One Great . . . Shortcut Soup

This idea popped up in the September issue of Everyday Food magazine: Use salsa as the base for a very fast soup.

1 corn tortilla
1 (16-ounce) jar salsa
1 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Diced avocado and fresh cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tortilla into thin strips, spread on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 8 minutes.

Combine salsa and chicken broth in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.

Transfer to a blender with the heavy cream. Blend until smooth. (Be careful and vent the top of the blender so it doesn't splash.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide between two bowls and top with the tortilla strips, avocado and cilantro.

Makes 2 servings. Per serving: 227 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated), 2g protein, 25g carbohydrate, 4g fiber.

Cameras on at JWU Charlotte

Four students at Johnson & Wales University's Charlotte campus will be the focus of "Cooking School Confidential."

The show follows the students through a semester at culinary school.

The students are:

• Amber Brewer, a mother of three with a full-time job;

• Paul Walls, an Army vet who's hoping to win an internship at the Alain Ducasse Culinary School in France;

• Kay Taylor, a 40-something who is chasing her passion for food; and

• Graham Foster, a professional cyclist who is juggling racing and food.

The documentary airs at 8 p.m. Sept. 4 on The Cooking Channel, the Food Network spinoff that airs on 354 on Time Warner Cable.

Hot ticket for some hot barbecue

Tickets go on sale Saturday for a fun food event, the annual Matthews Community Farmers Market Barbecue. The actual barbecue is $5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 27.

The barbecue part is Grateful Growers pork cooked by Alex Ranucci of Ranucci's Big Butt Barbecue. That's served with sides by several Charlotte chefs. $12 gets you barbecue, sides, dessert and a drink; $10 gets you a pound of 'cue. Proceeds go to support the market and its upkeep.

You have to buy tickets in advance. Get them at the market, 188 N. Trade St. in Matthews, during market hours (7:15 a.m.-noon Saturdays) or at Renfrow's Hardware right up the street.

In other Matthews market news: The market hours will be short on Labor Day Saturday, because of the annual Matthews Alive festival. The market will only be open from 7:15 to 9 a.m., and the only parking will be in the open lot behind the market.

What he said: Bruni, Bourdain and Paula

Interesting reading from the New York Times: Former restaurant reviewer (and now op-ed columnist) Frank Bruni joins in on the brouhaha over Tony Bourdain dissing Paula Deen.

Background: In a recent interview, Bourdain - who has been on a tear for the last few months, railing against everything from the James Beard Foundation to newspaper food writers - came out swinging against Paula Deen, calling her "the worst, most dangerous person in America" for the fat level of her food. Deen returned by noting that not everybody can afford the kind of high-art cuisine that Bourdain might prefer we all eat.

Bruni stepped up with some interesting thoughts on the elitist elements in the debate:

"When (Paula) Deen fries a chicken, many of us balk. When the Manhattan chefs David Chang or Andrew Carmellini do, we grovel for reservations and swoon over the homey exhilaration of it all. Her strips of bacon, skirting pancakes, represent heedless gluttony. Chang’s dominoes of pork belly, swaddled in an Asian bun, signify high art."

Want to read the rest? Here's the link.

What will you do for Food Day?

They're calling it "Earth Day for food." The idea is that on Oct. 24, people all over the country will gather to celebrate their local food systems, wherever they are.

A brainchild of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Food Day will be celebrated in Mecklenburg County two days earlier, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 22 at Bette Rae Thomas Center, 2921 Tuckaseegee Road. The Charlotte event will include cooking demos with students and staff from Johnson & Wales University, showings and discussions of the films "Food, Inc." (at 10 a.m.) and "Fast Food Nation" (at 1 p.m.), gardening workshops at 10 a.,m. and 1 p.m., fitness workshops, kids' activities, a farm stand (including EBT access) featuring Sow Much Good of Huntersville, and health and wellness vendors.

You can find out more about the national Food Day at foodday.org , or search Mecklenburg National Food Day Celebration on facebook.

"The Southern-Latino Table": Who won?

It seems fitting for the first day of school to give a book to a teacher.

And as a former English major who once took a master's level course in Medieval English -- I still have my copy of "Piers Plowman" (can't translate it anymore, but by goodness, I have it) -- I'm happy to send "The New Southern-Latino Table" by Sandra A. Gutierrez to Jo Koster, professor of English, director of English grad studies and coordinator of Medieval Studies at Winthrop University in Rock Hill.

Even better: Dr. Koster wrote that she had "Southern-Latino" on her Amazon wish list. Now she can take it off and make room for another copy of the Confessio Amantis.

Thanks, all, for playing. We'll do another giveaway soon.

One Great Late-Summer Salad

What does a summer with lots of heat and plenty of rain bring us? From what I've seen at the farmers' markets lately, it's definitely tomatoes and watermelon. Meanwhile, in my herb bed, the basil is waist-high and the mint is out of control. In the spirit of the old culinary rule "what grows together, goes together," here's a way to put them all together.

This recipe was adapted from the new book "Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen," in the summer 2011 issue of Edible Piedmont, which just turned up in my mailbox.

Watermelon-Tomato Salad With Shaved Feta and Handfuls of Mint

Serves 6 to 8

3 large heirloom-type tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), cored and cut into chunks
4 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
1/2 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) feta, shaved or thinly sliced
1 lime, cut in wedges

Combine the tomatoes, watermelon, mint, basil, olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper in a large bowl and toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate several hours.

Just before serving, sprinkle with the feta and serve with lime wedges and sea salt for squeezing and sprinkling on top.

Photo: examiner.com