CHAPTER 1
SOUPS AND SALADS
Soups
At one time the word "soup" was used to refer to the solid ingredients that float in a broth. It has now become more general and is used here to include a wide variety of liquid dishes. Many bear French names, such as: "potage, consommé, bouillon, velouté, bisque, potée,. ..."
Before modern refrigeration soup was prepared for the evening "supper", as a way of using up the leftovers from the midday meal. This tradition is maintained to a large extent in rural France, even to this day. In Belgium, however, soup is often on the noon menu. Although in Europe soup is usually served at the beginning of a meal, in China it is presented at the end — to fill the "interstices". Although it was basically a peasant dish and somewhat of a family symbol, soup has now become more sophisticated. A lobster bisque served in a high-class restaurant is quite different from the home-made dishes improvised from leftovers — but not necessarily better.
Soups are often characteristic of a country or a region. In the following paragraphs you will find brief descriptions of a number of them — many of which I have enjoyed in my travels. I have not specified ingredients or quantities, so as to encourage the home cook to try, taste, and improvise.
Borscht
This is the famous red beet soup, presumably of Russian-Jewish origin. To make it, you have to start with raw beets. In France they are very difficult to find unless you go to a farm where they are grown, as the French insist on cooking the beets before sending them to market! Assuming that you have raw beets, cut them very fine — or better, grate them. This way they have more surface and will allow the bright red dye (anthrocyanine) to pass into the cooking water. The beets are simmered for an hour in beef broth (bouillon) to which has been added onions, salt, pepper — and sometimes a little tomato paste and a bit of sugar. This soup can be served either hot or cold and is traditionally topped with sour cream. Some cooks add a bit of lemon juice for flavor, but the citric acid tends to make the beautiful red color somewhat paler.
There are many variations of borscht depending on the country that has borrowed it. In the Swedish version ("rödbetssöppa") butter and flour — and a glass of sweet wine! — are added to the beet-bouillon mixture. The soup is garnished with sliced sausage of the Frankfurter type. A Spanish version is flavored with cumin and topped with sliced flat parsley and garlic-flavored yogurt instead of sour cream.
Bouillon
The word "bouillon" usually refers to the broth or "juice" resulting from the cooking of vegetables, meat, fish etc. However, in the North of France it often means the ensemble of various vegetables, as well as the liquid. In the Southwest it is the custom to eat first the meat and vegetables that are floating in the soup and then add wine (red, of course) to the remaining bouillon before drinking it from the bowl. The expression for this procedure is "faire chabrot" (or "chabrol"), as illustrated on the previous page.
Clam chowder
The word "chowder" is probably a deformation of the word "chaudrée", from old French, and thus employed in Québec. It was the soup prepared in the cauldron ("chaudron") that hung in the fireplace. This soup is the all-time American favorite and the origin of the name of our old student eating establishment. It exists in two different regional forms: New England and Manhattan. To make either one you must of course have some clams — although not necessarily, as described below. If you have fresh clams, you can proceed as indicated in the chapter on seafood. The water used for steaming is saved as the stock for the soup. If you use canned clams, be sure to save the liquid. Unless they are quite small, the clams are usually cut in several pieces. In North America canned clam juice is also available to increase the amount of stock, if necessary, although it is quite salty.
To prepare either variety, fry bacon or other salted pork bits and place on paper towels to remove excess fat. Fry chopped onions lightly in the same frying pan. Now decide which style you want to make. The New England version employs milk, while in New York tomato juice with some mashed pulp (as from the can) is the basic liquid. Peeled, diced potatoes are now added to the appropriate seasoned liquid and cooked until tender. Some cream and a bit of butter are usually added to the New England chowder, although seasoning with thyme is more appropriate for the "tomatoy" version.
The dispute between New Englanders and New Yorkers has been going on for a long time. It is the question of milk vs. tomato juice in clam chowder. I am told that in the state of Maine a law was once passed that prohibited the use of the tomato in any product called "clam chowder"!
In New England and Eastern Canada, cod or other white fish in small pieces sometimes replaces clams — yielding "fish chowder". If canned corn "niblets" with the juice are substituted for clams, it is known as "corn chowder".
Consommé
This term is usually used to describe a meat or fish bouillon that becomes quite clear on long cooking, or that has been clarified. If you need a consommé, the easiest way to go is to open one of those red-and-white cans. However, you can do better. Once you have prepared a bouillon by long cooking meat or fish, with appropriate vegetables and seasoning, it can be clarified to produce a consommé. The traditional method is to use egg whites. The lightly beaten egg whites are stirred into the lukewarm bouillon, which is allowed to stand for an hour or so. It is then poured through a cloth that has been soaked in cold water. You can do essentially the same thing with the aid of the refrigerator. Put the bouillon in it for the night. The next day lift off and discard the solid grease layer and filter the liquid through a fine sieve or cloth. The result may be less elegant, but it is certainly quite acceptable.
