Petite Marmite

The name Petite Marmite, a hearty French soup perfect for a chilly winter evening, refers to the pot in which the soup is cooked rather than the ingredients. Consequently, recipes for Petite Marmite abound. After making this dish for years, I’ve come up with this delicious version. Time consuming, yes, but well worth the effort—and save any leftover broth for other recipes!

PETITE MARMITE

For the Broth:
1-2 lbs. beef soup bones with meat
2-lb. piece beef, such as bottom round, trimmed of fat and tied
3 chicken breast halves, bone-in
2 quarts beef broth
1 quart chicken broth
2-3 leeks, thickly sliced and washed well
1 large onion, unpeeled and quartered (skin will color the broth)
2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
1 tsp. salt

For the Bouquet Garni:
2 medium bay leaves
4 parsley sprigs
½ tsp. whole black peppercorns
¼ tsp. whole cloves
¼ tsp. fennel seeds
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried

To Finish:
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces
1 white turnip, peeled, quartered, and sliced
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp. salt
Fresh chopped parsley

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1. Preheat oven to 450°. Brown bones for about 25 minutes. Turn and brown another 20 minutes.

2. Place bones and tied beef in a soup pot. Cover with broth and bring to a boil. Skim as necessary.

3. Add leeks, onion, celery, and salt to broth. Return to boil, then lower to simmer

4. Make a bouquet garni of bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, parsley, and thyme. Add to broth. Simmer for 2 hours. Add chicken breast halves and simmer another ½ hour.

5. Strain broth, discarding bouquet garni, bones, and vegetables. (At this point, soup may be cooled and refrigerated overnight in order to remove fat.) Remove chicken and reserve.

6. When ready to serve, defat broth. Return broth and beef to simmer. Add carrots, turnip, and potatoes and another tsp. salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer another 35 minutes.

7. Bone and skin chicken. Trim well and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add to soup after vegetables have been cooking 35 minutes. Simmer about 10 minutes to heat chicken and finish cooking vegetables. Remove pot from heat. Remove beef and slice into serving pieces.

8. To serve, place meats and vegetables in bowls and cover with hot broth. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve with crispy French bread. 4 generous servings.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Summer has arrived, and for our latest writers’ meeting, I dusted off my Middle Eastern cookbooks to find something new, quick, easy, and good. This carrot salad, an acceptable blend of several recipes, did the trick. It's easy to do with a food processor, and the spices are subtle, the salad sweet and crunchy, a refreshing summer side dish. We enjoyed it with a green salad and Herbed Rice Ring. As always, feel free to experiment with the ingredients.

MOROCCAN CARROT SALAD

1 lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbs. honey (or agave syrup)
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove put through a press
¼ tsp. dry ginger
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, or a combination
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

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Fold all ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer to serving bowl and refrigerate for several hours to let flavors blend. Garnish with additional parsley and/or cilantro and serve.

Creamy Carrot Purée with Pesto

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

This creamy puréed soup with a dollop of pesto is delicious. Either prepared pesto can be used or follow Pat's directions for making fresh pesto in her post for Shrimp Risotto with Green Beans and Pesto Sauce. The use of a food processor makes slicing carrots a snap.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced thin
3 golden potatoes (size B), peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) fat free, sodium reduced, chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon pepper
prepared pesto

1. Pour olive oil into a large pan. When hot, add onion and stir until limp. Add carrots and potatoes, coating with onion flavored oil. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover pan, lower heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender when pierced.

2. Using the purée setting on a blender, purée in small batches until smooth. Pour into a large prep bowl. When finished, return pureed soup to pan. Heat, stirring often, until hot.

3. Pour into bowls, top with dollop of pesto, and serve with toasted sourdough bread.

Makes 4 generous servings. Enjoy!