The Taste of Memory Soup

Sunday morning (my favorite time to cook) I begin to bang pots and pans getting organized before I chop my vegetables. I had gone to bed thinking about what I would make the next day. Cold weather has me craving comfort foods. Craving warm meals means I am thinking of my Polish babysitter Zofia who put cabbage in just about everything. Her soup was deliciously flavorful and made us all happy to eat it.

Zofia was someone who had survived the war and endured much more; she had a lot of good secrets and cabbage was one of them. Eating cabbage is a childhood memory that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

When we are children, the people we have in our little worlds form and shape us. As our memories grow and we age, those special times are triggered by the little things in life…a meal, a song, a figurine. We are so lucky when we find people who love our children just as a relative does. Having Zofia in my life added to my happy childhood.

It’s December and I’m shivering from the inside out, this is probably why I started craving cabbage this week. I want to feel that warm comforting feeling that I so well remember with Zofia. Well-loved memories of my babysitter have me longing for my childhood.

She made the world safe with her Polish food and songs. I wish she was still here to sing Kosi Kosi Lapci  and cook for my children as she did for me and my siblings, but life comes full circle and our children will have their own Zofia who makes the world happy and safe with mashed potatoes, tractor toys, and Backe Backe Kuchen. The paddy cake song may be in a different language but it carries that same warm feeling.

Making my shopping list for soup I write cabbage and smile. Holding the cabbage at the store I feel as though I’m holding something much more valuable like a truffle. Sometimes the special ingredient isn’t anything expensive or out of the ordinary.

When you feel chilled to the bone, begin to worry about your well-being, and your memories sneak up on you…cabbage never fails to sooth you and those you love. As I made cabbage soup I was surrounded by happy memories and I’m thankful Zofia is in my heart to help me make them for my children.

Na zdrowie

Photos of Wroclaw, Poland where Zofia was from.

A sick day, a snow day, a just say no day

There are days when we should stop and smell the chicken and dumplings and listen to some Christmas carols. Sometimes when we are so consistently scheduled, it feels really good to break the pattern. When you have a sick child, things have to change and we are all forced to slow down and say no to obligations. In a way it is a blessing! It's like a bonus day, a snow day...when you have the time for more of those things you don't usually get to enjoy as long as you wish like coloring, cooking, and cuddling.

You know how there’s a Seinfeld episode for everything that happens to us in life? I think the same is true for Beatles songs…After a long week at work, I kept having a Beatles soundtrack in my head that related to how I was feeling…It’s been a Hard Days Night and we keep having to Come Together at work when all I want to say is Don’t Bother Me because I’m so Tired. I know that All Things Must Pass so I’ll say Ob-La-Di and when I need some, I’ll yell HELP and I Call Your Name!

After singing these songs in my head for a few days, my daughter got sick. I thought…more stress, but it was truly a blessing because I was forced to slow down with her and just breathe. We curled up together sharing a blanket and colored princesses. Isn’t it true that once we relax, answers to problems will often be revealed? What had seemed like such a big deal becomes much less of one. Then we can be more productive in every area… maybe we all need to color more.

I remember enjoying sick days at home from school when my mom would set me up on the sofa with chicken noodle soup, hot tea, warm blankets, a fire in the fireplace, and I Love Lucy. I felt warm, safe, and secure. Nothing beats home when you are exhausted and curling up in your little mom-made cocoon is pure happiness. “Stay-at-home” mom is the dream job for most working moms, but it has a more special meaning on a sick day. We all deserve some “stay-at-home” time. Make sure you take advantage of yours when you can.

Sometimes the most urgent and vital thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest.

~Ashleigh Brilliant

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward.
~Spanish Proverb

Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself,
your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.

~Ralph Marston

There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them. ~Sylvia Plath

Sick

“I cannot go to school today,”

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash and purple bumps.

My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I’m going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox.

And there’s one more—that’s seventeen,

And don’t you think my face looks green?

