COLD REFRESHING SOUPS

 

                                        Cold refreshing soups

           As we approach August on the cusp of a steamy July, cold soups become welcome partners in planning refreshing meals. On hot days, a cold soup can remarkably revive flagging appetites, while remaining light and satisfying. Many of them require minimal cooking and are perfect for meals that can be made ahead.

          Past files of my columns in the last 15 years show recipes for a number of cold soups. Yes, amazingly this column first appeared on July 29, 2009! Together we have explored the classic Vichyssoise, red and white Gazpacho, Sorrel soup, Cucumber Shape-up soup, Avocado soup and Swedish fruit soup. In times past many cold soups relied on heavy cream or were made with buttermilk. Good buttermilk is now rarely available in supermarkets, so yoghurt has become a favorite low-calorie substituent for it in many cold soups.

                                 Savory summer squash and celery soup

          Coarsely chop: 2 large celery stalks with tops, 1 medium onion, 1 medium zucchini or summer squash.

          Cook vegetables for 30 minutes in 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth with ½ tsp. each: garlic powder, ground thyme, savory, lemon pepper. Cool slightly and purée in a blender with 1-2 cups of yoghurt. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in ½ seeded and diced red pepper and 1 medium zucchini. Chill and serve garnished with chopped dill or chives.

          Borscht may make a hearty winter soup, but here is a cold summer version with beets that will tempt you with both its striking color and taste. This is a modified version from Jaqueline Hèriteau’s “Feast of Soups”.

                                              Summer cold beet soup

          This is a perfect non-cooked soup that can be made with canned beets. You will need 2 cans of whole small or cut beets in their liquid.

          Purée 1 15oz can of beets with their juice in a blender together with 3 large onion slices, ½ tsp. tarragon, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper.

          Combine 1 cup beef broth with 1 ½ tblsp. packed dark brown sugar, ½ tsp. coarse salt and 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice in a small pot and heat until sugar and salt are dissolved. Cool slightly and add to the beet purée an additional 2 cups of beef broth. Blend with 1 cup of sour cream and transfer to a large bowl. Drain the beets from the other can, grate coarsely on a box grater and add to the soup. Dice ½ of an English seedless cucumber, add to the soup and adjust flavor with salt and pepper. Chill and serve garnished with chives or dill.

          Cold soups can be served with crusty bread, cheese, cold meats or fish or a variety of open-faced sandwiches. A perfect finish for such a meal would be a fruity dessert.

                                              Blueberry-peach galette

          Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Stretch a sheet-roll of crescent-dough from the deli case, in a rectangle on parchment lined cookie pan and mark a 2-inch boarder along the edges without cutting through the dough. In a small bowl combine 1/3 cup sugar, ¼ tsp. cinnamon, 1 tbsp. cornstarch and ¼ tsp. nutmeg.

          Quickly dip 2 large peaches in boiling water, peel off the skin, remove the pit and slice each in 8-12 slices. Gently combine the peaches in a bowl with 1 ½ cups blueberries, zest of ½ lemon, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. grated ginger and the sugar-cornstarch mix. Spread the fruit mix on top of the dough within the 2-inch boarders and sprinkle with 2 tbsp. slivered almonds. Fold the borders over the sides of the fruit. Sprinkle the fruit with 2 tbsp. Demarara sugar and baste the folded dough edges with heavy cream. Place in oven, turn heat down to 375 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes until the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

          Cold summer soups easily adapt to a variety of vegetables and would be delicious with broccoli, asparagus, cooked carrots or peas.  Ms. Hèriteau’s book also intrigues me with several unusual cold soups with fruit, though I wonder about the origins of her “Cold beer soup or hangover stew”, made with beer, wine, cinnamon and sugar in a mug with a poached egg on top!

         (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

 

 

 

PORK TENDERLOIN IN SUMMER GUISES

 

                            Pork tenderloin in summer guises

           As summer heats up in July, the home cook loves simplified meals. Grilled meats and green salads are wonderful, but we all crave variety and sometime look for other options. Pork tenderloin, that lean, and relatively inexpensive cut of meat can be a quick solution for cooler times of the year, but in summer it requires a different approach that does not require heating up the oven.

