Last January, after our friends Kathy and Rick had spent weeks packing, snow shoveling, ice dam cursing, moving and unpacking, they invited us to lunch. We sat around the granite island in their new kitchen and savored, steamy bowls of cauliflower cheese soup. It was the first pot of soup made in their new home. I asked Kathy for the recipe, she shared it with me and said I could share it with you. Here’s how she (and I) made it:

Hot biscuits, right out of the oven, with soft butter complemented the steamy cauliflower soup perfectly, and a bowl of tapioca pudding completed this white meal.

Before anyone from the color patrol reaches for a telephone or computer to register a complaint, I will explain why I call this a ‘white meal’. Sure there were flecks of orange from the carrots, dots of red and black from the peppers and I admit that the cheddar and cauliflower where not absolutely pure white and yes, the biscuits had a slight golden touch; but, this dinner was as white as the snowy day with brown flecks of beech leaves, bits of red chimney pipes and the gold of Gracie’s coat as struggled to make a perfect doggy snow-angel.

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The turkey carcass was precariously perched on a jug of gravy and a bowl half filled with roasted cranberry sauce. Mashed sweet potatoes flavored with chipotle peppers and mashed white potatoes rested side by side in one container and a forlorn slice of pumpkin pie wrapped in plastic sat on a small bowl of gingered whipped cream. After I found the lemon for my tea, I began to deal with the wealth of leftovers by topping the piece of pie with the whipped cream and eating it.

I made run-of-the-mill turkey sandwiches dinner-worthy by making sandwich rolls with the leftover sweet potatoes. These yeast rolls are not difficult to make but need to rise twice before baking so I got started as soon as I’d read the paper and emptied the dishwasher. Here’s how I made them:[/donotprint]

Sweet Potato Rolls

I dissolved one package, about two and a quarter teaspoons, of active dry yeast and two tablespoons of sugar in three quarters of a cup of warm milk in a medium mixing bowl. I covered the bowl with a towel and waited for the yeast to make the milk foamy. It took about ten minutes. Then I added one cup of room temperature mashed sweet potatoes, three tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, half a teaspoon of kosher salt, one egg to the milk mixture and three cups of all-purpose flour and beat the dough with a wooden spoon. When it was well combined, I stirred in enough flour, about a cup more, to form a soft dough. I turned the dough out onto a floured board and kneaded it for about five minutes, until it was smooth and elastic. I put the dough into a bowl that had been smeared with butter, covered the bowl and put it in a warm place to rise. In about an hour and half, the dough had doubled in size. I gently folded it in on itself to deflate it, (I’m not one who punches anything), and then formed the dough into twelve balls. I put the balls of dough into a buttered, nine-inch square pan, covered them and put the pan in a warm place for about forty-five minutes, until the dough had risen a second time. I baked the rolls in a preheated 375º oven until they were golden brown, about twenty-two minutes.

The sweet potatoes I used were seasoned with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and had a bit of a chili zing. If the leftover sweet potatoes in your fridge are topped with marshmallows or sweetened with maple sugar, reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe or omit it.

I made turkey noodle soup for Saturday night supper but wished that I had made the turkey gumbo soup that my friend and fellow painter, Kathy described to me over coffee on Sunday morning. Here’s the recipe she shared:

Turkey Gumbo Soup

Boil a turkey carcass in eight cups of water for one hour. Remove the carcass from the pot and pick the meat from the bones. Drain and reserve six cups of broth. Combine four tablespoons of flour and four tablespoons of bacon grease in the bottom of the soup pot and cook over medium heat until the mixture is a rich dark brown. Add one cup of chopped scallions, one cup of chopped celery and four tablespoons of chopped parsley to the pot and saute for five minutes. Add the broth slowly to the vegetable mixture, stirring until well combined. Add three bay leaves, half a teaspoon of thyme, one cup of chopped, smoked, hot sausage and three cups of leftover turkey meat. Simmer over low heat for one and a half hours. One pint of oysters can be added for the last five minutes of cooking. To finish the soup, add one tablespoon of file powder just before serving. Soup should not boil once the file has been added. Remove bay leaves and serve gumbo in a large, shallow soup bowl over a generous mound of white rice.

