When sunshine is in short supply, citrus arrives to save us. It lights up this refreshing salad anchored with salty slices of cured meat.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Except in Oregon. Dense fog has swallowed the ridgeline that's normally seen from the kitchen windows and only patches of green are bright enough to poke through it. It's an eerie way to begin the day. I usually don't think of making soup at this time of year, but Spring here has been cold and wet and our days have been slow to warm. A light, but steamy, soup will help thaw the chill brought in from the garden and slowly warm both body and and soul. I wish I had a romantic tale to tell about this minestra, but, truth be told, it's usually made from remnants left in the vegetable crisper. It is a much lighter version of the minestrone I make in the winter and the ingredients vary depending on what I happen to have in the house when I prepare it. It does share some elements with its winter cousin. I always use a good olive oil to cook the aromatics which are the foundation of the soup and I try to limit the amount of liquid I use in its preparation. I also try to use the same quantity of each vegetable when I make it. The size of the vegetables that go into the soup is important and it helps to select ones that cook in approximately the same time. It's probably a holdover from my love of Asian cooking, but I aim to serve the soup while the vegetables are still crisp tender. I also cook the pasta separately and add it to the soup just before serving to keep it from absorbing and clouding the soup stock. I make this soup in small quantities because I don't care for it reheated. You can, of course, double or triple all the quantities if you have a gang to feed. To add a bit of richness to the soup, drizzle it with olive oil just before serving and pass grated cheese at the table. This is a simple but very satisfying soup. There is nothing not to like here. Here's the recipe. Spring Vegetable Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite Ingredients: 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion 1 small fennel bulb, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 small leek, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise, thoroughly rinsed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 3 cloves minced garlic Salt Freshly ground black pepper 4 cups canned chicken broth or vegetable broth (optional) or water 1 cup canned tomato sauce or tomato juice 1/4 teaspoon dried basil 1 large sprig fresh parsley 1/4 cup yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1/4 cup zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1/4 cup celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1/4 cup green beans, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/4 cup yellow wax beans, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/4 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 cup quartered mushrooms 1/3 cup uncooked ditalini pasta or other small dried pasta tubes Basil leaves for garnish (optional) Directions: 1) Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. 2) Add onion, fennel, leeks, and garlic and saute, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften but not yet color, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. 3) Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, basil and parsley sprigs. Bring the mixture to a simmer. 4) Stir in squash, zucchini, celery, green beans, wax beans, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Simmer until vegetables are crisp tender, about 10 minutes. 5) Meanwhile, in another pot, bring salted water to a boil over high heat. 6) Add pasta to pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente, tender following manufacturer's suggested cooking time. Drain well and set aside. 7) When soup vegetables are done, remove parsley and stir in cooked pasta. Adjust seasonings to taste with more salt and pepper and a little sugar.To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls. Garnish each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and some torn fresh basil leaves.Yield: 3 to 4 servings. One Year Ago Today: Tomato Coconut Rice Two Years Ago Today: Old-Fashioned Blackberry Pudding You might also enjoy these recipes Chunky Tomato Vegetable Soup - Seriously Soupy Chicken Vegetable Soup - Delicious Obsessions Chunky Vegetable Soup - Amy Bites Tuscan Vegetable Soup - No Fear Entertaining Rustic Vegetable Soup - Verses from My Kitchen This post is being linked to Foodie Friday # 8 at the Little Brick Ranch

by David Swanson Writer, Dandelion Salad Let’s Try Democracy May 3, 2018

So so delicious.

Start your year with a night and day soup at your Shabbat table. The rest of the meal is quick and easy.

Hi! Let’s stick to the topic of a quick salad, because it’s still summer and the weather is actually beautiful and sunny. That’s why we still use light dishes. Because there will still be time for warm soups. Today something very interesting, crazy and perhaps controversial for many – SALAD WITH FIGS AND HALLOUMI. And even though I don’t like […]

Brisket is one of the most flavorful cuts of beef to barbecue. This cut of meat is loaded with fat, so it’s perfect for cooking either in a smoker via consistent low heat.

Discover our top 7 surprisingly effective odd ice hack to lose weight that help you melt fat quicker than you'd believe.

Now this Condensed Milk Mayonnaise isn't a new recipe - and I'm not sure who or when it came about. Condensed Milk Mayonnaise has been made at barbecues for time immortal. Condensed Milk Mayonnaise may sound - weird - but I assure you it is totally delicious and you won't make mayonnaise any other way after

East meets West in a bowl with this duo of soups: Indian spiced lentil and Southwest black bean.

Easy Guide for preparing Tuna Sushi with strawberries...

