Dutch Potato Soup

We're big on soup, both at home and at my restaurant, Union Street Cafe. I come by my Big Soup Love honestly. My mother kept us fed and healthy on a variety of mostly-vegetarian soups, soups made from cookbooks with names like Diet for a Small Planet and the Vegetarian Epicure. This Dutch Potato Soup was a childhood favourite of mine, a recipe I had memorized by the time I left home. I've made it at home, in a makeshift campsite kitchen on Salt Spring Island and at the Cafe, and it's always hit the spot.

While the ingredients look humble, the flavour is big and comforting. You can even leave out the cheese and it's still very delicious. As always with soup, the key to success is seasoning. Add salt, then taste taste taste, adding a little more if you think it needs it. A crusty loaf of bread and a spinach salad with dried cranberries and chopped apples would be lovely things to serve alongside this on a dreary January evening.

Dutch Potato Soup
adapted from Anna Thomas' Vegetarian Epicure 

5 medium Potatoes, cubed
2 teaspoons Salt
1/3 cup Butter
2 large onions, diced
2 teaspoons Dill Seed, lightly crushed (or Cumin) 
2 Bay Leaves
3 tablespoons Flour 
2 cups Milk
6 oz. Gouda, grated (about 2 cups, try the Fox Hill Cheese House )
1 tablespoon Paprika
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
Freshly ground Pepper

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan with the salt and just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until potatoes are just tender, 10-15 minutes depending on size. Leave the potatoes and their water in the pot, but turn off the heat. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the onions. Stir and cook until onions are clear and tender, about 5 minutes, then add the dill seed and bay leaves. Sprinkle in the flour, and stirring constantly with a whisk or a wooden spoon, slowly add the milk. When the mixture is smooth and thickened, scrape it all into the soup pot with the potatoes. Turn the heat back on to medium low under the soup pot and combine everything. Sprinkle in the cheese, stirring until it melts, then add the paprika and Worcestershire. Taste for salt and add a few grinds of pepper before serving to your delighted family.

Greek Vegetable Sauté

Happiness to me is cupboards full of all the ingredients I like to cook with, a variety of vegetables in the refrigerator, and a freezer stocked with good meat.  Not everyone in the world can buy quality locally grown meat as easily as we can in the Annapolis Valley.  Aside from the excellent meat shops like Meadowbrook Meat Market and Oulton's, many of us are also lucky enough to have neighbours with free range chickens, homegrown pigs, rabbits and lambs who like to share.
So this night, we had some beautiful lamb chops from our friends Stephanie and Austin (the kind of wonderfully generous friends that we should all have).  I followed a Mediterranean-inspired Gourmet recipe for the chops and wanted a side dish that would cover both the carbohydrate and vegetable aspects of our meal.  This dish combines a few of my favourite things; spinach, tomatoes and garlic; with sweet onions and sharp feta cheese.  In the coming weeks, local spinach and hothouse tomatoes will become more readily available, just in time for you make this simple and delicious dish.

This time last year: Corned Beef with Winter Vegetables

Greek Vegetable Sauté
Although we served this alongside lamb chops, this would also be lovely on its own for supper or to take to a potluck!  It's just as nice at room temperature as it is hot.

3 small Potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced  (1 cup)
1 large clove Garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 bunch Swiss Chard, sliced into ribbons
4  cups Spinach, chopped
3 Plum Tomatoes, diced in 1/2" pieces
1/2 Lemon
1/4 cup crumbled Feta Cheese (I love Holmestead)


Place the potatoes in a small pot and cover with cold water.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, 10-15 minutes, then drain.  Meanwhile, in your largest sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and stir often until they are tender and beginning to brown.  Stir in the potato cubes, garlic, Swiss chard and salt.  Add a few tablespoonfuls of water and cover the pan to steam the chard until it is tender, about five minutes.  Uncover, add the spinach and tomatoes and toss until the spinach is wilted and liquid has evaporated.  Pile into a serving dish and squeeze the lemon juice over the sauté, then sprinkle with the crumbled feta.

