FOOD TRIVIA: Taste Test: The Nose Knows!

An apple, onion and potato all have the same taste; the difference in the flavors is caused by their smell. Skeptical?  To prove, pinch your nose and take a bite from each; they all taste sweet.

THINGS I LIKE: Peg Edwards' Cream of Broccoli Soup

This is the first of my new postings under the heading of,"THINGS  I LIKE:" In this case, it, is a thing I like to eat  that brings back happy memories of an event from my past.

When I lived in Cincinnati, we had a community group, The Howell-Whitfield Neighborhood Association, a group of friends who got together to address neighborhood issues. Through this activity, we became close friends who got together for social events, as well; our favorite being spontaneous Pot Luck dinners. A member would call the others saying ,"I will have a Pot Luck on ....at...." Everyone who was available showed up with whatever they prepared or had available. We always ate well at our Pot Lucks but one stands out - of eight dishes that were brought, seven were soups. Among the soups, Peg's  Cream of Broccoli Soup was the best - creamy and broccolicious! We were startled by the simplicity of the recipe, which follows.

PEG'S CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP

3 cans Campbell's Chicken Broth
1 can water
2 - 8 oz packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 20 oz bag of frozen Broccoli flowerettes

PREPARATION

Bring broth/water to a boil.
Pulse broccoli flowerettes in food processor until coarsely chopped (process more or less, depending on whether you want the final consistancy of the soup to be chunky or very smooth) .
Add to broth/water and boil for four minutes.
Put 1/2 cup of soup and one package of cream cheese into a blender and blend until smooth.
Repeat with another 1/2 cup of broth and the second package of cream cheese.
Mix blended soup with remaining soup, bring to heat and serve.

THE FOODIES COMMENTS

I find that the addition of several grinds of freshly ground black pepper enhances the flavor, significantly.

This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc. to give you the amount of soup you need for a crowd.

THE FOODIES' COMPANION welcomes you to share a "THING I LIKE:' on nthis blog site.














.

THINGS I LIKE: Fern Allison's Chicken and Noodles

My mother-in--law  Fern Allison, whose roots were in West Virginia and Ohio, was a cook who made simple, hearty and delicious country dishes. Her Chicken and Noodles was the dish that introduced this Brooklyn boy to this kind of cooking and it became one of my favorites. I offer her recipe to you (with some of my suggestions at the end) for your enjoyment.

PREPARATION OF CHICKEN

1 roasting chicken or stewing hen, 4-5 lbs  
4 carrots, rough cut
2 medium onions, cut in 1/4's
5 ribs of celery, cut in one inch pieces
Salt

Place all ingredients in Dutch oven with water to cover; add salt to taste.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
Simmer until chicken is falling off the bone; 2-3hrs.
Remove chicken, cool and remove meat in chunks. Set aside.
Pour stock, with the vegetables, through a strainer pressing on the vegetables to get as much liquid released, as possible. Discard vegetables.
Allow stock to cool and remove fat.
Adjust seasoning.
Put one cup of stock aside for use later, if needed.

NOODLES

6 large eggs
1/4 C whole milk
3-4 C AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Sift dry ingredients together.
Whip eggs with milk.
Mix in 3 C of flour adding more until a stiff dough is formed. Work dough as little as possible.
Mold dough into a ball and flatten. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 min.

PREPARATION OF NOODLES

Spread a layer of flour on a flat work surface.
Cut dough into quarters; remove one and keep the others wrapped in plastic.
Form dough into a rectangle; flatten, dust with flour and roll out to 1/4 in thickness.
Roll dough jellyroll fashion and slice in 1/4 inch coils.
Unroll coils, dust with flour and put aside to dry for 30 - 45 min.
Repeat with remaining dough.

CHICKEN AND NOODLES

Bring chicken stock to a rolling boil and add noodles. Cook until noodles are cooked - light and fluffy - 20 - 30 min. The noodles with their attached flour should  thicken the stock into a thick, rich,  creamy consistancy. If this has not happened, make a "slurry" by adding flour to the reserved cup of stock. Add in small amounts, allowing the stock to come to a boil after each addition, until the proper consistency is reached. Mix in reserved chicken, cook until hot , adjust seasoning and serve.

THE FOODIES COMMENTS

To make the dish more nutritional and add color, add sliced carrot, onion, and peas in the last 20 min of cooking.

Add herbs ( I like thyme and parsley)  to enhance flavor.

A heavy dose of pepper, fresly ground, improves the taste considerably.

COOKING TIP: Grilling

1) Preheat grill before cooking.
2) To insure even cooking, bring meat to room temperature before putting on grill.
3) Before grilling, oil surface of meat with a little oil, to prevent sticking; or
4) Use oiled paper towels to coat grill grates prior to placing meat on grill.
5) Season meat just before grilling.
6) Turn meat using tongs, rather than a fork, to avoid losing juices (or flavor).
7) Take meat off the grill a little before it is done to your taste, since, once off the grill
     temperature can continue to rise 5-10 degrees ( carryover cooking).
8) Let meat rest for several minutes before slicing to allow juices to redistribute throughout
    the meat.

FOOD TRIVIA: Native Americans and Turkeys

Native Americans never actually ate turkey; killing such a timid bird was thought to indicate laziness.

FOOD TRIVIA: Nutmeg Tree

Two spices are derived from the Nutmeg tree; Nutmeg produced from the kernel, and Mace, from the kernel's lacy coat.

NEW KIND OF POST: Things I Like:

This is to announce that I am adding a new kind of PERSONAL Post in this blog, in addition to the regulars: COOKING TIPS, FOOD HISTORY and  FOOD TRIVIA. The new Posts will be titled, "THINGS I LIKE:" and will include, THINGS I LIKE: 1) To Cook, 2) To Make Myself, at Home, 3) Which Bring Back Food Memories. I hope that combining these personal  Posts with  the factual Posts, which are a traditional part of my blog, will stimulate more interaction on the part of my blog "followers". Everyone is invited to share their own, "THINGS I LIKE :" on this blog.