Split Pea Soup

This blog is coming to you from Israel!  I’m with a group of 23 “pilgrims” who is touring the Holy Land for two weeks.  It has been a life-long dream to visit the places that I’ve studied, starting with Sunday School lessons in the primary department of Parker Ford Church.  In addition to posting weekly on There’s a Dad in the Kitchen, Pastor Josh Bywerk and I will be blogging about our Israel trip.  That blog can be found by clicking here:  Josh and Dave’s Trip to Jerusalem.

Here is this week’s TADITK post:

The weather in Southeastern Pennsylvania has certainly been wacky.  We’ve had snow, torrential rains, fog, high winds, and temperatures ranging from 58° to 7°…and that was all during the week of January 16^th!

On one of those “January” days, I decided to make split pea soup, but on the day I actually got around to it, the weather was almost balmy.  Go figure…and Al Gore is saying, “I told you so!”

Split pea has been a cold weather favorite in my family for many years.  While my potato chowder receives unanimous approval, the vote for split pea is… well,  split.  My son, Matt loves it, and my daughter, Lauren practically detests it.

This soup freezes well, and can be kept in a sub-zero freezer for about six months.  I recommend that you thaw it completely in the refrigerator before reheating.  This recipe has two “tracks” for preparation; the fast track and the slow track, depending on how much time you have available.

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

16 oz. pkg. rinsed green split peas

2 quarts water

1 large onion, chopped

2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 bay leaves

1-1/2 cups chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped parsley (optional)

1 quart milk

1 to 2 cups diced ham (optional)

Directions:

PERSONAL PREFERENCE NOTE:  I prefer pieces of cooked carrot in my split pea soup.  If you are of the same persuasion, add the cooked chopped carrots after pureeing.  If you want them pureed, add them with the celery. 

SLOW COOK:  Combine peas, water, onion, celery, bouillon and seasonings.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, uncovered for 2 to 3 hours.  Simmer means just hot enough to not boil.  Stir occasionally. 

Cook the chopped carrots separately, until tender.  Set aside.  Remove bay leaf. 

Puree and return to pot.  Add milk and stir thoroughly.  Stir in the cooked carrots and add optional diced, cooked ham.  Heat thoroughly.

FAST COOK:  Sauté onion in 1 Tablespoon butter in bottom of soup pot.  Add peas, water, bouillon, celery and seasonings.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle boil.  Cook uncovered 45 minutes, or until it has reduced by about one-third.  During the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, add the chopped parsley.  Cook the chopped carrots separately, until tender.  Set aside.  Remove bay leaf.  Puree pea mixture and return to pot.  Add milk and stir thoroughly.  Stir in the cooked carrots and optional diced ham.  Heat thoroughly.

Enjoy!

London Broil

It was a good day whenever we had London Broil when I was growing up.  It was usually on a Sunday, and invariably Dad was the cook, preparing it on the charcoal grill.  No one had gas grills in those days.  Those thin slices of juicy meat, dark brown on the outside and bright pink on the inside…it couldn’t be beat.  For the life of me I can’t remember if Dad marinated it or not, but he had to or it would have been too dry and tough.

Click to enlarge

Credit: Wikipedia

Flank steak, which is the traditional cut of meat used for London Broil, is a lean, muscular piece of meat that is taken from the abdomen of the cow.  (Too much information?)  Because it is so lean and because the muscle fibers run the entire length of the cut, several things need to take place.

Marinating is a must, and the internet abounds with suggested recipes.  Make sure you find one with oil and with some type of acid, (wine, vinegar, fruit juices, etc.).  The oil will “moisturize” the meat and the acid will help to tenderize it.  Scoring the meat with diagonal cuts (perpendicular to the grain) will start to break the long fibers as well as allow the marinade to better permeate.  If you have some frustrations to work out, pounding the cut with a meat tenderizing hammer can work wonders, too, (for both the cut of meat and your frustrations).

