Old Fashioned Carrot Soup

In our family, when there’s a baby about to be born, we cook a bunch of stuff to freeze so that the tired, sleep-deprived new Mom and Dad don’t have to worry about dinner. My daughters Meredith and Gillian and I make stuff like Spinach Pie, Baked Ziti, Bean Soup and so on, pack them into family-size containers and put them in cold storage until the time comes.

So it’s a good thing we start well ahead because SURPRISE, we got a call at about 4:00 a.m. on September 30th that Gillian was on her way to the birthing center, 17 days before the due date and lickety-split, baby Carina Joy was born before we could even get there.

We are thrilled of course. New babies do that. Carina has a head-full of hair and two fat dimples. Gillian, who worked out almost every day and is fit as ever, is doing well and looks great.

All of this happened suddenly to Gillian and Jesse after a big move and in the middle of pre-school applications for Remy, age 2 (for next year!).

So yesterday I opened the freezer and brought them a few stored items, including this carrot soup. Dinner was all done.

Old Fashioned Carrot Soup

·      2 tablespoons butter or margarine

·      2 tablespoons vegetable oil

·      1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

·      2 pounds carrots, coarsely chopped

·      2 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

·      1/4 cup chopped parsley

·      2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

·      1-1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

·      freshly ground black pepper to taste

·      7 cups vegetable stock

·      pinch of sugar

·      1 cup cream (any kind) or cream substitute

Heat the butter and vegetable oil together in a soup pot over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the carrots, potatoes, parsley, dill, salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock and sugar. Bring the soup to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender (or use a hand blender). Return the soup to the pan. Stir in the cream. Heat the soup through and serve.

Makes 6 servings

Old Fashioned Stuffed Cabbage

For me, Stuffed Cabbage is like hot dogs, blooming onions and caramel corn. Foods I love to eat but don’t, except for once a year because once I take that first bite I over indulge and stuff myself and then feel awful the next day.

Right now is Stuffed Cabbage time.

I never actually tasted stuffed cabbage until after I was married. It was something the women in my husband Ed’s family would cook. My grandmother made Stuffed Grape Leaves, which are similar, but the leaves are tangier and her sauce more sour than the typical one for Stuffed Cabbage.

Over the years I tried to develop a recipe that Ed would like and later, would appeal to my sons-in-law, who like the dish sweeter than I was used to. This year I got it right, according to everyone in the extended family, and that’s saying a lot because we are an opinionated bunch.

Here’s the recipe:

Stuffed Cabbage

• 1 large head of green cabbage
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup raw white rice
• 2 tablespoons matzo meal or plain bread crumbs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 12-ounce bottle chili sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot half filled with water to a boil. Cut out the hard center cabbage core. Remove the large cabbage leaves. Place the cabbage leaves plus the smaller remaining cabbage in the boiling water. Cook the cabbage leaves for about 3 minutes, or until they wilt. Cook the remaining cabbage core for 3-5 more minutes, or until you can easily remove the leaves. Cut off the hard stem portions from the large leaves so that they can be rolled easily. Set the leaves aside.

ALTERNATELY: if you plan ahead you can freeze the entire head of cabbage for 24 hours (or more). Thaw the cabbage and the leaves will already be wilted and you can avoid cooking them.

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, grated onion, egg, rice, matzo meal and salt and pepper to taste. Place a mound of this mixture in the center of each leaf (more on the larger leaves of course). Enclose the meat by wrapping the cabbage leaves, envelope style. Place the stuffed cabbage leaves, seam side down, in deep baking dishes. (I separate the large rolls and smaller ones.)

Heat the vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the brown sugar, chili sauce, lemon juice and raisins and cook for 3-4 minutes. Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Cover the pan. Bake for 2 hours (or, to cook ahead, bake for one hour, freeze, thaw and bake for an additional hour).

Makes 18-24