Soup Night (30 page)
Authors: Maggie Stuckey
Skillet Flatbread
Recipe from
Rebecca Gagnon
, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Makes 8 breads
Rebecca says: The original recipe, which I have adapted for our family, was made in a food processor. That’s quicker, but I usually make it by hand, because the truth is, I absolutely hate washing the food processor. A cast-iron skillet is essential here. I don’t usually need to add any grease to the skillet since my pans are very well seasoned, but if the breads seem to stick, add a little oil to the pan. I use my homemade yogurt, which is the consistency of buttermilk, but I also like this recipe made with sour cream if I have it on hand, or I mix my runny yogurt with sour cream to equal
1
⁄
4
cup. For the wheat flour, I use a high-protein whole wheat, or “white wheat” that is milled in Wisconsin and doesn’t have a lot of wheat bran particles, but plain whole-wheat flour works well too.
- 2
1
⁄
4
teaspoons instant yeast - 1 cup warm water (110°F)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or grapeseed oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1
⁄
4
cup sour cream or plain yogurt - 1
⁄
2
cup whole-wheat flour - 1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons kosher salt - 2 cups bread flour, plus additional as needed
- 1.
In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. (If you are using regular yeast rather than quick-rise, add a bit of the honey at this point and wait for the yeast-water to “proof” — i.e., start bubbling.) - 2.
Add the oil, honey, and sour cream or yogurt, and mix with a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon until well combined. Add the whole-wheat flour and salt, and continue mixing until the batter is smooth. Add the bread flour, and continue mixing with a spoon or spatula until all the flour is incorporated, about 3 minutes. - 3.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 12 to 15 minutes, adding flour as necessary to aid in kneading. (Depending on the weather, the additional flour added can be substantial, more than 1 cup.) Squeeze the dough gently; if it is sticky, sprinkle with flour and knead briefly, just enough to combine. - 4.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. - 5.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball (similar to forming a pizza dough ball), and cover with a clean towel. - 6.
Heat a cast-iron skillet (one with at least an 8-inch bottom surface) over medium heat until very hot. Throw in a drop of water; if it sizzles, your pan is hot. - 7.
One at a time, roll a ball of dough into a 4-inch round, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll it (or stretch it) until it is 6 to 7 inches round. Transfer the dough to the skillet, and bake on the first side until tiny bubbles appear, about 1 minute. Flip the bread, bake for 2 minutes, then flip again and continue baking for 1 to 2 minutes. Finished flatbread should be speckled with deep brown spots, but you should keep close attention on the heat, since cast iron tends to get hotter as it is heated. - 8.
When the breads come off the skillet, hold them in a stack of clean dishtowels to keep warm until serving.
Variations:
Rebecca says, “You can also make pita-type breads with a pocket using this same dough. Roll the dough to the thickness of an earlobe, and bake them on a preheated pizza stone (500°F) for 5 to 6 minutes. You can usually fit 3 to 4 pitas on the stone at one time. I put the stone in the center rack position and watch to be sure they don’t get too dark on the bottom. I have also made 16 smaller pitas rather than 8 rather large ones. It’s really a good, versatile dough!”
Make ahead?
Rebecca says, “I have had good luck making them earlier in the day, cooling them completely and wrapping them in foil, and then reheating in a medium oven or toaster oven.”
For large crowds:
An excellent choice for a Soup Night, since these breads appeal to both adults and kids.
Basic Batter Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Batter breads, by definition, are quick and easy — no kneading, no rising. This basic version is delicious all by itself (the sweetness of the molasses contrasts nicely with the tang of the buttermilk), but offers endless possibilities for improvisation. See suggestions below.
- 2
1
⁄
2
cups all-purpose flour - 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1
1
⁄
2
cups buttermilk - 1
⁄
2
cup molasses
- 1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8- by 4-inch loaf pan. - 2.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the butter, buttermilk, and molasses, mixing well. - 3.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 1
1
⁄
2
hours, or until the top and sides of the loaf are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center tests clean. Cool the bread on a baking rack.
Variations:
Use different flours, or a combination. Add a pinch of your favorite dried herb. Add raisins, nuts, or both. Add an egg for a richer batter.
Make ahead?
You pretty much have to, but if you’re smart you’ll time it so the bread is coming out of the oven when your guests arrive.
For large crowds:
Double the ingredients for two loaves. You may well want to make more than two, since the loaves freeze well, but you might find it easier to make the recipe multiple times, rather than tripling or quadrupling the ingredients.
Cornbread Soufflé
Recipe from
John Roberts
, West Endies, Loveland, Colorado
Serves 6–8
John says: I first tasted spoon bread when I was a college student in West Virginia 38 years ago. In the past 5 to 10 years, Regina and I have tried to create gluten-free versions of favorite recipes. This is one of the regular offerings from our oven.
- 2
1
⁄
2
cups milk - 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1.
Put an 8-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 375°F. - 2.
Scald the milk in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and slowly add the cornmeal to the milk, whisking constantly until the mixture is quite thick. Remove from the heat. - 3.
Add the butter, then whisk in the egg yolks. Add the salt and baking powder. - 4.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the cornmeal mixture. - 5.
Liberally oil the hot skillet and pour in the batter (listen to it sizzle!). Bake 45 minutes. Cut into individual portions and serve immediately.
Make ahead?