When I started taking my kids to Vermont for week-long “roughing it” camping trips, I would freeze a London Broil and use it to help keep our other groceries cold.  After a day or two when it had thawed, it was time for London Broil for dinner.  After a few years, I learned to put the meat in a gallon Ziploc bag with the marinade and then freeze it before leaving.  As it thawed in the ice chest, it would marinate…for two days!

Here is a marinade made with simple ingredients.  You can use almost any other spices that you like.  Feel free to be creative.

LONDON BROIL MARINADE

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup salad oil

½ cup vinegar (you can use white, cider, or balsamic)

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper  (I like pepper, so I usually double this.)

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

dash Cayenne pepper

2 drops Tabasco Sauce

Directions:

Score the flank steak (approximately 2-3 lbs.) with a sharp knife to a depth of about ¼“.  The cuts should go against or be perpendicular to the grain of the beef.  Place the cut of meat in a gallon Ziploc bag.  Pour in the marinade, and seal the bag removing as much of the air as practical.  Work the marinade into the beef and refrigerate for at least three hours, preferably overnight.  Turn the bag and work the marinade into the meat several times.

To cook the meat, place it about 4 inches from the heat source, whether grilling or broiling.  When it has browned well on one side, flip it over and brown it equally well on the other side.  London Broil is traditionally well-done on the outside and rare on the inside.  You can use a meat thermometer to determine doneness.  The safe minimum internal temperature for beef is 145° according to www.isitdoneyet.gov.

Here is the London Broil served with steamed green beans with
mushrooms and Mac-and-Cheese-Style Cauliflower

Always allow meat to rest for a few minutes after removing it from the heat and before slicing it.  When slicing the flank steak, cut thin slices remembering to go across the grain of the meat.

Enjoy!

Molten Lava Cakes for Valentine's Day

credit:  FoodNetwork.com

I am now the proud recipient of a subscription to Food Network Magazine.  My subscription started just in time for The Chocolate Issue.  You would think it would have been for February, but it’s dated for March.  Go figure.  We all know that chocolate is a big part of Valentine’s Day, right?  I decided to pick a chocolate recipe and do a special Valentine’s Day post.

To further complicate things there are thirty (30!) dessert recipes with chocolate as well as a special pull-out recipe booklet with fifty (50!) brownie recipes!  Even some of the non-dessert recipes were made with chocolate, like Cocoa-Rubbed Steak.

credit:  FoodNetwork.com

As I paged through the issue, there was one recipe that stood out:  Molten Lava Cakes by the Food Network’s The Neeleys, (Patrick & Gina).  Chocolate cake on the outside, sprinkled with powdered sugar, but inside…a lava flow oozing with a chocolaty, fudgy pudding-like goodness that fascinated me.  Maybe it was my love of science, but this volcanic dessert was the one!

The best part of this recipe is the chocolate.  But the second best part is how easy it is.  The recipe also calls for eight 6 oz. ramekins.  I’ve never owned a ramekin in my life.  A ramekin is a mini ceramic casserole dish, often used for desserts or individual meat pies.  I splurged and bought four, only able to find the 7 oz. size.  For the other four I used the old stand-by glass Pyrex pudding dishes, and they worked fine.  (Actually, I had less trouble with sticking with the Pyrex than I did with the Corningware ramekins.)

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for coating the ramekins

4 teaspoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of ground nutmeg

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped  (I used a 12 oz. bag of semisweet chocolate chips)

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting (optional)

6 large eggs, plus 6 egg yolks

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.  Butter the eight 6 oz. ramekins and sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon of granulated sugar.

Combine the butter, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg, and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir frequently until melted and smooth.  Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, eggs and yolks, vanilla and almond extracts and whisk until creamy.  Then whisk in the chocolate mixture until blended.  Divide between the prepared ramekins.

Here is the final batter with the chocolate blended into the flour, sugar and eggs.

The filled ramekins are ready for the oven.

Bake the cakes until the tops are stiff and the edges darken, 12 to 14 minutes.  (That's the third best part:  They bake in no time.)  Remove from the oven and let cool 5 to 10 minutes.  Loosen the edges with a small paring knife and transfer to plates while warm.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Several of my cakes in the ramekins did not release from the bottom.  I simply inverted these and they actually looked like miniature active volcanoes, (and they tasted just as good.)

