Dinner At Sheila's

This classic Greek soup derives its name from the two main ingredients: egg (avgo) and lemon juice (lemoni).  My husband and I were first introduced to this soup at a little Greek cafe in our Chicago neighborhood almost 25 years ago. 

In the years since we have never found a version we liked as much.  What I usually find is that it is lacking in lemony flavor, or the consistency is too thin.

When I was preparing my recent Greek dinner I discovered I had a batch of homemade chicken soup in the freezer.  I decided to give it a whirl and make this as a first course, hoping I could reproduce that lemony flavor.

After looking at several recipes I selected this one from Martha Stewart.  Since my chicken broth was already made I was halfway there. 

The tricky part is to keep the broth from being too hot (absolutely no boiling) when adding the eggs so as not to curdle them.  The orzo cooks in the soup so again, easy.  Just remember not to overcook the orzo.  It is best to serve it immediately. 

I will definitely be making this again…

Avgolemono (Greek Egg and Lemon Sauce)   (Martha Stewart online recipe)

(serves 8-10)

Ingredients

8 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat

2 cups uncooked orzo, (rice-shaped pasta)

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste ( I use  kosher salt)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons cornstarch

4 large eggs

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (4 lemons)

Directions

1.  In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups stock to a boil.  Add orzo; cook until al dente, 10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.

2.  Dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 cup water.  Heat remaining 2 cups stock until hot; do not boil.

3.  In an electric mixer, beat eggs with whisk until fluffy; add cornstarch mixture and lemon juice.  With mixer on medium-low speed, slowly add 1 to 2 cups hot stock until incorporated and mixture thickens slightly.  Add any remaining stock to orzo.

4.  Over low heat, slowly add egg mixture to orzo, stirring constantly until thickened and creamy.  Do not let it come to a boil; eggs will curdle.  Serve immediately.

It wouldn’t be Passover in our family without Chicken Soup and Matzo Balls.  I’m taking the soup and matzo balls to my sister’s this year for our Seder.  Matzo Balls are basically dumplings made with matzo meal.  They can be light or quite dense.  I opt for lightness.

Whenever it comes to the Jewish holidays my mind is filled with thoughts of my mother.  As I mentioned before cooking and baking was her thing, much as it has become mine.  It seems that most of the holidays while we were growing up were always at our home, with much of the extended family and some friends.  My mom did it all, and now that I know what “all “involves, I marvel at how she did it.   But she did, and she did it well.

Her matzo balls were light, yet firm, flavorful and always delicious.  I never knew a matzo ball could be anything but light until the first Seder at my in-laws many years ago when my mother-in-law gave everyone their choice of matzo balls…hard or light…I never did understand why anyone would choose to eat a hard matzo ball!

Aside from being light the perfect matzo ball for me is one that also is infused with flavor.  This is achieved by the addition of some fat in the mix, be it oil, shmaltz (rendered chicken fat), or especially butter (provided that you do not keep kosher).  Mom used shmaltz, I use butter or a combination of shmaltz and butter.

Another trick I learned from my mother was to add chicken broth instead of water to the batter.  Again, it’s all about flavor.

A few years ago at Passover my younger son who lives in San Francisco asked if I could send him some Matzo Ball Soup.  It seems it’s hard to find a good bowl of Matzo Ball Soup there. 

He doesn’t ask for much, and how could I say no to sending my boychik some of Mama’s soup?  Making the soup was easy, figuring the logistics of how to best get it to him a little trickier.

I prepared the soup, prepared the matzo balls, ladled the matzo balls into the warm broth, and carefully froze it in a couple of storage containers.

On the day of departure (we decided on next day air, and I’m not saying what I paid, just let it be known it was a true act of love)…my husband diligently wrapped the frozen containers in a special styrofoam shipping container designed to send medication through the mail.  By the way, when my husband wraps something for mailing, I challenge anyone to try and open it….a roll of clear packing tape in his hands is a scarey thing.

The next morning I was up early and about to track it on the computer when my son called with the horrifying news that he saw on the computer that the package was returned to sender! 

