Chicken Noodle Soup
Recipes from the Root Cellar
270 Fresh Ways to Enjoy Winter Vegetables
by Andrea Chesman

Serves 6

12 cups chicken broth (see homemade recipe below)
2 cups peeled and finely diced mixed celery root and carrots
2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
6 ounces egg noodles (about 4 cups)
2 cups very thinly sliced kale (remove and discard tough stems)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1.  Bring the broth to a boil in a large soup pot. Add the celery root and carrots and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Add the chicken, noodles, and kale. Stir well and simmer until the noodles are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Kitchen Note: Kale in soup gets less and less delightful each time it is reheated. If you expect to have leftovers, you can cook the kale in a little broth and add it to individual servings.

Chicken Broth

Makes 2-3 quarts

3-4 pounds chicken parts
1 large onion, chopped
1 celery root, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves
4 quarts water
Salt

1. Combine the chicken, onion, celery root, and garlic in a large soup pot. Add the water. Bring almost to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer gently, partially covered, for 2 hours.  Do not allow the broth to boil.

2. Strain and discard the vegetables. Remove the meat from the bones and save the meat for another use, such as chicken salad.

3. Chill the broth for several hours. Skim off the fat that rises to the top and hardens.

4. Season with salt, or leave unsalted to use as a base for soup and grain dishes. Use immediately, or refrigerate. The broth will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator or 4 to 6 months in the freezer.

Kitchen Note: Boiling doesn’t ruin a broth—it just makes it cloudy.

If you had asked 8-year-old me if I wanted turnips for dinner, something like “eww, no” or  “grossssss” would have been the answer. Sadly, the same question posed to “adult” me would probably get the same response. But if the turnips were tucked into macaroni and cheese? Well, that’s a much more interesting proposition.  I imagine there are plenty of parents that are looking for clever ways to slip a few extra veggies into their kids’ (or their own) diet, so check out this recipe from Andrea Chesman’s Recipes From The Root Cellar…you won’t be hearing words of protest when this dish hits the table.

Cheesy Mac With Root Vegetables

In this dish, any of the root vegetables you happen to have in the house will work well, though turnips and rutabagas are favorites. If you have a pasta pot with a colander insert, you can easily cook the vegetables in the same boiling water as the macaroni.

Serves: 6

1 pound elbow macaroni
4 cups peeled and diced mixed root vegetables (carrots, celery root, golden beets, parsnips, rutabagas, salisfy, and/or turnips) or winter squashes
6 tablespoons butter
1 shallot minced
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
6 tablespoons all-purpose unbleached flour
3 cups milk
2 cups lightly packed grated sharp cheddar (8 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup dried breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lightly butter a large casserole dish.

2. Bring two large pots of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni to one pot and cook until al dente. Drain well. Transfer to the casserole dish.

3. In the second pot of boiling water, cook the vegetables until fork-tender, about 10 minutes; the vegetables should still hold their shape. Drain well. Transfer to the casserole dish.

4. To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, if using, and sauté until limp, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour to form a smooth paste. Stir in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring to prevent lumps. When the sauce thickens, add the cheese, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

5. Stir the sauce into the macaroni and vegetables. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top.

6. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the breadcrumbs are browned. Serve hot.

Kitchen Notes: You can vary the vegetables as you please. A sliced leek or one-quarter of a yellow onion can replace the shallot. If you only have carrots on hand, you can simply grate a couple of them and add to the cheese sauce with the milk. Or you can add 2 cups shredded root vegetables (any type) to the cheese sauce and add 2 cups frozen vegetables (any type) to the pasta, 1 to 3 minutes before the pasta will be done.

When the dog days set in, you just don’t feel like standing over a hot stove. Or even if you do, the air conditioning can’t keep up and you pay for it later. In the summertime, the staples of my diet tend to switch to salads and something off the grill (and perhaps a potato chip or two if I’m being honest), so when I saw Andrea Chesman’s Recipes from the Root Cellar, I realized that many of my favorite summer foods (potato salad, coleslaw, chicken salad, baked beans) actually contain what are considered “wintery” vegetables.  And since fish tacos are one of my all-time favorite meals, this is what I’ll be topping them with next time….

Chipotle-Cabbage Salad

Designed to replace the lettuce, tomato, and sour cream topping on tacos, this cabbage salad is creamy and mildly spiced to act as a foil for spicy meat or bean topping. But don’t restrict this delicious salad to a single role; it can be eaten on its own or used as a topping for a turkey or roast beef sandwich. If you’re not using this salad to mitigate the heat of another dish, ramp up the chipotle and lime juice for additional flavor.

3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons lime juice, or more to taste
2 tablespoons minced chipotle canned in adobo sauce, or more to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small head green or savoy cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded (6-8 cups)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1/8-1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and chipotle in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and additional lime juice and chipotle, if desired.

2. Combine the cabbage, carrot, and onion in a large salad bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

3. Let stand for at least 30 minutes before serving. The salad holds up well in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

Kitchen note: Chipotles in adobo sauce are smoke-dried jalapeños in a vinegar sauce, usually found in cans wherever Mexican food is sold. A single can will hold more than this recipe needs, but you can store the leftovers in a glass or plastic container in the refrigerator, where they will keep for months.

To get every recipe perfect the first time around, try these tips from Andrea Chesman and Fran Raboff’s 250 Treasured Country Desserts.

•    If you have them, use nonstick pans except for angel food and sponge cakes. With those cakes you want the batter to cling to the sides of the pan and rise as high as possible.

•    Milk, yogurt, and sour cream combine best at room temperature.

•    Pieces of fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips are less likely to sink in a batter if they are tossed with flour.

