Split Pea and Ham Soup

I have fond memories of split pea soup from my childhood. My mother made it frequently, flavored with a meaty falling-apart ham hock. I made split pea soup last year and while it was good, it wasn’t the split pea soup of my memory. So I kept searching for a better technique.


With this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, I’ve found something really great. While the peas are the flavor focus, this soup is nice and meaty. Instead of ham hocks, it uses ham steak, which is easier to deal with and yields more meat without adding a lot of fat. But the real innovation here is using bacon to flavor the broth. It’s a really great idea, giving the meaty smokiness that only bacon can deliver.

The recipe suggests serving the soup with buttery croutons, which sounds delicious, but I went the simpler, more nostalgic route and used saltine crackers. The soup thickened a lot after the first day, so if you have soup left over and don’t want it really thick, add some water when reheating.

Split Pea and Ham Soup
From Split Pea and Ham Soup, America’s Test Kitchen

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
Salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
7 cups water
1 ham steak (about 1 lb.), skin removed, cut into quarters
¼ lb. thick-cut bacon slices
1 lb. green split peas, picked through to remove any stones and rinsed
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces (about 1 cup)
1 rip celery, cut into ½ inch pieces (about 1 cup)
Fresh ground black pepper
Saltine crackers (optional, or make your own buttery croutons, such as those for the Canlis Salad)

1. Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add butter and cook until foam subsides. Add onion and ½ tsp. salt and sauté, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water, ham steak, bacon, peas, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle bubble, stirring to prevent peas from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Reduce heat to low, cover pot and summer until the peas are tender, about 45 minutes.

2. Remove the ham steak pieces, cover them to prevent drying out and set aside. Stir the carrots and celery into the soup and continue to simmer, covered, another 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the peas have broken down.

3. Shred the ham and add back to the soup. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and bacon slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with buttery croutons, crackers or other appropriate accompaniments.

The Library at the Public (New York)

Walking into The Library feels like being let in on a secret. The restaurant, which opened last year, is tucked away in the rear left corner of the mezzanine level of the recently renovated Public Theater in Noho. While there is a sign for The Public’s ground-floor restaurant, Joe’s Pub, there is none for The Library—you have to know it’s there.

It’s not a bad secret to be in on, for The Library, part of Chef Andrew Carmellini’s restaurant empire, is already serving great food and enjoying good buzz.

The restaurant’s interior is really quite charming: a warm space walled in by wood paneling and bookshelves designed by The Rockwell Group. Besides just books, the shelves contain a marvelous collection of dioramas (see bottom right of photo above) and other curiosities. Behind our table was a large hourglass, its grains of sand slowly streaming down as someone must have reset it before dinner.

Chef Michael Oliver, formerly of Carmellini’s acclaimed Italian tavern Locanda Verde, is serving pub-themed food with Italian touches. Thus, pulled pork roll and short rib goulash share menu space with orecchiette served with roasted cauliflower and pecorino. The rigatoni with broccoli rabe, sausage and chickpeas was delicious, as was the Joe’s Burger, served with caramelized onions, bacon and cheddar cheese.

Starters are divided into snacks (Act I) and more substantial appetizers (Act II). We enjoyed the roasted beets with grapefruit, goat cheese and pistachio nuts, as well as the pickle plate, an assortment that included cucumbers, cauliflower, carrots and beans that went well with our cocktails.

The bar, unfortunately, was the only place where we encountered problems with The Public. That's a shame, since this is the kind of place where the bar should really be performing optimally to handle those post-theater crowds that must wander in for drinks. The drinks themselves were very good, both the Johnny the Fox with cognac, madeira and walnut liqueur, and the Jersey Lightining Sling, an Applejack-based drink with homemade orgeat.

Our issue was that the bar was very slow, taking too long to get us our drinks, even though the restaurant wasn’t very busy. We overheard the neighbors at the next table making a similar complaint. Additionally, our red wine was served too warm. This may sound like a minor quibble, but hey, this is New York City, where one expects these things to be done right, particularly in a restaurant linked to Mr. Carmellini.

Still, this wouldn’t stop me from visiting The Library again. Seems like the perfect place to take friends for dinner or maybe even drinks after dinner someplace nearby in the East Village.

The Library at the Public, 425 Lafayette Street (At Astor Place, inside the Public Theater, mezzanine level), New York, NY (Noho). 212-539-8790. Reservations: Open Table.

Soup Week 2013

Since last week was salad week, it feels natural to follow with soup week, featuring a mix of soups perfect for winter: hearty, heart-warming soups that celebrate winter ingredients. No tomatoes or corn here.

Pictured above are three soups I'll be writing about throughout this week: a richly ham-flavored Split Pea and Ham Soup (lower left) from an America's Test Kitchen recipe, a hearty French Onion Soup (upper left) based on a recent Washington Post recipe and a Parsnip-Carrot Soup with Tahini and Roasted Chickpeas (lower right) adapted from a recent recipe by Smitten Kitchen.

