Mountain Mama

Soup Sunday 2009 :: 1

Despite the bare feet in the photo, above, it's still soup season to me. And time to reinstate my Soup Sundays. [Note: I've added this as a category in my sidebar category cloud, and am (slowly) moving previous soup recipes to that category to make it easier for you to search for recipes.]

I'm really loving the soup this autumn. I'm working on changing my eating habits toward eliminating processed foods, artificial sweeteners, and high carb/high sugar snacks, replacing all of that with whole foods. A huge part of that is cooking more from scratch, and my saving grace there is soup. Such an easy way to cook healthfully, reduce my meat consumption, and not have to slave over a stove all day. So my meal plan for the next two weeks has us eating soup practically every other day. Luckily I have two new soup cookbooks and a new slow-cooker cookbook to help me along. It doesn't hurt that my family likes soup, too.

Still, Sunday remains my favorite day for soup. It's also my favorite day for sharing new recipes with you, so now and through fall and winter, I hope to continue to post Soup Sundays. And, hey, if you have any good soup recipes to share with me, I'd love to see them, so please email me or share them in the comments.

Today's soup began because I was at the grocery store this week without having done an inventory of my cabinet and fell into the trap of thinking I didn't have an item when in reality I had several at home already. (Usually that item is mustard. For some odd reason, I always think I'm nearly out of mustard.) In this case it was 15-Bean Soup. The dried kind. Imagine my embarrassment when I get home and realize that I not only have so many bags of dried beans I could mix my own multi-bean affair, but I have three--oh yes, three--bags of 15-Bean Soup. So I figured I ought to cook up at least one of them.

This recipe I adapted from a Many Bean Soup recipe in this cookbook. With changes to meet my needs, of course.

Slow Cooker 15-Bean Soup

1 package of dried 15-Bean Soup, seasoning packet discarded

1 large onion, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

several cloves garlic, minced (my addition)

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 bay leaf

One 15-oz can chopped plum tomatoes, with their juice

1 smoked ham hock or ham bone (I didn't have this so I substituted a fatty slice of bacon, cut into large pieces)

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 pound fresh mushroom pieces (the original recipe did not call for these, but I had them in the fridge, leftover from Friday's meal, so I threw them in).

Soak the beans overnight in water to cover. Drain and rinse thoroughly.

Add beans to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients up to (and including) the broth and stir to combine.

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the beans are tender and the ham (if you have it) is falling from the bone. Add the mushrooms about halfway through (so they don't get too mushy).

If using, remove the ham hock or ham bone from the soup, chop any meat (removing the fat), and return the meat to the slow cooker.

Remove the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper just before serving.

I served it with a shaving of parmesan on top and a hank of rustic bread for dipping in the broth.

Enjoy!

__________________________________________________________________________________

Today I am thankful for...

bare feet and playing in the creek in November,

nourishing soup, despite the warmer weather,

a productive weekend, getting done with some cleaning tasks I'd been putting off for too long,

some Mama time snuck into the corners of a weekend,

and yet still plenty of reading and snuggles and play with my girls,

a pace of life which works quite well for me.

30 Days of Thanks :: 13

Today I am thankful for...

yet another beautiful fall day in the mountains,

an unexpected hour to myself in the middle of the day, cooking dinner (putting it in the CrockPot), windows open, Leo Kottke and Old Crow Medicine Show on the CD player,

my dad, for all the work he does around our house, spending the day cleaning out the flower beds and garden, taking Barrett to run errands with him so that I could have the above hour,

Owen's teachers, who nominated her for a "Light of Character" award at her school, and who guide and inspire and encourage her daily,

your patience in waiting for my promise final post on my reflections on this journey (and other posts I promised is response to your kind requests)--they're coming, please continue being kind and checking back in with me.

As Promised: Tomato Pie

I promised you guys to tell about the tomato pie I posted on Flickr earlier this week.

The short version of the story is that I had a bunch of really handsome tomatoes, not much else in the way of groceries, and a hankering to try a recipe I heard on NPR a while back (plus a version a friend gave me). So I made tomato pie. And it was so beautiful when it came out of the oven that I had to photograph it. And the photos were so beautiful that I had to post them on Flickr. And we ate it and it was so good I had to write about it on Facebook. And some of my friends were asking about it there and some of you guys were looking for it here (after seeing it on Flickr) and, well, here we are.

