Both Brenda Gleckman and Joan Thormann came up with soup recipes for us for the new year… Sweet and Sour Cabbage soup and Mushroom soup.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup from Brenda Gleckman

Filling, warming, richly flavorful, almost a meal by itself is this old school Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup.This recipe is healthy, low fat, and perfect for a cold winter day.

For those of us lucky enough to remember our Eastern European mothers’ and grandmothers’ delicious Sweet and Sour Stuffed Cabbage, that recipe, in soup form, will elicit a flood of wonderful food memories. It may permanently erase from your minds those dull, tasteless diet cabbage soup recipes that circulated among diet conscious friends decades ago before the internet.

Ingredients

1 pound lean or extra lean ground beef

2 TBS olive oil

6 cups of water

4 cups reduced sodium beef stock or broth

2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 medium head cabbage sliced in one inch slices

2 cups onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar or 12 packets sugar substitute

1/3 cup cider vinegar

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Brown beef in a very large soup pot in 2TBS of olive oil.Add all the ingredients.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Cover and turn heat down to simmer for 30 minutes or until cabbage has softened but is not mushy.

Makes about 22 cups of soup

Mushroom Soup from Joan Thormann

Cold weather is here, so it’s time for comforting soup. I found this delicious easy made-from-scratch recipe in a low-fat recipe book.  I modified the recipe, and whoever I serve it to loves it.

One fall day, our Brookline condo association had a get together.  People brought soup, bread, or dessert. I brought my mushroom soup.  Present at our potluck were a number of residents who had emigrated from Russia, including Yuriv, the building manager.  He took one cup of mushroom soup and then finished a second one.  After he had enough soup for the time being, he circulated around the room asking who made the mushroom soup.  Yuriv finally found me and said, “I must to have this recipe.”  I don’t know if he or his wife ever made the soup but I did give him the recipe.

Ingredients

10 oz. sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup chopped onion or chopped scallions

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine

3 Tablespoons flour

2 1/2 to 3 cups 1% or 2% milk

2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 porcini mushroom boullion cubes

1/2 cup light sour cream or nonfat yogurt

5 Tablespoons sherry

Directions 

1. Heat about a teaspoon of olive oil in a frying pan.  Stir the onions or scallions in the pan, cook until they wilt about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir.  Cook until the mushrooms are brown and about half their original size. Add 2 tablespoons sherry if mushrooms stick. Set aside when done.
2. Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Stir in the flour quickly to make a roux.
3. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring as you  pour it in, to get rid of lumps of flour.
4. Add the bouillon cubes and continue to stir the milk mixture until it thickens to your taste.  Sprinkle in more flour or add more milk as necessary.
5. Stir the onion mushroom mixture into the saucepan.
6. Remove sauce pan from the stove and stir in the sour cream or yogurt.
7. Stir in sherry to taste, and serve.

Makes four or five servings.

Note: For those who are not concerned about calories, you can use full fat milk, sour cream, or yogurt.  You may also enjoy using cream for some of the milk.

 

Retired psychotherapist and medical school educator, Brenda has been a BOLLI member since 2004 and a “foodie” all her adult life. She made her first attempt at cooking in August 1960 when she was a  new mother living in a third floor walk-up in Washington DC without air conditioning. She was determined to make a pot roast for her husband, a sleep deprived intern at Walter Reed.  When the roast she was searing slipped off the fork into the pot and the hot oil jumped onto her nearly bare chest, she ended up in the ER. But that did not deter her,  an early and avid follower of Julia Child, and she collected and cooked recipes from every ethnicity. Her recipe for guacamole has gone “viral” and has bestowed upon  her the title of “Guacamole Queen.”  She cringes when occasionally someone asks if she gives out her recipes.  “Why wouldn’t I?” she answers. “It gives me great pleasure to share recipes for good food.”

 

 

PLUM CAKE (Zwetschgen Kuchen)

 from Joan Thormann

This is a special kuchen since it can only be made in late summer and autumn when Italian or prune plums are available.  It is also a beautiful cake, which always brings “ooohs” and “ahhhs” when served to someone who hasn’t seen it before or even those who had it the previous year.

When I  visited the Boston area German refugees  in the plum season, I  would be greeted with coffee and some variety of plum kuchen. This is the variety  that my mother made, and I think her recipe  is the best.

Murbe Teig Pie Crust for 2 round pies (8 or 9″ round)  or one 9″ x 13″ rectangle

4 oz butter (one stick)

4 oz sugar (½ cup)   ½

8 oz flour (1 ½ cup)

1 egg

12 to 14 medium sized prune plums for each pie dish

1 to 1½ tsp tapioca

Mix the crust ingredients together to form a ball, and put it in the refrigerator while preparing the plums.  This makes two pie crusts or one large pyrex dish of cookie sheet crust.

