Schaeffer Chowder

In anticipation of tomorrow's book club discussion of Edith Schaeffer's The Hidden Art of Homemaking, I submit my rendition of one recipe mentioned in the chapter.

2 med  onions chopped; 1 stalk celery, chopped; 7 med all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced

6 cups chicken stock and 3 cups warm milk

Saute onions/celery in 2 Tbs butter and 2 Tbs oil.  Add diced potatoes.  Cover with 6 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 

Meanwhile, warm 3 cups milk in the microwave.  (I used 2 cups skim and 1 cup heavy cream because that's what was available in the 'fridge.)  Very slowly add the warm milk to the cooked potatoes.  It's better to allow the potatoes to cool because it's very easy to curdle the milk, if it's added too quickly to a hot mixture.

Add 16 oz cooked corn.  I used a bag of frozen because that's what was available.  Then I added 12 oz creamed corn ~ again because that's what I was trying to use up from the freezer.  I had cooked both of those items in the microwave, so they were added warm to the warmer mixture.  

This concoction is resting for the day (29 March 2010).

This evening I'll come home from work, cook a couple of slices of bacon in the microwave, crumble them up and use them as a garnish for this easy dinner.

Enjoy~!

Summer Sunday

Watermelon Soup and Collard Green Pie were two of my contributions to the fellowship meal held after our morning service today. 

Practically speaking, I opened the refrigerator last night trying to decide what to prepare for the next day's meal.  I was determined to use what was already there ~ a very large watermelon from the family reunion and collards from last Sunday's dinner.


Recently we had enjoyed a perennial summer favorite, Gazpacho.  That cold vegetable soup together with the soaring summer temperatures inspired me to consider more cold options.
 
With only minor variations I followed the watermelon soup recipe found at Great Cold Soups. For example, instead of a Riesling, I used a homemade sweet white that I had on hand (a gift from a friend).  In turn that made me choose sparkling water where the recipe called for sparkling wine.  Then impulsively right before serving, I added some finely diced cucumber (not pictured) for contrast.

The collard green pie is crustless and made with seasoned greens, a combination of ricotta and cottage cheeses, eggs, butter, and flour.  The brown topping is crumbled homemade croutons.  I'm still working with this recipe which I'm trying to re-create from a teenage memory.  I think it needs less cheese and a puff pastry to be more in line with what I remember from my summer abroad.

Overall, it was lots of fun to share new food with old friends.

Homemade Vegetable Soup - Easy Style

16 cups water
16 tsps beef bouillon powder/cubes

2 lb frozen veggies (i.e. mixed veggies or soup mix)
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 32-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper

Optional/Later:  Add V-8 juice if more liquid is needed


In a large stock pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Stir in the beef bouillon. Add frozen vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes at medium high heat without boiling. Then add meat and tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add seasonings, to taste. At this point, I turn off the heat and add 1 cup alphabet pasta. Cover soup pot with tight lid for 30 more minutes. That should be enough time to *cook* the pasta.

Serves 6-8

Gazpacho

First introduced to this summer soup, I was a teenager and we didnt use air conditioning.

We ate later in the evenings, enjoying cold soups (cucumber or spinach) and other vegetarian fare, i.e. flat rocks.

Then in 1995, I made gazpacho for the first time myself. It's the perfect hot weather meal!

Start with 6 cups V-8 juice and 6 cups ordinary tomato juice in a very large stock pot. Add the following veggies. Chill well before serving. Top with croutons, if desired.

8 cloves garlic, crushed
8 Tbs olive oil
12 Tbs wine vinegar
4 tsp salt
4 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp black pepper, ground
24 drops tabasco

10 tomatoes, peeled and diced
6 ribs celery, diced
3 cucumber, peeled and diced
6 spring onions, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
some chives, chopped
some parsley, chopped

Makes one gallon.

Store in glass container.

Keeps up to a week, refrigerated.

Chili

This is posted at the request of DD#3, but also found here.

In a large stock pot, I brown 1 lb ground beef and drain it, leaving it in the colander while I prepare the other items in the same pot.

2 cans light kidney beans, undrained (15 oz)
2 cans dark kidney beans, undrained (15 oz)
28 oz can diced tomatoes
30 oz tomato sauce
8 oz V-8
2 pkgs chili seasoning (Kroger)

Stir together. Add browned meat.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 - 20 minutes.

Serves 6

Freezes well.

Beef Barley Soup
















2 tsp olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup pearled barley
6 cups beef stock

Saute veggies on medium heat until golden brown. Stir in barley, and saute 2-3 minutes. Add stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 mins.



Super easy, super nutritious, I fixed this anytime-soup in about one hour one rainy Sunday afternoon. A week or so later, when we had it again, I had to add more stock. Apparently the barley continues to soak up liquid :) Furthermore, I needed to stretch the soup (for more diners), so I added some leftovers from back of the 'fridge: steak and green beans.

At the second serving, I paired the soup with chipotle hummus and a cucumber salad.

Totally yummy.



