On the Homefront: My Strawberry Patch

Two years ago I added a 4-foot square raised bed to the small enclosed courtyard at the front of our house and decided to turn it into a strawberry patch.  I purchased nine strawberry plants, of a variety called Quinault which I had never heard of but decided to try anyway.  I had never had much luck growing strawberries in the past and was not even sure they would grow well in New Mexico, but I decided I had nothing to lose by trying - the pandemic had just started and I wanted to do some experimental gardening just to keep myself occupied.

Fast forward to the present day and to my surprise this small strawberry patch is flourishing!  The plants produced some fruit last year, but only enough for me to harvest a handful almost every day in the summer for a small snack.  However, each plant spread numerous runners which also grew quite well, so much so that I have had to pull excess plants out several times so that they don't overrun their raised bed as well as the surrounding area.  The plants overwinter well and come back vigorously in the spring.

This year my strawberry harvest was so abundant that I was able to gather about two pints of small but sweet berries recently.  I decided to macerate the berries in about two tablespoons of coconut sugar and then serve them as strawberry shortcake using a limoncello loaf cake I found on sale at Walmart.  The combination of sweet strawberries, slightly tart lemon cake, and a generous amount of whipped cream is my idea of the perfect dessert.  And since today is National Strawberry Parfait Day, I think I will layer these ingredients in a glass to make a parfait in celebration - what a great dessert for a summer day!  I am so glad I decided on a whim to start a strawberry patch, and look forward to years of harvesting my own sweet strawberries.

I added a generous topping of whipped cream after taking this photo because I wanted to showcase the berries.

Foodie Fridays: Spinach Soup

We had an unusually cool and wet spring this year, which means that my vegetable garden got off to a slow start.  This weather pattern has been great for growing spinach, however, and I have an abundance that needs to be harvested now that it is warming up.  I thought I would try making a creamy spinach soup with some of the harvest, and found this recipe from Ree Drummond on the Food Network website.  I normally do not make many of her recipes as they tend to be too rich for me, but this soup is an exception since it uses milk rather than cream.

I used 2% milk instead of whole milk, which I found worked just fine.  I also added some nutmeg, which I always like to use with cooked spinach.  I substituted chipotle pepper powder for the cayenne as the latter is too hot for me and I like the smokiness of chipotle peppers.  At the very end of cooking I like to stir a bit of vinegar into soups for added flavor (I used a maple balsamic vinegar).  I often find creamy soups to be rather bland, but the seasonings (especially the chili pepper) make this soup quite tasty, so this recipe is definitely a keeper!

Spinach Soup

2 T. olive oil
10 oz. fresh spinach, torn into pieces if large
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 T. (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 C. flour
3 C. whole or 2% milk
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. chipotle pepper powder
1 T. balsamic vinegar

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the spinach and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add 1/4 C. water and blend with a stick blender until puréed.  Pour into a bowl and set aside.  Rinse out the pot.

Melt the butter in the soup pot.  Add the onions and cook over medium heat until softened. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir to combine.  Cook for about 2 minutes, then pour in the milk, stirring occasionally.  Add the nutmeg, salt, and chipotle pepper powder and stir to combine.  Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour in the pureed spinach, then cook until thickened, another 3 to 5 minutes.  Blend with a stick blender until the onions are puréed.  Stir in the vinegar.

Check the seasonings, adding more salt, nutmeg, and/or chipotle pepper powder as needed, and serve.  Serves 4.

Foodie Fridays: Easy Lemon Ricotta Pasta and Spinach

Looking for an easy recipe to use up some leftover ricotta cheese, I found one for Easy Lemon Ricotta Pasta and Spinach which turned out to be absolutely delicious!  It truly was very easy to make, the only tricky part being not to add more cooking liquid than needed to achieve the ideal creamy texture.  Whole milk ricotta is recommended, but I only had the part skim type and it worked just fine.  I always buy whole wheat pasta because I prefer it, and used whole wheat spaghetti for this recipe.  I loved this pasta dish so much that I look forward to making it again using the spinach that is currently growing in my garden.  Time to buy more ricotta cheese!

Easy Lemon Ricotta Pasta and Spinach

1 C. ricotta cheese
1/3 C. grated Parmesan
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. long or medium pasta (like spaghetti, linguine, penne, fusilli)
8 oz. baby spinach

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir until well combined and taste for seasoning.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.  During the last minute of the pasta's cooking time, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then stir the spinach into the pot.  After 1 minute, drain and return pasta and spinach to the pot.

Add the ricotta sauce and half of the reserved cooking water to the pot.  Stir well to evenly coat the pasta in the sauce, adding more cooking water as needed to reach a smooth and creamy texture.

Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, and lemon wedges if desired.  Serves 2-3.

Note: Add the pasta water gradually, as you might not need all of it (the pasta should be moist but the flavor should not be watered down).  If you need more liquid, add some milk.