Just because we, uh, weathered our way through May and have sogged on into June does not, alas, necessarily guarantee it’ll be all clear sailing, blue skies and sun from here on.
There will, of course, inevitably be some of those wonderful cool, cloudy, misty or drizzly days between now and a hopefully wonderful Indian summer-style fall.
On those Irishlike “soft’’ days, then, especially when it’s been endlessly hot and dry, a pot of soup, a bowl of salad and a loaf of homemade bread would be just the ticket for a simple and satisfying supper.
Let’s start with the soup, an easy-do comfy recipe shared (at our request) by Camano Island cook Ulale Gipson. When she gave us the how-to for big-batch oatmeal cookies in the Jan. 27 Forum, she mentioned she had some other dandies taken from the same source, “Let’s Have an Oven Orgy,’’ from the October 1976 issue of Woman’s Day magazine.
You’ll need a smoked pork shoulder picnic roast, so keep an eye out for this old-timer so you’ll know exactly where to go and get one when the weather is just right.
One thing, though — peculiarly, to my way of thinking and my family’s eating expectations, once baked to perfection, the ham is evidently set aside for other uses than adding to the soup. Weird.
That wouldn’t move at all at my house — a nice hefty helping of bite-size pieces added to the soup itself would be an absolute must. If you and yours feel the same way, go right ahead and lop or chop some and add it to the soup. I’ll never tell …
Yea or nay on the salad is up to you, obviously, but I’ve just run across a bread recipe that sounds like it could become a standby for soups and salads, so we’ll give that a go, too.
It’s a recipe taken from Taste of Home’s “Mom’s Best Made Easy,’’ which I was lucky enough to borrow from my local library.
Although it calls for freshly grated Parmesan, I just picked up a wedge of a Sicilian jack cheese (made by California’s oldest family-owned cheese company, no less) that looks so peppery-spunky and yummy I can’t wait to try it, so I’ll sub it for the Parmesan, at least this first time around.
So, soup and bread and here we go:
Smoked picnic and oven pea soup
1package (1 pound) green split peas, picked over, rinsed and drained
6cups water
2onions, peeled and cut in chunks
2ribs celery with tops, cut in chunks
1/2teaspoon thyme
1/2teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1bay leaf
1smoked pork shoulder picnic roast (5 to 8 pounds)
In a deep roaster (with a cover), combine all of the ingredients except the picnic. (Do not add salt at this point — meat will probably provide enough.) Top with the picnic, cover and place in a cold oven. Turn heat to 300 degrees and bake for 3 to 4 hours or until the peas are very tender and mushy.
Lift meat from soup; slice and serve hot, or cool and refrigerate to serve within five days or freeze in desired amounts. Makes 10 to 15 servings.
Remove bay leaf from the soup. Soup can be pureed in blender or food processor, pressed through a sieve or beaten with a whisk to break up. Serve at once or chill and serve within four to six days or freeze up to 6 months. Makes 2 1/2 quarts.
Peppery Parmesan bread (bread machine)
3/4cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
1tablespoon oil
1/2teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1tablespoon sugar
1teaspoon pepper
1/2teaspoon dried basil
1/2teaspoon dried oregano
1/2teaspoon salt
21/2cups bread flour
21/4teaspoons yeast
1tablespoon cold water
In a bread machine pan, place the first 11 ingredients in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1-2 tablespoons water or flour, if needed).
When the cycle is complete, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape into an 8-inch round loaf. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Slash top of loaf with a sharp knife; brush with cold water. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 1 loaf, 12 slices.
The next Forum appears in Friday’s comics pages.
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