February 24, 2021

Dear friends,

When the weather turned chilly last week I tossed a whole butternut squash and a peeled onion in my slow cooker. By morning the squash and onion were fork-tender and the camper smelled delicious. For olfactory atmosphere, a Crock-Pot is better than a scented candle any day.

After a night on low the squash not only smelled great, it was ready to be turned into soup. All I had to do was cut it open, scoop out the seeds, and scoop the buttery-soft flesh into a blender. I added the cooked onion, chicken broth, coconut milk and seasonings and whirled it until smooth. It was one of the easiest soups I’ve ever made.

I got the idea for roasting the squash in a Crock-Pot from a friend whose stove is on the fritz. She mentioned roasting an acorn squash in her slow cooker. I Googled it and, sure enough, found “recipes” for roasting hard-shell squash. The directions are stupid-simple: Put a whole squash in a slow cooker. Cook it for 4 hours on high or six to eight hours on low. Period.

From there, it was an easy leap to turn the squash into soup. I simply added the ingredients I mentioned above along with grated ginger, salt and pepper. I tossed in a pinch of ground cumin, too, and finished it with a squeeze of lime after blending. If I had had chorizo sausage on hand, I would have browned it and added it to the soup, too.

I can think of numerous variations such as swapping nutmeg for the cumin and adding a shower of chopped fresh chives in the spring, or cooking an apple with the squash and sprinkling with a pinch of cinnamon after pureeing. Regular cream or whole milk could sub for the coconut milk in those cases. Acorn or another winter squash could sub for the butternut, too.

Previously, I had cooked just one winter squash in our camper because we lack counter space for all that peeling and chopping. Now that I know how easy it can be, not even camping will slow me down.

My recipe may be halved if you have just a few people in your pandemic bubble. As written, it makes about eight servings.

SLOW COOKER WINTER SQUASH SOUP

1 large (1 1/2 lbs.) butternut squash
1 large yellow onion
2 cups chicken broth
2 tsps. grated fresh ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can (14-oz.) coconut milk
Juice of 1 lime

Place the squash in a dry slow cooker. Cut the onion in half and place beside the squash. Cover and cook on low power for 6 to 8 hours, until the squash is very soft. Let cool until the squash can be handled.

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Scoop half of the soft flesh into a blender. Add half of the onion and a cup of chicken broth and puree until smooth. Add half of the seasonings and coconut milk and puree again.

Pour into a container and repeat with remaining ingredients except lime. Combine both batches of soup and stir in lime. If desired, rewarm in the microwave before serving. The soup tastes great hot, cold and at room temperature. Makes about 8 servings. Leftovers may be frozen.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Pan-grilled grouper, stir-fried eggplant and zucchini with sesame oil; eggs over easy and toast; a beach picnic of crustless Japanese sandwiches of Swiss cheese, sliced cucumber and Kewpie Mayonnaise, cold fresh pineapple rings and icy Diet Cokes (courtesy of chef Tony); ma po tofu and steamed rice; Japanese pork curry and steamed rice.

What I carried out:
A Detox Smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe; black conch ceviche, arepas, marinated sirloin steak, deep-fried pork belly, Columbian sausage, fried plantains and rice and beans from El Sabor Latino Restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; jerk chicken, brown chicken stew, fried sweet plantains, rice, vinegar slaw and banana bread from Jamaican Classic Jerk Stop in Stuart; shrimp ceviche and tortilla chips from Green Apple Produce in Hobe Sound; McDonald’s spicy chicken sandwich; beef tacos with cilantro and lime from the Taqueria Solavino truck in Hobe Sound.

THE MAILBAG
From Linda C.:
Re: Buying your own Valentine’s candy. I ordered Valentine’s Day cards and let my hubby choose first. Sometimes you do have to be your own Valentine. When I make sauerkraut balls for New Year’s, I always put a bag in the freezer labeled Valentine’s Day!  Something to look forward to during the winter. 

Thanks for the great recipes!

Dear Linda:
I hear you. And Tony’s forgetfulness doesn’t make me angry. He’s good at a lot of things, just not this. So wives like you and I buy our own chocolates and cards. And freeze sauerkraut balls (great idea).

From Bill B.:
For Sue, a simple dressing that is great for salads with fruit is a honey vinaigrette:  1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1 cup oil.  Shake.

Dear Bill,
Thanks for helping out. Alix W. also sent a recipe but part of the ingredients were cut off, so I found a similar vinaigrette recipe from the same author.

