Do you love discussing food and recipes and tasting lots of delicious foods? So do our members!
The What’s Cooking Chapter meets monthly on Thursday at 10:00am. The dates for the 2024-2025 season are: 10/24, 11/21, 12/19, 1/23, 2/20, 3/20, 4/24, and 5/22. (Please confirm dates on the Calendar and in the Newsletter).
Chair: Angela Berardino
This chapter met for the first time in October 2014 and shared samples of three soups – Pumpkin Soup with Mascarpone or Ricotta, Red Lentil Soup, and Strawberry Soup (provided by Harolyn Nikol, Sally Musacchia, and Jeanne Scholtz)
Here are some of the recipes shared:
Pumpkin Soup with Mascarpone/Ricotta – makes four servings (Sally Mussachia)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 tsp fennel seeds (ground by hand)
7 whole canned tomatoes, drained
1 one-two pound butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4 inch pieces — about 5 1/4 cups
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese (or ricotta)
Heat 2 tsp oil with garlic and fennel seeds in medium pot over low heat. Squeeze tomatoes over the pot to break up the flesh and catch all the juices in the pot. Cook over low heat, stirring often for 8 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir in squash and potatoes. Add enough chicken stock to just cover the vegetables and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 35 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking that the vegetables are just submerged. Once vegetables are tender, remove pot from heat and use a potato masher to mash by hand (not pureed!). In each bowl, top with dollops of cheese and drizzle with good olive oil.
Red Lentil Soup – makes six servings (Harolyn Nikol)
1 carrot, onion, red pepper, and 2 stalks of celery diced
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of red lentils
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 or 2 packages of MBT chicken broth
5 cups of water
optional: 2 slices of bacon or 1/2 lb of inexpensive steak
If using meat, brown with olive oil — if not, begin with the vegetables, saute the veggies for 15 minutes until soft, add the tomatoes and cook another 15 minutes, add the lentils and water and 1 MBT. Stir well and let cook 1/2 hour – stir to prevent sticking – the mixture will be creamy, add salt and pepper to taste. If necessary, add other MBT and water if too thick.
Cold Strawberry Soup – recipe in the Women’s Club Centennial Cookbook (Jeanne Scholtz/Angela Martin)
Kielbasa and Veggie Soup – recipe in the Women’s Club Centennial Cookbook (Helen Griffin)
Pumpkin Soup (Irene Nash)
1 large onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 16 oz pumkin (can) or 2 cups
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock)
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
In skillet, saute onion 5 minutes, stir in spices and seeds, add pumpkin and stir, cooking gently for about 20 minutes.
Pureed Carrot Soup (Anne Healy) – serves 4-6
2 cups chicken or veggie stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion
2 medium shallots or 1 medium leek
1 1/2 pounds – about 8 medium carrots – peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced thin (about 4 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 – 1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 tsp of minced tarragon or mint, chives, parsley, ginger
2 tablespoons dry sherry or white wine
Melt butter, add onions, sherry and carrots; add stock and seasoning, cover and cook 20 minutes. Put in blender, add milk, blend until very smooth, return to saucepan, cook over low heat until warmed through. Ladle soup into bowl and garnish with herbs.
Butternut Squash Soup (Barbara Marsh) – makes 2-4 servings
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 large butternut squash
2 zucchini
1 large onion
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 quart water or chicken stock
cinnamon, black pepper, onion powder, all to taste
Chop veggies and ginger, simmer with spices with water (for thicker soup use 1/2 quart of water) until soft. Puree in blender or food processor.
Cabbage Soup (Adrienne Feller)
1 pound beef cubes cut into small pieces
1 head medium cabbage
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce (small)
2 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cans of chicken or beef stock (14.5 ounce)
salt and black pepper to taste
water and veggie oil
Brown beef in veggie oil, drain oil, add salt and pepper (1 tsp), add chopped onion, add water to cover meat and onions, add chopped cabbage (leave out core), add tomato sauce, one can of stock, diced tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and bay leaf. Cover and cook cabbage down on low flame about 45 minutes. Add second can of stock, remove bay leaf, and cook for another 20 minutes, add pepper for taste.