Good morning, good company. As we dive into the season that is full of golden glory, we have for you some seasonal requests and longings. T Square is longing for “those wonderful apples straight from Barber Orchards of Waynesville (North Carolina). However, I can’t get there, and wonder if readers can tell me where to get apples straight from the orchard in the greater Chattanooga area. And I have another question. I found a kabocha squash at Whole Foods and would like to make the kabocha squash soup I once tasted. Does anyone have a recipe to recommend?”
(READ MORE: Don’t just drink that apple cider — make doughnuts)
Becky Gould has a time-sensitive request. Her mother, who is in the age and stage of needing no material gifts, asked for edibles only for her birthday, and one in particular: an apple cake. Ms. Gould would like to give her mother the best apple cake ever. If you supply a stellar recipe, she will take it from there.
LOW-CARB SOUP
Marilyn Soehl, developing low-carb menus for her favorite man, got his kudos for this soup. The source was allrecipes.com. Cornbread is, as usual, the ideal accompaniment for such a hearty dish. The recipe she shared is a reminder that nutrition information is welcome for many cooks who are doing their best to prepare healthful food, so please, when you have a recipe that provides such details, pass them on.
Kielbasa and Turnip Green Soup
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound kielbasa sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
5 cups chicken broth
2 (20-ounce) cans turnip greens
2 (14.5-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 package vegetable soup mix (such as Knorr)
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch Creole seasoning (such as Tony Chachere), or to taste
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir kielbasa and onion in the hot oil until the onion is tender, 5 to 7 minutes; set aside. Stir chicken broth, turnip greens, Great Northern beans, vegetable soup mix, hot pepper sauce, garlic powder, Creole seasoning, salt, and black pepper together in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir kielbasa mixture into the boiling broth mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer for 2 hours. You may simmer on low in a large slow cooker for 4 to 5 hours.
Nutrition facts: 228 calories, 12 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 25 milligrams cholesterol, 687 milligrams sodium, 21 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams dietary fiber, 2 grams sugar, 11 grams protein, 17 milligrams vitamin C, 156 milligrams calcium, 3 milligrams iron, 501 milligrams potassium.
(READ MORE: 3 warming vegetarian soups)
APPLE MUFFINS
The Peach Truck has been passing on peach recipes in the season just past, and now that they are selling apples (though the name hasn’t changed to Apple Truck), they are including apple recipes. Here’s a muffin topped with crumble.
Apple Crumble Muffins
These lightly spiced muffins filled with apples are hard to beat with their crisp, buttery crumb topping.
Crumble topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
To make the crumble, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a medium bowl. Add vanilla and melted butter to flour mixture, stirring until mixture resembles wet sand. Cover and chill while making muffin batter.
Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large apple, chopped (about 2 cups)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. You can use muffin liners or a greased muffin pan. Stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together egg, melted butter, milk and vanilla in a separate medium bowl. Add egg mixture and apples to the dry ingredients in the large bowl, and stir just until combined. Spoon batter evenly into cups of a lightly greased 12-cup standard muffin pan. Top evenly with crumble topping. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Run a butter knife or offset spatula around the edges of each muffin to remove from pan. Serve warm, or cool on a wire rack.
SAUCY CHICKEN
Jane Guthrie, who shared with all of us the wealth of Celia Marks’ cooking expertise in Celia’s “Come Into My Kitchen” cookbook, has given a gift that keeps on giving. This entrée from the book would go very well with a spinach salad, and next week we will give you Celia’s recipe for that very thing.
Chicken Breasts St. Louis
3 to 5 large whole chicken breasts
Flour
Shortening
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Coat chicken breasts with flour, and brown on both sides in melted shortening in oven-proof skillet. Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, in a 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the following sauce.
Sauce:
5 or 6 green onions, chopped (with tops)
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ stick butter
2 cans cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream
¼ to 1/3 cup sherry
½ cup sliced almonds (approximately)
Fresh parsley, minced (optional)
To make the sauce, sauté onions and mushrooms in butter; blend in soup, then sour cream. Add sherry, and heat gently but do not boil. Pour over chicken, and scatter almonds generously over top. Place in oven, and continue baking until almonds are crisp but not brown. Minced fresh parsley may be added just before serving, if desired.
Note: Chicken breasts may be skinned and boned if preferred. Either way, this is an elegant dish.
JUST A DASH
This treasure is also from Celia Marks. “To quickly remove fat from gravy, soups, etc., pour hot liquid over a bowl of ice cubes. The fat will congeal on the cubes, leaving the liquid clear.”
Thank you for coming and do come back.
REQUESTS
— Orchard apples
— Kabocha squash soup
— Apple cake
To Reach Us:
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.
• Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
• E-mail: chattfare@gmail.com