Consommé with shrimp
This Japanese soup ("ebi no sumashi-jiru") is a marvelous delicacy. It brings back memories of the Chowder House and prompts me to tell you the story of one of my many friends there. He was a Niseï, born in California of Japanese parents. As a small boy, he was sent alone by ship to meet his grandparents in Japan. It was in the Fall of 1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor he was forced to stay in Japan, where he learned the language and culture of the country. With the American occupation he returned to the United States to find his parents and to study chemistry. He made numerous contributions to the varied cuisine of the Chowder House, including this soup.
The traditional clear bouillon is made from dried tuna fish and algae. Although an instant form of this basic stock is available in Asiatic grocery stores, you will probably use fish and/or shrimp broth that has been strained through a cloth or fine sieve and seasoned with a bit of soy sauce. The raw shrimp, heads removed, are devained and shelled, leaving the tail and the last bit of shell. Sliced lemon rinds, along with the shrimps dusted with cornstarch, are added to the bouillon. Just before serving the hot soup, a few young spinach or watercress leaves are added.
Creamed vegetable
Creamed vegetable soup is the French classic. Virtually any vegetable can be used, and the procedure is the same. Equal parts of butter and flour are worked together ("beurre manié") and stirred into a hot mixture of milk and bouillon. The cooked vegetable(s) is added and all is mixed. The resulting purée is thickened with a couple of egg yolks and some cream. The resulting "velouté" (meaning velvety) must not be allowed to boil, or it will curdle. It is usually served quite hot sprinkled with sliced chervil or parsley.
Cucumber and yogurt
Peel and dice a cucumber. Salt it and put it in a colander to drain for a half hour or so. Crush a few cloves of garlic in a press and mix with plain yogurt. Add sliced mint leaves and the dried cucumber. Add more yogurt until the desired consistency is obtained. Refrigerate before serving. Sometimes chopped hard-boiled egg is sprinkled over the top.
Eggplant soup
This soup appears to be of Greek origin. The eggplant is prepared as for the "caviar of the poor" and a red pepper is grilled and peeled (See Vegetables). Crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and yogurt are added to the puréed eggplant. The desired consistency is achieved by varying the quantity of yogurt. The soup is garnished with the diced red peppers, sliced flat parsley and a bit more olive oil. It is served chilled.
Gazpacho
This cold soup is without doubt the best known in Spain. It is especially enjoyable in hot weather. Although the recipe varies depending on the region and the chef, it invariably contains garlic, fresh ripe tomatoes (peeled and seeded), green pepper, cucumber and onion. These vegetables are puréed, most easily in a blender, sometimes along with some stale white bread (without the crust). Olive oil is added little-by-little, along with vinegar — traditionally that made with sherry — and of course salt and pepper. For a thinner soup, add a few ice cubes; for a thicker one, blend in hard-boiled egg yolks. This soup is often garnished with chopped tomato, pepper and onions. In a more filling version, chopped ham and/or chopped hard-boiled eggs are included.
Minestrone
This Italian term is applied in North America to virtually any vegetable soup to which some pasta has been added. In Italy it is much more specific, so a given minestrone is quite characteristic of its region of origin.
A recipe from Tuscany calls for dried white beans "toscanelli" (but navy, limas, etc. can of course be substituted), chopped onions, parsley and celery, tomato pulp, olive oil and a bouquet garni (removed at the end of the cooking period). When the beans are cooked, some are mashed to thicken the soup and cut up curly endive (chicory) is added, along with whatever pasta you may chose. Various leafy vegetables, such as spinach, cabbage or chard can replace the endive. When the pasta is "al dente", the soup is served, topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
In Genoa the story is similar, although the minestrone there is characterized by the addition of "pesto" (or "pistou"), as described later. What is essentially the same soup is prepared all along the southern coast of France, the "Côte d'Azur". When in season, fresh shell beans are used in preference to the dried ones. The pasta employed is small, such as "pastina", or that obtained by breaking spaghetti into short pieces.
"Minestrone alla milanese" is usually a vegetable soup flavored with cured pork. Many different vegetables are included and rice, rather than pasta, provides the starchy touch.
Mulligatawny
A soup derived from "Pepper water" is called "Tamatar rasam" or "mulla-ga-tani", a very thin and highly spiced broth from southern India. The original soup contains black pepper, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves, turmeric, garlic, tomato juice, lemon juice — and coriander leaves for garnish. Non-vegetarian cooks added pieces of chicken (or other meat) and coconut cream to create mulligatawny soup, "Kozhi mulla-ga-tani", a dish that appears on the menus of most Indian restaurants throughout the world. Visitors to London can't miss it,
Onion soup
In the days when the central market ("Les Halles") was in Paris, it was the tradition to go there in the wee hours — after a night out — to eat onion soup. I say "eat" because it was invariably made with thick slices of crusty bread and grated cheese. Following my mother's cookbook2* it is prepared in its simplest form by lightly browning sliced onions in butter, then sprinkling with flour. Boiling water or bouillon is added little by little, followed by salt and pepper to taste. This soup is usually poured over bread slices that have been covered with grated gruyère. It is served very hot, often gratinéed and much appreciated — particularly on a cold early morning in Paris.
