Soup - Its Not Easy Eating Green

Chicken and Dumplings

March 20, 2013 - 6:00 am | Grains, kid-friendly, Main Dish, Pasta, Poultry, Recipe, Retro Recipes, Soup, Winter

“You have your hands full!” It’s the one comment I hear more than any other when people see me with all three kids. I hear this most at the grocery store when I am wearing one twin, have the second in the front of the grocery cart, and my four year old in the main part of the cart. As the mom of 11-month old twins and a four year old, I suppose I do have my hands full. However, I am always amused and perplexed when I hear this. What does my commentator really mean? That I am busy from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed? Yes, that’s certainly true. But in today’s over-scheduled life, don’t all moms? I don’t know of a single one that sits on the couch eating bonbons all day. One kid or five, every mom I know has almost every minute of their day spoken for. We all watch the clock for the moment when that last little lock of hair settles on a pillow for the night (and not the first time, but that second or third time, after the drink of water, the monster search and the little speech on why they couldn’t possibly go to sleep).
Why does the number of children I have deem me more deserving of the hands-full title than the career mom with one or two kids? I’ve done it both ways, and as tiring and trying as my current life is, I would take it over the stress and guilt of the working mom. In truth, I lead a charmed life. I might not admit to it when I look down to see my clothes polka-dotted in unknown substances, or try to figure out the last time I got a decent shower, but at the end of the day I know I have it good.
Did moms hear this at the grocery store fifty years ago when the average woman had four children? I do wonder how they managed at the store. How did they maneuver around the store before the days of the carts with the cars at the front or fantastic hard-to-find carts with room for two kids at the front (room for a child was introduced in shopping carts in 1947). What inventions will my children enjoy that will make it even easier for them?
We may all have our hands full these days, but that doesn’t mean that we have to rely on heavily processed convenience foods. In fact, providing healthy foods free of preservatives, coloring and additives actually makes life easier. I’m not the only mom to notice the difference in my kid’s behavior when they eat over-processed foods and when they eat meals made from scratch. Making dinner is one of the best forms of entertainment in our home. Not only can I entertain them by having them help make the meal (the twins watch from their high-chairs), but Little Guy is more willing to try foods that he helped to make.
Chicken and Dumplings is probably the one meal I make more than any other during the cold months. It is my grandmother, Martha Kornegay’s, recipe. Now nobody will deny that Martha Kornegay was truly a woman with her hands full. The mother of six, and a working mom, she had her hands full for decades! When she was raising her children, she did not have all the convenience foods available today. Meals like chicken and dumplings were her convenience foods because they provided a wholesome meal all in one pot and because it is an inexpensive meal.

Martha Kornegay’s Chicken and Dumpling Recipe in her handwriting

I have changed her original recipe a little to improve it nutritionally but make it taste just as good as her original. I tried just adding whole-grain flour, but that didn’t work. The dumplings were heavy and tough with the bitter flavors that whole-grains can sometimes have. I used buttermilk to balance the flavors and a pinch of baking soda to help lighten the heaviness of the whole wheat. Using the correct type of whole-grain flour helps too. Like with so many other recipes, I have the best results with spelt flour, but you could also use a white whole-wheat flour here too.
Whatever flour you use, the dough will be VERY wet. There will come a point, when you are making the dumplings, when you will think there has to be a typo in the recipe, and you will think that you really need to add more flour, that there is no way this will roll out and turn into dumplings. When you do, just ignore your thoughts and follow the recipe. As long as you roll this out on a pastry mat, waxed paper or parchment, you will be fine. In the finished product, the flour you use on which to roll this out is just as important as the flour in the dumplings. It creates a thick stewy broth. If you stir it well while you put in the dumplings, it will not clump. Trust me.
It pays to use your own chicken stock in this recipe. Your finished product will only be as good as the stock you use. I usually make a roast chicken one night, then take the left-over meat off the bones and use the bones to make my slow-cooker chicken stock over-night. Then the next night I already have my broth and chicken done and only have to chop some carrots, make the dumplings and cook some peas. A little planning provides dinner for two nights plus leftovers, and even better – EVERYONE will like it. Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 6-8
The dumpling dough is very wet when when it is mixed together. Adding extra flour to the dough makes the dumplings tough. You need a lot of flour when rolling out the dough, and that flour is then used to thicken the broth into a stew.
You can make this with any type of whole-grain flour or use only all-purpose flour. Traditionally this would be served very peppery. Adding the pepper several minutes before serving will allow the pepper flavor to strengthen.

