The Food Maven Diary
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Improvised Lentil Soup, Carole Walter Honored
Months before I left my radio show behind, I went through the exercise of adding up all of my expenses to see exactly how much I needed to live. Could I live without working at all? (I seem lately to have so many friends who do.) When I told my friend Ann Amendolara Nurse, my Italian mamma, what I had done, Ann said, "I'm not worried about you. You make good pasta e fagioli." That was her way of saying, "You know how to be poor."
I am very fortunate in many ways. Besides that I don't have to worry about being poor, I do, indeed, know how to make excellent pasta e fagioli – pasta fazool. And lentils with the seasonings and pasta of several regions of Italy and several other cuisines. And (I will continue to tempt the evil eye by bragging) I can improvise with beans and lentils, on a moment's notice, with whatever I have in the refrigerator and pantry. And it'll turn out better than it is at most any restaurant. Remember, I wrote the book: "What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing In The House to Eat."
But this diary entry is not supposed to be about selling books. It's about the incredibly satisfying soup I made for dinner the other night. The key ingredient here, besides the lentils which I will get to in a moment, is the tomatoes that I had to use up before they rotted. They were six gorgeous tomatoes I'd bought at the Greenmarket. I think they will be the last of the season. They were truly great tomatoes. I know how great they were because I'd already eaten the bulk of what I had bought as salad. Without such tomatoes, I would make the soup with canned Italian tomatoes. I think it would still be a great soup.
I used Italian lentils from Pantelleria, an island between Sicily and Tunisia that is politically part of Sicily. I always have these on hand because for many years I used them as packing material when carrying home pottery in my suitcase. I must have bought a lifetime supply, since I never seem to use them up. Besides that they make good packing material (and soup) they are also very inexpensive in Italy and very expensive here. You can use any small lentils – lentils du Puy are the French-grown ones, and there are good lentils from Umbria in our market – but supermarket lentils will also make a fine soup. The difference is that the small European lentils – whether brown or green – keep their shape and don't become mushy – making them perfect for lentil side dishes and salads – and the Michigan-grown lentils sold in our markets do fall apart and make a thicker (can I say sludgier?) soup? The taste will also be somewhat different – not worse, just different.
As for my use of prosciutto, I have lately taken to keeping a prosciutto butt in the refrigerator to use to flavor various things – or sometimes just to nibble on. The butt end is very inexpensive. I pay $4 a pound for the butt of a prosciutto di Parma. Ask your local Italian market to save one for you. It is not prime slicing prosciutto – I think some markets may even throw them away --but it is perfect for cooking. Cut off the skin and fat for this recipe. (You can discard them or keep the trimmings in the freezer to flavor another dish.)
A big however/ingredient substitute: Instead of prosciutto, you could also use minced dried sausage, salami, even pepperoni, the chili-seasoned dried sausage. Spanish chorizo is good, too, etc. If you keep kosher, try it with kosher salami, or even minced hot dogs.
Improvised Lentil Soup
Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a first
Read my introduction for a discussion of the ingredients. And let me note: This soup is rich in complex carbohydrates (lentils) and very low in fat.
1 cup tiny Italian lentils
6 cups water
3 ounces prosciutto, minced
6 small tomatoes (about 1½ pounds), cut into ½-inch chunks (or about 2 heaping cups of
coarsely chopped canned Italian peeled tomatoes)
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon well-flavored extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Coarsely chopped fresh parsley (if available)
In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils and water. Bring to a boil and boil for 20 minutes.
Add the prosciutto, tomatoes, garlic, and oil. Simmer briskly for 20 to 30 minutes longer, until the tomatoes have dissolved and the lentils are tender (although small European lentils always remain a little firm).
Season with freshly ground black pepper. Taste for salt and correct if necessary. Stir in the parsley, if using. Simmer another minute or two. You may need to or want to add more water as the soup cooks, to bring to the consistency you like, with more broth or less.
Can be served immediately or reheated.
Carol Walter Honored,
Benefit Apple Pie Contest
Sickles Market
1 Harrison Ave.
Little Silver, NJ; (732) 741-9563
Friday, October 22, 7 p.m. – Wine and Cheese Party
Saturday, October 23, 10 a.m.-- Pie Judging
Come celebrate the great American traditions of community support and apple pie. I will be appearing at Sickles Markets Two Day Fundraising Event to Benefit Holiday Express. Friday evening is a cheese and wine party honoring Carole Walter, baking teacher, cookbook author, and my personal baking guru and friend. I'll be presenting her with the Steuben Crystal Apple Award for her dedication to community support through the culinary arts. For tickets, $60 a person, call Sickles Market, 732 741-9563. Tickets must be purchased before the event.
On Saturday, October 23, at 10 a.m., Carole Walter will lead the pie judging for amateur, professional, and culinary school divisions, including a few state legislators. I'll be tasting, too, along with Sue Sell, owner of Cook'N'Tell, Cooking School, Colts Neck. If you would like to compete in the bakeoff, please call Sickles Market at 732 741-9563 for participation information or visit their web
I will also be assisting Carole during her baking demonstration at 2 p.m. Finally, at 3 p.m., the winning pies will be auctioned off to benefit Holiday Express, a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization comprised of over 50 professional musicians volunteering their time and talent to bring live music, toys, clothing, food and fun to children with cancer, people living with AIDS, the mentally ill, disadvantaged families, the isolated elderly and the desperate homeless in the tri-state area during the winter holidays.
