THREE SISTERS SOUP WITH CHORIZO, SQUASH, BEANS AND CORN.PLUS HOW TO ROAST PEPPERS

One of the restaurants in Grand Rapids that I "like" on Facebook posted that they were serving Squash Soup with Chorizo.  I never was able to get to the restaurant to try it, but I found the two ingredients intriguing.  I wanted to try to make a soup using the sausage and the squash, but then I had to come up with other ingredients.  I like soups that are chunky not smooth so I didn't want to make a typical squash bisque.  I also like soups that have colorful ingredients so I decided to go with the Native Americans Three Sisters ingredients.

The Three Sisters, corn, beans, and squash, were an important and big part of the Native Americans diet all across the country.  The beans add two amino acids missing in the corn.  When eaten together, all the amino acids are there to form a complete protein.  All the "Sisters" can be stored for the winter or for when food isn't readily available.

THREE SISTERS SOUP WITH CHORIZO, SQUASH, BEANS, AND CORN OR MAIZE


When my children were young we lived in Missouri and I was "Earth Mother".  I made almost everything from "scratch".  Sugar was the evil ingredient for the 1970's so I had a bee hive in the backyard to harvest honey.  I used the honey in place of sugar whenever I could.  I even made jams and jellies with honey instead of sugar.

I had a big organic garden powered by the manure from my donkeys.  I grew ingredients I couldn't buy in our small town like pea pods and tomatillos plus the normal vegetables found in a garden.  I had read that the Native American planted the Three Sisters together.  The corn stalks became the "poles" for the beans to grow on.  The bean plants added nitrogen to the soil which is a fertilizer.  The big squash leaves covered the ground under the beans keeping the ground shaded so it stayed moist plus the big leaves helped choke out weed growth. 

I always love to try new things so one year I planted the corn, beans, and squash all together like the Native Americans.  Unlike the Native Americans, I left my garden to go to Michigan to escape the hot, humid days of August in Missouri.  I came back to Missouri when school started.  I went out to my garden and there was this big tall cubed-shaped area of solid green.  It would have taken a machete to get into the greenery to harvest anything.  I was afraid if I went in, I be lost forever or at least until it snowed.


I used hominy in the soup because I liked the texture it gives the soup.  Hominy is corn kernels which are dried and then soaked in  lime, calcium hydroxide.  This process goes back to the Aztec Indians who used wood ashes to process the their corn into Nixtamal or hominy.  When Nixtamal is ground it becomes masa which is used to make corn tortillas.





 

 

JULIE'S THREE SISTERS SOUP WITH CHORIZO, SQUASH, BEANS, AND CORN OR MAIZE

If you don't like hominy, use regular corn canned or frozen.

 

12 oz. mild Chorizo

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (32oz) box of chicken broth

1 (12oz) box frozen cooked winter squash

1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15.5oz) can white hominy (posole)

1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and chopped

2 Poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped

4 Anaheim green chiles or (7oz) canned chopped green chiles

Salt and pepper, if desired

Cumin, if desired

Red pepper, if desired

Ingredients:  Squash, black beans, hominy or corn, chorizo sausage, garlic, onion, chicken stock, red bell pepper, Poblano pepper, green chiles, cumin, salt, black pepper, and red pepper.

Take the casing off the Chorizo and put the meat in a hot skillet. 

 

Break meat up and saute until cooked.  Drain well.

 

 

 



Chop the onion and mince the garlic.

 

 

 



Draining sausage.

 

 

 



Saute onion and garlic until they soften.

 

 

 

 



In a large pot, put the chicken broth and squash.

 

 

 



When onions and garlic are done, put them in the pot with the squash.

 

 

 



Drain and rinse the black beans.

 

 

 



Chop the roasted and peeled chiles.

 

 

 

 

 



Put the peppers in the soup pot.

 

 

 



Put rinsed and drained black beans in pot.

 

 

 

 



Put drained hominy in the pot.  Season with cumin, red pepper, salt and pepper, if desire.  I found the Chorizo sausage gave the soup plenty of seasoning and I didn't add anymore.  Cover the pot and simmer the soup to give the flavors a chance to meld.

 

 

 

 



Grease from the sausage.

 

 



Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!

 

 

 

SERVE THE SOUP WITH CHEESE.

 

I use Mexican white melting cheese.

 

 Add slices of cheese to hot soup.

 

Let the cheese melt and enjoy!!!

 

 

HOW TO ROAST PEPPERS

Cut peppers in half and remove seeds.

 

 

 



Place peppers on a broiler pan covered with aluminum foil.

 

 

 



Place pan under the broiler and broil peppers until the skin is charred.