This year we are having dinner at the Bartletts. I’m making cranberry relish, sweet potatoes and dessert and looking forward to being with friends. I’ve made extra sweet potatoes, pre-holiday leftovers, and I’m pretty certain that our hosts will send us home with turkey for sandwiches. I don’t think it would be polite to ask for the turkey carcass, but I’m planning to make turkey gumbo even if I have to cut Kathy’s recipe in half and make it with a roasted chicken from the grocery store. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

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There will be weeks of  marathon of mixing, stirring, slicing, dicing, creaming and blending. It was time to make meals that are simple to prepare, have a limited number of ingredients and are even better the second time around. Corn Chowder is one way to do that.

Chowder is defined as any of a variety of soups, made with milk, enriched with salt pork and thickened with flour. It has been around since the sixteenth century when it was considered “poor man’s fare”. The word chowder may come from the French chaudiere, a pot used by fishermen in France to make a hearty fish stew by cooking fish with milk and vegetables, or it may come from jowter the Old English term for a person who sells fish.

Made with bacon, potatoes, corn and milk, the soup I made was chowder without fish because the closest fish to my pot was a twenty minute drive through the snow and eliminating trips to the market was part of my new resolve. I’m confident that the recipe police will not come to my post holiday kitchen to give me a ticket. Here’s how I made it:

Corn Chowder

Although traditional chowder is flavored with salt pork, I used half a pound of bacon cut in half-inch strips to give the soup a smoky taste. I cooked it in my large stockpot over medium heat until the fat had rendered, about ten minutes. I added two medium onions to the pot and when the onions were soft and translucent, I stirred in one heaping tablespoon of flour.

After the flour had cooked for two minutes, I stirred in two cups of water and one pound of unpeeled, yellow potatoes that had been washed and cut into half-inch cubes. When the water began to boil, I lowered the heat, covered the pot and cooked the soup. When the potatoes were tender, I added one pound of frozen corn kernels, three cups of whole milk and one Knorr vegetable bouillon cube. I heated the soup, without letting it boil, and simmered it for five minutes to cook the corn. Topped with a handful of chopped, flat-leaf parsley and a big grind of black pepper the soup was ready to serve in bowls that had been heated in the microwave.

I served the bowls of steaming chowder with wedges of hot corn bread that I had baked in a cast iron skillet and then slathered with butter. This dinner made us forget that the thermometer read minus two and it was good enough to turn the most persnickety recipe police officer into a lifelong friend. Best of all there was enough soup for dinner the next evening and lunch the day after that.

Chowder has become a winter staple and I make a vegetarian version by using a couple of tablespoons of unsalted butter instead of bacon. When gluten intolerant friends come to dinner, I leave out the flour and serve a bowl of saltines for the more tolerant diners who want to thicken their chowder by crumbling crackers into their soup. Corn chowder is transformed into fish chowder by adding, after the potatoes are tender, three quarters of a pound of mild white fish, cod or haddock, cut into one inch chunks. The soup is simmered until the fish is cooked, about five minutes.

If the recipe police have invited themselves to dinner, I replace the corn with two cans of clams and the water with clam juice and serve a most presentable clam chowder.

Click here to download and print an ingredients list and recipe.

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The dark pink lentils in my pantry, labeled either as Red or Egyptian lentils in the market, don’t have a seed coat so they will disintegrate into a smooth puree as the soup cooks. Here’ s how I made it.

Lentil Soup

To begin, I sauteed one leek, one onion and three medium carrots, all cleaned and sliced, in one tablespoon of unsalted butter and one tablespoon of olive oil for about five minutes or until they were softened.

