Las Cruces New Mexico - Local Flavor - Las Cruces Magazine

Late spring means the beginning of gardens and the availability of summer fresh vegetables. What better way to celebrate spring than with fresh vegetables simmered in a vegetable consommé. “Pot au feu” is a French cooking term that literally means “pot on fire.” In the kitchen, it refers to a French dish of meat (usually beef or chicken, with the addition of marrowbones, veal, pork or mutton) and vegetables that are slowly cooked together in water or stock, traditionally in an earthenware pot. This recipe leaves the meat on the sidelines and focuses on the vegetables.

Vegetable Pot Au Feu
Serves 4

• 4 cups vegetable consommé
• 12 each peeled baby carrots or 3-inch carrot sticks
• 4 each small red new potatoes, sliced
• 1 each celery stalk, sliced diagonally
• 12 each asparagus spears, 3 inches long
• 12 each fresh or canned ears of baby corn
• 12 each sugar snap pea pods or snow peas
• 12 each green beans
• 4 each medium fresh shitake mushrooms, quartered
• 1 each small leek, sliced
• 1 each small red beet, julienne
• 12 each red and yellow pepper rings

Garnish:
• 1⁄4 cup chopped chives

To Prepare:
1. Heat the vegetable consommé to a high simmer and set aside.

2. In a wide pot, bring 1 quart of salted water to a boil. In collapsible steamer basket, arrange carrots, potatoes, baby corn and beets and steam for at least 3 minutes. Test the vegetables to make sure they are cooked but somewhat firm to the bite. Remove from the steamer basket, set aside, and keep warm.

3. Place steamer basket back into the pan and add asparagus spears, pea pods, green beans, celery, shitake mushrooms, pepper rings and steam for at least 2 minutes. Test the vegetables to make sure they are cooked but somewhat firm to the bite. Remove from the steamer basket, set aside and keep warm.

4. Arrange all vegetables attractively in four large soup bowls. Ladle one cup of vegetable consommé over vegetables, garnish with chives and serve. Crisp garlic cheese croutons or a broiled tomato will finish off your Vegetable Pot Au Feu entrée.

Asparagus & Pasta Pesto Salad

Asparagus & Pasta Pesto Salad
Serves 4

• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, washed with bottom ends trimmed
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 each juice and zest of one lemon
• 3⁄4 cup pine nuts
• 11⁄2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 8 oz. cooked pasta – small shells, germelli or orchetti work well
• 24 each grapeseed or cherry tomatoes – cut in half
• 4 each medium fresh shitake mushrooms, quartered
• 4 each fresh basil sprigs
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

To Prepare:

1. Cook pasta al dente, rinse and lightly coat with olive oil, season with kosher salt and pepper to taste and set in the refrigerator to cool.

2. Cut tips off asparagus and set them aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add asparagus stems and blanch until just tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the asparagus stems from water and place a bowl of ice water next to stovetop to stop cooking process and retain bright green color.

3. Blanch the asparagus tips for 1 1/2 minutes and follow same cooling procedure as for the stems

4. Place garlic in food processor and process until finely chopped. Add asparagus stalks and pulse 3-4 times. Add pine nuts, parmesan, salt and pepper and blend until coarse paste forms. Add juice of lemon and zest
then run processor, adding oil in thin stream until smooth.

5. Season as needed, toss with pasta, garnish with basil, tomato halves and asparagus tips and serve in a bowl or on a bed of green leaf or red leaf lettuce. Serve with crispy cheese garlic croutons.

NOTE: This dish can be prepared up to four hours ahead and stored in refrigerator.

	Published Spring 2009 1ST RECIPE Courtesy of Canyon Ranch Cookbook Modified by Bob Skolnick 2ND RECIPE Jane Steele Modified by Bob Skolnick PHOTOGRAPHY Marty Snortum Studio



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