Soup Season!

Autumn really is my favorite time of year. The intolerable heat and humidity of the summer are finally over; the stores are filled with clothes in "my" colors; the cool, rainy days give me every excuse to sit, curled up with a book and a cup of tea; and I can make the soups my soul craves. Warming, filling, and satisfying -- and the leftovers are even better. Sadly, I married a man who has no appreciation for such homey dishes . . .

One of my favorites is my take on a Pennsylvania Dutch corn and cabbage chowder. It is a good, basic recipe that allows for almost endless variations. You can replace the dill and tarragon with dried thyme -- or with 1 1/2 tsps of your favorite dried herb(s). If you want to use fresh, add them with the corn at the end. Fresh herbs don't take long cooking.

You can make it all vegetarian, or add diced cooked chicken. You can substitute or add different root vegetables -- parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, etc. I'd probably avoid red beets, but golden ones might be nice.

2 tablespoons oil (or the fat from a couple of slices of bacon -- reserve bacon to add at the end)
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs flour (optional -- for thickening if desired)
1 quart stock (vegetable or chicken)
4 cups diced potato
4 cups finely shredded green cabbage (about 1/4 a head -- opt)
1 cup chopped tomatoes (equivalent of canned) or 8 oz. tomato sauce (optional)
3/4 tsp dried dill
3/4 tsp dried tarragon
1 quart milk (approximately) -- or 1/2 and 1/2, or 1/2 milk and 1/2 cream
1 tablespoon seasoned salt (or 1 1/2 tsp salt)
1 teaspoon pepper
3 cups frozen corn (or equivalent fresh) or 16 oz. can corn
1/4 c. chopped parsley

Saute onion, carrot, and celery in oil with 1/2 tsp. salt until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Add stock, potato, cabbage and tomato; bring to boil. Add herbs. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency, and remaining ingredients. Heat through, but do not boil.

Another fine dish

Now that warmer weather is threatening -- and in Louisiana, summer is the season we all dread -- my thoughts are turning toward lighter, cooler fare. Vegetables are starting to come down in price at the local produce stand and they look fresher and more appealing, with the result that last week I came home with an eggplant, a couple of zucchini, a summer squash, some bell peppers and some grape tomatoes. Mike did vegetable kabobs one night, so I found myself with half an eggplant, a zucchini, and a partial summer squash. At first, I thought of the obvious -- ratatouille -- but that's such a cool-weather dish. And then I remembered this variation on it that I haven't made in years. It's a sort of ratatouille-pasta salad, made with slow-roasted vegetables and cheese tortellini, but you could use any filled pasta or penne or ziti or something similar.

Cut the eggplant, squash and bell peppers into 1-inch cubes. Add a sliced red onion (I used up the white one in the fridge, and it worked fine) and some whole or halved cloves of garlic (if you want). Halve some plum tomatoes or do what I did and toss in the grape tomatoes that are about to go off. I also like to add some good Italian or Greek olives (or both). Toss all in a large bowl with a good balsamic vinaigrette (I made one in the bottom of the bowl with 2/3 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup balsamic, some Dijon mustard, fresh rosemary, thyme, and marjoram, salt, and pepper, but you can use your favorite recipe or store brand; just use enough to coat everything. The only caveat is that it cannot be non-fat. Low-fat, yes, but non-fat, no. There must be some oil so that everything doesn't dry out in the oven). Marinate at room-temp for about 15 minutes.

Scoop the veggies out of the vinaigrette with a slotted spoon into a roasting pan, ideally in a single layer. Leave the vinaigrette in the bowl. Broil or slow-roast until the eggplant is meltingly soft, depending on how much time you have. If the eggplant is done, the other vegetables will be. Stir occasionally as necessary, if there's more than one layer.

Cook and drain the pasta just before the veggies are done -- you want it to be warm when you put it all together.

When the vegetables are done, warm the vinaigrette in the bowl in the microwave (or pour it into a saucepan and heat). Add the pasta and toss; then add the still-hot vegetables and any pan juices.

Serve warm -- not hot, just warmer than room temperature. It really has to be warm or it's pretty revolting (strange but true). Warm leftovers in the microwave.

You could sprinkle with parmesan or feta cheese, add raw baby spinach to the pasta and vegetables, I suppose you could even add cooked frozen spinach. Asparagus would be good, too, roasted with the other vegetables. Just keep that Mediterranean flavor profile in mind.

We'll be eating this again when our tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers start to come on. I'll still be buying the squash -- I have given up trying to fight the squash-vine borer.

Amazingly good brussels sprouts slaw

A week ago or so, Mike decided to do some basic barbecue chicken wings with "barbecue grill fries." He, of course, would be perfectly happy with that and a beer, but I felt duty-bound to come up with something that had some kind of nutritional value. At the same time, I wanted something that would fit the All-American barbecue theme he had going. It didn't take me long to arrive at coleslaw as an appropriate side dish -- but I lacked the necessary cabbage. And that's when I remembered that we had (and still have) a bag of brussels sprouts purchased at Sam's club (and therefore more than we could possibly eat before they go bad -- what WAS I thinking?) recently. Brussels sprouts are just little cabbages, after all, so why not a brussels sprouts slaw?

A search of the Internet turned up half-a dozen different recipes, both cold and hot/warm. I selected a basic recipe and modified it with bits from other recipes, put it together in no time, left it to marinate in the refrigerator, and surprised Mike with it when he announced that dinner was served. I felt pretty confident that he wouldn't hate it because, strangely enough, he quite likes cabbage. We finished it off, and like it so much that I made it again yesterday to have with some Trader Joe's fish and chips.

So, what's the recipe? Simple enough. For the two of us, I thinly sliced a dozen brussels sprouts. Then I added a thinly sliced shallot, but onion or scallions would probably work; just something in the allium family, although garlic might be a bit too strong. In the bottom of the  mixing bowl (I used a Pyrex storage bowl that has a lid -- no reason to wash more dishes than necessary), I whisked together the juice of half a lemon, a tablespoon or so of olive oil, and about half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard (essential!), then added some salt and pepper. I added the sliced sprouts and shallot to the dressing, along with a tablespoon or so of dried cranberries (or raisins) and a handful of broken walnuts (or maybe almonds or pine nuts or even pecans). Toss well, then add some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese and toss again. Taste and correct seasoning. Let marinate in refrigerator for an hour or so.

Amazingly good. Really. Quick. Easy. Tasty Healthy.