Then I stirred in flavors from the East, two large cloves of garlic, crushed, one tablespoon grated fresh ginger, one rounded teaspoon ground cumin, one teaspoon turmeric, half a teaspoon ground coriander and a large pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and cooked another minute before I added two cups of rinsed red lentils and five cups of water.

I covered the pot, brought it to a boil, reduced the heat to a simmer and cooked until the lentils were tender, about forty five minutes.

To finish the soup, I stirred in two teaspoons of vegetarian soup base, one diced zucchini and a tablespoon of fresh lime juice, adjusted the salt and pepper, and simmered for five more minutes.

Two slices of buttered toast and a bowl of lentil soup, a perfect dinner for a chilly Spring evening.

Download and print lentil soup recipe with an ingredients list here.

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When Matthew and Alison got married in Ortigia, Sicily in September 2009, she didn’t change her name from Zahynacz to Egbert. Zahynacz is a Ukrainian name and the Christmas they were celebrating is the Ukrainian Christmas.

The Ukrainian festivities begin on January 7th with a Sviata Vecheria or Holy Supper that brings families together to share holiday foods and traditions and ends on January 19th. Often a few stalks of wheat in a vase are used to decorate the table, and in farming communities, a sheaf of wheat called a didukh is displayed. Didukh means “Grandfather spirit” and the wheat is a symbol of family ancestors. Traditional holiday foods like kolach, a braided Christmas bread, kutia, a mixture of boiled wheat, poppy seeds and honey and are part of the feast served along with more familiar Ukrainian classics like stuffed cabbage, boiled dumplings filled with cabbage or prunes and borscht and the meal ends with a jug of uzvar, a mixture of twelve stewed fruits, as dessert.

Although I haven’t taken part in the holiday caroling rituals that require extensive preparation including finding someone willing to dress as a goat to represent the god of fertility, their call inspired me to use Alison’s grandmother’s recipe to make pot of Ukrainian borscht. Baba is what she called her. Here’s how I made her vegetarian borscht:

Baba’s Beet Borscht

I put six cups of water, half a teaspoon of kosher salt, one finely chopped carrot, one half of a diced green pepper, one stalk of celery, diced, three medium beets, grated, half a cup of canned, peeled and diced tomatoes and three medium russet potatoes, quartered, into a large stock pot over high heat. When the mixture had come to a boil, I reduced the heat to medium and simmered the vegetables until the potatoes were fork tender.

I melted three tablespoons of unsalted butter in a medium skillet, added one small chopped onion and sauted it until it was tender. Then I added one and a half cups of canned, peeled and diced tomatoes, reduced the heat to medium-low and simmered the mixture for fifteen minutes.

While the vegetables cooked in the stockpot and the tomatoes and onions cooked in the skillet, I finely shredded a small head of Savoy cabbage. I added half of the cabbage, about a cup and a half, to the skillet with the tomatoes and onions and simmered it for ten more minutes until the cabbage was tender.

I used a slotted spoon to remove the potatoes from the stockpot and put them into a bowl, added one tablespoon of unsalted butter and a quarter of a cup of sour cream and mashed the potatoes until they were smooth.

I added three quarters of a cup of diced raw potatoes and the onion-tomato-cabbage mixture to the stockpot and cooked the soup over medium heat for five minutes. I added the remaining one and a half cups of shredded cabbage and the mashed potatoes, reduced the heat and simmered the soup for a few minutes more. I diced the remaining half of the green pepper, and stirred it into the soup along with salt and black pepper just before serving. Charles dislikes the strong taste of vinegar so I have never followed the last line of Baba’s recipe that suggests the addition of a splash vinegar or brine from a jar of dill pickles to finish the soup.

I have learned that it is important to follow the directions carefully, different amounts of the same ingredient are added at different times, some of the potatoes are quartered and others are diced, etc. The first time I made this soup I merrily diced the potatoes along with the carrots, celery and green pepper and then spent twenty minutes fishing out the small, pink potato pieces in order to mash them.