To see how they're supposed to look, check out the lead picture at the top of this post.

I did feel that the cakes actually tasted better when cooled than when still warm.  I also could detect the ever-so-slight presence of the cayenne and can now confirm that it complements chocolate in a unique way.

I took several of the Molten Lava Cakes to a Monday morning Elders meeting at Parker Ford Church.  Two of them went home to spouses, which when you’re talking about this level of chocolate, that was probably a good idea.  The reviews came back as follows:  Sick and wrong!  …and by that I mean scrumptious and super yummy.  And, Slammin’.  How about, That cupcake-size morsel packed a huge wallop!

Here is some word crafting from a true lover of the language, who I believe has a future as a food reviewer:  It exploded in our mouths like Vesuvius over Pompeii conquering our calorie-counting inhibitions and reshaping our recently re-sculpted least presentable parts.  In a word, it was delicious.

So what about those least presentable parts?  Well, to understand what this Bible scholar-turned-food reviewer means, you’ve got to read 1 Corinthians 12, and while you’re at it…since it’s Valentine’s Day, read Chapter 13, too!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!  Enjoy!

Cooking Class at Sur la Table

Seared Scallops in White Wine Cream Sauce
(Sauce Noix de Saint Jacques)
My attempt...see below for the Sur la Table version

It’s a great day when you get the perfect gift.  I’m not talking about the gift that you’ve dropped hints for starting with last year’s birthday.  I’m talking about the gift you receive that would be what you’d buy if you were going to treat yourself, but probably wouldn’t.  It’s the gift that comes when someone knows you so well that they spend time thinking about what would match your passion.  That’s the true gift.  It’s the thought that goes into figuring out the perfect gift.  And it’s that thought that is sometimes more of the gift than the actual gift.  People often say, “It’s the thought that counts,” when they receive a less-than-perfect gift.  But the thought…the thought, to me at least, really makes it.

Oliver (my daughter's dog) reacts to the flames in picture one
and then "warms up" to them when he realizes
there's cake to be had!

Such was the case on my last birthday.  After we had enjoyed fantastic Mexican at Casa Toro in Coopersburg, PA, my two children and their spouses handed me a clasp envelope.  Inside were some calendars and brochures as well as a gift card to Sur la Table in King of Prussia.  The idea was for me to take a cooking class.  Was that the perfect gift, or what?

It was difficult to select which course to sign up for.  Sur la Table offers dozens, and you can hardly find a day on their calendar on which a course or two isn’t listed.  Most are offered at night and most cost in the neighborhood of $70.  A typical class includes two full hours of instruction, and you get to eat the food that you prepare!  I chose Classic and Contemporary Sauces as sauces is an area in which I have limited experience.

On the night of the class, I reported to the demonstration kitchen, located at the rear of the store, and donned an apron and nametag prepared for the five students who would be taking the class.  That was a great class size, and most Sur la Table classes are capped at 20.

Chef David Kinsey was our instructor for the evening, and I appreciated his straightforward and positive approach.  It was easy to tell that this is someone who has a passion for what he does, and he loves sharing it.  The most appreciated aspect of the cooking class experience was that David is a teacher.  There are too many people, while unquestionably passionate about their subject, lack the ability to teach it.  As a former principal, I found myself mentally critiquing David’s instruction and he got top marks.  The information was presented methodically and sequentially.  He was also affirming and inspired confidence.  It's always great to make connections with folks, too.  During our evening together I learned that David is a Spring-Ford alumni and was initially trained by Dean Soltes, who continues to instruct in the culinary arts at the Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center.

Celery Root Salad with Herbed Remoulade and Thyme-
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fig Gastrique

The dishes we prepared were a full meal, starting with a Celery Root Salad with Herbed Rémoulade.  There were two main courses; Thyme-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fig Gastrique and Seared Scallops in White Wine Cream Sauce (Sauce Noix de Saint Jacques).  For dessert, Homemade Butterscotch Sauce with Guinness Stout Ice Cream.  (We were supposed to have plain old vanilla, but the Guinness Stout Ice Cream was left over from another class David had taught.)