My leg is cut, my eyes are blue—

It might be instamatic flue.

I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,

I’m sure that my left leg is broken—

My hips hurt when I move my chin,

My belly button’s caving in,

My back is wrenched, my ankle’s sprained,

My ‘pendix pains each time it rains.

My nose is cold, my toes are numb,

I have a silver in my thumb.

My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,

I hardly whisper when I speak.

My tongue is filling up my mouth,

I think my hair is falling out.

My elbow’s bent, my spine ain’t straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There is a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is—what?

What’s that? What’s that you say?

You say today is… Saturday?

G’bye, I’m going out to play!”

~ Shel Silverstein

For your next “stay-at-home” day! Hopefully it will be a “snow day” and not a “sick day!” Read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, listen to She and Him, A Very She & Him Christmas, eat chicken and dumplings, feel a cashmere sweater against your skin, and sip and smell some peppermint tea. You’ll be feeling better before you know it.

Chicken and Dumplings

8 chicken thighs (with skin and bones)

Dredge in and brown in 2-3T vegetable oil:

½ flour

Generous amount of salt

½ t cayenne

¼ t black pepper

Sweat in 1 T vegetable oil:

3 leeks, white and light green part sliced in half moons

2 celery ribs diced

2 carrots, diced

1 sweet potato, peeled, cut into chunks

2 parsnips, peeled, diced

2 bay leaves

Deglaze with 1 C dry white wine

Stir in ¼ C more of flour

Gradually add 6 C chicken broth

Stir in browned chicken and juices

2 t fresh lemon juice

1 t sage and rosemary

For the dumplings:

Blend

1 ½ C flour

1 C parmesan cheese, grated

2 ½ t baking powder

2 t sugar

Salt and pepper

Heat:

1 C whole milk

4 T butter

Preheat oven to 375. Cut chicken into large pieces. Combine flour and seasonings in a resalable plastic bag. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess in a deep oven proof pot, heat 1 T oil over med-high. Brown half the chicken; transfer to a plate. Brown the rest in a bit more oil then remove and reduce heat. Sweat the vegetables and bay leaves in oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine; simmer until almost evaporated. Stir in flour to coat vegetables. Gradually add broth then chicken. Cover pot and transfer to the oven; cook for 20 minutes. While stew is in the oven, make dumpling dough. Stir in lemon juice, and herbs before adding dumplings. Blend dry ingredients for dumplings in a mixing bowl. Heat milk and butter until butter melts; blend into dry ingredients. Shape using a small ice cream scoop then drop dumplings into the simmering stew. Braise in oven until dumplings are cooked through, about 20 minutes. 

Here’s to another week and wishing for Good Day Sunshine!

Soups on!

Soup is like a softly glowing and occasionally crackling fire in the fire place; it’s soothing, therapeutic, and nourishing all the way to the bones. Soup warms the belly, gently bathes the soul and simply does the body good.

Louis XV silver soup tureen

King Louis XV made soup an upper-class dish. He turned soup from “fuel” for the poor to pure pleasure to satisfy the court at Versailles.

We‘re still having heat waves here in Texas but we’ll be welcoming autumn before long. The weather has finally shown signs of fall; we’ve had a good amount of wind, the nights have cooled quite a bit and a few times a hint of that “something in the air” that we all recognize as a welcome signal of change.

The biggest sign that fall is here is that college football has begun. Fall, Football, Food…such a perfect combination that makes your senses come alive. I love to hear the noise of the game combined with good smells coming from the kitchen. A soup can simmer for hours and make the house smell cozy and just where you want to be.

One of my favorite scenes from the movie Julie and Julia is when Julie says, “You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. You can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. That's such a comfort.” I love that about soup. I can start chopping vegetables and hear the broth simmering and instantly feel better. After a long week, I needed to cook lots and LOTS of soup!

