My Prairie Cookbook (9 page)

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Put the squash in a large pot, cover with 1 quart (960 ml) water, and add the salt; bring the water to a boil, then simmer on low until soft, about 40 minutes. Drain the squash, reserving 2 cups (480 ml) of the cooking liquid. Puree the squash with 1 cup (240 ml) of the reserved liquid and set aside.

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Melt half of the butter in a soup pot, add the wine, and sauté the celery, onion, and bell pepper for 5 minutes. Add the tarragon, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add the broth and the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) reserved squash-cooking liquid. Bring to a boil.

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Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a small skillet, then sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is smooth and light brown.

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Thicken the soup by whisking in the roux. Add the pureed squash. Cook, stirring often, on low heat for 5 minutes. Add the maple syrup and sherry and mix well to combine and heat everything through. Serve hot.

This soup, which is great for really cold winter days, would have been a very easy one to prepare out on the prairie. In the winter, I will make a big pot of this soup in the late morning and just leave it on the stove until late afternoon. That way, anyone can grab a mugful at any time.

Serves 4 to 6

2 bunches (about 10) spring onions, trimmed

¼ cup (60 ml) sunflower or vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

3 russet potatoes (about 1½ pounds/680 g), peeled and quartered

1 quart (960 ml) chicken broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Cut the spring onions in half crosswise, dividing the white and green parts. Coarsely chop the white parts and set aside. Finely chop the green parts and set them aside separately.

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Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the yellow onion and chopped white parts of the spring onions and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and broth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft, 30 to 35 minutes.

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Allow the soup to cool slightly. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or a food processor until very smooth. Return the pureed soup to the pot and cook over medium heat until hot. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Garnish individual servings with the reserved spring onion greens.

When I make this soup, I can picture Ma standing over her big black iron pot, wooden spoon in hand, welcoming Pa home from a long day working in the fields. This soup is hearty, restorative, and very, very prairie.

Serves 8

½ ounce (15 g) dried porcini mushrooms (not so prairie, but so worth it)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

8 ounces (225 g) fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced

6 cups (1.4 L) beef or chicken broth

2 cups (400 g) pearl barley, rinsed under cold running water

1 dried bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup (7 g) finely chopped fresh parsley, for serving

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Put the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and add warm water to cover. Soak until softened, about 30 minutes.

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Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth and set it inside a bowl. Pour the porcini and liquid into the strainer, reserving the liquid. Finely chop the porcini and set aside.

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In a large pot over medium heat, warm the oil and butter. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and sauté until the onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the button mushrooms, raise the heat to high, and sauté until the mushrooms begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes more.

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Add the broth, barley, bay leaf, porcini, and reserved soaking liquid and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender and the soup is thick, 50 to 60 minutes.

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Discard the bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish individual servings with the parsley.

I really love being able to make a big pot of hearty soup for dinner. It's a time-saver and the cleanup is always easier. This corn chowder is one of my family's favorites. The East and West Coasts have their seafood chowders, but we prairie folk raise a lot of corn. No prairie cookbook would be complete without a corn chowder recipe.

Serves 4

8 ears fresh corn, shucked

8 slices bacon, chopped

¼ cup (½ stick/55 g) unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 fresh or dried bay leaf

6 cups (1.4 L) milk

3 new potatoes (about 1½ pounds/680 g), peeled and cut into ½-inch (12-mm) cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup (7 g) thinly sliced fresh basil or 4 sprigs thyme, for serving