Since the class, I’ve only tried one of the recipes on my own, and I’m not going to try and provide all four in a single post, so let me offer a photo essay of the experience, along with my attempt at the scallop dish.

All of the ingredients for each recipe were portioned and prepared in advance for us.
We felt like TV chefs!  (These are the ingredients for the Herbed Remoulade.)

The mark of a true chef; the ability to tell if something is right by
simply taking a whiff.  Not pictured, we used a kitchen mandolin to
julienne the celery root and carrots.

Here is a shot of the rear of the demonstration kitchen.  In addition to
Chef Kinsey, there were two assistants who keep us supplied with ingredients
and who cleaned everything up.  Like I said, we felt like TV chefs!

Here are the thyme-roasted chicken thighs, along with some fingerling
potatoes.  Normally, this would have been the finished product for me.  However,
serving them with the fig gastrique provided a flavor explosion.  My
mouth waters every time I think of this recipe.

Chef Kinsey pours the beginnings of the white wine cream sauce into a blender.
The sauce is finished with additional white wine and thickened with corn starch.
The scallops recipe follows at the end of this post.

Aren't these beautiful?  Compare to mine, below.  Most cooks are reluctant to
have the pan hot enough to sear the flavor in and brown correctly.  I tried,
but obviously, I'm still learning.

These are mine at home.  Browning, but not quite enough.  Like I said, I'm still learning.

Here Chef Kinsey pours the pureed cooked scallops into thickened white wine
to finish the sauce.  It smelled so good!

A little final simmering and it was ready to pour over the plated scallops.

Absolutely delicious!

SEARED SCALLOPS IN WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE

(Sauce Noix de Saint Jacques)

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
36 bay scallops, divided  (Chef Kinsey had us use about 12-15 small bay scallops to make the sauce and then used larger sea scallops to sear and serve with the sauce.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2½ cups muscadet or other light, dry white wine such at Pino Grigio, divided
2 cups fish stock
¾ cup heavy cream
1½ Tablespoon cornstarch
3 Tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
Melt 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season 12 of the scallops with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook scallops in skillet until golden brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes; transfer to plate.

Add 2 cups of the muscadet and 2 cups of the fish stock to skillet; cook until reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes.  Pour liquid into a blender; puree along with the previously cooked scallops and heavy cream.  For the fish stock I used 2 cups of instant miso, which is a Japanese fish soup.

Whisk together remaining ½ cup of the muscadet and cornstarch in skillet, remove from heat.  Add scallop puree; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 4-5 minutes.  Keep warm.

Melt remaining 1 Tablespoon of the butter in another large skillet over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, cook remaining 24 scallops until golden brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes.  To serve, divide scallops between your serving plates.  Ladle the cream sauce over the scallops, garnish with parsley and serve.  Serves 8.

Stay tuned for the other recipes from the Sur la Table class in future Dad in the Kitchen posts.  Enjoy!

Award-Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s hard to improve on perfection.  In the U.S.A. we try.  You know, the whole “better mousetrap” idea.  But there are some things that are better left “original.”

That fact was recently reconfirmed at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.  The 96^th Farm Show was held in early January at the Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg.  The show boasts 10,000 competitive exhibits, 300 commercial exhibits, and 6,000 animals.  Into that mix enters thirteen-year-old Christopher Mrozinski.  Christopher is the son of Michael Mrozinski and former Spring-Ford teacher, Paige Menton.

Christopher, who is a future “Dad in the Kitchen,” I’m sure, loves to bake.  He also loves 4-H, and is involved with Montgomery County 4-H in Creamery, PA.  That combination inspired him on the night before the Farm Show to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  He got the recipe from the package of chocolate chips.  You guessed it:  Nestlé Toll House^® Chocolate Chip Cookies.  An American Original.

That’s not all.  In fact, here’s the best part:  He won a prize.  In fact, First Place in the Youth Section of the Food and Nutrition competition of the Family Living Department!  Way to go, Christopher!  Christopher’s family screamed with delight upon learning of the win, and his first official act as First Prize Winner was to call his grandmother and share the good news.

