RECIPES: Better broths serve as bases for fresh fall meals
Each Sunday evening, Stella Dillard of Dandelion Food and Goods starts her weekly e-newsletter with the headline “You need a good meal.”
“I wanted to make it clear that we provide food that is made with care and going to make people feel better for having eaten it,” said Dillard. “We give our customers the opportunity to eat like a chef with super fresh ingredients that have been grown nearby.”
Dillard has done many things in her 15 years of working in restaurants and says one of the things she really enjoyed was making “family meals,” the group meal a restaurant serves its staff usually before peak business hours. “Those meals need to be nutritionally balanced because they have to fuel people to get through an eight-hour shift. And you’re dealing with discerning palates.”
Then came the pandemic and restaurant shutdowns and her friends telling her how much they missed going out to eat. “I told them I could make them restaurant-quality food, and so that was the start of Dandelion Food and Goods, making what were essentially family meals but for my friends.”
Business grew quickly and she moved from her home kitchen to a commercial kitchen in Old Fourth Ward. At first, she was selling to a network of friends and friends of friends. In spring 2021, she began selling at the Oakhurst and Ponce City farmers markets. Now she sells at the Oakhurst and Morningside farmers markets on Saturdays and alternates between the Avondale Estates and Grant Park markets on Sundays. She offers online sales for pickup at the commercial kitchen or delivery inside the Perimeter on Thursdays.
Her weekly menu includes a variety of soups, casseroles, and “Serious Salads” full of whatever vegetables she’s getting from local farmers and cheese from local makers.
In fall, the salad might be the customer favorite of black lentils with roasted butternut squash, goat feta and fermented cauliflower greens with basil, walnuts and sweet-and-sour vinaigrette. In summer, it might be a salad made with freshly harvested potatoes with greens, pickled turnips and sliced fennel, all dressed with a punchy, spicy olive vinaigrette.
And no matter what the season, there is always a wide range of soups with omnivore, vegan and vegetarian options.
Many of the soups start with a broth that’s built on an aromatic mix of onion, garlic and ginger. She created a series of what she calls “wonderbroths,” which showcase whatever vegetables are in season. “I am a big believer in building a flavor profile, in thinking about how you layer your salty things and acidic things and sweet things for fuller flavor with all these backup players supporting the main ingredient.”
Her sweet potato wonderbroth is a case in point. It begins with a flavorful vegetable broth that’s built on a foundation of roasted onion, garlic and ginger to bring out the caramel notes and richness of those vegetables. Then she cooks peanuts in the broth to provide body and protein for the soup and adds roasted sweet potatoes, which make the broth rich and creamy, sturdy and delicious enough to eat on its own, especially when seasoned to taste with hot sauce, something sweet such as honey or coconut sugar, and a few drops of something acidic like sherry or apple cider vinegar.
Since Dillard favors soups that are packed full of ingredients like stews, she suggests turning this wonderbroth into a heartier soup by adding black rice and braised greens such as bok choy.
In another season, the wonderbroth might be made from beets, spinach or sweet peppers.
Another customer favorite is her beef curry broth, which reproduces the flavor of a dish she and her partner enjoyed in the United Kingdom. It starts with beef broth made from roasted bones and vegetables and then includes spices, yellow curry paste, makrut lime leaves and coconut milk. On the website, she sells both the broth and beef curry noodle soup, which adds chunks of beef and potatoes, noodles and blanched greens.
Sourcing her meat is just as important as sourcing her vegetables, and she uses grass-fed beef from Stone Mountain Cattle Co. and beef bones from Four Bellies Farm, which sells at the Grant Park and East Atlanta farmers markets.
Her broths take time to make, mostly hands off, because they build upon layers of flavor. Making them at home produces a kitchen filled with rich aromas and provides the foundation for a range of satisfying, nutritionally dense meals.
RECIPES
Stella Dillard of Dandelion Food and Goods shares recipes for three broths that will transform your fall soups.
Sweet Potato Wonderbroth
This broth is delicious on its own, but to turn it into a heartier soup, add cooked black rice and braised greens such as bok choy, and garnish with chopped herbs.
- 1 cup raw peanuts
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 1/2 onions, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 5 cups Vegetable Broth (see recipe), plus more if needed
- Salt
- Hot sauce and honey, brown sugar or coconut sugar, to taste (optional)
- Sherry or apple cider vinegar, to taste (optional)
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange peanuts on an ungreased rimmed baking sheet and roast 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
- After setting aside the peanuts, arrange sweet potatoes on the same baking sheet and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, then peel. Set aside.
- While sweet potatoes are roasting, in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat, combine chopped onions with ginger, garlic and oil. Stirring constantly, cook vegetables until fragrant and onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add peanuts and vegetable broth. Taste for salt and simmer lightly covered until peanuts are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add peeled roasted sweet potatoes. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture, adding additional broth if needed to reach desired consistency. Season to taste with hot sauce and honey, brown sugar or coconut sugar if desired. To brighten broth, if desired, add vinegar to taste. Makes 7 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per cup: 512 calories (percent of calories from fat, 57), 19 grams protein, 39 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fiber, 35 grams total fat (6 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 89 milligrams sodium.Vegetable Broth
Roasting the vegetables until golden brown and leaving the peel on the onion and garlic provide great depth of flavor for the broth.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
- 1 onion, peel on
- 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 rib celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 head garlic, peel on, cut in half
- 2 bay leaves, fresh if possible
- 8 cups water, plus more if needed
- Salt
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Use 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to grease a rimmed sheet pan.
