Category Archives: Soups

Herbed White Bean & Sausage Stew

Melissa Clark published a wonderful recipe for white bean stew in last week’s NY Times, marveling that she was able to make it without having to pre-soak her beans. Inspired by her recipe, Mr TBTAM and I decided to shorten the making of this stew even further by using canned beans. The result – a fabulously rich and flavorful autumn dinner in just over an hour.

Herbed White Bean and Sausage Stew

This recipe is a great use for those herbs that remain green in the garden through fall and early winter – rosemary and thyme. In addition to using canned beans, we replaced water with chicken broth, added some diced tomatoes, spiced things up with additional onion and garlic and a few red pepper flakes, and served it with freshly made jumbo croutons. You can lighten this recipe up by using chicken or turkey meatballs instead of sausage.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for serving
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced 3/4-inch thick
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 medium carrots, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 large or two medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
2 thyme sprigs
1 large rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
2 14 oz cans chicken broth plus 1 can water
2 – 15.5 oz can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, more for serving
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, more to taste
Jumbo Croutons for garnish (recipe below)

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown until cooked through. Remove sausage from pan and hold.

2. Add the tomato paste and cumin to the pot. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes, adding in the rest of the spices about halfway through. Stir in the beans, chicken broth and tomatoes. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently about 1 hour, till the broth thickens. Add the sausage back in during the last 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the vinegar and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle into bowls and serve drizzled with additional vinegar and olive oil. Pass around the croutons.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Jumbo Croutons

Half a Baguette (we had half of one in the freezer)
2-3 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and papper to taste

Thaw the bread if need be, then using a bread knife, cut into 2 inch cubes.Toss with the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. spread onto baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees fahrenheit fo about 5-10 minutes, turning a few times during cooking and watching closely so they don’t burn. Serve.

Rustic Shrimp Bisque – A Soup Worth Waiting For

I’ve been waiting for this soup for weeks. Eleven weeks, to be exact. That’s how long I was enrolled in a research diet study, and unable to eat anything other than the food they provided me, which was nowhere near as delicious as this soup.

The study is designed to compare the effects of three different diets – the American Diet, the AHA low fat diet and a maintenance Atkins-type Diet – on weight loss and cardiovascular disease risk. I randomized to the American Diet, meaning that Thursday’s lunch was a slice of pizza with potato chips and an afternoon snack of oreos and chocolate pudding, Saturday’s lunch was hamburger and fries, and the most veggies I ever saw at one sitting was a measly stalk of broccoli. Despite this, I lost 30 lbs over the 11 weeks of the study, primarily because my caloric intake was only 1200 cals per day, carefully calculated based on my basal metabolic rate.

The best part about my diet was that they supplied me all the food, free of charge. Since the research kitchen is located on the floor above my office, that meant stopping in on the way to work for my breakfast, then having lunch delivered to my desk at 1 pm, and dinner dropped off late afternoon for me to take home. Easiest diet I’ve ever undertaken. Not to mention knowing they’d kick me out if I was caught cheating….

I don’t know yet how my cholesterol fared during the diet, but if the pilot data are right, it will be lower simply because I lost so much weight. The big question, of course, is how well I fared compared to my cohorts on the other diets. That, my dears, will have to await publication of the final results.

Before you go congratulating me on my weight loss, let me tell you that much of the weight I lost was poundage I had already shed last year on a Zone Delivery Diet and subsequently regained. This makes me quite typical, a fact that I now understand and have stopped feeling guilty about since reading David Kessler’s book “The End of Overeating“, which I highly recommend for anyone struggling, as I have, to lose or maintain their weight.   Now that I am finished the research diet, however, I intend to be anything but typical. I plan not only to maintain my weight loss, but to keep it going until I reach my wedding weight. What’s different this time?

I’ll be sharing this over the weeks as I continue this new phase of my life, but will give you one major difference. I no longer think of foods as “good’ or “bad” when it comes to losing weight. After all, I lost a lot of weight eating potato chips, pizza, bacon, pancakes, sausage, cookies and french fries.  While I am not advocating a diet composed primarily of these kinds of food, I now inherently understand that I can enjoy previously “forbidden” foods and still lose weight, provided I am conscious of portion control and calories.

I have lost 3 more pounds in the week on my own since finishing the research diet, and have no sense at all that I am dieting. I am just eating the way I ate for the past 11 weeks, which is consciously, slowly and at around 1200 calories per day. Breakfast most days is steel cut oats with chopped dates and a side of turkey bacon or sausage. Lunch today was one of my all time fave sandwiches – part skim mozarella on a sourdough baguette with pesto and tomatoes – and an apple. And dinner? Well, that brings me to this marvelous Rustic Shrimp Bisque.