East Indian Split Pea Soup

A good split pea soup is one of winter's greatest pleasures.   My mom made it often when I was growing up and she still reigns as the Pea Soup (or Sea Poup, thanks Dad) Queen.  Hers used to be made with a meaty ham bone, but is now most often vegetarian, thick with sweet potato, celery, onions and carrot and spiced up with toasted cumin. At the Cafe, we've spiked our version with everything from pulled pork to maple sausage, always to good reviews.

Last week I was making shrimp curry for our buffet and wanted a soup to complement it.  Usually I make dhal, an East Indian dish often made with red lentils.  We had no lentils, but we did have lots of green split peas, and so this recipe was born.

This time last year: Cream of Valley Mushroom Soup

East Indian Split Pea Soup

You can serve this soup as is, or have fun topping it: I suggest a dollop of plain yogurt, a spoonful of mango chutney, some chopped cilantro, a few toasted cashews...


1 lb. Split Peas (Mom says yellow, I say green)
12 C. Water
1 T. Oil
1 T. Mustard Seeds
1 large Onion, diced
1 T. freshly grated Ginger
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 t. Turmeric
2 t. ground Cumin
1 T. Salt
1 medium Sweet Potato, diced
1 large Potato, diced
2 large Carrots, diced
1 large handful Spinach, chopped (optional)
1 T. Garam Masala (a blend of sweet spices, EOS and Superstore have it)

In a large pot, bring the peas and water to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about an hour, until the peas are mostly tender.  Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium high heat and pour in the oil.  Add the mustard seeds.  They will toast and begin popping after a minute or so.  Reduce the heat to medium, then stir in the onion and cook until beginning to soften, about five minutes.  Add the ginger, garlic, turmeric, cumin and salt, and cook for a minute before adding the sweet potato, potato, and carrot.  Cook, stirring often, for five minutes, then shut off the heat.  When the split peas are almost tender, add the spice and vegetable mix to the pot.  Simmer for a half hour (the peas should mostly have fallen apart at this point), then check for salt and stir in the spinach and garam masala.

Niçoise-Inspired Potato Salad

This time last year: Raspberry-Blueberry Shortcakes and Blueberry Gumbo

 

 August is my favourite month for eating!  Mostly right now I'm gorging on the huge raspberries at Gatehill Farm, finding new uses for Swiss Chard daily and eyeing my garden for the first ripe tomatoes. At Nova Scotian farm markets it is high season for cucumbers, broccoli, green and yellow and Roma beans, kale, basil and the first carrots and potatoes.  With all this abundance, it is our duty to get into the kitchen and whip up some delicious, indulgent, once-a-year high-summer meals!  With that in mind, I give you this lovely potato salad.  Nicoise Salad is a classic French salad, usually "composed", meaning that all the ingredients are beautifully arranged.  It contains potatoes, beans, tuna, eggs, capers, olives, sometimes anchovies, and fresh herbs dressed with vinaigrette.  This is a simplified version, though you could certainly add any of what I've left out.  I love how the yolk of the egg enriches the simple dressing.

Niçoise-Inspired Potato Salad

3 lb. small New Potatoes
4 Eggs
1 lb. Green or Yellow Beans, trimmed and snapped in half
4 T. Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 clove Garlic
2 T. Dijon Mustard
1/4 t. Salt
Freshly ground Pepper
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 C. slivered Red Onion
1/4 C. Chopped Parsley
2 Cans Tuna, left in chunks (optional)
Handful of fresh Basil, shredded (optional)

Cut the potatoes in half if they are larger than 1" and place in a pot with the eggs and 2 t. salt.  Add cold water to cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 12-15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and fill the pot with cold water to cool the eggs and potatoes quickly, then drain.  Steam or boil the beans until just tender.  Peel the eggs and cut into eighths.  Meanwhile, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, and plenty of pepper in a large bowl. Add the potatoes, beans, eggs, tomatoes, red onion and parsley and toss well in the dressing.  Taste for seasoning, then add the optional tuna and toss again gently.  Top with the basil if using, and another good grind of pepper.  This is lovely served right away, while still slightly warm, or
chilled in the refrigerator for up to three days.

