self-sufficient

Here we go--the next round of Novel Food is in the works! I debated which level of book to do, as I've done a few aimed at teenagers lately, and decided to focus on a book that is great for elementary aged kids (and perfect for a read-aloud, making it good for preschoolers, too).

The book of choice? Another childhood favorite: The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner.

Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny have been orphaned and are supposed to go live with their grandfather. But they've heard he's a hard man and don't want to have anything to do with him, so they run away. They find an abandoned boxcar on an unused portion of tracks in the woods and turn it into their home. Trips to the junkyard provide furnishings, a nearby stream is their bathtub and Henry gets them some food and cash by doing odd jobs for a doctor in town. The girls even keep Benny up to speed with his schoolwork by teaching him his letters.

One of my favorite things about this book was how creative and resourceful the kids were, including meals. Henry makes a meal out of thinnings from the doctor's garden, and when I started pulling up carrots from our garden, I knew immediately I had to incorporate them somehow with this novel.


Pistou Soup
serves 8

Soup:
1½ lbs potatoes, diced into ¼ in pieces
½ lb fresh cranberry beans or cannellini beans
½ lb green beans, cut into ¼ in pieces
½ lb zucchini, cut into ¼ in pieces
2½ oz of leek, white part cut into ¼ in slices
½ lb carrots, cut into ¼ in pieces
15 c water
3 T salt
½ lb fresh green peas
4 oz canned chickpeas, drained
½ c penne pasta

Place all the vegetables except peas and chickpeas in a large pot and add water. Sprinkle with salt, cover and cook for 1 hour (or until vegetables are tender). Add the peas, chickpeas and pasta, bring to a boil and cook until pasta is done.


Pistou:
5 garlic cloves
2 c fresh basil leaves
1 lb tomatoes, peeled and seeded
3/4 c olive oil
2 c freshly grated Gruyère cheese
1 t salt

In a mortar and pestle, mash garlic, basil and tomatoes. Beat in oil gradually and then add the cheese to make a thick paste. Add salt.

At the last minute, add the pistou to the boiling soup. Stir and serve pipping hot.

My notes: I'd use half broth and half water next time--despite the pistou's ingredients, it still was a little bland. I also only made a little pistou and added it to the soup bowl, rather than the pot, and skipped the pasta. This is due to the fact we weren't going to eat it all at once and I didn't think it would reheat as well. Also, I added my cannellini beans (actually northern beans) after the first hour because they were canned.

Using frozen vegetables works okay with this.

Book recommendation: The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Recipe recommendation: Pistou Soup
Television recommendation: FlashForward