Oh, and a glass a Front Porch Cabernet, too. :)

Cream of Spinach Soup
















1 Tbs Safflower Oil
1 lg white onion, peeled and diced
2 med potatoes, peeled and diced
2 qts chicken stock (veggie would be good, too)
10 oz fresh spinach
1/2 C heavy cream

In a 6 qt stock pot, saute the onions and potatoes until the potatoes soften some. Do not brown. Add 1 1/2 quarts stock; stir well. and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add spinach and stir until wilted - only about 1 minute. Remove from heat immediately. Cool slightly. Puree in batches in food processor. Season with salt and pepper, but I did not find this necessary as I used bouillion cubes to make my stock :)

Just before serving add 1/2 cup heavy cream and reheat, but do not boil.

Click here to see the full table setting.

Chicken and Artichoke Minestrone


Here's the end result of about an hour's worth of labor.

I made economical use of leftovers along with some staples from the cupboard.

Very easy and serves a crowd.



Here's a photo of my dinner plate.


I started by turning the kettle on to boil several quarts of water....to make my bouillion and pulled out the cutting board for dicing and chopping.

3 Tbs olive oil
2 lg onions, diced
5 cloves garlic, pressed



Saute the onions and garlic in a 10 qt stock pot.

Then toss in 8 oz sliced mushrooms (yes, these were leftover, too)

Stir.

Cook slightly.

It warmed my heart to use up these BBQ'd chicken thighs which had been in the back of the 'fridge for several weeks. It's a testimony to the quality of my refrigerator that this meat was unspoiled.


I removed all the skin, most of the sauce, and chopped 'em up.

End result:

4 Cups diced chicken



Additional ingredients added to the pot after the mushrooms and chicken:

1 14.5 oz can white beans, undrained
1 15 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
12 oz frozen yellow corn
3 qts chicken bouillon

Bring the soup to the boiling point.

Carefully pour soup over 1 C dry orzo, 10 oz pkg of frozen spinach, and one 28 oz can diced tomatoes, which have been placed in another large pot.

Cover tightly with lid.

Start cleaning up.







Remove lid after 30 minutes. Pasta should be cooked.

Stir. Then taste.

Season with salt and pepper, which i did not find necessary.

Makes 8 quarts.

Tomato Soup


8 cups fresh, August tomatoes, peeled and seeded

NOTE: I strained my peelings and garnished 1 cup fresh juice.

Save it!


1 large yellow onion, chopped finely
6 stalks celery, very finely chopped

Cook the above ingredients in a saucepan for 20 minutes until the veggies are soft. Strain them in order to separate the pulp from the stock, pressing gently to extract as much liquid as possible. As a result, I had approximately 5 cups of cooked tomato pulp ( including onions & celery) and 4 cups tomato stock.

Place the stock only in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Set aside. Puree the pulp in a food processor. Set aside.

In a large pot, melt 6 Tbs butter; and add 6 Tbs flour, stirring with a wire whisk until well-blended and smooth. Cook until this roux turns slightly brown. Dont walk away! This will burn easily.

Add 5 cups beef stock. (I cheated and made mine with bouillon cubes. This is why I dont have to salt the soup in the end.) Stir the roux quickly as you add the stock to create a smooth base. Add 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp paprika. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil.

Reduce to low heat and add the tomato pulp. Stir well. Cook for 5 minutes without boiling. Thin with the tomato stock (I used the two cups mentioned at the beginning of the recipe.) I suppose one could thin with a little warm milk or cream, making the result *Cream of Tomato Soup*, but I'm getting off topic.

DD#3 tasted and approved.

Here's the end result.














Enjoy!

15 Bean Soup
















Stage One:
Make stock with ham bone. Refrigerate overnight. Remove and discard solidified layer of fat. Use stock immediately or freeze. I always have some sort homemade stock in my freezer, usually in a large 6-8 qt Rubbermaid container. See my 10/8/04 entry for instructions for making stock.

Stage Two:
In a 3 qt container cover beans (1 lb 4oz dry) with fresh, cold water and soak overnight (at least 8 hrs). Dump mixture into collander discarding *old* water. In a large stock pot, cook beans in ham stock (approx 5-6 qts). I bring mine to a rolling boil, then turn down to low simmer for 3 hrs or until soft. Refrigerate. Use or freeze.

Stage Three:
In a large (8qt) stock pot, sauté chopped onions, minced garlic, diced celery, and sliced carrots in 2 T safflower oil until onions are translucent. Add cooked beans. Add 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice. Add 1 qt V-8 juice. Add juice from one lemon. Add 1 tsp chili powder. Stir occasionally while simmering mixture over medium flame. Do not boil.

Makes 8 qts.

Have you ever made soup *from scratch*?

Turkey Noodle Soup














Excuse the dark photo. The shadow is me hovering over my bowl. We enjoyed this comforting food last night, after picking up DD#2 from the airport. She's home after being away for thirteen weeks in Italy where she studied art, painting, drawing, and photography.