8-10 cups Slow-cooker Poultry Broth (chicken) or any low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter or chicken fat
1 cup whole grain spelt flour whole-wheat flour
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 pinch baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3 cups cooked, boned, skinned and shredded chicken – a mixture of white and dark meat (about 1/2 chicken)
1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced (about 4 medium)
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the broth and butter to a boil in a large soup pot or dutch oven. While the broth comes to a boil, make the dumplings.

In a medium bowl combine the whole-grain flour, 1 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper; set aside.

In another bowl mix the egg, buttermilk and baking soda.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined; the dough will be very wet.

On a pastry mat or waxed paper, spread 1/2 cup of flour. Scrape the dough onto the floured surface and cover the top with another 1/4 cup of flour.

Using your hands, spread the dough out to 1/3” inch thick. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 1”X3” pieces.

When the broth has come to a rapid boil, slide the dumplings, one at a time, and the extra flour into the broth. It is okay if some of the dumplings break while moving them into the broth. Use a pastry scraper or knife to get off any dumplings that stick. Immediately stir the mixture until the dumplings are separated and the flour has mixed into the broth. A few small lumps of flour are fine and will cook themselves out in time. Add the chicken and carrots and return to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring frequently but gently until the dumplings and carrots are tender and the broth has thickened, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook for another ten minutes before serving. Serve with green peas.

Texas Chili Means NO BEANS

January 23, 2013 - 5:00 am | Autumn, Main Dish, Meat, Recipe, Sauces/Condiments, Sides, Soup, Tex-Mex, Winter

2 Comments

Real Texas chili is good by itself or on almost anything–like enchiladas

Chili is a highly personal food. Much like the variety of preferences in Thanksgiving stuffing, every Texan has their own idea of what makes Texas chili authentic. They agree on almost nothing: ground beef or cubed, spicy or mild, tomato or no tomato, beer or no beer, and especially the chilies. Two or three Shiner Bocks into any night in Texas, and you might find yourself in a heated debate on what makes it real Texas Red. Texans agree on only one thing about their chili–NO BEANS!

I can’t possibly discuss chili without telling you about Robb Walsh’s The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos published by Ten Speed Press. This book is a goldmine of information on the history of Tex-Mex cuisine. There is a whole chapter dedicated to chili, and no less than nine historical recipes for the real stuff. Each recipe is decidedly different which proves that a single recipe for real Texas chili is more of a myth and a taste memory than something that exists. In it’s simplest form, chili con carne is a beef stew made from cubed beef or ground beef which is cooked with chilies and cumin. From there on the gloves come off and the differences come out.

There are only about three rules to making real Texas Red, and except the no-beans rule, even these are not set in stone. First rule: no beans (have I mentioned that yet?). Second, use lots of cumin; how much is up for debate, but it better be in there. Third, use more than one type of chili. Ideally these should be real dried chilies, not chili powder. The third one is the one that catches me up because I don’t have any whole dried chilies. They are pretty expensive around here, and I just don’t need them very often. I should probably keep a stock of Ancho chilies around since they are mild and can be used in almost anything, but I don’t. I have twins (my current excuse for anything I’m just too lazy to deal with).

There are other rules that are up for debate. While many people say that real Texas chili is tomato free, most of the chili I had in Texas did, in fact, contain tomatoes. However, they aren’t necessary, and I like the rich, almost chocolaty flavor that a tomato-less chili offers. Another rule that sparks heated chili debates is whether the chili should be made with ground beef or cubed beef. I like both. Ground beef is most common, even in Texas, but there’s something special about a chili made with chunks of chuck that are cooked till super tender then “shredded” into a bowl of falling apart, chili heaven.

Anyone not from Texas is sure to think the whole no-beans thing is a bit silly and not really that important, but its oh-so-important to us. So why no beans? Robb Walsh provides the best answer:

“In most of the rest of the country, chili has one purpose – it is a hearty one-dish meal. But in Texas, chili has a wide variety of uses. It can be used straight or diluted as a sauce. It’s a popular topping for tamales, to make it into a meal, you combine it with beans, tamales, tortillas, enchiladas, scrambled eggs, or any number of other things. Texans don’t have anything against eating beans with their chili. They just have a lot of other ways to eat it.”

