Sample Recipe

Patrick feels his background as a self taught chef gives him an advantage to identify with the home cook. Most of his favorite dishes are the simplest and depend on a few ingredients of the finest quality

Apple Rutabaga Soup Makes 2 quarts, 6-8 servings I only recently rediscovered Rutabagas and am so happy I did. They were something my mother used to prepare when we were kids – usually as a puree and even though I thought they tasted a little weird, their gorgeous golden color made you want another mouthful. This soup looks and tastes like liquid autumn. All year long we look forward to serving it again in the fall. It’s incredibly simple to put together and can be made well in advance and frozen. The elusive secret ingredient is a bit of maple syrup, which enhances the natural sweetness of the rutabaga. Water or vegetable stock may be successfully substituted for the chicken stock if you wish to make this soup vegetarian, or if you don’t want to bother making chicken stock. Ingredients: 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter 1 cup onion, roughly chopped 1 cup Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped 1 cup rutabaga, peeled and roughly chopped 1 cup butternut squash, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped 1 cup carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 1 cup sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped 1 quart good chicken stock 2 cups heavy cream ¼ cup maple syrup Salt and cayenne pepper to taste 1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, apple, rutabaga, squash, carrots and sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. 2. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until all of the vegetables are cooked through and tender. 3. Purée the vegetables in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into the same pot you used to cook the vegetables. Add the cream, maple syrup, salt and cayenne pepper. 4. Return the pot to the stove, bring the soup to a simmer, and serve.