Asparagus curry - green and white

This is a vegan non 'ethnic' (transcultural) 'curry' that might have some reminiscence of Thai curries. Do vary the hotness of the chillies and ginger to your requirements. Here the dried chillies and ginger pieces float in the dish and are meant to be removed while eating.

GET
½ kg of white asparagus ( Asparagus officinalis )
½ kg of green asparagus
5 medium potatoes
2 carrots
2 cups of peeled peas
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1 small bulb of garlic
10 cm of fresh ginger root, peeled (NB Ginger safety!)
6-7 dried chilli (Capsicum annuum) or any fresh chilli you are familiar with
2 tins of coconut (milk or cream, organic, no sugar) Or better make your own!
2 x 10 cm pieces of lemongrass, white bottoms only
Some olive oil
1 Tsp agave syrup
10 black peppercorns
1 lime
Fresh coriander
All organic

Rice, Basmati or organic brown rice

DO
Wash the asparagus well, especially the heads have a lot of sand. Be gentle
Snap off the woody bits at the bottom (stock)
Peel the white asparagus with asparagus peeler (stock)
Cut asparagus diagonally into three parts and separate
(Cook bottoms the longest and heads only for a short time)
Chop the onion finely
Peel the potatoes thinly and cut into mouth-size pieces
Peel the carrots and cut into large diagonal slices
Peel tomatoes, chop finely
Peel the garlic

Start a vegetable stock pot
Add the clean asparagus peel and off cuts, onion, carrots offcuts, the peppercorns, half the ginger chunks and lemongrass. Boil

If you cook brown rice, now might be a good time to start cooking it  

Heat olive oil, fry onion golden, add the ginger and carrot pieces, fry, add potatoes, stir. Add the tomatoes, stir. Then pour 2 cups of the stock through a sieve and pour onto the vegetables. Add the chillies. Cover and boil for 5 min. then add the coconut and garlic cloves. Add half the peas and the bottom bits of the asparagus. Cover and simmer for another 10 min. Add some more of the stock but do not let it get too liquid! Add the top bits of the asparagus, the remaining peas and some of the coriander leaves. Simmer another 5 - 10 min. Add lime juice and sprinkle with fresh coriander before serving.
Should you have too much stock, you might want to use it to cook the rice for day two of the curry.

Images:
Carl Eduard Schuch, 1888 (?) Bunch of asparagus, glass and clay pot

Carole's chili seeds, organic seedsaver

Carl Eduard Schuch, 1884/85, Apples on white with asparagus and jug

Chilli Hot Bean Soup

"A world in which many worlds are possible."

Zapatista slogan, via Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Commonwealth, 2009

Chilli hot bean soup or
Bishops Crown Red (Barbados) capsicum soup with Pintos/ Barlottis - another Meso-american inspired mash-up from the garden.

GET
500 g Pintos/or Barlotti beans
Olive oil, organic
3 medium onions, chopped
6+ large cloves Russian Garlic (Allium Ampeloprasum) sliced or minced
500 g ripe Tomatoes, peeled, diced
350 g Bishops Crown Red peppers / any red Capsicum
4 fresh red hot chillies (know your variety!)
400 g Carrots
2 Zucchinis
500 ml hot vegetable stock/ water
Some Herbs: Bay leaves, Marjoram, Rosemary, Parsley
Ground black pepper

DO
Soak beans overnight. Boil with 3 bay leaves and some pepper corns.

Cut onion finely and sauté in a large pot. Add chopped carrots, fry. Add the diced tomatoes and some herbs. Cover and simmer for a short time.

Cut and seed capsicums and chillies, cut into thin strips. Keep a bit of the capsicum aside. Toss in most of the garlic. Add to vegetable pot. Pour in as much stock so that all vegetables are covered.

When the beans are cooked, remove bay leaves and pour contents into the other pot. Add the finely cubed zucchinis. Simmer, add more stock if required. Shortly before serving, add the remaining garlic, capsicum and chopped parsley for of a dash of colour.

Serve with corn bread, a crisp green salad and a good conversation about inspiring books. Black Sapote for a cooling dessert.