Place charred peppers in a paper bag to steam.

 

 

 



Peel the skin from the peppers.

 

 

 

 



Peeled pepper with charred skin on the side.

 

 

 

 



Peeled peppers and charred skin on the side.

 

 

 



MICHIGAN WEATHER

Snow and cold have been all anyone is talking about this week.  Today is our first day of sunshine after days of Lake Effect snow.  The roads are extremely slippery as the salt that is put on the roads does not work in these extreme cold temperatures.

Satellite photo of the states of Michigan and Wisconsin.  The band of snow on the Western- side of the Mitten is Lake Effect snow which has been steady for the last four days.   There been many, many multi-car crashed out on the highways.  I don't have to go out so I stay off the roads.  Being in the cottage the last few days has been like living in the middle a full milk bottle.  All you see out the windows is white.  

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2754278353493

This video from Facebook shows the pier and the State Park in Grand Haven.  The ice balls in the river are really neat.

 

 

Sunrise reflected on the Western sky over the Lake this morning.

 

 

 



LEMON BLUEBERRY OAT SCONES WITH CINNAMON AND ALLSPICE.

It all started with a 67 mile an hour wind.  It howled around the corners of the cottage and pushed against the front causing a little sway and roll as Izzy and I huddled to stay warm.  Then came the snow.  The world was only visible to the deck railing.   White-out was the word for the day.  Now we have the cold.  It has been 15 below zero F. wind chill.  When I was out shoveling, the snow, the steps of the deck, my footsteps, the scrap of the shovel or broom all made a creaking, crunching sound.  You know when you heard that creak and crunch that it is really cold. 

The wind, the cold, the snow.

 

 



Since I don't have to go anywhere, I decided it was a good time to be snowed-in.  I could get out, but there are many multiple car accidents out on the highways and plenty of slip-offs.  It is too cold for the salt to do any good on the icy roads.


VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP WITH CABBAGE AND LEEKS
http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2013/01/vegetable-beef-soup-with-leeks-and.html

It is always fun to make soup when it is cold but I already have a big pot of vegetable beef soup with leeks and cabbage so I decided to bake.  I can let the oven help the furnace keep the cottage warm.


I had a lemon in the refrigerator I needed to use.  I had some blueberries in the freezer not packaged as well as they should be.  As I was trying to figure out a recipe, I decided to use four of my favorite recipes to develop a  Lemon Blueberry Scones recipe.  From Nelda's New England Pie, I took the idea of allspice with blueberries.  My late Uncle Pat's favorite cookie gave me the idea to combine lemon and cinnamon.  Nelda's Irish Scones, which her Irish neighbor said scored a 15 on a scale of 1 to 10, became my base recipe.  In my cherry pie, I like to add some dried cherries to intensify the cherry flavor so I used frozen and dried blueberries in my scones. 


FAMOUS CHILLED BLUEBERRY PIE
http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/07/neldas-new-england-blueberry-pie-this.html

UNCLE PAT'S FAVORITE CURRANT COOKIES
http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/12/uncle-pats-favorite-currant-cookies.html


NELDA'S IRISH FRUIT OAT SCONES
http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2011/03/neldas-irish-fruit-oat-scones.html


FARMER'S MARKET CHERRY PIE
http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/05/even-very-shy-person-like-i-am-can-meet.html

LEMON BLUEBERRY OAT SCONES WITH CINNAMON AND ALLSPICE

 

 

1 ½ c flour

1 ¼ c quick old-fashioned oats, uncooked

¼ c sugar

1 T baking powder

¼ t salt

2 t grated lemon rind

1/3 c butter

1 c fresh or frozen blueberries

1/3 c dried blueberries

½ c milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

TOPPING

2 t sugar

1/4 t cinnamon

Dash ground allspice

 

 

Ingredients:  Flour, quick old-fashioned oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, milk, egg, lemon, cinnamon, allspice, and blueberries.

 The egg that I forgot to put in the ingredient picture.

In a bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon rind.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in fruit.  Add milk and egg, mixing until dry ingredients are moistened.  Shape to form a ball.  Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead gently 6 times.  On lightly greased cookie sheet (I use a sheet of parchment paper on the cookie sheet), pat out dough to an 8-inch circle.  With sharp knife, score 12 wedges.  Combine sugar, cinnamon, and allspice.  Sprinkle over the top of the dough.  Bake in preheated 375° oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Break apart and serve warm.  I find that these scones are just as good cold as warm.  They are even good the next day if they are kept in an closed container. 

 

 

Grate the lemon rind.

Put all the dry ingredients and the lemon rind in a bowl.  Mix well.

 

 

 



In a small bowl, put the topping ingredients and mix well.