Mr TBTAM had the nerve to make this soup my first week on the research diet, and all I ever got was the tiniest taste. Talk about torture! Naturally, the minute I was let loose again in the kitchen, the first thing I decided to make was this soup. I calculated it to have about 270 calories a cup – an amount which is plenty filling, especially when the soup is served with a side salad and a small piece of bread. Total cost for the meal – around 540 calories.

It’s still only my first week on my own, and as the growing season arrives, I expect that I will be increasing the fruit and veggie components of my diet. But for now, I am very happy with what I am accomplishing. And loving this soup…

RUSTIC SHRIMP BISQUE

You can go to the NY Times website for the recipe, but let me tell you a few things first –

1. The recipe calls for one fennel bulb, and does not specify a size. I used one half of a large bulb with three stems, and ended up with 6 cups of soup total.  I think if you want to use a whole large bulb, the fennel flavor would not overpower.
2. I pureed my soup much more finely than the original recipe. I found the shrimp, if cooked properly and not too long, get a funny shred if you go for a coarser puree.
3. I would love to try this soup using olive oil instead of butter – if anyone tries it before me, do post a comment and let us know how it tastes.
4. The shrimp stock alone is to die for.
5. This is not a quick soup, but don’t try to shortcut it. In every step, you’ll see marvelous flavors building – just thinking about those shrimp shells browning in the butter, or the tomato paste carmelizing in the bottom of the pot gives me goose bumps.  Take your time, have a glass of wine while you cook if you need it to slow yourself down, and enjoy the experience.
6. The lemon juice and cayenne at the end are critical. You could also pass a little hot sauce at the table if you’ve kept the cayenne to just a pinch.

Enjoy!

The Secret of Minestra Maritata

Whatever it is you’ve been led to believe about Italian Wedding Soup is most certainly wrong.

The idea that this soup is served at Italian weddings is a misconception that has penetrated the psyche of an American public yearning for a lost European past, clinging to an imagined memory of nuptual celebrations – families, friends, bride and groom sharing a broth filled with meat, vegetables and pasta, just as their parents and grandparents had done for generations before in the small towns and villages of Italy.

The thing is, it never happened. None of it.

To understand, you must first learn two Italian words. Two words that name a soup and unlock a secret – “Minestra Maritata”. Translated into English, these words simply mean ‘Married Soup”.

Not Wedding Soup. Married Soup. You see it now, don’t you? How the mistranslation of one simple word can create a nationwide collective false memory.

But why this name, Minestra Maritata? What marriage does it celebrate, if not that of two people in love?

That is the secret of Minestra Maritata, my friend, and to learn it, you must journey to the past. A past when the Cosa Nostra ruled Sicily, families warred for control of their own piece of the American Dream and one chosen family held the secret of a very special soup. (I warn you, the video you are about to see is shocking. You may want to have small children and naive cooks leave the room…)

Don Corleone tells Michael the Secret of the Soup
Now that you know it’s Secret, there’s only one more thing you need to know about Minstra Maritata.
It’s delicious.
Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)
There are many versions of this wonderful soup (see below for just a few I found). I modified Ina Gartens recipe just a tad.
Meatballs:
3/4 pound ground chicken
1/2 pound ground turkey
2/3 cup fresh homemade breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large minced onion
3 carrots, 1/4 inch dice
2 stalks celery, 1/4 inch dice
10 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup small tube pasta
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Salt and pepper to tastePreheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the ground chicken and turkey, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine. Using a mini scooper, drop meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside. (Try not to eat too many while the soup is cooking.)

In the meantime, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened. Add the chicken broth and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls. Serve with extra grated Parmesan for sprinkling on top.
_____________________________________________

Everyone makes Italian Wedding Soup!

My First I Phone Dinner

Driving home from Brooklyn Sunday afternoon, trying to figure out what to have for dinner, Mr TBTAM recalls a recipe for Butternut Squash Ginger Soup that he heard that morning on Weekend Edition. Using the google app on my new I Phone, I find the recipe and consult it at the supermarket, where I buy the ingredients we need. Then, still using my I Phone, I consult the same recipe in the kitchen and cook up the soup. Never once heading to the computer or printing anything out.

Now if someone could just write an app that does the dishes…

Butternut Squash Ginger Soup

Modified from the recipe on the NPR website. I made my own 5 spice, and found it quite strong, so I reduced the amount by half in this recipe. I also did not do the whole fried ginger and orange peel topping in the original, but it looks like a fun idea. I also decided to cube the squash before roasting it, both to speed up the process and to get additional carmelization. Finally, depending on the size of squash you use, you may find you need to add addtional broth to thin the soup a bit.

Soup

1 medium-size butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
2 -3 cups of vegetable broth
2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
1 cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Topping

1 cup creme fraiche
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds and then cut into 2 inch cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on baking sheet for about 30 minutes, tossing halfway through so it evenly browns. Put in food processor and process with ginger and spices till smooth. Add one cup of the broth into the feed tube, process a few seconds then transfer to a medium sized stock pot and whisk in remaining 1 cup broth and wine, adding more broth if soup seems to thick. Heat through until simmering. Salt to taste.

