Creamy Tomato Soup
7 cups of peeled, seeded, and chopped fresh tomatoes (about 4 to 5 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped sweet onions
1 cup chopped shallots
1 cup shredded carrots
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup light cream or half and half
½ cup chopped fresh Italian Parsley (flat leaf variety not curly)
1 rib of chopped celery
64 ounces of chicken / vegetable broth
In a large soup pot, heat the oil and then add the onions, shallots and carrots until wilted and soft. To the onions and carrots add about a third of the tomatoes and sprinkle the sugar over the mixture.
Cook and stir until the mixture starts to thicken as one has cooked the moisture out of the soup base. Sprinkle the flour on the tomato mixture and stir in well to cook the flour taste out. Add the parsley and celery and the rest of the tomatoes and cook and stir for about ten minutes to maintain a somewhat thick base. Add the rest of the broth, turn the heat down to medium and lid the pot and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
Check occasionally to see that it is simmering and not in a rolling boil. Add the cream at that point and stir in and let sit for ten or fifteen minutes to incorporate the flavors. Either use an immersion blender or food processor to completely puree the contents of the pot.
Add salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste and serve immediately or let it come to room temperature and then refrigerate to serve the next day if you make it the day ahead.
Should make about 2 ½ quarts.
Root Vegetable Fritters
1 cup peeled and grated carrot
1 cup peeled and grated turnips
1 cup washed and grated parsnip
1 cup grated sweet potato (I use the white variety)
3 eggs
3 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
½ cup sugar or honey (for a sweet variation)
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup half and half
Oil or vegetable shortening for cooking
2 pats of butter
Sift together in one good sized bowl the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients to include the 3 eggs, the vanilla and milk and whisk together. If you want a sweeter fritter, add the sugar or honey after the eggs and before the milk and vanilla. If you are going with savory, skip the addition of the honey.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet whisked ones and finally add in the grated vegetables and stir together. I would suggest a good sized iron skillet for cooking, but use what you have. Place the skillet on high heat and when the pan is hot add some oil and butter to the hot pan and stir until the butter has melted. This combination of fats will usually help not burn your fritter as they cook. With a serving spoon, drop the batter into the hot fat and shape the fritter into a small pancake shape.
Cook until the bottom starts to brown and the edges look crispy and then carefully flip them over to cook the other side. They need to cook long enough to make the root vegetables soft so I would say 8 to 10 minutes should do it for both sides. You can serve them as is with salt and pepper or drizzle them with Maple syrup if you have gone with the sweeter versions.
This should easily make between 12 and 15 fritters.
Farro Stew with Garbanzo Beans
6 cups of drained and rinsed no salt added garbanzo beans
1 cup of dry pearled Farro
7 cups of homemade or canned vegetable or chicken broth
Tablespoons olive oil
2 medium sized red onions diced (for the color) – you can use white or yellow onions
2 fresh unpeeled carrots washed and then diced
3 ribs of chopped celery using the greens from the top if available
2 cans (14.5 ounce each) unsalted diced or chopped tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh rosemary of a ½ teaspoon dry rosemary
1 teaspoon of Pink sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups of chopped baby spinach, fresh kale or chopped rainbow swiss chard
1 cup of freshly grated Smoked Gouda cheese or Parmigiano- Reggiano if you want to keep the Mediterranean integrity!
Combine 1 ½ cups of the chickpeas and 1 cup of the broth in a food processor to form a smooth puree and set aside. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a good sized soup pot. When the oil begins to shine in the heated pan add the diced carrots, onions and celery and cook until they become softened which will take 8 to 10 minutes. Stir often so as not to let them brown. Add to that the rest of the chickpeas, the broth, the tomatoes and their juices, the rosemary, salt and pepper and stir to incorporate over now medium high heat to bring to a boil.
At the boiling point, lower the heat to medium low and cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. After simmering for the 20 to 25 minutes, add the farro to the pot, stir carefully and bring it to a boil again over medium high heat. At the boil, turn the heat down to medium low again, cover the pot and stir occasionally for another 25 minutes or so until the farro is tender or al dente. If you used fresh rosemary, now is the time to remove it from the pot.
If you are adding chicken from the grill, cut the skinless, boned grilled meat into small bite sized pieces and stir into the mixture at this point. Now stir in the reserved chickpea puree and let sit for 5 minutes covered. When ready to serve add and stir in the chopped green of your choice and give it a minute to wilt some and then ladle into heated large, rimmed bowls and sprinkle with the cheese and serve. This makes an impressive entrée service!
Served with a toasty baguette, your entrée stew is ready for accolades from your guests.
Nanny’s Dessert
3 packages of soft ladyfingers
½ cup water with juice of a fresh squeezed lemon- if you are doing this with lemon curd. Brandy and /or rum are optional.
2 packages – 8 ounces each- softened cream cheese
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ pints-24 ounces- heavy cream
2 teaspoon vanilla or lemon juice
20 to 24 ounces, or so, of Lemon Curd or a 15 ounce can of cherry, blueberry, or apple pie filling.
Begin by brushing the lady fingers with the lemon water or liquor of your choice. Stand half of them up as soldiers around the edge of the springform pan and fit a layer into the bottom of the pan.
Beat the cream cheese with the sugar until creamy and fluffy and set aside. In a separate bowl whip the cream and the vanilla until stiff peaks form. Gently, but thoroughly, combine the whipped cream into the cream cheese / sugar mixture until nicely blended. Spread a layer of the creamy mixture over the ladyfingers on the bottom and then spread half of the lemon curd (apple, cherry or blueberry) over that.
Top the cream and curd layers with another layer of the dampened ladyfingers. Spread the remaining cream mixture over the second layer of ladyfingers and top with the remaining lemon curd. Cover with plastic wrap and chill several hours or overnight. Remove the springform side of the pan and I would leave the bottom of the dessert on the bottom of the springform pan. Zest the lemon used for the lemon water over the chilled dessert before serving.
Served with a steamy cup of hot coffee would be the end of a great fall treat for another good end to Chester County Day!