Ingredients:
1 lb. carrots peeled and diced
½ lb. parsnips peeled and diced
1 onion peeled and diced
2 or 3 ribs of celery diced
4 c. orange juice
1 c. water
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 c. whipping cream
Method:
Place vegetables in a soup pot with a cover. Add orange juice and water.
Simmer slowly covered until the veggies are tender. Puree and adjust the seasoning with a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Add the whipping cream and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.
Yield 10 cups.
Ingredients:
5 c. water
2 c. vegetable or chicken stock
12 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 tblsp. chopped dill
2 tblsp. chopped sorrel
1/4 c. lemon zest, chopped
flesh of 1 lemon (no membrane)
juice of 1 lemon
Method:
Bring water and stock to a boil. Lower heat and add cucumbers, dill, sorrel, lemon zest, membrane, and pulp; simmer until tender. Puree. Add juice and season with salt and white pepper. Chill at least 2 hours.
Yield 12 cups
Ingredients
1 cup chopped celery
1 fine chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
8 cups diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup red wine
1 pinch white pepper
2 bunches fresh chopped basil leaves
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 cups whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste
Technique
Sauté vegetables and garlic slowly in olive oil for 10 minutes. Vegetables may be chopped in a food processor as long as they are not too fine. Add diced tomatoes (fresh skinned and seeded vine ripe tomatoes should be used when in season) . Add red wine. Simmer 2 hours over low heat. If the mixture is still hot be careful not to burn yourself, purée in small batches Return the puree to the soup pot and add cream, seasonings and basil. Bring to a light boil to finish.
Garnish with croutons, sour cream or creme fraîche
Yield 1 gallon or 16 servings
Ingredients:
4 ears sweet corn, hulled from the ears
4 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 onions, skinned and finely chopped
4 stalks celery, diced
4 ounces sweet butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon leaf thyme
4 cups water or chicken stock
2 cups whipping cream
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
Technique
In a 2 quart soup pot, melt the butter and saute the peppers, onions and celery. Cook over low heat until tender. Add the flour and mix well until the butter is absorbed. Add the water or vegetable stock a little at a time while stirring with a large spoon. Keep stirring until the soup begins to thicken, and the soup is simmering. Add the cream and bring to a soft boil. Season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the corn. Simmer for an additional 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Garnish with sour cream or lime slices.
Yield 1/2 gallon, 6 to 8 portions
Fennel Soup, Ingredients, Continued:
1/2 lb. fennel bulb, trimmed and diced small (slice a few thin slices first for garnish and reserve in ice water).
1 c. white wine, chardonnay or sauvignon blanc.
1 c. vegetable broth, canned or your own homemade.
juice of 1/4 lemon
1 teasp. salt
a pinch of ground black pepper.
1/4 sweet red bell pepper, seeds and rib removed, diced fine.
1/2 baguette French bread
Method:
In a small soup pot, sauté the onion in olive oil slowly taking care not to brown. Add the garlic and continue for another minute. Trim off the excess green of the fennel and dice. Stir in the fennel and sauté for another minute. Add the white wine and vegetable broth. Simmer for 10 minutes. Puree with a stick blender ( the best tool for this job ) in the pot, puree in small batches in free standing blender. Return to the pot and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the reserved fennel and diced sweet red pepper. Serve with warm bread.
Yield 4 cups
Ingredients:
1lb. each green, gold and red heirloom tomatoes
1 1/2 c. cucumbers seeded and chopped (8 oz.)
1 c. celery chopped (4 oz.)
2 c. red onion -- finely chopped (8 oz.1 medium)
2 cloves garlic minced (one teasp.)
1 c. ice water
4 tblsp. lemon juice
2 tblsp. olive oil
1 tblsp. sugar
1 tblsp. salt
1 1/2 jalapeno, flesh only chopped fine
1 1/2 teasp. Tabasco
Garnish
1/2 c. yogurt
Method;
Cut an x into the bottom of each tomato. Plunge tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen skins then immerse in ice water. Slip skins off.
You will need four bowls for the rest of the process.
Keeping the colors separate coarsely chop tomatoes then puree in a blender or food processor. Place purees in separate bowls.
Puree the remaining ingredients together (except the yogurt) and place in the fourth bowl. Add 1/3 of this mixture to each of the different colored tomato purees. Adjust the seasoning for each. To serve: spoon a little of each colored gazpacho into soup bowls (this is easier if you have a someone help you or you have three hands)
Garnish with yogurt.
Yield 6 to 8 portions
Veal meatballs
Ingredients
2 lb. ground veal
2 c. soft breadcrumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
4 tblsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teasp. salt
1 teasp. crushed garlic
1/4 teasp. freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Combine ground veal, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, parsley, salt, garlic and pepper, mixing lightly but thoroughly. (Mixture will be moist.) Shape into 36 (more or less) small 1/2 inch meatballs. Arrange in greased 15 x 10 inch jellyroll pan. Bake in 350 degree oven 15 minutes or until centers are no longer pink, turning once.
Veal Broth
Ingredients:
5 lb. Veal Bones, cut or split into 3 in. pieces
8 oz. Carrots, Rough Cut
8 oz. Celery, Rough Cut
1 lb. Onion, Rough Cut
8 oz. Tomato Puree
6 pc. Parsley Stems
2 1//2 Gallons Water
1 pc. Bay Leaf
6 pc. Peppercorns
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the bones in a roasting pan and bake until they are golden brown — about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven and cover the bones with the carrots, celery and onion — bake again for another 1/2 hour. Remove bones and veggies from the roasting pan and place in a large stockpot, add the water (bones should be covered in water) and remaining ingredients. Do not wash the roasting pan yet. Add 2 cups of water to the pan and scrap with a metal spoon to remove the baked on goodies, add this liquid to the stockpot. Bring stockpot to a boil and reduce heat to simmer the stock. Using a ladle, skim the fat and impurities off the surface of the stock (repeat several times). Stock should simmer for at least 6 hours until it has flavor and brown color. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Strain off the stock into another container. This stock, of course, has many other uses.
Yield - 1 Gallon
1/4 lb. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 large head of escarole, washed and chopped into 1/4 inch chunks
Assembly:
In a large pot bring the stock to a boil and add the meatballs and escarole. Simmer about 20 to 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.
Serves 12 to 16 people.
