Two Soups, Hot and Cold

Fall has come to San Francisco, with low-lying fog and cold wind. It's the sort of weather that makes you want a thick stew to warm your bones.

Mrs. Berglund was the mother of my Uncle's college roommate. She was a small Swedish woman with long blonde hair who took both my mother and my uncle under her wing while they attended college in Oregon. This is her recipe for Oxtail Stew.

Roll 2 lbs disjointed oxtail in seasoned (salt and pepper) flour. Brown thoroughly. (Oxtail is a pretty fatty cut--you don't need extra oil.) Add 1 cup tomato juice, 1/2 cup water, 1 cup onion, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 whole allspice, 1 bay leaf, and 1 clove of garlic, minced. Cover and simmer 3 hours or more. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice. If you don't have tomato juice, feel free to mix water and tomato paste... but be careful, I used 6 oz. of tomato paste, and I think that made the stew a bit too sweet. Serve with lots of bread to sop up the sauce, and a side of vegetables.

If you are still in hot, end-of-summer weather, stew may not be the most appealing dinner. For that, I recommend my family's Vichyssoise, traditionally served well-chilled.

You may wonder why my Welsh/Scots Irish/Pennsylvania Dutch family has a recipe for Vichyssoise. I have two excuses: the first is that it comes from my very sophisticated Aunt, and the second is that the recipe calls for the soup to be "piping hot".

Slice 2 medium large onions and 3 stalks of celery fine (include some of the celery tops) and cook in 3 tablespoons butter in a covered pan (don't brown!). Pare and dice 4 medium potatoes. Add, with 4 cups chicken broth, to onions and celery. Cook until potatoes are tender, and put through a food mill. Before serving add 1 c light cream, salt, and pepper. Heat until piping hot (Or, you know, don't.) and garnish with parsley or chives.

Double Garlic Bruschetta

Take your day old baguette and cut 8 pieces half an inch thick (or four, if you are using a thicker type of bread). Douse with extra virgin olive oil, place on a cookie sheet, and put in a low oven to toast (about 325 degrees F, with the rack close to the bottom of the oven).

Mince 2 cloves of garlic as small as you can. Place in a mortar and pestle (or use a bowl and a heavy spoon). Add enough grated parmesan cheese (several tablespoons) and olive oil to make a spreadable paste. Remove cookie sheet from oven, spread bread with the paste, and replace in oven for about ten minutes.

Mince 1 large tomato, removing seeds and allowing liquid to strain out. You should have about a cup. Add 1 clove of garlic, minced, a handful of fresh basil, chopped, and a bit of olive oil.

Remove bread from oven, top with tomato mixture, and serve.

I apologize for the iffy measurements in this recipe-- it is my attempt to recreate some bruschetta I had in New York. Thanks to Patrick for testing it. (The eating, not the making.)

Mayonnaise-Free Deviled Eggs

Note: did you know that maionnaise (as he called it) was invented by Cardinal Richelieu? Or, at least, so claims MFK Fisher in Serve it Forth. Be that as it may, I dated a boy for several years who refused to allow the stuff to pass his lips. Here, then, is my adaptation.

Boil 6 eggs until hard. Cool, peel, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and place them in a bowl. Mush them around with a fork. Add:
4 tsp half-and-half
1-2 tsp prepared Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste,

stirring after each addition. Place some of the yolk mixture in each white, and top with a sprinkle of paprika.

A variation I mean to try is the use of cultured buttermilk in place of the half-and-half, which might replace the sour flavor of the mayonnaise and balance the mustard. The Pennsylvania Dutch recipe I have uses 2 tsp butter as a binder, but I only recommend that if, like Anna, you don't believe in cholesterol.

Squashblossoms

This recipe comes from my mother's college friend, Louise Steinman, who describes it as the perfect way to rid oneself of "zucchini menace". If you've never had squash take over your yard, you don't know how apt the term is.

Make a batter of
beaten egg,
milk,
flour,
salt,
and pepper,
and dip (washed) squash blossoms in batter to coat them. Saute in butter until golden brown on two sides. Serve.

Apparently, this is also a good recipe for Onion Rings, although I wish she gave the proportions. We did not plant vegetables this year, so I haven't had a chance to put this recipe to the test.

(Incidentally, does it ever distress you, on your perusal of the seed catalogues, to see zucchini listed amongst the summer squash? My concept of squash is "pumpkin", so I always think "that's not a squash! It looks like a cucumber!" Then I start wondering if cucumber is a melon or a summer squash and I must needs lie down with a cold compress to the head.)

NB: Watch out for bugs hiding in the blossoms you've picked. Squash flowers are a perfect hiding place for spiders, bees, and other small creatures that you don't want to fry.

Alice's (Virgin) Egg Nog

I got this recipe from a children's cookbook years ago. It has become a traditional treat at tree-trimming time, but I like it most any time of the year as a snack. In High School I served it with stove-top popcorn as the perfect way to get rid of the foggy-afternoon-bus-ride chill before starting an evening of homework.

Combine in an appropriately-sized saucepan:

1 c milk,
1 egg,
and 2 tbsp. sugar per serving

Whisk together over medium-high heat until whisk is coated or mixture steams. Be careful not to overheat it, or it will become a wet and unappetising custard. Remove from heat, and for each serving add

1 t vanilla extract.

Pour into mugs and top with a bit of nutmeg. Serve hot. (I suppose you could chill it, but we never do...it smells too good to wait.)

I'm going to New York!

Back on the sixth. The seventh, I hope, will be recipe-filled.