 

 

 



Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

 

 

 

 



Put the butter in the dry ingredients.

 

 

 

 



Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender, two knives, or your hands.

 

 

 

 



Beat the egg into the milk.

 

 

 

 



Add dried blueberries to mixture.

 

 

 



Add fresh or frozen berries to the dried berries.

Gently mix the berries into the flour/butter mixture.

 

 

 



Add the milk/egg mixture to the flour/butter mixture and gently mix together. 

 



Form the dough into a ball.

 

 

 

 



Pat the ball into an 8-inch circle.

 



With a knife, score the circle into 8 parts.  Sprinkle on the topping mixture.

 

Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 30 minutes.

 

 

 

 



Break apart on the scored lines.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!

CICHETTI'S MARVELOUS MASH OF FALL/WINTER ROOT VEGETABLES---POTATOES, CELERY ROOT, CARROTS, PARSNIPS, AND GARLIC

This past Fall I had the delightful experience of dining at Cichetti, a culinary studio and kitchen boutique, courtsey of Waddell-Reed and Gerald Leffring.  Jill, the owner/chef, served a wonderful meal of apple cabbage coleslaw, butternut squash sauce over homemade pasta, maple-brined pork roast with this Marvelous Mash of vegetables. 

 

 

 Marvelous Mash of Vegetables.

 

 

 

Jill had the joy of living in the Netherlands for four years.  This mash of vegetables is very reminiscent of the famous Dutch Stamppot.  Stamppot translates to mash pot.  Stamppot is a mashed vegetable/vegetables mixed into mashed potatoes.  In the Netherlands, each ingredient is cooked separately before being mashed together.  Jill cooks her vegetables all in the same pot.

 

To replicate Jill's recipe, you need a food mill or a potato ricer.  A ricer is nice to have as it makes the best mashed potatoes!

 

A potato ricer. 

 

 

 

Mom and Grandma used this food mill to make applesauce.

 http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/07/grandmas-quick-and-easy-homemade.html

 

 

 

 

Grandma used this food mill for ricing the potato she used in her homemade bread every week. 

 

 

 



 

 

MARVELOUS MASH OF FALL/WINTER VEGETABLES

I developed this recipe after listening to Jill talk about her recipe.  Quantities for the vegetables depends on how many you want to serve.  I've listed what I used to give you an idea of proportions of each vegetables.

 

 

4 small Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and peeled

1 small carrot

1/4th of a large parsnip, peeled

2 small cloves of garlic, peeled

A slice of celery root, peeled

2 to 3 T butter, melted

Milk, heated (Jill uses cream)

 

 

 

Ingredients:  Potatoes, carrot, parsnip, celery root, and garlic. 

 

 

 

Ingredients for mashing potatoes:  Milk, butter, salt and pepper. 

 

 

 

Scrub all the vegetables with water to remove any dirt.  Peel the potatoes and cut in half or quarters depending on the size of the potato.  Put into a pan with cold salted water just to cover.  Peel parsnip, celery root, and garlic.  (My Mother would never peel a carrot because all the vitamins are right under the skin so I never peel carrots either.)  I cut the parsnip in about 1/2-inch rounds, the celery root in a slice about 3/-8 inch thick, and the carrots in about 2-inch pieces.  The garlic I left whole.  Place all the vegetables in the cold water with the potatoes.  Put the pan on the stove, bring to a boil on HIGH.  Cover pan, reduce heat, and simmer until the vegetables are fork tender.  Drain.  Put pan back on the burner  and shake the pan so the vegetables don't burn, but any water not drained off evaporates.  Put cooked vegetables through a potato ricer or a food mill.  Add melted butter.  Stir with a whisk.  Add warm milk until the potatoes are the right consistency for you.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 





 

 

Put peeled potatoes into a pan of salted cold water.  Water should just cover the potatoes.

 

 

 

 



Add peeled garlic

 

 

 



Add carrots.

 

 

 



Peel parsnip.

 

 

Peel a slice of celery root.

 

 

 

 



Add slices of parsnip and celery root to the pot.  Bring vegetables to a boil, cover, lower heat, and cook until potatoes and other vegetables are fork tender.

 

 

Drain vegetables well.  Return to burner.  Shake pan and allow any remaining water to evaporate. 

 

 

Put potato ricer over a bowl.

 

Put cooked vegetables into potato ricer.  Press the vegetables through the ricer.

 

 

 



The riced vegetables.

 

 

 



Melt some butter.

 

 

 



Add some melted butter to the vegetables.

 

Whip butter into the vegetables.  Add warm milk and whip to desired consistency.

 

 

 



Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Eet Smakelijk!

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!