See? Isn't it pretty?

 

I mean, really, look at all that yummy, cheesy, tomatoey, biscuity goodness. You should try it this weekend with your late summer garden tomatoes. You'll be glad you did.

Tomato Pie (this is largely how the recipe was written for me, with some of my own comments):

Make 1 biscuit recipe from the Bisquick box (this is the cheating step, but it works for a thick, bready crust). Use as a pie crust and bake it. Place either ceramic baking beads or another pie plate on top of it to keep it from rising out of control (it'll still be a tad big, but that's okay).

Layer in the pie crust (really high) sweet onions sliced pretty thin (about 1-2 big ones) and garden tomatoes sliced not too thin (about 2 lbs). Season each layer with salt, fresh cracked pepper, and fresh basil leaves (I also might add some Emeril's Essence and/or Italian seasoning, but these are not necessary).

In a bowl, combine 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and 1 cup mayo. Mix the cheese and mayo with your hands and squish it all over the pie like a top crust. (I used shredded mozzarella. The person who wrote the recipe for me used goat cheese. Next time I would reduce the mayo by half because I'm not such a mayo fan. Also, I use the olive oil based mayo. You do need some mayo, though, to keep it all together and make the top crust).

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.

Don't let anyone touch it while you take pictures of it for later posting on Flickr and FB. (Okay I suppose you could skip this step, but it does sort of enhance the experience.)

My dad didn't make it to dinner for first rounds of this, so I gave him the leftovers for his lunch. He reported that it was still delicious the next day--with a taste like a summer tomato sandwich. You know the kind: mayo, white bread, thick sliced tomatoes. It tastes a bit like that.

Enjoy!

Jamberries

We made our strawberry jam this weekend. At our favorite farm we grabbed the last three gallons of berries picked that morning. I didn't feel too bad: the farmer said more were expected soon and we could see the pickers in the fields, working quickly down the rows. We went home immediately and made two batches of jam. This morning I had fresh strawberries on my French Toast and I made a strawberry pie for lunch at my in-laws tomorrow. Can't get enough of 'em. They'll be gone soon, though, so we might as well eat 'em while we can. Wouldn't you agree?

Anyway, trying to clear space on my computer, I'm slowly working my way through the documents/photos on the hard drive and I found some things I'd written a few years back. Posts for a group blog called Blue Ridge Gazette (which is now no longer a group blog); a poem I wrote for Paul; lists of wildflowers and birds seen in Spring 2007; a magazine article, queried but never published. Among the writings I found an essay I wrote for BRG about making strawberry jam. We had been living here less than a year. Owen was two. Barrett was not yet to be. Paul and I were making our first ever batch of jam under the wise tutelage of my father. And we were both smitten with our new lives, relishing our good fortune.

I thought you might be interested in seeing the essay (some of you for a second time, most for the first time), written May 2006. The photos are from the same time. I hope you enjoy.

How to make jam

 

Dream of strawberries. Awaken in the deep white winter with the scent of blueberries lingering on your pillow. Feel your fingers itch when you drive by blackberry thickets along the highway.

 

As the days lengthen and the wildflowers begin their modest show on a woodland stage, look for the signs. Try to remember: Did the farm stand open in April last year? Or was it May?

 

Wait. Let the longing fill the back of your mouth until you have to lick your lips.

 

When your father’s friend, the farmer, lets him know they are ripe, schedule the day. Ready your supplies: pectin, sugar (10 pounds!), jars, lids, pans, spatulas, canning pot.

 

Pile everyone into the car. While your father talks with the farmer’s father (second—or is he third—generation on this land), walk among the plats of berries picked that day, resisting the temptation to fondle and taste.

 

 

Take your toddler into the fields. Show her the fruit, how it hangs heavy on the leafy plants. Teach her how to choose the best ones—bright color, firm but not too firm, easily released to the basket. Let her eat as many as she picks. Disregard the juice that runs down her chin and onto her shirt.

 

Look up. Breathe in the mountain air, the farm soil, the berries, no longer a dream.

 

 

Take them home, clean them, cut them, mash them. Taste a few for quality control. Let the aroma fill the kitchen. Let your talk be of times past and of mothers canning and of grandmothers’ cobblers and of aunts gossiping in your childhood kitchen. Let your voices form a memory for the child beside you. Know that she is listening.