He’s right on too. Growing up in Texas, chili was on top of everything. The snack-bar at my high-school served chili (and neon-orange cheese goo) on top of nachos, burritos, french fries and even baked potatoes (I’m probably forgetting something). Restaurants topped enchiladas, burritos and chimichangas with chili (oh, I miss you Chuy’s). Even the IHOP where I waited tables served chili topped omelets. Chili is to Tex-Mex what Parmesan cheese is to Italian-American food; its on top of everything.

My chili recipe is a blend of several recipes from The Tex-Mex Cookbook, as well as a few of my own touches. It’s true Texas Red flavor, made more accessible for my Yankee family kitchen. I’ve found that using a blend of Ancho chili powder and hot paprika offers an authentic flavor, yet with a still manageable heat level. Paprika is anything but a dominant ingredient in most Texas chili, but the flavor is rich and full bodied and the heat is just on the cool side of hot. If you want something even milder, then you can substitute out the hot paprika for sweet paprika. If you want something hotter change out the hot paprika for Arbol or Chipotle chili peppers. Whatever you use, you will like the result. This recipe is simple: nothing too fancy or complex, but it’s true Texas flavor and NO BEANS! Enjoy!

Chili Con Carne (Texas Red)
Makes about 6 cups

This is a milder version of an authentic style Texas chili. Containing no tomatoes, it’s a versatile sauce that can top anything from Fritos to cheese enchiladas, or it can be served up in a bowl with a sprinkle of onion and and handful of shredded cheese on top.

2 pounds stew meat cubed into 1/2 inch pieces and dried of any moisture (preferably chuck)
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons ground Ancho chili
2 tablespoon hot paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican if possible)
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons corn flour (masa harina)

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer add the beef and cook until any liquid has evaporated and the meat is browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Add the onion and continue to cook until the onion is tender and starting to brown, about another 5 minutes.

Add the chili powders, cumin, black pepper and salt. Stir until all the meat is covered in the spices and continue to cook for another minute.

Add the bay leaves, oregano and broth. Stir to mix everything together. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until the meat is very tender and beginning to fall apart, about 1 1/2 hour.

Using a potato masher or the back of a large spoon, break the meat up until most of it has fallen apart but there are a few chunks still visible.

In a small bowl combine corn flour with 1/4 cup of cold water and stir until a thin paste forms. Pour the paste into the chili and stir until the corn flour mixture dissolves into the chili.

Return to a simmer long enough for the corn flour to cook, about 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve with chopped onion and cheese, or over enchiladas, corn chips, burritos or whatever you want!

If you’re interested in Robb’s book, here’s a link to it…

Bean and Sausage Stew

January 9, 2013 - 10:18 pm | Beans, Green, Main Dish, Meat, Recipe, Soup, Vegetables, Winter

A Thanksgiving Basic: Poultry Stock

November 20, 2012 - 2:27 pm | Basics, kid-friendly, Poultry, Recipe, Soup

1 Comment

In a week when everyone is inundated with fabulous recipes for turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and more desserts than you could ever eat, I thought I would just give you a simple recipe for a kitchen staple: chicken (or turkey) stock. Stock is a vital ingredient in so many of the recipes for the upcoming week. From the stuffing and gravy for the Thanksgiving meal to the soup and casseroles from the leftovers, it’s essential. However, so many of us just grab for boxes and cans of store-bought stock while at the same time tossing our roast chicken and turkey carcasses. That’s a mistake. It’s not at all hard to make, contains ingredients you already have around the house, has very little hands-on time and uses the discarded carcass for less waste and saved money.

I use a slow cooker to take even more of the effort out of it. The secret to a clear stock is cooking it at a low simmer; the slow cooker is perfect for the process. Also, when you use a slow cooker you can start the broth before bed and then wake up to finished product the next morning. I’ve never been one to leave my slow cooker going when I’m not at home, but if you are less worrisome than I, then you could start it before going to work and have it ready when you get home for the day.

Making your own stock also allows one other major advantage over store bought; you control all the details: how much salt, which herbs, and if you want to use organic vegetables or not. It is important to avoid salt when making stock. You want to wait until you are cooking with the finished stock before you season so that your other recipes don’t end up over-salted. I usually use the carcass from a roast chicken to make chicken stock, but you can use the same recipe to make turkey stock. You may need to cook it in two batches though if your turkey carcass is very large as it may not leave enough room for other ingredients in the slow cooker.