Mix creme fraiche and orange juice together.

Serve soup in bowl with creme fraiche swizzle on top.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Central Park, late Autumn 2008

As the days shorten, we turn to the light of the hearth to replace what has been lost from the sun, firing up the stove to make foods whose warmth fills our stomachs and our hearts with rich, pungent flavors that linger on our tongues and in our bosom long after the last spoonful has been eaten.

Food like mushroom soup – for me the perfect antidote to the cold that permeated my bones hours after I had ridden the Central Park Bike Loop this morning with Linda and Paula. Makes me feel good enough to want to do it again next week.

Well, maybe not that good…

Cream of Mushroom Soup

For this soup, I married elements of two recipes from a pair of my fave chefs – Jamie Oliver and Ina Garten. You can make this soup as light or as heavy as you like by varying the fat content of your milk. (I used a mix of half-and-half and skim milk.)

1 lb assorted fresh mushrooms (I used cremini and shiitake), sliced.
a few ounces dried mushrooms (I used chantarelles; Porcini are more readily available.)
1 cup boiling hot water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 large shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, un-chopped
1/4 cup white wine (Sherry is also nice)
1 liter chicken broth
Sat and pepper to taste (be generous with both)
Milk, cream or half and half to total 2 cups
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Place the dried mushrooms in a 2 cup Pyrex bowl and pour over boiling hot water to cover. Let steep for 20-30 mins. Take out and rinse the mushrooms to remove the grit, the roughly chop them and set aside. Strain the broth using a coffee filter and set aside.

Heat up olive oil and butter in a soup pot over moderately high heat. Add the cremini, shiitake and reserved hydrated chantarelles, stir for a moment or so then add shallots, garlic and thyme along with some salt and pepper. Saute over moderately high heat till the mushrooms have given up most of their liquid. Add the wine or sherry and cook off for a few minutes. Add the chicken and mushroom broths, turn down heat and gently simmer for 30 mins. Cool slightly.

Remove half the soup from the pot and puree in a food processor or blender till smooth. Add back to the remaining soup in the pot. Stir in milk/cream and 2 tbsp parsley, heat through and serve garnished with remaining parsley. Serve with fresh warmed bread or crostini and a cool glass of white wine.

Soupe au Pistou


Once again, vegetarian dinner guests have challenged my culinary creativity. This time, rather than turning to the Moosewood or other veggie tome, I decided to cull a meatless dinner from a more classic source – Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This Provencal vegetable bean soup has everything one could ask for in a meal. Add a sourdough baguette and a salad and it’s more than enough for dinner for eight.

Soupe au Pistou

3 quarts water
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced leeks
2 cups diced potatoes
(I also added about 1/2 bulb fennel, diced )
1 tbsp salt
2 cups canned white cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained.
1/3 cup broken spaghetti or vermicelli
2 cups diced green beans
1 slice stale white bread, processed in the food processor to make crumbs (I used a stale pita)
pepper
pinch of saffron (I used turmeric)
1/4 cup chopped parsley (my addition)

For the Pistou
4 cloves mashed garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t 1/2 cup fruit olive oil
4 tbsp tomato paste or 6 tbsp fresh tomato puree

I used 3/4 cup prepared pesto (without pine nuts) instead of the first 4 ingredients and just blended in the tomato paste by hand.

Add potatoes, leeks, and carrots to 3 qt cold water with 1 tbsp salt in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes.

Twenty minutes before serving, so the green vegetables retain their freshness, add the beans, spaghetti or vermicelli, bread and seasoning to the simmering soup. Simmer another 15 minutes or until the green beans are just cooked. Correct seasonings.

Prepare the pistou while the soup is cooking. Blend garlic, tomato puree or paste, basil and cheese either by hand or in the food processor till smooth. Add the olive oil gradually. (If using prepared pesto, just blend in the tomato paste to the pesto). Place in the bottom of the soup tureen. When the soup is ready for serving, beat a cup gradually into the pistou. Pour in the rest of the soup. Serve with hot french bread or with hard-toasted bread rounds basted with olive oil

Makes 6-8 servings.

Tom Yam Goong (Lemongrass Shrimp Soup)

I had the most wonderful lemongrass shrimp soup last week at a little Thai place called Spice on 2nd Ave near 74th st. And only $3 a bowl! Add some crispy spring roll, a bowl of equally delicious coconut chicken soup, some Pad Thai (not the best I’ve ever had, but certainly acceptable), a glass of wine and a beer, and you’ve got dinner for two for around $20. Best cheap meal I’ve had in this city in a long time.

The next night, I found myself craving that shrimp soup, and found a recipe in Thai Home Cooking, a great cookbook that I had picked up in the used book store in Park Slope but had yet to make anything from. The pages for this recipe were wrinkled and stained, a sure sign that this recipe would be a keeper.

