big friendly grub, or, the great pea soup adventure

September 28, 2011September 6, 2017 ~ jama ~ 14 Comments

We’ve had lots more Dahlish excitement here in the alphabet soup kitchen. The other day, the copy of The BFG I’d won in Becky Levine’s recent giveaway arrived. WooHoo! I was absolutely thrilled because, love Dahl though I may, I did not own a copy of his personal favorite. Now I can hardly wait to reread it, that is, if I can get my hands on it long enough.

You see, there’s this little matter of the Paddingtons. Over 30 of them live here, and they all love Becky. That’s because she voted them her favorite bear over Pooh a couple years back (Pooh who?).

They cheered when they saw her name on the padded mailer and then, I’m sorry to report, there was a little furry kerfuffle over who should read The BFG first. I wasn’t even in the running, and couldn’t distract them with a freshly made marmalade sandwich. Continue reading →

toying with tofu

May 11, 2011November 19, 2017 ~ jama ~ 2 Comments

Solo/flickr

Do you tofu?

Last week, there was a “Hell’s Kitchen”/Gordon Ramsay segment on “American Idol,” where the five finalists were asked to make an omelet. Gordon deemed Lauren’s the best, with Jacob’s in second place. In the final face-off between Lauren and Jacob, they were blindfolded and asked to identify three different foods: steak, tofu and hot dogs. When it came to the tofu, both Lauren and Jacob gagged.

I’m guessing the texture is what turned them off, because tofu by itself is basically bland. I wonder how I would react if I hadn’t grown up with it, seen it floating in steamy bowls of miso soup, stir fried in dozens of dishes, pan fried with a spicy chili sauce, pulverized in fruit smoothies, baked into cheesecakes and pies, tossed into salads, or simply sliced into little cubes and dipped in a shoyu dressing. Tofu is a given in Hawai’i, a staple of Asian cuisine, an unassertive player who is happy to absorb the flavors of other ingredients. There are few foods so versatile and nutritious. Still, when all is said and done, it comes down to taste.

This being Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and all, I thought it the perfect time to tout the terrificness of tofu with a couple of cool recipes. Both are from my half-sister Sylvia, former caterer and uber talented chef to the stars. If you suffer from tofu phobia, hopefully one of these dishes will win you over. Enjoy!

WESTLAKE SOUP
(4 servings as part of a Chinese meal)

4 cups chicken broth
3 slices fresh ginger
1/4 lb. beef, minced
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 pkg. medium firm tofu, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1-1/2 T cornstarch
1 bunch cilantro, washed and coarsely chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp pepper
salt to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring broth and ginger to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine beef, cornstarch, sugar and soy in a small bowl. Let marinade until broth is ready.

Carefully drop minced beef into broth, breaking up any lumps. Add tofu. Turn heat up and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, combine 1-1/2 T cornstarch with 1/3 cup water. Add to soup, stir well and bring to a boil until soup is thick. Just before serving, add cilantro and green onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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TOFU STIR FRY WITH BLACK MUSHROOMS AND BROCCOLI

1 block firm, organic tofu, cut into good sized cubes
7 or 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked overnight, or a similar amount of fresh ones, cut into halves
Broccoli that has been trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces

Seasonings:

3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
a small finger of fresh ginger root, peeled and minced

Sauce:

1/3 cup bottled oyster sauce
1/4 cup rice wine (not vinegar)
1/3 cup sesame oil
4-5 T sugar (should be sweet, so add more if needed)

To cook:

Heat cooking oil in wok or frying pan. Brown the tofu cubes and set aside.

Stir fry the broccoli until crisp tender, set aside.

If you need to add a little more oil to the pan, do so, and sizzle the garlic and ginger. Add the mushrooms, if dry, cook until tender and juicy (keep splashing a little broth or water in the pan if it dries out).

Add broccoli and cover and coat all with the sauce. If it is thick, thin a little with broth or water. If you need more sauce, add in the ingredients proportionally.

NOTE: Dried mushrooms add so much depth and richness to this dish that I actually prefer them. You just need to be sure that when stir frying, you cook them until tender and keep adding a bit of water or chicken broth as the mushrooms tend to dry out.

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poetry potluck finale: kelli russell agodon’s lucky pea soup

April 29, 2011October 23, 2017 ~ jama ~ 1 Comment

#20 in the Poetry Potluck Series, celebrating National Poetry Month 2011.

Emily: “I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.”

She enters, and a hush falls upon the room.

Our final Potluck Poet is here!

No better way to top off a poetry feast than with a tasty soup poem cooked up by the lovely and supremely talented Kelli Russell Agodon! I first learned about Kelli through Susan Rich, who was a surprise guest at last year’s potluck. After reading Kelli’s latest book, Letters from the Emily Dickinson Room (White Pine Press, 2010), I knew I just had to offer it as a prize in this year’s Big Poetry Giveaway.

The Emily Dickinson Room of the title refers to a guest room at the Sylvia Beach Hotel (“truly a hotel for book lovers”), located at Nye Beach, Oregon. All the rooms are named after famous authors such as Shakespeare, Austen, Tolkien, even Dr. Seuss! Kelli apparently wrote some of her poems at the hotel, which looks like the perfect sanctuary for writers with its gorgeous views of the ocean, quaint old buildings and interesting cross-section of guests. And I love that the name of their restaurant is “Tables of Content.” Would that I could set a table where fabulous food and lasting contentment were the order of the day!