Perhaps due to growing up in Rhode Island where my husband Derek says he had soup so often as a child, (resulting in a few common scorched tongue memories), I have had a job to do in persuading him of the pleasure of a delicious bowl of soup.  After making the best chicken noodle soup he said he’s ever had, I think I’m winning him over to the soup side!

Here’s to letting your good evening turn into a “super” one. Remember, if fall, football and food are an appreciated combo at your house too, do your best to make each new serving a “super bowl.” It goes well with the season. And, if the soups too hot, do what Lauren Bacall said in To Have and Have Not, “You just put your lips together and...blow.”

French Onion Soup:

2 T olive oil

4 red onions, thinly sliced

¼ t sugar

4 leeks (white part and a little of the light green) thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 C beef or chicken stock

½ C white wine

1 bay leaf

¼ t thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Baguette

¾ C Gruyere cheese, grated

In a large saucepan over medium heat sauté onions about 15 minutes. Add sugar and leeks and continue to cook, stirring frequently until caramelized. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add stock, wine, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until flavors are blended, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into oven proof bowls and place sliced bread on top and sprinkle with cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Tomato Soup:

12 Roma tomatoes

2 shallots, diced

3 carrots, diced

1 potato, diced

1 T tomato paste

1 T ketchup

½ C white wines

Dash of cumin

Place tomatoes under broiler for a few minutes then peel and remove skins. Sauté shallot in olive oil and add carrots. Pour in wine, add the whole tomatoes and diced potato. Cover with chicken broth and simmer until the vegetables start to fall apart. Process the whole mixture and strain the soup through a chinois. Stir in the tomato ketchup, paste, and cumin, then season. Optional: fry tomato skins in olive oil for garnish

Chicken Noodle Soup:

1 stewing chicken (about 4 pounds), cut up

5 celery ribs, coarsely chopped, divided

4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped, divided

2 medium onions, quartered, divided

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

8 ounces uncooked medium egg noodles

In a large stockpot, combine the chicken, water, half of the celery, carrots, onions, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2-1/2 hours or until chicken is tender. Chop the remaining vegetables; set aside.

Remove chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and cut into bite-size pieces. Discard bones and skin; set aside.

Strain broth; return to stockpot. Add the salt, chopped onion and remaining celery, carrots, red bell pepper and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add noodles and chicken. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Leek and Potato Soup:

1 bunch of leeks (white part and a little of the light green) sliced

4 C diced potatoes

6-7 C water or chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring leeks and potatoes to boil in the water, simmer 20-30 minutes. Puree soup and serve warm.

A French Country Sunday

Sundays are a time to enjoy good food, family, and friends. When everyone is seated around the table it can feel as cozy as Thanksgiving. A Sunday meal that lingers on for hours can be a true pleasure. Imagine a table with plenty to eat and the hum of good conversation and laughter, it can feel festive (even if it’s not a holiday). 

If you've ever seen the French movie, "A Sunday in the Country" you know the kind of Sunday I mean, a relaxing summery Sunday with a French country kind of feel. A meal surrounded by beautiful gardens, and exquisite yet simple foods. Maybe after the meal you will take a nap, read a book, sip some tea, take a swim...these little pleasantries are simple yet heavenly, especially on a Sunday.

People eat a bit more slowly on Sundays, drink a little more wine and purposely lose track of time.

I imagine Claude Monet had many Sundays spent like this in Giverny.

When The Julia Child Book Club met last Sunday to discuss the book Claude and Camille it was as if we'd stepped back in time to the French country side and became oblivious to the time. After all, it was TIME that we took a little more of, and eventually lost track of.

I read that Monet believed beautiful dinner service was one of the keys to a successful meal. This seems so French to me. It’s all about the details in the preparation that make a meal special and memorable.

I hope this brings you inspiration to have your own French country Sunday. And please, remember to take your time. Salut et bon appétit! 

