Stone Soup – Bringing friends together!

Last night, I hosted my very first stone soup dinner party.  It was amazing, the food was delicious and everyone had a great time!  There will definitely be another one in the works shortly!

Stone soup is based on an old folk story that has taken on many incarnations. Overall, the point is cooperation…sharing the little bit you have with everyone else, and they do the same.
The result?
No one goes without.

The story was first brought to my attention via a song sung by Heather Dale, which is predictably called Stone Soup.

The chorus goes like this:

The stone is in the kettle
The water’s on the boil,
The work is always lighter, 
When there’s many hands to toil!

I had eight friends over last night and the work most definitely was lighter! We took turns in the kitchen, prepping ingredients, and we ended up with an absolutely amazing soup!

So, how did we structure this Stone Soup extravaganza?

I invited some friends over for dinner and asked them all to bring at least one ingredient to put in a soup.  It could have been anything: vegetable, spice, fruit, meat.  But everyone had to bring something. I had a few people ask about the *kind* of soup we were making and I didn’t limit it at all, but I could see the benefit to telling people whether you were thinking about a stew or a thicker creamy soup or a broth based veggie soup.

Ours worked out with no limitations.

About an hour before my friends were due to arrive, I filled my soup pot halfway with water and a couple of bouillon cubes and brought it to a boil. It’s hard to tell by the picture how much water I used but there had to be 12+ cups in there.

While the water heated, I sautéed some onions, celery, carrots and garlic, which were added to the pot once it started boiling.
I also added a few bay leaves.

A Stone Soup party is an awesome way to get rid of any excess of leftover vegetables you have in your kitchen.  Before everyone arrived, I pulled out a bunch of rogue veggies from my fridge that were obviously on their way out.  Perfect soup fodder!

So, what else got added to our soup?

First up, a bowl of cooked green lentils!

Some yummy spicy sausage

The sausage man hard at work!

Diced leeks! These were getting ready for the bin so they became a delicious soup ingredient, sautéed first and then added.

A whole acorn squash! Nom nom nom!

A good sized cup of red lentils

In addition to these ingredients, we also added 3 or 4 red skinned potatoes, dried oregano, dried thyme, fresh chopped watercress, salt and pepper.

Oh and we can’t forget the final ingredient that we added about 15 mins before serving the soup….

Four chopped bartlett pears!

Yup! Pears!
I would never have thought of it myself and I admit, I raised an eyebrow.

But the point of the soup was to be open to all sorts of ingredients and in the end, the pear was pretty damn good!

We also had freshly picked and dried hot peppers from a friend’s garden that were diced up and place on the table for those of us wanting more of a kick.

The finished soup was incredible!

It had this really lovely smooth and savoury  start that seemed to come from the pears and yet it ended on a high note with a light spicy kick from the sausage.
Everyone loved it and the only thing I regret is that I didn’t purchase some plastic containers so everyone could take some soup home.
Due to the amount of invitees and ingredients, there was a LOT of soup leftover!

The other nice thing about the Stone Soup party is that everyone took turns in the kitchen, which you can see in the above pictures.  There was no ONE host running around taking care of everyone.  Each person pitched in and helped!

Even little Sam hung out in the kitchen with us!

Not sure if he was eyeing my wine or the sausage!

It was a great time that really brought all of us together.  The soup was a communal creation and it was almost more satisfying just due to that fact!

Stone soup for MEEEE!

I even had dish washers! Thanks guys!

I will definitely be hosting another of these parties soon!

And hey, maybe next time we’ll actually put a stone in the pot!

STONE SOUP w/SAUSAGE

So, I will do my best to summarize how we made the soup…but obviously measured amounts and exactness are non-existent, due to the very nature of Stone Soup!

a mass amount of water
two vegetable bouillon cubes

Bring to a boil.

1-2 onions, chopped
3+ carrots, chopped
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
a few garlic cloves

Sautéed until soft and then add to the boiling water along with 3 bay leaves.

a bowlful of cooked green lentils

Add directly to the broth.

Andouille sausages, two packs
leeks, two stalks chopped

Sautéed each of these separately and add to the broth.

3-4 red skin potatoes, chopped, skins left on
1 acorn squash peeled and chopped
red lentils, a good sized handful

Add all these to the broth.

