rte THE FRUGAL GOURMET SERVING A Christmas meal without the turkey will seem un-Canadian, even treasonable, to those of you who are traditionalists. I’m old-fashioned too, but I thought it would be fun and just a bit off the beaten path to offer a menu minus Tom (turkey, that is). ; GARLIC HERB SOUP (Serves 10) 2% quarts chicken stock, fresh or canned 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary ‘1 tablespoon fresh oregano ‘1 cup chopped parsiey 2 teaspoons fresh thyme 2 large heads (yes, whole heads) garlic, cloves peeled . Ya cup dry white wine 6 tablespoons buttes’ ¥2 ewp ail-parpese flour % cup heavy cream or half-and- half : .2 .tablespoons chopped fresh -chives Sait - anc: “Freshly - ground black : pepper to taste’ 'GARNISHES Garlic croutons © ‘Grated Parmesan cheese Place the chicken stock, rosemary,. oregano, parsley and “thyme in a four-quart: pot. Bring te a boil, cover and simmer for one hour. * Strain, reserving. the stock. Discard the cooked herbs and “return the stock to the pot. =’ ¥n-a_ small saucepan place all but two of the peeled garlic cloves (they will be used later). Add just enough water to cover the garlic Last-minute gift Inquisitive Cook SUE WILSON ANNE . GARDINER 34 — Wednesday, December 23, 1992 - North Shore News and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Puree the cooked garlic and liquid until smooth. Add to the pot of stock along with the wine and bring to a simmer. Melt the butter in a small frying pan and stir in the flour. Cook together to form a roux. Do not brown. Whisk the roux into the hot stock until smooth and thickened. Crush the two reserved garlic cloves into the pot. Simmer for five minutes. Add the cream, chives and salt _and pepper to taste. Serve gar- nished with garlic croutons and grated Parmesan cheese. NOTE: It’s easy to make your own garlic croutons by toasting small french bread cubes with a ‘bit of olive oil in a frying pan. Toss them about until golden brown and crunchy. Add some crushed garlic toward the end and toast them a bit longer. Don’t burn the garlic. STUFFED SHELLS (Serves 8) If you don’t like this stuffing, AMONG THE nicest gifts for friends who share a love - of cooking are the little ex- travagances one often does without. Consider a tiny twig basket fill- ed with shallots. Or a small izr of French capers. Or a handful of fresh chestnuts. Each is a reminder that therc’s truth in the old saying about good things coming in small packages. Shallots are the classy members of the onion family. Despite their reputation for snobbishness, shallots are truly user-friendly. They've moved beyond the sauce of haute cuisine, and today appear fresh in salads, as fla- voring for wine vinegar, or lightly © sauteed in pasta sauces, An unassuming papery reddish skin covers this tender bulb. Like invent one of your own. Almost anything goes well with pasta shells. Y: pound jumbo pasta shells Y2 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed 1 pound lean ground beef 3 cloves garlic, peeted and crused 1 mediem yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil t pound spinach, ‘washed § and chopped 2 eggs, beaten Y2 cup bread crumbs 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan . cheese Salt an@ freshly ground black peppertotaste 3 cups Italian Tometo Sauce (rec- ipe below) 1% cups grated mozzarella cheese Additional Parmesan’ cheese for topping GARNISH Chopped parsiey Cook the pasta shells until af dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well. Saute the sausage and ground beef untit crumbly. Drain and garlic, it comprises several fat cioves, but flavors are more com- plex, slightly sweeter than onions, with subdued shades of garlic. Shallots are crisp and less watery thax onions. For this reason they’re often used in delicious sauces where they add flavor without extra liquid to alter consistency. Store shallots in cool, dry, well-ventilated spots, rather than the refrigerator. It’s best to buy only small quantities and use them quickly as they don’t keep for long. , But if you’re lucky enough to have more than you need, shallots freeze well. Peel them first so they’re ready to use as you need them, Capers are also a gift that many cooks relish. Looking like tiny dull green beads, their appearance NEWS photo Mike Wakefield "FRUGAL GOURMET adventurously goes off the beaten path with a non-traditional Christmas menu. discard the fat. In a large frying pan saute the garlic and onion in the oil until transparent. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach collapses and the liquid is evaporated. Combine the sauteed meat and sauteed spinach mixture in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients ex- cert the tomato sauce and. moz- zarella cheese. Mix together very well using your hands. Place 2% cups of the tomato sauce into two separate 13’’x 9”’ glass baking dishes.. Fill the shells with the meat mixture, close them and place them seam side down in the sauce. Top the shells with the. remain- ing sauce and cover with moz-, zarella and additional Parmesan cheese. Cover the baking dishes with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes or until hot throughout and bubbly. Uncover the dishes and broil a couple of minutes to brown the cheese slightly. Garnish with chopped parsley. ’ TFALIAN TOMATO SAUCE (Makes 3 quarts) belies their pungent flavor. Capers are seductive garnishes for salty anchovies or smoked salmon. And they add zest to fish, veal or egg dishes. The source of capers is the unopened flower buds of a bush that grows wild mainly in the Mediterranean. The buds are dried and pickled in vinegar. Flavors intensify as capric acid is released from the buds after pickling, giving capers their unique zest. Natural greens discolor in acid, however, so vinegar and capric acid are responsible for their muddy hue. Or send a gift of fresh chestnuts, at their best during the holiday season and a welcome change from other festive treats. Make sure each nut feels firm, looks glossy and is unblemished. your’ gift a personal touch. Make this sauce ahead of time. It will keep for one week in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer if you store it in Plastic containers. 2 28-ounce cans tomato sauce 1 6-ounce can tomato paste 1 quart chicken OR beef stock, fresh or canned 2 cups dry red wine VY cup olive oil 2 yellow onions, peeled and minc- ed 6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely. chopped 2 ribs of celery with leaves, minc- ed 1 carrot, unpeeled aad grated Ya cup chopped parsley ¥%2 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped v2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes - 1 tablespoon dried oregano, whole 1 feaspcon dried rosemary, whele 2 bay jeaves, whole 1 tablespoon dried basil, whole, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 2 cloves, whole _ ¥ tablespoon freshly "ground black pepper 2 tablespoons salt or to taste . 1 teaspoon sugar Place the tomato puree, tomato paste, chicken or beef stock and red wine in a large pot. Heat a frying pan and add the olive cil. Saute the onion, garlic, celery and carrot until they just begin to brown a bit. . Add to the pot along’ with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a light boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for two “hours, partly covered. Store in the refrigerator in plastic containers. PEAS IN ACORN SQUASH " (Serves 6) Eating from edible containers is ; welcome in our time. The kids will‘ have fun with it. This. recipe _ serves doubled. ‘SQUASH . 3 acorn squash 4 tablespoons butter, metied. * Sait and freshly ground - ‘black’ - pepper to taste FILLING 2 tablespoons olive ol], ; 1 medium yellow onion; ‘Peeled aud chopped 2 10-ounce boxes frozen peas, thawed See New York page 38 ; six, but. can easily . be te suggestions for the cook Chestnuts are high in moisture and therefore tend to spoil easily. Chestnuts, are also high in starch so they must be cooked to soften the starch and bring forth their subtle sweetness before they can be eaten. Cut a cross in the flat side of ‘ the shell to let moisture escape, before cooking. A perforated pan over an open fire is the traditional manner of roasting. Shake the pan often, as chestnuts scorch easily. The atmosphere is not as cosy but the nuts taste just as fine when roasted in a 400°F (200°C) oven .for 20 minutes. Then sample one to see if it’s soft. Including a special recipe tends It’s one that will be remembered warmly, well beyond the holiday season.