After a few harrowing hours of my son calling his local post office to track the soup, and me calling mine in a desperate effort to prevent the soup from coming back to me, and trying to figure out why it would be returned in the first place  because my son swore he was up early awaiting the matzo ball arrival and there was no way they rang his bell and he didn’t hear… he spoke with another postal worker again who told him she thought she might have seen a package that he was describing.  

They found it, and apparently when it was checked in someone mistakenly hit the button for return to sender on the computer tracking system, but all the while the soup was actually enroute and now at the local office waiting to be picked up for delivery.

My son told them not to deliver it , and that he was on his way over to pick it up himself.  He was taking no chances, and I’ll love him forever for that!

So end of story…the Matzo Ball Soup arrived on time, and in delicious condition, still icy cold, but beginning to defrost a little.  I gave my son detailed directions as to how to heat it so the matzo balls would not be disturbed, and he called later to report that it was the best bowl of Matzo Ball Soup yet!

Matzo Balls (18-20 large matzo balls)

12 extra-large eggs

8 tablespoons butter, melted, or vegetable oil, or shmaltz, or combination

3 cups Matzo Meal

1 tablespoon kosher salt

3/4 cup chicken broth, warmed

In a large bowl blend the eggs with the melted butter using an electric mixer (a hand mixer is fine).

Add the salt  to the matzo meal and stir.

Add the matzo meal to the eggs and blend with an electric mixer.

Slowly add the warm chicken broth to the matzo meal and egg mixture.

Chill in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, bring a large 16-20 quart stockpot filled with water to a brisk boil.  Add a small amount of salt to water, if desired.

Remove chilled matzo ball mix from refrigerator and form into  3-inch balls with wet hands to prevent sticking.

Drop balls into the boiling water.

Cover pot, reduce heat to simmer, and cook 30- 40 minutes.

When done, drain the matzo balls in a slotted spoon and place carefully in warm pot of chicken soup.  Allow matzo balls to simmer in soup for at least an hour.

Judging by our weather there’s no doubt winter has settled in, made itself comfortable and by all indications is going to be sticking around for awhile.   And my way of dealing with the cold is simple…make soup! 

I never get tired of eating soup in the winter because no other meal provides such instant warmth and leaves you feeling so completely satisfied.  Eating a good hearty soup practically requires that you have some good crusty bread for dunking!  And I can’t argue with that.

  Making soup allows you to be creative with your cooking. You can personalize it according to your tastes. The varieties are endless, and by making in quantity you can have several meals in the time it would take to make one.  All good reasons to make soup.

I spotted a started bag of lentils in my pantry the other day.  Since I don’t cook lentils very often and I had some leftover sausage in the fridge I decided to try the Lentil Sausage Soup from Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris Cookbook.  

This is a delicious chicken based broth with lots of onions and leeks in addition to the carrots, celery, garlic and fresh thyme.  I love the addition of the cumin which gives it  a distinct flavor.  I chose to use the red wine vinegar over the red wine.  I find the red wine vinegar delivers just the right amount of tang to the broth.  Also, I added left over cooked sweet Italian sausage instead of the Kielbasa this time, but I think the Kielbasa would give it more of a kick.

I’m also thinking the next time I make this I will substitute barley for the lentils.   That is, of course, unless I have another started bag of lentils in the pantry!

Lentil Sausage Soup (Barefoot in Paris Cookbook, Ina Garten)

Makes 4 quarts (serves 8 to 10)

1 pound French green lentils such as du Puy (I used whatever green lentils I had)

1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving

4 cups diced yellow onions (3 large)

4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)

1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 and 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)

3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)

3 quarts homemade chicken stock or packaged broth

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 pound kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and sliced 1/3 inch thick (or whatever sausage you prefer)

2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (I used Pecorino Romano)

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes.  Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. 

Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils.

Cover, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender.  Check the seasonings.  Add the kielbasa (or other sausage) and red wine (or red wine vinegar) and simmer until the sausage is hot.  Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan or Romano.

I’ve been making variations of this Mushroom Barley Soup for as many years as I can remember.  This hearty soup is a meal in itself when served with a loaf of crusty bread.  This  particular version is made with chicken broth, but vegetarians could substitute a vegetable broth or stock.  It’s a simple soup to make, not requiring much time, nor fancy ingredients, but one that I think you will want to add to your repertoire of winter soups. 

