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Village Squire, 1976-03, Page 32BY RON RUDD March, the blustery, cold month, is the time for hearty soups served piping hot with crusty bread. One of the pleasantest memories I have of early teens is snowshoeing on crisp, moonlight nights through snowladen cedars. The incredible brightness and stillness was unforgettable. As you moved, the only sound was the swish, squeench of the snowshoes. When you stopped to admire a particularly breathtaking vista, the awesome stillness enveloped you and forced a lingering enjoyment of the wonder of a night, a moon and a silent forest. These joyful, healthful and awe inspiring journeys often terminated with a bowl of my mother's oyster stew. There is little point in giving quantities, so experiment as your fancy and budget will permit. You .need oysters, cream, milk, cayenne pepper and a touch of salt. There are several secrets to the success of this particular soup. Do not overcook the oysters sincre that toughens them. Do not thicken except with a generous quantity of salted soda biscuits, hand crushed into the glorious, creamy mixture just before serving. A few grains of cayenne are added just before the biscuits. Do not use pepper in this heaven-sent broth. Another favourite is homemade beef and vegetable soup. When round steak was two pounds for a quarter and ground beef was made from the round, real butchers would throw in a shank for nothing --if you asked. The shank was what was left after the round was cut far enough down so nobody would buy it because the slices were beginning to have as much bone as meat. The shank was simmered, NOT BOILED, with onion, a bay leaf or two and much skimming and loving care. The simmering in March was done on the back of the kitchen stove. That night, supper was one of my favourites. The shank meat was tender, mist, flavorful and accompanied by warm bread, butter, horse radish and my mother's nine -day pickles. There was never any left to have cold. Beef cooked this way, sliced cold and served with fresh bread, butter, hot mustard and a glass of ale, is very satisfying far. - 30, VILLAGE SQUIRE/MARCH 1976 Squire's Chef Hearty soup suggestions for blustery March Now the bone. Return it to the pot. It should be cracked but don't worry if you cannot do this. It just makes it easier to get the marrow out. Despite all caution to the contrary, do not skim the fat from this soup. There is very little anyway and most is from the marrow. Don't strain it either. When the bone looks like a bleached skeleton you have seen on the prairie, take it from the pot, cool it and give it to the dog. The remaining broth is just magnificent as it is with a pinch of salt and crusty bread. To make it even better, add carrots cut into small chunks ('A" cubes), turnip the same or use larger pieces if you wish. Use celery stalks --no tops, and parsnips. The celery should be small, the parsnips large and thoroughly cooked as all the vegetables should be. Put in whole potatoes. Cook long and slowly --hang the energy crisis --food must be cooked properly. Don't put cabbage in this soup. To serve, remove potato and have with butter, salt and pepper to taste. Potatoes cooked this way are delicious. Have a bowl of the broth either with or without the rest of the vegetables. Try a plate of vegetables with butter, salt and pepper. This meal is satisfying, meatless, delicious and not very expensive even now. The white navy bean which hovered around 20c a pound for years but is now climbing to 51.00 a pound, makes a delicious hearty soup with the help of a ham bone. Use white beans, dried split peas or whole dried peas. Each will give a distinct flavor so don't use a mixture. Soak about a cup of them overnight. The ham bone can be simmered in a quart and a half of water to which has been added a large bay leaf. You should also have thrown into this pot all the bits of ham fat, skin and what not that is left over. After a satisfactory stewing and simmering, strain the stock and have about a quart for the soup. Don't use less but more won't hurt. Add to this heavenly brew the drained beans (peas), a large onion, a big carrot, a couple of celery stalks, all finely chopped. Simmer gently until everything is delightfully tender. The soup may be pureed but 1 like it as is. Serve with a great gob of butter, a bit of fresh crushed mint, lots of warm sourdough bread rand a robust red wine. I have no idea what this next soup/stew is called but, at times of severe physical anguish as the mumps, flu, a double hernia or the strange and unexplainable actions of a loving wife, the mixture is as comforting as a good belt of rum. Take a large piece of cod, a few potatoes, a like quantity of onion, a great lump of butter, a few bay leaves and as much milk as it takes. You can see that quantities don't matter. Peel and dice the potato. Cut the onion into chunks and boil in lightly salted water. (use only enough to cover) until tender. Add bay leaf and potato and cook until the potato is tender. Remove bay leaf. Add the cod, cut in bite -sized pieces. Put in milk to suit; lots if you like it soupy, less if you like it stewy. Simmer very gently until the fish is cooked. Add lots of butter, DO NOT USE THE OTHER SPREAD. Salt and pepper to taste. Freshly ground pepper is a must here. Serve with cool beer and lots of soda crackers. Now here is heresy! If the cod is too expensive at $1.90 a pound, and butter at $1.10 hasn't been in your house since Christmas of '67, try this. Use the canned chicken haddie and margarine. Everybody's favorite soup is cream of tomato. Modern housewives and house- husbands (housepeople?) hesitate to make this soup because of the fear of curdling. Tomato soup is nothing more than stewed tomato and delicately seasoned thin, white sauce mixed together. Stew enough peeled and seeded tomatoes to make about three cups, with an onion stuck with cloves. The cream sauce is made with 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons flour, 3 cups milk. Melt butter in a thick-walled saucepan, add flour and cook (this is a roux). Add milk and cook 5 minutes. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste. The tomato may be pureed or chopped. A very nice soup results if the tomato is left in small chunks. If you wish to puree, do not use canned tomato because the seeds interfere with the flavor. Mix the hot tomato and the hot white sauce just before serving and there should be no curling. Serve with soda crackers or toast. Well next month is shower (rain) month and we'll talk about sauces.