Seasoning

Seasoning uses number of herbs and spices, selected from a larger palette. My grandmother often cooked with only salt, pepper and parsley. Almost all seasoning includes salt and pepper. In place of pepper other pungent spice like cumin may be used.

SPICE
India: ginger, garlic
France: thyme
Italy: garlic, olives, basil
Spain: garlic, olives, oregano
Use the simplest combination that works. Fewer spices is better than more.

Tablespoons for Herbs
Try 1 tbsp of big herbs like garlic and ginger (1 clove garlic or 1/2 inch ginger), lemon juice, fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, etc.

Teaspoons for Spices
Try 1 tsp of dry vegetable powders: paprika, chili
Try 1/4 tsp of spices: cumin, coriander, thyme
Try 1/8 tsp of strong spices: turmeric, chili, salt, pepper

Potato Dumplings

My grandmother served potato dumplings and sauerkraut on holidays. She made big round dumplings, and the dumplings leftovers always quickly disappeared. My favorite way to serve potatoes, especially with soups. Dumplings can also be stuffed with sauerkraut or with dried fruits like plums or apricots. I prefer to use oats over wheat, because Czech dumpling flour is traditionally coarse, and oats make white dumplings, while whole wheat flour colors the dumplings brown.

DUMPLINGS
- 3 medium potatoes, baked and cool, skinned and riced
- 1 cup oatmeal, ground coarse
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup water

Prep: Bake potatoes in microwave (high, 10 min) or oven (350F, 40 min). Allow to cool, then skin and discard skins. With food processor, course grind oatmeal, and mix salt.
Mix Dough: Into mixing bowl, rice potatoes. With fork, mix together potatoes and oats. Splash water and continue to mix until moisture is distributed into dough. Form dough into balls.
Steam: Steaming is most gentle way to cook dumplings, which keeps them from falling apart, and allows dumplings to absorb moisture if needed. Microwave heats quickly and evenly. Place dumpling dough onto plate, with 1/8 cup water to make steam, under plate cover to retain steam. Then cook in microwave on high, covered, 10 min.

Breakfast Potatoes

This makes potatoes that are brown and crispy and coated with seasonings. Cut potatoes use shake and bake method, to coat with seasoning and make potatoes dry and crispy. Mixed with pan roasted vegetables: onion, pepper, garlic and tomato.

POTATOES
4 white potatoes, peeled and diced
SEASONING
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, ground
1/8 tsp cumin, ground
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, ground
1 tsp paprka

BASE
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper (wax pepper), chopped
SEASONING
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, ground
MAIN
1 tomato, chopped
FINISH
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Prep: Peel and chop vegetables. Grind spices. In plastic bag, mix potato seasonings with potatoes until coated.
Bake: Preheat oven 350 F. Bake potatoes 350F on non-stick sheet until soft and done, 45 min, then check and contine bake 450 F until crispy and brown 15 min.
Pan Roast: In saucepan, brown onions, 10 min. Add peppers and continue sweat, 10 min.
Simmer: Add tomato and spices and simmer 10 min.
Finish: Mix fresh cilantro and baked potatoes, and serve.

Beet Potato Soup

Beet and Potato Soup, full of winter root chunks, is a hearty lunch soup. Some Borscht strains the solids into broth. I prefer a more hearty, rustic and frugal soup that keeps the solids. Beets were a primary root vegetable of Eastern and Central European, preceeding the potato. Polish Christmas Eve feast serves vegetarian Borscht with mushroom or sauerkraut-filled dumplings. Good with dumplings and sauerkraut.

BASE
1 onion
2 celery (optional)
SPICE
1 garlic
2 bay leaf
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper (6-12 peppercorns)
MAIN
3 beets, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
FINISH
lemon juice or vinegar (sour)
1 tbsp fresh parsley

Prep: Chop vegetables. In sauce pan collect tops, skins, peels and other leavings, including beet stems and leaves, and potato peels. Simmer in just enough water to cover.
Roast: In saucepan, brown onions, 10 min. Add and sweat celery, 5 min.
Simmer: Add spices, chunks of roots, and stock to cover, and simmer 30 min.
Finish: Add lemon juice and fresh parsley and serve.

Soup Method

Soup is a slow cooked dish, whose main ingredient is a liquid stock. Soups are simple recipes with common ingredients, but not necessarily fast. The best soups are made from scratch, and cooked slowly. Soups requires some planning and preparation, but are not labor intensive, mostly cooking in the background.

Soup = BASE + SPICE + MAIN (STOCK and FEATURE) + FINISH

Vary the ingredients in each building block.

The soup method applies equally to Asian, European and American soups and stews. From Indian lentil soups and curries, to European vegetable minestrone soup. With popularity of both dry dishes and fast cooking, soups and stews are becoming a lost art. Can you remember the last good European soup or stew you made?

Soups and stews should have mouth watering flavor. It’s a common mistake to think that flavor comes from spices. Flavor comes from the base and the stock. The base and stocks commonly use aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, tomato and peppers. The spices and finish only enhance the central flavors that come from the base vegetables.

The best way to serve green and yellow vegetables is not as salad, and not as a side dish, but as soups and stews. An amazing amount of green and yellow vegetables and roots effortlessly disappear into soups and stews.

Soup Tips

List of general tips for better soups.

BASE

- Roast vegetables in oven.

MAIN

- Add tomato or tomato juice as liquid.

- Puree or blend 1/2 to thicken.

- Thicken with mashed potatoes (or tomato paste or cornstarch)

FINISH

- Test seasonings in tasting cup. Ladle 1/2 cup soup into tasting cup, and try adding drops and pinches of liquids and spices. Avoids mistakes in the main soup pot.

- Lemon juice (1 tbsp) perks up or brings out flavors. Also lime juice, basalmic vinegar, white vinegar, or mustard condiment (which has vinegar).

- Salt (Soups with lots of liquid dilute and require lots of salt, so use the minimum amount, and not too much liquid. Add 1/8 tsp increment. Salt base layer during simmer, adjust salt at finish.)

- Try secret sauces (mustard, ketchup, soy, worchestershire, basalmic vinegar, salsa, etc.)

Split Pea and Potato Soup

This pea soup is winter comfort food. Cooking fills kitchen with amazing smells. Almost like baking bread. A favorite we make almost once a week. Also freezes well.

BASE
1/2 onion
1 carrot
SPICE
1 clove garlic
2 bay leaves
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (4-6 peppercorns)
1 tsp paprika
MAIN
1 cup green split peas
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 cup stock (ends, peels)
FINISH
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh parsley

In a sauce pan, brown onions, 10 min. Add carrots and garlic, and continue to saute, 5 minutes. Add a splash of stock or water as necessary.
Then add spices, split peas, potatoes, and stock or water, stir and bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover 1 and 1/2 hours.
Allow to partially cool, and with stick blender partially blend together, leaving a few peas and potato chunks for texture.
Finish with lemon juice, salt to taste and garnish with fresh parsley.