Laura Bradham, Cookbook Author!
There’s a new cookbook in Timbergrove! By and for a Timbergrove resident, Daily Dinners: Gluten, Dairy, and Anxiety Free, Comfort Food Done Differently is different by design. Laura Beth Yaple Bradham has created this cookbook with old family recipes brought up to her new family gluten and dairy free standard. The cookbook focuses on dinner only, giving you six weeks of dinners without any repeating recipes, all intended for four servings. Every night, the first recipe has an order of dinner preparation that tells you when to start the side dishes so that they turn out at the same time as the main dishes.
When you’ve had to radically change your diet from eating anything to eating gluten and dairy free, it’s easier if you can draw on some comfort foods from your past while you learn about new foods in your future. Daily Dinners takes the guesswork out of the most relentless meal of the day - dinner. Here you will have different daily dinners for six weeks straight from a cook who has learned her homegrown wisdom through trial and error. What she’s learned by creating her recipes then becomes a starting point for your own dietary decisions.
On the next page is a sample recipe, not included in the cookbook. If you’d like a salad to accompany your soup, go to www.dailydinners.web.app and take a look at the Salads under the Monday and Tuesday Complimentary tabs. Either of those salads would make a wonderful accompaniment to the soup.
If you have a beloved family recipe that you’d like reworked to be gluten and dairy free, please email Laura the recipe and she will get to work on it, and give you honest feedback. Just because you’ve had to give up gluten and dairy doesn’t mean that you have to do it alone or forgo your old family favorites. Happy Cooking!
Pumpkin Soup
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
You’ll Need: Cheesecloth, 8 Quart Stock Pot, Garlic Mincer, Immersion OR Regular Blender, Measuring Cups and Spoons.
Ingredients:
5 sprigs of fresh parsley, thyme, and basil
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1 pound organic russet potato
2 large peeled organic carrots
2 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
2 cups organic, low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (28 oz) can organic whole tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can organic pumpkin puree
1/4 cup filtered water
1/4 cup Amontialldo sherry (optional)
Method:
Cut your cheesecloth to become a square. The easiest way to cut it is to use the natural fold lines of the cheesecloth. The one that I buy tends to make an 11” x 11” square easily. You want to make sure of two things: you have a double layer of cheesecloth, and that you have a large enough piece to be able to tie together easily.
Wash and dry the parsley, thyme, basil, and bay leaf (if it’s fresh). Put all of the fresh herbs and the peppercorns into the center of the cheesecloth. Grab and tie opposite corners together. Repeat with the leftover opposite corners. Secure by tying pieces of corners together. Make sure that it is completely tied so that no herbs escape into the soup while it’s simmering. Set aside until needed.
Heat oil over medium heat in an 8 quart stock pot. Add the onions, stir to coat with the oil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the onions are cooking, peel and dice the potato into 1/4” pieces. Peel and cut the carrots into 1/4” rounds. Mince the garlic. Add the potatoes, carrots, and garlic to the onion. Sprinkle the salt over all, stir to coat and cook for about 8 minutes more. You’ll need to keep a close eye on the vegetables by stirring them often to be sure none are burning.
Add the broth, tomatoes with their juice, crushing the tomatoes as you add them, pumpkin, and reserved spices. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer, with the cover sitting askew on the stock pot, for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. The potatoes should be easily pierced with a fork when they are done. While the soup is simmering, if you’d like to make a salad, go to www.dailydinners.web.app and choose a salad from either the Monday or Tuesday tabs. Either salad will make a wonderful accompaniment to the soup.
Remove soup from heat, and remove the spices. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until it is completely smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend soup, half at a time, in a regular blender until smooth, making sure to keep a tight grip on the top while blending, and return to the pot.) Add the water and sherry and mix well. Taste to see if you need to add any salt or pepper.
This can be made the day before and heated up right before serving. Or, it can sit on the stove, covered, until you are ready to serve. (This is an excellent soup to make the day before Thanksgiving or have with your leftovers the day after.) To serve, ladle the Pumpkin Soup into soup bowls with the salad of your choice on a salad plate.