In the meantime, here are four soup recipes from last year that are perfect for this time of year:

Apple-Fennel Soup with Beans and Sausage (pictured above, upper right). I came up with this soup after reading an article about a new D.C. chef who was contemplating an apple soup with sausage and sage. In addition to the apple and fennel, it gets its body from russet potatoes. The cannellini beans and Italian chicken sausage complement the flavors nicely.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Soup. This soup, adapted from a recipe by Sprouted Kitchen, puts a southwestern spin on pureed butternut squash soup, topped with crispy tortilla strips and fresh avocado.

Navy Bean and Kielbasa Soup. Although I continue to regularly use store-bought broth, if you have the time, a homemade stock can make such a difference in giving soup unique and interesting flavors. This soup has homemade vegetable stock flavored with fennel, onion, carrot, garlic, potato and a mix of fresh herbs. Omit the kielbasa and it's vegetarian.

Chicken-Udon Soup. For something Asian, this basic soup with cubed chicken, shiitake mushrooms and udon noodles is pretty satisfying.

Crispy Kale and Roasted Chickpea Salad

For a salad, this recipe has an awful lot of oven time, but don't let that dissuade you, for roasted chickpeas and oven-crisped kale are both delightful, delicious in this salad and totally worth the extra effort.

To remove stems from kale, I fold the leaves so the stem is to one side and then use a paring knife to cut away the stem. 

Kale and chickpeas go great together (The Washington Post featured this Dinner in Minutes stew with the duo back in April). Although they are often used as raw ingredients, they have a markedly different character when cooked. Kale, which has to be either massaged or finely chopped for raw preparation, turns into brittle, crunchy chips when dried in an oven on low heat for about 30 minutes. It's easy to do and makes a great (and healthy) snack.

Be sure to spread the kale in a single layer, using two pans if needed.

Chickpeas get a little crunchy too, although not so much that you'd mistake them for nuts. The roasting brings out their earthiness. Smoked paprika seems like a natural seasoning partner.

When thinking about what else to put in this salad, I decided to go all out. I added something sweet (dried cranberries), something briny (Kalamata olives) and something smoky (Rogue smoky blue cheese). I even topped it with sautéed chicken, as I'm apt to do for our usual Tuesday salad night.

In keeping with the seasonal theme, I whisked together an apple cider vinaigrette with Dijon mustard and honey for dressing. 

Both the chickpea and kale recipes below make way more than you need for two salads, but they make a great snack for later (or while you're making the salad).

Crispy Kale and Roasted Chickpea Salad

Makes 2 dinner salads

2 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. honey

3 cups baby arugula

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives

2 oz. smoked blue cheese, cut into crumbles

3/4 cup roasted chickpeas (recipe below)

Generous handful of crispy kale chips (recipe below)

1. Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Pat chicken breasts dry, season with salt and pepper and sauté in the pan until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes total, turning halfway. Set aside to cool and then chop into 1/2-thick strips.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil with vinegar, mustard, honey and salt and pepper to taste. Set dressing aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine arugula, dried cranberries, olives, blue cheese, chickpeas and kale. Toss with dressing. Serve on plates topped with sautéed chicken strips.

Roasted Chickpeas

Adapted from Spicy Baked Chickpeas, Claire Robinson

Two 15 oz. cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. ground cumin

Kosher salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a nonstick baking mat. In a large bowl, combine chickpeas with olive oil, paprika, cumin and salt, stirring to combine. Pour onto lined baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring after the first 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Crispy Kale Chips

Adapted from Tuscan Kale Chips, Bon Appetit

12 kale leaves, thin part removed from stem (stems discarded) and torn into 2-inch pieces

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Seasoned salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 250 F. Spread kale leaves evenly across two baking sheets. Toss or spray with olive oil. Season with seasoned salt and pepper. Bake until dried and wilted, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Sweet Potato, Ham and Goat Cheese Salad

A coworker recently gave me a copy of CookFresh, a seasonal publication gathering the best of Fine Cooking. It’s a publication I’m not familiar with, but judging from its delicious-looking recipes, I probably should be.

This issue focuses on healthy cooking with winter vegetables, which was just what I was looking for, since I wanted another seasonal salad for this week. The Sweet Potato, Ham and Goat Cheese Salad that graces the cover looked particularly appealing.

I ended up using light sweet potatoes instead of the orange kind, since they looked better in the produce bin. I also used arugula and radicchio instead of mesclun for the greens. The maple-glazed ham is a particularly nice touch in this dish.

Sweet Potato, Ham and Goat Cheese Salad
Adapted from a recipe by Fine Cooking

Serves 4

1 sweet onion, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 lb. ham steak (preferably “ham with natural juices”), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
5 oz. salad greens (the recipe called for mesclun, but I used a mix of arugula and radicchio)
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

1. Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. On the baking sheet, toss the onion, sweet potato, 2 tbsp. of oil, 1 tsp. of rosemary, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and spread in a single layer. Roast until the vegetables start to become tender, about 15 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, toss the ham with the maple syrup. Push the vegetables on the baking sheet aside to make room for the ham and bake until the ham and onions are browned in places, about 10-15 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 4 tbsp. oil with the vinegar, the remaining 1/4 tsp. rosemary, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the greens with the vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Divide the dressed greens among 4 plates. Top with the roasted vegetables and ham. Sprinkle each salad with some of the goat cheese. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and serve.

