Sunday, January 27, 2013

Soup & Salad Night


Have you ever tried Sparrow Lane Vinegars? They are delicious! We soon used up a bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignon Vinegar in our favorite vinaigrette and could not find more anywhere. We ordered some direct from Sparrow Lane along with several other of their varieties, wondering how well glass bottles of vinegar would ship. They arrived safely due to this superior packaging:


Aren't they pretty all lined up here? (And no, they don't sell the pickled peppers. That's how we recycled the empty cabernet bottle!)


Enclosed with our shipment was a recipe page, and we've made one of their salad recipes three times now. It features their D'Anjou Pear Vinegar that smells heavenly. They call it Summer Salad but we think it should be named Fall & Winter Salad. Here is the recipe:


Sparrow Lane Summer Salad [that we call Fall & Winter Salad]

1 large red apple, sliced thinly
1 large pear, sliced thinly
1 large orange, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup Sparrow Lane Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tablespoons Sparrow Lane D'Anjou Pear Vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup chopped pecans [I saute them whole and sprinkle with sea salt]
lettuce leaves


In a large bowl, combine sliced fruit [I arrange them on top of the lettuce instead of combining them]. In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, and honey; blend well. Pour oil mixture over the fruit, tossing to coat well. Arrange fruit on 6 lettuce lined salad dishes; sprinkle each with a heaping teaspoon of chopped nuts. Serves 6.


Perfect with this salad is Lee Bailey's Carrot and Dill Soup. I double this recipe and freeze half for later. And please use fresh dill in the soup, not dried. It makes all the difference in the world.


Lee Bailey's Carrot and Dill Soup
The combination of carrots and dill is a marriage made in heaven. Add as much dill as you like.

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
6 ounces onion, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 pounds carrots (weight after removing tops)
3/4 pound sweet potato
1/2 pound baking potato
5 cups rich chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Scant 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 generous tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
[I add a pinch of mace also]
Sour cream, creme fraiche, or yogurt 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt butter in a medium skillet and saute onion until light golden and just beginning to brown.
Carefully scrub carrots and cut into rings, unpeeled. [I admit that I peeled them.]
Steam until soft.
Meanwhile, place sweet and white potatoes in oven and bake until soft, about 1 hour.
Scrape sauteed onion into a food processor, deglaze pan with a little of the chicken stock and add this to the onion. [I just use a hand blender for this job.] Puree until thoroughly mixed and very fine. 
Pour mixture into a saucepan, then add the dill and chicken stock. 
Simmer over very low heat for about 15 minutes. 
Soup may be thinned with additional stock, milk, or cream.
Correct seasoning, and serve warm with a dollop of sour cream, yogurt, or creme fraiche on top.
Serves  6 to 8.


To go with this soup and salad supper we had tasty chewy Labriola Pretzel Slider Buns.


16 comments:

  1. Yummm! Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing these recipes.

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  2. Both recipes sound delicious- I don't know those vinegars but we have a local company that makes it and it is delicious- I love pear vinegar! xo Diana

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  3. Our neighbor, Bill, often serves pears on lettuce salad in the winter. It's a great combination. Your dressing recipe sounds delicious!
    Brenda

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  4. I've never heard of Lee Bailey's Carrot and Dill Soup but it sound scrumptious. I also made a note of Sparrow Lane Vinegar's. That sounds right down our ally.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  5. What a lovely dinner, I'll use the recipe, and I'm going to go look up Sparrow Lane Vinegars right now!

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  6. Dewena,

    Goodness, this all looks so delicious and I love the attention to detail in the serving of the food. Thanks for the recipes...can't wait to cook and serve something again.

    Thanks for the kind words on my last post.

    Barb ♥

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  7. Dewena, I started my diet today :( Now, I want to get off! Your salad looks so yummy! I am going to try it anyway! I love soup and salad anytime!! Thanks for sharing!

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  8. What a delicious looking meal and I'm sure it taste that way as well. Thanks for the recipes.

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  9. Dewena, I've never heard of this brand, but I'm going to remember to look for it. That salad sounds so good, and so does the soup. Your meal looks delicious, and your presentation of it is so pretty. laurie

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  10. Dewena - I've never heard of this brand either. The salad and soup look delicious. Thanks for sharing.

    Judy

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  11. Never heard of it although I don't drink wine and don't really cook with wine either. But that salad sure looks pretty and I'll bet it tastes yummy too!

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  12. Your recipes sound delicious. I can't wait to try them but I will have to use a substitute for the d'Anjou pear vinegar. Sparrow Lane do not ship to UK and I have searched online for a supplier here without luck. Raspberry seems to be the only fruit vinegar around. I love the sound of pear vinegar. I'll just have to look for a recipe - now look what you've started!
    Maureen

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  13. Everything looks very yummy, Dewena. I would have to substitute vegetable stock for chicken, but otherwise, bring it on!

    xo
    Claudia

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  14. This soup sounds yummy, I love anything with dill in it. Don't think I've had carrots and dill together but sounds good. Thanks so much for you sweet words about our Bo passing. My sympathies about your little dachshund. Our fur children are so hard to lose. Your right every where we look in the house we expect to see our beloved Bo. Again, thanks for your kind words.

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  15. I love soup and salad suppers, and these two recipes looks wonderful. The salad looks so pretty too.
    Mary Alice

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  16. It all looks wonderful Dewena!

    I haven't heard of Sparrow Lane vinegars,but I intend to find them.

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