Old Fashioned Carrot Soup

In our family, when there’s a baby about to be born, we cook a bunch of stuff to freeze so that the tired, sleep-deprived new Mom and Dad don’t have to worry about dinner. My daughters Meredith and Gillian and I make stuff like Spinach Pie, Baked Ziti, Bean Soup and so on, pack them into family-size containers and put them in cold storage until the time comes.

So it’s a good thing we start well ahead because SURPRISE, we got a call at about 4:00 a.m. on September 30th that Gillian was on her way to the birthing center, 17 days before the due date and lickety-split, baby Carina Joy was born before we could even get there.

We are thrilled of course. New babies do that. Carina has a head-full of hair and two fat dimples. Gillian, who worked out almost every day and is fit as ever, is doing well and looks great.

All of this happened suddenly to Gillian and Jesse after a big move and in the middle of pre-school applications for Remy, age 2 (for next year!).

So yesterday I opened the freezer and brought them a few stored items, including this carrot soup. Dinner was all done.

Old Fashioned Carrot Soup

·      2 tablespoons butter or margarine

·      2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·      1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

·      2 pounds carrots, coarsely chopped

·      2 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

·      1/4 cup chopped parsley

·      2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

·      1-1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

·      freshly ground black pepper to taste

·      7 cups vegetable stock

·      pinch of sugar

·      1 cup cream (any kind) or cream substitute

Heat the butter and vegetable oil together in a soup pot over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the carrots, potatoes, parsley, dill, salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock and sugar. Bring the soup to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender (or use a hand blender). Return the soup to the pan. Stir in the cream. Heat the soup through and serve.

Makes 6 servings

Squash Soup with Honey Croutons

Squash Soup with Honey Croutons

I love how the leaves turn to fire in autumn. 

I start a foliage watch in late August, mostly as I’m driving on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut (one of the country’s really beautiful roads). The green is washed out by then and the leaves look bleached. And then, slowly, they yellow a bit and you see a few flashes of red and orange here and there. Like they’re on fire.

By early October, at least where I live, the blush is so beautiful I understand why people travel from afar to see it. In southwestern Connecticut, peak will be around October 15th. I look forward to that time every year. 

It’s a new season. Beginnings are always full of surprises and mystery. It makes life interesting, don’t you think?

New seasons mean a switch in food too. No more of the light salads and cold soups we needed for refreshment during the hot days of summer.

Now it’s warmth we want. Like this soup. A perfect dish for the cool weather. Good for company dinners too. Delicious with or without the honey-croutons.

Squash Soup with Honey Croutons

Soup:

• 2 pounds butternut squash 

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 serrano or other small, hot chili pepper

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

• 5 cups vegetable stock

• 2-inch piece cinnamon stick, broken in half

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup half and half cream or non-dairy cream substitute

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half, scoop the seeds and wrap in aluminum foil. Roast for 45-60 minutes or until tender. Scoop the flesh into a bowl and set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, chili pepper, parsley and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes to soften them slightly. Add the squash, stock, cinnamon stick pieces, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon. Puree the soup in a blender or with a hand blender. Return the puree to the pan. Stir in the cream, blend thoroughly and heat through. Makes 6-8 servings

Croutons:

• 3 dozen 1/2-inch bread cubes 

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter or margarine

• 1 tablespoon honey

• salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine the bread cubes with the vegetable oil, melted butter or margarine, the honey and salt to taste. Toss the ingredients to coat the bread with the honey mixture. Place the croutons on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Spiced Almonds

I am absolutely going to watch the Presidential debates, starting with the one on Wednesday (October 3rd). I love politics, I love voting and I consider it my patriotic duty to do so because in the United States of America we have the right to vote and in so many places in the world that’s not the case.

I also don’t understand people who don’t vote. Even one vote makes a difference, if only to the voter, for having taken some action instead of doing nothing and feeling as if his/her opinion was unnecessary or worthless.

It isn’t.

VOTE on (or before, if you can) election day.

But, back to the debates. We are having people over to watch.

That means food. 

For this first debate my company is coming after dinner. We need something crunchy, because when you get all steamed up, either because your guy is saying something great or the other guy is saying something you find hateful, it’s best to have something crunchy to bite your teeth into.

Sure, popcorn and chips.

But I am making spiced nuts. The spice will help us get our vigor up. Also, almonds are healthy. I read it in this article, among others. And they help your body metabolize carbs better.

Spiced Almonds

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch cayenne pepper

salt

2 cups whole almonds

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon orange juice

Mix the curry powder, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and a sprinkle of salt together in a small bowl. Place the almonds in an unoiled sauté pan over medium heat and cook for about 3 minutes or until the nuts are lightly toasted. Add the spice mixture and stir it in. Pour in the vegetable oil, honey and orange juice. Cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes or until toasty brown. Remove from the pan and let cool. Makes 2 cups

Best Hummus Ever

Best hummus ever?

That’s what everyone told me Wednesday night at our Break-the-fast. They said it was the best hummus they ever tasted. Also the best texture; smooth but with some graininess; moist but not pasty.

Maybe they were all just hungry? And hummus is the first nibble of food they consumed in 24 hours, the initial tidbit to prepare the stomach before eating dinner?

But I kept it out even during dinner and by the end of the night it was gone, gone gone. Several people took a bit more to eat with the Mujadarah, Spinach Pie, Kugel, chopped salad and egg salad.

So, here’s the recipe. Try it yourself and let me know what you think. 

Btw, hummus stuffed cherry tomatoes is a good treat for Sukkot. 

