Family Recipes
Back in 2008, my aunt and my cousin (both through marriage – none of us would have bothered to pull off something like the following) compiled and published a cookbook of family recipes.
I’ve been glancing through those recipes.
Now, let me ask you this. How many of you have cookbooks with recipes that call for Crisco, cans of Veg-All, pig hocks (two recipes actually), or sea urchin? Okay, that last one was a joke recipe submitted by my brother Matt.
In that book, there are at least thirteen recipes that call for ground beef, vegetables, and a starch – rice, potatoes, pasta, or pie crust in one case – all mixed together in one pot or pan. And Worcestershire Sauce seems to be a favored ingredient across the board.
There are two recipes for Venus de Milo soup. Which got me to thinking. Why would a bunch of French-Canadians who settled in the Woonsocket area be such big fans of a soup named after a Greek goddess?
So I googled.
Turns out there was a bowling alley/banquet hall/restaurant called The Venus de Milo in Swansea, a town just outside of Providence and about a 40 minute drive from Woonsocket. Back in the 60’s, the owners of the bowling alley wooed a chef from a near by restaurant after tasting his beef vegetable soup. And, thus, Venus de Milo soup was born.
Some of the recipe names are intriguing. Such as Head Cheese Spread and Captain Moe’s Spicy French Nuts.
Some of the recipes came with personal notes attached. Like this one from my brother, the jokester:
But that was way back in 2008. Deb and Sara, it’s time for an update. To get you started, I’ve included this recipe from our newest member of the family, Megan, who wasn’t around us in 2008. I promised her I would make it famous.
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
- Bakery bread (either a French or Italian loaf, preferably round but as long as it’s kind of tall that will work)
- White American Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Some other cheese (e.g., mozzarella or Muenster)
- Butter (softened)Slice the bread into slices no more than 1/2” thick. Spread softened butter on one side of each piece of bread. Place a slice of each cheese between two pieces of bread (butter side out). You can use more cheese, but I find that 1 slice of each is enough. Warm a non-stick pan over MEDIUM heat. Place the sandwiches in the pan and let them brown slowly on one side. Once the cheese has started to melt and the bread is a golden brown color, flip them over and brown the other side. Being patient with this last step is key. If the temperature is too high the bread will burn before the cheese melts.
- 2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes)
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 small yellow onions, sliced
- Vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, optional
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional
- 3/4 cup heavy cream, optionalPreheat oven to 450 degrees F.Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. If using vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, add them as well, leaving them whole and on the vine. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.
Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot (set aside the roasted vine tomatoes for later). Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.
Wash and dry basil leaves, if using, and add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish in bowl with 3 or 4 roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a splash of heavy cream.
With that, I think I’ll go off and make some of that Venus de Milo soup for dinner. But first I need to pick up a can of Veg-All.