I wonder if the complex nature of this recipe is the result of the efforts of many cooks, with limited pantries, who have devised elaborate ways to spend lots of time fussing in the kitchen over the preparation of meals for people they love. I’ve thought about trying to simplify the steps of this recipe but never have because it magically transforms a few inexpensive ingredients into a hearty and complex soup. Even though I am sometimes not as precise as Baba might have been when I use this recipe, the borscht has never failed to be wonderfully satisfying.

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Our neighbor Robin and his family spent most weekends at their country house in eastern Pennsylvania and he brought mushrooms from Kennett Square, the mushroom capital of the world, for everyone on the block.

Three pounds of mushrooms, especially the week before Christmas, when the fridge was filled with holiday fare, presented a cooking challenge, so many mushrooms and so little time. Mushroom soup was the first recipe I thought of when the mushrooms arrived. Served with crusty bread and a green salad, it made an easy dinner during a busy week. Here’s how I did it:

Mushroom Soup

I began by coarsely chopping two medium shallots and one pound of mushrooms in the food processor. I melted two tablespoons of unsalted butter in a medium saucepan, added the mushroom/shallot mixture, one teaspoon of dried thyme and the juice of half a lemon. I cooked the mixture over medium heat for about fifteen minutes. When the liquid from the mushrooms had evaporated, I stirred in half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of ground pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper and two cups of chicken stock and simmered the soup, over low heat, for twenty minutes. I dissolved one teaspoon of cornstarch in a tablespoon of cold water, stirred it into one and a half cups of light cream and added it to the soup. I simmered the soup for ten minutes, over low heat, stirring constantly. I topped each serving with a teaspoon of sour cream and a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley.

Onions, scallions or leeks may be substituted for the shallots, and milk or heavy cream can be substituted for light cream. Skimmed milk makes the soup too “Scrooge-y”.

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He gave me several, freshly pulled, leeks and a handful of fragrant flat leaf parsley. When I got home, I made a cozy dinner in less time than it would take to pick up a pizza. It was cold enough to have a fire in the wood stove and I wanted a steamy bowl of comfort food as I watched the election returns.

Leaks have a long and colorful history. Aristotle credited the clear voices of partridges to their diet of leeks. Perhaps it was the partridges that inspired the Roman Emperor Nero to eat leeks everyday in an effort make his voice stronger. Romans brought leeks to Britain where they, the leeks not the Romans, still flourish because they thrive in the cold and damp. According to Welsh legend, St. David ordered every soldier to wear a leek on his helmet in the battle against the Saxon invaders.

The prospect of watching the outcome of a battle, (the election), and the leeks from Don’s garden inspired me to make a pot creamy potato leek soup. Here’s how I did it:

Potato Leek Soup

The leaves of leeks are perfectly designed to trap bits of grit so careful washing is imperative. After cutting off the roots of three medium leeks, I cut each leek in half lengthwise and then into half inch slices. I put the pieces into the basket of a salad spinner filled with salted cold water and swished them around. The leeks floated and the dirt and grit that had been trapped between the leaves fell to bottom. I lifted the leeks out, drained away the water and used the salad spinner to spin out any remaining water. I melted a tablespoon of unsalted butter in the bottom of a large saucepan and sauteed the leeks. I peeled and diced two large russet potatoes while the leeks cooked and when the leeks were wilted, I added the potatoes, two cups of water and a vegetarian bouillon cube.  I covered the pot and simmered the soup until the potatoes were very soft. I used an immersion blender to puree the soup until it was smooth, and added a cup and a half of light cream, salt and pepper and heated the soup until it was steamy but did not let it boil.

A bowl of soup, some buttered toast and the remote control made the evening more pleasant than I had anticipated. If elections were held on a steamy summer day, this soup could be served chilled, topped with minced chives and called vichyssoise.