And it is. I’m looking forward to making it again after I’ve had time to scout out the right kind of mushrooms and chilies. Because I used canned tomato instead of fresh, my broth was not as clear as I’d like, but it sure was delicious!

Tom Yam Goong (with shrimp)

Lemongrass can be tough to find, even here in New York, unless you live in Chinatown. So be sure you know where to get it before planning this meal. Kaffir are easier to find, and you can store them in the freezer. Once you have the ingredients, this is one of the quickest soups you’ll ever make. Add noodles or serve it over some jasmine rice and you’ve got a really easy dinner. You could also make this soup with chicken if you’d prefer. Cut boneless breast into thin strips and cook in the broth till opaque, about 1-2 minutes.

12 oz jumbo shrimp (king prawns)
3 cups broth or water
2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, cut on a diagonal into 2 inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp coarsely chopped shallot, preferably pink
1 inch piece galangal or ginger, thinly sliced
2 firm tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges
1 cup straw mushrooms, rinsed and halved (I used button mushrooms)
10 small fresh green chilies, stems removed and halved lengthwise (prik khee nou) (I didn’t have these, so I used chili paste)
2-3 tbsp fish sauce, to taste
5 kaffir lime leaves, coarsely torn
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Shell and de-vein shrimp, leaving tails intact and reserving shells and heads for broth. Cover and refrigerate till ready to use.

In medium saucepan, combine shrimp heads shells and broth or water, and bring to a boil. Using a skimmer, remove the shells and heads and discard. Bring back to a boil Add lemongrass, garlic, shallots and galangal to the broth, then tomatoes, mushrooms, fish sauce and kaffir lime leaves. Simmer gently till mushrooms are soft, then increase to a boil.

Add shrimp to broth and boil for no more than a minute.

Remove soup from heat and stir in lime juice. Transfer to bowls for serving, garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.

(Note – Don’t eat the galangal, lemongrass, kafir or chilies – just push them to the side of your bowl. According to this video I saw, you can leave the chilies out of the broth and put them into individual bowls before serving. Crush to increase spiciness. )

The Soup that Never Ends….

It started out as Jessie’s turkey soup on Thanskgiving. A family standard and always delicious. Jessie makes a huge pot, so there was enought left over for all of us to take some home.

It was a bit thick after refrigerating it, so we add a couple of cans of chicken stock, a bit of barley and some chopped fresh mushrooms. My God, that was good. The broth was so rich…. It lasted us two dinners plus Emily’s lunch. But there was still some left over, and of course it had thickened up again.

Today I added some water and a chicken buillon cube and some gorgeous raw Kale with sesame seeds that Nellie left behind in our fridge after her stay at our apartment last weekend. We each had a bowl with dinner tonight and there’s still some left over.

Remember that song you sang as a kid? Time to sing it again….

Cabbage Borscht

How do you take your borscht? I take mine with cabbage but no beets, thank you. But this recipe goes either ways. Beets or no beets, it can’t be beat..

Now that I see this photo, it’s clear I need to skim the fat on this batch a bit more, or else refigerate it and skim it tomorrow.

CABBAGE BORSCHT

This recipe from Irene, who got it from her mother and has made some modifications over the years.

1 lb. top rib
2 cans (10.5 oz) beef consomme + 2 cans water
½ cabbage, thinly sliced
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 lg. Can diced tomatoes + ½ can water
1 bunch fresh beets, peeled, cut in ½ inch chunks (optional)
1 bay leaf
fresh thyme sprigs or dill
salt and pepper
¼ cup sugar
2 marrow bones
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Simmer all ingredients in large soup pot, except marrow bones, lemon juice and vinegar. Remove meat when tender (about 2 hours). Keep warm.

Add marrow bones and simmer 45 minutes longer. Remove marrow bones and save marrow to spread on toast or chop fine and return to soup.

Add lemon juice and vinegar. Taste to adjust seasoning for salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice or vinegar.

Best made a day ahead so that you can refrigerate and remove fat.

Butternut Squash Soup with Fried Sage Leaves

A visit from Mr TBTAM’s sisters on a crisp fall day called for a great soup, and what could be better than butternut squash soup? Serve it with a green salad and warm bread.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Fried Sage Leaves

This recipe is a modification of the pumpkin bisque recipe from the Professional Chef, with a bit of advice from Irene. The fried sage leaves as my addition.

1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp butter
1 really large butternut squash (or two medium squash) , peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch cubes
4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
2 oz cup white wine
1 tsp minced ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
30 fried sage leaves for garnish

Melt butter in a saute pan, and saute onion, celery and garlic.

Add squash and apples, saute a minute or so, then add vegetable stock. If needed, add a bit more stock or water so veggies are just covered.

Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, bring the wine to a simmer in a small pot. Add the ginger, remove form heat and steep until cooled to room temp. Strain.