This is a recipe I’ve developed myself as I tried to duplicate the taste of the mushroom barley soup I remember eating as I grew up.  Here it is…

Mushroom Barley Soup

2 tablespoons butter (may substitute canola or vegetable oil, but I like the flavor butter imparts)

2 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped leeks (white and light green parts only)

1 pound mushrooms, diced

8 cups chicken broth (low sodium)  or homemade chicken stock

1 mushroom bouillion cube (such as Telma mushroom soup and seasoning cube)

2 cups boiling water

1 cup pearl barley

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

freshly cracked black pepper to taste

fresh dill, leaves only, chopped

fresh Italian parsley, leaves only, chopped

In a large soup pot saute the onions, carrots, celery, and leeks in the melted butter over medium-medium high heat.  Cook for 10- 12 minutes until vegetables are soft and transparent, but not browned.

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them off with a damp paper towel, before dicing them.  Add the diced mushrooms to the vegetables and cook another 5-8 minutes.

Stir the mushroom bouillion cube into the 2 cups of boiling water.   Add this with the 8 cups of chicken broth to the soup pot.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.

Add 1 cup pearl barley and some fresh chopped dill and parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to cook on simmer, with the pot partially covered for one hour until the barley is tender.

Note:  The soup will thicken as it sits because the barley tends to absorb the broth.  When reheating the soup you may want to adjust the consistency by adding some water.

Serve with a little chopped fresh dill or parsley on top.

Yesterday I made my first huge pot of chicken soup for the season prompted by my first cold of the season, something I’ve been fighting the last few days.  Although I had little energy for anything else I rose to the occasion because regardless of what hurts you a bowlful of this will make it all better.  And if you’re really smart, you’ll make extra to freeze for those days when you don’t feel well enough to make it!

Now I don’t want you thinking this brew is for medicinal purposes only.  Chicken soup is one of those comfort foods that when made well there’s nothing  more satisfying or delicious.  Growing up in a Jewish household chicken soup was served every Friday night at our Sabbath dinner, so I’ve had my share of it through the years.

The first time I ever made it I was recently married and living in Florida.  My mother whom I mentioned before was a great cook and baker, particularly of Jewish fare, explained  how to make it as I took notes over the phone.  Many of the recipes of traditional Jewish foods that I make today were originally scribbled by me on a notepad while my mom explained it in her own words.  I never knew her to use a cookbook.  These were just things she knew, probably from her own mother telling her.

Chicken Soup

Fill a large stockpot  (16- 20 qt)  with cold water  about 1/2 to 2/3 full.  (Depending on the amount of chicken you are using, and the size of your stockpot).

2-3 whole chickens (about 4 # each).  For a richer broth, add extra necks and backs.

2-3 extra large whole onions, peeled, but left whole

6-8 large carrots, peeled, left whole or cut into large chunks

3 celery ribs, whole or cut into chunks

Several sprigs of fresh parsley (Italian or curly)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Place the whole onions in the stockpot with the water, and bring to a boil.  Discard the giblets, heart, and liver from inside the chicken cavity, and reserve the necks for the soup.  Rinse the chicken, including the cavity with cold water.  Boil water in a kettle and pour over the chicken, including the necks and backs, in a large colander or bowl in the sink.  Drain well.

When the water in the stockpot has reached a boil, carefully add the chicken.  Continue to boil as you remove the scum and fat that rises to the surface.

Reduce heat as necessary, but continue to remove excess scum and fat into a large bowl or measuring cup.

When the scum stops rising to the top lower the heat to a simmer and add the vegetables and the parsley.  Season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Continue cooking on very low heat with the lid ajar for 3 to 4 hours.

When finished, carefully strain the soup, reserving the vegetables and the chicken in separate bowls.  Remove the parsley and discard.  Separate the skin and bones from the chicken, reserving the meat.  Refrigerate this overnight along with the vegetables.

When the broth has cooled a bit, chill it overnight.  It should form a gelatinous consistency.