JACQUES PEPIN’S VINAIGRETTE
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup wine vinegar (red or white)1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine ingredients in a lidded jar and shake well. May be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Makes 1 1/2 cups dressing.

February 17, 2021

Dear friends,

I took no chances this Valentine’s Day. I didn’t trust Tony to buy me a card, let alone a present. Last year I got a message scrawled on a leaf Tony found outside the door of our camper. One year I got a can of Carnation milk, laboriously wrapped and topped with a bow. And once there was a card that began, “To My Sister-In-Law.”

That’s why I asked Tony to take me to an Asian store on Saturday, where I bought two boxes of chocolate mushrooms. As I told a friend later, sometimes you have to be your own Valentine.

My gift to Tony was to send him off surf fishing for the day (we’re in Florida, remember), and greet him on his return with a Valentine dinner. Making meals in a small camper is aggravating, so the dinner was a true labor of love. It also was fairly simple but elegant and, most important, utterly delicious.

On the menu: Purchased gnocchi that I served in a custard-like cream sauce with mushrooms and bacon, and finished with a chiffonade of fresh basil. The sauce is interesting. I saw it on a website for German foods, where it was used for spaetzle. Four eggs are beaten with a quarter-cup of cream, and this mixture is stirred into the cooked gnocchi, onions and mushrooms over low heat until it thickens. If the heat is too high, the eggs will scramble. But if you are patient and stir it over lower heat, the eggs will thicken to a rich, custard-like sauce.

I depend the flavor with bacon and sauteed onions and mushrooms, which I finished with a splash of white wine reduced until it was absorbed by the mushrooms. It tastes so rich that Tony was surprised it contained no cheese.

In a real kitchen with counter space, this pasta dish would be an easy way to treat yourself or your honey. It’s the next best thing to roses and chocolate, and a heckuva lot better than a can of condensed milk.

GNOCCHI WITH BACON AND MUSHROOMS IN CUSTARD SAUCE

16 oz. gnocchi
Olive oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 oz. bacon (4 strips)
2 tbsp. butter
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Cook gnocchi in boiling water until al dente. Drain, coat lightly with olive oil and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, half and half, salt and pepper until smooth. Set aside.

In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Pour off all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat in the skillet.

Melt the butter with the remaining fat in the skillet. Sauté mushrooms over high heat until the juices they emit have almost evaporated. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and sauté until onions are softened. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes longer. Increase heat to high, stir in wine and cook until most of the wine has evaporated.

Add gnocchi to skillet and stir to coat with juices. Add egg mixture and cook and stir over low to medium heat until eggs thicken but do not solidify, about 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Stir in basil and crumbled bacon, reserving some of each to sprinkle on each portion. Makes 4 servings.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Shrimp and avocado salad; gnocchi with mushrooms and bacon.

What we ate from restaurants, etc.:
A gyro and fries with feta and herbs from Mr. Gyro in Stuart, Fla.; marinated, slow-roasted chicken quarters and fried fresh tortillas from Tortilleria Gallo de Oro in Stuart; shrimp ceviche and tortilla chips from Green Apple Produce and Carniceria in Hobe Sound; egg roll, crispy duck, broccoli and steamed rice from Golden Pavillon in Jupiter; Columbian sancocho stew from our Columbian neighbor; an ice cream cone from McDonald’s.

THE MAILBAG
From Sue T.:
Do you have a favorite salad dressing recipe? I love Briannas Real French Vinaigrette and have tried to recreate it without success.   

I also love lemony salad dressing. Any recipes are appreciated.

Dear Sue:
I’m  embarrassed to say that I don’t. I make vinaigrettes by pouring olive oil and vinegar directly from the bottles and adding Dijon mustard, garlic, herbs or whatever I think will complement the salad. I have made fruity dressings that I half-remember fondly, a lot of Asian dressings lost in my files somewhere, and for entree salads, dressings made with the meat drippings left in a pan. I don’t have a go-to salad dressing recipe, though. Maybe someone else does and will share.

From Carol E.:
I was so happy you like hot dogs with mustard and relish. I do top that with chopped onions. Same for hamburgers.

Dear Carol:
The classic hot dog topping is mustard, and I’m cool with that plus relish or onions. My favorite, though, is a coney dog. In some parts of the South coney dogs are served with mustard and I like that, too. At times in my life my favorite has been a hot dog with relish, onions, a pickle spear, mustard, celery salt and a sport pepper on a poppyseed split-top bun. In other words, a Chicago dog. Which makes me wonder: Are there other great toppings I should try?

