Martha Stamp's “The New New Southern Basics” is full of recipes that are simple, yet wonderfully appealing.  As a Southern-focused cookbook, many traditional Southern dishes are presented.  In addition, many basics such as homemade ketchup, jam, and pickles are presented. It’s these basics that make “The New New Southern Basics” interesting and provides the food with the warmth of home-style cooking.  The combination of the basics, Martha’s wonderful Southern food, and the way she presents all of this make this cookbook very appealing.  If you’re looking for Southern recipes or if you’re looking for great recipes for simple basics that can be made at home then take a look at “The New New Southern Basics”.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup with Cheddar

From The New New Southern Basics by Martha Stamps, Cumberland House Hearthside 2007 

A delicious way to eat your vegetables. This is a good way to use broccoli and cauliflower that may have gone a little limp.

Serves about 12

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 head broccoli, broken into florets, with the tender stem chopped
• 1 head cauliflower, broken into florets, with the tender stem chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• Dash nutmeg
• 1 cup grated sharp white Cheddar cheese
• Croutons

Heat the olive oil in a heavy stock pot. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, cauliflower and garlic, stir, and cook 5 minutes. Add the stock and Itailian seasoning then bring to a boil. Cook about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are quite soft. Let cool. Purée in batches in a blender. Return to the pot, stir in the cream and seasonings and heat through. Stir in the cheese and heat to melt the cheese. Serve with croutons for garnish.

About The New New Southern Basics

Southern cooking was an act of art and love at one time, according to restaurateur Martha Stamps, but during the middle of the twentieth century an "abomination of honest southern cooking" took place. Blessedly, a change is occurring throughout the nation and particularly in the South. Today's homemakers are looking to get back in touch with the foods and character that previous generations took for granted. The cuisine celebrated in The New New Southern Basics performs that role, reaching back to a generation that took the time to do things right and recreating the basic southern foods in ways that accommodate the tastes and nutritional concerns of our time. Martha Stamps exalts the use of fresh ingredients and cooking from scratch, noting that this is more than a matter of style; it tastes better and is much more valuable nutritionally and economically.

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