Recipes from the Julia Child Book Club:

Mia’s Gougères

6 T unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 C water

Pinch of salt

Pinch of white pepper

1 ½ C flour

6 large eggs

2 C coarsely shredded gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 400. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; then remove from the heat and stir in the pepper and the flour with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium. Return to the heat and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes very thick and begins to film the bottom of the saucepan, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time. The dough should have the consistency of a thick mayonnaise. Stir in 1 ½ C of cheese. On a buttered and floured baking sheet drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough, spacing them 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with remaining ½ C cheese. Bake about 25 minutes, until the puffs swell to almost triple in size and become golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Ashley’s Soupe Au Pistou

2 medium leeks

3 stalks celery

2 medium carrots

6  slices pancetta

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pound small red potatoes

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

2 zucchini

1 Tablespoon Herbes de Provence

Salt to taste

Clean and dice the leeks, celery, carrots and potatoes into approximately 1/2 inch pieces or slices, as the case may be.

Slice the bacon into 1 inch slices, and in a large pot, cook the bacon until mostly crisp.

Add the olive oil and the vegetables, and sauté over medium heat until the leeks and carrots start to get a little tender, then add the chicken broth and water, add a pinch or two of salt, cover, and simmer over medium low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes can be pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, cut the zucchini into 1/2-1 inch pieces, and when the potatoes are starting to get tender, the zucchini. Salt to taste.

For the pistou:

4 oz basil, leaves only

¼ cup pine nuts

2 ounces parmesan

¼ cup olive oil

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, and process until it forms a smooth paste.

To serve, ladle the soup into large bowls, and top with a large spoonful of pistou.

Linda’s Lemon Basil Sorbet

3 C water

2 C sugar

2 T lemon zest, divided

1 ½ C fresh packed basil

3 C fresh lemon juice

Prepare a lemon simple syrup with the water, sugar and 1 ½ T of the lemon zest by combining all three in a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Cook mixture until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat. Once the simple syrup is ready, add the basil and salt. Let the mixture steep for 30 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours, or overnight. Strain the chilled mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Turn on the ice cream maker; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and mix until thick.

Leslee’s Soubise

1/2 cup rice

4 quarts rapidly boiling water

1 1/2 tablespoons salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (one-half stick) butter, plus 2 tablespoons softened butter

2 pounds yellow onions, thinly sliced

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon minced parsley.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Drop the rice into the boiling water to which has been added the salt. Boil five minutes exactly and drain immediately.

Heat the 1/4 cup of butter in a three-quart flameproof casserole and when it is foaming, stir in the onions. When they are well-coated with butter, stir in the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cover and cook very slowly in the oven for one hour, stirring occasionally. The rice and onions should become very tender and will usually turn a light golden yellow. Taste and re-season. (The recipe may be prepared to this point several hours in advance. Reheat before proceeding.)

Just before serving, stir in the cream and cheese and then the softening butter.

Olga’s Potato Galettes

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 lb potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled

1/4 tsp crumbled dried rosemary

1/4 tsp crumbled dried thyme

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Grate the potatoes roughly. Using a large bowl, mix the potatoes with the rosemary, thyme, green onion, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, stir together the butter and the oil. Brush the bottom of a small cast-iron skillet with some of the butter mixture. Heat the mixture over moderately high heat until it begins to sizzle. Ladle a layer of the potato mixture approximately 1/4 inch thick and fry over medium heat for several minutes, until the base is golden brown. Flip and brown the other side.

Margot’s pork tenderloin Wellington and gravy

Seasoned the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Sear in a bit of olive oil to brown on all sides. About 1 1/2 minutes each side. Transfer to a cutting board to drain and let cool off completely.

Use the frying pan with the drippings and melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add 1/2 onion (thinly sliced) and sauté till golden. Add 8 oz of white mushrooms and sauté until they are starting to brown. Add white wine (1/2 cup) and reduce. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and reduce. Taste and add salt, pepper and finish with heavy cream to get consistency you like. It will thicken as you finish.

