Potato Soup

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Mom and I went to Germany and Austria and one of the dishes we just fell in love with was simple Potato Soup. This recipe is very reminiscent of the soup we ate.

7-8 New Potatoes, scrubbed well and cubed
4 cups water or chicken broth
2 carrots, cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 cups corn (frozen or fresh – optional)
1 Tbsp Chicken base, or veggie base (can omit if using chicken broth)
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp dill seed
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup milk
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp butter

In a large pot, add everything but milk, cornstarch and butter. Bring just to a boil, and reduce heat to medium/low. Simmer for 40 minutes. Then mix milk and cornstarch together and pour into soup, stirring constantly. Top with the butter and stir one final time.

Omit butter and chicken base or broth if making vegan.

Spicy Peach Jam or Sauce

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peach jam finalUpdated August, 2019.  This recipe comes courtesy of Stephenson’s Apple Farm, a wonderful restaurant in Kansas City that no longer exists. It’s a sweet, spicy jam that I’ve never had anywhere else.  Make it without pectin for a wonderful, bright sauce for bread pudding, pancakes or ice cream.

Ingredients:

5 cups of unpeeled peaches (3 lbs. – can cut into chunks and buzz them gently in a food processor, or just cut into small pieces and use as is.)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger powder
Scant 6 Tbsp  Pectin (I used Ball Classic Pectin)
5 cups sugar

Should fill 9- 10 half pint mason jars.

Sterilize jars in oven (see note below).  Boil lids for 5 minutes and remove from heat.  Create a water bath by filling a large stock pot halfway with water and bring to a boil.  Turn down to a simmer.

Put everything but sugar into a large kettle. Stir over high heat to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. (If using fruit in chunks, you may want to reduce heat and continue cooking until fruit is all soft.) Be careful to keep stirring the bottom – where the pectin can tend to clump.

Add all sugar and bring back to a full rolling boil. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Stir and skim for 5 minutes. (The foam is edible, just doesn’t look nice in the jar.)

Ladle into clean mason jars, and follow regular canning procedures. Read more here about how to make jams and jellies.

Note: My dear friend Donna got two lugs of beautiful Colorado peaches and we made Peach Jam and Rhubarb Ginger jam yesterday.  She showed me an easy way to sterilize jars in the oven, saving stovetop space. Here’s how to do it:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Wash jars in hot soapy water and rinse, but do not dry. Place them upside down in a roasting pan and place in the oven. Bake 20 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly so you can handle them for filling. You’ll still sterilize the lids in boiling water, but can use a much smaller pan for that.

If you don’t have time to make the jam right when peaches are really good,  either buzz them in the food processor or cut them into chunks and freeze 5 cups in a freezer bag, laying the bags as flat as possible in the freezer.  Then when you’re ready, just add them frozen to the pot and make the jam as usual.

Irish Soda Bread

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Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread is a treat I have always looked forward to on St Patrick’s Day – since my friend Cathy is Irish and makes the most exquisite Soda Bread.

But I’ve now made this bread so many times and in so many places it’s kind of my signature dish. You’d think I’d be sick of it, but there is something about that first bite of warm bread with a little butter melting on it that is indescribable.

For me, the interesting thing about this recipe was a note that it was from Rania Bratberg (from the Internet).  I was so thrilled to find a recipe on the Internet – what an astonishing idea – but of course that was long, long ago!

4 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp caraway seeds

Blend in a large bowl.

1/4 cup softened butter

Cut butter into the flour mixture with a fork or knead it in gently with your hands.

1 box currants (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups)
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Add the currants to the flour mixture, and stir to break up any clumps.  Blend the buttermilk and egg well. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and blend oh so gently until everything is moist. Do not overmix this!

Turn out the dough onto a floured tray, and knead gently adding flour as needed for 30-60 seconds. (Or you can just flour your hand and gently knead the bread right in the bowl.) Form an oval on a baking pan and flatten it to no more than about 2″ thick. Slather the loaf with buttermilk and cut a couple of shallow horizontal slashes with a sharp knife.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with a clean, dry towel. Serve with lots of fresh butter.

Note: if you want, you can make two loaves – just bake them for 30 minutes.

Orange Couscous Salad

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Great for picnics, potlucks and block parties – this salad is delicious at room temperature, and it makes a lot.  I used to make this often for the 58th Street Block Party – which has been an annual event since the early 1940s!

Making this for the Fourth of July with one variation:  I’m sauteeing the onions in a little olive oil because neither Kumy or Maya like the flavor of raw onions.  It’s still a good flavor in the salad and then nobody has to pick bits out

2 cups boiling water
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cup couscous

Blend together in a large bowl, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

1 can 16 oz. chickpeas, washed and drained
1-2 cups mandarin oranges

drained
1/2 cup diced red onions
1/2 cup golden raisins

Add to the couscous.

1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbs orange zest (grated orange peel – just the orange part)
1/8 cup orange juice (I add the juice of one whole orange)
1 Tbsp minced fresh chives
1 tsp salt

Blend in a little bowl and pour over the couscous mixture. Blend gently and refrigerate for an hour. Can be served cold or at room temperature and tastes even better the next day.

Bread Pudding

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I made this for Kumy’s 45th Birthday, but the ones who really loved it were my son Ali and me!