Here's how you can include pasta in moderation with the Pasta Salad recipe below! Try this healthy and filling recipe for your next meal!

I love dumplings. Tender little pillowy clouds of dough floating on simmering gravy...what's not to like? There seems to be two kinds of dumplings in American cooking - rolled dumplings, and drop dumplings. My mom always made the drop kind, so I do, too. Some people think that drop dumplings are heavier and denser than rolled dumplings, but if they can be light and fluffy if you don't mix the batter too much and if you give it time to rest before you drop the batter into the gravy. Here's the recipe I've been using for 30 years: Fluffy Dumplings 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup milk 2 tablespoons light salad oil Stir dry ingredients together well with a fork or a whisk. Combine milk and oil, and pour all at once into the flour mixture. Stir briskly with a fork until the mixture is evenly moistened, but don't overmix it. The batter should be sticky, slightly wet, and almost as thick as dough. Set the dumpling mix aside for ten minutes. Then, scoop out spoon-sized lumps and drop them atop simmering stew. Cover the pot and allow to slowly simmer for 15 minutes. Don't lift the lid and peek at all or the dumplings won't rise! (I cover my pot with a glass lid so I won't be tempted to peek. Lifting the lid really does ruin the dumplings.) makes 8 to 10 dumplings, depending on the size of your scoops. Some tips: If the batter is too thick, sprinkle in a little more milk or some water to make it very soft and sticky. Letting the dumpling mix sit for ten minutes is the secret to extra-fluffy dumplings. During that ten minutes, the baking powder starts to work and makes the dumpling mix start to rise. When you scoop out the batter to drop into the stew, you'll see all the air holes where the baking powder has been working. In the heat of the stew, the baking powder goes into overdrive and really makes the dumplings rise into fluffy, floury puffs. My recipe is based on the one given in the 1967 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (the Chicken and Dumplings recipe is where you'll find it.) The original is horribly bland. This version is still kind of bland, too. If you're not watching your sodium intake, you can add about half a teaspoon of your favorite seasoning salt in addition to the teaspoon of salt included to make them taste better. When I make these for chicken, I like to add half a teaspoon or so of Bell's Seasoning (my favorite brand of poultry seasoning.) Don't peek when they're cooking! It's the steam and the simmer from the stew that makes them turn out so wonderful. That's why I use a glass cover on the pot - so I don't even get tempted to look.

Southern Fried Chicken - The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from The Dooky Chase Cookbook by Leah Chase and are part of our story on Mardi Gras. Chase also shared some helpful tips exclusively with Epicurious

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – HippocratesThere’s bad news, there’s worse news and there’s good news. The bad news is that I’m curr…

My new obsession. (!) And before you’re like, “Whoa that’s a lot of ingredients, Bevy,” I know. But you know what took the longest? Organizing this photo! For you it will be n b d. Plus that shredded cabbage was from a bag so get excited. Let us peepeth. Besides the chicken, there’s nothing to […]

You may never go back to "plain" potato salad once you've tried this recipe—I haven't! Dublin Potato Salad goes great with lots of different main dishes, but it's also hearty enough to be a meal in itself. When there's time, I prepare it ahead and let the flavors blend. —Kathy Scott, Lingle, Wyoming

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There's never been a book about food like Let's Eat France! A book that feels literally larger than life, it is a feast for food lovers and Francophiles, combining the completist virtues of an encyclopedia and the obsessive visual pleasures of infographics with an enthusiast's unbridled joy. Here are classic recipes, including how to make a pot-au-feu, eight essential composed salads, pate en croute, blanquette de veau, choucroute, and the best ratatouille. Profiles of French food icons like Colette and Curnonsky, Brillat-Savarin and Bocuse, the Troigros dynasty and Victor Hugo. A region-by-region index of each area's famed cheeses, charcuterie, and recipes. Poster-size guides to the breads of France, the wines of France, the oysters of France-even the frites of France. You'll meet endive, the belle of the north; discover the croissant timeline; understand the art of tartare; find a chart of wine bottle sizes, from the tiny split to the Nebuchadnezzar (the equivalent of 20 standard bottles); and follow the family tree of French sauces. Adding to the overall delight of the book is the random arrangement of its content (a tutorial on mayonnaise is next to a list of places where Balzac ate), making each page a found treasure. It's a book you'll open anywhere-and never want to close. Publisher: Workman Publishing ISBN: 9781579658762 Number of pages: 432 Weight: 2556 g Dimensions: 334 x 254 x 42 mm Read more

Discover the safe time limit for cooked fried chicken left unrefrigerated. Ensure food safety by learning how long it can sit out.