Check OLLI's doc store for recipes

With the end of the spring term also came the end of our Ethnic Cooking class. I must say, we certainly did see a lot of good, varied cooking in those weekly 90 minute sessions and the variety was just delightful. Each week the students came in not knowing what we would be witnessing that day and they were always delighted and satisfied with the results. Each chef had his or her own individual style and discussions were unique since they had to do with the background of each chef.

Now you can check the OLLI doc store for the recipes except for the Lebanese that will come later when the chef gets back from her travels. Go to the website, click on doc store and scroll down to the F900 class and download the attachment there. Then cook  like crazy. Bon appetit.

Try this Vegetable Soup

So, yesterday I made the French Vegetable Soup that Cecile Heatley made with our ethnic cooking class several weeks ago and that is included in her book, "In Grandmere's Kitchen."  (reviewed elsewhere on this blog). This has to be the easiest soup in the world to make and it is so delicious. I call it basically a "chop and drop" recipe for into a large soup kettle of salted water, you drop chunks of peeled potato, carrots, celery, turnips and leeks. Trader Joe's sells a package of frozen cut up leeks and you only need to use part of the bag. Cook the soup for about an hour or until the vegetables are all soft. Then let it cool just a bit before you take the immersion blender to it to make a lovely puree. If you don't have that very useful tool, you can process by batches in the food processor. Check for seasoning...I like black pepper...and you have yourself a lot of really good vegetables. I'm inclined to drop in a glob of butter at this point or a swirl of cream, just to make it richer. But the soup can stand easily on its own. Cecile reminded me that you could also add any leftover veggies that are hanging around your fridge.

Vegetable cookbook from the "Good Old Days"

I've downloaded a very intriguing cookbook on my Kindle  and have enjoyed reading it, if not taking the recipes into my own repertoire. Published in 1919, "Vaughan's Vegetable Cook Book"  offers to tell us how to cook and use Rarer Vegetables and Herbs, "a Boon to Housewives" and published by Vaughan's Seed Store. Vaughan evidently operated out of New York and Chicago and he said he had greenhouses, nurseries and trial grounds in Western Springs, Illinois.  The delight of this book is the language and the delivery of recipes, using words like "gill"  (four ounces), "half teacup full", and other handy measurements not usually found on your  Pyrex glass cup, but still they work for me. I noticed also with the very complete listing of vegetables along with some I've never heard of, he used lots of butter, cream and eggs. Certainly if one were a vegetarian who eats eggs and cheese, this cookbook offers lots of ideas...albeit maybe not very healthy ones since many of the recipes are so rich.

What interests me is that here we have a cooking culture of the early twentieth century that is virtually out of fashion right now with our preference for steamed and roasted veggies. One wonders if many people are still cooking in the same way. I may just have to try a few recipes for a special event, not as a regular practice, to see how they go over with my diners. I would bet the amount of butter in itself would guarantee enthusiastic good reviews. All of the spinach recipes included hard boiled eggs in one way or another.

Ethnic Cooking Series half way through

Now that we've accomplished four classes in the ethnic cooking series, I'm happy to report it is going well. Last Monday, Cecile Heatley taught us how to make crepes and French mayonnaise and this week she returns for new culinary surprises. The final three classes will include my Norwegian family's favorite recipes and then we have contributions from our Korean and Lebanese friends. With such an assortment of cultures contributing, the class is very rich in so many ways.  We've managed to fill all twelve seats each week since those who must miss a class have been faithful in letting me know in advance so I can get someone from the wait list to fill in.

Perhaps we can do this again if we find some new cultural backgrounds among our members who will be willing to share.

Less work for me too.

Looking for fresh herb ideas

The Dirty Knee Club is planting an herb garden at the cottage. Because of that, I plan to do two presentations in the summer term on use of fresh herbs in sandwiches and salads. We'll have an open kitchen format so that folks can show up and learn how to use the various fresh herbs from our garden. I already have plenty of ideas for these herbs, but can always use a few new ones from cooks who enjoy using them in creative ways in sandwiches and salads. I can't do a cooking with herbs class because I don't have time this summer to tackle a wholesale herb-cooking program.  The herbs being planted are : sage, rosemary, parsley, chives, tarragon, basil, mint, oregano, thyme, and dill. Just email me with ideas at debbyhalv@aol.com with your suggestions.Thanks for the help.

Please ask to be an author

Today I urged the members of the Board of Directors at the tail end of their meeting to check out my blog. Self-serving as that would seem because as I look at it, mostly everything on it is me chattering on about family stuff that relates to food. Before those hard-working board members comply with my request, I'd like to have someone beside myself put something up here. At this point, it needs some fresh ideas, a different style of writing etc. So if you haven't been invited to author for the blog, as must be the case according to the bloggy rules, let me know by email ( debbyhalv@aol.com( that you would like to be an author. You will immediately receive a request to join as such from the blog people. The behind the scenes stats indicate that this blog is being read by a goodly number of people, even at odd little corners of the globe. So talk to us about restaurants, recipes, food tips, intense food dislikes and likes. Please help me keep the narrative going in a variety of directions.

On the way home from Fairfax, I had an early dinner at a local family restaurant. Sent the vegetables back, because even though they were lovely and fresh, they were barely cooked. My big complaint is about under-cooking fresh veggies. If I want a raw vegetable, I'll order a salad.  Green beans should be cooked through and carrots soft, not crunchy. This quick steaming thing may be the current popular way to present vegetables, but I want them cooked. The waiter graciously took them away and returned them to me steamed in lemon juice and quite edible.

The Season for Wishes

My mother enjoyed any opportunity to wish on something. In the spring, when in those olden days asparagus wasn't as plenteous throughout the year, she would wish on the first asparagus of the season to hit our table. So last week when asparagus was on sale and really very nice indeed, I bought a bunch and wished on it. Not going to tell you what my wish was, but I have put that bunch of the tender green stems to good use. Some to top my homemade white pizza, some to brighten a risotto dish and now looking for another use for the rest.

"Better Homes and Gardens" this month has some appealing ideas: There's "Avocado and Egg Sandwiches"; "Asparagus Fritter Sticks"; "Ham and Asparagus Stuffed Chicken; "Garlicky Asparagus Flatbread"; "Roasted Asparagus Orange Salad"; "Fresh Asparagus Ribbon Salad"; and finally "Grilled Asparagus Soup with Chili Croutons". You can look up these recipes on BH&G's website, but I'm sure you can create something akin just from reading  these good looking recipe titles.  Many good cooks  are roasting all of their vegetables  these days. As for me, I"m fine with steamed, sprinkled with lemon juice and buttered.

What's next to wish on? Maybe English peas. Something's got to work.