Let the soup cool slighty, then puree in batches in food processor. Return to pot, reheat and stir in the wine. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into bowls. Garnish with sage leaves.

Fried Sage Leaves

30 sage leaves
Flour (optional)
4 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt

Rinse the sage leaves and allow to dry. Dust lightly with flour (optional) Heat the olive oil in a small pan. Add the sage leaves and fry for about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Salt before serving.

Family Heirloom Cookbook – Corn Chowder

It’s called the The Casserole Cookbook (© 1952). My mother-in-law Irene cut her culinary teeth on that book, learning to cook by following its simple, easy to use recipes and menus. Looks like she picked a good teacher – over half a century later, it’s listed by Saveur as one of its favorite cookbooks.

Over the years, the recipes in The Casserole Cookbook became Mr TBTAM’s family’s standards. Recipes like Shephard’s Pie, Pastistio, Veal Marenga (Irene substituted chicken livers in that one), Onion Soup, Meatballs Stockholm, Charleston Shrimp and Rice Pie, In a Hurry Baked Salmon (silly name, apparently delicious), Creamy Macaroni au Gratin (that’s Mac and Cheese to you and me), Spare Ribs, and the delicious soup I tasted last weekend – Corn Chowder.

I can’t say that I married Mr TBTAM for his mother’s cooking, but it sure sweetened the deal. And even though I have had 22 year’s worth of Irene’s cooking, I have never quite gotten over the envy I feel when I imagine the meals I missed by not growing up in that family. I don’t blame my Mom, who had to get dinner on the table every night for 9 kids, but let’s just say that Hamburger Helper was one of our family standards…

A few years ago, Mr TBTAM’s sister Nancy somehow convinced Irene to give her the Casserole Cookbook, and she’s been hoarding it ever since. If the condition of the book is any evidence, I’d say she’s been using it almost as much as Irene did. The paper cover is gone, as is the frontispiece and much of the introduction.

But who cares? What’s left is pure gold – recipe after recipe of tried and true standards, all easy to make and all delicious. Many, of course, have been tweaked and updated by Irene, and her handwritten additions and modifications make Nancy’s edition priceless.

We’ve been talking for years about how to get the recipes to all of us, but no one seems to have the time to type them all up. But today, I checked the web and there are 7 copies of the book out there – 6 on Alibris and 1 on E-Bay. Enough for Irene, myself and Mr TBTAM’s sisters, with a few leftover for my family. Now I just have to borrow Nancy’s copy so I can add in Irene’s modifications.

You see, some parents want their kids to have the education they missed, or the house they could never afford, or the freedoms they never had.

I’m just making sure my kids don’t miss out on the food.

Southern Corn Chowder (from the Casserole Cookbook)

Nancy made this in a cast iron stock pot, and it was delicious! It’s a great way to use frozen leftover corn. Of just buy frozen corn and cook it before using. If you don’t want to use the pimento, use red instead of green peppers. Add a diced carrot for even more color.

1/4 lb salt pork (It’s healthier these days to use olive oil)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp chopped green pepper
2 medium potatoes, cut into cubes
3/4 cup diced celery
1 1/2 cups boiling water (I like to use chicken stock)
1 cup whole-kernel corn, cooked
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1 cup undiluted evaporated milk, hot
2 tsp butter
2 tsp flour
1 tbsp chopped pimento

Cut pork into small pieces and fry slowly until crisp in a 3 quart Paris-style casserole (I have no idea what this is – ?La Creuset) Add onion and green pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add potatoes, celery and boiling water or stock. Cover and simmer slowly until the potatoes are tender. Add corn, seasoning and evaporated milk.

Melt butter in a small pan and blend in flour. Gradually stir into the chowder, stirring and cooking slowly until thickened. Garnish with chopped pimento. Serves 4.

Jean-Georges’ Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk and Lemongrass

I first tasted this enlightened Thai standard some years ago at Vong, Jean-George Vongerichten’s beautiful restaurant in the Lipstick Building on the Upper East Side. It was in the midst of that winter’s biggest snowstorm, which meant that we were able to score a table, although they sat us in the bar. The waiter, who saw how cold I was, suggested the Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk and Lemongrass, and he was spot on. That soup warmed me all the way down to my bones, and I’ve loved the place ever since.

If you’ve never been to Vong, you really should go. The decor is absolutely gorgeous, and the French-Thai menu a delight. True, it’s no longer trendy enough for poor Frank Bruni…

It’s been around since 1992, when…the pairing of sautéed foie gras with mango was considered novel, and the galangal in a chicken and coconut milk soup seemed exotic. ..More than a decade later…(the) foie gras and that soup lack a sense of surprise that, it turns out, were integral to the intensity of their appeal. Like the majority of the dishes at Vong, they’re entirely pleasant but not remotely compelling.

