-=> Quoting Dale Shipp to Jim Weller <=-

 JW> asparagus

 DS> Gail / a little bit of water, covered with plastic wrap and
 DS> then microwaved for about three minutes.  Still crisp, hot and good
 DS> tasting.

Another great method that I like too, and also fast and simple with
just one dish to quickly wipe clean at the end, not three.

 JW> tough woody bottom stems ..,

 DS> are chopped up and put into a freezer bag along with other
 DS> accumulated leftover vegetables

I save meat bones the same way. Most recently I made stock from the
remains of two chickens, a tray of bone-in thighs, another tray of
drumsticks and the large bone from a pork shoulder roast. A little
pork or ham really enhances poultry stock. That netted 3 quarts of
stock and 2 cups of soup meat. The first quart and some of the meat
became the base for a small batch of yellow split pea soup.

Roslind's potted mini garden out on the deck is thriving and we now
have fresh oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, savoury and tarragon on
hand and one sprig of each made the soup extra wonderful. She's also
growing dill and mint but they'll be reserved for other things.

 DS> scrap soup.  Never the same, and always good.

When Raine was a teenager she used to call my creations garbage pail
soup and her mom's frugal pasta casseroles "crapagetti". Now she
concedes that they are both quite tasty. We still make them, not out
of economic necessity anymore but because they do indeed taste good.
We even made some "tuna wiggle" here not too long ago.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: June Soup
 Categories: Soups, Vegetables, Chicken, Pulses
      Yield: 8 Servings
 
           STOCK:
      1    Lemon
      1    Chicken
      1    Onion; peeled
      1    Carrot; peeled
      6    Black peppercorns
      1 ts Sea salt
  1 3/4 l  Water
           SOUP:
    350 g  Green or yellow split peas
      3    Onions
      6 sm New turnips
      3    Carrots
      3    Heads fennel
      4 tb Olive oil
      6    Cloves garlic; peeled
           Sea salt
    400 g  Tomatoes; tin
      1 tb Fresh thyme; or marjoram
  1 1/2 l  Chicken stock
      1    Handful of sorrel or
           Large spinach leaves
 
  A late spring soup, for when cold winds blight the beginning of
  summer and give one unseasonable longings for warm, comforting
  soups. The rich, lemony stock and the sharp sorrel provide a good
  background for the pungency of the young turnips and fennel.
  
  The day before making this soup, place a cut-up lemon inside your
  chicken and boil for just over 1 hour (for a 1.35 kg/3 pound bird),
  adding a peeled onion and carrot, black peppercorns and sea salt to
  the water. Strain off the broth and refrigerate it overnight.
  
  Soak the split peas either overnight or for several hours, then boil
  them in plenty of unsalted water for 30 minutes to 1 hour until they
  are soft. The first 10 minutes of boiling should always be fast and
  uncovered; the rest may be a steady simmer with the lid on.
  
  Meanwhile, peel the onions and turnips, and scrape the carrots and
  fennel; chop them all into small dice and soften them for 15 minutes
  in olive oil in a heavy, covered pan.
  
  Crush the garlic in a mortar with a little sea salt and add it to the
  vegetables with the tomatoes and the thyme or marjoram, raising the
  heat a little and cooking uncovered for 5-20 minutes while breaking
  up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
  
  Then add the drained split peas, the skimmed stock and the washed and
  torn-up sorrel leaves. (Spinach will do, but it will not contribute
  such an interestingly acidic flavour.)
  
  Bring to the boil, simmer for 30 minutes, cool and serve. Add more
  salt if the split peas seem to demand it,

  Recipe by: Birgid Allen, The Soup Book
  From: Rene Gagnaux
  Re-posted by: Carl Berger
 
MMMMM

Cheers

Jim


... A first rate soup is better than a second rate painting.

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