more snickety lemon stuff

I've been on a lemon kick this week. After I posted the lemon polenta cake recipe, many readers mentioned having lemon trees, and were looking for new and different ways to use lemons. Well, here is a delicious savory lemon recipe, that's super quick and easy to make.  I don't know about you, but I am always grabbing a rotisserie chicken. Instead of stir-fry or chicken pie, try this for a change.  It's made with egg yolks, so it's not a dish you would want to eat every day, but it is a refreshing treat.  It would also be a great starter for a seafood entree.

Greek Lemon Soup with Chicken

In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups chicken broth to a boil.  Add 1/3 cup orzo and boil until tender, about 8 minutes.  In a bowl, beat 6 egg yolks; slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot broth. Add the egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened, a minute or two.  Add 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken and the juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons). Season with freshly grated pepper.  Serves 4.

Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant 

filled with odd little waiters who bring you things 

you never asked for and don't always like.

Lemony Snicket

quietly civilizing

There is something quietly civilizing

about sharing a meal with other people.

The simple act of making someone something

to eat, even a bowl of soup or a loaf of bread,

has a many-layered meaning.

It suggests an act of protection and caring,

of generosity and intimacy.

It is in itself a sign of respect.

Nigel Slater

When snow is coming down in boatloads, nothing warms the body and spirit quite like a steaming bowl of homemade soup. A favorite here at the manor is ham and bean.  I like to save the bone from the holiday ham (not one of those pre-cooked, spiral sliced hams; a wonderful uncooked ham roasted all Christmas morning and eaten for brunch) in the freezer until the perfect cold January day.  Well, today was the perfect snowy day. My recipe varies a bit from year to year, but this one turned out to be extra delicious.

Willow's Ham and Bean Soup

1 ham bone with meat scraps
2 cups dry navy beans
3 carrots, diced
3 ribs celery diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bouquet garni (I used fresh sage)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all the above ingredients in a Dutch oven, (I used Little Red) fill with water, cover and bake in 325 degree oven for at least 3 hours, or until beans are tender.  Discard bouquet garni, remove bone, pull off any attached meat, dice and return to pot.  Serve with warm cornbread. Wear woolly socks.

Willow's Cornbread

3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup skim milk
1 egg
1/2 cup oil

Mix gently until just moistened. Turn into a greased 8 x 8 or 9 inch round pan. Bake 375 for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.


Click HERE for my other soup recipes.

mulligatawny

Function: noun
Etymology: Tamil milakutanni, from milaku pepper
+ tanni water, Date: 1784
a rich soup usually of chicken stock seasoned with curry

I twittered this week about mulligatawny, one of my very favorite soups. There are lots of variations, but the one below is my particular version. I like to make my own chicken broth with a little stewing chicken. It's a bit more time consuming, but the rich, flavorful broth is well worth the extra effort. Keep in mind that it tastes best while wearing woolly socks.


Willow's Chicken Mulligatawny

(all amounts are approximate)

4 quarts homemade chicken broth
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups tomato juice
4 each, carrots and celery, chopped (eggplant is good, too)
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley (or 2 Tbsp dry)
2 cups cooked brown rice (or 1 cup raw)
6 to 8 tsp curry powder (I like it spicy, start with less, add as you go)
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp pepper (I threw in some whole peppercorns)
salt to taste
a bay leaf or two
4 to 6 cups cooked chicken, diced
2 apples, peeled and chopped

Combine all ingredients except chicken and apples. Simmer until vegetables are tender, but still firm. Add apples, continue to simmer until apples are tender. Add chicken, cooked rice and heat through. Adjust seasonings. Remove bay leaves.

Note: This makes a ton of soup. The recipe can easily be halved.

Just tell me if this isn't just as good, if not better than the Soup Nazi's.

ham bone + woolly socks

Speaking of food, a tradition here at the manor is to make a steaming pot of bean soup from the ham bone left over from Christmas Day brunch. This earthy delight is perfect for a snowy January afternoon. Pair it with some homemade cornbread and you'll be in heaven. Or, if you've had quite enough carbs, a nice bunch of crunchy celery is good with it, too.

Willow's Ham and Bean Soup

1 meaty ham bone
1 two lb bag of dry great northern beans
3 carrots diced
3 ribs celery diced
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

Boil beans in a large pot on stove top for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and cover. Let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans.

Place ham bone, beans, vegetables and spices into the large pot, (about a 7 quart size) cover with water (about 2 inches from the top), cover and bake in 300 to 325 degree oven for about 4 hours, checking periodically and replacing any water that may have cooked off. Broth should be dense and beans soft.

Remove ham bone and cut up any large chunks of meat, and return meat to pot. Check for flavor and adjust seasonings. Enjoy, in your woolly socks, my friends.