Since when does food have to continually surprise us to be good? What’s wrong with being delighted again and again? (Maybe someone should whack Frank over the head with a big piece of lemongrass while he’s eating this soup – I’ll bet that would surprise him…)

Look, if you’re addicted to trendy, then you’re forever going to be disappointed, and should go eat at that $500 a meal place over at the new Time Warner Building. And when you’ve done that one too many times, they’ll be ready with a new hot $1000 a plate place for you and your supermodel friends.

But if, like me, you love to eat wonderful French-Asian fusion that never fails to please, then you will love Vong. And since the trend-addicts are eating elsewhere, you’ll be able to score a table in the main room.

Jean-Georges Chicken Lemongrass Soup

Jean-Georges lightens up the traditional Thai recipe by substituting chicken broth for some of the coconut milk. You could lighten it further by using the new low fat coconut milk. (Let me know how it tastes if you do.) There are various versions of this recipe on the web – everytime Jean-George gives it out, it’s a little different. This version is based on the one from his Cooking at Home cookbook, accessed via Leite’s Culinaria. I changed it to serve the rice in the bowl, rather than on the side as they do at Vong. If you can’t find Lemongrass or lime leaves in you area, you can order them online.

Broth Base
1 tbsp oil (canola, grapeseed or peanut)
1 medium onion, minced
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed of its outer sheath and hard ends, then cut into 2-inch sticks and smashed a few times like you would a garlic clove
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste or curry powder
6-1/8 thick slices galangal or ginger (unpeeled)
3 lime leaves, dried or fresh
4 cups chicken broth

Late Additions
1 13-14 oz can of coconut milk
12 oz raw skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, and caps cut into strips
Juice of 2 limes
2 tbsp Fish sauce (nampla)

Garnish
3 scallions, sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup minced cilantro
Cooked Jasmine rice

Heat the oil in your soup pot over medium heat, then add onion and garlic. Cook a minute, stirring, then add the lemongrass, curry paste, ginger, and lime leaves. Cook, stirring, for 3 or 4 minutes, then add the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for half hour. (Can be made ahead.)

While the stock is cooking, make enough Jasmine rice for 4 servings.

Just before serving, add the coconut milk to the broth base, then the chicken and the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is done. Stir in the lime juice and nam pla, taste and adjust seasonings.

To serve, place an ice cream scoop of jasmine rice into the bowl. Pour soup over it, garnish with the scallions and cilantro. If you leave the galangal and lemongrass in – they are fun to chew on – have a small bowl nearby where they can be discarded.

Serves 4.

(This Post is being submitted to Weekend Herb Blogging, sponsored by Thyme for Cooking this week.)

Mushroom Barley Soup Memories

It’s unusually cold, even for December, that first winter in New York City. I’m living in the East Village and studying for grad school finals with my lab partner Robbie, who I think befriended me mostly so that I could tutor him in biochemistry, which he happens to be failing. In return, Robbie is getting me all tied up in knots by refusing to become involved with me because he is, as he puts it, no good for me.

Think Billy Crystal in the first part of Harry met Sally. Now make him cuter, even more cynical and a real sleep-around, then kick him out of his previous school for dealing pot and you’ve got Robbie, the not-so-nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn. An irresistible draw for a 21-year old Catholic girl still fresh from the Philadelphia suburbs.

It’s been dark for over 2 hours, and we’ve been sitting at the kitchen table in my 3rd Floor walk-up on St Mark’s Place since just past noon, reviewing the pathways for carbohydrate metabolism. “I’m starving”, says Robbie. “Let’s go for some Deli.”

“What’s that?” I ask.

He looks at me like I am the most pitiful bumpkin on the face of the earth. In fact, that is the word he actually uses. “Pitiful” he says, pulling me out of my seat. “C’mon. My treat.”

It was to be his only generous gesture in our entire relationship, aside from his initial refusal to get involved with me.

There is a line at the door of the 2nd Ave Deli, something I had never before seen at a restaurant. Especially on such a cold night. The maitre-d’ (could it have been Abe the owner himself?) takes pity on us, and passes out little plastic containers of warm applesauce and plastic spoons to the waiting diners huddled in the blustery entryway.

“We should have ordered in”, mutters Robbie, as he stomps his feet to keep warm. He is wearing only a hooded sweatshirt with a jean jacket on top.

I lick my spoon from the warmth of my big brown fur coat (10 bucks at Trash and Vaudeville). Robbie hated that coat. “That wouldn’t help,” I correct him, still in tutoring mode. “We’d still have to be out here. Plus, I don’t see a take-out window, do you?”

After staring at me for a full 30 seconds with a look of incredulity and mild disdain, Robbie explains the fine art of New York City Restaurant Delivery.

I give him a look of incredulity but not-so-mild distain. “I cannot believe that so many people have the nerve to call another human being and ask them to bring them their food in bad weather when they can go out and get it themselves!”

“Give yourself some time,”replies Robbie.

