Wednesday, August 23, 2017

"A Culinary Collection from The Metropolitan Museum of Art" - Fresh Vegetable Soup


Date I made this recipe:  August 20, 2017

A Culinary Collection from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, compiled by Linda Gillies, Anita Muller and Pamela Patterson (recipes from members of the Board of Trustees and museum staff)
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
©1973; ISBN: 0-87099-081-0
Recipe: Fresh Vegetable Soup – p. 25, submitted by Clare Vincent – Western European Arts

In my latest blog, published last week, I mentioned that I was recently in New York state and also New York City.   Today's recipe is from New York City's world-renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I cannot recall the first time I went to The Met, but it was and is pretty impressive. It's also so big that it almost exhausts visitors before they even get past the entrance.  To combat that, I often decide in advance what I'm going to look at and then go from there.

Over the years, my favorite section of the museum has been exhibits in the lower-level, particularly those in The Costume Institute.  I cannot sew and I cannot draw but others can and I've seen some great exhibits.

I also like photography and have seen a number of special exhibits that just leave me speechless; I'm particularly fond of black and white photos because of the crispness it brings and the detail it enhances. 

Here is the most important thing you should know about The Met:  although the sign says "admission," it is your choice whether to pay anything (you decide how much you want to contribute) or nothing at all.  Don't go that last route though:  this museum costs a ton of money to run and if you can't part with at least a dollar bill, maybe this is not the place for you!

In the early years, I dutifully paid the suggested admission and even had a membership for a few years (mostly for the gift shop), but eons ago, I switched it up to give what I thought was reasonable.  This works very well for me if I only have time for a quick in and out.

For the record, the suggested "admission" for adults is $25.00 per person and heaven help you brought people with you because ouch!  I am not a cheap person per se and yes, this is New York City, but I'd bet at least 90% of people attending The Met are families of at least four, maybe more.  And that's just to get in folks, that does not county shopping opportunities thereafter!

Now the thing to know about all museum gift shops anywhere is that you do not have to pay to go there, and so if I am pressed for time, like I was this trip, this is how I get a glimpse of current and past exhibits as the gift shop stocks books and magazines from those exhibits.  Win Win!  All that said, you should know that I probably spend about double what I would on the "admission" but I can't help myself because well, the stuff is there, and it's just waiting for me to buy it under the premise of "I'm here, it's here and I may not be back for another year so...."

This year, I got there so late and was so absorbed in several books of interest that I did not hear the "all call" that the museum is closing until a guard came up and said "You're the last person here."  OMG—I was so embarrassed!  I think I made up for it though by purchasing three books there; had I had more time, it would have been four!

So to recap, pay what you want, check out the gift shop and also, and this is important, (although not quite on point), if you are leaving The Met and it is raining, do not expect to be able to hail a cab.  Do not.  Insiders know that cabs and rain do not go together.  Time after time, I see tourists trying to hail cabs but those cabs – coming from where I do not know – already have passengers.  I need to figure out "ground zero" to catch an empty cab!  (Likely 20 blocks north from there, if not more.)

And for the record, and again, apropos to nothing, almost every single time I've been to The Met, whether alone or with someone, it rains.  It rained this year.  It rained two years ago when I was with my friend, Susan, who lives in NYC. In fact, it has rained on us every single time prompting me to tell her that she was the jinx, and yet this time around, I got caught out.  I had an umbrella though so that was good but other times, I haven't. 

In conclusion then:  pay what you want, if pressed for time, check out the gift shop because it's FREE, and "fugheddaboudit" hailing a cab in the rain. (PS—You can, if you want, purchase a rain poncho like many of the tourists do, but it won't help you get a cab, and frankly it screams "TOURIST" to everybody you see.  Plus they are hot and I don't mean fashion-wise! Umbrellas are the better choice, and for your "convenience" you can almost always find an umbrella vendor near the front steps.)

This concludes my public service announcement about visiting The Met.

As to the cookbook, it is spiral bound which as I said in my last post, does not usually find favor with me, but I bought this at an estate sale and really didn't care because it was from The Met.  Besides, I was intrigued by the illustrations, both on the cover and inside and thought them appropriate for a cookbook from an art museum.

