Slovenian Recipes

This week we craved a Spring soup, hearty without being heavy. The soup we made had bright, herby flavors with a kick of lemon. Pictured below are some of our favorite spring vegetables and herbs that made this soup to-die-for. Below we outline how we made this Spring Soup. As with so many of our "recipes" this is just a template that can be customized. Cut cauliflower and asparagus into smallish pieces. Roast with a few swirls of olive oil , a pinch of kosher salt and pepper in an oven heated to 425 degrees. Put the cauliflower in first and roast for about 35 minutes. Once it's beginning to brown, add the asparagus and roast for about 15 minutes more. While the vegetables are roasting, clean and chop 2 small onions . We found beautiful Spring knob onions, but any type of onion will work. Peel and smash 4 or 5 garlic cloves. Put chopped onions in a heated soup pot with a swirl...

Our afternoon in the kitchen. Chop pancetta into bite size pieces. While the pancetta is getting crispy, prepare the garlic oil/butter. Slice shiitake and portobello mushrooms (or the mushrooms of your choice). Add mushrooms to a heated skillet. When soft and browned, deglaze pan with your favorite port. Load up the ciabatta bread with the toppings you prepared. Bake at 400 degrees for   4-6 minutes. Toss arugula and spinach with a swirl of violet balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a few grinds of sea salt and lemon pepper. Top the warm ciabatta with the dressed greens. Enjoy as light lunch shared on a sunny afternoon or as the perfect side for your family dinner.