He was right, of course. But it would be almost a full year before I could gather the Chutzpah to order in for myself, one rainy night in the following November. The delivery boy turned out to be an old man. I felt so guilty I think I gave him the entire contents of my wallet as a tip, and then didn’t order in again for a year. Don’t worry – I’m over it now.

The line outside the Deli moves surprisingly quickly. Soon, they let us inside, past the long deli counter to a small table in the middle of the noisy, bustling room, where we struggle to fit our notebooks on a tabletop already crammed with water glasses and bowls of fresh pickles and cole slaw.

And it is there, while sitting at that table grilling Robbie over and over again on the biochemical reactions of the Kreb Cycle, that I have my first bowl of mushroom barley soup.

Eleusinian Initiation Rites

Now, you may not know this, but barley has religious significance dating back to ancient Greece. There, it was used to make kykeon, a nectar used in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were the initiation ceremonies for the cult of Demeter and Persophone. It is said that the barley drink, now thought to have been contaminated with ergot, a neuroactive mold, led to psychedelic experiences that convinced the initiates that they had witnessed unspeakable, divine mysteries that satisfied the deepest longings of the human heart.

Is it so surprising, then, that I was to be initiated into the mysteries of the New York Delicatessen by ingesting that same magical grain? Believe me, that bowl of mushroom barley soup was the closest thing to a religious experience that I have ever had. I had drunk the holy water, been baptized in the broth and seen the light. And I would never be the same again.

I remember calling my father that night. “I’ve been raised in the wrong religion. Forget the church – I’m converting to Deli!” I hoped he understood. This was, after all, a man who ate Kielbasa like it was the holy host itself.

Soon thereafter, I would experience my first hot pastrami sandwich, my first cheese blintz and my first bowl of matzah ball soup. I would learn not to order my corned beef sandwich with cheese after a waiter gave me “the look”. I would know the difference between plain and marble rye and what a Dr Brown’s Cel-Ray was. I would, in short, became a New Yorker.

Epilogue

Dismantling the 2nd Ave Deli (more photos at Eater.com)

Not surprisingly, Robbie and I parted ways shortly after he passed biochemistry and, unable to find me to share the good news (I was home in Philly for Christmas), slept with my best friend Shari to celebrate. Shari was a fellow native New Yorker, and equally experienced, so I guess it was a good match, at least for one night.

Sadly, too, the story of the 2nd Avenue Deli was also to end, though not for some years (and for me, many meals) thereafter, when that fabled restaurant closed its doors forever in January, 2006.

So, I hear you asking, why tell this tale now?

Contrary to what you may think, it is not because I have found the recipe for mushroom barley soup in the 2nd Avenue Deli Cookbook (although it is, indeed, in that book, and on Epicurious).

No, it is because I want to tell you that last weekend I made a mushroom barley soup that is even better than the one I first tasted at the 2nd Avenue Deli once upon a time. You read me right. Even better. It is based almost entirely upon a recipe from, who else, my mother-in-law Irene.

As post-impressionism was both an extension of Impressionism and a rejection of that style’s inherent limitations, so this soup, made in the style I like to call post-Deli, both reflects and improves upon its predecessor, the great mushroom barley soup at the 2nd Avenue Deli.

And so I share it with you now, Dear Reader, in the hopes that when you make and enjoy it, you will think of that fabled dish once eaten in that now lost New York City landmark. As for me, my memories will be of a more personal nature, of a cold December night in the East Village when my New York gastronomical conversion began.

POST-SECOND AVE DELI MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP

This is a very interesting recipe – you basically make soup twice – first a double broth, then removing these veggies, and making the soup itself with fresh veggies, cooking the meat even longer until it is succulent. It’s even better the second day.

1 tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. top rib, (flanken, with bone)
2-3 cans beef, veggie and/or mushroom broth (I used both beef and veggie)
Water to cover
1 onion, studded with two cloves
2 carrots, cut in thirds
1 large rib of celery, cut in thirds
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf

1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 rib celery, diced
½ cup barley, rinsed
1-1/2 lbs. fresh mushrooms, chopped coarsely. (I used a combination of white and baby belles)
A few dried porcini or shitake mushrooms soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Lightly salt and pepper the top rib and brown it in the oil. Add broth and enough water to cover meat. Add cut onion, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until meat is almost tender (about an hour).

Remove the cooked vegetables and discard or use separately. Add diced carrot, celery, onion, barley, and salt and pepper. Simmer ½ hour. Add all mushrooms and the liquid in which the dried mushrooms were soaking (strain it first). Continue cooking about another ½ hour or until the meat is tender. If you have time, refrigerate overnight and remove the fat. (I just skimmed it ater rmoving the veggies the first go round, and ate it that nght. It was not too fatty.) Reheat and enjoy!

If soup is too thick, add water to correct consistency. For an extra special flavor add two marrow bones when you add the chopped vegetables.

