The Blue Reading Chair: Grandma’s Chicken Soup – Stone Soup

Stone Soup is a story with no copyright – and many versions are available at the library – because it arose from the wars in Europe. Food was taken and used by the armies, and because it was very hard to come by, it was, of course, hoarded.  As the story goes, a person – perhaps a very hungry soldier on his own as Grandpa was, put on a pot of water to boil and added a stone to the pot.  He then asked if anyone had a potato, for example.  As people added what small piece of food they had, it became a real soup that everyone could partake of.

Grandpa was such a soldier/ spy who infiltrated Russia and had to live off the land. He lived on the family farm till he was about age 14; the war had begun and he said he was a year older so that he could join the army. He was tall, strapping and intelligent – and they really needed so-called “men” for the war.  He ate rather simple food when he lived at home, but he ate even more simply as a soldier. 

One of the soups he liked – which was very much like Stone Soup – was the Chicken Soup/ Rosol which Grandma made.  At that time, she would buy a clutch of vegetables called “soup greens” at the corner grocery store, which included a piece of celery, a carrot, parsley with the root, etc – and would then add a cut-up chicken, the eggs which were forming in the chicken, and often tomatoes.

Martha Stewart once had a guest doing his Chicken Soup on her show. He did a quick and easy Noodle Szmata (rag noodle) as his grandmother did.  But when he added a hard-boiled egg – she asked “Why?” I was rather surprised because I thought she would know why.  He, too, did not know why when he said: “…because Grandma did that.”  Ah, the days of yore!    Did you see the Geico tv advertisement (one of many), which featured the white rooster, Foghorn Leghorn, who was forever (as in old comic books) pursued by a very small Chicken Hawk with a very large club.

“That’s what Grandma did” reminded me of the story a man told – his wife would cut off the end of the ham and put it into another bake pan – she then proceeded to roast both of them.  She said her “…mother did it that way.”  Of course her mother had a real reason to do it that way, which was because the only roasting pan her mother possessed was not big enough.  People did not have available to them the myriad cookware that is now available at much lower prices – and her mother’s may even have been spatter-ware as was Grandma’s.

The added egg also actually came about for a real reason.  When Grandpa no longer had the grocery store with live chickens, Grandma would buy a chicken at the “Chicken Store” on Chicago Avenue where they still had sawdust on the floor.  At that time the chickens often had yolks in various stages of becoming eggs, and these, of course, would go into the soup.

Following is the chicken soup recipe I developed over a period of time, based on Grandma’s original recipe. But, of course, this version has been developed with the abundance of foods now available to us, although the ingredients are still basic.  It is very good, and Hannah really, really likes this soup.  We use half of a chicken which is left-over from our Roast Chicken – or Chicken Breast Halves (skinless and boneless) can be used. The recipe for our roast chicken will be forthcoming on a “soon” blog.

Chicken Soup 

A leftover half of chicken – use all juices – dice about 1/2 to 3/4″ Or  

5 chicken breast halves – all skin and bones removed – dice about 1/2 to 3/4″    

5 to 6 cups water   

2 1/2  teaspoons chicken bouillon paste or equivalent bouillon powder

1 1/2  cups well chopped onion  

1 1/2 cups small diced carrots    

1 1/2  cups small diced celery including leaves  

3 Tablespoons of well chopped parsley    

3  medium/ small cloves garlic, well minced    

1/2  teaspoon dried thyme    

1/4  teaspoon coarsely ground pepper   

salt as desired

Cook the chicken covered with the water and bouillon.  Bring to a boil and simmer 15 to 20 minutes – shorter time for the leftover roast chicken and the longer time for the raw breast meat.  Remove chicken and dice about 1/2 to 3/4″.  Skim the liquid.  Add the vegetables to the liquid – bring to a boil and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.  If using noodles, add 1 1/2 cups of fresh cut up noodles or 6 ounces of packaged dry curly noodles to the broth and cook about 8 – 10 minutes.  Add 1 or more hard cooked eggs (with shells removed), if desired.  Add bouillon, herbs and spices – bring to a boil.  Add the chicken back to the soup and bring to a low boil – cook for about 5 minutes to heat through before serving.

For Cream of Chicken Rice Soup, I add a roux of flour and butter – and add cooked brown rice – in appropriate amounts.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED©AT THE AMERICAN TABLE

2010-2011

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Sunday Gravy – Tomato Pasta Sauce with Meat

There are regional differences in Italy for Pasta and for Tomato Sauce/ Gravy.  In the North where eggs are more plentiful, pasta, as in egg noodles, is usually made fresh.  In the South, pasta is more likely to be made without eggs and therefore can be dried easily.  And so it is with the tomato sauce – sauce is made in the South and gravy is made in the North.

