticed a border of sunflowers which are the last flower to bloom in Maine. Right away a tablescape that would combine the found candelabra, sunflowers and the cloth began taking form in my mind. What I liked was the notion that the table would have sunny summer colors and at the same time be a lead in to fall.
From there it was easy to make the table happen. Yellow plates, yes.
It was was a no brainer to accessorize with the cranberry tones of the tablecloth. I’m crazy about the square shape of the cup and saucer….so contemporary looking but from a set of dishes popular in the 1940’s. Some things just don’t go out of style.
These little guys, cigalles they are called in Provence, are supposed to keep a table cloth from blowing off the table, but here they are used as napkin rings. They are fun finds from a street market in Gordes.
In a matter of minutes, the table is set, and I’m off to the kitchen to prepare gazpacho with which to fill those cups.
Tomatoes are at their best right now, and gazpacho is one of my favorite ways to use them. I throw all the vegetables in the blender with Clamato juice (1-2 cups) and blend until they are smooth. Here I used a mixed selection of tomatoes (4-6 depending on size) and a zucchini in place of the more traditional cucumber. You can be creative with your vegetable choices. When the ingredients are well blended, add a teaspoon each of red wine vinegar and sugar and salt and pepper to taste. If you like a bit of spice, add a touch of Tabasco or red pepper. 
I like to top the soup with diced veggies and a dollop of sour cream and when I have it I throw in some chopped lobster. Hmm, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!
