Jackson Park 1925

MORE COLD SOUPS

It’s summer time in the city.  And it’s HOT! I am not a summer person, never was, and never will be. Even as a kid, I hated summer (except that there was no school)  I can remember sweltering in the 4^th floor apartment at 1117.  We lived on the top floor;  the roof was a flat black tarred roof and every summer in the heat we died!!!  Even cousin Sandra remembers sleeping on the floor with a fan directly on us.  Every window was open and even the back door to the apartment was left open. (We never had to worry about leaving it open all day and all night. It was not a problem.  My mom would say by the time any seedy characters climbed all those stairs, they would be too tired to bother us.  But in comparison to 1107, where at one time, there were 11 people living in that one apartment, I had it easy.  And every time I think about how hot it was, I remember this one little story my mom told me.

Uncle Tony used to refer t o his four sisters as the “Balloon sisters plus Bridgie”. This was in reference to their voluptuous body frames.  Aunt Bridgie was the thinnest.  But indeed all four sisters were “blessed”, as my dad would say. Even though they all were sisters, Aunt Lu and Aunt Bridgie were twins, they were all were different with distinct characteristics.  Auntie Ang, the oldest sister, was the most serious, taking on the role of oldest sister and eventually matriarch of the family. My mom, Teresa, was the most studious, although she never took herself serious and actually had a great sense of humor.  Aunt Lu and Aunt Bridgie, the Twins as they were referred to all their lives, were the most mischievous. 

Growing up, my mom told me numerous stories about their child hood, and although they lost their mom and dad as at early age, I heard a lot of funny stories.  One of my favorite stories, and till this day, it still brings laughter to the point of tears, dealt with Aunt Bridgie.  Knowing Aunt Bridgie makes this story even funnier.

For those of us who remember 1107 and the apartment layout, try to picture the middle bedroom.  Those bedrooms were all so tiny.  When they were growing up, my mom, Aunt Lu and Aunt Bridgie slept in one bed and Auntie Ang and Anonna, their grandmother, slept in another bed in the same room.  The boys, Uncle Jerry, Uncle Willie and Uncle Tony, slept in the dinning.  Zi Barone slept in the front bedroom (my mom said no one wanted to sleep with him so he was the only one who had a bed to himself.  My grandparents slept off the kitchen bedroom.  Damn.  I can’t imagine how they survived the summers.

My mom slept on the far left side of the bed, closest to the wall, Aunt Bridgie on the far right closet to the door and Aunt Lu in the middle.  One night, my mom woke up when you heard a thud.  She knew right away that Aunt Bridgie fell off the side of the bed.  She didn’t want to wake up Aunt Lu or let Aunt Bridgie know she heard, but she did try to suppress a laugh.  She remembered she struggled with that but did shake a little trying to quell the laugh.  Well, no such thing with Aunt Lu.  She also heard the thud on the floor and rather than suppress the laugh, she started to giggle as Aunt Lu to the end of her life always did.  As soon as my mom heard Aunt Lu, she did too. Aunt Bridgie was a not known to hold back on her language.  For woman in her time, she could give most sailors a run for their money when it came to cussing.  Well every possible cuss word came out of her mouth that night which of course made my mom and Aunt Lu laugh even more.   I wasn’t there, of course, but knew Aunt Bridgie well enough that in my mind’s eye I could picture that moment and be able to laugh until I cried. 

In any case, here’s a couple of cold soup recipes for your summer enjoyment. I have posted them before but thought it worth doing again. 

As always, please leave your comments at the end of this posting.

COLD CUCUMBER SOUP

3 Cucumbers, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped dill plus 1 teaspoon for garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1.  Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth

2.  Serve in well chilled bowls and garnish with some chopped dill.

Variation:  Eliminate the garlic and substitute mint for the dill.

GAZPACHO

2 Cups Tomato Juice

1 large cucumber, peeled and diced

2 small onions, peeled and chopped

2 whole tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced, or 1 14 oz. can whole tomatoes

1 large green pepper, seeded and diced

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2-cup olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon, or 1/2 cup of lemon juice

1/2 cup half and half (can substitute 1/2 cup of yogurt)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Dash of Tabasco sauce

Garnish:

Chopped parsley or cilantro

Diced Tomato

Chopped cucumber

Chopped red and green peppers

Red pepper flakes

1.            Put all the soup ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree into smooth. 

2.            Chill 3 hours or overnight.

3.            Serve in chilled soup dishes, if possible.  Allow each person to add his/her own garnishes.

As always, please leave your comments at the end of this posting.