The cover art is "The Pastry Cook," by Abraham Bosse (French, 1602-1676), and is a rendering in black and white of several cooks in a kitchen (illustrations continue on the back of the book).  The inside illustrations were taken from an early Italian cookbook, Il Cuco segreto di Papa Pio V (The Private Chef of Pope Pius V] by Bartomlomeo Scappi, Venice, 1570.  The inside illustrations were all of pots, pans, and utensils along with their Italian names and I thought that was kind of fun.

Like the museum itself, the Table of Contents is carefully curated into these categories:

  • Appetizers & Soups
  • Meats, Poultry, Fish & Their Sauces
  • Vegetables, Salads, & Salad Dressings
  • Noodles, Rice, Pasta, & Their Sauces
  • Quiches, Soufflés, & Eggs
  • Desserts
  • Cookies, Cakes, & Breads
  • Menus & Miscellaneous
And remember, all of these recipes were submitted by the museum's staff and board members and their work area is listed next to each recipe, for example "Catalogue," "Drawings," "Prints and Photographs," and so on.

As to the recipes, there were plenty that caught my eye and would have been acceptable.  In fact, for the longest time, my money was on making "Bloody Mary Meat Loaf" on page 59 because well, why not!  I've never made a meatloaf with a Bloody Mary mix.  But then I started rethinking my selection and I have to tell you that sometimes these self-debates sound suspiciously like the call of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs:  "It's 'Bloody Mary Meat Loaf' in the lead.  'Bloody Mary Meat Loaf' down the back stretch.  'Fresh Vegetable Soup' is coming up from behind.  'Fresh Vegetable Soup' is gaining on 'Bloody Mary Meat Loaf'.  'Bloody Mary Meat Loaf' and 'Fresh Vegetable Soup' are neck and neck and...'Fresh Vegetable Soup' wins by a nose!"

I have a vivid imagination! 

I also flagged "Hot Crab Meat for Twenty" on page 14 for future use, likely at a party, and pondered the merits of "Two-Tiered Tuna Casserole," p. 82. before deciding that it was a bit heavy for the day, plus it didn't have peas and people, it has to have peas.  Period.

In the end, I wanted something light and fresh and so went with the soup.  Mind you, the day I made it, the humidity was off the charts, but my house remained cool and so it all worked and it was tasty. 

As to my quick trip to The Met's Gift Shop, to answer your burning question, no, I didn't purchase a cookbooks because they really don't stock a lot of them and nothing I saw tripped my trigger such that I had to have it that day.  The books I purchased were all about NYC architecture and design which is also an area of interest and I ran out of time to see much of anything else.  By the way, one year after getting caught in the rain on my way into the museum and gift shop – what did I tell you – I pretty much hugged all the lighted jewelry cases as a way to warm up from the cold downpour.  I'd have loved to have been the security person who watched that tape:  "What is she doing? What. Is. She. doing? Is she trying to break into the cases?  Hey Joe, c'mere and look at this...."

Fresh Vegetable Soup – Serves 8 – submitted by Clare Vincent – Western European Arts
2 leeks, cut in ½-inch chunks
1 medium or large onion, cut in ½-inch chunks
2 tablespoons butter
 6 chicken bouillon cubes (Ann's Note:  or substitute chicken broth)
2 parsnips, cut in ½-inch chunks
2 medium white turnips, cut in ½-inch chunks
3 stalks celery (without leaves), cut in ½-inch chunks
2 medium carrots, cut in thumb-size pieces
¼ teaspoon dried thyme (or more)
¼ teaspoon dried rosemary (or more)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 medium potatoes, cut in thumb-size pieces
2 cups stewed tomatoes (one 16-ounce can) (Ann's Note:  or substitute fresh, chopped tomatoes)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

In a large pot wilt leeks and onion in butter.  Add 3 quarts of water and bouillon cubes and bring to a boil.  (Ann's Note:  if you want to substitute chicken broth like I did, then just pour out 3 cups of broth and add that instead.

