Red Lentil Soup

Wha’Soup?

In winter I cook a lot of soup. It’s a great way to mainline vegetables after the butter and fatty meat fest that was the holiday season. Also, soup is warm which, when we get rain like we have been, it’s very satisfying. Lastly, soup freezes well, so you can pull it out anytime you want a tasty lunch or an easy dinner.

I have a number of favorites that I make regularly. Minestrone is usually the first one I go to, followed quickly by my Butternut Squash Soup. Then there’s the bean soups. And what freezer would be complete without some Chicken Soup variant to stave off the winter flu? Matzo, Chicken Noodle, Chicken and Rice…

The easiest soups are the ones that you simmer for a while and blend smooth with a stick blender. Potato Leek is great, or even better, Baked Potato (Yum!). My favorites tend to be anything with some spice to it. If fresh chilies or cayenne pepper have my lips burning (for some reason other than the temperature of the soup) I am happy.

I found this one in the January Issue of Food & Wine a few years ago, and it’s a keeper. I made a few changes to suit my tastes, and encourage you to give it a try this week to help keep warm.

Red Lentil Soup
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine Read more…

Sausage and Apples

The Comfort of Apples…And Sausage
During the past few days things have gone sideways, and stress has been high. These are dangerous times, my friends, because this is when I become a comfort food, carb, and fat monster. Somehow, the food that’s bad for us makes us feel better.

Usually, I reach for the fabulous potato, followed quickly by cheese, and rounded out with pasta. But not always—sometimes it’s sausage. Can I get an amen?

Maybe it’s the fat content, or it could be the all-around yumminess? (Yep, that’s a word). Or perhaps it’s the old-world homieness. (Okay, that’s not a word.) There are times when some tasty smoked Polska Kielbasa is just the thing. Or Bockwurst. Or Garlic Sausage. Or, well, you get the idea.

One of my favorite sausage dishes is one my mother made during my childhood—this automatically puts it in the comfort food category. Mom would pan fry slices of Kielbasa with onions and apples, and serve it alongside either mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles. The flavors blend well together, and are undeniably autumnal. Occasionally, she would switch it up with bell peppers, but I always loved the apple version.

Sautéed sausage with apples come from the Norman region in France, where apples and Calvados are abundant. (Frankly, I prefer the non-calvados version.) There are many different apples and sausage recipes, from different regions in Europe.

Here is my recipe for Sausage and Apples. Feel free to improvise. I stick with Kielbasa, however you can substitute bratwurst or whatever your favorite might be.

Sausage and Apples
Serves 2 generously Read more…

Senate Bean Soup and Gam’s Navy Bean Soup

Cool Beans
Anyone who has known me for more than twenty minutes knows that I am into cooking. Those brave souls who stick around longer, know that I really like cookbooks…I have a rather large collection. There is something about cookbooks (and books in general) that make me happy. I love the look of them, and to thumb through them. I even use them to decorate my kitchen—there’s nothing cooler than a kitchen library corner!).

Over the years, friends and family have given me all sorts of cookbooks—from hot, trendy ones to the antiques they found in grandma’s attic. I especially enjoy the older ones, because they give me a glimpse of life in a different place and time.

My Father in Law gave me The Congressional Cookbook. It was originally published in 1927, and belonged to his mother. The recipes are compiled from members of The Congressional Club, who themselves are comprised of the wives and daughters of the members of Congress and the Supreme Court. Basically, it is a Congressional Junior League Cookbook. It is fantastic not only for the recipes, but for the social suggestions that go along with them. I may not ever have to worry about the proper seating arrangements for the President and other heads of state but at least I will be prepared.

Included in the 800+ pages of The Congressional Cookbook is the recipe for Senate Bean Soup, which has been served every day in the Senate restaurant since it was introduced in the early 1900s. It is, simple but very satisfying, and one that my grandmother used to make—though Gam tweaked it a bit.

It’s great to have in your freezer for chilly fall nights, or for a tasty lunch when the rain finally comes. (Cross your fingers!) This is a lazy Sunday type recipe so if you find yourself with a free afternoon, give this a try.

I have listed the Senate recipe below as well as my Grandmother’s version.

Senate Bean Soup
From The Congressional Cookbook
Read more…

Rizzo e Zucca (Rice and Butternut Squash)

Winds of Change

It was windy this morning with a tiny hint of chill in the air. This got me excited—it felt like fall had actually arrived (although warmer temperatures will stick around for a while). Right about this time of year my cooking habits change. My grill is used less and less, and my giant Dutch ovens start to see the light of day, on the stove or the heat of the oven. It’s all about the braising and the slow cooking, now.

My cooking technique is not the only thing that changes; my tastes change as well. I veer toward comfort food and fall-off-the-bone meats with mashed potatoes. Rice dishes become the norm. Apples, sage, sausage, and squash become my go to ingredients—as well as plenty of pork. And then, there is the Italian food…

Italian cuisine is a no-brainer in my house because it is approved of by my entire family. The recipes I choose are usually hearty, relatively simple, and definitely satisfying. A slow-simmered Sunday gravy (a.k.a meaty tomato sauce) can be the perfect end to a weekend of football and other sports. Throw in a nice bottle of wine and some fresh crusty bread, and I am a happy girl.

This week’s recipe is a typical Italian fall dish: one you will see often grace my autumn table. It’s easy to make, and oh so satisfying. Rizzo e Zucca comes from Lidia Bastianich cookbook titled, Lidia Cooks From The Heart of Italy. This is not your typical Italian cookbook. The recipes are mostly from the lesser known areas of Italy, and are the food that would be eaten everyday, by locals.

Rizzo e Zucca (Rice and Butternut Squash)
Adapted from Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy by Lidia Bastianich Read more…