A Saint Patrick's Day Birthday Feast

Plate No. 1

Tomorrow is my son's birthday.  He was born on St. Patrick's Day, six years ago.  It was cloudy and grey, there was snow in the woods, and David Myles was playing at the Cafe.  We loved the fact that there will always be a great party on his birthday.  He has plenty of Irish heritage, so bring on the jigs and reels!  And the Irish food.

We're celebrating tonight with Boiled Dinner with Grammie's Mayonnaise.  Doesn't that sound delicious? How about Corned Beef with Winter Vegetables and Sweet Mustard Sauce...better?   The sauce, my great-grandmother's recipe, is rich and vintage-ly scrumptious, and the rest of the meal can be too.  You've got to start with a decent piece of beef, and cook it patiently.   We buy our corned beef from Meadowbrook Meat Market, where they cure it themselves.  A 2 lb. chunk will serve about 6 people.  I'm not usually tempted by boiled vegetables, let alone meat, but you will have to trust me on this!

Corned Beef with Winter Vegetables and Sweet Mustard Sauce

2 lb. Corned Beef
10 Peppercorns
1 Bay Leaf
1 very small head Green Cabbage, cut into 6 wedges (leave the core in so it stays together)
3 large Carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 small Turnip, peeled and cut into 2" chunks
6 small Potatoes, cut in half

In a large pot, place the beef, peppercorns and bay leaf.  Add enough water to cover and bring to a simmer over high heat.  Reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 3 hours, or until a fork can easily penetrate to the center.  Remove the beef and let it rest while you cook the vegetables (leave the cooking water in the pot).  Throw the cabbage, carrots, turnip and potatoes in, top up with water to cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cook for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  Slice the beef thinly against the grain and serve with the vegetables and Sweet Mustard Sauce.

Grammie's Mayonnaise (Sweet Mustard Sauce)

Don't ask me why it's called Mayonnaise

3 Egg Yolks
1 T. Flour
2 T. Sugar
1 t. Salt
2 t. Dry Mustard
1 1/4 C. Milk
1T. Cider Vinegar
3 T. Butter

In a small heavy pot, whisk the yolks, flour, sugar, salt and dry mustard.  When they are smooth, add the milk and vinegar and set over low heat.  Whisk frequently as the sauce heats and thickens, about ten minutes .  Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Green Beans and Wee Potatoes

Beans are not exciting to my children. In fact, my deepest, darkest confession to you is that, despite my boundless veggie enthusiasm, and my best efforts, my kids really don't like many vegetables. I'm not going to go to great lengths to disguise them (although I do like the idea of pureeing extra goodness into tomato sauce), I just want them to like them! My mother reminds me that we need to taste new foods about ten times before we start enjoying them, so that is why I turn a blind eye to the giant cup of plum sauce my daughter needs to get down 3 spears of broccoli. I don't care if they dip their peas in ketchup! Just eat it. On the list of acceptable: Carrots, raw. Sugar snap peas. Cucumbers. Pickles (I know they're cucumbers, but I'm desperate!) Red peppers. Potatoes. And, my son likes to eat green beans, but only the teeny babies out of the pod, thus reducing his consumption by about 98%.
Anyhow, company was coming, so I knew my efforts had a better chance of being appreciated. My friend Christy Ann's husband James has a gorgeous, neatly arranged garden that is apparently producing like mad. Along with the most beautiful head of cauliflower ever grown (about the size of the heads of three children put together) he brought along a bag of pristine fresh green and wax beans. I happen to know that if you have beans, you've got BEANS, and as a child I remember having to pick way too many from our garden. I mercilessly yanked the beans from the plants, hoping to uproot them and avoid having to do this duty again. Anyway, I didn't plant enough this year for our winter needs, so I was very grateful for the gift. And the fact that they were already picked.
Beans are a great favourite of mine now, and I love them roasted. This is another Mollie Katzen trick: Toss a great number of Green or Wax Beans with Olive Oil and salt, then roast them at 400 (can anyone tell me how to make a degree symbol appear???) for about 30 minutes, tossing them every ten minutes or so, until tender and browned in spots. Drizzle with a little balsamic or lemon juice.
As a kid, I had a big thing for Three Bean Salad. Still do. Since I'm sure you don't need a recipe for that, here's a variation on the sweet and sour theme, with a fresh hit of basil to keep it fancy enough for good company.