 

Add the pectin. Rolling bubble. Add the sugar. Rolling bubble, stirring constantly for one minute. The timing is precise, talk is minimal, the child busied away from the hot stove. This is the critical point.

 

When the sparkling liquid is just right, it is time. Fill the jars, clean and cap them…you are a team now, working seamlessly together, in comfortable companionship.

 

 

Process in a canning pot for fifteen minutes (adjusting for altitude, as you are above 3000 feet).

 

Sample the half jar that wouldn’t fit into the canner. Make jam bread for the toddler while you wait. This will require a thick slice of brown bread, butter, and a large spoon.

 

When the time is up, lift the rack of jeweled jars from the water and lay them out, diamonds on a velvet cloth.

 

Listen for the satisfying pop as they cool and seal. Wash dishes and repeat. Three more times.

 

 

Fluctuate between selfish desire to hoard and generous pride in your handiwork. Let generosity win and give most of your creation away. Plan for another round next Saturday. Eat waffles or toast every morning—with jam.

 

Relish each bite and know that, come winter, you will be dreaming of berries again.

 

Vow to savor the fruits of summer all year long.

Soup Sunday

I must confess: I have a bit of a celebrity crush. On Mark Bittman. It's crazy I know. But I think Mark Bittman can teach me how to be a great cook. I mean, not just someone who can read cookbooks and follow recipes, but someone who can cook.

I mean, I've read Michael Pollan. I've read The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. And  I love Pollan's mantra: "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants." It's cute, it sounds good, it's very good advice. But it doesn't tell me really how to do that every day. It doesn't tell me how to cook whole grains or all different kinds of vegetables. It doesn't tell me what to write on my meal plan for a Tuesday after a full day of work when I have to put something on the table for three adults and two children.

But Mark Bittman can tell me. And his plan for eating not only is sane, as he says in his newest book, it's do-able. Plus this is the guy who can tell us How to Cook Everything, remember (I can't wait to get that cookbook). 

So since I read the review in Salon and went out and bought the book and devoured the book, I've been semi-stalking Mark Bittman. I've listened for his interviews on NPR. I've looked for more reviews and interviews in magazines and newspapers. I found his blog and read through several pages of it. I've put at least three of his cookbooks on my Amazon wishlist.

It's not really that his writing is all that great (it's good, don't get me wrong) or that the information he gives in Food Matters is all that remarkable (Michael Pollan has actually told us all of this in much greater depth). It's the way he writes his recipes. As if they're not really recipes at all, but lessons in how to cook. He gives so many tips and variations and tidbits of advice with each recipe that I can get several different meals how of each one.

And that (I hope) is why Mark Bittman is going to make me a great cook. Once I lay my hands on his big cookbook that is...

In the mean time I'll share with you one recipe from Food Matters, the one I'll be making this Soup Sunday. Without having to get any new ingredients from the store, because I just so happen to have chicken thighs and chickpeas and everything on hand. I love that kind of recipe, don't you?

Chickpea Stew with Roasted Chicken

4 cups cooked chickpeas or canned chickpeas (or favas, or lima beans), drained but reserving the liquid

2 cups bean cooking liquid, any stock, or water

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 Tbs olive oil

4 chicken pieces (about 1 pound), preferably legs or thighs

1 or 2 small eggplants or medium zucchinis, chopped (I am eliminating these because I don't have them and they're not in season)

1 pound fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

1 large onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 Tbs minced garlic

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 cups peeled, chopped tomato (here Bittman adds: "canned is fine; don't bother to drain.")

chopped fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish

1. Heat oven to 400. Warm the beans in a large stockpot with the liquid. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles slowly.

2. Put 3 Tbs olive oil in a large, deep skillet over med-high heat, add the chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper and brown well on all sides, for about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a small roasting pan and set aside.

3. Pour off all but 3 Tbs of the fat and return the skillet to medium heat. Add the eggplant or zucchini and mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Put the chicken in the oven.

4. Add another Tbs of oil to the skillet. Still over medium heat, add the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, and tomato and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Add the mixture to the simmering beans along with the reserved eggplant or zucchini and mushrooms.