Add parsnips and bring to a boil.  Add turnips and bring to a boil. Add celery and bring to a boil.  Add carrots and bring to a boil.  Add thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper, and correct seasonings (more herbs and bouillon may be added).  Ann's Note:  once the broth started to boil, it continued to boil so there was no "bring to a boil" portion of our program.  Since the recipe contributor didn't saw to lower the heat, I kept it as was and just kept adding the vegetables as directed.

Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer until the potatoes are nearly cooked through.  All the other vegetables will be ready by this time. Add parsley and dill, and simmer until the potatoes are done and the herbs have just begun to wilt.

When reheating to serve, make sure not to allow soup to simmer more than a minute or two, or all the care in bringing each vegetable to just the right degree of doneness will be wasted.

Ann's Note:  Okay, I need to parse this. Since the only way to make sure the veggies weren't overdone was to immediately lower the heat to simmer and then bring it back to a boil, it would have been nice if that was in the directions!  As mentioned above, once the broth started boiling, it never stopped.  Now had I made a full recipe, maybe the bulk of the vegetables would have caused the appropriate "delay" in the restart of the boil but such was not the case.  I did not need soup for 8, I needed soup for 2 and so played with it.  In the end, did the extra boil time matter much?  Nah. 



Friday, August 18, 2017

"The Best of the Best from New York" - Italian Sausage-Pepper Pasta



Date I made this recipe:  August 13, 2017

Best of the Best from New York Cookbook – Selected Recipes from New York's Favorite Cookbooks
Published by Quail Ride Press*
ISBN:  1-893062-27-9; © 2001
Recipe:  Italian Sausage-Pepper Pasta – p. 110, from the Great Taste of Parkminster cookbook

And I'm back!  Miss me?

My husband and I just came back from a grand tour of New York state and also New York City, and I just had to pull out this cookbook to make something in remembrance of our trip.

Our 18-day adventure was made principally so that Andy could participate in FANY Ride 2017FANY stands for Five Hundred Miles Across New York, and was a weeklong leisurely bicycle ride/tour that started in Niagara Falls and ended in Saratoga Springs.  Andy heard about it a few years back and wanted to give it a whirl.  This plan worked for us because we were able to stay for a bit with my brother and sister-in-law who live outside of Rochester, NY and use that as our home base for a good portion of the ride. 

For the curious, this was the route: 
Day 1 – Niagara Falls, NY to Batavia, NY
Day 2 – Batavia, NY to Canandaigua, NY
Day 3 – Canandaigua, NY to Auburn, NY
Day 4 – Auburn, NY to Hamilton, NY (home of Colgate University)
Day 5 – Hamilton, NY to Little Falls, NY (except we played hokey and went to Cooperstown)
Day 6 – Little Falls, NY to Gloversville/Johnstown, NY
Day 7 – Gloversville, NY to Saratoga Springs (home of Skidmore College)

Ta da! 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, on days where Andy was riding his bicycle, I explored nearby towns and points of interest such as "It's A Wonderful Life" Museum in Seneca Falls, All Things Oz Museum in Chittenango, NY (where I purchased a new cookbook – The Wonderful Cookbook of Oz – in the museum store), the Syracuse Zoo and also Syracuse's [university] campus, all of which I recommend. 

While in Little Falls, NY, I checked out some fun antique stores where I acquired three cookbook for my collection (nothing noteworthy, just ones I didn't have) and I also purchased another new cookbook – Saratoga Grazing Cookbook – at Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, NY where the ride ended.  Saratoga Springs is known for their horse racing (horses "graze," don't you know) and I think we were there on opening weekend because we hoped to go to the track only to find it packed with people and I mean "packed!"  Next time.

After we got done with the ride, we stopped in the Lake Huntington, NY area, to visit Andy's brother who has a weekend home there, and on one of our side trips, I found this fabulous and unique bookstore, One Grand Books (www.onegrandbooks.com) in Narrowsburg, NY.  This store stocks books of every genre that have been recommended by famous people whom the owner knows and whom he refers to as "curators."  I love this idea, and especially loved that many of the books are "classics" that I read in high school and college.

