Family Recipe Revival / Gill Style
Many chefs have great stories about their beginning days of their love of food. It’s usually from a memory of when they were five, clutching grandma’s apron strings, learning to make some old world recipe. I am not that chef.
I grew up as a classic, suburban, American kid. My mom cooked each night; the 70’s dinner of meat, potato and vegetable. While what my mom made was tasty, I was more interested in running about the yard than learning anything about her cooking. Yet I do remember many dinners from my childhood. Spaghetti was a once a year meal as it took Mom all day to make the sauce. For some reason she would not use jarred sauce. Chop Suey was standard for Christmas along with the ham. And when we grew green beans in the garden, Mom made a mean green bean potato soup. It was so fresh you could still feel the fuzz on the beans when you ate the hot soup. When my mother passed away in 2005, I was sure to get her small, tin, red, holiday design recipe box. For Christmas that year I created a simple cookbook of her recipes to share with the family.
Chef Feker from Il Mito Tratoria e Enoteca restaurant in Wauwatosa is honoring those memories and recipes from our childhood through his Family Recipe Revival Contest. Be sure to check out FamilyRecipeRevival.com to submit your own family recipes.
I have shared the soup recipe that will be so wonderful come summer. And I could not resist adding my favorite take-to-school birthday treat that my mom made. I even made these recently for a friend’s 40th birthday. Tasty, no matter what your age.
In memory of Jeanne Gill. Thanks Mom.
Garden Green Bean & Potato Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion – diced
3 medium russet potatoes, cleaned, peeled & cubed
2 cups water or chicken broth
2 cups fresh green beans, cleaned, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
14 oz can evaporated milk or 1 cup cream
Salt & pepper to taste
In a soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and soften, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes and stir until coated. Add water or broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, about 10 minutes. Add beans and cook on low, covered, another 8-10 minutes. Add milk or cream and heat through-do not allow to boil. Season to taste.
Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
1 stick butter, softened
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
½ cup milk
2 cups flour
2 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
1 cup chocolate chips
12 cake style ice cream cones
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth.
Combine flour through salt in a separate bowl. Add to wet mixture and stir. Add chocolate chips.
Fill cones until almost full. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Sometimes it is easier to handle the wobbly cones if placed inside a mini-muffin tin for baking.