HUMMUS WITH ZATAR

• 15 ounce can chickpeas

• 2 large cloves garlic

• 1/4 cup tahini

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon zatar

Drain the chickpeas but reserve the liquid. Place the chickpeas in a food processor. Cut the garlic into smaller chunks and add to the food processor. Add the tahini, lemon juice,   olive oil, parsley, paprika, salt and zatar. Process to combine ingredients into a rough puree. Continue to process while adding some of the reserved liquid though the feed tube until the mixture reaches the desired consistency (approximately 3-6 tablespoons).

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

Lemony Roasted Asparagus

When in need of a quick, festive side dish, think asparagus. They’re elegant looking and there’s very little you have to do to them. Only the real fat ones need peeling. Wash them off, cut off the fibrous, purplish-white ends and cook them. Either steam, poach or roast them. It takes just minutes, depending on thickness.

Here’s one of my favorites, to be served tonight with my pre-fast dinner.

Lemony Roasted Asparagus

1 pound mediun thick asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Trim the ends from the asparagus, wash and dry them and place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and scatter the garlic and lemon peel on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roll the asparagus to coat them on all sides with the other ingredients. Roast for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness, or until tender. Sprinkle with the lemon juice. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 4-6 servings

Aunt Belle’s Spicy Honey Cake

Next week I have to figure out what to do with leftover Honey Cake crumbs. I baked my usual recipe for Rosh Hashanah and overcooked it, so it came out dry and crumbly.

But I love Honey Cake and always look forward to this time of year to have some, so I baked another using my Aunt Belle’s famous (in our family) recipe. This cake is rich, dense and moist (unless you over cook it), and a little on the spicy side. Flavor varies depending on the kind of honey you use of course. Much darker and heartier with buckwheat honey, lighter and milder with clover, alfalfa or orange blossom honey.

As for those crumbs, maybe as a topping for apple crisp? Streusel for pie? Pudding? Ice cream mix-in?

I’ll keep you posted.

Aunt Belle’s Spicy Honey Cake

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1-1/2 tablespoons grated fresh orange peel

2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon peel

2 cups honey

1 cup strong coffee

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

sliced almonds, optional

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease two 9” x 5” loaf pans. Line the pans with parchment paper, then lightly grease the paper. Set the pans aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg together into a bowl. Stir in the orange peel and lemon peel and set aside. Heat the honey, coffee and vegetable oil together over low-medium heat for a minute or two, just enough to blend them together easily. Set aside to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar for 2-3 minutes or until well blended. Stir in the honey mixture and blend it in thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and blend it in thoroughly. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans. Scatter some sliced almonds on top. Bake for about 1-1/4 hours or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 cakes

Brown Rice Mujadarah

I think I could make Mujadarah in my sleep. Okay, maybe I haven’t actually cooked it as often as challah or spinach pie or butter cookies, but this dish is a mainstay in the Fein household. I serve it when my kids come. Sometimes I make a small portion for just Ed and me. But mostly I serve it for buffet dinners, like when a grandchild is born and we have a welcome party.

And it has become a permanent item for my Yom Kippur Break-the-fast.

The first time I served Mujadarah at my Break-the-fast, people wondered what it was and took a little taste, then came back for more. Much more. The next year I doubled the amount I served.

Mujadarah is a Middle Eastern specialty. This version has brown rice but you could substitute bulgur wheat. I make it well ahead of time, separately store the grains and onions in the fridge, then reheat them separately too. That makes it really easy for me when I have a lot of guests over.

BROWN RICE MUJADARAH

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 4 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced

• 1 cup brown rice

• water or stock

• 1 cup lentils

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, optional

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

• salt to taste

Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the onions are soft and brown. Spoon the onions into a container and cover the container. Refrigerate when cool if not serving the dish immediately. Place the rice in a saucepan, cover with 2 cups water or stock, bring to a boil, stir and cover the pan. Turn the heat to low and cook for about 30 minutes or until tender. Spoon the rice into a bowl. While the rice is cooking, place the lentils in a saucepan and cover with water or stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and add to the rice. Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Add the cumin, if used and the parsley. Toss the ingredients. Add salt to taste. If serving immediately, stir in the onions with any accumulated juices, mix and serve. If serving at a later time, add the onions and juices, place in an overnproof casserole and reheat, covered, in a preheated 350F degree oven (about 25 minutes).

Makes 6 servings

The Kugel to End all Kugels

This is the kugel to end all kugels.

I mean it. I am a kugel-eating expert, if only because when I grew up my grandmother and mom made salty kugel stuffed with mushrooms and onions and it was only when I was grown, married and with kids that I had my first taste of this. That taste was a transforming moment.

My friend Susan brought this dish to my annual Break-the-fast (she got the recipe from her friend Linda and I don’t know where Linda got it).

For years after that I have tasted more kugels than you could possibly imagine (including those hard, dried up things they sell in some supermarkets) always trying to surpass that moment of culinary discovery. 

I was even a judge once in a kugel contest.

I have made some wonderful kugels since then. But this is still my favorite. I always ask Susan to make an extra one so there will be leftovers. I pack pieces of it in my freezer so I can have a little treat whenever.

Don’t even think about the calories. Just enjoy.

Susan/Linda’s Sweet Noodle Kugel

      1 12-ounce package egg noodles

      1 8-ounce package cream cheese at room temperature

      1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature

      1 cup sugar

      2 cups dairy sour cream

      6 large eggs

      1 teaspoon cinnamon

      1 cup raisins, optional

      2 cups crushed frosted flakes or corn flakes

      4 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the noodles in slightly salted water until al dente (not soft). Drain and set aside. In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until thoroughly blended and softened. Beat in the sugar until well blended. Add the sour cream and blend thoroughly. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the cinnamon and raisins, if used. Pour the mixture into the noodles and toss to coat them completely. Place in a baking dish. Combine the frosted flakes and melted butter and sprinkle on top of the noodles. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is crispy. 

Makes 8 servings