Viva Farmer's Market! (Carrot and Pea Soup with Dumplings)

Two weeks ago I found a farm stand on the side of the road on our way to the beach.  (Yes, farm stand and beach appeared in that sentence, and yes, two weeks ago was January.  Man, I love living in California!)  We have driven past it many times but always found some good reason why we couldn't stop.  Too cold from the ocean, too hot from the sun, too... lazy.  But we did, and it rocked my world.

$12.15 later, we walked out of there with bags and bags of produce... tangerines, sweet potatoes, leeks, garlic, onions, pears, apples, and more.  That week, instead of making my menu first and then finding the produce to go with it, I looked at what I had and thought, "What can I do with these leeks?  How about these sweet potatoes?"

Success.

Since we weren't going to drive past this farm stand this past weekend we walked down to the Farmer's Market.  In the last city we lived in the farmer's market was kind of hoity-toity.  Sure, there was good stuff there, but mostly it was orchids and perogies and $5 heads of lettuce.  But where we live today it is a whole different story.  It is what I truly want from a farmer's market -- fruits and veggies, honey and cheese, all grown/made in our own backyard, sold at a good price.  We walked out of there, once again, bags full of produce, pockets still full of money.

Radishes, beets, carrots, more sweet potatoes (as you can tell, I have a thing for them...), onions, cilantro, and whole lot more.  And once again I made my grocery list based off of that.  Broccoli beef stir-fry one night, sweet potato and arugula pizza the next; salads galore and fresh garlic cheese to munch on.  My grocery list for the store?  Nine items.  NINE.

My menu planning will never be the same.

One of those nine items on the list: peas.  That was all that was separating us from being able to make one of our favorite soups.  The farmer's market supplied us with the carrots, onions, celery, and parsley; my pantry provided the flour, baking powder, and vegetable stock.  And in the fridge we found milk, butter, and Dijon mustard.  Put it all together and we had ourselves some warm, hearty soup.  Perfect for these cold winter evenings.

And by cold I mean 45*F ;)

Carrot and Pea Soup with Dumplings
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray Everyday, March 2011

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 3 carrots--peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

• 2 rib  celery, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• Salt and pepper

• 1 fresh bay leaf

• 2 rounded tablespoons flour

• 1 32 ounce container  (4 cups) chicken or vegetable stock

• 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard

• 1 cup frozen peas
• FOR DUMPLINGS:

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley or dill

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or milk +bit of white vinegar)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Heat a couple of tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Add the butter to melt, then add the carrots, celery and onion; season with salt, pepper and the bay leaf. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots soften, 7 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on the vegetables and stir for a minute, then whisk in the chicken (or vegetable) stock until thickened. Stir in the mustard and peas. For a thinner soup, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups water with the stock.
2. Add the chopped fresh parsley to the flour, buttermilk, baking powder, and salt.  Mix well to form batter. When the soup is bubbling, form the batter into small dumplings using 2 spoons, then drop onto the surface of the soup. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook the dumplings, gently stirring, until just firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the soup and dumplings to shallow bowls; discard the bay leaf.

COST: $4.19  COST PER SERVING (4): $1.05