3 cups french bread, cut in chunks
3 cups milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
dusting of fresh nutmeg

Put bread cubes in a casserole dish. Heat milk and butter just until bubbles come up the side of the pan. Mix eggs and the rest in a bowl and add warm milk. Stir and pour over bread. Use a fork to press the bread cubes into the custard mixture. Put the casserole in a larger pan with about an inch of water. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until a bread knife comes out clean.

You can add a cup of blueberries, or other fresh fruit diced up, or a cup of raisins or currants. You can even add a cup of chocolate chips. It’s delicious warm or cold.

Update: to make this dessert for a large group, simply double the recipe and bake it in a 1/2 catering tray. Serve with Warm Bourbon Sauce, or Peach Sauce.

Up-Update:  Cranberry Walnut Version.  Using part of a stale loaf of Cranberry Walnut bread from a great french bakery in town that we love, I thought, why not make a Cranberry Walnut Bread Pudding.?

Used the same recipe as above, but added a handful of Craisins and a handful of chopped walnuts.  It was lovely – tangy and sweet with the added crunch of the walnuts now and then.

Mummy’s Martian Rice

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Kumy’s Mom, Shamim taught me this recipe and we love it with fresh, plain yoghurt. The name is a kind of a joke, since the rice gets a green “Martian” color from the cilantro and jalapenos.  Mummy is a wonderful cook and has been the most loving person – a real blessing in my life.

4 cups rice – 95% cooked. (Just pull a piece of rice out and if it still has a tiny bit of hardness in the center it should be fine)

2 lbs. chicken cut into bite-sizes (I like to use a combo of boneless skinless breast and thighs.)
1 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp crushed ginger
1 1/2 cups water

Bring to the boil in a large pot and let simmer until chicken is cooked through.

1 lb. fresh cilantro (yes, I know that’s a lot)
1 tsp salt
50 gms of jalapeno peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks (about 1 large or 1 1/2 smaller peppers)

Buzz the cilantro, salt and jalapeno peppers in a blender or food processor with 1 cup of the broth from the boiling chicken.

1 Tbsp Oil

Heat oil in a frying pan, and add the cilantro mix.  Saute for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add to the chicken mix and blend gently, then add the rice and stir gently again. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Serve with fresh plain yogurt.

Tayebba Auntie’s Peas

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Kumy’s aunt, Tayebba Auntie is another amazing cook, and she taught me this recipe when we were living in Karachi. It’s zingy and delicious.

1 lb. English peas in shell, soaked for 15 minutes in cold water and then drained
2 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp whole cumin
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp crushed ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
1/8 cup water
juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat oil on medium heat in a frying pan, and saute cumin for a couple of minutes until lightly brown. Mix garlic, ginger, pepper, salt and water in a bowl, and add to frying pan. Cook for a minute and add the peas. Shake well, reduce heat and cover. Cook 15 – 20 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice over peas just before serving.

Rice Custard

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I have a thing for puddings – especially old-fashioned ones.  When Kumy and I were living in Karachi, one of our treats was to have Blanc Mange (White Food) out of the old Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook circa 1960 which oddly both his and my mother had. I’d make Blanc Mange, an incredibly simple vanilla pudding and we’d curl up with warm pudding and watch movies.

This is another really simple, yet delicious pudding that is hardly served anymore – but it should be.

4 eggs
1 cup sugar  (can use 3/4 cup if you don’t like it too sweet)
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
fresh nutmeg – a dusting
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Mix all but the rice and raisins in a medium-sized oven-proof bowl. Gently fold in the rice and raisins. Put the bowl in a larger metal bowl, with water coming halfway up the sides. Bake at 350 for one hour.

18 Bean Soup

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I have always loved beans and legumes and this soup is so delicious – plus it’s Vegan.  If you know someone who likes soup – you can take the spices, quadruple them and put them in a nice mason jar with the recipe for soup as a gift.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp garlic puree, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Heat oil in a large pot, and saute the veggies for a few minutes, adding the garlic for the last couple of minutes.

1 bag mixed beans, washed and soaked for several hours, or overnight
(I think it’s about a pound, and there is an 18 bean mix)
2 carrots sliced
1 large potato, diced
juice from 1 lemon
2 cups tomatoes, chopped, or 1 15 oz. can
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tsp chili power

Add all to pot, stir, and add water to cover by an inch or so. Cook 2 hours or until beans are soft.

Cajun Version: skip oregano, marjoram and chili power. Add 2 more tsp garlic, 2 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.

This can also be cooked in a slow-cooker really easily.

Good, Simple Bread

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1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups flour  (I use Pillsbury unbleached)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil

Mix water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Let is sit for several minutes in a warm place until it is nice and bubbly. Add salt and stir well. The add the flour and stir until it all comes together.

Pull the dough out and sprinkle flour on a cutting board or counter. Knead the bread for a couple of minutes. Then put a little oil in the bowl, and put the bread back in. Cover it with a towel and let it rise for an hour or so in a warm place.

Remove it from the bowl, and form it into an oval on a baking sheet. Brush it with olive oil, and sprinkle a bit more salt on it. Then carefully slash three horizontal lines across the top. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.