IN PRAISE OF SOUP

In Praise of Soup

December spoiled us and lulled us in a feeling of complacency with the still green grass at Christmas and with the conveniently forgotten snowstorms of November. January made sure we were reminded of the fact we live in Maine and winters are to toughen us.

When morning temperatures hover below or barely above zero, it is time to pay attention to survival and warmth. Even the blue jays and doves hunker down close to the ground protecting themselves as they peck at the cracked corn on our deck and under the feeder in the yard. It is cold! The bright glitter of snow in pale winter sun may cheer, but does not guard against the gusts that sweep down from the Arctic.

This is the time of year for the heat of a bowl of soup to warm you with comforting or pungent smell from your nostrils to your toes.  Wrap your hands around such a bowl for lunch or dinner and somehow the icy driveway looks less menacing and even the sky on a cloudy day looks less bleak.

Chowders of all types come to mind, but one of my favorites is corn chowder, which of course can be made easily in many variations. My version is more like a thick soup with crumbled bacon on top in place of croutons.

                        Corn chowder with light cream

Crisp 4-5 slices of bacon in a 4 quart pot, set to drain on paper towels and pour off most of the fat. Return the pot to medium heat and sauté 1 large chopped onion until soft, add 2 stalks celery finely chopped, ½ red pepper diced and 2 diced carrots. Stir in 4 cups chicken broth, 2 cups water, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes and bring to boil. Add 2 medium potatoes diced and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in drained 2 cans crisp corn (or use 2 -3 cups frozen corn), bring to boil and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in 1-2 cups light cream and heat to just boiling. Serve with crumbled bacon on top of each bowl and a bit of chopped scallion greens.

Several friends and our Dutch Neck neighbors were extremely generous providing us with meals during my first weeks at home after my major back surgery. One of those was an incredible pot of corn chowder made by our neighbor Louisa, whose soups never cease to amaze me. One of these days I will try to duplicate it’s rich goodness, thick with cheddar, with finely chopped unpeeled red potatoes and just a hint of jalapeno.

White bean and ham soups are a winter staple and so is chili. However, my Cuban black bean soup is probably less common and now may have become more politically correct.

                        Cuban black bean soup

I like to start with 8 oz. dry black beans, soaked in cold water overnight and cooked for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender, since this gives the beans a firmer texture in the soup. But 2 cans drained and well rinsed black beans can be used instead. In a medium pot heat 2 Tblsp. olive oil and sauté 1 large onion for 5 minutes, stir in 4 chopped garlic cloves, 1 large chopped green pepper, 1 tsp. oregano, 2 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. ground turmeric, ¼ tsp. red pepper and continue to sauté for a couple more minutes until fragrant. Stir in 1 diced large tomato, 3 cups beef or vegetable broth, 1 cup water, 1 6 oz can of tomato paste, 1-2 tsp. salt, pepper to taste and the drained beans. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stir in 3 Tblsp. red wine vinegar. Serve in bowls with chopped red onion or scallions, red radishes on the side.  If desired, stir in a tablespoon of rum or dry sherry before topping with onion.

From ‘up North’ comes Swedish fruit soup for desert, which is cold and really a compote.  But in days of old, when fresh fruit was not plentiful in many parts of the world,  this was a welcome change for the palate.

                        Swedish fruit soup

In a medium pot bring to boil 3 cups water and add a spice packet in cheese cloth containing: 1 cinnamon stick, 7 whole cloves and 6 whole allspice. Add the thinly peeled strips of lemon zest or a mix of lemon and orange zest. Simmer 10 minutes, add 2 cups regular cranberry juice and 1 ½ cups raisins. Bring back to boil and simmer 5 more minutes, add 2 cups pitted prunes and 1 ½ cups dried apricots. Simmer another 7-8 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove spice packet and strips of zest. Serve lukewarm or chilled. Note: no additional sugar is needed.

The other great thing about soups is that they can be reheated for another ready made meal. Stay warm!

