Author: Kathy Hunt

cold herby cucumber soup

Cold Herby Cucumber Soup

Published by Kathy Hunt

Cold herby cucumber soup is my global pandemic dish. Had it not been for the coronavirus and resulting quarantine, I wouldn’t have stayed in Southeastern Pennsylvania long enough to plant and tend a garden, one that produces an absurd amount of cucumbers and herbs. I also wouldn’t have considered teaching virtual cooking classes. Unlike in-person classes, where we work with a host of ingredients and equipment, online courses require simpler recipes. After all, I can’t expect people to spend hours tracking down unusual spices and produce or invest in special kitchen tools. That’s where a quick, easy dish like Cold Herby Cucumber soup comes in handy. A few words about cucumbers Originating in India over 3,000 years ago, cucumbers are one of the oldest cultivated plants. Although classified as a fruit, they are used as a vegetable in salads, soups and hors d’oeuvres. While North Americans consume them raw, parts of Asia and Europe also cook them. Cucumbers consist of 95% water, making them a great thirst quencher. Low in calories and fat-free, they possess …

mushroom vegetarian cheesesteak

All Mushroom, No Steak Mushroom Cheesesteak

Published by Kathy Hunt

Saint Augustine advised, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” So, when quarantining outside of Philadelphia, the cheesesteak capital of the U.S., I started making cheesesteak sandwiches but with a little twist. Instead of thinly sliced beef, I used the “meat of the vegetable world,” mushrooms. The result was a lighter, less fatty but no less delicious mushroom cheesesteak. History of an iconic sandwich Legend claims that, in 1930, tired of dining on hot dogs, brothers and South Philadelphia hot dog stand owners Pat and Harry Olivieri asked a local butcher for beef scraps. The two fried this beef alongside some onions from their condiment tray and stuffed the mixture into rolls. When a passing cab driver asked to buy their hot, juicy dinners, a culinary classic was born. By the 1960s, cheese topped the beef, giving the sandwich its name, “cheesesteak.” Roughly 90 years after its inception, a debate rages over what makes a great cheesesteak. Some swear by cheese, while others demand Cheez Whiz, the topping used at Pat’s King of Steaks, …

slice of coffee cake

Brown Sugar-Almond Coffee Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

I’ve been doing a lot of armchair traveling, looking at old photos and travel journals and cooking and baking dishes that I first tried in far-flung locations. After revisiting several trips to Sweden, I started to crave coffee cake. This, in turn, prompted me to bake my brown sugar-almond coffee cake. In Sweden the coffee break or fika means just that—you take a break to have a cup of coffee and a baked good. It could be a slice of tart, a cinnamon roll or chocolate ball. Or, it could be a piece of cake served with coffee. Hence the inspiration for “coffee cake.” Often Swedish coffee cakes include almonds and such spices as cardamom, cinnamon and ginger. Among the traditional coffee cake offerings are almond tortes and apple, spice or pound cakes. American coffee cakes differ in that they frequently feature sour cream in their batters and streusel and a glaze on top. They tend to be sweeter than their Swedish counterparts. The sweet, aromatic and nutty Brown Sugar-Almond Coffee Cake is a nod …

chocolate mud cake

Chocolate Mud Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

Like Mississippi mud pie, chocolate mud cake reputedly gets its name from its moist, dark texture, which is said to resemble the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. Because I first tried chocolate mud cake roughly 10,000 miles from the Southern United States, on the South Coast of Australia, and because this cake is so heavenly, I’m not convinced of this story. How could something this delicious have its roots in something as unappetizing as wet dirt or sludge? Perhaps “mud” hints at the inclusion of strong, black coffee. Sometimes referred to as mud, dirt, java or joe, coffee adds a tangy complexity to this chocolatey cake. Along with its decadent flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture, chocolate mud cake has simplicity in its favor. To make the batter, you stir together butter, chocolate, sugar, instant espresso or instant coffee powder and boiling water. Add those ingredients to eggs, vanilla, flour and cocoa and stir until combined. With that you create a luscious cake batter that you pour into a baking pan. It’s that easy! Topping off …

slice of apple-applesauce cake

Apple-Applesauce Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

Apple-Applesauce Cake is one of those quintessential quarantine recipes. I had an extra Granny Smith apple, a jar of applesauce, carton of expiring eggs, butter and flour in my kitchen. Add to those ingredients too much free time in my schedule. So, I baked a moist and aromatic apple-applesauce cake. Since all of this spare time allows me to write and test recipes at a much greater pace, I’ll share this easy, tasty cake. Originally, I made the cake with only one apple. If you have two on hand, I would slip in the additional fruit. This result is an even more luscious dessert. As for the applesauce, I’d suggest unsweetened. Whether it’s smooth or chunky is your call. If you want a less sweet treat, something you could eat, guilt-free, at breakfast, omit the glaze on the cake. Apple-Applesauce Cake Serves 8 to 10 for the cake: 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon …