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy!

Which stock would you rather use? The one on the right is the homemade stock, the one on the left is a high-quality low-sodium organic chicken stock from the store.

Basic Chicken Stock
Makes about three quarts

Of course you can flavor this with any combination of herbs and spices you desire. I use what I call the Simon and Garfunkel blend (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme). For an Asian flare you could replace the herbs and spices with ginger, garlic, cilantro and lemongrass; or for a spicy Mexican stock you could use garlic, cilantro, cumin and fresh chilies or chipotle in adobo.

I used boiling water when I made this in a slow-cooker because it speeds up the process dramatically, but you can use cold water, but add an extra hour to the cooking time.

1 large chicken carcass
1 large onion, chopped large
2 carrots, chopped large
2 stalks celery, chopped large
1 handful parsley with stems
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
7-8 sage leaves
2 bay leaves
10-15 peppercorns
3 juniper berries (optional)
3 quarts boiling water

Make sure to pull any leftover meat off the bones of the cooked chicken or turkey carcass (but you can leave small bits on for added flavor). Combine the bones with the neck and tailbone (if provided) from the bird along with any drippings.

Add the onions, carrots, celery and all the herbs and spices.

Slowly pour the boiling water over the top until the slow-cooker is full.

Cook on the lowest setting for at least eight hours.

You can taste your stock to tell if it is concentrated enough for you by pulling out a tablespoons or two. To really tell how strong the flavor is, add a pinch of salt to your sample. When you are happy with your finished stock, strain the bones and aromatics off the stock.

You can cool the stock quickly down to room temp by filling a zip top bag with ice and submerging it in the stock. Then you can pour it into quart containers and store it in the fridge or freezer (as long as your not using glass containers.)

Potato Leek Soup with Cheese Rinds

November 15, 2012 - 10:04 pm | Autumn, kid-friendly, Main Dish, Meatless Meals, Recipe, Soup, Vegetables, Winter

2 Comments

It’s been a stressful week around here. Little Guy’s 4^th birthday party was over the weekend, and there’s nothing like a kid’s birthday party to push the stress buttons. Luckily it was a small affair, and luckier still, Little Guy requested an easy theme and cake. A cake so easy in fact that I couldn’t possibly pay someone to make it; I just had to do it myself. Yes, I really am that stupid. Now, let me tell you I can make soup that will bring tears of joy to your eyes, polenta so creamy you want to bathe in it, and pulled pork so tangy and tender that even New Yorkers will let out a yee-haw, but I am no cake baker. So, I was pretty darn pleased when I produced a cake that even I was proud of. See….

Yeah, if you happen to notice that I have done nothing at all but simply covered the cake in a sort-of smooth coating of buttercream and then thrown a few Disney toys on top, don’t tell anyone. I’m really really proud of this one!

We also had a make-your-own pizza bar for everyone which was super tasty and a big hit, albeit a little heavy on the work for the cook. Grilling pizzas for everyone wasn’t hard, it’s just that they all looked so yummy and I had to wait till the end to get a bite of my white pizza with Gorgonzola and caramelized onions. I don’t like waiting for caramelized onions!

After we cleaned up the curling ribbon and I eradicated the leftover buttercream from the house (homemade buttercream and diets don’t go well together for me). I was left with a messy house and a tired, stressed-out cook that wanted a light, buttercream-free meal. Mix in a cold front, and you get the perfect night for an easy, warm, comforting meal that tastes rich and creamy without a lot of cream and fat. So it happened that we dined on potato leek soup the night after Little Guy’s party. It’s easy, comforting, tasty and feeds a hungry family.

One of my soup secrets is cheese rinds. I always save them and throw them in the freezer when I get to the end of my wedges of Parmigiano Reggiano and (more often) Grana Padano. I also try to leave just a little extra of the inner cheese on the rind to melt into my soups and give them a rich flavor.

Don’t tell anyone, but I don’t remove the rinds before serving like others do; I just cut them up prior to serving and leave them in the soup as bits of chewy, cheesy goodness for the eaters to enjoy. If you like chewy and cheese then you’ll understand. Don’t judge.

I think that the few tablespoons of butter and the cheese rinds used makes up for the lack of cream in this soup. Of course I won’t tell if you throw in a glug of cream at the end to finish off this soup. The soup doesn’t need it, but then again, I don’t need buttercream. Enjoy!