Kitchen

Brit Gal Sarah was kind enough to ask me to be a guest blogger

today, so hop on over to her place and check it out. She's a delightful

Brit bloggy newly transplanted into Tornado Alley, USA.

And a recent Blog of Note, Coffee Messiah, has designated today's

theme "kitchen". Well, the latest savory concoction in the Manor

Kitchen has been this wonderful recipe for minestrone. A nice

steaming bowl of soup is perfect for a cold snowy evening, don't you

think? The key is browning the tomato paste and slow cooking the

veggies. Patience pays off with this one. So put on your warm woolly

socks and simmer a pot of this yummy stuff on the stove. It's low cal,

tastes heavenly and best of all warm!

Winter Minestrone

1/3 lb sliced pancetta, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

4 celery ribs, chopped

3 medium red onions, chopped

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch Swiss chard

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes in juice

3 qt hot water

5 cups coarsely chopped cored Savoy cabbage

5 cups coarsely chopped escarole

1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind

1 19 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

accompaniments:

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling, cooked ditalini pasta tossed

with oil, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cook pancetta, onions, celery, and carrots in oils in a wide 7 to 9 qt

heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Cut out stems from chard and chop stems, reserving leaves. Stir

chard stems into pancetta mixture with garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp

pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until veggies are

very tender and begin to stick to bottom of pot, about 30 minutes.

Push veggies to one side of pot. Add tomato paste to cleared area

and cook, stirring until it starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes with their juice, add hot water. Bring to a simmer,

stir in cabbage, escarole and Parmesan. Simmer until greens are

tender, about 30 minutes.

Coarsely chop chard leaves and stir into soup along with beans.

Simmer for 10 minutes, discard rind, add salt and pepper to taste.

Add cooked pasta, just before serving. Soup without pasta, can be

made 2 days ahead and chilled.

photo from January issue of Gourmet--

I dropped my camera and broke it!! ((sob))

Cabbage Soup for the Soul

After the holidays, and all the chocolate and cookies, I am really ready
to eat some healthy, low fat meals. This cabbage soup is fast, easy to
make and tasty, too. I would like to take all the credit, but I will have
to say the recipe came from Rachel Ray. It's perfect for a chilly winter
evening. Add some crusty bread and you've got a great little meal.
And if you've had one too many cookies last week like I did, skip the
bread and eat this soup with no guilt. It's good for the soul.


Cabbage Soup


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound ham steak, chopped
1 savoy cabbage, quartered, cored and shredded
1 onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
Salt and pepper
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 cups cider
1/4 cup honey
1 (14 ounce) can white beans, drained
1 pound bag sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 quart chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped dill
1 cup sour cream, to pass at table (optional)

Heat a soup pot over medium high heat with extra-virgin olive oil.
Add ham and lightly brown 2 to 3 minutes. Add shredded cabbage
and stir in the onions and carrots as you finish chopping and grating
them. Stir in the frozen hash browns and season the vegetables
liberally with salt and pepper. Add in a bay leaf, cider, honey, beans,
sauerkraut and chicken stock. Place a lid on the pot and bring soup to
a boil. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Stir in dill and adjust seasoning of soup. Serve the soup in shallow
bowls and top with sour cream.

photo by willow

Farmer's Market Soup

This is one of my very favorite soups! And this time of year is

perfect for it. I just bought some lovely fresh vegetables and

with this soup, you can use just about any combination you like.

Add a heavenly slice of crusty home made bread and you've got

a perfect little supper. Can you tell I'm celebrating the empty

nest cooking?

Farmer's Market Soup

3 tbsp olive oil

3 leeks chopped

pinch of saffron threads

3 large carrots, diced

3 medium turnips, peeled and diced

3 zucchini or other summer squash, chunked

3/4 lb green beans, cut into 1 inch lengths

2 large ripe tomatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 quarts vegetable stock

1 cup dried pasta, I like bowl shaped Orecchiette

The Pesto

3 cups loosely packed basil leaves

1 garlic clove

3 tbsp pine nuts

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

2 tbsp grated Romano

1/2 cup olive oil

Warm oil in a wide soup pot over medium heat. Add leeks

and saffron and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add vegetables, garlic and salt, cook 5 minutes and add

stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer until vegetables

are tender, 20 - 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted water, drain and rinse with

cold water.

Make the pesto. Mash the garlic in a mortar with 1/4 tsp salt

and the pine nuts (I use a mini food processor) then add the

basil a hand full at a time. Grind until you have a fine paste.

Briefly work in the cheeses and stir in the olive oil. Taste for

salt.

Add the pasta to the hot soup, ladle the soup into bowls and

stir a spoonful of pesto into each serving. Season with pepper.

NOTE: Don't skimp and leave out the pesto! And don't

use that nasty store bought kind. It is the key ingredient

that gives the soup it's rich fabulous flavor, when stirred

into each bowl full!

*photo by Willow*