Zucchini Corn Soup & Mama's Corn Bread

Ok, ok, I know I just posted a soup recipe, but i can't help it, this is what we've been eating. Earlier this week we went to a friend's house for dinner and she made a delicious soup with zucchini, corn, dill, and some vegetable bullion. Last night, I tried to use similar ingredients for a similar result. Apparently it's the starch in the corn that gives it the creamy texture. In the world of soups, it was a really nice change of pace from the brothy types we usually make. (Plus, I was dying to play with my new food processor.)

Ideally, I would have had some fresh yeasted bread to accompany the soup, but without prior preparation, I thought it would be a good time to try my mother's cornbread in one of our "new" iron skillets. I suppose the word "corn" can be the tie that binds between these two? Mostly, this meal was about celebrating the end of a cold, snowy work week, with something warm and comforting. Success!

Zucchini Corn Soup
interpreted from Alia's soup dish on Monday night

Ingredients:
-1 small onion
-1 large shallot
-4 cloves of garlic (note: these first three ingredients are the best way to start anything)
-4 small (out of season) zucchinis
-1 large carrot
-1 large celery stalk
-3/4 of a 1lb bag of frozen corn
-1 1/2 boxes of chicken broth or vegetable broth (I like reduced sodium so I can be in charge of my own salt)
-1 Tbs dill weed
-salt and pepper to taste
-olive oil for pot

Roughly chop all the vegetables but the corn, (the soup will be pureed later).

In a large pot, heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil (I would have started with some bacon or ham if I'd had any). Sautee the garlic, onion, shallot, and some salt until browned and fragrant, keep stirring to prevent burning. Stir in the chopped zucchini, carrot, and celery until coated with oil. Sautee for about a minute.

Pour in the chicken broth, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get up all those bits of flavorful caramelized onion. Cover lightly and bring to a boil. Add frozen corn and simmer for 15 minutes or until flavorful. Turn off heat and allow to cool.

In small batches, transfer the cooled soup to a blender to puree. Return to heat to warm up. Add salt and pepper to taste.



Mama's Skillet Cornbread
ever so slightly adapted from Cathy's Cookbook

Preheat oven 400 degrees F

1 cup stone ground cornmeal
1 cup self rising flour (lots of my mother's recipes call for this, so I finally went ahead and bought a bag of it. It is just all-purpose flour with salt and leaveners already in it)
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (you can substitute regular milk with a tsp of vinegar in it)
2 beaten eggs

Combine dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, and eggs.
Stir wet ingredients into the dry with a wooden spoon until combined.
Bake for 20 minutes (or until browned on the top) in a well-greased iron skillet (size 8).

(This makes quite a bit of corn bread, this morning on the phone, mama said you could reduce the recipe by a third and use a size 6 skillet for less servings.)

Soundtrack: Ella Fitzgerald, A-Tisket A-Tasket

Challah Bread

Since I've started making bread, I've rarely used the same recipe twice. This means I have mastered no particular bread, but have a little experience with lots of different bread recipes. Even the few loaves that failed to rise made the house smell wonderful and tasted just fine, despite the dense texture. For the most part, the recipes I've tried yield results that taste pretty much the same. As my dad might say, "bread is bread". This Challah recipe however, sets itself apart. It is light, fluffy, a little sweet, and completely luxurious after many whole wheat rustic loaves. Challah is a traditional Jewish Sabbath bread blessed and served before Friday night dinner. According to Joy of Cooking, it is also "particularly good at breakfast time".

Challah
from The Joy of Cooking

Combine in a large mixing bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved (about 5 min):
-1 package of active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1/2 cup warm (105-115 degrees) water

Add:
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-2 large eggs, lightly beaten
-2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
-3 Tbs vegetable oil
-3 Tbs sugar
-1 1/4 tsp salt

Mix by hand or on low speed until thoroughly blended. Gradually stir in:
-2 1/2 cups bread flour

Knead for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticks to your hands or the bowl. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn it over once to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 1/12 hours. Punch the dough down, knead briefly, and refrigerate covered until it has again nearly doubled in volume, 4-12 hours. (I figured my kitchen was cold enough to practically be a refrigerator).