The book I purchased was a cookbook (!) called New Orleans Cookbook by Leah Richard, that was recommended by Marcus Samuelsson who I met when he visited Minneapolis last year.  Some of the other "curators" were actress Kathy Najimy, actress Michelle Dockery, The Daily Show host, Trevor Noah, and CNN reporter, Christiane Amanpour.  The shop is small but I still could have spent a few more hours there.  Or maybe work there, I don't know!

After that stop, we went on a "cannonball run" to NYC for three action-packed days before heading out to Ypsilanti, MI to see my Aunt Mary, then on to Chicago to see some friends, then home.  We were gone 18 days and while it was great to be gone, it was also great to be back in our own home.

No trip to NYC is complete without a stop at my favorite [used] cookbook bookstore in town – Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks – and I also had time  to go to Kitchen Arts & Letters on the Upper East Side.  Sadly,  I ran out of time to go visit the Strand ("18 miles of books") which was probably a good thing for my blown budget.  Let's just say that I consider these road trips, and particularly the stop in NYC, to be buying trips and buy I did, no problemo!  ( think I scored about 20 books between the two stores.)

And then when we got to Michigan to visit my  aunt, she gave me her cookbooks, one of which was a vintage Hawaiian cookbook/booklet that I saw last year and had it on my "look for" list – score!  The title is Hawaiian Party Book – How to Entertain the Hawaiian Way.  It's a booklet rather than a book but I don't care.  Although the book does not contain a copyright date, it sold for a big whopping dollar back in the day.  My price? Free!

These books are still sitting on my floor just waiting for me to add them to my "database" which will involve a lot of time and a bit of work, neither of which I have right now but soon, folks, soon, because as soon as I add them to my list, they become "eligible" for the blog!   

Meanwhile though, I thought this cookbook – The Best of the Best from New York Cookbook,  a compilation of recipes from 67 New York regional cookbooks, was a way to get back into the [blogging] game.

I must confess though, that this is not the type of cookbook I usually purchase.  This book is similar to a church cookbook in that it contains contributions from several sources and while I have nothing against church cookbooks, if I collected them, I would have to buy another house because there are a ton of them.  The other reason I usually refrain is that they are often spiral-bound (this one is) and spiral-bound books are boring on a shelf because you can't read the title.  The whole point of having any type of book collection is so that people can see easily what you have and spiral-bound books just don't have that "wow" factor.

That said, I recall at the time that this was the only cookbook I could find that covered all of New York state rather than focusing  just New York City or one of the other boroughs. 

Turns out, I really like this book.

I like this book because it seems pretty comprehensive:  recipes from 67 regional books were included in this "best of the best" edition. (On the other hand, I'm drying to know which books didn't make the cut and why!)  All 67 books are listed, along with a cover photo, in the back of the book and it should not surprise you that I have my eye on a few. And if New York is not to your liking, you can go to the publisher's website and find a state's "best of the best" that will work for you:  Quail Ridge Presswww.quailridge.com (or Amazon or Barnes & Noble).

Lest you think that only community or church cookbooks made the cut for this book, note that The Ellis Island Immigrant Cookbook, a book I own, is included as are two Moosewood cookbooks.  The Moosewood Restaurant is located in Ithaca, NY.  I do not have the two cookbooks listed but they are on my "find now!" list, as is the very popular La Cocina de la Familia cookbook.

Other things that I loved about this book were the photos and bits of trivia placed scattered throughout. And I also liked the wide range of recipes by region although let me comment that one of the things I love most about visiting NY state and city is the plethora of Italian restaurants and food stores.  Alas, as much as I like living here, Minneapolis-St. Paul just does not have the bustling Italian communities like New York and other east-coast cities have.  This is why then, I ate Italian food almost the entire time on our trip, no apologies! 

I also noticed that there are a lot of Polish recipes in this book and in fact, we ate at a fantastic placed called the Polish Nook, in Niagara Falls, NY where Andy's FANY Ride started.  Of course, once we hit Manhattan, the sky was the limit for cuisine, but as our time there was limited, we only ate non-Italian food twice, once at an Indian buffet, and the other at a French restaurant we like.

