It's Thanksgiving week (perhaps you heard) and we will begin with a wish aimed at local restaurateurs. You whose restaurants are Chattanooga treasures if not icons, why not give us further cause for thanks by sharing a recipe or two from your kitchen? We can almost promise this will make us want to come back more often to your place of business, instead of less often. It's Maribeth Lawrence of Ooltewah who wrote, "I wish we could see more restaurants sharing their recipes if requested by readers."
Secondly, Gary Paul Johns asked for "your best homemade cookie: not something that looks fancy but that is big and hearty. This is my cookie-giving Christmas."
SWEET/SALTY POPCORN
Maribeth Lawrence described herself as "Longtime Reader, First-Time Contributor."
"My family loves kettle corn, so I was thrilled when I found this recipe. The truth is we love all types of popcorn so we own a WhirlyPop popper (Check Elder's Ace stores or Bed, Bath & Beyond, or whirlypopshop.com, or Amazon - less than $25.)"
Kettle Corn
1/4 cup oil (see note)
1/2 cup popcorn kernels (unpopped)
1/4 cup white sugar
Salt to taste
Place oil and a couple of popcorn kernels in a large pot (or WhirlyPop) on stove, and heat on medium-high until the kernels pop. Add remaining kernels and sugar, stir until oil coats the kernels, the sugar melts and corn begins to pop.
Cover with a lid that has a vent, and shake until the popcorn slows (or just keep stirring the WhirlyPop). Remove from heat, empty into another container. Sprinkle with salt, and enjoy.
Note: Any cooking oil will work, but DO NOT use butter. It will burn.
HEARTY SOUPS
Thank you, Carolyn Fox, for stirring up nourishing soups from your Signal Mountain kitchen.
Minestrone Soup
3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini or navy) beans, drained
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 bay leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups cooked ditalini pasta
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted
4 tablespoon grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Basil sprigs for garnish (optional)
In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Thirty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add ditalini, zucchini and spinach. Cover, and cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves, and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Garnish with basil, if desired.
Italian Wedding Soup
8 ounces trinity mix (fresh diced onions, bell peppers, celery)
3 cups baby spinach
2 cans cannellini beans, drained
1 (32-ounce) box chicken stock
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Frozen meatballs (Cooked Perfect brand)
Sauté trinity mix until softened. Add spinach; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach wilts.
Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in beans, stock, meatballs and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes. Top with cheese, and serve.
PICKLED PEARS
The hard pears that sometimes proliferate on trees in our yards and gardens do well turned into pickles. Thank you to Mary Sterling of Calhoun, Georgia, for this one from "So Easy To Can," a publication of the University of Georgia.
Pear Pickles
5 pounds hard pears
1 pint vinegar
1 cup water
1 1/2 pounds sugar
1 tablespoon ginger root
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon whole cloves
2 slices lemons (1/4-inch thick)
Wash, cut pears in half, remove seeds and peel. Make syrup of vinegar, water and sugar; add spice bag with ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Add pears and lemons. Bring to a boil, and cook until pears are tender and can be pierced with a toothpick. Remove from heat, cook quickly and allow the fruit to plump in the syrup overnight. Pack into jars, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Heat syrup and strain over pears into jars. Adjust lids. Process quarts in boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTION
If you noted the Crockpot Apple Butter on Nov. 13, you may have wondered, as Senniah did, whether apples are to be peeled. Not so, answered the sender, Rosemary Palmer. "I keep the peels on. They cook down so much you can't really feel them when you eat it. Also, if you do blend it, it goes completely smooth. Some do peel, but I don't find it necessary. Plus it is a time saver to not peel."
Answering, Senniah agreed. "I have always peeled my apples, but I am going to try this recipe. It really will save a bunch of time. My Cuisinart Smart Stick will probably take care of the peels quite nicely."
SAVORY STEW
Dan Cobb wrote from his Soddy-Daisy home. "This is in response to your request for a hearty stew. This recipe is as simple as they come, but has a surprisingly bold impact on your taste buds. I hope this helps."
Kielbasa Superstew
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound Polska kielbasa, skinned and diced
2 potatoes, diced
1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
3 (15-ounce) cans beef broth
1 (16-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon parsley
1 bay leaf
Sauté onions, celery, garlic and kielbasa. (It will make its own grease, so add no oil.)
Add rest of ingredients, and bring to boil.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
RECOMMENDED RECIPE
Mr. Cobb also recommended a recipe he recently tried. "I have a recipe I cut out from the newspaper many weeks ago, and am embarrassed to admit I don't recall if it was from your column, but I suspect it was. Anyway, I think it was called 'Ginger Breakfast Sausage.' I finally got up the nerve to make it, and oh boy, what a surprise. I am a sausage fanatic, but this recipe produced one of the best I've ever had."
Actually this recipe was not in Fare Exchange, but was attributed to Kenny Burnap of Kenny's Southside, Sage and Ginger Breakfast Sausage, in one of Anne Braly's monthly Meet the Chef profiles.
Readers who enjoy this column in print, take note. If you read this column online, you can find links to both earlier recipes that were mentioned again here today.
You've been good company, and hopefully will be again. Say, next Wednesday?
REQUESTS
* Restaurant specialties
* Homemade cookies
Jane HenegarTO 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.
* Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750.
* Email: chattfare@gmail.com
* Fax: 423-668-5092