Stocks
Soups
NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
6-8 oz. canned clams 2 slices bacon, cut in small pieces. 2 cups diced potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes) 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 cups milk 1/2 cup cream 1T. + 1 tsp. + ½ tsp. all-purpose flour ¾ tsp. salt Pinch pepper Drain clams, reserving liquid. Fry bacon in large pot until crisp. Remove bacon pieces and hold in reserve. Add water to reserved clam liquid to make 1 cup total liquid. Add liquid, onions, and potatoes to the pork grease in pot. Cook uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Add clams, ¾ cup of the milk, and cream. Whisk remaining ¼ cup milk with the flour. Stir into chowder, along with salt and pepper. Stir gently and occasionally over heat until nearly boiling. Chowder often ‘ripens’ well under refrigeration, and may be better if served on the next day. CHILI SOUP ½ pound ground beef ¼ cup chopped onion ½ tsp. salt ½ + envelop chili seasoning mix OR ¼ of a refrigerated chili brick 16 oz. tomatoes, crushed with your hands or in a food processor if not available already crushed 2 - 16 oz. cans red beans, undrained OR you can substitute chili beans if you prefer a spicier chili flavor 2+ cups tomato juice, as desired Sauté onion and ground beef in large pot until beef is browned and onion is translucent. Stir in salt and ½ seasoning packet to beef and onion mixture. Add chili seasoning mix, crushed tomatoes, and 2 cans of beans. Add tomato juice to desired consistency. Taste. Add more of the seasoning mix, until soup reaches the desired level of spiciness. Simmer or refrigerate overnight to allow soup to ‘ripen’ in flavor. Chili can be served as a soup or, if left thicker, can be used to top spaghetti: chili-ghetti or spoon over hot dogs in buns, and garnish with grated cheddar cheese: chili dogs. CHILLED CUCUMBER SOUP 2 cups chicken broth 2 large cucumbers 1 T. finely chopped onion Salt and pepper, to taste 1 tsp. dillweed 2 cups sour cream or plain yogurt Cut 4 slices from one cucumber before peeling. Reserve these slices for garnish. Peel, seed, and grate remaining cucumbers. Add broth, cucumbers, onion, salt, and pepper to saucepan. Simmer until vegetables are tender, but still firm. Stir in dillweed. Chill. Stir in sour cream until smooth. Garnish and serve. BAKED FRENCH ONION SOUP 1 large white onion, very thinly sliced 1 clove garlic, finely minced 2 T. oil 2 cups beef broth Pinch garlic powder Pinch onion powder Pinch black pepper 2 slices white bread 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 slices Gruyére or provolone cheese Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove the crusts from slices of white bread. Bake bread pieces 15-20 minutes until lightly browned and crisped. Set aside. Sauté sliced onions in oil over medium heat in a saucepan until onions become translucent but not brown. Add minced garlic clove to onions during last few minutes, making sure garlic does not brown. Stir in beef broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding salt and pepper as desired. (caution: parmesan cheese will be served on top, and is already salty) Ladle the soup into 2 ovenproof serving bowls, one for each serving. Cover soup with a slice of bread; top with Gruyére or provolone, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Place serving bowls under broiler. Broil 6-7 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and has some browning. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese at the table if desired. Makes 2 servings. TO MAKE YOUR OWN SOUP OR STEW: Select meat (or poultry) for the foundation of your soup. Put it in a pan and cover completely with water. Season (about 1 tsp. per pound of meat). Cook over low heat until tender. This may take several hours, depending on the amount of meat and size of pieces. About 20 minutes prior to completion, add a mirepoix or any other vegetables that you believe would complement your meat choice. Potatoes are commonly used if pasta is not being used later on. Remove the meat and vegetables. Debone the meat and cut into bite-size pieces. If you are adding pasta… bring stock (the liquid that you cooked the meat in) to boiling. Stir in pasta and cook till al denté. Sometimes the pasta will thicken the soup to the desired consistency, without further thickening. Thicken the soup as desired: Do NOT add flour directly to hot liquid. Instead, get approximately 1 cup of cold water in a bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Estimate the amount of hot liquid that is in the pot. Add flour to the cold water and shake vigorously. This is the thickener. Use 1 T. flour per cup of hot stock for thinner soup; add 2 T. flour per cup of hot stock for stew. Add it slowly to the hot soup stock, while whisking vigorously. Simmer and stir until thickened. Return vegetables and meat to thickened soup or stew. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender. Add dumplings to top of stew, if desired. Common soup/stew combinations: chicken with a mirepoix and noodles chicken with a mirepoix in a thickened stock over biscuits beef stew with larger pieces of vegetables incl. potatoes, in a thickened stock fried hamburger with small pasta and mixed vegetables in tomato juice |
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Sauces
RÉMOULADE OR TARTAR SAUCE
Combine: ½ cup mayonnaise 1 tsp. French mustard, such as a dijon 1 tsp. finely chopped chervil or parsley ½ T. drained, finely chopped dill pickle ½ T. drained, chopped capers 1 tsp. finely chopped onion Serve with fish or shellfish. |
MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL BUTTER
Cream ¼ cup butter until soft. Add ½ tsp. salt, 1/8th tsp. white pepper, and 1 tsp. finely chopped parsley. Very slowly, add tsp. lemon juice. Chill until firm. Scoop butter onto wax paper; shape butter into a roll. Chill again. Cut in slices. Serve atop broiled steak or green vegetables. HOLLANDAISE SAUCE Melt ½ cup butter slowly; keep warm. Barely heat 1 ½ T. lemon juice or tarragon vinegar Have ready a small saucepan of boiling water, and a tablespoon for measuring. Place 3 egg yolks in the top of a double boiler, over but not in, hot water. Beat the yolks with a wire whisk until they begin to thicken. Add: 1 T. boiling water. Beat until the yolks begin to thicken again. Repeat this procedure 3 more times, until 4 T. of water have been added in all. Beat in the warm lemon juice. Remove the double boiler from the heat. While still over the hot water, continue to beat the mixture while very slowly adding the ½ cup of butter. Add a few grains of cayenne pepper; beat until the sauce is thick. Serve at once. |