Category: Food

Shrimp Broth with Lemongrass, Chili and Ginger

I have to admit right off that other than finding the recipe on Epicurious and cooking the rice, I had nothing to do with this dinner. My husband made the whole thing. (Did I mention he’s a good cook?)

We both agree that the soup is delicious, and makes a wonderful first course. We added Basmati rice and served it as our main course tonight. (Tomorrow night, we will use rice noodles).

A few modifications I suggest to the recipe as written below: (1) This recipe makes a lot of broth. Next time we will use half the liquid, and I believe the flavors will be even more intense. (2) We added about a half tsp of lime juice to each bowl at serving and it really made it better. Next time, I’ll just add a little more lime juice to the pot. (3) Finally, we felt it needed a little more salt, and for our spicy palates, could have used a little more chili pepper. But, all in all, a great recipe.

Shrimp Broth with Lemongrass, Chili and Ginger

3/4 pound uncooked large shrimp
6 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh lemongrass
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 small serrano chili, stemmed, thinly sliced into rounds
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
6 thin lime slices

1. Peel and devein shrimp; reserve shells. Halve shrimp lengthwise. Transfer shrimp to small bowl. Cover and chill.
2. Combine reserved shrimp shells, broth and next 4 ingredients in large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 20 minutes to blend flavors, stirring and skimming surface occasionally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
3. Strain broth into large bowl, pressing on solids with back of spoon to release as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Return broth to pot. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat. Add shrimp, herbs, chili and lime juice. Cover and let stand until shrimp are opaque, stirring once, about 2 minutes.
4. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with lime. Add a little more lime juice if you want (we did)

Serves 6
Category: Food

Corn Chowder and Scallops

A cold Saturday in New York City and the kids were off ice skating in Central Park. That meant it was time to make some soup.

I had discovered a bag of this past summer’s corn in the freezer last night, so corn chowder it was. But I had also just discovered Oswego Tea’s site yesterday, and couldn’t get her beautiful picture of seared scallops out of my head. And for some reason, I had tarragon on the mind.

So I made up a corn chowder recipe using tarragon (which really lightens up the flavor of an otherwise potentially heavy tasting soup), and found a great recipe for scallops with tarragon vinaigrette at Teri’s Kitchen. I also served a warm herb bread topped with olive oil and onions that I got at Fairway.

CORN CHOWDER WITH FRESH TARRAGON AND A SCALLOP
I would have preferred using chicken broth and cooking up a few slices of bacon to use the fat for cooking the onions, etc. But my daughter doesn’t eat meat and she loves soup. As it was cooking, she declared it, on smell alone, to be her favorite meal, and asked that I cook it again on her birthday. I’d say that was worth giving up the bacon.

1 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 large clove garlic
1/4 cup white wine
1 qt vegetable stock
1 qt half and half
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 bag of frozen cooked corn kernels (I think it was about 2 1/2 cups total)
1-2 sprigs of fresh tarragon (Depends on your taste. I used 1 large sprig and a few leaves)
1 small sprig of thyme (I used about a half of a normal stem)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (I used a fair amount of both)

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat and sauté onions, carrot and celery, stirring occasionally, till tender. Add the garlic about halfway through to avoid it burning.

Add wine and cook till it’s evaporated (just a minute or so).

Add vegetable stock and potatoes, bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, then add half and half, corn, tarragon, thyme and cayenne. Cook until the potatoes are tender (It took about 30 mins). Watch so it doesn’t boil. Salt and pepper to taste.

When done, remove the tarragon sprig and thyme. Pour into bowls. Top with a fresh tarragon sprig and a seared scallop (see recipe that follows).

PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS ON GREENS WITH TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE
This past summer, I made tarragon vinegar, which I wished I still had around to use for this recipe. Instead, I used the fresh tarragon as asked for in the original recipe. I love the idea of making the warm vinaigrette using the oil the scallops have been cooked in. If your pan is small and you have to do the scallops in batches, you may need a little more oil for the second batch. I found I needed to add a little oil to the pan at the end to get enough vinaigrette.

1 1/2 lbs large scallops (I found bay scallops)
Salt and fresh ground pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
Mixed salad greens
2 large garlic cloves put through a garlic press
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 tsp honey
1 tbsp sherry wine vinegar
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Rinse scallops and dry very well between paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet until very hot but not smoking. Add the scallops and sauté until nicely brown, about 3-4 mins. Turn to the other side and cook one more minute.

Arrange the greens on a platter. Combine the remaining ingredients, adding the remaining 1 tbsp unused olive oil last, with a whisk in a small bowl. Arrange the scallops, browned side up, on the bed of greens. (Set enough scallops aside to garnish the corn chowder if you are making it.) Take the skillet off the burner and add the vinaigrette. Stir briskly, just until hot. Drizzle vinaigrette over the scallops and greens. Serve immediately.

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