William Penn Life, 2014 (49. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2014-02-01 / 2. szám

Treasured Recipes with Chef Vilmos

Wintertime is soup time

MOTHER NATURE has left no doubt that we are in the thick of winter. We must have done something to upset her as this new year has been, for the most part, extraordinarily, bitterly cold. And it's not just us lucky folks in the north who have been the beneficiaries of Mother Nature's frigid favoritism; she has generously spread the Arctic experience to most of the nation.

It's times like these that make me even happier to be in the kitchen. I love when my kitchen windows get foggy; it's visual evidence of the warmth being generated by my oven. It makes me feel extra toasty...and even gladder to be indoors!

Of course, this is the time of year when everyone appreciates a big, steaming bowl of piping-hot homemade soup.

Now, I have a confession to make: my wife is the soup master in the family, and lately she's been "hitting it out of the park," as they say in baseball. I mean she has been on a serious roll with the ladle, making one fantastic soup after another. She also has made some hearty breads to go along with her soups. Believe you me, I have had no problem stepping aside and letting her take control of the kitchen. Besides, who has enjoyed the fruits of her labor? Let's just say I've had to loosen my belt a notch.

Soup and bread: a perfect combination to take some of the chill off of winter. Below are some recipes you can try to warm up your family. They come from A Taste of Hungarian Heaven, WPA's outstanding cookbook, available for a $20 donation to our Scholarship Foundation.

String Bean Soup with Sour Cream

1 pound fresh string beans,

snipped & cut into I-inch pieces 6 cups vegetable stock

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 whole cloves garlic on toothpick I teaspoon vinegar

3 pats butter

I small onion, diced fine

1 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

4 tablespoons flour I cup sour cream

In a large saucepan, drop beans into vegetable stock and add salt, garlic and vinegar. Simmer until the beans are nearly tender. Remove from heat and set aside. In another saucepan, melt the butter and cook the onion until it turns translucent. Add the paprika, parsley and flour; stir until the roux is done, about 5 minutes. Dilute the roux with a cup of your vegetable stock and continue adding all the stock into the roux. Add the beans and continue cooking until the beans are tender. Take the soup off heat and let cool. Remove the garlic cloves on toothpick from the soup. Mix

3 tablespoons of the soup into the sour cream until you have a smooth liquid. Slowly pour the sour cream mixture back into the soup. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Bring soup back to a simmer and serve.

Squash Soup

4 cups butternut or acorn squash cut into A-inch cubes

1 quart milk 2-finger pinch nutmeg

2 teaspoons sugar

8 slices white bread, crusts removed & lightly toasted.

I cup heavy cream I cup medium-dry sherry Salt & white pepper

In a large saucepan, combine the squash, milk, sugar and nutmeg. Simmer over medium heat until squash is soft, but don’t let the milk boil over, about 20 to 30 minutes. Add bread to soup and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and purée soup in a blender.

If you want a finer grain soup, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer. Put back in saucepan on stove and add the cream and the sherry, bringing mixture back to a simmer. If soup is too thick, thin down with more milk. Adjust seasoning to taste, then serve your guests.

German Dark Rye Bread

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 2 envelopes active dry yeast 'A cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon caraway seed

2 cups water

V3 cup molasses

2 tablespoons butter or margarine I tablespoon granulated sugar

I tablespoon kosher salt

3 to 3A cups rye flour

Preheat over to 400°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, yeast, cocoa powder and caraway seed until well blended. In a saucepan, put water, molasses, butter, sugar and salt. Heat until just warm, stirring all the while. Add contents of saucepan to mixing bowl and beat on low speed with an electric mixer. Scrape sides of bowl down while mixing for 45 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. By hand, stir in enough rye flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until very smooth. Cover with a damp towel and let set for 20 minutes. Punch down and divide dough in half. Shape each half into a round loaf and place on a greased pie plate. Brush surface with a little cooking oil and score the top of each loaf with a sharp knife. Let rise until double in size. Bake for 30 minutes or until done. Remove from plate and cool on rack. Makes 2 loaves.

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