Cooking

Delicious Inner Banks Soups (and a Salad)

 ”… and the best cook
cannot alter the first quality.
 They must be good
or the cook will be disappointed.”
 - Amelia Simmons in American Cookery, 1796

 The whole essence of casserole cooking in the South would be lost without the familiar red-and-white can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup.  But there’s so much more to soups and stews than pulling out a can opener.  Homemade soups are nourishing, and hot ones are particularly warming on a cold winter night.

 My grandmother firmly believed that soups made from just a few ingredients may seem simple, but if properly made, they can taste as complex as any dish.  For good measure and to stress her point she would add, “Good soup is not the result of throwing a bunch of ingredients in a pot and covering the mixture with water or stock.”  I was taught that the fewer the ingredients, the better quality they must be, and the more careful their assembly.  Soup making, it’s a multi-step process of building layers of flavor.

  January, at the Mackey and Shelton households was known as “soup month”.  My great grandmother, grandmother and mother served soup on a regular basis during the entire month.  They believed that soup was a healthy food that helped in the healing or prevention of a cold or the flu.

 This first recipe that I am sharing today is a family favorite.  It should become a favorite of yours too.  This soup is the liquid version of a baked potato, calories and all!  In its preparation use low-fat milk with no detrimental effect on flavor; but I don’t like to use low-fat cheese, which melts poorly and tastes worse.  Mother always stresses that it’s very important, when you make this recipe, to add the cheese a little at a time, so it incorporates and doesn’t become an oily mess.

Potato and Cheddar Soup
Glenna Browning
Serves 6

2 tablespoons canola oil; 1 onion, preferably Mattamuskeet Sweet, chopped; 1 carrot, chopped; 1 stalk celery, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme; coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 4 cups chicken broth (low-fat, reduced-sodium); 3 cups (whole or low fat) milk; 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 1 3/4 pounds); 3 cups packed grated sharp Cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces); Bacon Croutons (recipe follows), for garnish.

 In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and thyme and then season with salt and pepper.  Stir occasionally until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.  Gradually whisk in the broth, and then the milk.  Add the potatoes and bring the soup to a boil over high heat.  Decrease the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are tender- about 20 minutes.

 Add the cheese, about 1/3 cup at a time, stirring until melted and smooth after each addition.  Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

 To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls.  Sprinkle with chives ad croutons and serve immediately.

Bacon Croutons
Makes 2 cups

4 ounces country-style bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups); 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into lardoons; 1 tablespoon canola oil; freshly ground black pepper.

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl, combine the bread, bacon, oil, and pepper.  Toss to coat.  Transfer to rimmed baking sheet.  Bake, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and the croutons are golden, about 20 minutes.

My grandfather didn’t particularly like soup.  He thought that a meat, at least two vegetables, some type of gravy, homemade bread and dessert should be served at every meal.  To his chagrin grandmother was always experimenting in the kitchen.   One day she experimented with sweet potatoes.  Who had ever heard of sweet potato soup?

Grandmother was not to be stymied.  She continued to refine her recipe until she made the soup I’m going to share with you now.  Granddaddy learned to love it.   He even got me to try it. It has been a staple in our family ever since.  I love the way a crisp puffed pork rind or a scattering of pomegranate seeds crowns this soup, which elevates the lowly sweet potato.  A little heat from curry and sweetness from coconut milk make this soup worthy of the fine china.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Pork Rind Croutons
Celia Powell Shelton
Serves 6

3 pounds dark orange sweet potatoes, peeled and diced; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 leeks, white and tender green parts only, chopped; 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger; 2 (2-inch) pieces lemongrass; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon lemon curry powder blend; 1 quart vegetable broth; 1 (14.5-ounce) can coconut milk; fried pork rinds, for garnish.

In a large pot, cook the sweet potatoes in the butter for 5 minutes over medium heat.  Add the leeks, ginger, and lemongrass.  Cook for 3 minutes over low heat or until the leeks are tender.  Add the garlic and curry, and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the broth and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes.

With an immersion blender, or carefully with a blender, puree the soup.  Stir in the coconut milk and warm through over very low heat.

Ladle into bowls and top with a pork rind.

In addition to soup granddaddy didn’t care for salads although grandmother loved salads and kept different varieties in her garden during the fall, winter and spring.  If the natural springs were running in the summer, she always kept a lettuce garden by the springs for summer use.  In his 60’s, grandmother succeeded in getting granddaddy to try homemade buttermilk dressing over a small bed of lettuce.  To his surprise, he liked it.  Though he never cared for salad, he’d often ask for “Head ‘a Lettuce Salad” as he called it.  Of course, it was understood it would be served with buttermilk dressing.

Back in the day, buttermilk meant the liquid derived from churning cream into butter, mildly sour in flavor from the ripening of the cream.  Today the cultured buttermilk we see in dairy cases is skim or low-fat milk that has been slightly fermented with the same cultures used in making butter and then heated to stop the fermentation process.  Like so many things, all buttermilk is not created equal.  Many are additionally thickened with stabilizers and gums.  Pick buttermilk with a simple list of ingredients: whole milk and cultures.

Granddaddy liked a simple iceberg wedge with a little of this dressing drizzled over the top and a nice crumble of blue cheese, maybe some diced tomato if they are good and in season, and crumbled bacon if there was some around.

Buttermilk Dressing
Head ‘ a Lettuce Salad
Celia Powell Shelton
Makes 3/4 cup

1/2 cup buttermilk; 2 tablespoons sour cream; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1/2 teaspoon chopped shallot; 1/2 teaspoon chopped chives; 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley leaves; 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves; 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, shallot, chives, parsley leaves, thyme leaves, cider vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic powder.

Chill for 1 hour.  Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Its cold outside and a perfect time to give one of these soups a try.  A good companion would be the Head ‘ a Lettuce Salad.  Be sure that the iceberg wedge is as cold as possible when serving. 

I hope that you and your family have a prosperous New Year that is filled with good health, joy, happiness, prosperity and much love.

Until next week … Eat Well!

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