5. When the chicken has cooked for about 15 minutes, check for doneness (juices will run clear if you make a small cut near the bone). When it is ready, remove it from the oven. When the vegetables are tender, put the chickpeas and vegetables on a large, deep platter; top with the chicken, and drizzles with its juices; then garnish, and serve.

Now doesn't that sound lovely? And simple? And perfect?

Friday Night Dinner

At my Dad's: better than the finest restaurant meal.

Lovely atmosphere.

 

Truly lovely meal: squid salad, broiled mahi mahi, and homemade cole slaw. All spiced and cooked perfectly.

     

Even special meals for the girls: individual pizzas, popcorn, and grapes. (Although Owen actually said: "I love squid" and backed it up by taking a few bites. She thought it was chewy and decided she didn't want it after all.)

 

Top it off with a glass of wine and excellent company.

After dinner, we can just walk home. How much better can it get?

No soup for you

It's true. I have no soup recipe for you today. You may smite me now.

It's not that I'm not making soup for supper. I am. I'm just using one I've already told you guys about: the Vegetable Beef Soup from the South Beach Diet Cookbook. Yes, we're doing the two-week carb-restricting thing again. Christmas messed us up. Well, not actually Christmas--we did pretty well on our eating at Christmas--it was the after Christmas part that ruined our resolve and sent us back to square one. So, here we go again.

But that's not really why I have no soup recipe. I was just...gasp...lazy this weekend, and decided to spend time with my family doing nearly nothing (but being together). Which means I kept my computer time to a minimum. And I'm not ashamed of that one bit.

I do have a question for you, though, in the soup realm. You see, we have a fish market in town now. And Paul loves fish stew. But I know nothing about cooking fish in a soup (I have visions of it just falling apart in the broth), so it intimidates me a little. I'm willing to try, though.

So here's the question: do any of you have a good fish stew recipe? Have you tried it? Does it work and taste good? And, will you share it with me? Your contribution would be much appreciated by my husband.

Soup Sunday::Italian Wedding Soup

 

Seems everywhere I look lately I find a recipe for, or a picture of, or a reference to Italian Wedding Soup. And yet I've never made it before. It must be calling to me.

So today I'll heed the calling and go ahead and make the darn stuff.

The recipes, of course, vary, but all seem to have three main ingredients that make it essentially Italian Wedding Soup: meatballs, broth, and endive (or escarole). The meatballs seem variably to made with pork, beef, or turkey. I don't have any endive or escarole, so I'll skip that in favor of some spinach in mine, and I'll use turkey for a leaner soup. Sometimes tiny pasta shapes are added but I'll probably skip that, as we try to eat low-carb around here.

This recipe comes once again from Martha Stewart, this time from the January 2009 issue of her Everyday Food magazine, but you can find any number of recipes from Gia DeLaurentis and Food Network to Cooks.com to AllRecipes.

Light Italian Wedding Soup

1 pound lean ground turkey

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs (I use Italian)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 Tbs olive oil

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 (14.5 oz) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice

2 heads escarole (2 pounds total), cored, trimmed, and coarsely chopped

1. In a bowl, combine turkey, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground pepper. Using 1 tablespoon for each, roll mixture into balls.

2. In large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 3-4 minutes, Add broth and tomatoes with juice, and bring to a simmer.  Add meatballs; cook, without stirring, until meatballs float to the surface, about 5 minutes.

3. Add as much escarole to the pot as will fit. Cook, gradually adding remaining escarole, until wilted, and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Thin soup with water if desired, season with salt and pepper.

Serve sprinkled with more Parmesan.

I will probably add some Italian seasoning to the pot, and maybe some parsley or Oregano to the meatballs. Otherwise I will try this recipe as is...

Edited to add: As usual, I had to mess with it. Turns out I had no spinach, either, so I skipped the greens. I added some celery with the onions, and some shredded carrot with the tomatoes for an additional nutritional boost. I meant to add mushrooms but forgot and left them on the counter. Maybe next time.

It must be good because there were absolutely no leftovers. Dad had two servings and Paul had three. Heck I even had two and I never get seconds of my own food.

Enjoy!

Soup Sunday and 31 Days of Joy::28

 

I made today's soup from another Martha Stewart recipe, from her Kids edition. It's a simple soup, uses ingredients you're likely to have on hand, takes no more than 30 minutes, and one of the main ingredients is bacon. How can it be anything but good?

