Hello friends,

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Everyday Gourmet – a bi-

weekly newsletter geared to foodies (and the foodie-curious) with
a busy schedule.

I think it’s safe to say as the work force has grown the amount of
cooking Americans do at home has diminished. This is bad for a
lot of reasons; mediocre food, inflated prices and inferior nutrition
to name a few. Most important, however, is that we’ve taken a
nightly event out of the home and moved it to a franchised
restaurant. Blah!

The good news is it doesn’t have to be that way. Deep down you
also believe this or you wouldn’t have subscribed to the newsletter.
So here’s the deal. Twice a month (on the 1st and the 15th) you will
receive the Everyday Gourmet newsletter via email. Each
newsletter will contain one recipe, a history of the recipe, a
corresponding shopping list and tips on cooking and shopping.

Each recipe will adhere to the following guidelines. First and

foremost, it’s guaranteed to taste great. It will also be geared for
the novice to intermediate chef. In other words, there’ll be no
complex reduction sauces or temperamental soufflés. That’s a
whole other newsletter. Prep time is also a factor. From start to
table, my goal is to keep it in under an hour and a half. However,
most of these recipes will be much less. Cost will also be a
concern as it’s not getting any cheaper to live.

I would also like to encourage readers to email me with success

stories or, god forbid, disasters. Both will be useful in the growth
of this newsletter.

With that being said, here’s your first lesson in home cooking and
gourmet eating.
 MEAL #1: Potato and Spring Onion Soup
European Salad
Warmed Crusty Bread with Sweet Butter

I picked this meal to kick off the newsletter for a couple of reasons.
For starters, it’s spring time and that means we’re approaching the
end of “soup season”. The bottom line is the closer we get to
summer the less people feel like making and eating soup. I also
like this meal because it’s quick, inexpensive and unbelievably
versatile. It works great as an early dinner or a late night supper.
It’s also a perfect weekend lunch. If that’s not enough, you can
use the soup and salad as a first and second course for a dinner
party. Whatever the case may be, feel free to double the soup
recipe. You’re going to want plenty of leftovers.

Regarding the soup, this is an adapted version of a recipe I found

in Saveur. As a side note, if anyone is looking for a great food
magazine, Saveur is one of my favorites. It’s clear, concise and
the recipes are all winners.

I took the original version of this potato soup and added a couple
of ingredients; namely, a touch of cream and nutmeg. The cream
made it silkier and the nutmeg is a perfect accent to the potato.
The potato/nutmeg combination is something I want you to
remember. The two go well together in any format; mashed
potatoes, baked potatoes, scalloped, etc. It elicits the sought after
response, “what am I tasting on this potato.” At that point you can
either answer or feign ignorance and look like a genius.

On the subject of nutmeg, I prefer whole nutmeg that you would

freshly grind over the pre-ground nutmeg most are used to. The
reason is two-fold; your nutmeg lasts longer and it’s a bigger taste.
Anybody who is sweating over the idea of freshly grinding their
nutmeg should know this merely involves the use of a cheese
grater. Use the small holes as they work the best.
Regarding the salad, this is an adapted version of the everyday
greens I grew up with. It’s also typical of a salad you would find
on any dinner table in Europe. The only adaptation I made was to
simplify the preparation. Instead of making the dressing
separately, I make it right on top of the greens and then toss to
fully coat. This is a down and dirty/everyday way to get a salad on
the table quickly. But you have to trust me when I say you will
win a lot of fans with this dish. Your only job at that point will be
telling your company how easy it was to make.

Before we get to the recipes I want to talk about the equipment you
will need. Here is the list:

-a soup pot (3 to 5 quarts)

-the best knife you own
-a vegetable peeler
-a salad spinner (optional)
-a large mixing bowl
-an immersion blender, OR a food processor, OR a good blender

(FYI – for those wondering about the immersion blender, it is also

known as a wand blender as it looks like a wand and can be
directly immersed into the liquid. You can pick one up for under
$20 at almost any cooking store and it’s well worth the money.
It’s, by far, the best method for this preparation because of the easy
clean up. It also has a lot of other practical uses.)

Not bad in terms of equipment, huh? You’ll like this recipe even
more when you see how fast it cleans up.

On with the cooking…

 Potato and Spring Onion Soup
(serves 4)
-3 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
-2 bunches of scallions. White parts roughly chopped. Green parts
finely chopped and set aside.
-1 medium yellow onion
-4 cups low-sodium, canned chicken broth
-1/3 cup heavy cream
-4tbs. extra virgin olive oil
-fresh grated nutmeg to taste
-salt and pepper to taste
-French baguette and sweet butter

-In large pot, heat oil until hot. Add onion and white parts of
scallion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and potatoes.
Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Allow to simmer for 20
minutes.
-Take pot off stove and using the immersion blender blend until
smooth. If you are using a regular blender or a food processor,
allow soup to cool slightly and blend in batches if necessary.
-Return pot to stove on low heat. Add the cream, nutmeg, salt and
pepper and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
-Taste again, reseason if necessary and ladle into soup bowls.
Garnish with reserved scallion greens. Serve with crusty bread
warmed in the oven and sweet butter served at room temperature.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS:

#1 For a winter variation, use leeks instead of green onions. If
using leeks, discard dark green tops and use chopped chives to
garnish the finished soup. As a side note – leeks grow under
ground and are a somewhat, dirty vegetable. Make sure you wash
the white parts diligently.
#2 Mix crème fraiche (French sour cream) with any fresh herbs
(finely chopped) you have on hand and swirl into soup.
#3 Garnish the soup with anything you would put on a baked
potato (i.e. grated cheese, sour cream, bacon, etc.)
#4 If vegan or lactose intolerant - substitute soy creamer for the
heavy cream. You can also leave it out altogether.
#5 Feel free to use any of the organic or free range chicken stocks.
 European Salad
(serves 4)
-1 large head of butter leaf lettuce, washed, dried well and hand
torn into bite-sized pieces.
-1/3 cup red onion, sliced paper-thin
-1/3 cup English/hothouse cucumber, sliced paper-thin
-a good quality extra virgin olive oil
-red wine vinegar
-kosher salt
-fresh ground pepper
-fresh or dried dill weed

-Place lettuce, red onion and cucumber in a large mixing bowl.

-Liberally sprinkle the salad with kosher salt, pepper and dill.
-Drizzle with olive oil (approximately 2 tbs).
-Drizzle with vinegar (approximately 1tbs).
-Toss well either using tongs or your hands.
-Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

TIPS
#1 It’s important to know that the amounts of oil, vinegar and
seasonings will very with the amount of lettuce used. Start with
the amounts listed and adjust if necessary. This is the part of
cooking that involves thinking outside the box. It’s a little scary
for novice cooks but trust me when I say improvisation makes you
a better chef.
#2 Butter leaf lettuce is an untapped resource for Americans. It’s
texture is buttery just like the name says.
#3 Paper thin slices of onion and cucumber are important. It
allows for a nuance of flavor as opposed to big mouthfuls of onion.
#4 The beauty of this salad is it’s simplicity. However, that
doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with other toppings. Other
good choices are Roma tomato, kalamata olive, feta and avocado.
Before I end this thing I’d like to quickly address what to drink
with this meal. The good news is everything works. I can justify
serving almost any wine with this dinner but that doesn’t mean I
don’t have a favorite. My pick is a Californian sauvignon blanc.
It’s clean, crisp flavor will balance the rich creaminess of the soup
and its light fruit will parallel the salad. But the bottom line is you
like what you like and that, my friends, is what you should serve.
The only caveat; serve it with pride.

Until next time…