Good Morning.
When I was fourteen I gave up chocolate for Lent. It was awful. No hot chocolate with marshmallows, no chocolate pudding, no chocolate cake with a creamed cheese frosting
an aunt used to make, no M&Ms of Nestle's Crunch, my go-to candy. One year was enough.
Today I give up eggplant. I am also, apparently, giving up graphics. They just changed the format
for adding graphics and at the moment, I cannot do it. I suppose this is appropriate for Lent, but
I apologize.
Fat Tuesday is over. Last night I had orange-mustard chicken, a baked potato with sour cream and chives, and a nice serving of peas with butter. I had chocolate ice cream late on in the evening. You're not supposed to do that but it was Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras if you're on Bourbon Street. I wore the beads I got in New Orleans and watched someone renovate an old house in Chicago on HGTV.
Today begins the forty days when people who are brave and Christian are supposed to do all
sorts of good things like not eat too much and be nice to annoying people and read inspirational poetry rather than go to crummy movies. In many churches and homes, people set aside one day to have a soup and salad meal, but that doesn't mean it has to be tomato soup from a can and
a basic tossed salad with bottled Thousand Island dressing. Soups can be elegant or rustic and
salads can be colorful and interesting enough to make the diner think no self-deprivation is
involved.
We begin with Vichyssoise. This is a cold soup but the classiest one out there.
1 large white onion, chopped
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
6 large leeks, rinsed, dried, and white and light green parts sliced
1 quart chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Fresh chives
In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Saute the onion until translucent. Add the leeks and saute for five minutes. Add the diced potatoes and saute for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for half an hour until the potatoes are tender. Puree the soup
in batches in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot, taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Let the soup cool to room temperature, then chill overnight. To serve, ladle into
chilled bowls and snip some fresh chives on top of each portion.
The following Tuscan Bean Soup is almost a meal in itself. Almost.
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 oz. deli ham, chopped into pieces
1/2 red or white onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced plus one whole one, peeled
2 large carrots, peeled, and thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, the no-salt kind
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, the no-salt kind
2 cups water
1 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 thick slices French or Italian bread
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot. Add the ham, onion and minced garlic. Cook for two minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook for five minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, water, and a dasb of salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, for twenty minutes. Meanwhile, lightly toast the bread and rub both sides with the whole garlic clove. Sprinkle one side with parmesan. Top each serving with a piece of toast and drizzle with a bit of olive oil if desired. Vegetarians can omit the ham
and the soup will be just as good. BTW, wash your hands after rubbing the garlic on the bread.
Getting garlic in an eye isn't good at all.
Cream of Mushroom Soup
5 oz. shitake mushrooms
5 oz. portobello mushrooms
5 oz. cremini mushrooms
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 stick plus a tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion, not red
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp. thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 cup dry white wine, vermouth okay
1 cup Half and Half
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Wipe the mushrooms with a paper towel. Remove the stems and chop them. Chop the caps. Heat the olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in a soup pot. Add the chopped stems, onion, carrot, thyme, and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for ten minutes until
the vegetables are soft. Add six cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for half an hour. Strain the vegetables and reserve the stock. In a separate pot, heat the rest of the butter and add the mushroom cap pieces and cook for ten minutes until tender. Add the flour and cook for a minute. Add the white wine and stir. Add the reserved stock, a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for fifteen minutes. Stir in the creams and heat but do not boil. Serve hot.
People say they don't like mushrooms and they look at a can of cream of mushroom soup and think tuna noodle casserole. I know people who think tuna noodle casserole is the worst thing on earth, especially if it contains peas. This mushroom soup is fabulous and should be given a fair
hearing.
Onto three extraordinary salads and we begin with a Fig and Walnut Salad.
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tbsp. malt vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup dried figs, sliced
8 cups mixed salad greens
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp. snipped fresh chives
1 oz. shredded parmesan, not canned
Spread the walnuts on a tin pie plate and toast in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes. Cool and chop. In a large salad bowl, preferably wooden, whisk the oil and vinegar with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Add the sliced figs, greens, dill, chives, cheese, and walnuts, and toss. Serve immediately. I'd pair it with one of the soups. I'd probably also have a glass of wine. I don't give up stuff like wine. As a substitute, I will pray for the president.
Squash and Orzo Salad
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1 yellow squash, chopped
Freshly ground pepper
6 oz. crumbled feta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the orzo and cook according to package directions. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, and set aside. Drain thoroughly and transfer to a large salad bowl. Saute the minced garlic in half the olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for about four minutes. Remove from the heat and cool thoroughly. Add the squash to the bowl with the pasta. Stir in most of the feta and the rest of the olive oil. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Top with the rest of the feta.
Here's a Bacon and Egg Salad but probably not for breakfast.
4 slices bacon
2 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
8 large eggs
8 cups mixed salad greens
Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towel and chop. Remove the skillet from the heat and add half the vinegar to the drippings. Pour this mixture into a salad bowl and whisk in the mustard, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. Fill a non-stick skillet with two inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Add the rest of the vinegar. Crack the eggs carefully into the water and cook until the whites are set but the centers are oozy. Toss the greens with the vinaigrette and bacon pieces. To serve, place the salad on four plates. Scoop the eggs onto paper towel to dry them off, then place two on each salad. I'd add some excellent bread, toasted and buttered. I don't give up butter either. Eggplant, I give up eggplant.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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