"Christ and the Cooks": Part I

In a article called “Christ and the Cooks” in the July 14-21 issue of America Magazine, I described a cooking series I planned for young adults at the Catholic parish of Saint Gregory the Great in Hamilton Square, NJ. You can find the article (and an additional menu from the series) at http://www.americamagazine.org/. This post describes the first session in the young adult ministry series.

Spiritually speaking, soup embodies what our lives could use more of: reflection, intention, and stillness. Soup needs to rest and relax in the pot for the flavors to marry. Just like our lives, which require Sabbath, sleep and stillness, soup isn’t ready until it’s ready.

We used soup as an opportunity to learn about monasticism. Soup is a popular and frugal choice for monastery meals, as it can be made with prayerful intention and simmered slowly while other work is being done. Although it’s not a quick meal, it can simmer while other work and rest is being done, making it flexible in the monastic world and our own, which are often very different.

Need some help sparking the spiritual conversation? Try some of these questions: Do you live life by a recipe or throw things in as you go? What are the layered flavors of your life? How and when do you simmer alone and allow all of the many, many aspects of your life to come together in reflection? How can your prayer life be adjusted so you allow God into your simmering mind?
Roast Chicken Noodle Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry white wine
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
4 quarts chicken stock
2 cups dried egg noodles
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil and add the celery, carrot and onion. Sauté for about ten minutes, or until they become translucent and start to caramelize a bit. Add the garlic and stir around for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the wine and simmer 5 minutes, or until most of the wine has reduced. Add all of the stock, chicken, salt and pepper and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Bring back to a boil and add the egg noodles, boiling rapidly for about 5 minutes, or until the noodles are al dente. Test the seasonings, stir in the parsley and serve. The noodles will absorb more of the broth if it is stored in the refrigerator overnight, making leftovers more like stew than soup.

Garden Vegetable Minestrone
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large (white or yellow) onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 28 oz. can tomato sauce
4-5 cups water or low-sodium stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup fresh green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 15.5 oz cans white beans
About ½ lb of any small pasta, cooked
½ cup fresh chopped herbs, such as parsley, basil, rosemary or thyme
½ cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
In a large stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onion with the olive oil until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add all the garlic and continue sautéing about 1 minute longer. Add the carrots, celery, salt and pepper and sauté about 8 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes, water/stock, sauce, and bring up to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the corn, peas, green beans, and beans and bring back up to a boil. Add the cooked pasta to the soup, along with the fresh herbs. Simmer for about ten minutes, adjust the seasonings to taste. Garnish with parmigiano-reggiano.

Pasta e Fagioli
2 strips of bacon or 2 ounces pancetta
1 small onion, diced fine
1 carrots, peeled and diced fine
1 stalk of celery, washed and diced fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 quarts low-sodium chicken stock
1 15.5 can of white beans, drained
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground back pepper
1-2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced (or dried, crushed by hand)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
About 1- 1½ cup tiny pasta, such as ditalini, cooked
½ cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
Chop the bacon or pancetta into 1 inch pieces and sauté in a heavy stockpot until crisp. Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pot and sauté until translucent and nearly caramelized, about 7-9 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for about one minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the canned beans, tomatoes, rosemary, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer the soup for about 30 minutes, adjusting the seasonings to taste. Remove about one quarter of the soup from the pot and puree in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot along with the pasta and simmer 3-5 minutes. Serve with parmigiano-reggiano.