Soups and bread  * by recipe if it is finished

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fresh Tomato Soup

 

7 medium ripe tomatoes                                                Put tomatoes, onions, celery, garlic in a bowl.  Cook

 (about 2-1/2 pounds, cored/cut into bite size chunks    covered on high (100% power) in microwave for 15 min.,    

1 medium onion, chopped                                             stirring often             

1 medium celery stalk chopped                                     In food processor with knife blade attached, process until

2 garlic cloves, minced                                                  smooth

 

1 c. chicken broth                                                          In same bowl mix tomato mixture and remaining

handful of fresh basil                                                     ingredients.  Cooked covered on High 5 min, stirring once.

cumin to taste

1 Tbs. Brown sugar

1 Tbs. Tomato paste                                                      Serve hot with sour cream and chopped chives for garnish

1-1/2 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Pepper

hot pepper sauce to taste                                              Freezes nicely

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Bean Soup

 

2 Tbs. olive oil                                                             Sauté 5 minutes

1½ c. chopped onion

8 garlic cloves, minced

¼ c. chopped jalapenos (or canned chilies -- if mild add ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper)

 

2 cups dried black beans (about 13 oz)                        Mix beans and spices.  Add tomatoes, broth and bring

1 tsp. ground cumin                                                     to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans

1 tsp. ground coriander                                                are tender, stirring occasionally, about 2¼ hours.

1 c. peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes

8 c. (or more) vegetable or chicken broth                    Working in batches, puree soup with cilantro in

1 c. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro                              blender.  Return to pot. Season to taste with salt/pepper        salt and pepper

 

Lime wedges

 

Can be prepared 1 day ahead or frozen for later.  Bring to simmer, thinning with more broth if necessary.  Ladle into bowls .  Serve, passing lime wedges separately.  If desired, serve with bowls of sour cream, grated cheese, and small tortilla shell pieces, and chopped onions to sprinkle on top. 

 

   The jalapenos seemed to make the soup quite “hot” -- the lime wedges wonderfully “cut” the hotness.  To be really fancy ladle corn soup and bean soup in the bowl at the same time for  two toned soup.

Apple Coffee Cake                                                                                                         Bake @ 325º for 1 hour

 

2 c. unsifted flour

1¼ sugar                                              Mix together

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

 

¼ c. butter                                           Add to above and beat together

2 eggs, beaten                                     Cooked in greased and floured 9x13 pan at 325º for about 1 hour,

4 c. diced apples                                 until done.  Cool on rack 5 min. Pour topping on cake

½ c. chopped nuts

 

Topping

 

1 c. dark brown sugar                          Simmer for 1-5 minutes

¼ c. butter

¼ c. milk or half/half

Pumpkin Curry Soup *                                                                         Serves 6        

 

1/2  lb. mushrooms, slices     

1/2 c. chopped onion              Saute until onion is softened

2-3 T.  unsalted butter             

 

2 T. flour                                  Add and cook over low heat for 5 minutes

1 tsp.-6T. curry pwd                 Remove from heat      

 

3 c. chicken broth                    Whisk broth into above           

 

1 lb. can pumpkin

1 T. honey                                Stir in pumpkin, honey, nutmeg, salt/pepper and curry

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

 salt/pepper                             Simmer, stirring, 15 min. 

adjust curry to taste                

 

1/3. c. cream (I use half/half)   Stir in.  Reheat until hot -- not boiling

 

Easy recipe to double/triple.  Can be made ahead, cooled and reheated -- adding the cream when it is reheated.

 

                                                 For dramatic effect serve in a hollowed out pumpkin shell

 

Shrimp/Clam Soup

6 Tbs. butter                                                     Saute' carrots, celery, onion in butter                        

½ c. shredded carrots

¾ c. finely chopped celery

½ c. chopped onion

 

½ c. flour (I use Wondra flour)

½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp pepper                                  Mix flour, salt, pepper, thyme with carrots, celery, onions                 

1 tsp. thyme                                                     Remove from heat                               `

½ c. tomato puree                                           Stir in above mixture

4 c. milk                                                           Gradually add milk and broth, bring to a boil, stirring

1½ c. chicken broth                                         for one minute.  Reduce heat.

 

7 oz. shredded gouda cheese                          Stir in cheese until melted (do not let it boil)

 

1 pkg. (12 oz.) frozen peeled shrimp   

2 cans minced clams                                       Stir in shrimp and clams

    (drained/undrained -- your preference)

 

      Can be reheated but the cheese may separate a bit.

 

                          A super tasting hearty soup -- easy to make  -- elegant!