I used my ten step plan to make a pot of Curried Summer Squash Soup that chased the chill and absorbed some of the squash overload. Here’s how I did it:

Curried Summer Squash Soup

I put three tablespoons of unsalted butter into a large stockpot, and added two small onions and one unpeeled apple cut into half-inch dice. When the apple and onions were tender, I added two tablespoons of curry powder, and cooked the mixture, stirring constantly for one minute. I added one and a half cups of water and two large yellow squash cut in quarter inch slices to the onion mixture and simmered it for about eight minutes, until the squash was soft. I took the pot off the heat and used an immersion blender to puree the soup. I added one thirteen-ounce can of coconut milk, the juice of half a lime and half a teaspoon of salt to the soup. I returned the soup to the burner and when the soup was hot, I served it topped with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro leaves.

The soup was yummy, and conversation with Annie and Andre was delicious. With a soup game plan in place, a few basic pantry supplies, assorted vegetables and an adventurous spirit, a simple soup dinner can be on the table in minutes.

Cucumbers and parsley are turning to slime in the bottom of the fridge, tomatoes are being passed back and forth between friends like fruitcake in December, zucchini and yellow squash are nearly the size of canoes and there is a bunch of rainbow chard lurking around every corner.

Whether you call it Vegetable Overload, Squash Surplus, Garden Glut, or CSA Bounty, it is imperative to have a strategy to survive this delightful dilemma. I suggest soup. Call it Empty the Refrigerator Soup, Wilted Vegetable Soup or Garden Delight Soup but don’t delay, it’s time to start chopping, sauteing, simmering, serving and storing soup.

I have a ten-step game plan that I follow whenever I make soup. The steps are the same whether I’m making a simple, pureed broccoli soup or a hearty vegetable soup. I adjust ingredients, quantities and proportions according to the contents of my fridge, my pantry, and also include vegetables that have been left in my unlocked car by generous friends. Here’s my soup game plan:

1. Heat oil in stockpot
2. Saute aromatic vegetables in oil in the stockpot until tender but not browned
3. Add meat and cook until browned
4. Add herbs and spices
5. Add liquid
6. Add vegetables and simmer until tender
7. Puree (if desired)
8. Add additional liquid to thin soup to desired consistency
9. Adjust seasoning
10. Serve with appropriate garnish

The oil can be butter, olive oil, grape seed oil, vegetable oil coconut or any combination, and should just coat the bottom of the pot. Onions, leeks, garlic, scallions, shallots, carrots and celery are all aromatic vegetables and any combination will work. Meat is optional, it may be ground, or cut in small pieces or one large piece that is be sliced when the soup is served. The liquid for Step 5 can be water, broth, or stock or a combination but, because it will be simmered to cook the vegetables and meat, it should not be a dairy product. The liquid in Step 8 can include cream, milk, sour cream, yogurt, or coconut milk. In Step 9, adjusting seasoning may mean adding a bit more salt or pepper or other more exotic flavors like a bit of bourbon, orange zest, lime juice, hot sauce, etc. Garnishes may be as simple as a thin slice of lemon or as luxurious as a chunk of lobster. Raw fish or shellfish can be added for the last five minutes of Step 6. Refrigerate or freeze leftover soup for another day.

I got wet and cold on a short walk and wanted something to eat, something warm and comforting. Soup! I had carrots and tomatoes so I made tomato and carrot soup. Here’s how I did it:


Tomato Carrot Soup

I heated a tablespoon each of butter and olive oil in a pan and added three large scallions and six medium carrots cut into quarter inch slices, and one clove of minced garlic. When the scallions were soft, I added eight small cored and quartered plum tomatoes. I reduced the heat, added salt and pepper and cooked the vegetables for ten minutes more before I added two cups of water. I continued to cook the soup until the carrots where soft and the tomatoes had fallen apart. I added half a cup of fresh ricotta cheese when I pureed the soup with an immersion blender. Topped with a handful of flat leaf parsley and served with toasted bread from the corner store, dinner was cozy even though the sea roared.

Tomato Carrot Soup List

• butter
• olive oil
• scallions
• carrots
• garlic
• plum tomatoes
• fresh ricotta cheese

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