•    If a recipe calls for cake flour and you have only all-purpose flour, don’t despair. Substitute 1 cup of all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for every cup of cake flour.

•    To allow enough room for the cake to rise, do not fill baking pans more than two-thirds to three-quarters full.

•    Don’t open the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking or your cake may not rise properly.

•    Oven temperatures can vary. Start testing a cake for doneness 5 to 15 minutes before the recipe says it should be done.

•    To prevent a wire rack from leaving an imprint on the cake surface, cover the rack with a double thickness of paper towel. Place the covered rack over the top of the cake, then invert the cake and rack. Remove the pan.

•    Cool the cake out of the pan for at least 1 hour before decorating. Then brush loose crumbs off the cake.

•    Apply a thin layer of frosting to the cake, then refrigerate until it is set before applying the final, heavier layer of frosting. This will seal in the crumbs, ensuring a clean final appearance.

Believe it or not, January 27th is the official Chocolate Cake Day.  Nestled between National Peanut Brittle Day and National Kazoo Day, it provides – at the very least – a reason to whip up a celebratory confection. Yesterday we shared a few tips from Andrea Chesman & Fran Raboff’s 250 Treasured Country Desserts. Armed with your new-found knowledge, try your hand at making their Chocolate Zucchini Cake.

Frosted Chocolate-Zucchini Layer Cake
This is a rich, dark chocolate cake. The zucchini is barely noticeable, except to give the cake an unusually moist texture.  Serves 10-12

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter; at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream
3 cups grated zucchini or summer squash

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two 9-inch round nonstick cake pans. If you are using uncoated aluminum bakeware, grease the cake pans and line with parchment paper.
2. Combine the chocolate and oil in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Stir until completely smooth and glossy. Remove the top of the double boiler from the heat and set aside.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture and the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk and beat until just combined. Fold in the zucchini. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of one of the cake layers comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely.
7. Fill between the layers and frost with the frosting of your choice.

Unless you have a favorite frosting you’d like to use, here’s a suggested option:

Chocolate Frosting
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of salt
7 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Stir until completely smooth and glossy. Remove the top of the double boiler from the heat and let cool slightly.
2. Blend in the confectioners’ sugar and salt, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Mix until the frosting is smooth and has a good consistency for spreading.

If you’ve turned out leaden, less-than-tasty or attractive baked goods in the past, you may want to review a few tips from Andrea Chesman and Fran Raboff’s 250 Treasured Country Desserts.

The cake is dense and heavy:
•    The eggs were too small. Always use large eggs when baking.
•    Insufficient air was whisked into the egg and sugar mixture.
•    The butter, sugar and eggs were not beaten together long enough.
•    The flour was not folded in gently or was beaten at too high a speed.
•    Too much flour was used.
•    The oven temperature was too low.

The cake rose unevenly in the oven:
•    The flour was not blended evenly in the batter.
•    The temperature inside the oven was uneven, or the oven temperature was too high.

The top of the cake sank:
•    The oven temperature was too hot.
•    The cake was not baked long enough.
•    The oven door was opened too soon.

The top of the cake peaked or cracked:
•    The oven temperature was too hot, causing the outside of the cake to bake and form a crust too quickly.
•    The cake wasn’t baked on the center rack of the oven.

Gingersnaps most likely have their origin with the Pennsylvania Dutch, and their name probably comes from the word snappen, which means “easy.” The cookies are rolled in sugar before baking, giving them a lovely, crinkly top.

For more baking tips, check out yesterday’s post, How to bake just like your grandmother did. Or even better.

Makes about 40 cookies.

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark molasses
1 tablespoon warm brewed coffee
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

1. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
2. Combine the molasses and coffee into a small bowl.
3. Cream together the butter, the 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a large bowl. Add the molasses mixture and the flour mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in the crystallized ginger. Gather together the dough in a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour, until firm.
4. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease two baking sheets.
5. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar. Place them on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Press down each cookie with the bottom of a glass dipped in the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar until the cookies are nice and thin.
6. Bake, one sheet at a time, for about 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven before their edges start to brown; they will be soft in the center but will harden when cool. Watch the cookies carefully and do not allow them to scorch.
7. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.

If you’re looking to jump-start your baking skills, you might as well begin with cookies. For starters, there usually aren’t any super-complicated pieces of equipment, ingredients, or Le Cordon Bleu-type knowledge required. And secondly, most cookie doughs are forgiving, meaning even those of us who are challenged in the kitchen can turn out a tasty cookie. Andrea Chesman and Fran Raboff’s 250 Treasured Country Desserts is a collection of tried-and-true recipes that have been passed down through the generations—and all of which have stood the test of time.  As a bonus, this cookbook offers tips and techniques to guide you along and boost your baking know-how.

Here are a few guidelines to follow when making cookies:

• Don’t use imitation ingredients: Go for the real vanilla extract, high-quality chocolate, and butter (not margarine).

• Butter should always be used at room temperature: Lumps of cold, hard butter in the dough will cause flat cookies.

• Chocolate should be melted over low heat to avoid scorching: A double boiler or metal mixing bowl over simmering water should do the trick.

• Toast nuts before adding them to the batter, to maximize flavor: Nuts should be toasted whole and then chopped. To toast, preheat the oven to 300˚F. Spread out the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 7 to 10 minutes.
• Raisins that are hard and shriveled going into cookie dough will be hard and shriveled in the baked cookie: To reconstitute, pour boiling water over them and let them sit for 10 minutes. Then drain off water and use as directed. For additional flavor, soak raisins in wine, brandy or fruit juice.

Check back tomorrow for a recipe from 250 Treasured Country Desserts.