Soup Scoop

The University of Illinois published a study based on matching personalities with soup preferences a few years back in the Journal of Database Marketing Lifestyle and Personality Clusters. The four most popular soups were chicken noodle, tomato, minestrone and vegetable. These four top soups were cross-tabulated with personality and lifestyle traits. What's your soup say about you?

 

The Findings:

Chicken noodle soup; you score high on the church-going scale, are fond of pets, are more likely to be stubborn and less likely to be outdoorsy.

Minestrone; you were more likely to be physically fit, nutritionally conscious, family spirited, unlikely to own a pet and also on a restricted diet.

Vegetable soup; was a homebody at heart, less likely to be a world traveler, less likely to be spontaneous and more likely to read family and home magazines.  

Tomato soup; by contrast, seeks more adventure, were more likely to be social and also tended to enjoy books and pets.

Soup, especially this chilly time of year, is comforting to the body and soul. I wonder what the personality traits would be paired with my Tuscan Artichoke Soup, or Spicy Corn Chowder? And, I'd surely like to know what the University would say about people who love my Creamy Five Onion Soup. 

reference; Journal of Database Marketing Lifestyle and Personality Clusters.

Champagne Cocktail Recipe

Classic Champagne Cocktail Recipe: Six ounces of champagne and a sugar cube soaked in Angostura bitters is all it takes to make a sophisticated cocktail for the New Year. Drop the sugar cube into a tall flute glass, and then slowly add champagne and a lemon twist. 

Tips: With the Champagne Cocktail, you can trust the bitters to take the edge off a lesser quality champagne or sparkling wine. For this drink, you can use a less expensive wine, spending about $10 to $18 for a good domestic bottle. Or, as I personally prefer to use a good Prosecco for under $15.

When opening Champagne or Prosecco, use a gentle twist - save the bubbles for the inside of the glass and not the floor.

chefgeorgehirsch.com

Traditions for Health, Wealth and Good Fortune

For many Americans, New Year's means parties, football, and watching the ball drop in Times Square. But to others here and around the world the celebration wouldn't be complete without certain delicious traditional foods.

Black Eyed Peas are a centuries old New Year's tradition in many countries, served to ensure health, wealth and peace for the coming year. A traditional southern New Year's dish is Hoppin' John-black eyed peas and ham hocks. An old saying goes, "Eat peas on New Year's day to have plenty of everything the rest of the year."

The age old celebration in England and Scotland called the 'First Footing' continues today and always includes a bowl of black eyed pea soup along with a drink to toast the new year at midnight. In the old days people would gather coals from their hearth just before midnight and set out to visit friends in the first minutes of the new year. The first person to step through the door of the family they were visiting was called the 'first footer' and was believed to set the luck for the coming year. This person would present the spent coals they had gathered to the woman of the house who would store them away and use them to start the next New Year's fire. The first footer would get kisses and a hot bowl of black eyed pea soup. First Footing traditions were brought to the U.S. by European immigrants and are still practiced especially in the South and Northeast. With all variations black eyed peas are served for good luck and good health. Sometimes rice and black eyed peas with cabbage or collard greens are served. The rice symbolizes riches, black eyed peas for peace, and cabbage or collards symbolize money in the coming year.

Kwanzaa, the African American holiday beginning December 26 and lasting seven days, often includes black eyed peas at New Year's. Each evening the celebration focuses on one of seven principles beginning with unity and ending with faith. On New Year's Eve a feast takes place with each person bringing a dish to share. These dishes often include baked black eyed peas, pickled black eyed peas, black eye pea salads, and 'Hoppin' John', a thick stew with many variations that always includes black eyed peas.

In Texas the New Year's tradition may include Texas Caviar, a salad made from black eyed peas, hominy or sweet corn, vegetables and vinaigrette.

Many Japanese foods also are served to bring health, wealth and peace to the new year, including soba (buckwheat noodles), black soybeans, and miso soup. In Japan 'O-Shogatsu' or New Year's begins on December 31 and continues for almost two weeks. Before New Year's Day all bills are paid or current, and houses are cleaned from top to bottom, sweeping out the energy of the old year. At ten minutes to midnight everyone enjoys a simple bowl of long cut soba noodles in a broth made only with water, kombu sea vegetable and shoyu soy sauce, garnished with scallions. It is eaten through the first few minutes of the New Year to ensure longevity and prosperity.

Many Italian people welcome the New Year by tossing old things out of their windows to make room for the new and lucky to enter their households and lives in the year to come. More traditionally, the Italian people eat a dish called Cotechino Con Lenticchie: pork sausage served over lentils. This dish is eaten because of the presence of fatty rich pork sausage and lentils in the dish. Cotechino sausage is a symbol of abundance because they are rich in fat; while the coin-shaped lentils symbolize money.

Hoppin John

Makes six servings | Recipe by Chef George Hirsch

1 pound dried black-eyed peas 

2 ham hocks, smoked 

2 medium onions, chopped 

6 cloves garlic, chopped 

2 bay leaves 

1 cup converted long-grain white rice 

10 ounces diced tomatoes with chilies, juices reserved 

1 large red bell pepper, finely diced 

3 ribs celery, diced 

1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper, minced 

2 teaspoons paprika 

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 

3 scallions, sliced 

hot red pepper sauce

In a large pot, combine the black-eyed peas, ham hocks, and 6 cups water. Add 1 chopped onion to the pot along with 3 cloves of garlic and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until the beans are tender but not mushy, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. 

Remove and discard the bay leaves. Remove the hocks, cut off the meat in large shreds, and set the meat aside. Drain the peas reserving the liquid add enough water to liquid to make 2 1/2 cups of liquid to cook the rice. Add back to pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, and simmer until the rice is almost tender. 

In a sauté pan add olive oil, remaining garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery and jalapeno pepper. Sauté two minutes and add paprika, thyme, cumin and tomatoes. Add the cooked rice along with the peas. Top with sliced scallions and meat from the ham hocks. Serve with hot sauce on the side. 

Pain de Mie

I'm sure you'll agree the aroma of freshly baked bread is comforting during the cold winter season. Pain de Mie is just another way of saying a fresh baked pullman loaf of bread (a long rectangular loaf). Do you prefer yours toasted with butter or jam? Or, maybe you fancy a simple egg salad, tuna salad or BLT sandwich? You might want to go for the full energy classic combo of peanut butter and banana.

Baking really is a science and baking bread successfully proves that there are so many factors to consider when thinking about how your loaf is going to bake-up. For example, the air temperature, the quality of the flour, the type of liquid used - are all to be taken into consideration. But, I'll spare you and won't turn this into a Baking 101 Class. I've given you a basic but fail-safe recipe should you want to bring out your inner most boulanger (bread baker).

Pain de Mie

Recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes 1 loaf

2/3 cup milk

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

1 cup water

6 Tablespoons sweet butter, softened

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 Tablespoons sugar

3 Tablespoons potato flour

4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

For Full Recipe

King and Queen of Crown Roasts

A rack of lamb is considered the crown of traditional cuisine elegance. It is the perfect and impressive main entree to serve on special occasions; and it's easier to prepare than it appears. If you prefer the flavor of pork, the pork crown is for you.  

Crown either of these delicious traditional recipes for your holiday table.

For Lamb Crown Roast, Pork Crown Roast and Wild Rice & Sausage Stuffing Recipes.