The Sandpoint Eater: A delicious decade

By Marcia Pilgeram
Reader Columnist

I’d been having a relatively easy week; Christmas was packed up and tucked away, ideas for this column were half-baked and my recipe for chili rellenos was ready to share. It’s a crowd-pleaser that I make every Christmas — and this year was no exception. Photography is not my forte (go ahead, ask Reader Publisher Ben Olson), so I was pretty happy to have a couple of holiday photographers on hand to “get the food shots.” And we did! 

Over the years, my youngest daughter Casey has taken more than her share of food photos for me, which always comes with the gentle reminder, “Momma, think quality, not quantity.” Ouch. Lighting is my Achilles’ heel, and “The Shadow” follows my every move (and photo). So, I was thrilled to turn the Christmas food photos over to the professionals — and feeling pretty good about sharing one of my favorite recipes. Then, my good friend Darcy spoiled it all with one phone call. She phoned to tell me that she’d served chili rellenos for Christmas, and all the guests loved it so much that they wanted the recipe! So she shared it. 

“Where did you get the recipe?” I queried. “From the Reader,” she replied. 

Foiled. 

Sure enough, I searched the online archives, and there it was. I have a good memory of most things, like food, but that one slipped by me. In my defense, during the peak of COVID-19, I’d just returned from a 4,000-mile solo car odyssey to Chicago for the birth of my latest grandbaby, Runa Rae. Looking at the photo that accompanied the recipe brought back many COVID memories — there was no one to cook for at my home, so I’d package things up and make porch deliveries to friends. 

There’s no index for the columns or recipes; and, after 10 years of biweekly submissions, duplicating a recipe is always a fear of mine. To the best of my knowledge, it only happened once. Though I vaguely remembered it in a column, it was one of the few times the original recipe didn’t make it to the online archives, which I only discovered after the fact.

I’m not sure how many recipes I’ve submitted over the years, other than “a lot.” I have just as many waiting to be shared. My criteria are subjective, as I try to keep recipes germane to the season or holiday and alternate between sweet and savory offerings. Sometimes, a friend or family member will ask for a recipe, and since I have to measure ingredients and commit it to paper anyway, it will most likely end up as a column recipe. 

I rarely have a failure because I have made most of my recipes dozens (if not hundreds) of times. My biggest failure was creating a huckleberry muffin with white chocolate, almonds and lemon zest. I think they would be the decadent finale to a lovely Champagne brunch, and the recipe would be perfect for my Mother’s Day column! 

I’m unsure how many of you like to watch your baked goods come to life in the oven, but it’s one of my secret pleasures. With significant anticipation, I watched them rise to great heights before collapsing right before my dazed eyes. 

I’m still unsure what went wrong: too much or too little leavening, over-mixing or adding too much sugar, but I loathe wasting food, so once the cookie-like discs cooled, they were wrapped and frozen for posterity. Luckily, son-in-law John loves bread pudding, and the story has a semi-happy ending (although that recipe has yet to be reattempted). 

One of my favorite recipes I make for myself is wonton soup, especially when I’m feeling under the weather or need a quick meal to take to an infirm friend. Daughter Ryanne often encourages me to share the recipe, though it’s so simple it barely felt worthy of column space. 

But this week, after myriad exposures from grandkids (and at holiday gatherings), plenty of us are fighting assorted viruses and maladies, and it seemed the right time to share said recipe. There aren’t many ingredients, but the fragrance and flavor from the fresh ginger delivers healing qualities at the first spoonful. 

It’s the perfect get-well remedy, and just in time for us to be our best selves and gather at Matchwood Brewing to celebrate the Readers’ 10th anniversary on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 5-8 p.m. I sure hope to see you all there.

Ten years. Well done, Ben and Zach, thanks for having me along for the ride. What a delicious decade!

Wonton Soup
You can substitute vegetable stock and use vegetable wontons, I recommend Knorr’s or Better Than Bullion pastes for chicken or vegetable stock base. Miniature wontons are preferred, but it’s hard to find them in the vegetable-only variety. Add other vegetables to your liking or extra protein, such as shrimp or cooked chicken. Yield 2 bowls.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups chicken stock (canned or, if using a base, use according to instructions) 

• 1 tbs fresh ginger, peeled and minced (a piece about the size of your thumb)

• ½ carrot, thinly julienned 

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 tbs soy sauce

• 2-3 baby bok choy, trimmed and quartered lengthwise

• 2-3 mushrooms of choice, thinly sliced

• 8-12 miniature wontons, fresh or frozen 

• 1 green onion, sliced thin, diagonally

Directions:

In a medium size saucepan, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add ginger, carrot, salt and soy sauce. Reduce heat and cover. 

Slice mushrooms as thin as possible, quarter boy choy, slice green onion. 

Remove lid and bring stock back to a boil. Add the wontons, mushrooms and bok choy. Cook 3-4 minutes. Won tons should float to top. Ladle into bowls. Top with green onions.