I found these bangles on ebay. They’re made of bakelite, or polyoxybenzylmethylenglocolanhydride, for the chemistry geeks out there. Bakelite is an early plastic, developed in 1907 by Leo Baekelandl, and has become very collectible. People love bakelite bangles for the distinctive “clunk” they make when tapped together. Kind of like my kids’ heads. 🙂
Bakelite comes in a variety of colors, and is often referred to with food names, such as root beer, creamed corn, spinach, peanut butter, and apple juice. When I was a kid, my dad had an old car with a dashboard that I now realize must have been made of bakelite. It looked a lot like this:
My sister and I used to say it looked like Chinese food. I think the dish we were specifically referring to was Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, which was a family favorite back then, and is one of the most unappetizing dishes I can think of:
Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. Mmmmm — or not?
Creamed corn, shrimp with lobster sauce, whatever. Anyway, I love bakelite bangles and the warm colors they come in. I even collected them for a while and made desk accessories out of them:
Mom’s got too much time on her hands
I have my own food names for the Christmas-y red and green bangles that have inspired today’s recipe. The green I call Asparagus Soup, and the red is Red Pepper Soup, because they remind me of the soup I have been making on Christmas Eve for over a decade. These two soups are both great on their own, but when poured side by side in a shallow bowl, they are a wonderful and showy start to a holiday meal.
Start by making a batch of Asparagus Soup and a batch of Red Pepper Soup. To serve, you’ll need two 1-cup measuring cups — Pyrex glass measuring cups with a spout work especially well. Fill one cup about 2/3 full with Asparagus Soup and the other 2/3 full with Red Pepper Soup. Pour one soup slowly down one side of a shallow soup bowl while simultaneously pouring the other soup down the opposite side. The soups should meet in the middle of the bowl and not blend together. (The Asparagus Soup is usually the thicker of the two soups and provides a sort of wall against which the Red Pepper Soup rests.). My family looks forward to garnishing their soup with a squiggle of sour cream (dilute sour cream with a few teaspoons of water and place in a plastic squeeze bottle or ziploc bag with the corner snipped off).
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 14-1/2 ounce cans chicken broth
- 2 pounds fresh asparagus, tough ends discarded, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons half and half
- Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until tender. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to boil over high heat, then add the asparagus and herbes de Provence. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the asparagus is very tender, approximately 25 minutes. Cool slightly.
- Puree the soup in a food processor or blender. (Do not fill the container more than half full -- hot liquids expand when blended, and if container is too full, the lid will blow off and hot soup will splatter everywhere.) Return the soup to the stockpot and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the half and half and cook over medium heat until heated through.
- 4 large red bell peppers
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 14-1/2 ounce cans chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon herbes de Provence
- Pinch of dried tarragon
- Pinch of cayenne
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons half and half
- Preheat broiler. Halve peppers lengthwise, discarding stems, sees, and ribs. Place skin side up on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until skins are blistered and charred, approximately 8-12 minutes. Transfer peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel peppers and slice into thin strips.
- Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until tender. Stir in peppers, broth, and herbes de Provence. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Puree the soup in a food processor or blender. (Do not fill the container more than half full -- hot liquids expand when blended, and if container is too full, the lid will blow off and hot soup will splatter everywhere.) Return the soup to the stockpot and add tarragon and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the half and half and cook over medium heat until heated through.
Slowly pour the two soups down the side of the shallow bowl
Meeting in the middle
Ta da — Christmas Eve Red and Green Soup!
Sour cream Christmas tree garnish by my daughter
Sour cream doggie garnish — also by my daughter
Merry Christmas to all . . .
And to all a good night.
