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Wrapping up the farm Stand
Many local farm stands are about to close for winter, but the canny shopper can pick up good end-of-summer veggies to make a “stoup,” the nickname that TV/magazine chef Rachael Ray calls her thick-as-a-stew soup. That’s what you can learn when exercising at a gym with a TV monitor tuned to the Food network.
Many years ago, my frugal mother taught me how to take the tail ends of squash, eggplant, corn, and tomatoes and meld them with other vegetables of my choice. After cubing everything, she slow-simmered them in rich chicken broth, and for an added kick, added one or several chilies. I’ve taken that idea and expanded on the theme to make it reflect my Western roots—I use both chicken broth plus beer as the cooking liquid, and then add a variety of fresh and dried herbs, cubed boneless pork and/or chicken, and pinto beans. After several hours of simmering, the whole house has the aroma of a Mexican restaurant, minus the tortillas. (Did you know that you can add corn tortillas to this or other chicken soup that has a Tex-Mex character and enhance the flavor of the soup tenfold?) In fact, this soup is simmering right now and is inspiring this column, so here’s the deal:
California Veggie/Pork Soup
The following vegetable combinations are suggestions only; put together your favorites to suit your palate. Just add enough liquid to cover the ingredients. Serve this in heatproof crocks, and top with grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Put the crocks under a broiler until the cheese melts. Perfect partners: chilled beer and corn tortillas.
2 zucchini, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cubed
Kernels from 1 to 2 ears of corn
Small eggplant, stemmed and diced
1 large onion, diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
½ pound string beans, stemmed and halved
1 pound boneless pork or chicken, cubed or more as desired
One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed, stem ends discarded, and chopped
5 to 8 cloves garlic, or to taste
3 to 4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 quart chicken broth
4 cups beer
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Put all the ingredients into a stockpot, making sure there is enough liquid to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, or until the meat is cooked through. Serve.
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