4 bartlett pears, seeded and chopped

Add these about 15 mins before serving.

Lastly, spice to taste with thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.

Zucchini Cheddar Muffins

It has been a long time coming, but being able to, in a moment’s notice, decide to cook or bake and just KNOW that you can do it…
it’s an amazing thing for someone who, two years ago, didn’t know her way around her own kitchen.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a friend’s house and we were all waiting for some out-of-town guests to arrive.  About thirty minutes before the scheduled arrival time, my friend’s husband (who is also my friend of course!) commented that “perhaps I’ll make some cookies”.

I checked my watch (okay, my iPhone) and looked at him somewhat surprised. “But they’ll be here any minute.”

What came out of the following conversation was the point that once you’d made a food enough times, you could do it effortlessly and quickly…at any time.  He had so much experience making cookies that he could throw the basic recipe together in minutes and simply add whatever cookie…accessories, shall we say….that he had on hand.

I haven’t gotten to that point with cookies yet. I have worked with substitutions but  I still need a recipe.
I’m sure B would argue that means I simply HAVE NOT MADE ENOUGH COOKIES! So, I’ll fix that…eventually.

But yesterday, I had a similar moment with muffins.  I had company coming over and shortly before arrival, not 30 mins I admit…more like an hour and a half ahead of time, I suddenly decided to make muffins.  Again, I don’t necessarily have a basic recipe memorized, but I have mixed the base ingredients enough times now that it felt do-able.

It was an awesome feeling!
To feel confident enough to start making a mess in the kitchen as company were on their way, knowing that you could finish and even have the dishes done before they arrived!
It has taken a long time to feel that kind of comfort in my kitchen.

I like it.

 So, yes, this recipe was simple.  The hardest part was grating the zucchini and cheddar, but put on some good music, start singing along and enjoying yourself,
and suddenly every vegetable in your kitchen has been grated while you were zoned out dancing to Peter Murphy!

Dry ingredients in one bowl…wet in another.

Fold the wet into the dry and then add the zucchini and cheddar.

Could it be any easier?

Mixed dough, ready to be baked!

I changed a few things in the recipe. Partly because I like applesauce in baked goods and also partly because I feel proud of the fact that I can confidently substitute and NOT follow the recipe exactly. (This is notable.  I am a Capricorn and, when I began cooking, I REQUIRED a recipe.  Read the conversation at the beginning of this entry to see how to make a Capricorn’s head explode.)

So, for the 2 eggs, I substituted 2/3 cup applesauce.

For the buttermilk, I made my own using lemon juice: 1 1/4 tbsp lemon juice in a measuring cup, followed by enough milk to have 1 1/4 cups.

Then, I lightly coated my muffin tray with some butter, filled the cups? (Is that what you call them?) and placed the tray in the 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.

These muffins didn’t rise very much so you can really fill the tray.  I left 1/4″ or less at the top of each and that worked out well.

Simple, straightforward and delicious.

Make them just before company arrives. I dare you!

Zucchini Cheddar Muffins

 

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs (I used 2/3 cup of applesauce)
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (I used 1 1/4 tbsp lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1 1/4 cups of “buttermilk”)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed shredded zucchini
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and soda, sugar, salt.
3. Mix eggs OR applesauce, buttermilk, butter in another bowl.  Gently fold that mixture into the dry mixture.
4. Fold in  the zucchini and cheddar.
5. Prepare a muffin tray, I added a light coating of butter.  These muffins didn’t rise too much so I was able to fill my tray, leavning the slightest bit of room at the top of each.
6. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
7. Allow to cool for 10 min before removing from tray.

Makes 12 muffins.

Chestnut Sweet Potato Muffins

Unlike many of my foodie friends,  I spent much of my holidays not cooking.

Instead, I enjoyed food made by others, mainly family members…including an awesome chicken noodle soup made by B that was heavenly!
Who knew that plain macaroni used as noodles would be so yummy….or so fun!

Just prior to the holidays however, I experimented with a new recipe and a new ingredient: chestnuts!

So sort of pre-holiday cooking that was sort of related…Chestnuts roasting on an open fire anyone?