From Alix W.:
Here’s the mushroom soup recipe you couldn’t find. My kids loved it. No problem with the cream. Bought tomato soups today to try your red dog toast. Going to add cheese and bacon. Can’t wait.

MUSHROOM BISQUE 
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, cleaned and chopped fine
4 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
6 tbsp. butter
6 tbsp. flour
3 cups milk
1 cup whipping cream
Salt, pepper
1/4 cup sherry

Place chopped mushrooms, chicken broth and onions in kettle and simmer,
covered, for 30 minutes.

Bring milk to a boil in saucepan. In another saucepan, melt butter, add
flour and whisk until blended. Add hot milk all at once and whisk vigorously
until thick and smooth. Stir in cream.

Stir white sauce into mushroom broth. Season with salt and pepper. Add
sherry and heat through. Serves six to eight.

Dear Alix:

That’s the recipe! Thank you, and thanks to others who sent it, including Francie L. and Julie W.

February 10, 2021

Dear friends,

I love my husband but sometimes I want to banish him to a shed in the back yard. That’s how I feel about cooking. too. Sometimes I can’t get enough, and sometimes I’m glad I have Rizzi’s Pizza on speed dial.

Right now I’m in a cooking slump. As the pandemic wore on, the thrill of sous vide-ing a roast for eight hours waned. As fall turned to winter, bread-baking ceased to be an adventure. And I know I’m not alone.

“The pandemic is starting to affect my cooking,” a friend wrote recently. “I’m losing some of my enthusiasm cooking for the same crew with the same tastes. I look forward to summer and get-togethers with friends at a distance but close enough to chat across a fire.”

Hopefully we’ll all be vaccinated by then.

Meanwhile, I weather cooking slumps with new recipes that are so easy to make they border on dorm cuisine. The latest is something called “red dog toast,” a sensation on reddit. It is made by dipping sturdy slices of bread in eggs beaten with condensed tomato soup and frying in a skillet like french toast. Is that easy enough to get you back into the kitchen? It was for me.

I went one step further and sandwiched Swiss cheese between slices of red dog toast for, loosely, tomato soup and toasted cheese without the  bowl. It isn’t roast squab but we liked it.

The savory tomato toast by itself can be eaten for breakfast or as a side dish for lunch or dinner, with maybe strips of crisp bacon and a green salad. Is that too much cooking? Then go for the sandwich. It’ll get you through the slump.

RED DOG TOASTED CHEESE SANDWICHES

2 eggs
1/2 cup undiluted condensed tomato soup
1/2 tsp. salt
Butter
6 slices sturdy bread
3 slices Swiss cheese
Chopped parsley or chives for garnish (optional)

Whisk eggs, tomato soup and salt in a shallow bowl until smooth. Melt 1 to 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat, adding more butter when necessary. Dip bread slices in tomato mixture, coating both sides. Fry in the hot skillet in batches if necessary, turning over once, until brown on both sides.  

Turn heat to medium-low. Place cheese on half the bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices. Cover pan with a lid and heat until cheese melts. Place on sandwich plates and sprinkle with parsley. Makes 3 sandwiches.

GUT CHECK
What we cooked last week:
Ramen with egg, shredded chicken and green onions; pan-grilled filet mignon and baked potatoes; shrimp and avocado salad (Tony); spaghetti with venison sauce; flash-fried mojo shrimp, tuna sashimi (Tony) and sushi rice (Tony); red dog grilled cheese sandwiches; Japanese pork miso soup (Tony).

What I ate from restaurants:
Buffalo wings from the Famous Wings food truck in Stuart, Fla.; a cheeseburger Happy Meal and a vanilla cone from McDonald’s; Cuban sandwich, cafe con leche and a crisp vanilla cookie from Quetzcal Super Bread in Stuart; a Detox Smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe; an Egg McMuffin from McDonald’’s.

SNACK ALERT
It took 14 years, but Tony finally introduced me to the best snack Japan has produced — even better than waffle fish and puffed rice rolls. Kinoko No Yama — Mountain Mushrooms — are baby thumb-sized noshes of inch-long pocky-like sticks topped with a chocolate mushroom cap. They look like little mushrooms and the crunchy stick-to-chocolate ratio is perfect. 

Tony says the snack is popular with school kids, whose parents often tuck boxes of them in backpacks for school outings. Tony grew up eating Kinoko No Yama and I plan to grow old eating them.