Rosie had an Italian father so she learned to eat and cook Italian foods, which included long-cooked tomato gravy with meat in it – she usually used pork neck bones.  Mary and Vito also made gravy as she said, although she served meatballs with the gravy that time.  So as it appears, unless you grew up with it, Sunday gravy was indeed a “mystery”.

We have had a version of Sunday gravy, which the Rosebud Restaurant calls “Grandma’s Gravy” and has beef and pork pot roast meat in it.  Milk is often used and is actually a good addition because it reduces the acidity of the tomatoes and tastes good, but does not make it creamy as is cream of tomato soup.  It’s similar to Bolognese pasta sauce which has vegetables, and while wine is generally used, a broth can be used instead.  And of course, herbs and spices are used.  I have since developed a recipe which follows.  

Sunday Gravy for Pasta – With Meat and Tomato

1/2  pound beef, cut into 1 inch cubes 

1/2 pound pork, cut into 1 inch cubes 

4 teaspoons butter plus 4 teaspoons olive oil     

1 1/4  cup peeled, coarsely chopped carrot  

1 1/4  cup celery, coarsely cut up   

1/2 cup onion, coarsely chopped  

2 cloves garlic, well minced     

1/2 teaspoon salt    

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 

2 large 28 ounce cans diced or crushed tomatoes   

1 small 6 ounce can tomato paste   

3/4 cup milk   

1 cup beef broth     

1 cup of Chianti – or an additional 1 cup broth   

Enough additional water to cover meat by one inch    

Herbs and Spices    

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In Food Processor, chop vegetables more coarsely than a mince.  Put vegetables in a deep soup pot with 1 teaspoon each of butter and oil, stir occasionally for about 15 minutes, till getting tender – can pierce with a fork.  Can lightly brown, but do not burn vegetables – on medium low heat.  Check your own range-top since source of heat/ power/ etc do vary on stoves.  In a pan, brown meat well in 1 Tablespoon each of butter and oil on medium heat, but do not burn. 

Add 2 cans – 28 ounces each – diced or crushed tomatoes with juice.  We used Muir Glen brand which has been tested and is highly rated by Cook’s Illustrated Magazine.  Mash or cut up as needed to make very small pieces.  Add one can, 6 ounces of tomato paste.  We use low-sodium tomato products as available. Canned tomatoes are canned directly from growing and are very good quality.   Turn heat down if tomatoes are splattering.  Stir often, about 15 minutes, to reduce the tomato sauce.

Add wine and cook stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.  Add milk – stir in and cook at a simmer, for 5 minutes.

Add broth – we used 1 cup of water with beef bouillon paste.  Stir well and add water to keep meat covered by one inch.   

Simmer for about 2 hours and then add 1 broken California bay leaf – double if using Turkish bay leaf.  Also add 2 juniper berries.   After 2 1/2 hours of simmering, add 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed, 1/4 teaspoon dry marjoram, and 1/4 teaspoon dry oregano.  Add more or different herbs and spices – as desired.  Meat should be tender and tomato gravy thick enough to use as a sauce on pasta.  This sauce can be used in various pasta recipes.

We use Raddiatore pasta to hold the gravy – any desired pasta can be used.  Chopped fresh basil can be added on top.  Browned sweet or spicy Italian sausage can also be used for part of the meat or it can be used with leftover gravy and pasta, later.  We make meatballs to use any Sunday gravy that is left and serve it again with pasta.  Yum!

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © AT THE AMERICAN TABLE

2010-2011

 

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The Blue Reading Chair – Lady and the Tramp Spaghetti and Meatballs

Walt Disney’s book Lady and the Tramp is available at the library.  This book is adapted from the film by Todd Strasser, who has written many novels for young people.  The book is beautifully illustrated by Franc Mateu, who was born in Barcelona, Spain, and the book was copyrighted by Disney Press in 1994.

In the story, Lady and the Tramp become a twosome after they’ve eaten Italian Meatballs at one of his restaurant “stops”.  Tony, who cooks there and gives bones to Tramp, whom he’s named “Butch,” is a romantic at heart. When he saw Lady, Tony felt she was the one for “Butch,” so he and his compadre at the restaurant – Joe – brought out a table, and served them spaghetti and meatballs.  Then they brought out the accordion and mandolin and played “Bella Note” (beautiful night).  Enchanted by the music, Lady didn’t notice they were at each end of the same strand of spaghetti till they touched noses – and they were “in love.”