          Pork tenderloin, fillet, steak or Gentlemen’s cut comes as a 1 lb. long thin muscle from the back that is not required for strenuous activity, hence its tender quality for cooking. It also has the equally attractive quality of being much less expensive than beef tenderloin. Sliced on the diagonal in ½ inch slices or pieces, pork tenderloin responds well to a short marinade for added flavor and can be cooked in minutes. It pairs well with Asian flavors and colorful vegetables in a variety of stir fry recipes. The following meals were recent favorites at our house, all requiring minimal cooking time.

                                Pork medallions with soba and snap peas

          Slice ¾ or 1 lb. pork tenderloin in ½ inch slices. Prepare the spice mix: ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper, 1 tsp. ground thyme, ½ tsp. paprika and 1/3 tsp. garlic powder.  Sprinkle medallions with the spice mix and press the mix to adhere.

          Fry medallions in 2 tblsp. grapeseed oil on medium heat for 2 minutes, add 1 tblsp. butter, turn medallions to cook for another 2 minutes and set aside. Add ½ cup low sodium chicken broth to the pan, scrape stuck bits, cook to reduce to ¼ cup and pour over medallions.

          Cook 8 oz. soba noodles in unsalted water for 7 minutes and rinse.  While soba noodles are cooking mix the following sauce: 2 tblsp. miso, 2 tblsp. soy sauce, 1 ½ tblsp. lime juice, 1 tblsp. maple syrup, ¼ tsp. Sambal olek (or other pepper paste). Toss the rinsed soba noodles with 2-3 tblsp. of the sauce.

          Serve noodles in shallow bowls, top with pork medallions, steamed snap peas and chopped scallions.

 

                                       Stir fried Oriental pork with snow peas

          Slice ½ lb. pork tenderloin in ¼ inch slices and marinate for 5 min. in 1 ½ tblsp. dark soy sauce for 5 minutes. Toss with 2 tblsp. corn starch to coat.

          In a large skillet heat 1 tblsp. peanut oil to shimmer, stir fry the meat on high temperature for 2 minutes and set aside. Add another tblsp. oil to the pan and stir fry 1 small onion thinly sliced with 4 large, sliced mushrooms and 1 tsp. Chinese 5 spice seasoning for 4 minutes.  Stir in ¼ cup water mixed with 1 tblsp. Hoisin sauce, 1 tblsp. soy sauce, ½ tsp. toasted sesame oil and ½ tsp. rice vinegar. Heat for 1 minute, stir in the meat and 2 chopped scallions. Serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, steamed snow peas and rice on the side.

          Weekend lunches or light suppers are easily assembled with items in a well-stocked pantry and refrigerator or freezer. The following makes use of thawed frozen cooked shrimp and canned corn with other ingredients from a well-stocked kitchen. It would be also tasty with extra leftover grilled corn.

                                        Fiesta corn salad with cold shrimp

          Thaw ½ to 1 lb. precooked medium shrimp, rinse and drain well.  In a large bowl combine: 1 can (14 oz.) drained steamed whole kernel corn, 1 chopped Roma tomato, ½ seeded and chopped green pepper, ¼ cup Kalamata or sliced black olives, 1 stalk celery diced, 2 tblsp. chopped Italian parsley, 2 tblsp. chopped red onion or 1-2 slice scallions. Toss with dressing made of 1/3 package Taco mix, 2 tblsp. water, 2 tblsp. white vinegar and 2 tblsp. olive oil. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

          To serve, arrange shrimp around a small dish with dip: 3 tblsp. sour cream mixed with 1 tblsp. ketchup and 1 tsp. hot horseradish and set aside a generous serving of corn salad.

          This week’s recipes might sound like advocacy by Sam Keen that “Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability”.  However, for a good cook it would never lead to loss of delicious flavors.