Recipe to follow. Yes, those are whole wheat spiral noodles :)

Must Go Soup

This recipe is never the same because it is based on the ingredients that MUST GO out of the refrigerator or freezer. Basically it's made from leftovers, which I prefer to call *planned-overs* and even though it's 93 degrees outside, my DH was thrilled to find out that he'd be coming home to a bowl of freshly made soup.

In a very large (8-10qt) stock pot, combine the following ingredients.

3 quarts stock (either canned, or bouillon cubes, or in this case three leftover packets of Lipton Onion Soup mix, inherited from a great aunt who closed her kitchen)

28 oz canned, diced tomatoes (you agrarians out there probably have these freshly frozen in your chest freezer in the basement)

24 oz veggie juice (or in my case, leftover bloody mary mix)

32 oz frozen veggies (I used corn and gumbo mix cuz that's what had to be cleaned out of the freezer)

16 oz other veggies I had frozen, like green beans and carrots, which are in ziplock baggies in a special basket in the freezer just for this purpose. See Amy's comment on making smoothies with leftover fruit.

1 lb browned ground beef (found it in a tupperware container in the back of the freezer)

1/2 C dry alphabet pasta (put in last and just let sit covered for 30 mins)

Cool some and then refrigerate.

As far as my method goes, I usually bring the stock to a boil and dump in the frozen items and stir. If most of your items come from a weeks worth of refrigerator leftovers (not frozen ones), just heat the liquid and veggies at the same time. I delay adding leftover rice or noodles because they will get mushy, so add those pretty close to serving time, even if it means the next day. I have been known to freeze the entire amount in a large Tupperware container. But it also does well in small individual serving containers.

Pumpkin Soup

Here's yet another picture of a soup I've made this month.

I had some for lunch with brown bread.

That *wedge* in the picture was my dessert:

Brie stuffed with fig preserves and roasted, salted pecans and baked in puff pastry.


Yum!



Here's the link for the recipe.

Stay tuned for more photos because the split pea will be served next week as well as turkey noodle.

Italian White Bean and Sausage Soup




Yummy and different! Check out this recipe from Janet who is the sister of Donna. I shared this with my office friends, who gave it rave reviews.

Click on the time to comment or at see my xanga site.

Quick Tortellini and Spinach Soup


2 Tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 large onion, minced
2 tsp dried Italian herbs
13 Cups chicken broth
13 oz spinach/cheese tortellini
30 oz crush tomatoes, packed in puree
10 oz fresh spinach, coarsely chopped



Heat olive oil in large stop pot over medium high heat. Sautee onion and garlic, until translucent. Add herbs. Stir well. Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir in tortellini. Simmer 10-12 mins until tortellini is cooked. Stir in tomatoes and simmer another 5 mins. Add spinach. Cover and turn off heat.

Ladle soup into warm bowls and top liberally with grated parmesan cheese.


This was sooooo easy and sooooo yummy on our first very cool night of Fall. Click time to comment :)

Mrs. Schaeffer's quote for the day:
*Food and meal-times shared have always been thought of as a closer kind of communication than simply talking to people, without eating together.*

Pumpkin Soup

Nothing says *home*

better than soup.





1 small onion, very finely diced
6 T flour
6T butter(real!)
6 C pureed pumpkin (do not used canned pumpkin)
6 C chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 C milk (optional)
salt, white pepper, to taste

In a large stock pot, saute onion in butter. Add flour to make a roux and cook 3-4 minutes until gently browned. Add chicken stock, stirring constantly with whisk. Add pumpkin and spices. Season to taste. Heat until just before boiling. You may stop here and continue later. Refrigerate. PS-I rarely add the milk, but it does create a creamier soup, if that is what you prefer.
I garnish this soup with a dolop of sour cream, roasted pumpkin seed and tiny parsley *flower*

The rest of this Fall menu can consist of turkey sandwich on dark pumpernickel, slathered with homemade cranberry sauce. Or on the lighter side, my favorite Fall Salad-mixed greens, with diced apples, cottage cheese, raisins, celery, sunflowers seeds, and vinagrette.

As I reread Mrs. Schaeffer's chapter on food, I am prompted to try her corn chowder. Comment on my xanga site, if you have ever prepared her recipe.

Stock Recipe

Large stock pot (6-8qt)
Leftover ham bone (turkey carcass works, too)
Water to cover
Whole carrot, washed
Stalk celery
White onion, quartered
Clove garlic
Peppercorns

Cover loosely with lid. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce to low heat. Simmer for 3-4 hours. The liquid should be reduced from the original amount. Remove bone, meat pieces, veggies and throw away. All nutritional value and flavor is in the broth. Store overnight in 'fridge. Next day remove layer of solidified fat. Freeze remaining liquid for use in cooking or use immediately. Sometimes I freeze the entire 6qts to be used when I am making a homemade soup. And other times I freeze in smaller quantities for use in other recipes.

My favorite homemade soups:
1)15 Bean
2)Senate (navy) Bean
3)Split Pea
4)Potato
5)Chicken/Turkey Noodle
6)Must-Go Soup
7)Veggie Soup