Fare Exchange: Advice on cocoa and a recipe for barbecue sauce

bakery background
bakery background

Good morning, indispensable readers. This morning M. Mackie is asking for a thick, tasty tomato soup "like the one sold by Sam's Warehouse. I want creamy and with good taste for my granddaughter's birthday dinner."

We've been surveying the Fare Exchange files on our computer, discovering along the way some still-lost recipes. From time to time, those will resurface, just in case you missed their first appearance. For today, who among you has recipes for buttermilk grits, chimichurri salad dressing, homemade flavored vinegars and ways to use whole frozen okra?

photo Jane Henegar

PLAIN COCOA

You will find some information about cocoa below, but before you get there, here are two new questions on the topic: How do you use raw cacao and cocoa nibs?

Mr. and Mrs. Sunday offered a small tutorial on the original subject, just plain cocoa.

"There are three things people call 'cocoa powder'. First, there are ground cacao beans (usually defatted, more's the pity). Second there is powder treated with alkali ('Dutched') to remove acidity and deepen taste. There is no sugar added. And last, instant cocoa is cocoa powder plus sugar and dry milk. Don't substitute one for the other unless you know what you're doing."

BARBECUE SAUCE

Charlie Fox knows his barbecue sauces, and gave us one to prepare ourselves as well as one to purchase.

He began, "Here's a mustard-vinegar barbecue sauce recipe I received years ago from a South Carolina friend and barbecue fan. I always keep a supply on hand."

He then advised not preparing but purchasing the vinegar-based sauce.

"For the vinegar-based barbecue sauce request, George's Original Barbecue Sauce is as authentic as you can buy or make. It can be purchased in many North Carolina stores or online at www.georgesbbqsauce.com."

And here is the mustard and vinegar recipe.

Vinegar-Mustard Barbecue Sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup red wine vinegar

3 cups ketchup

3/4 cup French's mustard

1/2 cup water

6 tablespoons brown sugar

2 shakes crushed red pepper

4 shakes black pepper

4 teaspoons liquid smoke

4 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

4 teaspoons Texas Pete hot sauce

4 shakes Tabasco sauce

1 small onion, chopped fine

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes, then bottle and refrigerate.

THICKENERS

Mr. and Mrs. Sunday are students of the use of different thickeners, notably wheat flour, arrowroot, cornstarch, tapioca starch and potato starch. They have a careful spreadsheet of how and when to use each, and if you email me I will forward it to you. Here's just a taste of that information: When thickening with arrowroot for a recipe containing coconut milk, you will be "fine. But be wary if you use real milk instead of coconut milk; arrowroot and dairy don't play nicely and tend toward the slimy."

PUMPKIN SOUP

The recipe that follows came from a women's Bible study on Lookout Mountain, full of people who enjoy each other's cooking. Lee Ann Glidewell prepared the main dish, but gave Meredith Richmond credit for the recipe. It is a curried pumpkin soup, and Ms. Richmond has used butternut squash in place of pumpkin with good results.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1/2 large apple, chopped

2 teaspoons mild curry powder

2 cups chicken broth, divided

1 can pumpkin

1 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup half-and-half or heavy cream

3 to 5 tablespoons honey and/or maple syrup

Melt butter in a medium pot. Stir in onion, celery, apple and curry powder, and sauté over medium heat until onion is clear, about 8 minutes. Stir in 1 cup chicken broth, and cook 1 minute more.

Pour contents of pot into blender or food processor; add pumpkin, and puree until smooth. Pour all back into pot, and stir in remaining chicken broth, salt and bay leaf. Set over medium heat, and bring to simmer; stir occasionally.

After 5 minutes, stir in heavy cream or half-and-half and sweetener of choice. Taste soup, adding more salt or honey if necessary to get the desired balance of sweet and savory. Simmer 2 more minutes, remove from heat and serve.

SWEET POTATO FRIES

Baked sweet potato fries are healthful as well as easy for kids to cook, according to Grammy winner Ziggy Marley in a clipping sent by E. of Henagar, Alabama. Marley offered a little parental philosophy too, from his experiences as dad to four. "Cooking helps the kids learn how to be self-sufficient and teaches them how to clean up after themselves. It's not just about food - cooking is about life."

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

1 pound sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-wide wedges

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, season the potatoes with salt. Toss with the oil and cumin. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast until tender, slightly crispy and browned in spots, 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

JUST A DASH

A reader has described herself in a past column as a gatherer when she entertains. For a recent luncheon, L.R. combined this very same gathering gift with homemade dishes for a most successful combination. The soup was gathered from the refrigerator section at the grocery. Spanakopita? Gathered from the freezer section at the big-box store. Salad? Assembled on site. Birthday cake? Instead, a flourless delicacy called Russian cream, prepared in 15 minutes and chilled for several hours until firm. So, four parts to lunch: two gathered, two easily prepared at home.

Keep on sharing and joining in this feast of ideas. Next week?

REQUESTS

» Creamy tomato soup

» Buttermilk grits

» Chimichurri salad dressing

» Homemade vinegars

» Uses for whole frozen okra

TO REACH US

Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send.

Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750

E-mail: chattfare@gmail.com

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