Sweet Corn & Bell Pepper Soup

Yields 6 servings.

Ingredients:

7 cups vegetable or chicken stock

8 ears corn on the cob, shucked

1 medium carrot, grated

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1⁄2 cup diced green bell pepper

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2⁄3 cup raw cashews

1⁄2 cup apple cider

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

Minced fresh parsley or cilantro

Directions:

1. In a stockpot, bring stock to a boil. Add corn, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool, then cut kernels off cobs. Use the back of a knife to scrape the “milk” off the cobs into the stock.

2.  In a skillet, sauté carrot, onion, garlic, and green pepper in oil until soft. Cool, then add to stockpot.

3. In a food processor, blend corn, cashews, and apple cider with enough stock to help purée the mixture. (For more texture, only blend half the ingredients, and add the rest directly to the soup.) Add to the stockpot, and bring mixture to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve immediately, garnished with diced red pepper and parsley.

Garden Minestrone

Yields 10 servings.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried cranberry beans

4 quarts vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

3 cups fresh shell beans

4 large onions, diced

10 cloves garlic, minced

1⁄3 cup olive oil

1 mild or hot pepper, minced

2 sweet peppers, diced

6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

Pinch of allspice

2 teaspoons summer savory

1 teaspoon oregano

1⁄2 teaspoon rosemary

1⁄2 teaspoon thyme

3⁄4 to 1 cup chopped fresh basil

1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

2 cups corn kernels

2 cups chopped green beans

1 cup diced carrots

2 to 3 cups chopped greens

3 cups cooked pasta

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Soak dry beans overnight, and drain in the morning. Simmer them in stock with bay leaves for about 1 hour. Add shell beans, and simmer for another hour, or until all beans are soft.

2. In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic in oil until translucent. Add peppers, and sauté for a few more minutes. Add tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes. Add allspice, summer savory, oregano, rosemary, and thyme.

3. Add vegetable mixture to the beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Add basil, parsley, salt, pepper, corn, green beans, and carrots. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add greens, and simmer for another 5 minutes.

4. Serve over cooked pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan and additional basil and parsley.