Green Bean Salad with Feta and Basil

4 C. Green or Wax Beans, stemmed and snapped in half
1 C. diced Red Pepper
1/2 C. fresh Basil
1 T. Sugar (or leave it out if you prefer)
1 clove Garlic
1/4 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 C. crumbled Feta Cheese
2 T. Olive Oil
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Toss in the beans, bring the water back to a boil, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until just tender. Meanwhile, combine all the basil, sugar, garlic, vinegar, feta and olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Once the beans are cooked, drain them thoroughly and combine with while still hot with the dressing and the red pepper. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

We had slow cooked barbecue ribs that I brought home from the Cafe for dinner with the bean salad, so we had to have potatoes in some form or other! This is my grandmother's method for pan-roasted potatoes. You don't want to turn on the oven, right? The parsley at the end is wonderful, but not essential. You could also use thyme, dill, or basil!

Parsley Potatoes

2 lb. little New Potatoes
2 T. Olive Oil
1/4 C. minced Parsley
Salt and Pepper

Wash the potatoes well and cut them in half. Heat a large skillet (preferably 12 inch, or prepare in batches) over medium high heat for a few minutes, then pour in the oil. Tilt the pan to coat it, then throw in the potatoes. Try to spread them in one layer. Cover the pan and cook for 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time. Test a potato to make sure it's tender, then stir in the parsley and salt and pepper to taste. These potatoes can be prepared at least an hour ahead and left to sit in the pan on the stove until everything else is ready.

Hodge Podge

My Nova Scotia Garden in June

Do you know what Hodge Podge is? Then chances are, you are from Atlantic Canada. Though I'm not exactly sure where the exact culinary boundaries are, it's safe to say that my friends from Nova Scotia say "yum!" while those from elsewhere say "huh?". Hodge Podge is a wonderful perfectly seasonal mix of new-from-the-garden (or market) vegetables, napped with a creamy sauce. I think the rules are usually potatoes, carrots, peas and beans, although asparagus, spinach, onions and just about any fresh vegetable should be welcome. Last week, my dear friend Alexis killed her chickens and brought me one. I roasted it with fresh herbs, made my first batch of Hodge Podge of the year, and dug in. Bliss!

Hodge Podge serves 4-6
1 lb. New Potatoes, halved if large
1 lb. New Carrots, cut into thick slices
1/2 lb. Sugar Snap Peas, stems removed (or use 1/2 lb shelled peas)
1 lb. Green or Yellow Beans, stems removed and snapped in half
2 T. Butter
2 T. All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 C. Milk
1/2 t. Salt
Pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the potatoes and carrots. After 10 minutes, check the potatoes. When they are almost tender, add the beans. Simmer for another few minutes, then turn off the heat and add the peas. Leave while you make the sauce. Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the butter, and when it has melted, whisk in the flour. When it is smooth, slowly add the milk, whisking all the while. Continue cooking until mixture bubbles and thickens. Season with the salt and add pepper to taste. Drain the cooked vegetables, saving a little water for thinning. Add to the pot containing the sauce and combine thoroughly, adding cooking water if necessary.
Now that you have your basic Hodge Podge (try it like this first if you've never had it before) you can go crazy with variations. Try stirring in a couple tablespoons of pesto, or chopped fresh herbs. Add asparagus with the beans, or chopped spinach with the peas. If you grow garlic and have scapes to use up, chop them and add with the beans.
Best of all, cut a roasted chicken from your neighbour into serving pieces. Load up your plate with Hodge Podge, then top with a piece of chicken and a spoonful of the roasting juices from the pan.