   (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

 

 

GRILLING SIDES

 

                                                    Grilling sides

           This week’s Independence Day celebrations may start with speeches and parades and conclude with an enthralling variety of magnificent fireworks, but somewhere in between there are likely to be celebrations with food. It is summer and the 4^th of July is one of those days when backyards, parks and porches are likely to emit mouthwatering aromas of cooking in every neighborhood.

          Those aromas encrypted in our collective memories that denote millennia of ancestral gatherings around a fire while anticipating a roasted feast. These days, bison roasted over a bonfire is replaced by burgers, chicken, ribs or even fish being roasted over charcoal or gas and our diet has become richer with a variety of vegetables and condiments. Here are some colorful and tasty side dishes to enhance any picnic or celebration.

                                                       Bavarian potato salad

          Summer salads are best made with oil and vinegar or lemon dressings rather than mayonnaise, to prevent spoilage in hot weather.

          Cook 1-2 lb. baby red potatoes in salted water for about 14 minutes until tender, but not mushy. Drain and cut into quarters in a large bowl. Toss with ¼ cup chopped red onion and 10 finely chopped cornichons.

In a small bowl whisk together: 2 ½ tblsp. white wine vinegar, 2 tbslp. whole grain mustard, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper, 1 tsp. salt and 2 tblsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Toss dressing with the warm potatoes and stir in 2 tblsp. finely chopped fresh dill. Chill for at least 2 hours and serve surrounded with radish wedges.

                                    White bean, radicchio and Feta salad with dill

Soak 1 cup small dried white beans in cold water overnight and drain. Place in a 2 qt. pot and cover with at least 2 inches of water.  Cook for 50 minutes with 1 bay leaf, 5 cloves, 1 tsp. oregano and 1 tsp. salt. Drain, remove bay leaf and cloves and put in a large bowl. Cooked dried beans can be substituted with two 15.5 cans white beans, drained and rinsed.

While the beans are cooking prepare dressing. Remove thin strips of zest from 1 lemon, remove seeds and squeeze out the juice in a small bowl. In a medium pan, on low heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, the zest and 3 smashed garlic cloves. Heat until fragrant for 10-12 minutes on low heat, breaking up the garlic cloves as they soften.

Remove from heat and add the drained beans, reserved lemon juice, ½ tsp. lemon pepper and 1 tsp. kosher salt. Mix to combine and allow to sit for 15 minutes.  In another bowl combine: ½ of small head of radicchio thinly sliced, ¼ cup chopped celery leaves, 1/3 seeded and diced green pepper, ¼ cup chopped dill and 4 oz. crumbled Feta cheese. Toss vegetables and Feta with beans and serve with lightly toasted sliced almonds on top.

Quintessential desserts for grilled celebrations are pies. Rhubarb has held its own in our cool spring this year, so here is a recipe for a subtly nutmeg flavored and crispy crumbled rhubarb-raisin pie.

 

                                  Rhubarb-raisin crumble pie

Roll out a single crust of pie dough from the Deli case in a 9- or 10-inch pie plate and fit it snuggly in the dish. Crimp the edges of the crust. In a small bowl combine 1 cup sugar with 2 tblsp. cornstarch and spread 1/3 of the sugar mix over the bottom of the pie plate.  Wash and cut rhubarb stalks in ½ inch pieces to make 4 cups, toss with 1/3 cup raisins, finely grated zest from 1 lemon and the remainder of the sugar mix. Turn all in the pie plate and spread evenly.

In a small bowl combine ½ cup light brown sugar with 1/3 cup flour and ½ tsp. nutmeg. With a pastry cutter or 2 knives cut in 3 tblsp. cold butter to make crumbs. Toss with ¼ cup ‘Grapenuts’ and spread over the top of the pie. Bake 15 minutes in a 450-degree preheated oven, then set temperature to 350 degrees and bake for additional 30 minutes until filling is bubbly. Serve at room temperature plain or with ice cream and enjoy.  

Trivia facts for Independence Day. Our Declaration of Independence was approved by Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, but the actual vote for Independence from Great Brittain was taken on July 2, 1776.

   (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)