I was out at one of our local markets to pick up some veggies and I noticed a huge bag of “Italian Chestnuts”. They were shiny, round and a beautiful “chestnut” brown.
I put my hand in the bag and they felt so smooth and sleek…soothing even…like when you pick up a stone on a beach that has had its edges smoothed by the sea and you find yourself holding onto it and rubbing it like a worry stone.  (Worry-chestnut!)

I had no experience with chestnuts.  I had never roasted them or really used them in any way.  I was curious, and they were pretty, so I bought a bag.

It was this purchase that led me to this chestnut recipe, which I found online. But prior to actually attempting the recipe, I had to research the process of getting the nuts out of the shell!

Click here for the recipe or scroll to the bottom of the post.

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This was a fairly long process, so be sure to start this a while before you plan to make the muffins.

First step was to slice an X into each nut.  This was the fun part as I used a good-sized knife and found it cathartic to slash at them!

Then I boiled them for about 25 minutes.

I question the amount of time…I also question the method.  My muffins turned out well, but there were pieces of chestnut that were hard to chew through, if you could at all.
They seemed to be overcooked, with the boiling and then the baking.

If I were to redo this, I would boil them for half the time, around 10-15 mins and then check to see if the shells were ready to peel. I think 25 minutes was too long.

At the end of it, the shells had started to lift and open…as predicted!

Everything I read mentioned that the hotter they were, the easier it would be to remove the shell so I started peeling them right away.
Um…ow!  And also, LIE.
Most of the shells came off in little strips.  It was a messy, somewhat annoying and fingertip burning adventure, but I stuck with it.

  

The shells coming off in strips and in layers of strips was probably the most annoying part of the process.

Processed chestnuts!

Once the chestnuts were ready to go, I was finally ready to start following the recipe.

At this point, pick out 12 nice looking chestnut pieces.  You’ll use these to top the muffins just before baking.

Oh and also….during the chestnut peeling, I also put my sliced sweet potatoes on the stove to boil.

Yep, multi tasking queen am I!

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So, on to making the actual muffins!

Dry ingredients first…no surprise there….

Wet ingredients mixed secondly…and separate….

I constantly have issues with my butter…although it’s usually my own fault because I have forgotten to remove it from the fridge and bring it to room temperature. So, I end up microwaving it.
And it doesn’t matter how short I time span I use, I end up with a severely softened (um..melted) centre and a maybe slightly softened exterior.
This explains the picture above and why my butter is in bits.

But it still worked!  So onward we go…gently mix the two bowls together…

…and then add the remaining ingredients…

Adding the sweet potatoes, chestnuts and raisins…

The mixture made 12 good-sized muffins which I topped with a bit of sugar and cinnamon, as well as a large piece of chestnut.

35 minutes later, I had a tray of lovely muffins!

These were definitely worth trying and they turned out quite well!  I enjoyed the creaminess that the chestnuts added to the muffins which was nicely balanced by the light sweetness of the potatoes.  As mentioned before, I would reduce the boiling time of the chestnuts or I would change the method altogether as it resulted in hard, and what I assume overcooked, pieces of chestnut.  These were few and far between, but they were there and they tainted my muffin-enjoyment!

Chestnut & Sweet Potato Muffins

• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup sweet potatoes mashed ( baked & peel )
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• !/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
•  2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• dash of salt
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 1/3  cup chestnuts  chopped ( pre cooked  and de-shelled )

Topping

•  mixture of brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon
• a few whole chestnuts for topping ( optional )

NOTE: The instructions do not include the mashing of the sweet potatoes nor the prepping of the chestnuts.  Getting those two ingredients ready beforehand is…well…ideal.

1. Pre-heat oven to 350  degrees
2. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients,  flour,  sugar,  salt,  baking soda , baking powder,  cinnamon. Set aside
3. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, butter,  oil, water,  and vanilla.  Mix the egg mixture into the flour mixture and whisk gently.
4. Add the cooked sweet potatoes,  chopped chestnuts and golden raisins.  Mix lightly.
5. Spoon mixture into muffin pan.
6. Sprinkle topping mix on the muffin before baking.  Top the muffin with a whole chestnut.
7. Bake until golden brown.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 muffins

Recipe taken from: 
http://sugarbaking.blogspot.ca/2011/07/sweet-potato-chestnut-muffins-japanese.html