Oh, you guys, it was the nicest day. My friend Carla, my first internet-pal-turned-real-life-pal, came for a visit with her two youngest -- such a treat to see her. (We met on an email list in early 2000 and then in person that fall. I was so nervous about meeting someone from the internet.) It's the feast of St. Francis, one of my very most favorite saints (there's a connection there with the virtual-friend-turned-real-true-friend idea but I am typing in too much of a hurry to nail it down -- know what I mean, though, about saints whose lives become something more than a story you read in a book?). I have been cooking a bunch today, and I present you with 3.5 recipes.
Easy Pumpkin-Tomato Bisque, from Crescent Dragonwagon
Saute a chopped onion in some butter or olive oil. When it browns lightly, add 3 cups of stock along with a 28 oz. can of tomatoes and a big can of pumpkin puree (is that 28 oz. also? pumpkin cans in my grocery store come in two sizes and I get the big one for this recipe). Add a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey and a fair amount of salt. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until you have walked around the block with three toddlers to pet the neighbor's cat and admired the pile of rubble from the other neighbors' driveway project. Or until the onion is tender; your call. Just before serving add a splash of cream and whizz with an immersion blender until smooth.
I've posted before about the dilemma with celebrating the feast of St. Francis at the table. You don't really want to get too fancy with dinner when you're celebrating the man who embraced Lady Poverty. Tonight I served cabbage soup with bread and butter and the boys ate it right up, enjoying the fact that they were eating something simple in memory of St. Francis. In fact, they thought we should take the difference between the cost of the cabbage soup and a more typical dinner and donate it to an organization that feeds the poor. We finished dinner with a rousing chorus of All Creatures of Our God and King. It sounds kind of implausible to me as I'm typing it up but that's exactly how it went down.
Caldo Verde, modified from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups
Saute 2 chopped onions in olive oil. Add a quart of stock, a cup of wine, three potatoes (peeled and cubed), and half of a head of cabbage (chopped). Salt to taste. Don't skimp. Simmer until about 15 minutes before you have to race out the door for soccer practice. (The monks recommend an hour, perhaps because they are free of the whole cleats/shin guards/minivan ball and chain.)
I read a long time ago, in a book by...um...that famous hagiographer Tomie de Paola, that St. Francis had a noblewoman friend named Jacoba who fed him almond cakes as a special treat. I made macaroons for dessert, suggesting to the boys that it was a good day to think about enjoying the pleasures of the world with temperance. Four out of five kids thought they were scrumptious.
Almond Macaroons, from Monster Cookies
Combine a cup of ground almonds with a half-cup of sugar and a generous pinch of salt. Add 3/4 t. almond extract and the finely grated zest of a lemon. Stir in a lightly beaten egg white until you have a mixture that looks like cookie dough. (You might not need all the egg white.) Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper or foil. Form dough into heaping-teaspoon-sized balls and flatten them slightly. You can put half of a maraschino cherry on top if that floats your boat or tickles your stigmata. (Is that horrible and blasphemous?) Bake for 15 minutes at 325. Let cool briefly before easing off the foil.
And the half-recipe: to your favorite banana bread recipe, add drained pineapple tidbits, dark chocolate chips, and halved maraschino cherries. Bake in muffin tins and serve up as Banana Split Muffins. So yummy!
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