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

TO BEGIN ANEW

To Begin Anew

            The yearly gift of January is that we feel we can start with new goals, ambitions and the potential chance that we will carry it through this time. This feeling could be encouraged if at the same time we also got the gift of snowdrops or a crocus or two by the front step, but one should not get greedy as one of those new goals.

            At least we have the annual collection of garden catalogs for dreaming of things to come with colorful pictures of new flower varieties, old favorites and vegetables that look too perfect.  Fortunately the season also came this year with gifts from the family in the form of new cookbooks, to keep me current and intrigued with new taste possibilities to explore in the kitchen. Like many cookbooks these days, these two have interesting associations with restaurants and famous chefs.

            “A BOAT + a whale & A WALRUS” by Renee Erickson has not only a very eye catching title, but also relates to coastal fresh food. It’s relationship to her acclaimed Seattle restaurants do not detract from the recipes approachable by home cooks and in addition contain informative tips for some of her more intriguing selections.

            “The French Laundry” by Thomas Keller is another matter. This comes with a bit of background history. A couple of years ago the family celebrated our younger son’s birthday with a gathering in California. On that occasion four of us splurged on the most awesome dinner I had ever had, at the French Laundry in Yountville, CA. My husband had seen the wistfully regretful look on my face as I wrapped the book for our son’s Christmas present this year and lo and behold, I found it also for me under our tree.

            In fact, the book came in a boxed set with its companion for the family table. Although the original contains such mundane instructions as to how to truss a chicken for a more succulent roast, most of the original restaurant recipes take a pretty steep learning curve for actual achievement of those beautiful small plates. Hence, the companion book looks highly desirable.

            There happens to be only one hitch to that second gift. The book set probably weighs at least 20 pounds! Since I am currently recovering at home from major back surgery and allowed for several months to lift no more than 5-8 pounds, I can’t pick up even one of them! It turns out that a gallon of milk is 8 pounds, my limit. Fortunately I should be fully recovered by the time I need to heft a 15 pound turkey next fall.

            In the meantime, most of the cooking at our house is going to be on a smaller and easily manageable size.  While this precludes some favorite crockpot meals (yes the crockpot weighs a lot), simple ragû mixtures are good on pasta, rice and polenta.

                                    Mushroom and sausage ragû

            Reconstitute 2 oz dried porcini or other wild mushrooms by soaking for 20 min in 1 cup hot water. Remove from liquid, slice and strain mushroom liquid through a piece of paper towel to remove any sand and debris. Set mushrooms and liquid aside. Sautè 8 oz. sliced button mushrooms and porcini with 1 chopped onion, ½ chopped red pepper and 3 chopped garlic cloves in 2 Tblsp. butter for 7 minutes, stir in 2 Tblsp. lemon juice and set aside. In the same pan sear 6 oz. soppressata (or hard salami) cut in ½ inch cubes to slightly render excess fat. Discard excess fat and return soppressata and mushrooms to pan. Stir in ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 Tblsp. flour on medium high heat until well mixed. Slowly stir in the reserved mushroom liquid, 1 cup beef broth and 1 Tblsp. sundried tomato paste. Cook until sauce thickens and is reduced to desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper and serve over hot polenta in a flat soup bowl, garnishing the edges with snow peas heated in boiling broth for 45 seconds.

                                    Polenta + cheese

            Bring to boil 3 cups of water with ½ tsp. salt and 1 Tblsp. butter. Slowly stir in 1 cup polenta (or coarse corn meal), and cook with stirring for about 15 minutes. Add small amounts of hot water if the polenta gets too thick. For cheese polenta stir in ¾ cups sharp cheddar or ½ cup gorgonzola when done, stirring only enough to melt the cheese. Left over polenta can be stored in a small container and reheated sliced under the broiler after brushing with olive oil.

            So, garden and kitchen plans and dreams to the forefront for the next few months. And given that the books get put on a table, I can certainly turn the pages of Mr. Keller’s marvelous tomes!

            (I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)