Issue Date: October 5, 2003
Warm picnic for a cool day
Head outdoors with this hearty meal for eight.
Easy soup, moist muffins and tender spice cake make a great outdoor meal.
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To me, fall is the best time of year to eat outdoors. In most parts of our country, there's no glaring sun, no annoying bugs or mosquitoes, no burning heat or oppressive humidity. The cooler autumn air, however, demands warmer fare.
The centerpiece of this seasonal picnic is a homemade sausage-and-bean soup that can be made in a little more time, and with a lot more flavor, than it takes to assemble a bag full of ho-hum sandwiches.
Instead of starting with a hambone (which you won't have unless you've just eaten a baked ham) and dried beans (which require significant soaking and simmering time), I simply open cans of chicken broth and beans. Minced prosciutto instantly transforms commercial chicken broth into a ham-flavored soup base. Italian sausage reinforces the pork flavor and makes the soup substantial and satisfying. Mashing some of the canned beans thickens the soup and gives it the body of one that's been long simmered. Sautéed onions, carrots and celery add depth of flavor and ensure the soup's homemade feel.
Corn muffins are the perfect accompaniment, and this recipe yields a bread that's moist and savory and tastes distinctly of corn. Unlike many corn muffins, these stay moist, thanks to canned creamed corn. If there's no time to bake muffins, simply bring along French bread and let picnickers break pieces from the loaf.
Dessert is a substantial yet tender spice cake that's flavorful enough to serve unadorned. If making my gingerbread variation, consider bringing along a jar of lemon curd.
Toss a few apples and a wedge of sharp cheddar into the basket, and you've got a simple, yet memorable picnic -- at the stadium, the park or even in the living room in front of the fire.
Contributing Editor Pam Anderson is the author of CookSmart (Houghton Mifflin, $28).
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Sausage & White Bean Soup
2 Tbs. pure olive oil
1 1/2 pounds sweet or hot Italian sausage, in the casing
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto ham, minced
2 medium onions, in medium dice
2 medium carrots, peeled and in medium dice
2 medium celery stalks, in medium dice
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
3 15.8-ounce cans great Northern or other white beans, undrained
1 quart chicken broth (carton or can)
Heat oil in a large, deep sauté pan or soup kettle over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add sausages; cook, turning once or twice, until well-browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. (Sausage will not be fully cooked at this point.)
Remove from pan. When cool enough to handle, cut into slices 1/4-inch thick. Add prosciutto, onions, carrots, celery and thyme to the empty skillet; cook, stirring often, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. In a small bowl, mash one can of beans with a fork into a chunky purée. Add broth, whole and mashed beans, and sausage; cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, partially covered, to blend flavors, 20 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes; serve.
Picnic tip: Transfer to a 2-quart Thermos-type bottle after the first simmer. Can be cooked ahead and refrigerated up to 3 days.
Serves: 8.
Per serving: 563 calories, 27g protein, 40g carbohydrates, 32g fat (10g saturated), 10g fiber, 1,275mg sodium.
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Savory Corn Muffins
1 14.75-ounce can creamed corn
2 cups yellow cornmeal, divided
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 stick (8 Tbs.) melted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tb. sugar
1 1/2 tsps. salt
2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 12-cup muffin tin (with standard-sized molds of 1/2-cup capacity) in oven to heat while preparing batter.
Microwave creamed corn in a 1-quart Pyrex-type measuring cup to a full boil (or in a medium saucepan over medium heat).
Stir in 1 cup of the cornmeal to make a very thick, pasty mush. If the mush is not stiff, microwave an additional 30 seconds or so. Whisk in buttermilk, then eggs and finally butter.
Mix remaining cornmeal with flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda in a medium bowl.
Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined.
Remove muffin tin from oven; coat with non-stick cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among cups (a spring-action ice cream scoop works well). Bake until golden brown on sides and bottom, about 15 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack; let cool 5 minutes. Serve.
Picnic tip: Can be cooled to room temperature, wrapped in plastic and stored up to a day.
Makes 12 muffins.
Per muffin: 239 calories, 5g protein, 34g carbohydrates, 9g fat (5g saturated), 2g fiber, 634mg sodium.
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Moist, Tender Spice Cake
2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsps. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. each: ground nutmeg, allspice and cloves
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 sticks (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened until easily spreadable
2 cups dark brown sugar
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a metal or disposable foil 9-by-13-inch pan. Whisk dry ingredients and spices in a large bowl. Mix milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a 2-cup measuring cup.
Beat softened butter into dry ingredients, first on low, then medium, until mixture forms pebble-sized pieces. Add about 1/3 of the milk mixture and beat on low until smooth. Add remaining milk mixture in two stages; beat on medium speed until batter is just smooth. Add the sugar; beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Pour batter into cake pan.
Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the pan perimeter and turn cake onto rack. Let cool.
Picnic tip: Can be double-wrapped in plastic a day ahead. Return to pan to transport. Also, the batter can be divided and baked in two 8-inch square cake pans. Take one on the picnic; freeze one for later.
Serves: 16.
Per serving: 315 calories, 4g protein, 45g carbohydrates, 13g fat (8g saturated), 0g fiber, 226mg sodium.
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Gingerbread variation
To turn this spice cake into gingerbread:
Reduce baking powder to 1 tsp.; add 1 tsp. of baking soda.
Reduce brown sugar to 1 cup; add 1 cup of molasses.
For spices, use 1 Tb. ground ginger, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. ground allspice (omit nutmeg and cloves).
For an elegant touch, dust the cake with powdered sugar sprinkled through a sieve or strainer.
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