Caesar Salad Update

I wouldn't hold it against you if you told me you never eat Caesar Salad.

Frankly, I don't blame you. More often than not, the dish is overdressed with a salty, creamy muck coating giant croutons, wilted lettuce and way too much poor quality parmesan. It's a more a slop than a salad.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Really. Take away the heavy dressing and replace it with something light and bright. Lose the croutons and replace them with a more interesting alternative that still delivers crunch. Trade up from domestic parmesan to the real deal: Italian parmigiano-reggiano.

My journey of rediscovery started in the summer fo 2011 when I got a Ceasar from Graffiato, Mike Isabella's then newly opened Italian restaurant. I was surprised that the server had recommended it, but I wasn't disappointed by its fresh flavors and prominent anchovies, which were laying right on top (this was also when I started my journey to embrace the little salty fishes, which I recommend everyone open their mind to). Then, earlier this year, I also had a good Caesar at Palena Cafe, which included fried capers and a bright, lemony dressing.

Thinking back, another Caesar I really admire is the one served at Casey Jones in La Plata, Md. They grill their lettuce, which is a nice touch, and serve the salad with a parmesan tuile--“tuile” being a French term for a thin wafer, pretty much equivalent to frico, which I think is a more appropriate term for this, given that frico is Italian and Caesar was Roman, but I digress. All that to say that I wanted a frico in my Caesar salad.

Fried capers give this Caesar crunch instead of croutons and add a welcome briny note.

So I took in all those lessons and came up with this Caesar which, with the addition of some sauteed chicken, makes a nice dinner. It's lighter, brighter and tastier than the gloppy concoction you might remember. So don't be a Brutus and give Caesar another chance.

Updated Caesar Salad with Chicken

Makes 2 dinner servings

Canola or olive (not extra virgin) oil
2 tbsp. large capers, drained, rinsed and carefully dried
3/4 lb. chicken breast cutlets (optional)
1 garlic clove
Salt
3 anchovy fillets
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus more for sprinkling on the salad
Fresh-ground black pepper
1 head of romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed, inner leaves roughly torn
Frico, one for each salad (see recipe)

1. Pour enough canola or olive oil into a small skillet or saucepan to make a layer about 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep. Heat oil to 350 F. Drop capers into oil and cook until they turn light brown, about a minute. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

2. If using chicken, heat 2 tbsp. oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Pat chicken dry and sauté in pan until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes total turning halfway through. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Using a mortar and pestle (or a Pyrex measuring cup and the blunt end a cocktail muddler), mash the garlic clove with a sprinkle of salt until it forms a paste. Add the anchovy fillets and continue mashing until they also form a paste with the garlic. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, parmesan and pepper to taste and whisk to combine.

4. Add the lettuce to a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Portion onto plate and serve topped with fried capers, sautéed chicken, frico and sprinkled grated parmesan to taste.

The Feed - January 9, 2013

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

Bon Appétit: “Bibimbap Till You Drop,” by Kay Chun. Learning from Bon Appétit that the popular Korean dish bibimbap is not really one recipe but a complex dish assembled from nine recipes sort of makes me want to make it all the more. This guide helpfully breaks down the steps for making each component, although I would have liked having a single ingredients list to make shopping easier.

Smitten Kitchen: “Carrot soup with tahini and crisped chickpeas,” by Deb Perelman. January is National Soup Month, and the most intriguing soup recipe I’ve seen so far this year is this concoction by Smitten Kitchen, a beautifully orange carrot puree topped with a dollop of tahini and a handful of oven-crisped chickpeas. I may have to make this Sunday.

Washington Post: “Knife injuries and other kitchen mishaps afflict both top chefs and everyday cooks,” by Joe Yonan. I cringed more than once reading this piece on kitchen mishaps, which appeared in the Post’s Health & Science section Tuesday. It’s a good reminder about the important of safety in the kitchen. It also reminded me of my own recent kitchen injury: I cut my big toe when I dropped a santoku knife on it.

Art of the Menu: “Best of 2012.” Art of the Menu is a website, part of the design-oriented UnderConsideration collection, that showcases good examples of restaurant menu design. This post was their favorites from last year, an impressive collection that will make you hungry. A quibble: I’d have liked it more if the site had been designed so I could click on the menu photos and see them enlarged.

New York Times: “Creating a Dish, Not Just Reheating One,” by Sophie Brickman. Why is it that people despise microwaves so much, even though pretty much everyone has one? Too many people either thumb their nose at it—even though it’s a powerful and versatile kitchen tool—or they act like they’re afraid of it, even though it emits less radiation than a cell phone. Time to get over it! Brickman’s article does a decent job explaining how varying a microwave’s power setting increases its usefulness for various tasks, including frying herbs and steaming fish.

R.I.P: Washington Post All We Can Eat. Sadly, I have to report the loss of one of my favorite food sites, as the Washington Post’s food blog, All We Can Eat, ceased publication today. Let’s hope some of its great content gets repurposed into the Food section proper or related webpages.