“Do I taste pears in this?” My neighbor was, shall we say, intrigued. Yes, I did put chunked-up pears in the minestrone we were having on a chilly, fusty early-October night at my place, Owl Feather Farm. I have two century-old homestead pear trees at the farm; they produce palm-sized hard pears, sweet but tempered…
Wild Mushroom Soup
Mushrooms have a deep savory flavor that blends beautifully with thyme and cream. If you can’t find wild mushrooms, you can use cultivated mushrooms. The trick is to use a variety of them, which gives the soup its best flavor. Serves 6 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 medium shallot, coarsely…
Lori Ann David’s Pumpkin Curry Soup
Serves 6 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large sweet onion, peeled and diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 4 pounds sugar pumpkin (also called pie pumpkin), peeled and cubed (about 10 cups) 4 cups vegetable broth, or more for a thinner soup (substitute beef or chicken bone broth for a…
Parmesan Soup
I first tried this parmesan soup at Chez Nous restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, and was immediately in awe. This is my version, which has since become a go-to soup for dinners at home, and a trusty addition to my entertaining repertoire. The original is served with lardons and garlic croutons. But as I can’t…
The Family Table: Mennonite Favorites From ‘Where Neighbors Are Neighborly’
Submitted by Susan Musselman, North Carolina When I was very young, we lived in a farm community with many Mennonite families. We were not Mennonite, but my grandmother had come from a Mennonite family. I didn’t know what a blessing this was until I moved away and got culture shock. In that farm community, people…
Corn Chowder Is Just Right for a Cool Summer Evening
Can you ever get enough corn in the summer months? I don’t think so. Once you locate a purveyor of fresh sweet corn, you may find yourself there more often than usual just to pick up a few extra ears. I have a farm stand nearby, and I can’t stop myself from picking up a…
Cold Summer Soups From Spain
Soup and hot summer weather never seemed like a good combo to me—until I met gazpacho, of course. Throw in the sudden onslaught of tomatoes from a typical summer garden and it almost becomes an imperative. Gazpacho actually appears in texts dating back to Greece and Rome. Claims for the origin of the word itself…
Traditional Gazpacho
“I have chosen to give the more traditional version here,” says María Llamas, owner and manager of Alambique cooking school in Madrid, “but recipes can always be adjusted to taste.” “Some regions, such as Extremadura, use pimentón de la Vera [a particular Spanish smoked paprika] in its spicy or sweet version, instead of cumin. Some…
Ajo Blanco
Sometimes called white gazpacho, ajo blanco is defined by almonds and garlic. One must first peel the papery skin off the almonds, something a good blanching followed by a chilled bath makes possible. Serves 6 8 ounces stale bread, without crusts 8 ounces blanched Spanish (Marcona) almonds 2 to 4 garlic cloves 1 cup extra…
Carrot Gazpacho
A trend in Spanish cuisine is the transformation of old recipes into new ones by using unexpected ingredients. This carrot gazpacho is precisely that—made using a base of pureed carrots and freshly squeezed orange juice, seasoned as you would a classic Andalusian gazpacho with olive oil, vinegar, and a little garlic. These few, simple ingredients…
-
Recent Posts
-
Archives
- May 2025
- April 2025
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- September 2013
- July 2013
- March 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- December 1
-
Meta