Afraid not.
For large crowds?
Yes, if you have a large enough skillet.
Claudia and Dave Darmofal
Medfield, Massachusetts
In 1998, Claudia and Dave moved from Texas to Massachusetts, with two kids, a dog, and no family anywhere nearby. But they had known Suzy and Philip Poll in Houston, and knew all about their Soup Night (see
page 61
), so they decided to start one in their new Boston-area neighborhood. “It seemed a good way to get to know others in a concentrated way,” Claudia says, “so we stole the Poll model. We love cooking, and we had seen how wonderful their Soup Night was, so it seemed a natural thing to try.”
We hear from all the kids how much they look forward to it. They’ve grown up together, these past 12 years, and they’re really close. That’s one of the best things for us, to see how the kids interact.
They began in 2000 with four other couples, all with small children. Those same couples are the core of the group to this day, even though some have moved away and others have been included. Visiting relatives are welcome; everyone’s parents are honorary members.
“The adults are all pretty different,” Claudia says, “but our kids are the common denominator. Somehow it just worked. You get a bunch of people sitting around a table sharing food, and good things will happen. We are closer to those people than to almost anybody else. We had no idea it would turn out this way.”
Their standard format is a monthly Soup Night, on a Saturday. “When the kids were young, we started early, so it went from 4 to 8
pm
. Then people started bringing pj’s for the kids so they could stay later. Then as kids got older we gradually made it later; now it’s 5 or 6 to 11. When the kids were younger, we served them a full meal first, then they would go downstairs and watch a movie or something while the adults ate. Now sometimes they join us.”
For the first seven or eight years Soup Night was always at the Darmofal home, but in recent years others have hosted. In any case, there’s a community approach to the dinner, which always features two soups, one vegetarian and one meat, along with appetizers and dessert. “We have a good-sized kitchen,” Claudia says, “and a stove with six burners. When we host we make the soups the night before, since they’re better the next day anyway. Now people know where the cutting boards are, and they just jump in and do what needs doing. Something about making and sharing food just brings people together.”
The Darmofals plan out a full year’s Soup Night calendar — October to May — and e-mail it to everyone all at once, with dates. “We never cancel; even if just one family can make it, we still do it. But now that other people are doing the hosting, they can change the dates if they need to for some reason.”
One of the aspects of Soup Nights that I find spectacularly touching is how much the tradition means to the children; it’s a theme that comes up over and over, and the Darmofals are no exception. Claudia explains: “We have two teenage girls, Madison and Abigail, and they LOVE it. We hear from all the kids how much they look forward to it. They’ve grown up together, these past 12 years, and they’re really close. That’s one of the best things for us, to see how the kids interact. Most of them are now 16 or 17, in that range, both boys and girls. One thing I really appreciate is that our girls know these boys in a healthy way, and so some of that awkward boy-girl stuff goes away. All these kids look forward to coming. We know that the parents juggle schedules so that even if there’s something like a soccer practice, one parent comes for a while and then the other so that everyone can be here at least part of the time. They don’t want to miss it.”
Anna Bueno
echoes this idea. “Our children are linked to each other by Soup Night. As they’ve gotten older, of course they’re busier with their activities, and so they don’t always make it. But our three boys love it, and they would never miss two in particular — Halloween and Cinco de Mayo. One year on Cinco de Mayo night my husband and I had a conflict and told the kids we couldn’t go. We had a mutiny on our hands: ‘No way are we going to miss that,’ they said. So we had to drive them over, go to our own commitment, and come back to pick them up. We didn’t even get to go!”
Dave describes the personality of the event. “Our Soup Nights have themes, and we do it top to bottom; every part of the evening reflects that theme. The first and the last Soup Night (October, May) coincide with our daughters’ birthdays, so we make them extra-special. For the October birthday, we set up a haunted house in our basement for the kids. One year my mother and her sister surprised the kids by showing up in costume in the haunted house. In May, we always have Cinco de Mayo for the May 11 birthday. We make it a big party, with piñatas for the kids and margaritas for the adults; one year we even had a small mariachi band.”
The soup themes match the calendar pretty closely. October, Halloween month, there is always one black soup and one orange soup. In December, one red soup and one green. January is a Chinese soup, in honor of Chinese New Year, and March celebrates Mardi Gras with some New Orleans specialty. The other, non-holiday months are opportunities for other themes. “Once our theme was ‘Going Green,’” Dave says. “We had green soups, and we recycled everything. We turned off all the electricity and so there was no TV for the kids. Instead we asked them to do a talent show for us, and it was fantastic, one of the best Soup Nights ever.”
You get a bunch of people sitting around a table sharing food, and good things will happen.
Before my scheduled telephone visit with them, Claudia and Dave had contacted all their friends and asked if there was anything they wanted to pass on to me. Almost everyone said versions of the same sentiment: Be sure to tell her it’s not just about the soup. It’s about spending time together. “And really you can see it when people walk in the door,” Dave adds. “It’s something like a sigh of relief, knowing it will be an easy, warm, comfortable evening. Just good friends getting together, no pressure. We all look forward to it. No one wants to miss it. In fact, on one recent Soup Night one of our families was in Singapore; the husband was on sabbatical and the whole family went. We decided to Skype them in that evening, even though it was breakfast time for them. So we all still ate together — they were eating breakfast and we were having soup. It was great.”