Potato Leek Soup with Cheese Rinds
Serves 8-10

The beauty of this soup is its versatility. You can use vegetarian or chicken broth, leave out the dairy all together or substitute a little sharp cheddar at the end in place of the cheese rinds. You’ll still end up with a great soup.

3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 large bunch leeks (about 4 leeks), dark green parts removed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds peeled potatoes (I like yukon gold or russet)
6 cups broth or stock (vegetable or chicken)
2-3 large Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese rinds (about 7 ounces)

To clean the leeks, cut off the dark green tops and the root end. Split each leek longways and separate the layers.

Rinse them thoroughly in cold water to remove all the hidden sand. Melt the butter in a large soup pot or sauce pan over medium-low heat. When the butter has melted add the leeks, salt and pepper. Allow the leeks to cook slowly until they are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes, broth and cheese rinds and bring to a simmer.

Allow the soup to simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft but not yet falling apart and the cheese rinds are well softened. Remove the cheese rinds and puree the soup using either an immersion blender or stand blender. (If you use a stand blender be very careful to vent the top of the blender and cover with a towel so you don’t burn yourself or end up with a soup covered kitchen). If you want to leave the softened cheese rinds in the soup, chop them up and return them to the pureed soup.

Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Onion Soup

January 24, 2012 - 3:28 pm | Main Dish, Meatless Meals, Recipe, Soup, Vegetables, Winter

8 Comments

As someone who is fascinated with the naming of national food theme days (and months), I jumped into action when I found out it is National Soup Month. Now, soup month is not my favorite food themed date, that is reserved for Meat on a Stick Day which is March 27^th (mark your calendars). But it’s winter, and soups sounds just about right. Whoever decided on January as National Soup Month probably figured July was not the right timing.

I’ve been craving soup a lot lately. It feels nourishing this time of year. In my excitement to make a beautiful elaborate soup, I grabbed my grocery list and started to make a list of what I would want. Then I looked out the window and remembered I had one problem. . .

Still, there is something about making soup that is ultimately pleasing. You start with such simple ingredients and build flavors one step at time until the end when you have a full flavored satisfying meal. The weather was perfect for a big bowl of hot deliciousness, but getting to the store was not an option in the snow. I might not be able to make soups with long lists of ingredients, but the great thing about soup is that you can pretty much always find something in your kitchen to turn into soup. So many soups are built on basic ingredients that most people have readily available, and such is the case with the classic French onion soup. The most basic recipe calls for little more than onions, water, old bread, a little Gruyere cheese and a tiny splash of wine. I did a quick cupboard check. I had pretty much everything except the Gruyere. I did have, however, a bunch of other cheeses, so I hopped into kitchen mode.

Making the soup is pretty straight forward. When I started looking up recipes, I was amazed. There seemed to be less variation on onion soup recipes than any recipe I had ever researched. All the recipes had you slice the onions and slowly cook them, deglaze with some sort of alcoholic beverage, then add broth (usually beef) and a few aromatics and simmer the soup to reduce and intensify flavors. The only variations seemed to be the type of alcohol used for deglazing: red wine, white wine or brandy. I’ve had onion soup made with just brandy and it’s wonderful, but perhaps a bit to rich. White wine is also nice, but too much adds a sour note that I’m not a fan of. So, decided to base my recipe on Julia Child’s recipe in The Way To Cook and use a combination of both white wine and brandy. After looking through several recipes I also decided on just thyme for aromatics. After surveying my cheese selection, I opted for some grated aged Gouda and sliced Double Gloucester cheddar that I had on hand.

This is the perfect soup to make on a snowy day because it isn’t difficult, but it does take awhile. Constant attention while your onions are browning is key, but then once you add the broth and start the simmering stage, feel free to go out in the snow and make snow angels; we did.

Onion soup may not seem like the sort of thing that is kid-friendly, but it’s actually one of the easiest soups to make for your kids. Simply strain out the onions and give them bread with melted cheese on the side to dip.

Snowy Day Onion Soup – click here for a printer-friendly version of this recipe
based on a recipe in The Way to Cook, by Julia Child
makes 6-8 servings

There are three things which make up the secret to good onion soup. First, slice the onions very thin; second make sure your onion slices are as even in size as possible so they brown at the same rate; and finally you need a lot of patience in browning the onions. To get the onion to brown right, you really need to stir every few minutes for about 40 minutes.