Cut one side of each plum along the seam line and remove the pit, keeping the two halves together.  Make two slices in each half of the plum, from the top to about half way down.

When finished slicing the plums, take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut it in half.  Butter the pie plate or spring form very well.  Flatten the dough out and then place in the pie plate.  With the heel of your hand and fingers spread the dough into the pie plate.  Poke dough with fork a few times.  Bake the dough for about 10-12 minutes at 350°.

Sprinkle the bottom of the crust with minute tapioca (about 1- to 1½  tsp), to absorb the plum juices.  Place the plums skin side down in the crust starting at the outer edges and filling the crust in circles.  Bake for about 15 minutes at 400° and then another 30 to 45 minutes at 350°.  The pie is done when the plum juices flow. It sometimes takes over an hour.

When you take the cake out of the oven, you may want to sprinkle it with sugar if the plums are not very sweet.  My mother always did, regardless of sweetness.  I like the tartness of the plums, so I never sprinkle it with sugar.  Try it both ways.

BAKED APRICOT CHICKEN

For this recipe, I use large thighs, but they can be replaced with thick pieces of breast meat.  Also, although I prefer thigh meat as it does not dry out and usually cook it with bone and skin, you can also use boneless.  Serve with rice.  I first made this in 1970.

4                            Chicken thighs with bone and skin

½ cup                  Apricot preserves

1/2 cup              Wish Bone Russian or French Dressing

½ package          Lipton Dried Onion Soup Mix

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. In a medium bowl combine the jam, dressing and soup mix. Mix together.
3. Place chicken pieces in an 8” x 8” baking dish. Pour apricot mixture over chicken and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.  The time will vary depending on bone or no bone, and with thigh or breast.  So it is best to start checking at 30 minutes.
4. Broil (skin up) for a couple of minutes if you used pieces with skin

John says that it was his mother who inspired his love of cooking and baking at an early age.  (She cooked vegetables in boil-able packages.)

SHRIMP AND CORN BISQUE

from John Rudy

This is from the book Best of American-Traditional Regional Recipes.  I have no recollection of where or how I got this.  (I have increased the amount of shrimp and do not use the thyme.)  It serves four hungry people.

 

2 Tbsp      Olive oil

1                Onion minced

4 Tbsp      Butter

¼ cup       Flour

3 cups      Chicken stock (or other stock)

1 cup        Milk

1½ cup     Shrimp, peeled, cooked

1½ cups   Corn kernels (fresh, frozen canned)

½ tsp        Minced thyme (optional)

Salt

Pepper

Scallions (optional)

½ cup       Light cream

 

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy saucepan.  Add the onion and cook over low heat until softened ~10 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan.  Make roux by adding the flour and stirring with a wire whisk until blended.  Cook 1-2 minutes until it darkens.  Pour in the stock and milk and stir to blend.  Bring to boil over medium heat and cook 5-8 minutes stirring frequently.  NOTE: could use bouillon cubes to make the stock, but they tend to be very salty.  It is better to use a good boxed or canned stock.

3.  Cut each shrimp into 2 or 3 pieces and add to the onion along with the corn (and thyme).  Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the pan from the heat.

4. Add the sauce mixture to the shrimp and corn mixture and mix well. Remove 3 cups of the soup and puree in a blender or food processor.  Return it to the rest of the soup in the pan and stir well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add the cream and stir to blend.  Heat the soup almost to boiling point, stirring frequently.  Serve hot.  Can add a full shrimp or two to the soup just before serving.  Optionally, cut up some scallions for garnish on the top of the soup.

John has been contributing recipes and tech hints to BOLLI Matters since this blog first got underway–he says his cooking inspiration came from his mother (who cooked vegetables in boil-able packages). He is also a  member of the Lunch & Learn or Distinguished Speaker Series committee and is always looking for suggestions for lunchtime speakers, so send ideas to 

john.rudy@alum.mit.edu or call at  781-861-0402.

GELATO 

By John Rudy

In Sicily and Rome, you never see the words “ice cream.”  I don’t know why gelato has not totally caught on in the United States as most Americans who visit Italy fall in love with it.  We did an important study while on our trip to Sicily and Roma, and we rated the gelatos at about 8 difference places.  The best got a 9.5 on the “Mir Scale.”  The worst got a 7 (except for one at a hotel).

Good ice cream, as we all know, has a very high fat content.  The best ice cream is about 2:1 heavy cream to milk, plus egg yolks, and sugar, which is heated until the sugar dissolves.  It is then cooled and beaten (while kept cold) which introduces air (sometimes a lot) into the mix.