The next day remove all the fat from the top of the congealed soup.  Reheat  the broth, adding some vegetables and cut up chicken if you like.  You can discard the whole onions, or add some onion pieces to the broth.  Taste for seasoning. 

To serve, ladle the broth over cooked egg noodles, along with a piece of carrot and/or celery in each bowl.  I promise my mom’s recipe for matzoh balls in a future post.

Note: There will be a lot of cooked chicken, which is delicious to nibble on right out of the pot when you are first straining the soup. Aside from serving it in the soup, you can use it for chicken salad or any other recipe that calls for cooked chicken.

Finally, I’ll let you in on a little known spin on this delicious soup.  Knowing chicken soup is a good thing, and since you can never have too much of a good thing try this when you have the time.  It is the richest chicken soup imaginable…

After having completed the recipe above, and having chilled the broth overnight, remove the fat from the top and recook the broth adding one more fresh chicken, carrots, celery, onions, and parsley.  Follow the same procedure as above, chilling again overnight.  The result is well worth the extra work and time involved.  Twice cooked chicken soup…SLURP! SLURP!

It’s amazing to me as one season ends and the next begins how I’m always ready for the change.  As eager as I am in the spring to get gardening again after a long winter I’m just as anxious in the fall to put the garden to bed for another season.

As the annuals and perennials fade, the mums, pumpkins, gourds and fall foliage take center stage. To me, there’s something very comforting about the perfect order nature provides in what seems to be an increasingly imperfect world.

Equally exciting to me is the culinary transformation that occurs as our thoughts turn to the array of foods we can create unique to whatever season we’re in.  There’s something thrilling about throwing that first steak of the summer on the grill and putting up that first pot of soup in the fall…it’s almost as if it was the first time for either.

Today was a much needed rainy day.  With the weather changing, what better thing to do on a rainy day than make a pot of soup? 

This soup I’ve created is based on two recipes from Ina Garten’s Back to Basics Cookbook. I’ve added the carrots, celery, and onions with a roux from her East Hampton Clam Chowder to the puree of her Roasted Potato Leek Soup, with a few other changes.

Roasting the potatoes and leeks enhances the flavor, while the addition of the sauteed vegetables and fresh thyme to the rich puree results in a hearty, comforting soup.  The addition of the white wine doesn’t hurt, either!

Sheila’s Roasted Potato Leek Soup 

Part 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 and 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand

1/4 cup good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

6-7 cups chicken stock, (preferably homemade, but good store bought will do)

1/2 cup half and half (can substitute heavy cream or milk)

Combine potatoes, and leeks in a sheet pan in a single layer.  Toss with olive oil,  and 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to coat evenly.

Roast 40 to 45 minutes until tender, occasionally turning with a metal spatula.  Remove pan and place on two burners.  Stir in 1/2 cup white wine, and 1 cup chicken stock.  Cook on low heat, scraping up any roasted bits sticking to the pan.  (That’s where a lot of the flavor is).

Transfer to a Dutch oven or a large pot.  Add 4 cups of chicken stock, and puree with an immersion blender. 

Note:  If you do not have an immersion blender you can use a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables, adding the pan liquid and about 4 cups of the chicken stock to make a puree.  Pour the puree into a large pot or Dutch oven.

Add enough of the remaining 1 to 2 cups of stock to make a thick soup.  Add 1/2 cup half and half, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and check the seasonings.

Part 2

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups chopped yellow onions

2 cups medium-diced celery

2 cups medium-diced carrots

4 cups peeled medium -diced potatoes (russet)

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves (1/2- 3/4 teaspoon dried)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups chicken stock

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup hot chicken stock

In a large heavy-bottomed saute pan melt 4 tablespoons butter.  Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until translucent.  Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, thyme, salt and pepper and saute for 10 more minutes.

Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

In a small pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter and whisk in 1/4 cup flour.  Cook over very low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Whisk in 1/2 cup hot stock, and then pour this mixture back into the cooked vegetables.  Simmer for a few minutes until the broth is thickened.

Add the vegetables to the potato puree in the Dutch oven.  Taste for salt and pepper.

Optional:  When ready to serve,reheat the soup gently and whisk in 2 tablespoons white wine and 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Garnish with a sprig of thyme.