The bright yellow and green boxes of Kinoko No Yama, about the size of a theater box of Sno-Caps or Milk Duds, are sold in most Asian stores. Unfortunately, the entire box Tony bought, except for the nutrition info, was printed in Japanese, so you may have to ask a clerk for help. Or look for a yellow and green box the size of your hand with cheery little cartoon mushrooms on the front.

THE MAILBAG
From B.B.:
The 1/4 cup each of cumin and oregano in your black bean soup is giving me pause. Is that correct? I’ve never put that much of either in anything, so I’m worried! Thanks.

Dear B.B.:
I was worried when I made the recipe the first time, too. I’m glad I trusted the cookbook author, Sarah Leah Chase, and gave it a go. The seasoning is spot on.

From David G.:
Regarding the question about substituting gluten-free flour 1-for-1 in your corn muffin recipe: My wife has baked gluten free for  more than 35 years, and has become quite good at it. Our advice is that the 1-1 flours are a good starting point, but they often need to be supplemented with additional leavening -– perhaps double. A bit of xanthan gum also helps. Also, try different brands of flour mixes. The King Arthur gluten-free flours seem to be about the best. But Bob’s Red Mill is also pretty good. We use both. The best thing to do is experiment. Although your “failures” may not be artistic, they are still quite edible. 

Dear David:
We needed advice from experienced gluten-free bakers, and that’s just what you and your wife provided. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.

From Alix W.:
I spent the morning going through a file of recipes I haven’t opened for twenty years. I came across your recipe for mushroom bisque from the Beacon Journal’s March 7, 1997 issue. I think I made it once then. I plan to make it again this week for vegetarian grandchildren. It will be just the right thing for lunch on these cold winter days. By the way, what is the difference between bisque and soup?

Dear Alix:
Oh, the memories that recipe evokes! The sherry-spiked soup is so good my brother-in-law once asked me to make a pot of it as his Christmas present. I made it regularly for a couple of decades until my waistline ballooned and I could no longer justify the cream.

Alix, I hope your vegetarian grandchildren are OK with cream.

I know some readers will want the recipe, but I couldn’t find it in the Beacon Journal  database. If Alix or someone will send me a copy, I’ll share it next week. Then I can make a batch for Tony, who has never tasted it.

Bisque is thicker than soup and usually is cream-based.

From Amber R.:
Jane, I have been searching for a recipe for Asian Clear Soup. The wonderful appetizer never tastes correct when I make it. I do not know what the crunchy particles are and am not sure of the proportions in the broth. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Dear Amber:
I think we answered this question not too long ago (by which I mean in the last couple of  years). The broth is brown and clear, right? I remember those crunchy things, but I don’t know if they were explained in the recipe I shared. Did anyone save the recipe? My files are not organized to call up recipes that were in my newsletter.

February 3, 2021

Dear friends,

Traveling to Florida with our camper has given me an entirely different array of things I miss in the pandemic. I was tired of missing my sister and Beth and Michele and the rest of my friends. For too long I missed leisurely lunches with Tony at the Village Grill and trips to the zoo and festivals.

Now I get to miss dinners at the Catfish House, browsing flea markets and visiting my friend, Jan. And I get to do it in balmy weather with palm trees. Although we aren’t doing much in Florida this year, life is good.

But seriously, this place scares me. Florida in a pandemic is like Florida without a pandemic, but with a sprinkling of masks. Slowing Tony down when everyone around us is living full-bore has been difficult. Luckily, so far we are virus-free here in our little camper in Hobe Sound.

Not dining out should mean more cooking on my 3-burner stove, although so far we have opted for more carryout than cooking. But I hungered for seafood last week, so I went all out with a suave seafood stew I found in Ina Garten’s latest, “Modern Comfort Food.”

The stew is a creamy, warming bowlful of shellfish gently seasoned with tarragon. The herb reminds me of the Pernod that goes in bouillabaisse. The creamy broth reminds me of new England clam chowder.

The stew is easy to assemble. Onions and garlic are sauteed. White wine and cream are reduced. Seafood is added. That’s pretty much it.

The local roadside seafood stand did not have mussels so I used fresh gulf shrimp instead. Feel free to substitute any seafood you want. I also could not find cured chorizo, the kind consumed in Spain. Instead I used fresh chorizo and cooked it longer than Garten’s cured sausage. It worked out well.

We ate the stew after a frustrating day of phoning and clicking on websites, trying in vain to book an appointment for a dose of vaccine. While you wait for a shot, you could do worse than build an evening around this stew.