Christopher also won Third Place for his Double-Peanut Butter Cookies.  That recipe is not quite as well known, and came from Kids Cookies, a volume of the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library.  I’ll share that recipe in a future post.

Christopher can’t wait for next year’s Farm Show.  He plans to enter in as many categories as possible.  Christopher’s award-winning Toll House Cookie recipe follows, but first the story of how the chocolate chip cookie came to be.

Nestlé Toll House^® Logo

In the 1930’s Kenneth and Ruth Wakefield purchased an old toll house in Massachusetts.  Dating to the beginning of the 18^th century, the house had originally been a place for weary travelers to enjoy a home-cooked meal, change horses, and of course pay the road toll.  The Wakefields decided to open a lodge and call it the Toll House Inn.  Ruth baked for the guests who enjoyed meals at the inn.

Ruth Wakefield

According to Ruth, (as told by Nestlé), the inauguration of the chocolate chip cookie occurred when she was making her popular Butter Drop Do cookies and ran out of regular Baker’s Chocolate.  She substituted broken pieces of Nestlé Semi-Sweet Chocolate, expecting them to melt.  Instead the chocolate held its shape but softened to a creamy texture, and the legend was born.

The genesis of the Toll House Cookie is not without controversy, however.  Wikipedia includes a story from the point of view of George Boucher, who was at one time the head chef at the Toll House Inn.  Boucher disagrees with Nestlé’s claim that Ruth Wakefield put chunks of chocolate into her cookie dough thinking they would melt.  He contends that she was an accomplished baker, familiar with the properties of chocolate, and knew the chocolate wouldn’t melt and mix into the cookie dough.  Boucher says that the vibrations from a large Hobart mixer dislodged bars of chocolate stored on the shelf above, causing them to fall into the mixer and become broken up and distributed into the dough.  Boucher is the hero (of course) in this version, as he convinced Ruth not to discard what she considered to be “ruined cookie dough.”  The rest, as they say is “history,” at least according to Chef Boucher.

Hobart Floor Mixer

My dad used Hobart mixers at Latshaw’s Bakery, and I have to say that it would be almost impossible for chocolate bars to fall into their mixing bowl.  Almost all of the open surface of the bowl is shielded by the mixer’s top, which contains the motor and gearbox.  That top is also rounded and would have a tendency to deflect anything falling above it.  I’m therefore a little skeptical of Boucher’s version.

In any case, the new cookie quickly became a sensation in Massachusetts and Ruth readily shared her recipe.  It's popularity spread quickly, but got a surprise boost.  During WWII, GIs from New England who were stationed overseas shared the cookies sent to them in care packages.  Soon hundreds of GIs were writing home asking relatives to send some Toll House Cookies.  Nestlé started marketing chocolate morsels so that home bakers wouldn’t have to break chocolate bars to make their own…and they wanted to print Ruth Wakefield’s recipe on their packaging.  She struck a deal with Nestlé and as part of the agreement Ruth received all of the chocolate she could use to make Toll House Cookies for the rest of her life.

On that happy note, here is the award-winning recipe from Christopher, a half-recipe, adapted from the Nestlé semi-sweet morsels package.  It makes 18 large cookies:

Nestlé Toll House^® Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

½ cup packed brown sugar

 1/3 cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup (6-oz.pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate morsels

½ cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.

When I made Christopher’s recipe, I decided to try using my food processor to make the dough.  It worked well, but I think I prefer my Kitchen Aid mixer.  The food processor required a lot of stopping and scraping that the mixer does not.

I also decided to add the chocolate chips by hand, and left out the nuts.  The dough was satiny smooth and the cookies were great!

I used parchment paper on my cookie sheets.  Dad always used parchment for baking.  It helps the cookies bake evenly and clean up is so much easier.  You can find parchment paper in the grocery store’s wax paper and aluminum foil aisle.

Congratulations, Christopher!  Keep us posted on your future baking successes!