Review of last recipe - When I looked at the recipe, I knew it was the garlic-y croutons that I wanted to eat. The soup was lame. And if it had been made with water, rather than the chicken stock, it would have been inedible. Throw it out anyhow!

TODAY'S RECIPE - CAPELLI D'ANGELO (ANGEL HAIR PASTA) WITH SHRIMP AND HERBS

Serves 2

4 oz. angel hair pasta
2 tbsp each olive oil and butter
1 clove garlic
1/2 lb raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp each chopped fresh herbs (such as basil, parsley, chives, marjoram, savory, chervil, dill, etc)
salt and pepper
grated parmesan cheese (I don't think this would go over with Italians ... no cheese with seafood)

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse with boiling water. Heat the oil and butter and saute the garlic and shrimp until the shrimp just turn pink. Add the lemon juice and herbs. Toss gently with the pasta until well coated. Salt and pepper. Serve, if you wish, with greated parmesan cheese.

Review of last recipe - Good enough to keep... a very nice light cheddar-y soup.

TODAY'S RECIPE - SOUPE A L'HERBE
... keep the soups coming! This recipe is from the June 8, 1983 edition of The Boston Globe.

Serves 4

2 slices french bread, diced
3 tbsp butter
1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 lb. spinach or other tender greens (ie. watercress, sorrel, new lettuce or a mixture - I'll be using spinach)
1 cup diced carrots, potatoes or pumpkin (pumpkin? - I'll be using carrots)
4 cups boiling water (I don't think I can do this with water; will substitute chicken stock)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

Make croutons by sauteeing the garlic in 3 tbsp butter until golden. Add diced bread and toast slowly until browned over low heat, stirring frequently.

Wash the spinach or other greens and remove stems and chop coarsely. Melt 2 tbsp butter in saucepan and add flour. Combine with a whisk over low heat and allow to cook for 1 minute, then whisk in water/chicken stock slowly until blended. Add seasonings and carrots (potatoes or pumpkin).

Simmer until vegetables are tender; about 10 minutes. Add greens and cook for 5 minutes more. Stir in cream and reheat; do not boil Serve sprinkled with croutons.

Review of last recipe - I love soup! When I really read the recipe and saw romaine lettuce, I thought it would be weird, but once blended in the food processor, all the greens combined to be so good.

TODAY'S RECIPE - CANADIAN CHEESE SOUP
...good thing I said I love soup

Makes 10 servings
1 medium carrot (approx 2/3 cup), finely diced
1/2 cup water
1 medium onion (approx 1/2 cup), finely chopped
5 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 2/3 cups milk
4 2/3 cups chicken broth
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp paprika
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, cut in small cubes or shredded
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cook the carrot in water in a small covered saucepan about 15 minutes until tender; drain and reserve.

Stirfry onion in butter in a large saucepan for 5 minutes until limp and golden. Combine flour and cornstarch and blend in. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened and smooth. Stir in broth, reserved carrot, baking soda and paprika. (At this point, you may hold the soup over low heat as long as 1 hour, stirring occasionally.)

Add cheese gradually, stirring all the while. Keep the heat low and do not allow soup to boil or it will curdle. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Review of last recipe - Nice open-faced sandwich to make ... I think it was the first time I had Camembert (a bit like brie) ... the one I chose was from a creamery in VT.

TODAY'S RECIPE - SOUP OF THREE GREENS
6 servings at 110 calories/serving

3 cups chicken stock
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup sliced green onion
2 cups firmly packed, coarsely chopped escarole leaves
2 cups firmly packed, coarsely chopped romaine lettuce leaves
2 cups firmly packed, coarsely chopped spinach leaves
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2-3/4 tsp coarse salt

Bring stock, garlic and pepper flakes to boil in stockpot. Reduce heat to medium and stir in escarole and green onion. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Add lettuce, and cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir in spinach. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Chop mixture finely in food processor in batches using on/off turns. With machine running, add cream and yolk through feed tube to the last batch and process until blended.

Return soup to pot and stir over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, about 1 1/2 minutes; do not boil. Add lemon juice and salt. Ladle into soup bowls and serve.

Back focused on the blog after a couple months of holiday cooking ...

Review of last recipe - WOW, have I been wrong! All along I thought a white clam sauce would just be an overly garlic-flavored clam broth. The chopped onion slowly cooking in butter along with the garlic and parsley made for a sweet and savory base for the clam broth. It coated the pasta perfectly, and the fresh clams were briny, delicious mouthfuls of summertime flavor in the dead of winter.

TODAY'S RECIPE - CAMEMBERT AND APPLE SALAD SANDWICH
Serves 6
1 cup (1/4" diced) Camembert cheese, room temperature
1 cup (1/4" peeled and diced) granny smith apple
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp sour cream
6 slices rye bread
6 lettuce leaves
garnish: unpeeled red delicious apple slices, coarsely chopped walnuts and parsley

Combine cheese, apple and nuts in bowl. Blend mayo and sour cream in small bowl. Add to the cheese mixture, tossing just to bind. Place lettuce leaf on bread, then top with sandwich mixture. Garnish with red apple slices, walnuts and parsley. Serve at room temperature.