Longing for Spring Soup

Around these parts, spring doesn't feel too spring-y.  Although I've bundled up to dig around in my garden and all signs point to longer and warmer days, I'm still making roaring fires and pots of hearty soup.  This is one of my very favourite recipes, both at home and at the Cafe.  It has a very comforting, rustic, yet somehow exotic taste, as if the recipe had been passed down by my Italian grandmother (I don't have an Italian grandmother, but I like to pretend).  Obviously, this is a soup that wants the company of some crusty bread and a good grating of Parmesan cheese. 

Jacob's Cattle Bean and Vegetable Soup

You can substitute just about any dried bean for the Jacob's Cattle beans in this recipe.  

2 C. Dried Beans (we use Webster's Jacob's Cattle Beans)
16 C. Water
3 T. Olive Oil
1 large Onion, diced
3 stalks Celery, diced
2 medium Carrots, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 small Cabbage, shredded or diced
2 t. Salt
1 t. freshly ground Pepper
1/2 bunch Parsley, minced

Optional: 1-2 C. chopped cooked Ham, Sausage or Smoked Tofu


Bring beans and water to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to simmer and
cook for two hours, until beans are tender and falling apart. Add the
cabbage to the pot with the beans and continue to simmer until tender, about
20 minutes longer. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute
the onions, carrot, celery and garlic until softened and beginning to brown.
Add the sautéed vegetables to the beans, along with the salt, pepper, parsley and
optional meat or tofu. Taste for seasoning, and let simmer another 20 minutes
before serving.

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!

A Miracle in Cabbage

Sean and I went out for a pre-Valentine's dinner a few weeks ago at the Library Pub, a lovely spot in Wolfville with fresh and lovingly made food. Love is an essential ingredient of good cooking, a seasoning that hasn't yet been duplicated by large scale food processors and never will be.  We shared, among other delicious things, a red cabbage salad with feta and sesame.  Only love could transform the stalwart cabbage; reliable, economical, and readily available; into a dish that we nearly fought over. It's perfect: salty, a little sweet from the cabbage and a touch of honey, nutty with sesame oil and a little creamy from the feta.  This is my version, not theirs, and although I'm certain it isn't exactly the same, it is very delicious.  Bonus:if you store the salad overnight, some juice will collect at the bottom of the bowl which you can pour off and let your kids experiment with.  Rowan and I had a blast turning it pink with vinegar, dribbling in oil, turning it back to blue with baking soda, and so on.

Red Cabbage Salad with Feta and Sesame

1 T. Soy Sauce
1 T. Honey
1/2 clove Garlic, minced
2 T. Sesame Oil
1 T. White Wine Vinegar
1/4 head Red Cabbage, cut into small wedges, then sliced fine
1/3 C. crumbled Feta

In a large bowl, whisk the soy sauce, honey, garlic, sesame oil and vinegar together.  Add the cabbage and toss thoroughly to coat, then sprinkle in the feta and toss again.   This is great right away, but even better after it sits in the fridge a while.