In our house, this is “kluski” dough used in soup. Add Parmesan, and it becomes gnocchi dough. In French bakeries, this dough is used for eclairs, and cream puffs, and all kinds of delicious crispy pastries stuffed with cream and fruit. Master Paul Bocuse, however, uses 7-8 eggs per batch. Cook water, butter and flour over medium heat until batter pulls away from the sides … Continue reading Pâte a choux
There are no quantities for Laura’s recipe, because sometimes you’re serving a dinner party, and sometimes you just need one bowl of chicken soup to cure the sniffles. If using fresh spinach, sauté briefly in olive oil and drain well. If using frozen, cook to package directions and drain or squeeze until nearly all the water is out of it. Heat stock or broth and … Continue reading Chicken Soup with Spinach
Sauté onion in olive oil until it turns clear. Lower heat, and add turkey; cook through. Drain and rinse beans, and add to turkey along with tomatoes and chili seasoning to taste. Serve with hot pepper sauce, cheese, sour cream, cornbread, and spoons. Definitely don’t leave out the spoons. Continue reading Black Bean and Turkey Chili
In a large skillet or a Dutch oven, brown the ground beef with the green pepper and onion; drain fat. Add tomatoes, crushing with spoon, and spices. Drain and rinse beans and add to chili; heat through and serve. from Salley Cowherd Continue reading Salley’s Chili
Bob Lacaff, Mom’s second cousin and Maurine’s son, longtime San Antonio resident and serious Tex-Mex eater, blessed us with his magnificent recipe for the best gazpacho we’ve ever eaten. Mix first nine items in bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate for two hours before serving. Pour into serving bowls or cups, and garnish with cucumber and tomato. Serve ice cold. From right to left, Eleanor (Maurine’s … Continue reading Gazpacho
Best served icy cold, so it’s great for hot summer days. And don’t be put off by the pickled beets! This Polish soup, one of Dad’s favorites, is spicy and delicious. It’s sort of pronounced huh-LOD-nick … close enough. Combine all ingredients; chill for at least 15 minutes before serving. Dad is second from left in this picture, taken when he was stationed in England … Continue reading Chlodnik (Chilled Beet Soup)
Call it poached or call it boiled; if you can boil water, you can say bye-bye to paying through the beak for prepared grocery store or deli chicken. If you want to make chicken stock, buy a whole chicken and cut it up; if you just want to cook some chicken breasts for salads or entrees, that’s fine too. But for stock or dumplings, you … Continue reading Basic Chicken/Stock/Chicken Salad
After tweaking this recipe for so many years, it’s not exactly like the steak soup served at Kansas City’s Plaza III restaurant, now or back in the 1970s when we wheedled the recipe out of the general manager, but we still call it the P3 soup. For one thing, they used to add MSG and we quit that nonsense a long time ago. And yes, … Continue reading Plaza III Steak Soup
Family legend says that our paternal grandmother – “Mamcik,” which means “mother” in Polish – made her beef stock by boiling a full sirloin roast until it liquefied. We don’t go quite that far; despite legend, making soup stock isn’t complicated. You need: Roasted bones add a depth and richness to stock that you can’t get if you toss in, say, a bunch of raw … Continue reading making soup stock
Purée it smooth if you wish, but Mom generally left a few potato chunks in because she liked the texture. Do peel the potatoes before cooking them. Simmer vegetables, potatoes and stock for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and blend in a food processor or blender until you get the texture you prefer. Return to low heat (do not boil); stir in cream and parsley, … Continue reading Mom’s Potato Soup
Around Our Table 