In another pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add 1 small onion (thinly sliced) and sauté for about 4 min. Add 16 oz of white mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender and liquid is evaporated. Add 1/4 cup of Sherry and cook until mixture is dry, about 4 min. Add some freshly chopped parsley and cool to room temperature.

On a floured surface roll out puffed pastry into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick. If using store bought you may have to overlap two pieces. Put some of the mushroom mixture in the center of the pastry. Place tenderloin on top of the mixture. Top the tenderloin with more of the mixture as well as the sides. Fold the long sides of the pastry and seal the seam with egg-wash. Trim the ends if necessary and fold up and seal. Place the tenderloin onto a baking sheet seam down. Chill for at least 2 hrs or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400. Place a baking sheet on the center rack until hot about 15 min. Brush the top of the tenderloin with egg-wash and cut 2 - 3 slits to let the steam vent. Carefully transfer the tenderloin onto the preheated baking sheet and bake until the pastry is golden brown. About 60 minutes. Cover with foil if it gets too brown during cooking. Let rest on the cutting board for 10 min before slicing.

Terri’s Chocolate Tarte

A word about the chocolate for this recipe before you begin. Good quality chocolate is essential for this recipe. I use chocolate that has an absolute minimum of 50 % cocoa. I think darker is better but tastes vary.

For the pastry:

½ cup butter, cut in small pieces

1 ¼ cups flour

¼ tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift together flour sugar and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives, leaving small peas sized pieces of butter throughout the mixture. Add egg and vanilla and mix together only enough to make a dough form. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for a half hour before rolling out.

You can make your dough the previous day but make sure you take it out of the fridge for 10 minutes to warm slightly before rolling out.

Roll the dough into a 12 inch round and place in the bottom of a 10 inch tarte pan or pie plate. You will need to blind bake this crust for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F before adding the filling. Blind baking is essential so that the bottom crust will not get soggy.

To blind bake a crust, simply place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the dough and cover the bottom of the pie plate with baking weights. (Marbles, dry beans, peas, rice or barley work just as well as anything else.)

For the chocolate filling:

7 ounces (by weight) dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

7 ounces whipping cream

3 ounces milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 large beaten egg

Bring the cream and milk just to boiling and pour the hot liquid over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes and whisk together until smooth. Cool for about 10 minutes before whisking in the beaten egg and vanilla.

Pour into the blind baked shell and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. The center can still be a little wobbly at this point. The surface should still be shiny. Cool thoroughly before cutting and serving. Garnish with crème anglaise.

½ C milk

½ C heavy cream

½ vanilla bean

4 egg yolks

¼ C sugar

Mix the milk and cream in a small saucepan. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the pan, then add the pod. Bring just to a simmer, then remove from the heat and let steep for 15 minutes or so to infuse the dairy with vanilla flavor. Partially fill the largest bowl with equal parts ice and water, and set the larger of the remaining bowls on the ice. Set a strainer in place over that bowl. After the vanilla has infused the dairy to your satisfaction, remove the vanilla pod, then return the pan to gentle heat and stir frequently. In the third bowl, quickly whisk the yolks and sugar together. Once the dairy reaches a simmer, remove it from the heat and whisk about a tablespoon of it into the yolk and sugar mixture, Continue adding the dairy to the yolk and sugar mixture slowly to avoid curdling. Once the dairy, yolks, and sugar are fully incorporated, return the custard to the pan and return the pan to the heat. Stir constantly for 1-4 minutes until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Pour through the strainer into the bowl over the ice. Stir until cool, cover, and refrigerate. If it sits overnight the vanilla flavor will be more pronounced. Serve cold, room temperature, or even warm over your dessert.

Enjoy with our club’s sommelier pick, Brandi’s French white wine: Les Jamelles Viognier

Salut!



Terri’s Crème Anglaise