Divide the dough equally into three parts. On an un-floured work surface, roll into balls and let rest for 10 minutes. Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with corn meal. Roll each ball into a 13-inch to 14-inch long rope, about 1 1/2-inch thick. Dust the 3 ropes with rye or whole wheat flour for more definition. Place the three strands next to each-other and pinch the top ends together. Braid the dough ropes and pinch the bottom ends together. Tuck the ends under and place on baking sheet. Brush the top of the loaf with an egg wash, and cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until not quite doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the loaf again with egg and sprinkle the top with sesame seeds.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the bottom of the load sounds hollow when tapped, 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.

There are also 4-strand braided loafs and 6-strand loafs


Soundtrack: Chet Baker, Tenderly

Guest Blogger: Mike DiMotta on Spicy Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

Ever since I met Mike about seven years ago, I have enjoyed his multiple soup variations and seen the Master at work: changing ingredients, trying new spices, combining recipes to create these big comforting pots of soup at the perfect soup-appropriate times. He can feed multitudes which is why we often use him and his soups when we have a house full of hungry friends. Mike and I shared a tiny apartment in Portland, Oregon for about two months, and we must have had soup at least twice a week. It is what my body and soul crave on these gray, snowy, rainy days. He was visiting over New Year's, and we made sure our kitchen was stocked with the ingredients he'd need. With two inches of snow on the ground, we spent New Year's Eve day working on our various projects with soup bowls in hand, coffee in the pot, and every once in a while, a comment on the year.

So here in his own words, is Mike's favorite soup recipe.

Thank you Mae lo for that wonderful glowing charismatic introduction!

Today we are going to discuss Soup! My favorite spicy Italian sausage tortellini soup to be specific. It's the perfect comfort food on a rainy, snowy, cold day, and only takes about 30 minutes to make.

A recipe that evolved over time, the current ingredients are:

- 1 lb Spicy Italian sausage (squeezed out of the casing.. gross)
- one bag of chopped fresh spinach
- one can of diced tomatoes
- a couple of cloves of garlic minced
- one vadalia onion, chopped
- one family sized package of your favorite cheese tortellini
- 2 boxes of chicken broth.
- grated parmesan cheese
- crushed black pepper
-(optional one bag of broad soup egg noodles)

One large pot to cook everything in!

First we cook the spicy sausage (out of casing), onions, and garlic, in a drizzle of Olive oil until the sausage has been ground up and browned.

(you can drain the sausage fat if you like.. but I leave it for spicy flavor)

Then add the the can of diced tomato to the sausage mixture and let that cook for a bit.

Pour in about a box and a half of the chicken stock into the pot and bring to a boil.
(This is usually when I chop the spinach.. )


Once we get a good boil going, pour in your tortellini (I also sometimes add a couple handfuls of broad soup noodles to help absorb some of the broth).

Once the tortellini and noodles seem cooked, I'll add a little bit more broth if it needs it (depending on how soupy you want it). Dump the fresh spinach on top of the soup and cover.


Leave until the spinach is wilted, and then mix it in!

Let cool for a couple minutes and ladle into your favorite soup bowl (if you don't have one, you should get one) and add a pinch of parmesan cheese and black pepper on top!

It could feed about 5 or 6 people and it's super yummy. ENJOY!

Mike's soup makin' soundtrack: Timothy Seth Avett, Rain on My Tin Roof

John and Robert enjoying their soup

Pancake Nonpareil (New Years Eve)

Good Morning!

Growing up, my mother made this dish for breakfast every Sunday morning before heading off to church. It is similar to a sweet skinny breakfast souffle...if there is such a thing. Dictionary.com defines nonpareil as "something without equal", and sure enough after one bite this morning, Mike DiMotta said "I've never had anything like this". It is a super simple, relatively fast treat with ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen.

