CREAM OF ONION SOUP WITH CROSTINI FOR WHB AND HAND EMBROIDERY ON KURTA

This weekend i couldnt go out anywhere because of continuous rain since last two days,.hubby was on call yesterday so i kept myself busy doing embroidery on plain kurta

for more pics click here,,.it was quiet relaxing with music of rain drops on the window..took break just to prepare tea,..dinner was light one of soup with crostini,

ingredient for cream of onion soup with chives

onion chopped three

potato one chopped

one litre vegetable or chicken stock

one tablespoon fresh cream

chives one tbsp

salt and pepper according to taste

procedure

heat oil in sauce pan add chopped onions followed by potatoes and cook till onions change colour.

add stock and bring to boil,reduce the heat ,cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes till potatoes are tender.

process the soup in blender till smooth,return to the pan add salt,pepper cream and chives and heat without boiling.

before serving add more chives ,serve hot with crostini.

for crostini

procedure is same as given here

for topping i used parmesan cheese,sliced yellow capsicum,salt ,pepper and english parsley.

Parsley are of two type curly and flat leaf type ,curly leaf is used for farnishing and the flat leaf type is stronger then curly leaf type because of the essential oil known as apiol,another type of parsley is grown as root vegetable as with hamburg root parsley.

Parsley is widely used as a companion plant in gardens. Like many other umbellifers, it attracts predatory insects, including wasps and predatory flies to gardens, which then tend to protect plants nearby. They are especially useful for protecting tomato plants, for example the wasps that kill tomato hornworms also eat nectar from parsley. While parsley is biennial, not blooming until its second year, even in its first year it is reputed to help cover up the strong scent of the tomato plant, reducing pest attraction.

Culinary use

In parts of Europe, and particularly in West Asia, many foods are served with chopped parsley sprinkled on top. The fresh flavor of parsley goes extremely well with fish. Parsley is a key ingredient in several West Asian salads, e.g., tabbouleh which is the national dish of Lebanon. In Southern and Central Europe, parsley is part of bouquet garni, a bundle of fresh herbs used to flavor stocks, soups, and sauces. Additionally, parsley is often used as a garnish. Persillade is mixture of chopped garlic and chopped parsley. Gremolata is a mixture of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest.

Medicinal use

• Tea may be used as an enema. Chinese and German herbologists recommend parsley tea to help control high blood pressure, and the Cherokees used it as a tonic to strengthen the bladder. It is also often used as an emmenagogue.
  
• Parsley also appears to increase diuresis by inhibiting the Na+/K+-ATPase pump in the kidney, thereby enhancing sodium and water excretion while increasing potassium reabsorption.^[2] It is also valued as an aquaretic.
  
• When crushed and rubbed on the skin, parsley can reduce itching in mosquito bites.^{[citation needed]}
  
• When chewed, parsley can freshen bad breath. source from here

source from here for preservation of parsley

Preservation of Parsley

When freshly cut keep the tips in a bottle of water. If kept for too long they may even begin to sprout roots.

Keep the fresh leaves in a plastic bag or jar in the refrigerator or wrapped in a slightly moistened paper towels.

Parsley may be preserved by drying. Place cut leaves into a paper bag and hang in a cool, dry place. Alternatively preheat an oven to 120ºC, turn off and place the leaves on a baking sheet for 15 Minutes. This method tends to preserve the flavour and colour best.

Parsley may be frozen in ice cubes or the sprigs may be wrapped in foil packets and frozen. Parsley butter also freezes well.

hindi name -ajmood/ kannada name - achu mooda / malyalam kothambeluri

CROSTINI with topping of parmesan cheese,capsicum and fresh parsley

goes to WEEKEND HERB BLOGGING EVENT

HOSTED BY SRIVALLI AND STARTED BY KALYN .

How was ur weekend frens/???