With my husband’s maternal grandparents Greek and Armenian, one or another deliciously lemony chicken soup was often on the table. In our own home, we’ve kept that going with this fortified version of avgolemono (Greek chicken, egg and lemon soup) that has tiny meatballs and baby spinach stirred in, Italian Wedding Soup style. Continue Reading…
I have a friend who calls beets “essence of dirt clod” : ) But I have always loved their earthy flavor, and deep color. I like them roasted, simply boiled, grated into salads, pickled and perhaps most of all: made into borscht. Continue Reading…
It happens after every dinner party. The guests head home. I clear away the wine bottles, and whatever fell behind the bar. And then survey the food table leavings. Invariably, there, next to the plate holding one sad, smushed pie remnant, and the half cookie that fell into somebody’s ginger ale, I will find most of a tray of fresh veggies. They are still gallantly cheerful, the brightest color in the after-party glow. It makes me feel they deserve a good send off. Soooo….I came up with this day-after-the-party veggie soup. Simply a saute of vegetables made with the veggie-tray broccoli and cauliflower florets, carrots, and celery trimmed down to tiny, plus onion and broth, it’s really easy to make. Add a little crusty bread and some good cheese and you’ve done the lonely, leftover veggie-tray proud–and yourself a big, nourishing favor. Continue Reading…
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, celery needs three things to thrive: a long growing season, mostly cool weather, and a constant, unfailing water supply. So we’re like, “ding, ding, ding!” here in the Midwest–especially this year. Good thing I like celery as much as it likes the cool and damp : )
My suggestion? Buy plenty of that bumper celery crop and when you’ve had your fill of crudités and dip, and it’s raining yet again, make some of this comforting soup to take the chill off. Continue Reading…
There is a delicious vegetable soup in this post. But first? Some stories. I don’t know why but I awoke full of them—mostly about my grandfather. Grandpa was a big believer in a vegetable diet, eating large quantities of carrots and beets, celery and onions, turnips and potatoes, green beans and cabbage, most of which he peeled and chopped while sitting on a little handmade wooden perch called his “stropping stool.”
As long as there have been celebrities, there have been fans obsessed with them. The minutiae of their lives…where they live, where they sleep, who they sleep with…and of course? What they eat. The gustatory habits of film stars, rock stars, dancers, singers….all have been subject matter for newspaper columns, magazine features and loads and loads of books. In 1958, James Cagney went on the record with his recipe for chowder. It’s pretty darn good! Continue Reading…
Enhanced with curry, dried mushrooms and bacon, this beef-barley soup from long-gone Helen’s Olde Lantern in Blue Island, IL, was requested by reader John S. He remembered it having a lot more bacon : ) You can always add more. Continue Reading…
While the chicken soup I grew up with was a hearty rustic version, friends of mine have sung the praises of more delicate matzo ball and other dumpling soups, where the flavor of the vegetables and chicken is concentrated in a rich broth. I found this lovely example in a handwritten cookbook from the 1890s that a friend loaned me. Continue Reading…
We’ve had requesters looking for what to do with the leftover sauerkraut, so this one’s for you! Rich with butter, cream, bacon & white wine, this soup makes the sow’s ear of sauerkraut into a silk purse. Iron Chef Edward Lee created it for his Louisville, KY, restaurant 610 Magnolia, putting to use the sauerkraut his German in-laws make each year from cabbage they grow themselves. Continue Reading…