At any rate, it should come as no surprise then that I considered making many a pasta dish for this blog and the one I made was great.  It was simple and easy and tasty and you can't ask for much more than that.  These recipes were also in the running for a bit:

  • Italian Vegetable Soup – p. 58 – from Great Taste of Parkminster
  • Tomato-Basil-Onion Frittata – p. 94 – from Tasting the Hamptons
  • Reuben Lasagna (I know, right?) – p. 106 – from The Cookbook AAUW
  • 100% Vegetarian Lasagna – p. 107 – from Famous Woodstock Cooks
  • Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Beans) – p. 111 – Wild Game Cookbook & Other Recipes
 As you can see, I pretty much got hung up on the first couple of chapters but I have no doubt you'll find something in the remaining ones.  To aid you in this endeavor, here is the Table of Contents:
  • Beverages and Appetizers
  • Bread and Breakfast
  • Soups
  • Salads
  • Vegetables
  • Pasta, Rice, Etc.
  • Meats
  • Poultry
  • Seafood
  • Cakes
  • Cookies and Candies
  • Pies and Other Desserts
After much hemming and hawing, I still came back to the "Italian Sausage Pepper Pasta" recipe listed above and folks, I think this was meant to be because this recipe came from the Great Taste of Parkminster cookbook.  Parkminster is a church and school located in Rochester, NY.  My brother and sister-in-law live just outside of Rochester and since we had just visited them, this was perfect nay, even cosmic!

Also interesting (and hilarious)?  This church is located on Chili Avenue which everybody on the planet except for people who live in the area pronounce "Chilly."  Not so the good people of the Rochester area!  If you say "chilly," as in a dish with meat and sometimes beans, they will correct you with "It's Chi-lie."  (There's also a town in the area with the same name, pronounced the same way.)

These same people will also have you know that the Jell-O Museum which I have visited, is not in Le Roy (as in "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" Le-Roy) but Luh-Roy, which is how the French pronounce the word for "king."  Since there is no arguing that Jell-O is the king of gelatin desserts, I think I think I can live with that.  I'm not sure about "Chili" though.  Not sure.

And so this brings us now to the conclusion of my travelogue and adventures with cookbooks.  Our trip was great, the towns we saw were beautiful, we had fun times visiting friends and family, and we ate like kings (!) while we were on the road. 

I was very happy with this pasta dish and hope you are as well.  Enjoy!

Italian Sausage Pepper Pasta – Makes 8-10 servings
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
6 medium spicy Italian sausage, sliced*
½ cup fresh basil, chopped, or 2 tablespoons dried
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
16 ounces corkscrew pasta ("Fusilli"), cooked and drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan
2 tomatoes, sliced

*Ann's NoteThis ingredient was interesting because how do we interpret "6 medium spicy Italian sausage?"  Is it 6 medium-sized Italian sausage or 6 medium-spice (i.e. somewhere between mild and hot) sausage?  My whole life, there were two options only:  mild a/k/a "sweet" or hot a/k/a "spicy," so this confused.  Since I always opt to use "sweet" sausage, I avoided potential disaster but I'd still like to know what they meant  Clarity, folks, I need clarity!

Also, in the instructions below, you see that you are to sauté the sausage and vegetables for about 6 minutes or until sausage is browned and then apparently, slice it.  ("6 medium spicy Italian sausage, sliced")  Well now, that was fraught with peril!  I thought it probably best to sauté/brown my sausages separately and did that for well over 5 minutes, but yet they weren't cooked through so when I tried to slice them, many of those slices fell apart.  Fine then, see if I care!

I think the better directive would have been to remove the casings and then brown the sausage as you would ground beef but that's not what it said and so that is not what I did!

Directions:  Sauté garlic, zucchini, peppers, sausage, basil, salt and pepper in olive oil about 5 minutes or until sausage is browned.  Drain.  Combine with hot cooked pasta.  Place half of pasta mixture in 9 x 13-inch buttered casserole.  Cover with half of combined cheeses.  Repeat layers and top with sliced tomatoes.  Brush with olive oil and bake covered at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover, bake 20 minutes longer.  Serve immediately.