I haven't been able to make it myself because I've never had a cast iron skillet...until now. Robert and I have had our eyes peeled for one on Craigslist, but never had any luck. A few weeks before Christmas we were walking around Cobble Hill in Brooklyn and there on the sidewalk was a pile of kitchen ware including two cast iron skillets (!!!). Robert restored them to beautiful working condition and we have been enjoying things we couldn't make before like Fritattas and my mother's Pancake Nonpareil.

Over the summer we had breakfast at Ben and Katie's where they made a "Dutch Baby". I had never heard of a Dutch Baby, but it was almost the exact same dish as Pancake Nonpareil. When I got home I looked for it in the index of my Joy of Cooking, and sure enough it's almost the exact same thing with a few slight differences. My mother's recipe, for example, calls for an extra egg white which i think helps to puff it up like a souffle. You can use pretty much any sized cast iron skillet, it will just change the thickness of the pancake.

Here are both recipes to taste test and enjoy:

Pancake Nonpareil
from my mother

Preheat oven 425 F

Combine and beat lightly:
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs plus 1 egg white, lightly beaten
pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup flour

Melt in 12" skillet:
4 Tbs margarine

When hot: pour in batter & bake 15 20 min.
Sprinkle with:
2 Tbs powdered sugar
and return to oven for 2 min.

Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve promptly.

Dutch Baby
from the Joy of Cooking

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
Whisk together until smooth:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature

Melt into a 10" oven-proof skillet over medium heat:
4 Tbs of unsalted butter

Tilt the pan so that the butter coats the sides. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and cook, without stirring, for 1 minute. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, 12-15 minutes. Serve immediately, for the pancake loses its puff, and therefore its drama, almost immediately. (What a fabulous sentence!)

Soundtrack: Cat Power: The Greatest

Christmas: come and gone

mug from House

I don't think I've fully recovered from Christmas. Every year its the same scenario: starting around Thanksgiving, I get so excited and nostalgic at the thought of the upcoming holiday. The iPod gets overhauled with Christmas tunes and "wintery" music, I line up my Netflix queue with all my favorite holiday movies, I plan obsessively with lists and mental to-dos of what gifts to make, what cookies to bake, what to wear on the big day... December is actually somewhat of an emotional roller-coaster. Amidst all the planning and excitement, I am also reminiscing of all the Christmases past. It's a bittersweet activity because there's always something or someone to miss.

Then Christmas arrives with all it's turkey and chocolate, and gift-giving glory. Suddenly, the dinner guests go home, the TV turns off, you fall asleep full, and wake up the next morning as if nothing had happened. A long drive home, back to work on Monday, and the world spins on. No wonder so many people take the week between Christmas and new years off... your body, mind, and emotions need a whole week to digest everything. Oh, and not to mention new year's! A holiday for assessing your year (life really), triumphs, failures, etc... while at the same time declaring to be a better person and imagining/hoping for what good health and happiness awaits in the coming year. Yes, I suppose I find December a little taxing...but glorious, and i love every bit.


Fiesta Ware from Patti, and Salad tossers from Mom

I intended this post to be all about the wonderful gifts i received for my kitchen! Among the highlights were a tart pan with a removable bottom from Robert, a set of three large Fiesta Wear bowls (and some various other gorgeous dishes) from Patti, hand carved salad tossers and pie server from Santa (mom), a Sarah House original mug from House, food processor/ blender from my parents, and some sour dough bread starter from Betsy, which she has been feeding since 1971! Thank you everyone, my kitchen and I are grateful!


recycled glass dish and saucer set from Patti

Chocolate Truffles and Sand Dollars

I found these recipes in a chocolate cookbook I got for Molly for Christmas. I have never really been much of a chocolate fan, but Robert is beginning to change my opinion. He often buys dark chocolate bars from the grocery store, and after taking bites here and there, I think I am prepared to declare myself a chocolate fan. I enjoy that I don't have to eat a lot of it. A little goes a long way. I also repeatedly read about the health benefits of dark chocolate. According to Women's Health Magazine, the cacao in chocolate contains flavonoids which "reduce blood pressure, increase the flexibility of veins and arteries, and cut down on stroke and heart attack risk." Though it's high in calories, as a treat it has more benefits than milk chocolate and other candies and cakes.