corn noodle soup

My Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup/My Corn Noodle Soup

Published by Kathy Hunt

Although my mother hated to cook, she did have a few dishes that she almost enjoyed making, ones that I truly enjoyed eating. Top on that list was chicken noodle soup. Brimming with plump egg noodles, tender chunks of chicken and colorful bits of carrots, this velvety soup was the epitome of comfort food. For years I asked for my mother’s chicken noodle soup recipe. I even gave her various ways to share it. She could recite the ingredients and measurements; I’d write them down. She could make the soup as I watched; I’d take notes while she cooked. Invariably, she would be too busy, in no mood to cook or not have the ingredients. However, if I wanted to take a few containers of frozen chicken noodle soup that she happened to have on hand, well, that would be fine. It took me a while to realize that she wanted to make this soup for me. Giving away the recipe would be giving away this gift forever. She was not about to do that. …

lentil burgers with marinara

Mediterranean Red Lentil Burgers

Published by Kathy Hunt

If you’re stocking up on dry goods, you’ve bought a bag of red or brown lentils, and now you don’t know quite what to do with them, I’ve got the dish for you—Mediterranean red lentil burgers. Although I make these velvety patties with dairy products and breadcrumbs, you could easily turn them into a vegetarian or gluten-free dish. Check out the recipe headnote for suggestions or adapt these lentil burgers yourself. Delicious and nutritious Lentils are one of my kitchen staples. I use them in soups and curries, as salads and as stuffings for fish and vegetables. Reputedly the oldest of all legumes, lentils have a wonderfully nutty flavor that goes well with a variety of ingredients. That includes carrots, peppers, onions, garlic, chicken, fish—particularly salmon, trout, Arctic char, swordfish, mahi mahi and scallops—and spices and herbs such as cumin, curry powder, paprika, basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, fennel and parsley. Nutritious as well as delicious, lentils are high in iron and phosphorus and possess a decent amount of calcium and vitamins A and B. On …

Better than black and white cookies? Black and White Cake!

Published by Kathy Hunt

Think of Black and White Cake as a giant black and white cookie but so much better. Before moving to New York City, I had thought that the B&W cookie would become my guilty indulgence, my go-to sweet. A cake-like cookie with both vanilla and chocolate topping. How could I not love this New York speciality? And, yet, I don’t. For 20 years I’ve tried countless bakeries’ takes on this cookie. Unimpressed, I’ve even baked my own. Each time I’ve had the same thought—it could be great as a cake but, as a cookie, it lacks the crispness, crunchiness or gooeyness that I enjoy. Rather than give up on this treat altogether, I tinkered around in the kitchen and came up with a luscious Black and White cake recipe. The Black and White Cake differs from its inspiration in several ways. The most obvious is that it’s a moist layer cake and not a cookie. The second is the icing. The cookie is decorated with fondant, a stiff, glossy topping made from sugar, gelatin, glycerine, …

big stack of Anzac cookies

Crunchy & Sweet Anzac Biscuits

Published by Kathy Hunt

Traveling through Australia and New Zealand’s South Island, I learned that Anzac biscuits are about as prevalent and popular as chocolate chip cookies are in the U.S. They’ve been around a bit longer, though. While chocolate chip cookies originated in the late 1930s, Anzac biscuits date back to World War I, when Australia and New Zealand established the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, or ANZAC. Sent to Egypt for training, the ANZAC soldiers took along tins of sturdy and wholesome oatmeal biscuits. Hence the name “Anzac biscuits.” Created without eggs, Anzac biscuits traveled well and possessed a long shelf life. These traits came in quite handy, because loved ones often mailed these cookies to the troops. The baked goods then spent two months on a ship without refrigeration before reaching the soldiers. ANZAC Day Had it not been for the ANZAC troops’ efforts and sacrifices at Gallipoli, Turkey, their eponymous treats may have drifted into obscurity. However, as a result of the corps’ bravery during eight months of fighting, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa …

Swedish spice cookies

Swedish Spice Cookies

Published by Kathy Hunt

In a season filled with rich, heavy foods and cloying sweets I like to take a page from my stack of European cookbooks and bake a few dozen spice cookies. These fragrant cookies date back to the Middle Ages when ingredients such as pepper, cinnamon and cloves were rare and expensive commodities. As a result, they were used sparingly and for special occasions such as Christmas. All sorts of spice cookies Most Europeans countries have some type of spice cookie. In Germany it’s the bite-sized pfeffernüsse while in Russia it’s clove- and black pepper-seasoned pryaniky. The Netherlands has crisp, windmill-shaped, spice-laden speculaas while Spain offers an anise-flavored, cinnamon-dusted, cut-out known as biscochito or “little biscuit.” What I usually bake, though, are ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove and nutmeg-laced Swedish pepparkakor. Cutting cookies Featured in Astrid Lindgren’s “Pippi Longstocking” tales, Swedish spice cookies are cut into the shapes of pigs, horned goats, reindeer, bells, stars, hearts and a bearded, gnome-like man known as Tomte; I think of Tomte as the Scandinavian version of Santa Claus. Since my …