Volume 12, Issue 020 - January 26, 2007 |
Hello Friend,
I hope you have enjoyed our week of classic soups. Next week we will talk about
avocados, just in time for the big football game. That will be fun!
Have a great weekend…You deserve it!
Borscht
Sometimes spelled Borsch. Most people I know agree that Borscht is originally
from the Ukraine. My great friend Vika who came to us from there makes a
fantastic Borscht. Borscht is most often served hot but can be served cold. It
is a beet based soup and can have many variations depending on the citizenship
of the chef or cook. The popular hot borscht can also contain cabbage, carrots,
potatoes, onions, tomatoes and even meats. You can find it garnished with
a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche. In my opinion, Borscht is another
fantastic "Sop Soup.".
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 Borscht
Makes 10 servings
Ingredients:
vegetable or olive oil
1 carrot, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
2 medium beets, small dice
1/2 green pepper, seeded and diced
5 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 head of cabbage
3 potatoes, peeled, 1/2 inch dice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and
pepper to taste
sugar to taste
1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, chopped
sour cream as garnish, optional
Preparation:
Pour a
little vegetable oil into a skillet and add the carrots and onions. Cook until
softened, and set aside.
Put the chopped beets and green pepper into a small saucepan and add
1/2 cup of broth and the tomato paste. Cover the pot and simmer for about 30
minutes, until the beets are tender.
While the beets and peppers are cooking, pour the remaining broth into
a large saucepan and heat it almost to boiling. Chop the cabbage and add it to
the broth.
Add the potatoes to the broth and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Add cooked onions and carrots and tender beets to broth. Add lemon
juice, salt, pepper, sugar, parsley and garlic cloves.
Simmer 10 more
minutes and check for seasoning. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream in each
bowl, if desired.
Oyster Stew
Oyster Stew is a classic meal and a Christmas Eve tradition for many. That
tradition is said to have started with Irish immigrants who fled here during
the potato famine in the mid-1800s. They replaced a traditional stew containing ling
fish. The tradition also has ties to the Catholic religion as well. Catholics
were not allowed to eat meat the day before receiving Communion.
Oysters are not only delicious, but they're also one of the most nutritionally
well balanced of foods, containing protein, carbohydrates and lipids. The
National Heart and Lung Institute suggest oysters as an ideal food for inclusion
in low-cholesterol diets. Oysters are an excellent source of vitamins A,
B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), C ( ascorbic acid) and D (calciferol).
Four or five medium size oysters supply the recommended daily allowance of iron,
copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese and phosphorus.
Note: Because raw foods including oysters may carry bacteria, persons with
chronic liver disease, impaired immune systems or cancer should avoid eating raw
oysters.
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 Classic Oyster Stew
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, 1 stick
1/2 cup celery, minced
3 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 quart half-and-half cream
Worcestershire sauce, couple drops
Tabasco, couple drops or to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch of dry mustard
3 cups fresh shucked oysters, undrained (See Note)
Sherry, (optional)
Preparation:
Melt the butter in a large thick-bottomed soup pot over medium heat, and cook
the celery and shallots until shallots are tender but not
browned. Add the half and half, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper
and dry mustard. Stir continuously until the mixture is almost at a boil.
When the mixture is almost boiling, pour the oysters and their liquid into the
pot. Stir gently until the oysters curl at the ends. Turn off the heat and serve
at once. A drop or two of sherry is nice if you are fond of its flavor.
Note: If you are shucking your own oysters, be very careful to remove all traces
of broken oyster shells and dirt particles.
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