Continue reading →

jane yolen: the exact crunch of carrots

April 19, 2011October 30, 2017 ~ jama ~ 2 Comments

#12 in the Poetry Potluck Series, celebrating National Poetry Month 2011.

If someone had told me 23 years ago that one day I’d be inviting Jane Yolen over to my cyber kitchen to share a poem and recipe, I’d think he or she had eaten way too many Alice B. Toklas brownies.

Well, right now my head’s buzzing and I’m floating on air because here she is, and I couldn’t be more astonished or pleased. All those years ago, I had the distinct pleasure of listening to Jane talk about picture books at a Mid Atlantic SCBWI Conference. I learned soooo much and was impressed by her enthusiasm, generosity, graciousness, candor, and overall brilliance.

Continue reading →

friendly day soup recipe

February 22, 2011October 23, 2017 ~ jama ~ 2 Comments

“Let’s go and see everybody,” said Pooh. “Because when you have been walking in the wind for miles, and you suddenly go into somebody’s house, and he says, ‘Hallo, Pooh, you’re just in time for a little smackerel of something,’ and you are, then it’s what I call a Friendly Day.” ~ A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner

Hallo, my windblown, winter-weary but eternally good-looking friends! Are you out of hibernation yet?

Just in case you’re in dire need of a little smackerel of something, I’ve cooked up a special batch of Pea-Bean Alphabet Soup, with a recipe from the new and revised Winnie-the-Pooh Cookbook (Dutton, 2010).

Is anyone familiar with older editions of this cookbook — one with recipes by Katie Stewart (Methuen, 1971) and the other with Virginia Ellison’s recipes (Dutton, 1969)? I have not seen Ellison’s older edition, and wondered whether the Pea-Bean Alphabet Soup recipe was in it, or if it was newly added this time around. Years ago, I purchased the Katie Stewart edition in London; looks like different culinary writers were used for the British and American versions. Cool, but a little confusing, since both books have the exact same cover.

In any case, the new Pooh Cookbook, just released in October 2010, is quite lovely, as it contains full color illustrations from Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, as well as the eight original pen-and-ink drawings by Ernest H. Shephard commissioned by Dutton in 1966. Like its predecessors, the new cookbook is sprinkled throughout with excerpts from both Pooh books and features approximately 60 tasty recipes, all guaranteed to feel yummy in your tummy: Breakfasts, Smackerels, Elevenses & Teas, Provisions for Picnics & Expotitions, Lunches & Suppers, Desserts & Party Recipes, Winter Delights and Honey Sauces.

My Katie Stewart cookbook contains things like Chocolate Rock Cakes, Honey and Raisin Scones, Cottleston Pie, Bread and Butter Pudding and Watercress Sandwiches, etc., but it doesn’t have any soups! So I was tickled pink to find three soups in Ellison’s new book: Tomato, Corn and Shrimp Chowder, and the aforementioned Alphabet Soup, which got my full attention right away. ☺

I cheated a little on the recipe, making it in the crock pot rather than simmering it on the stove, so my finished product probably wasn’t as thick as the stove version. But that’s the beauty of soup — it’s hard to ruin, allows for all kinds of experimentation and variation in ingredients, and always hits the spot. The resident bears had fun adding the alphabet pasta and spelling out the characters’ names. Hope you’ll try this hearty soup sometime; while it’s cooking you can read a Pooh story, and once you’ve had some soup, you’ll be all set, tiddely-pom and tra-la-la, rum-tum-tiddle-um-tum.

PEA-BEAN ALPHABET SOUP
(makes approx. 10 servings)

3 T each of dried beans, such as red, Great Northern, garbanzos, pintos, or black for a total of 15 tablespoons
5 T lentils
4 T split peas, green or yellow
2 quarts water
2 beef bones, marrow or shank, with a little meat on them
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cups canned tomatoes
6 sprigs parsley, chopped fine, leaves and stems
1/2 cup alphabet noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cover the beans and peas in water and soak for 3 hours or longer.

2. Drain and rinse with fresh water.

3. In a pot with a tight-fitting lid, cover the beans, peas, and lentils with 2 quarts of water and add the meat bones, onion, and parsley. Bring to a boil.

4. Add the tomatoes, and simmer until the peas disappear and the beans are tender, about 2 hours.

5. During the last 10 minutes of simmering, add the alphabet noodles.

6. Put in plenty of P’s for Pooh and Piglet and the initials or letters of your own name.

7. Remove the bones and any meat that has cooked free of them. Dice the meat and return to the soup.

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“Do you know what this is?”
“No,” said Piglet.
“It’s an A.”
“Oh,” said Piglet.
“Not O, A,” said Eeyore severely. “Can’t you hear, or do you think you have more education than Christopher Robin?” ~ The House at Pooh Corner

Oh! My favorite recipe in the whole book is, “A Recipe for Getting Thin.” You’ll have to get the book to see for yourself, says the newly thin soup maker. ☺