- Cut onion into quarters. In a medium bowl, toss quartered onion, carrot, celery and garlic with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast vegetables 35 minutes or until deep brown.
- Move vegetables to a Dutch oven, add bay leaves and water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 1 1/2 hours, lightly covered, making sure vegetables stay covered with water. Remove from heat and strain stock, discarding vegetables. Add salt as desired. May be made ahead of time and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months. Makes 5 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per cup: 40 calories (percent of calories from fat, 67), trace protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 3 grams total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 19 milligrams sodium.
Vegan Ramen Broth
This flavorful broth is great for more than just ramen. Consider it as an option for a recipe that calls for vegetable broth. You can make a meal of just the broth alone, although Dillard warns that without protein, it won’t fill you up. To make a ramen bowl, add sauteed or roasted mushrooms, cubes of soft tofu, cooked chuka soba noodles, blanched greens and soft-boiled eggs.
- 2 onions, unpeeled
- 2 (2-inch) pieces ginger, unpeeled
- 1 head garlic, unpeeled
- 12 cups water
- 1 ounce dried shiitakes
- 1 (4-inch) piece kombu
- Salt, soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, and/or regular sesame oil, to taste
- Sliced scallions, for garnish
- Togarashi powder, for serving
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Arrange onion, ginger and garlic in a medium cast-iron skillet, put it in oven and roast until skins are brown, shaking skillet occasionally to turn vegetables. Check onions and garlic after 15 minutes. If the skins are golden brown and they have started to soften, remove them from oven. Check the ginger after 25 minutes and remove from oven when skin has browned. When vegetables are cool enough to touch, cut onions and garlic in half and slice ginger.
- In a Dutch oven, combine onion halves, garlic halves and ginger slices. Add water and dried shiitakes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 hours, lightly covered, or until stock tastes rich. Add kombu and simmer at least 10 minutes. If you want a stronger kombu flavor, cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and strain stock, discarding vegetables.
- Season to taste with salt, soy sauce, rice vinegar and/or sesame oil. Garnish servings with sliced scallions and serve with togarashi powder, to be added by the diner. Makes 8 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per cup: 34 calories (percent of calories from fat, 3), 1 gram protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, trace total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 60 milligrams sodium.
Beef Curry Broth
Dillard suggests that makrut lime leaves, fresh spices in small quantities and a wide array of yellow curry pastes can be found at Buford Highway Farmers Market. For the curry paste, she recommends reading the ingredient lists and trying a few to find your favorite.
- 2 pounds beef bones
- 1/2 pound beef trimmings, fat removed, if bones are not meaty
- 3 medium onions, peel on, plus 1/2 onion for garnish
- 1 (3-inch) piece ginger, peel on, divided
- 1 head garlic, peel on, plus 1 clove for garnish
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 16 cups water, plus more if needed
- 2 1/4 cups coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons yellow curry paste, plus more if desired
- 4 makrut lime leaves
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 limes, zested and juiced
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- Sliced Thai basil, scallions and cilantro, for garnish
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Arrange bones and beef trimmings, if using, on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until deep brown, 25 to 45 minutes.
- Arrange 3 onions, 1 (2-inch) piece ginger and 1 head garlic in a medium cast-iron skillet, put it in oven, and roast until skins are brown, shaking skillet occasionally to turn vegetables. Check onions and garlic after 15 minutes. If the skins are golden brown and they have started to soften, remove them from oven. Check the ginger after 25 minutes and remove from oven when skin has browned. When vegetables are cool enough to touch, cut onions and garlic in half and slice ginger.
- While bones and vegetables are roasting, in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast pepper and fenugreek, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
- In a Dutch oven, combine roasted beef bones and beef trimmings if used, roasted onion halves, ginger slices and garlic halves, toasted pepper and fenugreek and turmeric. Add water, making sure everything is covered, adding more if needed. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, periodically skimming any foam or scum that rises to the surface. Simmer partially covered at least 6 hours, adding water to cover ingredients as necessary. Add coconut milk, curry paste, and lime leaves, and simmer 1 hour. Remove from heat and strain stock, discarding solids. Season broth with brown sugar, lime zest and lime juice. Add salt to taste.
- To serve broth alone: Dice remaining 1/2 onion, mince remaining 1-inch piece ginger and remaining garlic clove. In a small skillet, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add diced onions and minced ginger and garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Garnish individual servings with sauteed onion, ginger, garlic and sliced Thai basil, scallions and cilantro. Makes 8 cups.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per cup: 198 calories (percent of calories from fat, 75), 3 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 18 grams total fat (15 grams saturated), 5 milligrams cholesterol, 37 milligrams sodium.
- 8 cups Beef Curry Broth (see recipe)
- 1/2 pound beef chuck, trimmed, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound greens (such as kale or spinach), stems removed and chopped
- 3 ounces chuka soba noodles
- Sliced Thai basil, scallions and cilantro, for garnish
- In a Dutch oven over medium heat, bring broth to a simmer. Add beef chuck and simmer 90 minutes or until tender. Add potatoes and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- When potatoes have been added to the soup, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Set a bowl of ice water to the side. Chop greens and add to boiling water. Cook 2 minutes or until blanched, then using a sieve or slotted spoon, remove greens to bowl of ice water. Quickly toss, then squeeze to remove water and set aside.
- Cook noodles in salted water according to package directions.
- Divide greens and noodles between bowls. Ladle broth, beef and potatoes into bowls and garnish with sliced Thai basil, scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 478 calories (percent of calories from fat, 54), 18 grams protein, 41 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fiber, 30 grams total fat (23 grams saturated), 32 milligrams cholesterol, 204 milligrams sodium.Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
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