Sunday Supper

I am many dinners behind. Saturday we went to a belly dancing recital that Sally’s daughter was in at Georgetown University. It was great fun and I think Jim enjoyed it too much. Sunday we finally got to the grocery store and I finally cooked. From the La Mere Poulard Cookbook that I bought in France we had the best Cream of Mushroom and Chestnut Soup I have ever made. Serves 4, but Jim ate it all.
3.5 oz Chestnuts, peeled. ( I had already peeled left over from T-day)
3.5 oz button mushrooms
1 ¾ pt chicken stock
7oz light cream
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pinch of Nutmeg
2 shallots, finely chopped
I T butter
Salt and pepper
Thoroughly wash the mushrooms and then pat dry. Sweat the shallots in a pan with the butter and then add the whole mushrooms and chestnuts. Add the lemon juice and grated nutmeg and then cover with the stock and cream.
Cook for thirty minutes.
Season the soup with salt and pepper and transfer to a blender. Let cool and then blend. I put it back in the pot and kept on warm until the rest of dinner was ready.
I think this is one of the best cookbooks I have ever bought.
I served this with Rosemary Pork with White Beans. It serves 6-8, but is easy to cut in half. With half recipe I had a little left over for lunch the next day. The recipe came from the Washington Post.
Ingredients:
3-4 T EVOO
2# boneless pork chops
1 large onion, cut into ¼” dice (2 Cups)
Salt
1 ½ C tomato puree
2 C chicken broth
1 T sugar
Ground black pepper
¾ C dry white wine
2 cups cooked cannellini beans (I used canned, drained)
10 sprigs rosemary wrapped and tied in cheesecloth to form a packet
Steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with 1 T of EVOO, then place over medium-high heat. Add enough of the pork cubes to fill the pan without crowding. Brown the pieces of meat in batches, not crowding so they brown. Transfer each batch to a bowl. Add more oil as needed.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2T of EVOO over medium high heat in a large (5QT) Dutch oven. Add the onion, celery and salt to taste; reduce to medium and cook for 5 minutes stirring until the vegetables soften. Add the puree, broth, salt and pepper to taste. They also said add the sugar now. I did not add sugar. I did not get the point. Increase the heat and stir to combine. Heat until bubbling at the edges. Add the browned pork cubes. 4. Return the skillet to med-high heat. Add the white wine, then use a wooden spoon to dislodge any browned bits from the bottom. Transfer to the Dutch oven and add the beans. Submerge the rosemary packet in the liquid. Once it starts to bubble cover and transfer to the oven for 1-1/2 hours.
Very good.