 

Onion Soup                                                                              Serves 12        Bake @ 375°                                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

1 c. butter                                Melt butter

                                                           

9 med. sliced onions                Add onions and garlic.  Cook over low heat to stew for

4 minced garlic cloves             about 20 min. or until soft, without browning    

                                               

8 c. beef consommé                Add consommé and bring to a boil.

½ tsp. pepper                           Add pepper and salt to taste

salt to taste                              Add Worchestershire if desired -- optional

1½ Worchestershire sauce      Simmer 30 min.  Can cool and freeze soup at this point.

 

1 c. port wine                           Stir in wine.  Divide soup into 12 oven proof bowls.

 

12 slices French bread             Butter, toast and cut into 1" square pieces

 

1½ c. grated Swiss cheese      Top each bowl of soup with a slice of bread and sprinkle

                                                with 2 Tb. cheese.  Bake @ 375° for 10 min. or until cheese melts

                                                and becomes crusty.   

  

 

 

 

 

Poppy Seed Bundt Cake*                                                                                Bake @ 350°   

 

¼ c. poppy seeds                     Soak poppy seeds in buttermilk overnight.    

1 c. buttermilk

 

1 c. margarine

1½ c. sugar                              Cream margarine; gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy.

4 eggs                                      Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition.

1 tsp vanilla                             Add vanilla

 

2½ c. flour                                Sift flour, salt, soda     

½ tsp salt                                 Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk/poppy seeds.                

1 tsp bak. soda                         Blend well.

 

½ c. sugar                                Mix together sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle lightly over the bottom/sides of a

1½ T. cinnamon                       greased bundt pan (this will form a thin crust over the cake).

 

     Layer the batter in the pan sprinkling cinnamon/sugar between each layer.  If you spread the batter thin there will be three layers of cinnamon/sugar.  Bake at 350° for 50 min. or until toothpick inserted comes clean.  Set on rack to cool for 1 hour before unmolding (left longer than one hour and it almost impossible to remove).

 

 

Quick coffee Cake                                                                                           Bake @ 350°

 

2/3 c. yellow cake mix (or white)         Mix together well and set aside

¼ c. firm butter or margarine

1 c. brown sugar

¾ c. chopped walnuts

 

3 eggs                                      Beat eggs slightly

1½ c. sour cream                     Add sour cream          

rest of cake mix                       Stir in cake mix.  Mix well.  Batter will be stiff

 

    Pour 1/2 of batter into greased and floured tubular or oblong pan.  Sprinkle topping on batter; repeat.  Bake 40-45 min @ 350° or until toothpick comes our clean.

 

 

Bran Muffins *                                                                                                              Bake @ 400°                           

 

2 c. Nabisco100% Bran Cereal (1¾ c. cereal plus 1/3 c. 8 or 10-grain cereal or whatever)

2 c. boiling water                                                         Pour boiling water over cereal and set aside.

 

1 c. plus 3 Tbs. shortening  (scant ½ c. shortening plus 2/3 c. squash, pumpkin, or banana-not applesauce)

2½ c. sugar (1¾ c. sugar plus ¼ c. molasses)               Cream shortening and sugar, molasses.                     

 

4 eggs                                                  Add eggs and beat

1 quart buttermilk                               

4 c. Kellogg’s Bran Buds                      Alternately add buttermilk and Buds:  blend

 

5½ c. flour (4 c. all purpose white plus 1½ c. whole wheat pastry flour)

5½ tsp. bak. soda                                                                                            

2 tsp salt                                              Sift flour/soda/salt --  add alternately with water/cereal mix.

 

      Dough will keep 6 weeks in the refrigerator. When ready to bake add blueberries and coconut or a heavy mixture of currants, dried cranberries, cut up apricots or whatever you like in your muffins.    Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full.  Sprinkle tops with toasted wheat germ and a few cut walnut pieces.  I press them into the top a bit so they won't fall off after baking.  Bake 15-20 min. @ 400°.  Can freeze muffins.

 

            This is the original recipe (the ingredients in the parentheses are what I have changed in the recipe).   With the flour mixture I usually throw in about ¼ c. dry milk solids and ½ c. oatmeal or  anything I think might be healthy.

 

Sopaipillas*

 

2 c. flour (1 c. whole wheat okay)

¾ tsp salt                                                                     Combine dry ingredients                    

½ tsp bak pwd

½ Tb sugar

 

½ Tb shortening                                                           Cut in shortening

 

½ cake or pkg yeast                                                     Dissolve yeast in water

2 Tbs warm water

2/3 c. scalded milk (approximate)                                Add yeast mixture to cooled milk

 

   Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add liquid to the dry ingredients; work it into the dough.  Be sure to add the last fourth cup of liquid ingredients slowly enough to form a firm dough.  Remove dough from bowl and knead 15-20 times.  Let rest 10 min.  Roll dough into ¼" thickness and cut in squares or triangles.  Fry a few at a time in hot fat (fat should be at 410°).  The fat should be hot enough so that the sopaipillas puff up and become hollow.  I use chopsticks or tongs on the sides of the dough to gently push them down when first put in the fat until they start to puff.