SHELLFISH & CHORIZO STEW

3/4 lb. baby potatoes, halved if larger than 1 inch
Kosher salt, fresh-ground pepper
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. good olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 tbsp. minced garlic
4 oz. Spanish-style (cured) chorizo, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 tbsp. minced fresh tarragon leaves (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 1/2 cups dry white wine such as pinot Grigio or Chablis
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used half and half)
3/4 lbs. fresh sea scallops, side muscles removed, halved if large
2 lbs. fresh littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 lb. fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded

Minced fresh parsley and crusty baguette, for serving

Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in a medium saucepan and cover generously with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until barely tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Sauté onions for 7 to 10 minutes, until translucent but not browned. Add garlic and chorizo and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until meat is cooked through. Stir in the tarragon and cook for one minute. Add the wine and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until reduced by half.

Add the cream, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and the potatoes. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until the stock is slightly thickened.

Stir in the scallops and place the clams and mussels or shrimp on top. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the clams and mussels have opened (discard any that don’t open).

Taste for seasonings, ladle into large shallow bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot with chunks of crusty bread. Serves 4.

From “Modern Comfort Food” by Ina Garten.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
A chopped salad; grilled jalapeno bratwurst, scrambled eggs and toast; shellfish and chorizo stew; chocolate tofu pudding; fried chorizo, eggs over easy and grits with queso fresca;

What I carried out:|
A Greek salad from Publix; a Cuban sandwich from Publix; a chorizo taco and a chicken gordita from Taqueria Solavino food truck in Hobe Sound; chicken empanada, Cuban sandwich, roast pork, rice and black beans, fried sweet plantains from Fresh Market Latin Cafe in Port St. Lucie; a Wendy’s double hamburger and chili; a hamburger from Scooter’s in Hobe Sound.

THE MAILBAG
From Pam M.:
Regarding your “mustard and heavy onions” on a hamburger,  are they grilled onions or raw? I hate raw onions in anything except maybe salsa (and I always use a smaller amount and chopped pretty fine) and a nice salad — but then only red onions and sliced thin).

The corn biscuits sound divine. (I love cornbread in any incarnation.)  What do you think the damage would be if I used 1-for-1 replacement gluten-free flour?

Dear Pam:
I have never used gluten-free flour as a substitute for wheat flour, so I can’t help you there.  Are there any gluten-free bakers out there who could help? Abby?

The “heavy onions” the reader wrote about at Hamburger Station seem to me to be half-steamed. I usually scrape off at least half of them because there are a ton of them and they taste slightly bitter to me. I love Hamburger Station’s burgers anyway.

From Kristi P.:
I will definitely try this recipe (for corn biscuits). Loving comfort food right now.  I made your chili rellenos quiche and it was wonderful. I did not prebake the pie shell. One thing I have enjoyed about ordering groceries is putting the recipe items on my list so that I can try them out, versus trying to remember them while shopping.

Stay safe my friend.  Enjoy the sunshine enough for all of us!

Dear Kristi:
I’m just getting into the grocery-ordering thing. Last week I placed a 10-item order with Walmart here in Stuart, Fla. At the pickup site in the parking lot a masked kid trolleyed out three items. The rest, I was told, would be delivered for free in two days — three items by U.S. Postal Service and four by Fed-Ex. Why? The kid didn’t know. The groceries arrived as promised, with no delivery charge, but jeez. Fed-Exing a squeeze bottle of mustard is ridiculous..

From Anne M.:
Oh man, I made your braised short ribs this week. I had some great oranges but no juice, so I bought a small bottle from the drink selection at work. I came home and got my BOGO free meat out of the fridge and discovered I had pork loin, not beef. Oh well. So I cut it in chunks like you said (forgot the salt and pepper) and started to brown it up. I added lots of onions and carrots cause we like them cooked like that. I put it in the oven and checked at 2 hours only because my husband came home and I wanted to show off. Well, it was done! OMG it was awesome. We served it with rice. And of course the leftovers are awesome, too. 

So the take-home is pork works just as well and takes half as long (used 1.5 oranges and 12 ounces juice, but who cares). Would make a great basic start for a soup with some kid of pasta or rice.

Dear Anne:
Your note is a lesson on how good cooks approach a recipe. No beef? Use pork. Have extra orange juice? Toss it in. Then cook it until it tastes done, not the time on the recipe card. Most recipes lend themselves to tinkering; that’s how new recipes are born.