Barbara Bretton: Wish You Were Here

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The Food Goddess is in the Kitchen! I am delighted beyond words to present my friend, my pal, Kali Amanda Browne (daughter of the beauteous and talented Marie) aka The Food Goddess. Enjoy!

AUTUMN IS SOUP SEASON

I carefully considered how I should follow the Chicken Deluxe. Finally, it became clear: eggs – not that I wish to join that whole argument about which came first! If chicken is the most versatile meat, the egg is the most versatile food product ever. You can almost do anything to it: fry, boil, bake, and poach . . . More importantly, you can use eggs to create breakfast, lunch, appetizers, snacks, dinner, desserts and even drinks. From salads to soups to soufflé, the egg is as flexible as woman. Like woman, the egg is both fragile and sturdy in the same frame. An egg can create a binding substance stronger than any industrial glue, much like a mother's love. The fact that within it also carries life is just another metaphor to the awesomeness of the egg.

I wax poetic over the egg because the egg is poetry attesting to the endless possibilities within us all!

When I was a little girl, my grandmother in Puerto Rico would occasionally make us a treat for lunch. She used to call it "A Caballo" – a reference a fried egg riding saddle atop a small mound of buttery white rice. Bursting the yolk and making orange slop with the rice was one of my earliest epicurean joys. This was the simplest thing possible (boiled rice, a fried egg and a pinch of salt) and yet it brought so much pleasure and still carries so many memories.

The American Egg Board is a wonderful resource for recipes, products and nutritional information about eggs to get you started on an eggs-cellent adventure.

Eggs also benefit from national boundaries for a variety of cooking treatments. I'd like to share eggs in soup in three different versions that are all delightful. In one the eggs are a visible and gentle addition of beautiful silk scarves that makes for a light soup; in the next, the eggs are a robust addition much like a wool poncho (with matching mittens, leggings and a hat!) that makes for a brawny broth; and in the last, the eggs are used as a thickening agent that makes for the soup equivalent of a lovely, soft coverlet on a chilly night. If you prefer: a snack, a meal, and a meal starter.

China: Egg drop soup

From The Classic 1000 Chinese Recipes edited by Wendy Hobson

Yield: 4 servings

5 cups chicken stock
3 eggs, beaten
3 tbsp soy sauce
salt and fresh ground pepper
4 springs onions (scallions), sliced

Bring the stock to a boil. Gradually whisk in the beaten eggs so that they separate into strands. Stir in the soy sauce and season to taste with salt (though the soy sauce probably has enough salt content) and pepper. Serve garnished with scallions.

Spain: Castilian Garlic Soup with Poached Eggs

From The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas

Yield: 4 servings

SOUP:
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 ounces Spanish Serrano ham or prosciutto, diced
1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika or sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
3 (15.75-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

CROUTONS:
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 cups (1-inch) cubed hearty country bread (about 4 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika or sweet paprika

REMAINING INGREDIENT:
4 large eggs

To prepare soup, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 4 crushed garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Add ham and 1 teaspoon paprika; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in cumin, pepper, saffron, and broth; bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare the croutons, combine 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and 1 crushed garlic clove in a large bowl. Add the bread cubes, tossing to coat. Place bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until toasted.

Sprinkle bread cubes with 1/2 teaspoon paprika; toss well.

Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Break 1 egg into each of 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the broth mixture evenly among bowls. Place bowls on a baking sheet.

Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until the eggs are set. Top each serving with croutons.

Greek: Soupa Avgolemono (Egg-Lemon Soup)

From The Food of Greece by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles

Yield: 6 servings

2 qt chicken broth
1/2 cup rice
2 whole eggs or egg yolks
2 lemons (juice only)
salt

Bring the broth to a full boil in a soup kettle. Gradually add the rice, stirring constantly until the broth boils again. Reduce the heat, over, and simmer until the rice is just tender, not mushy, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm while preparing avgolemono. Beat the eggs for 2 minutes. Continue to beat, gradually add the lemon juice. Slowly add some of the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, beating steadily. Stir the mixture into the soup and cook over minimum heat, without boiling, until the soup thickens to coat a spoon. Taste for salt, and keep warm over hot water until ready to serve. Pass the pepper mill at the table for additional zest.

(If desired, bite-sized pieces of cooked chicken may be added to soup before adding the rice).

You can email me at kali.templeofdoom@gmail.com.