So, before wrapping up the book, I tested out a few recipes from the "candy store"section. They were easy to follow, and made an impressive contribution to the Christmas celebration.

Chocolate Truffles
adapted from Chocolate American Style by Lora Brody
makes 40-50 truffles

1 cup of heavy cream
16 oz. chocolate (bittersweet, semisweet, milk, or white, coarsely chopped)
2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 Tbs of orange zest
2 Tbs Bailey's Irish Cream (optional)

Coatings:
unsweetened cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar sifted together
cocoa powder and cinnamon sifted together
finely chopped pecans

Line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.

Place the cream in a medium, heavy saucepan. Set the pan on medium-low heat. Stir in the chocolate, butter, orange zest, and liqueur. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Scrape the truffle mixture into a medium metal bowl and place it in the freezer for about 20 min, or until firm.

When you are ready to roll the truffles, use a teaspoon or melon baller to scoop up a full teaspoon of the truffle mixture. Roll the truffle quickly in your hands to form a ball about 1" in diameter. (A little messy, just work quickly and wipe your hands between rolls.) Roll the truffle in desired coating and place it on the baking sheet. once the truffles are all on the baking sheet, refrigerate for about 20 minutes or until the truffles are firm.

Sand Dollars
adapted from Chocolate American Style
makes 24-30 candies



1 1/2-2 cups of toasted slivered almonds and dried cranberries
10 oz of best quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
dash of cayenne powder

Line several baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over very low heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sash of cayenne powder. Pour and scrape tempered chocolate into a heavy-duty 1-quart resealable plastic bag. Force the air out of the bag, seal it, then use a pair of scissors to snip off a very small piece of one of the corners. Hold the bag over the prepared baking sheet and pipe out a 1 1/2 to 2 Tbs circle of chocolate. Smooth over with table knife or spatula. While the chocolate is still soft, sprinkle your toppings over the chocolate and press in gently with your fingers.

Allow the sand dollars to harden at room temperature, then carefully peel them from the parchment. Store at room temperature in a covered container with wax paper between the layers, for up to one month.

I experimented with coarse sea salt as a topping, and crushed red pepper as a topping. Both were exciting to look at, but a little overwhelming on the taste buds.

Favorite Christmas Cookies

My mother has these in her cook book as "Finger Tips" (which, to me, sounds a little unappetizing) . I have also heard them referred to as "Mexican Wedding Cakes". But growing up i don't recall calling them anything. It was just a known truth that these cookies were my favorite Christmas time treat. My mother made them every year for me- even the two years i was in St. John for Christmas I got a tin full of powdered sugared crumbly goodness in the mail.

This year, instead of my own private tin of them, my mother presented me with a large bag of pecans at Thanksgiving. It took an additional phone call reminder from her the other day to actually get around to trying the recipe for myself for the first time. It was quite simple despite my misconception that i must have a food processor to make them properly. I just chopped the pecans as fine as i could get them, and used a pastry cutter to get the butter (i used butter instead of margarine) and dry ingredients all mashed together. Final touch: hand mixing before shaping the cookies into their signature crescent moon shape.

With the tree decorated, snow on the ground, and my favorite Christmas cookies at arms reach, it feels more and more like Christmas is here.

"Finger Tips"
from Cathy's Cookbook

1 stick margarine, softened
2 heaping Tbs powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
pinch salt
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
powdered sugar

Preheat oven 350 F.
Cream margarine and sugar.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Roll bits of dough the size of walnut between palms to form
finger lengths or crescents and place on ungreased
cookie sheet.
Bake 10 15 min.
While warm, roll in powdered sugar.
Can dip ends in melted chocolate and let harden if desired.