   This dough can be refrigerated overnight in a lightly floured pan covered with plastic wrap.  The fried sopaipillas can be frozen; then baked at 300° for 5-8 min. turning once -- do not overheat.

 

      Bite off a corner and drizzle honey inside.  If you don’t want to go to all this work just buy the refrigerated  biscuits, separate  biscuits, roll as above on a floured board and fry as above.

 

 

 

Banana Bread*                                                                                                Bake @ 350°

 

1/3 c. shortening

3/4 c. light brown sugar           Cream together shortening and sugar

 

1 c. (2-3) mashed bananas       Add to creamed mixture

 

2 eggs                                      Add to above and mix well

 

1½ c. flour

1 tsp. bak soda                         Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with milk to creamed mixture

1 tsp. salt

½ c. milk (I use skim)

 

     Pour in greased loaf pan (can add nuts or just put nuts on top and sprinkle with wheat germ).  Bake @ 350° for one hour or until knife comes out clean.   Let cool in pan for about 10 min.  Bang bottom of pan hard on wood cutting board and lightly bang the sides just enough to loosen bread from pan.  Cool on rack.

 

                                                         This is about the easiest and best recipe I have ever found

 

 

Turkey Noodle Soup         

 

One turkey carcass                  Simmer all the bones in about 4 quarts of water for 2-3 hours.  Break the leg

  (or pheasant)                         bones in half to simmer out the marrow. Can add some onions, carrots or celery

                                                to the broth for extra flavor. Drain and save broth. Pick  meat off  the bones.

 

1-2 cans of cream of mushroom soup  Mix together mushroom soup and broth.  Add turkey meat

 (according to taste and amount of broth)                    and simmer.

 

1 pkg. noodles or homemade noodles, cooked           Add cooked noodles to soup mixture.  Adjust seasonings as

                                                                                    desired.  Heat and serve.

Grandma’s Homemade Noodles

   1 egg or 2 egg yolks

   1 Tb. cream                                      Mix egg, cream, salt, baking powder and flour together. Knead dough

   ½ tsp. salt                                         until pliable but stiff.  Roll dough very thin on a floured board.

   ¼ tsp. bak. pwd.                               Slice noodles into thin strips.  Let dry several hours.

   Flour to make a stiff dough               Cook in boiling water 15-20 min.

 

           As a child I remember pans/boards  with noodles draped over them drying in the kitchen, especially after we had turkey or the hunters brought home a pheasant. To this day turkey noodle soup is one of my favorite meals..  These noodles were never as thin as the packaged noodles-- they had a bit of "bite" to them.

 

 

 

 

Mom's (Grandma’s) Turkey Stuffing

2 pkg. herb dressing mix (about 14 oz. each)

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

1 tsp. bak pwd

1 c. pistachios, walnuts or almonds

1 cube butter, melted in 1 c. water

 

Add additional water to make dressing moist.  Can add 1 beaten egg and/or milk.

 

         Pistachios make this dressing -- my grandma (your great grandmother) said the bak pwd made it "lighter".

 

Kulich                                                                                                                          Bake @ 350°   

2½-3 c. flour                                                                

¼ c. sugar                                Combine 3/4 c. flour, sugar, salt, lemon peel and yeast.

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 pkg. dry yeast

½ c. milk, plus ¼ c. water        Pour milk and water in a saucepan over low heat. 

2 Tbs. butter, room temp.        Add butter which only needs softening.   Pour liquid into dry ingredients and

                                                beat 2 min. on med. speed.  Scrape bowl.

1 egg, room temperature         Add egg and ½ c. more flour to make thick batter.  Beat at high for 2 min.

                                                                                                                       

   With wooden spoon and fingers work in additional flour to make soft dough that cleans the sides of the bowl.  Turn out on lightly floured board; knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 min.  Place in greased bowl.  Cover and put in warm place until dough doubles in bulk, about one hour.

    ¼-½ c. each chopped blanched almonds and raisins:     Punch down dough and turn onto work surface.  Press dough flat, sprinkle on almonds and raisins; work into dough.  Divide dough in two and set aside a golf-ball size piece.  With hands, shape each large piece into a ball with the smooth side up.  Press into two greased one pound coffee cans.  The dough should fill only half the tin (if more bake excess in another pan).                               To make the letters "XV", roll the small piece of dough into a pencil-thin rope about 24" long; cut in 6 pieces and use to form XV on top of breads (Does IX have to do with Easter -- I don’t know).