Gelato starts out with a similar custard base but has a higher proportion of whole milk and a lower proportion of both cream and eggs (or it may have no eggs at all).  Over-ripe fruit should be used for the best flavor.  The mixture is churned at a much slower rate, incorporating less air and leaving the gelato denser and smoother than ice cream.  Vanilla gelato contains about 90 calories and 3 grams of fat, compared to the 125 calories and 7 grams of fat in the average vanilla ice cream.

Gelato is served at a slightly warmer temperature than ice cream, so its texture stays silkier and softer; it remains dense, though, due to the lack of air.  Because it has a lower percentage of fat than ice cream, the main flavor ingredients really shine through.  PBS traveler Rick Steves says that gelato should not be stored for a long time–preferably, in fact, for only a day or two.  So eating a lot is emphasized!

Here is a recipe for chocolate gelato, my favorite.

2¼ cups whole milk

⅓ cup heavy cream

¾ cup sugar, divided

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

4  extra-large egg yolks

2 tbsp coffee flavor liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

pinch kosher salt

8  chocolates, roughly chopped, optional but really good

1. Heat the milk, cream, and ½ cup sugar in a 2-quart saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the milk starts to simmer.  Add the cocoa powder and chocolate; whisk until smooth.  Pour into a heat-proof measuring cup.
2. Place the egg yolks and the remaining ¼ cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and very thick. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the hot chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.  Pour the egg and chocolate mixture back into the 2-quart saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.  A candy thermometer will register about 180° F.  Don’t allow the mixture to boil!
3. Pour the mixture through a sieve (to remove any inadvertent lumps) into a bowl and stir in the coffee liqueur, vanilla, and salt. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and chill completely.
4. Pour the custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s directions. Don’t over-beat.  Stir in the roughly chopped chocolate, if using, and freeze in covered containers.  Allow the gelato to thaw slightly before serving so it is not hard.

And enjoy!

Tech guru, inveterate traveler, and home chef John says that  it was his mother who inspired his love of cooking and baking at an early age.  (She cooked vegetables in boil-able packages.)

WHAT DOES A TEST COOK EAT?

from John Rudy

Here is a 1-week report detailing what a test cook on America’s Test Kitchen (my favorite source of recipes) eats all day, along with a good explanation of why things were done in the way that they were.  Enjoy!

John says that it was his mother who inspired his love of cooking and baking at an early age.  (She cooked vegetables in boil-able packages.)

 

 

 

KITCHEN THINKING

by John Rudy

Rather than providing yet another recipe I thought that, this month, I would provide some kitchen thoughts.  If you like this occasional side journey,  please let me know.

What temperature is my oven?

The recipe calls for you to bake a cake at 375° for 30 minutes, and it doesn’t come out right.  Why might that be?  First, your oven’s temperature reading might be wrong.  It is common for it to be off by as much as 10 degrees.  If you have a decent oven thermometer, try this:  put the thermometer on the middle rack, midway between the sides; set the temperature to 350 and wait until the thermometer stabilizes.  See what it says.   Maybe it says 310°.  Then try setting it for 350° and see what it says then.  If need be, then go to 400° and so on.  This will tell you how to adjust your recipe’s instructions  to meet your oven’s actual temperature.

Is the temperature the same at different places in my oven?

The configuration of your heating element and how the walls operate might be affecting your oven’s temperature.   So, move the sensor to different points in your oven and check it out.

What else is in your oven?

Have you tried to bake three pans of a layer cake, with two on one rack and the third on a lower rack?  If so, they won’t bake at the same speed.  So when you have to decide when to take each out you’ll have to check the pans separately.

How long does it take for an oven to cool off?

I have a cheesecake recipe that calls for baking, then turning the oven off, and  leaving the cake in the oven for an additional period of time.  My old oven would cool off quickly.  My new oven seems to take forever to cool off, so I have to crack the door.

How to use a meat thermometer

Most of us have meat thermometers that we use to determine whether the turkey or chicken or pork chop is ready.  (Cutting into them is not really a good idea as the juices escape.)  Additionally, every time you open the oven door to take a reading, the oven temperature might drop 20 degrees.  There is a nice solution, and that is a thermometer with a long cord so that it can go into the turkey (or whatever), through the oven door, and to the readout on your counter.  I bought a Taylor Model 1470N for about $15.

The thermometer works nicely.  I’m told it can also be used for cakes, but I haven’t tried it this way.

 

John says that it was his mother who inspired his love of cooking and baking at an early age.  (She cooked vegetables in boil-able packages.)