4 tablespoons butter
2 pounds sweet onions sliced thin (2-3 large onions, about 8 cups sliced)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons flour
3 sprigs thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 cups Vegetable Stock, Beef Stock, or even Chicken Stock – water if your in a real pinch
6 slices of hearty bread such as french, sourdough or ciabatta, sliced in half if too large for your bowls
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces of thinly sliced or shredded cheese (use the best of whatever you have: cheddar, Parmesan, Gorgonzola, etc)

Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed dutch oven or soup pot placed over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add onions, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring two or three times until the onions are wilted and the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring every few minutes until the onions are a medium-dark brown, about 25 minutes longer.

Onions during the cooking process: top left – raw sliced, top right – after 10 minutes of cooking, bottom – after 40 minutes of cooking

When the onions have finished browning add the thyme and flour, and cook for two minutes. Add the brandy and cook until the brandy had almost completely cooked off, about five minutes. Slowly whisk in the stock and white wine and bring the soup to a simmer. Simmer over low heat for about an hour, or until the liquid has reduced by about 1/3 and the onions have mostly dissolved into the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the soup is simmering, heat oven to 450 degrees and drizzle bread slices with olive oil. Toast bread slices in the oven until the edges are slightly brown and the bread is crunchy, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven.

When the soup is ready, turn on your oven broiler. Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls, top with 1-2 slices of toasted bread and about an ounce of cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is brown and bubbly. Cool slightly before serving. Soup will hold without cheese and bread topping for several days in the refrigerator, or for longer in the freezer.

Butternut Squash Soup

October 13, 2011 - 8:58 pm | kid-friendly, Local, Main Dish, Meatless Meals, Soup, Uncategorized, Vegetables

2 Comments

Perhaps you noticed I’ve been M.I.A. recently. Funny thing; it’s hard to cook (much less even think about) food when you are moaning the days away on the couch with morning sickness. That’s been my life for the past six weeks. That’s right, our nest of three is expanding next spring. I am working on getting back into the swing of things, but realistically I will probably be posting less often for the next few months until we settle into our new normal. I am committed to keeping this blog focused on whole foods prepared in a way that respects the planet and the pocketbook and doing so in a way that keeps the whole family coming back for more. Enough of that though–on to Butternut Squash Soup.

This soup is probably my oldest standby recipe. It’s a simple, flavorful, wholesome version of a Fall classic prepared without all the fuss and complications. While most squash soup recipes are laden down with cream, sugar and spices, this one has no cream, no added sugar, and no spices except fresh ginger. I discovered this recipe during a particularly memorable Halloween day in 2002. I was in London for the first time and my first stop was a store called Books For Cook s in Notting Hill. It is just about the most perfect place on earth for a foodie. The front of the store is a cookbook store and the rear is a test kitchen and small restaurant. During the day, the kitchen serves a three course lunch at a set price (£12 back in 2002).The best part is that everything prepared in the kitchen is out of the books they sell. My meal consisted of three courses; pumpkin soup, pork roast over lentils and then my choice of puddings served with tea (of course!). Nine years later, I still remember every bite, but the soup was the clear standout. It was rich and flavorful without being syrupy sweet or cloying with cinnamon and other spices. It tasted like like pumpkin dressed up in an elegantly simple black dress. It was pumpkin yumminess. I was surprised to find out that the soup recipe was not from some exotic European cookbook, but from my go-to all-purpose cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, or as I refer to it, the gospel according to Joy.

Since my introduction to this soup, I’ve tweaked the recipe and made subtle changes. The original Joy of Cooking recipe calls for butternut squash not pumpkin, and I use butternut squash most of the time. I wanted this post to be about the original pumpkin soup I had at Books for Cooks, but I decided it’s not a good idea to cut up a pumpkin picked from the patch just the day before by an eager preschooler; they tend to get a bit attached.

So, while I highly recommend trying this recipe with a fresh sugar pumpkin, I’ll stick with the butternut squash I used to make the soup this time.