The Basics: Cooking Supplies You Need (And Some You Don't)

This post will not attempt to discuss what you will need if your dorm room (or other habitation) lacks a kitchen. Vanessa is much more prepared to discuss the details of hot-plate cooking, talking your way into other people's freezers, and the care & keeping of mini-fridges than I will ever be. This is simply an account of what tools you will need to cook good food and a few fancy treats.

Stirring, Mixing, and Beating:
A few good spoons. I prefer wood and plastic spoons (metal scrapes too much).
A medium-sized wire whisk. Good for everything from scrambled eggs, to custard, to hot chocolate. I use one to combine dry ingredients for baking.
A rubber spatula. Or two, or three. Don't buy the expensive ones formed for scooping. You want it flat and flexible for scraping sauces and batters off of bowls and pans.
A pasta fork. You know, those slotted things with the teeth. (Never strain out the pasta water, unless you've made really small pasta. Fish it out with your pasta fork. The little bit of pasta water adds body and flavor to any sauces and keeps your pasta from sticking together.)
A spatula. Not strictly for stirring, mixing, or beating, but useful to have around for cookie baking, fried eggs, and most anything else.
Metal tongs, for removing items from boiling water, frying oil, or the barbecue.
A ladle, for serving soup (or Wassail).
Electric Beaters. Share them with your roommate, a friend, or the girls across the hall. You won't always need them, but when you do, you'll be happy to have them.

Cutting (The Basics):
Two cutting boards. One plastic that you can clean really well for cutting raw meat and particularly odoriferous vegetables. One wooden for bread, cheese, fruit...it should be pretty enough that it can do double-duty as a serving board for bread or cheese at the table.
One well-balanced knife that feels good in your hand. The 10'' is the basic chef's knife, but I have small hands and find that I'm uncomfortable with anything much longer than 8''. If it's not comfortable, it won't be safe. Keep it sharp. You're more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife.
One good pair of kitchen shears, useful for opening packages, cutting up herbs, and cutting up poultry, among other things.
A paring knife, good for any small jobs your chef's knife can't handle.
A vegetable peeler--again, choose one that feels really secure & comfortable in your hand.
A cheese grater with holes of various sizes.

Cutting (Fancier):
If you are going to be baking (or spending good money on high-quality) bread, I really, really, want you to invest in a serrated bread knife. It will preserve the shape and crumb of your loaves and make your life easier.
A Cheese plane. If you cook & eat much hard or somewhat-hard cheese (anything from Jack to Parmesan), this helps you make nice slices for sandwiches, pizzas. It's spatula-like shape works well for serving slices of pie, cake, or pizza.
You do not need a pizza cutter.

Bowls and Bowl-shapes:
A Set of Mixing Bowls of various sizes. Metal is lighter & cheaper than ceramic, and chills well for making whipped cream and similar items.
A colander or strainer for washing and straining vegetables (and the occasional pot of macaroni).
A bowl-shaped sieve for baking. Also very useful when washing rice or legumes.

Measuring:
Measuring cups, dry. 1 c, 1/2c, 1/3c, 1/4 c.
Measuring cup, wet. The pyrex ones are my favorite. 1 c (4 c is nice but not necessary). Plastic is bad for measuring hot things.
Measuring spoons. 1 T, 1 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1/3 tsp, 1/4 tsp.
Some stores now sell measuring spoons labeled "pinch", "dash", etc. This is stupid. Don't spend your money on them and make fun of people who do.

Pots and Pans:
A Soup pot of several quarts.
At least one frying pan. Avoid Teflon. It's not good for you, and chances are either you or your well-meaning roommate will scrape off the coating. I love cast-iron skillets, which are good for just about everything. They're heavy and costly, so buy a cheap pan or two and keep an eye out (several eyes: commission friends and relatives) at rummage sales. It will need to be seasoned with oil, and avoid using detergent in it, which will remove the seasoning. Use salt if heavy-duty scrubbing is necessary.
Several sauce pans of various sizes. These don't need to be particularly fancy. They just need to be with lids and without holes. If you get into making fancy sauces you'll want one with a good lining, but you don't need that now.
At least one rectangular baking pan, useful for cakes and brownies.
At least one pan for roasts and casseroles. I have found that pyrex is cheap and versatile, although you will collect a great variety of pans for various purposes over the years. Cast-iron enamel is not cheap, heavy, and even more versatile. Pyrex is the college version, cast-iron enamel is the grown-up version.
A pyrex pie plate, preferably one that comes with handles in the shape.
A stock pot, for the big things like pasta, soup stock, and corned beef.
At least one cookie sheet

Baking:
A rolling pin. I like the one-piece European style.
I entreat you, if you will be doing any baking, to invest in an oven thermometer. Shoreland ovens tend to be too hot, which will burn your pies and kill your yeast. You will save yourself much heartbreak and bad bread if you spend ten dollars on a thermometer now.
You may also want to invest in a cloth or silicone rolling mat. Depending on how much free space you have, this can be very useful for rolling out pastry and kneading bread.
Muffin tins are nice, but not necessary unless you see muffins and cupcakes in your future.
A pastry brush is nice to have around for applying glaze or butter.

Things nobody remembers:
Dish towels, hot mitts, and a kitchen timer
Trivets for hot pots and pans
A can opener, a churchkey, and a corkscrew
A good, cotton, kitchen apron. Yes, you'll look like a dork, but if, like me, you tend to wipe your floury hands on your lap while you bake, an apron can save both your pants and your dignity.

If you drink tea, get a tea pot. You'll get more and tastier tea for your money.