   Cover cans: let dough rise almost to the top of the tins, about 45 min.  Don't let it rise above the top.  Bake 35 min. @ 350° or until light brown.  The loaves will pull away from the sides of the cans.  Remove from oven, cool in tins about 10 min. before turning onto cooling rack.  Serve with Paskha (next page).

                Dad’s Aunt Jean served this to us in New York - a traditional  Russian Easter dish     

 

Paskha*

 

1 lb. large curd pot cheese                  Set cheese in cheesecloth and let drain with weight on top for 2-3 hours

2½ Tbs. unsalted softened butter         Rub cheese through a fine sieve.  Beat thoroughly with butter.

 

1 egg yolk                                Mix yolk and sugar until thick

1/3 c. sugar                             

1/3 c. heavy cream, scalded    Still beating, slowly add hot cream to yolk/sugar in a thin stream. 

                                                Stirring constantly, cook over low heat until mixture thickens to custard

                                                consistency.  Do not allow to boil or it may curdle.    

¼ c. chopped candied fruits and rinds Combine fruits and vanilla and let set 1 hour

½ tsp. vanilla

¼ c. finely chopped blanched almonds

 

        Take custard off the heat, stir in  fruits and set the pan in a large bowl filled with ice cubes covered with 2" water.  Stir the custard constantly with metal spoon until it is completely cooled; then mix gently but thoroughly into the cheese mixture and stir in the chopped almonds.

       Line a "pashka" form or a small clay flower pot with an opening in the bottom with double layer damp cheesecloth (let 2" hang over the sides).  Pour batter into pot and fold ends of cheesecloth over the top.  Set a weight directly on top of the cheesecloth and chill overnight or until firm. 

    To unmold, unwrap top cheesecloth and invert on serving plate.  The paskha will slide out easily.  Gently peel off cheesecloth and decorate the top and side of cake with almonds and candied fruit.

    Can be served alone or wonderful spread on Kulich.

 

    I cut this recipe in thirds -- the original made a lot. Can make3-4 days ahead of time and refrigerate.     

 

 

Buttermilk Potato Rolls*                                               Bake @ 425º

 

                               Keep all ingredients at about 85º

¾ c. freshly cooked, riced potatoes     Prepare potatoes and mix with butter

½ c. butter                                          

2 c. buttermilk                                      Heat buttermilk to about 85º (warmer if using pkg yeast)

1 cake compressed yeast (or 1 pkg.)    Crumble yeast, sugar, salt into about ½ c. buttermilk.  Let rest 10 min.         

2 Tbs. sugar                                         Add remaining buttermilk and mix with potatoes.

1 tsp. salt                                            

2 eggs                                                  Beat eggs until light and add to potato/yeast mixture

7½ c. sifted all purpose flour  

 

    Gradually stir in 6 c. of flour.  Knead in the rest.  Place dough in a greased bowl and turn it so that it is greased lightly on all sides. Cover and let rise until double in bulk.  Punch down.  Fill greased muffin tins about 1/3 full with 3 small smooth rolled balls of dough.

 

1 egg yolk                                            Dilute yolk with a little water or milk and brush glaze on rolls, sprinkle

Poppy seeds                                        with poppy seeds.

 

    Let rolls rise, covered in a warm place until about double in bulk.  Bake in preheated 425º oven for 15-18 minutes.  Remove at once from pans.

 

                                                 Nice soft roll -- Oleg’s favorite type

 

 

 

Dilly Bread                                                                                                                                           Bale @ 350º

 

1 pkg. dry yeast                                                           Dissolve yeast in water.

¼ c. warm water

 

1 c. creamed cottage cheese (lukewarm)                    Combine cottage cheese, sugar, onion, butter, dill, salt,       

2 Tbs. sugar                                                                 soda and egg,  and add to yeast mixture       

1 Tbs. toasted minced onion

1 Tb. butter

2 tsp. dill weed (or rosemary or other herb)               

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. soda

1 unbeaten egg

 

2¼-2½ c. flour                                                              Add flour  gradually and mix to form  a stiff dough.

 

     Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until double (about 60 min.)  Stir down dough.  Turn into well greased round 8” ovenproof bowl or 8” cake pan..  Let rise again for 40-50 min.  Bake in same bowl at 350º 40-50 min.   Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt.

 

                                                 Don’t forget the salt on top  --  This bread has a wonderful aroma while it bakes