Other changes I’ve made through the years include subbing out shallots for leaks, and using olive oil instead of butter. You can easily use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make this a meatless meal, but I prefer the mellower, rounder flavors of chicken broth. I think the most important change I’ve made is a nod to the Book’s for Cooks version. Their version was topped with a healthy dollop or crème fraiche; since then I’ve found that the tang of plain Greek yogurt is the perfect complement to the sweetness of the soup. I serve each bowl with a spoonful of the yogurt and a hearty chunk of crunchy bread. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash (or Pumpkin) Soup – Click here for a printer-friendly version of this recipe

adapted from a recipe in Joy of Cooking
makes 8 cups

3 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
1 cup shallots, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and finely minced
2 pound butternut squash or sugar pumpkin, peeled, chopped and seeds removed
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
plain Greek yogurt for serving

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add shallot, salt and pepper and cook until the shallots are soft and translucent; do not let the shallots brown.

If you’re one shallot short of having enough a little sweet onion.

Add ginger and continue to cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add squash and stir to evenly coat with oil.

Add broth and bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until squash is very soft.

Using a blender and working in batches, puree the soup until smooth. Be sure to remove the center piece of the lid of your blender and cover with a kitchen towel when blending to prevent the hot soup from exploding from the blender. If you have an immersion blender, it works very well for this step. When all the soup is pureed, return to the pot and bring back just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each with a rounded tablespoon of Greek yogurt and a serve with a large piece of crunchy bread.

End of Summer Soup

September 16, 2011 - 9:04 pm | Local, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipe, Soup, Summer, Uncategorized, Vegetables

3 Comments

Sorry I’ve been absent for a few weeks. Little Guy and I were out of town trying to milk the last of summer for everything we could get out of it. We got a lot of rain! Now we’re busy getting ready for fall. Fall is my favorite season for cooking. It’s cool enough to crank the oven up, and the produce is very me. I’m looking forward to sharing a few squash and pumpkin recipes with you in the next month or two.

There are nights I can’t be bothered with what’s for dinner. In fall that generally means soup is for dinner. I love soup in the fall. You throw in what you have lying around, and like magic you get something warm, soothing and nutritious. This soup is exactly that. This time of year, I always have tomatoes taking up room in my fridge. They started out as fresh vine ripe tomatoes that weren’t eaten fast enough and had to be put into the fridge before they went bad. I also always have a few leftover ears of corn that we’ve boiled. One other thing I usually have is left over roast chicken, since I rush to roast one as soon as the weather turns cool. When you combine those ingredients with a few stock pantry ingredients, you get a delicious soup that you can whip up in no time and spend the rest of the day enjoying the weather outside.

That’s what I’m doing right now. Enjoy.

End of Summer Soup – Click here for a printer-friendly version of this recipe
Serves 6

There are several other vegetables that seem obvious in this soup; zucchini in particular comes to mind. I haven’t included it here because I’m not a zucchini fan, but by all means, add a chopped zucchini or your favorite late summer veggie with the tomato if you want.

2 tablespoons butter
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (I used sage and thyme)
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups cooked chicken
2 ears corn, cut off the cob
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pot set over medium heat.

Add onion, carrots and ½ teaspoon salt. Saute until onions and carrots are soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and herbs and saute until fragrant, about one minute.

Add tomatoes, broth and chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add corn, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Corn Chowder and the Bad Gardener

August 21, 2011 - 9:38 pm | kid-friendly, Main Dish, Meatless Meals, Soup, Summer, Uncategorized

12 Comments

If you are regular reader of this blog, you may remember that I consider myself the world’s worst gardener. Every spring I start thinking about what to plant, always full of hope and sure that this is the year I’m going to actually grow something and reap the fruits (and veggies) of my labor. This year my season’s worth of efforts reaped six grape tomatoes and two pods of okra for us humans. The wildlife ate well though. The chipmunks ate all the seeds, the groundhog ate the basil, and the deer ate every-stinking-thing else. They even eat the green tomatoes once they reached some mysterious deerlicious state. Every leaf off the parsley and okra plants is gone too, leaving green stems sticking out of the ground.

So you’re probably not too surprised that I don’t try to grow my own corn. I dream of it. See, in my imagination I’m a regular farmer. In the spring I visualize tall thick tomato plants heavy with ripe fruit. I plan on canning things, making pies, sauces and other goodies from what I’ve grown. I think that neat rows of corn as high as an elephant’s eye would look great in the spot of my yard currently overtaken with Japanese Knotweed. In my vision I’m a bit like a Disney princess feeding the deer an apple from my tree laden with fruit and laughing with the chipmunks. But in my dream even the Snow White version of myself hates the groundhog.

