Eileen’s Country Kitchen: Warm up to soup

Crab with Asparagus Soup

1 six-ounce can crabmeat
½ leek, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
or ½ teaspoon celery seed
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups clam juice
4 fresh basil leaves snipped
1 teaspoon thyme
A pinch of dried hot peppers
8 thin stalks of asparagus, cut into
1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Melt butter in a large saucepan; add the leek, onion, and celery. Sauté over medium heat for three minutes; add the tomatoes and continue cooking three minutes longer. Next add the clam juice, crab, basil, and thyme. Cover the pan and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add asparagus and bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Serves four.

Shrimp with Julienne Vegetables

½ pound shrimp, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 piece of fresh ginger root, about
2 inches long
About a handful of baby carrots
2 scallions
¼ teaspoon fennel seed
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves,
stems removed
Salt and pepper to season

Slice ginger, carrots, and scallions in long, thin strips, Julienne style, (about 8-10 strips each). Heat sesame oil in a medium saucepan, add ginger strips, and sauté to season the pan. Add bite-size chopped shrimp and sauté until they turn pink; remove shrimp. Add carrots, scallions, and fennel seed, cook for three to five minutes. Add vegetable broth and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Return shrimp to pan. Toss in fresh spinach just before serving, allowing it to wilt. Serves four.