Mother Nature sure did us in already in 2005 with a rush of glory. One thing that Karen and I commented on is that in our 25 years of living in Carson City, you cannot be a passive participant in life here. Nature has its way of making Northern Nevadans active participants in life.
One of the great things of making soup is it allows you time between steps to get out and keep drives and walks clear.
Then you have a great reward of a nice, hot, savory bowl of soup. A good crusty bread slightly warmed in the oven with a wonderful St. Andre cheese (French) makes all that hard work, sore muscles and aching bones seem to disappear.
I recommend a good sauvignon blanc. We have had one "Gary Farrell," a classic French-style with grassy overtones and a citrus finish. It is great with the mint and cinnamon overtones of the soup.
This soup's background is Egyptian, and it has a good mix of savory flavors. The mint and lemon make the soup very crisp and clean on the palate. The cinnamon is a common accent in Middle Eastern foods. In the classic preparation of this soup, they add about 3 tablespoons of sugar. I find this to be a little too much so my recipe excludes it. But by all means, if you are of Middle Eastern descent, feel free to add it.
As you have read above, I recommend St. Andre cheese served with this soup.
It so happens that Costco has been keeping a nice supply of this classic cheese on hand. It has buttery characteristics with a slight almond overtone and is just perfect with the sauvignon blanc. Spread it over a crusty French bread or ciabatta bread (I like Truckee Sourdough Co.). You will forget about the excruciating moment and the choice words that you utter when you saw the 3-foot berm left by the roadworkers.
Let's give a big hooray again for everyone working together and for all the great stories of people helping people.
As always enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
Hamud
(Egyptian Vegetable Soup)
2 T. of olive oil
1 cup of yellow sweet onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, chopped into quarter inch pieces with the leaves finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup of fresh green beans (Blue Lake style), cut half-inch long
2 quarts of vegetable or chicken stock
1Ú2 cup fresh lemon juice
3Ú4 cup zucchini, cut into quarter-inch half moons (cut zucchini in half the long way then cut again)
1 can tomatoes (organic), puréed or chopped (28 ounce)
2 cups spinach, finely chopped
1 cup frozen sweet peas
1Ú4 T. cinnamon
1Ú4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped or 2 T. dried mint (I recommend fresh)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked rice (1Ú2 cup per bowl); add at serving time
In a 6- to-8-quart stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, chopped onions, celery (with chopped leaves) and garlic. Sauté about 8 minutes on medium-high heat until onion is translucent. Add green beans and cook for 5 minutes; then add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, stirring well. Add stock. Cook approximately 20 minutes then add the lemon juice, zucchini and tomatoes. Cook 15 minutes further then add the spinach and sweet peas (run the sweet peas under hot water just long enough to take the frost off). Bring to a boil and add the mint and cinnamon. Add salt and pepper to taste.
If you are serving this as an entree, add cooked rice (half a cup per bowl). I don't like to cook the rice in the soup because the rice has a tendency to overcook and explode into a mushy texture. I recommend you use Indian basmati rice.
Vegetable stock: I like to make a totally vegetarian stock with onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves and black peppercorns. Place all of the ingredients in a large stock pot with approximately 8 quarts of water and 1 cup of dry white wine. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for about 11Ú2 hours or until reduced by half (4-5 quarts stock). Use a fine mesh strainer to run the liquid through so you have a semi-clear broth with no particles from the other ingredients. Discard vegetables. (Freeze remainder for other recipes.)
Chicken stock: Place 21Ú2 pounds of poultry wings, backs and necks into a stockpot with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 onions cut into quarters (unpeeled). Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until poultry and onions are lightly browned. Add 171Ú2 cups water and stir well. Bring to a boil and skim off the impurities as they rise to the surface.
Add two coarsely chopped carrots, two celery stocks (with leaves) coarsely chopped, small handful of fresh parsley, 3Ú4 teaspoon dried thyme two bay leaves and 10 lightly cracked black peppercorns. Partly cover stock pot and gently simmer for about three hours. Strain through a sieve into a bowl and leave to cool (discard poultry and vegetables). Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. When cold, carefully remove the layer of fat that will rise to the surface. Store in the refrigerator three to four days or freeze until required. Makes 11 cups.
Charlie Abowd is the owner and chef at Adele's. He and his wife, Karen, have lived in Carson City for 22 years. Charlie is a fourth-generation restaurateur.