Alas, my reality is weekly trips to the local farmer’s market. Not that the farmer’s market is bad, but it’s slightly less romantic than plucking ripe tomatoes a la the Disney Martha Stewart. Luckily for me it’s a good year for the local corn here in New England. Every time I pick up another batch it’s even better than the time before. I’ve had corn on the cob so many times in the past month that think I might start sprouting cobs. So, it’s time to branch out, pull out the soup pot and get to chowdering.

Equipped with a slab of salt pork and a quart of cream, pretty much anyone can make good chowder. But, a rich and satisfying vegetarian version not loaded down with quarts of heavy cream is a little harder. I wanted a nice full flavor; one not only loaded with sweet corn flavor, but also with the flavors of lot of veggies, herbs, and the nutty bite of sharp aged cheddar.

I cut out some, but not all, of the fat by switching from cream to half and half and cutting back on the amount. I also replace the the usual rendered pork fat with a restrained amount of olive oil. To achieve both creamy texture and rich corn flavor I use corn kernels cut off the cob, and also corn grated like in my recipe for creamed corn. The result is a rich and satisfying soup brimming with summer sweet-corn flavor.

The final secret to the success of this recipe is in the garnish. By topping the soup with grated or crumbled aged sharp cheddar, you give each person a burst of flavor that is still melting into the soup as they stir it around and eat it. The flavor gives up gradually, letting the sweetness of the corn hit the palate before giving way to the tang of the cheese. This is not one of those chowders that tastes of nothing but the pure sweet flavor of summer corn. I figure if I wanted that, I’d just make more corn on the cob. Rather it’s a burst of hearty flavors mixed with the best of summer sweet corn to make a soup you’ll be happy you’ve made. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Corn Chowder with Aged Cheddar – Click here for a printer-friendly version of this recipe
serves 8

The secret to the rich flavor is in the aged cheddar. I love Cabot Cloth-Bound Cheddar for its intense almost nutty flavor, but any aged sharp cheddar will do. Be sure to not only cut off and grate the corn, but to scrape the cobs. Doing so will add so much extra corn pulp and starch that it really boots the creaminess and corn flavor of the soup.

Cabot Cloth-Bound Cheddar

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small sweet onions (or 1 large), finely chopped (about 2 ½ – 3 cups)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped, about ½ cup
1 carrot, finely chopped, about ½ cup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons thyme, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sage, finely chopped
¼ cup flour
4 cups (1 quart) vegetable stock
1 ½ pound potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼” cubes (about 3 large potatoes)
6 ears fresh corn (see below for prepping instructions)
1 ½ cups half & half
8 ounces sharp aged cheddar, grated or crumbled
fresh snipped chives
salt and pepper to taste

To prep corn:

Using a knife, cut kernels off three ears of corn and set aside but do not throw away cobs.

Use a cheese grater to grate remaining three ears of corn into a large bowl.

Working one ear at a time, drizzle a small amount of water over each of the six ears of corn.

Hold the ear of corn over the bowl with the grated corn and use the back of a knife to scrape the remaining corn pulp and starch into the bowl. Repeat with all of the ears of corn.

You should end up with about 1 ½ cups of cut corn and a little over 2 cups of the grated corn and corn pulp. Keep the two types of corn separate because you add them at different times.

For soup:

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat.

When oil starts to shimmer add onions, carrots, celery and ½ teaspoon of salt.

This is what soft translucent veggies look like. No need to brown the veggies.

Saute until vegetables are translucent and soft; about 10 minutes.

Add thyme, sage, garlic and flour and continue to cook stirring frequently until fragrant and flour is no longer raw. Gradually stir in vegetable stock, one cup at a time to prevent lumps. Add potatoes and grated corn with corn pulp. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot until potatoes are just soft, about 15 minutes.

Add half & half and cut corn kernels. Bring just back to a simmer and season to taste.

To serve, ladle 1 ½ cups of soup into a bowl. Top with one or two tablespoons of crumbled or grated cheddar and a sprinkle of snipped chives.

Ugh, do not get me started on the wrinkles in the fabric. I ironed it twice with steam, and the darn things kept coming back.

Category Archives: Soup

Chicken and Dumplings

Texas Chili Means NO BEANS

Bean and Sausage Stew

A Thanksgiving Basic: Poultry Stock

Potato Leek Soup with Cheese Rinds

Onion Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

End of Summer Soup

Corn Chowder and the Bad Gardener

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