There are lots of things that are around the corner in the autumn ahead of us, and one of those is Thanksgiving. Yeast of the Ridge, a longtime Exchanger, wants ideas for Thanksgiving dinner. What are the must-haves at your house? “I want some ideas of favorites in other families. We need some new ideas, and maybe readers could send foods that are less heavy.”
In exchange, Ms. Ridge passed on a recipe she found in a mass email somewhere. The email began, “Trying to boost your immune system against colds and flu? Need relief for your achy joints? The answer to all these questions is — try bone broth.”
BONE BROTH
Grandma’s Chicken Soup Broth
Your grandmother was right — chicken soup IS exactly what you need when you have a cold or the flu. This homemade chicken soup broth is rich in immune-boosting compounds, drawn from both the bones and veggies in this recipe.
Tip: Adding apple cider vinegar to your broth recipes helps to draw out even more minerals and gelatin from bones.
2 pounds of chicken bones (i.e., bones from a whole chicken)
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Enough water to cover ingredients
Place bones and chopped vegetables in the stockpot or slow cooker. Fill slow cooker with water (enough to cover ingredients), adding apple cider vinegar. Season with salt. Slow-cook on low heat for 12 hours. If using a stockpot, bring to boil and then lower to a simmer, leaving on stove burner for about 4 hours. (If using a stove stockpot, monitor water level and add as needed.)
Shut off slow cooker or remove from heat. Strain through a cheesecloth or strainer into a clean pot.
A layer of fat may congeal on the surface of the broth when thoroughly cool. Remove the fat with a spoon, and discard.
Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freeze. Makes approximately 1 quart of broth.
Want to turn your broth into soup? Once it’s strained, add in fresh carrots, celery, onion and cooked chicken meat. Simmer until veggies are tender, season and serve.
ANOTHER SERVING OF SOUP
Fare Exchangers continue to stir the newspaper soup pot; here’s another sausage soup from the kitchen of E.E.
Sausage and Vegetable Soup
Your choice of sausage: Eckrich skinless sausage, diced, or crumbled ground Italian sausage
Olive oil
Diced onion
Chopped kale
Diced squash
Diced zucchini
Garlic
Italian seasoning
Canned diced tomatoes
Rinsed cannellini beans
Better than Bouillon vegetable broth (make it strong)
Lemon juice and zest
In a little olive oil, brown either the diced sausage or crumbled ground sausage, remove it and then cook diced onion and chopped kale a few minutes before returning the sausage. Add diced squash and zucchini, garlic, Italian seasoning, canned diced tomatoes, rinsed canned cannelloni beans and Better than Bouillon vegetable broth, enough to make a good brothy soup. Cook until onion, kale, garlic, squash and zucchini are done. Add more strong vegetable Better Than Bouillon to make it soup consistency. Taste for seasoning, then add fresh lemon juice and zest right before serving.
ORCHARD APPLES
Lynne Kyle found just the apple orchard local readers need, and she won’t let you get lost. “There is a well-known apple orchard on Dayton Mountain that is pretty easy to get to. Just go up (state) Highway 29 (U.S. 27) until you pass the Vanderwall Funeral Home. It’s on the right side of the road, but you need to be in the left lane, so watch out for it. Turn left at the intersection, and when you get to the main road, turn right. Turn the next left. (You will go over some rail tracks.) Go onto that road until you run into the mountain road (Highway 30 west). (You will have to see the school on the left side of the road.) Turn left on that road and just follow up onto the mountain. It’s quite a long drive, but keep going. On the left, there is an old building that has the name of the apple orchard. Turn there, and keep going. You will think that you turned on to the wrong road, but keep going. You can’t miss the orchard. There are several buildings, one of which is a cafeteria. (Don’t miss getting the apple dumpling/ice cream.) They have all kinds of apples in many different sizes. We are planning to go up there, but they are closed the week of Thanksgiving.”
Here’s a final tip on navigating the long ride. “If you go, plan on eating real, country food in their cafeteria.”
That “well-known apple orchard” is officially known as Oren Wooden’s Apple House and the address is 6351 New Harmony Road, Pikeville, Tennessee. (You’ll turn before you reach Pikeville.) It’s a cash-only establishment, but there’s an ATM on the premises. Learn more at wooden sapplehouse.com.
SALAD PAIRING
The salad that follows is from Celia Marks’ “Come Into My Kitchen” and would pair well with the chicken casserole from the same source that we printed in this column last week.
Spinach Salad
1 pound fresh spinach
6 green onions, sliced
Dash pepper
4 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely cut
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
Wash spinach thoroughly; dry well. Remove stems, and break leaves into bite-size pieces. Toss with other ingredients; cover and refrigerate about 2 hours. Before serving, toss with the following dressing.
Dressing
3 cloves garlic, quartered
1/2 cup salad or olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup cider vinegar
Marinate garlic in oil for 1 hour; discard. In a small bowl combine salt, pepper and oil. Mix lemon juice with vinegar; gradually blend in oil, beating well with rotary beater. Dressing will thicken somewhat as you beat.
GREEN RICE
The next recipe adds a little green and a little cheese to rice, therefore expanding its gifts. It came from the big collection of M.H.V.
Mamie Eisenhower’s Green Rice
1 cup raw rice
1/2 box frozen chopped spinach
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Cook rice in boiling, salted water. Cook spinach according to package directions, and drain well. Sauté onions in butter. Reserve 3 tablespoons cheese for the topping. Layer in an ovenproof casserole the rice, spinach, onions, cheese and liberal amounts of salt and pepper. Repeat about 3 times or until all is used. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with reserved cheese. Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Thank you for coming, and please come back.
REQUESTS
— New ideas for Thanksgiving
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
• Email: chattfare@gmail.com