Pea soup with ham
In Sweden and Québec this soup is prepared with dried yellow peas. In the Swedish version the peas are soaked overnight (not really necessary) and cooked with the addition of slices of salted pork shoulder, onions and spices — including ginger and thyme and/or a bouquet garni. The meat is removed when it is done and the cooking is continued for several hours until the peas are completely tender. The soup is served very hot with the slices of pork and mustard on the side. Cold beer (or Aquavit!) usually accompanies this dish. In Québec the pork is diced and chopped onions are added near the end of the cooking period. The onions thus remain a bit crunchy. A Spanish version of this dish is prepared with fresh green peas and chopped Serrano ham.
Scotch broth
This is a rich and filling soup made with mutton broth (and bits of meat) and, traditionally, barley. It is flavored with coarsely chopped carrots, celery and onions. It is best served very hot on cold winter days. Don't forget it if you have leftover lamb or mutton. Cook up all the bones and scraps to make the stock. Fish out the bones and add the barley. For the authentic product, leave in the fat, but for some of us it's better to chill and lift off the fat layer. Obviously other ingredients such as wheat, lentils, beans etc. can replace the barley. It was my father's favorite soup.
If barley is to be replaced by beans, I think immediately of an old joke. A gentleman at his table in an English restaurant asks, "Waiter, what is this?" The waiter responds, "Why, it's bean soup, Sir." The reply, "Yes, I know, but what is it now?"
Tutti frutti
Fruit soups, although a bit unusual, are particularly refreshing as the first dish in a hotweather meal. Try preparing a mixture such as citrus fruits — peeled grapefruit and orange segments, some pieces of lime skin, a cinnamon stick and a bottle of apple juice. Heat slowly to the boiling point, remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Cut a couple of cored, unpeeled apples of the Granny Smith type in thin slices. Add them to the cooled juice mixture and refrigerate. Just before serving, add a sliced banana. If this soup is presented as a dessert, don't hesitate to add a bit of Cointreau or Grand Marnier. If it is already sweet enough, try a few drops of a dry brandy such as Kirsch.
As a simpler approach, cook several peeled chopped apples with sugar until they are soft. Add a half glass of dry white wine and several cups of milk. Thicken with cream, to which a spoonful of flour has been added, and refrigerate well before serving. Soups made from many other fruits can be prepared in this way.
Vichyssoise
It is basically a thin puree of potatoes and leeks (or onions), with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. It is enriched with butter and cream; a bit of dry sherry is often added. It is served very cold. Although it has a French name (from the city of Vichy), this soup appears to be better known in the United States than in France.
Salads
The word "salad" is used to refer to lettuce. In fact to this day in France many people say "salade" in this sense. The classic lettuce salad is prepared with a vinaigrette. It was served after the main course and before the cheese. However, as the salad is now often served first, as a replacement for the traditional hors-d'oeuvres, it has become much more varied. A few of these possibilities are described in the following paragraphs.
Lettuce
There are many varieties that are now available throughout the year in southern Europe. Many do not ship well and cannot be stored for a long lime. For this purely commercial reason the salad market is dominated in the United States by iceberg. Nevertheless, in those areas where they are grown, California, New Jersey etc., as well as in major cities, Romaine, Boston lettuce and others are easily found. The iceberg type has recently turned up in France. Let's hope that it is not destined to replace the other varieties!
Although lettuce and most other green-salad materials still appear as the basic salad, they often serve as a "bed" for lukewarm sea foods, mushrooms or meats. Better prepared and presented in individual portions, they must be served immediately.
Washed and thoroughly dried lettuce leaves can be kept for several days in a plastic bag in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator. Drying is most easily done with a centrifuge designed for that purpose, without danger to the neighbors (See the following paragraph).
"Mâche" and red beets
In Paris in the 1950's there was neither lettuce nor other potential salad material to be found in January and February, aside from "mâche", also known as "doucette". It appears to be called "corn-salad" or "lamb's-lettuce" in English, although I must admit that I never knew these little green leaves in North America. In Paris we picked off the root ends of each plant and washed the leaves several times, as they contained an incredible quantity of sand. They were then dried (by placing them in a wire basket and swinging it from the balcony — thus sprinkling the passers-by below. Mixed with diced, cooked red beets and a simple vinaigrette they provided the salad course during those winter months.
