What began as an inconvenience for nine-year-old Flower Hill resident Peter Murphy and his family during Superstorm Sandy culminated last week with an award-winning soup recipe, a trip to Washington, D.C. and dinner with the President and First Lady.
“The First Lady asked me, ‘What are you doing for the summer,’ and I said, ‘baseball camp,’” Peter said. “She asked, ‘What’s your favorite team, and I said, ‘[the New York] Yankees.’ She said, ‘Who’s your favorite player,’ and I said, ‘Derek Jeter’ and she said she likes him too.”
Peter and his mother, Jill Murphy, went to Washington last Monday, where they met with other contest winners and toured the food exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution and Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden.
“That was the most inspiring part of the trip, meeting the other junior chefs and their moms,” Jill said. “Peter made some new friends and I made some new friends.”
Congressman Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills), who represents New York’s 3rd District encompassing much of Nassau County’s North Shore, also gave the Murphys a tour of the Capitol.
On Tuesday, Jill said they spent nearly four hours at the White House at dinner, eating the dishes the winners had made as prepared by White House chefs and posing for photos with the President and First Lady.
Peter was among 54 winners from across America who were invited to the White House last Tuesday for the dinner, which followed the guidelines of dinners with heads of state.
Jill said Peter made friends with two other contest winners while in Washington, Noah Koch, 9, of Waterville, Maine and Ganesh Selvakumar, 9, of Broomall, Pa., adding they “were like the Three Musketeers.”
In the aftermath of the storm, the Murphy home was without power for 15 days, and though they could still cook food on their gas-powered stove, area grocery stores were out of quality meat, produce or dairy products.
On a drive home from an unsuccessful food shopping trip, Peter’s mother Jill passed a produce stand and suggested they make soup.
They filled a wagon with as many vegetables as would fit, cut them up, added some “pantry staples” and boiled their concoction.
Bon appétit.
As a fun afternoon project, Peter and Jill submitted the recipe for their soup, called “Super Rescue Soup” as part of this year’s “Healthy Lunchtime Challenge,” an extension of the “Let’s Move!” initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama to help curb childhood obesity.
“Peter’s always been interested in cooking and helping in the kitchen, and when the contest came up I asked if he’d be interested in entering,” Jill said. “The objective was to make more than half your plate out of fruits and vegetables. I asked Peter what he’d want to do, and he had a few ideas and said, ‘Let’s do a vegetable soup.’”
The contest, which began last year, received more than 1,300 entries, according to a June 20 White House press release, each adhering to nutritional guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“By taking steps today to help our young people adopt healthy eating habits, we’re not just improving their health in the short term – we’re giving them important tools that will last a lifetime,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the press release.
Obama said in the press release that the dinner was one of her favorite events of the year, “and the kid chefs who come from around the country never cease to impress and inspire me with their creativity and ingenuity.”
“Super Rescue Soup”
Ingredients
1/2 c. dried cannellini beans (or one 15 oz. can, drained)
1/2 c. pearled barley
1 1/4 c. water
2 T. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, scrubbed and finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut in 1/2 in. pieces
3/4 cup green beans, in 1/2 in. pieces
1 russet potato, peeled and cut in 1/2 in. cubes
1/2 c. tomato sauce (or one tomato, chopped)
1/2 t. salt (or to taste)
6 c. water
Directions
1. If using dried beans, soak overnight or quick soak (boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let soak for 1 hr.). Boil beans covered with 2 inches of water for 25-30 minutes or until tender.
2. Boil 1 1/4c. water in small heavy saucepan, add barley, lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Set aside.
3. While beans and barley are cooking, chop vegetables and simmer soup.
4. Heat olive oil in 3 qt. pot until shimmering. Saute onions, carrots and celery until translucent, about five minutes.
5. Add zucchini and green beans and sauté until beginning to soften (about 3 minutes). Then add potatoes and sauté 3 minutes longer.
6. Add water and tomato sauce (or chopped tomato), bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer vegetables for 20 minutes.
7. Add cooked (or drained) cannellini beans and cooked barley, and simmer 5 minutes longer. Puree with a hand blender if desired.
Makes 6 child’s lunch servings. Total prep and cook time 45-50 minutes. Can be frozen for up to 3 months.
