Serve pot pie soup with homemade pie crust crackers
As I opened this week’s mail, I thought about the experts who give you their wisdom on these pages. In reading all that you write, I am still learning. The Italian phrase “Anco r a impa ro” means “Yet, I am learning.” Legend (or truth?) has it that Michelangelo said this at age 87. Are there any among our readers over 87? Please let us know if you are still learning like the rest of us had better be, pre-87.
Once again I am scouring the good questions that live in the minds of neighbors on our street, as requests are the fuel for this column. Who has a fine recipe for quinoa salad, and one for farro salad, then one for bean salad? How good it would be if someone could supply a general recipe with specific variations in ingredients so that we might suit a salad to the beans or grains and necessary proteins in our particular cupboards.
VEGGIE DELIGHTS
Rose Secrest’s vegetarian delights sent this week are not in the cookbook she has published. Perhaps in cookbooks to come …
Note: Ms. Secrest does not include salt among her ingredients, trusting the cook to add or omit as desired.
Asian Pear and Ginger Vinaigrette
1⁄2 Asian pear, chopped 2 inches ginger, grated 3 tablespoons apple cider
vinegar
2 tablespoons white miso 2 teaspoons lime zest 1 teaspoon pink
peppercorns
1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper
Puree all ingredients. (See note above about salt.)
Vegan Ceviche
1 pound tofu, cubed
1 red bell pepper, roasted
and chopped 2 shallots, diced
1⁄2 cup cilantro, minced Juice of 2 lemons Juice of 2 limes Juice of 1 orange Freshly ground black pepper to taste Combine and marinate overnight. (See note above about salt.)
SOUP, CRACKERS
A.E. wrote, “I saw someone requested chicken pot pie soup. I had never heard of it, but it sounded fabulous, so I found this recipe in a favorite blog, twopeasandtheirpod.com. I have not tried the recipe, but it looks really good.”
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
This easy, creamy soup is made from scratch and the ultimate comfort food. We like to serve the soup with pie crust crackers, which are fun and easy to make.
4 tablespoons unsalted
butter
1 small yellow onion 2 celery stalks, chopped 2 carrots, peeled and
chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced 2 bay leaves
2 medium Yukon Gold
potatoes, diced
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour (can use gluten-free flour)
2 (14-ounce) cans chicken
broth
1 1⁄2-2 cups milk (2 percent or whatever you have on hand)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons chopped
fresh thyme
2 cups shredded chicken
(or leftover turkey) 1⁄2 cup frozen peas
1⁄2 cup frozen corn Kosher salt and black
pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon fresh
chopped parsley
Pie crust, optional for making pie crust crackers (see note)
In a large soup pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves and potatoes. Sprinkle with flour, and stir until veggies are coated and flour starts to dissolve.
Add in the chicken broth, 1 1⁄2 cups milk and fresh thyme. Stir, and reduce the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Stir in the shredded chicken, peas and corn. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add the additional 1⁄2 cup of milk.
Stir in the parsley, and remove the bay leaves. Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve with pie crust crackers, if desired.
Pie Crust Crackers
1 recipe favorite pie crust
(store-bought is fine) A little melted butter A little salt
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out your pie crust. Carefully transfer pie crust to a large baking sheet that is lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Brush the pie crust with a little melted butter, and sprinkle with a little salt. Cut into thick strips with a pizza cutter or knife. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until pie crust crackers are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven, and let cool to room temperature. Break into pieces, and serve with the chicken pot pie soup.
FLAVORING YOGURT
Here are Mr. and Mrs. Sunday’s thoughts on flavoring plain yogurt.
› Fruit: We expect most folks have tried the obvious: Stir your favorite jam or jelly into unflavored yogurt. It works because the fruit flavor has been concentrated and cooking the jam has driven off excess water. (Otherwise the yogurt would be watery. That’s why you don’t use juice). The sweetness of the jam also counteracts the acidity of the yogurt.
› Rose water and honey: A little rose water with honey is a nice Indian/Mid-Eastern variation.
› Coffee: If we wanted to try making coffee yogurt, we’d start with extremely strong coffee ( 1 teaspoon instant decaf dissolved in a drop or two of water) per yogurt- cup portion stirred in thoroughly. If that isn’t flavorful enough, add more by 1/4 teaspoonfuls until you’re close. Then stir in your choice of sweetener by small portions. The general rule is to sneak up on the final result. Once you get the proportions figured out, you can try making it in batches.
› Chocolate: We wouldn’t try with cocoa, as that needs to be cooked, and bar chocolate has a bad habit of seizing when it hits cold liquid. We’d try Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Syrup ( yes, Walmart has it) and again sneak up on the flavor. You may have to add additional sweetener.
JUST A DASH
Mr. and Mrs. Sunday commend the value of humility in cooking. “We were making egg salad with a pretty little girl when she allowed that she knew how to peel hardboiled eggs and demonstrated by rolling them on the counter. Now we’d rolled more than a few dozen eggs before this, but noticed that what she did was different. She pressed the eggs down on the counter with enough force to squish them a little, thus helping the membrane between the shell and the white come loose from the white. This makes the eggs easier to peel without leaving little pockmarks in the white.
“By the way, shocking the eggs in ice water also helps with membrane separation. The egg shrinks a little away from the shell as it cools, and the quicker the cooling the more it helps. Nobody knows all the tricks, so value them wherever you find them ( and you’ll find them in the most unexpected places). Don’t go expecting perfection if you combine these tricks, though.”
Thanks to all expert cooks and eager learners, and please come back.