FOOD & FUN
PERFECT PAIRINGS Minnesota cooking guru Beatrice Ojakangas serves up soup and bread in her new cookbook
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ne of my favorite reasons for living in Minnesota is the changing of the seasons. After the lush heat of summer and autumn’s blaze of glory, I welcome the quiet of winter. There’s something calming about the blackand-white landscape and the downy quilt of snow that gently settles over the earth. Wintertide with its sharp cold and bitter wind calls for hearty food. Who better to provide it than Minnesota cooking guru Beatrice Ojakangas. In her new release, “The Soup & Bread Cookbook,” Ojakangas shares more than 100 satisfying soup and bread pairings. The James Beard Cookbook Hall of Famer’s love of soup dates back to her childhood when her mother gave her some words of advice: You can never go wrong ordering soup. And then, of course, there should be bread to go with it. Ojakangas has been sampling soup ever since. In her new cookbook, she takes the reader along on her “soup travels,” providing delicious tastes
Zest • December 2020
Kay
JOHNSON ARTS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR
from throughout the world and teaching how to make them at home. Her recipes are rooted in the rhythm of Minnesota seasons — from hearty winter fare to the cool, refreshing soups of summer. Inspiration for her soups, stews and chowders come from farmers markets and local organic grocery stores. I love the idea of pairing soup and bread. Seriously, is there anything better? I so enjoy curling up with a good cookbook. I read them like novels. I devour the photos, savor the list of ingredients and imagine the play of tastes across my tongue. I seldom actually make anything, but I hold dear the idea that I could. When it comes to perfect pairings, Ojakangas has hit a home run. How about New Potato Spring Pea Soup with chive-dill batter bread, Spicy Mango Melon Soup with Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Chicken and Dumpling Soup with Dutch Raisin Bread, or Asian Lemon-Ginger Soup with Sesame Sunflower Breadsticks? Hmmm, so good.
Whatever your taste buds crave, Ojakangas has a winning combo for you. The Splendid Table, public radio’s culinary culture and lifestyle program, has offered the best recommendation for the cookbook: “banish the Campbell’s from your cupboard forever.” Interested in tasting a recipe before splurging on the book? One of Ojakangas’ pairings that I think will appeal to Leader readers is German Potato Soup with Pumpernickel Soup Bowls.
GERMAN POTATO SOUP Soup served in a bread bowl has been a novelty on restaurant menus for as long as I can remember. It can really be done with any bread with a firm crust and with any soup. This combination is inspired by the classic Bavarian pairing. Makes 6 servings.
About the book Title: “The Soup and Bread Cookbook” Author: Beatrice Ojakangas Publisher: University of Minnesota Press; Nov. 3, 2020 Price: 280 pages; $19.95 paperback The cookbook is available where books are sold and it can be borrowed by calling local libraries.
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 1 large onion, chopped 6 cups basic chicken stock or two for one beef stock or low-sodium store bought 4 large boiling potatoes, peeled and diced 2 tablespoons allpurpose flour 1/2 cup light sour cream Ojakangas to 14
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