FFWD ~ Provençal Vegetable Soup and a Meet-up with Dorista Friends

FFWD ~ Provençal Vegetable Soup

Here it is Friday again! This week our recipe is for Provençal Vegetable Soup. Recently, we had a few days that were cooler than normal, with low humidity. Not today! The temps have gone back up, and so has the humidity. I started my soup early in the day, and planned on just heating it up for dinner. While I was chopping and preparing my veggies, my husband walked in and asked, “Why are you making soup…it’s 85 degrees out? Don’t you have something to grill?”  Silly husband, it’s for French Fridays!

I really enjoyed this wonderfully tasty soup…loved the addition of pesto

This soup is full of fresh veggies and garden fresh flavor. A taste of summer in a bowl!  I picked up all the veggies at my local farm stand. Unfortunately, none of the veggies I’m growing are ready yet. We're having such a late season.  I did get two yellow grape tomatoes this week. Soon, I should be bombarded with more than I know what to do with. However, for now I will be happy picking fresh herbs off my deck.

A taste of summer!

This soup uses canned broth or water, which makes it simple and fast to prepare. Even in the heat of summer! Once everything is chopped, start sautéing the onion and garlic in heated oil, until soft.  Add the broth and herbs, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.  Add the carrots and potato, and cook about 10 minutes. Add the beans and zucchini, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. This soup comes together fast and was ready to serve with a drizzle of pesto, in less than an hour.  
I really enjoyed this dish….a perfectly delicious summer vegetable soup! The pesto was a wonderful addition. Now for the bad news…Bill did not like it! But that should not be a surprise…he doesn’t do veggies he can see! I say more for me!

Enjoy, but wait for a cool day!

On a different note, I spent last weekend in NYC with three of my Dorista friends. For me it seems incredible how quickly we felt comfortable with each other. Like old friends! 
We all took trains in from our respective areas. Me from NJ, Cher from NY State, Betsy came down from Boston and met Diane in NY, and they took the train together into the city.  We enjoyed some lovely meals, but none as fabulous as the one we ate Friday night at La Grenouille.
According to a NY Times article…La Grenouille is well into its fifth decade, and is still giving lessons in how an elegant French restaurant should be run. The scale is intimate, the floral arrangements spectacular, the cooking classic. 
This was a perfect choice for a Dorista meet-up! Thank you, Diane for a great choice! After four years of cooking through Dories cookbook, "Around My French Table", we have cooked or baked many of the selections that were offered. It was fun to have a four-course meal, served so elegantly over several hours time.

 Floating Islands at La Grenouille…remember those?

The next day was spent at Chelsea Market, picking up some hard to find items and some special treats to bring home. We took a wrong turn and happened to walk right by Sullivan St. Bakery. Of course, we went in and bought ourselves some bread. When we left Chelsea Market, we walked through the meat-packing district and had a lovely garden lunch. After we re-energized, we walked the HighLine.
The High Line is a 1½ mile New York City linear park built on a 1.45-mile section of the elevated former New York Central Railroad spur called the West Side Line, which runs along the lower west side of Manhattan. 

 Cher took this photo in front of Sullivan St. Bakery...

The girls at Chelsea Market…a fun day!

                                  This is the High Line…Places to relax, beautiful foliage, and a great view                   stock photo

                                         A water feature on the High Line…take off your shoes and cool off a bit                          stock photo

When we finally got back to the hotel we were all quite tired. However, after a little rest we were dressed and out for dinner again. This time Italian! A very nice restaurant with outdoor dining, called Bistro Milano. 

The next morning we all had breakfast together and headed home. As the train pulled out of Penn Station I was thinking about the great time we had, and how wonderful it is when virtual friends become the real thing! Happy Friday everyone!

You can find this recipe in Dorie Greenspans cookbook, “Around My French Table” or here where it has been posted.

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