“We work as a team!” wrote Flo and Ron. Their kitchen is the scene of day-to-day meals and the source of frequent dinner parties; Flo, 70, is a retired registered nurse and Ron, 71, is a retired Navy physician. That leaves them time to pursue the dishes for which they are best known: Flo’s Rosemary Flat Bread and Ron’s Mushroom Soup. Their motto for cooking? “Don’t be afraid to experiment.”


How we learned to cook: Trial and error; occasional cooking school.


Favorite kitchen utensil/appliance: Flo — Cast iron pans and KitchenAid mixer. Ron — Smoker.


You will never catch us doing this in the kitchen: Flo — Using a bread machine. Ron — I never use pressed charcoal briquettes when grilling.


Culinary specialties: Flo — Homemade bagels and rosemary bread. Ron — Smoked brisket; “Chicken on a Throne.” Both — Paella, soups, carne asada and fish.


A culinary goal not yet achieved: Flo — The perfect loaf of bread! (Big holes and thick crust). Ron — Nothing I can think of. But I haven’t achieved them all!


Who appreciates our cooking: Each other.


Among our favorite recipes are:




ROSEMARY FLAT BREAD


2½ teaspoons dry yeast


1½ cups lukewarm water


4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour


1 tablespoon sugar


3 teaspoons kosher salt


1/3 cup finely chopped rosemary


Olive oil and additional kosher salt




Add sugar and yeast to warm water in a mixing bowl; stir to dissolve.


Add flour and 3 teaspoons salt; mix well.


With dough hook of stand mixer, knead until gluten develops. Test by stretching a small piece of dough between; it should stretch, not tear. Oil dough lightly; let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.


Coat a nonstick cookie sheet with olive oil, or cover a traditional sheet with parchment paper that is oiled.


Flatten dough on sheet, pressing with tips of fingers until dough is about 1-inch thick; oil lightly and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise until slightly puffed, about 45 minutes.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Uncover dough, lightly sprinkle with additional kosher salt and chopped rosemary. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until bottom crust is brown. Cut into serving-sized pieces and serve warm.




MUSHROOM SOUP


2 pounds fresh mushrooms, mixed variety


1 (2½-ounce) package dried porcini mushrooms


2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


3 tablespoons unsalted butter


2 quarts chicken stock (low-fat, low-salt)


Salt, to taste


Freshly ground pepper


2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or marjoram or 2 teaspoons

dried thyme or marjoram


2 or 3 tablespoons dry sherry, optional


Minced herbs for garnish


Crème fraÎche or sour cream for garnish




Clean mushrooms with damp paper towels; discard any blemishes or tough stems. Coarsely chop the mushrooms. Melt butter in heavy pot or soup pan.


Add mushrooms and sauté over medium heat until mushrooms lose their moisture. Stir in flour and cook for an additional minute or two.


Meanwhile, reconstitute porcinis in 2 cups hot water. Add chicken stock to mushroom mixture. Strain porcini broth; add to pot. Bring mixture to boil; reduce heat to a medium simmer. Add seasonings. Cover; stir occasionally.


Cook for 30 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Remove about half of the mushrooms from the pot; purée remainder with an immersion blender or common kitchen blender.


Add sherry, if using. Return mushroom solids to soup.

Reheat; adjust seasoning if needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish. Store leftover soup in refrigerator for up to three days. Freezes well.




“Who’s Cooking?” runs biweekly and features local individuals who enjoy cooking or baking. This week’s column was compiled by Sunday News staff writer Stephen Kopfinger. blog comments powered by Disqus