There were many adventures before they settled down with Lady’s family – and then had a family of their own.  A delightful story. 

Probably everyone has a favorite meatball recipe.  I based my Italian meatballs on Grandma’s and on my sister-in-law Rosie’s recipes – they’re very similar.  Grandma bought her ground meat at the local grocery/meat market and used beef and pork in her ground meat recipes.  Whichever way they’re made, it’s hard to make a bad meatball. Rose taught me how to toss the meatballs from hand to hand to form, rather than compacting them.  Rose used Parmesan cheese, and I added ground fennel seed, and later, a small amount of well-minced garlic.  I don’t use MSG or “Accent,” which was the brand name.

The same applies to tomato sauce or gravy.  Of course, we have available to us cans and cans of various tomato sauce products, including diced tomatoes – wow!   “Once upon a time not so very long ago…”  I guess! …tomatoes had to be cut up, as there was no other choice – scissors in the can did a good job.  Other ingredients can be added  or subtracted, such as  the herbs, onion and garlic, as desired.  Canned tomatoes are no longer publicly frowned upon by chefs – especially since they themselves have been using canned tomatoes for many years.  So the easy, fast and simple tomato sauce which I’ve long made from canned tomatoes for my spaghetti and meatballs  is now “in.”

Of course, too, chefs can’t possibly (at least publicly) use what’s available to the everyone,  so they’re “all” touting “San Marzano tomatoes” (you would have to assume that San Marzano, Italy,  must be as large as the U.S., and totally planted in tomatoes). 

The long-cooking tomato and meat gravy as made by my sister-in-law and Mary B., and others with a regional difference is, of course, still made.  Rose added pork neck-bones and after cooking, the meat can be picked off the bones and added to the sauce, or used otherwise – and it is yum!

Italian Meatballs (Tried and True and updated – many years)

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef (all chuck or can use half sirloin)  1 regular clove of garlic, well minced       1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper     1/4 teaspoon salt     3/4 teaspoon dried oregano      1/4 teaspoon fennel seed, ground      one  large egg, beaten     1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese    1Tablespoon butter and 1 Tablespoon oil

Mix well.  Make round meatballs 1-3/4” – 2” (they will shrink when cooked).  Sauté in butter in a frying pan, on medium-high, to brown them well – turn as needed.  Can continue to cook in pan  on stove-top – on low setting, to cook through.  If making a lot of meatballs, bake in a 9-13 bake pan in the oven at 325 , covered, for 15-20 minutes.  Test the meatballs, and check your portable thermometer in the oven.  When meatballs are cooked, they can be added to the tomato sauce if desired.  Can also freeze and double bag them – then pour into a pan with 1/4 cup of water to thaw – or thaw in the tomato sauce on low.

My Easy Marinara Tomato Sauce:

1 can (14-15 oz) tomato sauce with vegetables    plus    1 can (14-15 oz) diced tomatoes with juice and one can (6 oz) tomato paste     1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed      1/2 teaspoon dry oregano     1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon     one medium clove garlic, well minced    2 Tablespoons minced onion (or 2 teaspoons dried)   2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese    2 Tablespoons dried mushroom bits, reconstituted in 1/8 cup water 

Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and co0k 10 or 15 minutes.  Meatballs can be added to the sauce.

Serve the meatballs and sauce on spaghetti – or other pasta, as desired.  Canned tomatoes can be chosen as desired, and several can be kept in the cupboard.  We used a large sized can of Alta Cucina plum tomatoes (can order on pc) – which we cut up.  Muir Glen – very good canned tomatoes are availble at some supermarkets.

Spaghetti/ Pasta: 

Cook 1 pound of spaghetti, broken in half if desired, in 3 1/2 quarts of boiling water in a large pot and using the pasta insert if available.  Stir the pasta occasionally. When it comes back to a boil, reduce the temperature to just maintain a low boil. 

Cook for 10 minutes till “al dente” – toothsome and not too soft.  Yes, as tradition (and reality) dictated, you can pour 1/2 cup of the pasta water into the marinara sauce, which will serve to thin it as desired, and certainly save on the water bill.

Only use hot water in the pasta insert or a colander, if rinsing.  Serve hot with marinara sauce and 3 or 4 meatballs – with grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

Copyright ©2010-2011 At the American Table

All Righs Reserved

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