Bean and Bacon Soup

1/2 lb (about 10 slices) bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

small onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 medium celery stalks, sliced (I like to add a little of the leafy part, too)

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups water (I used another 2 cups broth instead to pump up the salty flavor)

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed (I used cans of mixed pinto and white beans, Bush's and Luck's both have them)

3/4 tsp sage

salt and pepper to taste

(Of course I added minced garlic--about a Tbs--and some Emeril's Essence seasoning to the vegetables, because that's what I always do in soup).

In a medium saucepan over high heat, cook the bacon until brown and lightly crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and, with a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate. Pour off all but about 1 Tbs of the bacon grease and return pan to the heat. Saute onion, garlic, carrots, and celery in bacon grease until softened (about 3 minutes), scraping bacon bits off bottom of the pan. I usually add the Emeril's to the vegetables at this point. Add broth and water (or additional broth) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, about 15 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Add beans, spices, and about 1/2 the bacon. Simmer a few additional minutes until all is heated through.

Serve with cheese toast or cheese quesadillas and garnish with remaining bacon and some grated Parmesan.

Enjoy!____________________________________________________________________________________

Today's joy...

church as a family, and then a lazy day at home.

Soup Sunday #7::Not really soup, but good anyway

That's right, today's Soup Sunday recipe is not really soup. However, it is an easy, one-pot dish that you can whip up at the last minute and serve in bowls. So it's enough like soup for me to share with you here.

I discovered this recipe one day on the Martha Stewart website while looking for something quick to make with the ingredients I had on hand that day. Over time, I've memorized it, changed it a bit, and now sort of feel like it's my own. Martha would surely disagree, but I am giving her credit for the original recipe. So there.

You can make this as spicy as you like. I tend to modify the heat a bit depending on who's around the table. Paul and I like it with a kick. My mom and Owen, not so much. The chipotle chiles in Adobo can be found in the Mexican section of any grocery store (if it can be found in our lousy little mountain store, it can be found anywhere). These chiles are quite hot so please if you improvise don't use the whole can. Trust me on this. I tried it once and no one could eat the dish. Not even Paul or Dad.

Chicken Chilaquiles

1 Tbs olive oil

4 garlic cloves, mashed or minced (or a heaping Tbs of minced garlic)

(You could also add onions, if you like: about 1/2 an onion, chopped, and cooked with the garlic)

2  14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes with spices (I like Dole's Fire-Roasted Tomatoes for this)

2 canned chipotle chiles (about 1 heaping Tablespoon), plus one Tbs adobo sauce (from same can). (Note that this is saying to use only 2 chiles from the can, not the whole can and not, please God, two cans.)

Adobo seasoning to taste

Emeril's Essence or Emeril's Southwest Essence seasoning, to taste

1 small cooked rotisserie chicken (about 1 3/4 pounds), skinned and shredded (about 4 cups), carcass discarded (I thought it was interesting that Martha's people felt they had to say this part, seems self-evident to me).

Dash of Liquid smoke (optional)

1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)

1. Cook garlic (and onions, if using) in oil in a large (3 to 4 quart) saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and sizzling, 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes with their juices, chipotles and adobo sauce from can. (I usually chop the chipotles right in the pan with my kitchen shears, or you can chop them before adding.) If needed, add a little water--it should be sauce-like. Season with Adobo or Emeril's seasonings and add a dash or two of liquid smoke. Reduce heat and simmer rapidly until lightly thickened, 6- 8 minutes.

3. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until hot, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro.

4. Line shallow bowls with tortilla chips or torn pieces of soft tortillas and top with chicken mixture and sauce. Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, and feta, if desired.

This is an easy, last-minute, after-work-and-don't-want-to-cook-for-an-hour kind of dish. I keep the ingredients on hand so that all I have to do after a long day is remember to pick up a rotisserie chicken on my way home. For Owen and my mom I will either use only one chile or make sure to scoop around the chiles (they're darker than the tomatoes) when I'm serving them. You could omit the chiles altogether, except that they add a nice flavor and the adobo sauce with them gives it some smokiness that makes it a little something more than just chicken and tomatoes.

Enjoy!