soup's on
It's been a long time but I do miss this.
So what's been cooking lately? This is really more of a story about how cooking can evolve based on what you have in your house and inspiration that comes your way.I am so very in to soup making these days. I have been creating new ones on a regular basis. One Sunday recently I got in to such a soup making groove, well maybe even a frenzy that I ended up with enough soup to share with Rick's dad, to fortify us on a few weeknights and to help me stay focused on weightloss for lunches during the week. The work really only took an hour or two actually focused on cooking and a few hours on the couch reading and/or watching football and snow flakes coming down.
I started out by chopping a huge pile of onions, carrots and celery. I had some leftover chicken carcass from a roasted chicken the night before, some canned beets believe it or not and some turnips as starting points. Of course there was lots and lots of chicken stock in those marvelous boxes ready to go for the veggie soups and some chicken soup base to add some omph to the chicken one.
Soup One-Pureed Winter Vegetable Soup-Serves 4 to 6
Saute 1 cup each of celery, carrot and onion in a bit of olive oil
Add 6 washed and peeled small turnips.
Cover with vegetable, chicken broth or water.
Add one bayleaf.
Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until all veggies are tender.
Remove bay leaf and puree soup with hand blender.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Soup Two-Artichoke Heart Spinach Dip Soup-Serves 2 to 4
Saute one clove of garlic chopped in 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil
Add one can of drained artichoke hearts, two cups of frozen chopped spinach and 2 cups of chicken broth.
Cook all the above until spinach is thawed and flavors marry. (About 10 to 15 minutes)
Puree with hand blender
Salt and pepper to taste.
Romano cheese for garnish later.
Soup Three-Chickarina Revisited
Immerse on chicken carcass from your roasted chicken dinner or from the rotisserie store bought chicken you can't admit to buying once in a while in enough water to cover by an inch.
Add 1/2 cup each of celery, carrot and onion chopped roughly.
Add a bay leaf, 3 black peppercorns and a handful of Italian flat leaf parsley.
Cover and cook on low for 30 to 45 minutes.
Drain the broth into a large bowl and wipe out the kettle with paper towels.
Add one teaspoon of butter and two teaspoons of olive oil into the pan.
Add another 1/2 cup each of celery, carrot and onion to the above and saute briefly.
Put strained broth back into the pan and simmer gently for about a half hour.
Meanwhile, take the following and mix with your hands in a medium sized bowl to make tiny little meatballs f(one teaspoon each only) for the soup:
8 ournces of 93/7 ground turkey
two handfuls of plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon of onion and garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pecorino romano cheese
1 egg or two egg whites
Bring soup to a boil and add meatballs and cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
Add 3 cups of fresh spinach and 1 8 ounce package of sliced baby portabella mushrooms.
Simmer until spinach wilts.
Add two or three tablespoons of chicken soup base to boost broth.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
Serve with addtional pecorino romano if you like.
Soup Four Lazy Italian Girl Borscht
2 cans of sliced beets
1/2 head of shredded red or green cabbage
1/2 cup each of chopped, celery, carrot and onion
1 large parsnip or 3 small turnips
1 bay leaf
3 cans of chicken broth
Simmer all the above together for 40 to 45 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add cooked fresh polish sausage and cooked chopped unpealed potatoes if you want to make it meal.
Let all your soups cool on the stove while you read your book or smooch on the couch watching TV. Then place in containers, lable and stick wherever you can find room in your freezer. You will be happy you did.
PS watch out for small containers flying out of the freezer. They can break a toe.
So what's been cooking lately? This is really more of a story about how cooking can evolve based on what you have in your house and inspiration that comes your way.I am so very in to soup making these days. I have been creating new ones on a regular basis. One Sunday recently I got in to such a soup making groove, well maybe even a frenzy that I ended up with enough soup to share with Rick's dad, to fortify us on a few weeknights and to help me stay focused on weightloss for lunches during the week. The work really only took an hour or two actually focused on cooking and a few hours on the couch reading and/or watching football and snow flakes coming down.
I started out by chopping a huge pile of onions, carrots and celery. I had some leftover chicken carcass from a roasted chicken the night before, some canned beets believe it or not and some turnips as starting points. Of course there was lots and lots of chicken stock in those marvelous boxes ready to go for the veggie soups and some chicken soup base to add some omph to the chicken one.
Soup One-Pureed Winter Vegetable Soup-Serves 4 to 6
Saute 1 cup each of celery, carrot and onion in a bit of olive oil
Add 6 washed and peeled small turnips.
Cover with vegetable, chicken broth or water.
Add one bayleaf.
Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until all veggies are tender.
Remove bay leaf and puree soup with hand blender.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Soup Two-Artichoke Heart Spinach Dip Soup-Serves 2 to 4
Saute one clove of garlic chopped in 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil
Add one can of drained artichoke hearts, two cups of frozen chopped spinach and 2 cups of chicken broth.
Cook all the above until spinach is thawed and flavors marry. (About 10 to 15 minutes)
Puree with hand blender
Salt and pepper to taste.
Romano cheese for garnish later.
Soup Three-Chickarina Revisited
Immerse on chicken carcass from your roasted chicken dinner or from the rotisserie store bought chicken you can't admit to buying once in a while in enough water to cover by an inch.
Add 1/2 cup each of celery, carrot and onion chopped roughly.
Add a bay leaf, 3 black peppercorns and a handful of Italian flat leaf parsley.
Cover and cook on low for 30 to 45 minutes.
Drain the broth into a large bowl and wipe out the kettle with paper towels.
Add one teaspoon of butter and two teaspoons of olive oil into the pan.
Add another 1/2 cup each of celery, carrot and onion to the above and saute briefly.
Put strained broth back into the pan and simmer gently for about a half hour.
Meanwhile, take the following and mix with your hands in a medium sized bowl to make tiny little meatballs f(one teaspoon each only) for the soup:
8 ournces of 93/7 ground turkey
two handfuls of plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon of onion and garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pecorino romano cheese
1 egg or two egg whites
Bring soup to a boil and add meatballs and cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
Add 3 cups of fresh spinach and 1 8 ounce package of sliced baby portabella mushrooms.
Simmer until spinach wilts.
Add two or three tablespoons of chicken soup base to boost broth.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
Serve with addtional pecorino romano if you like.
Soup Four Lazy Italian Girl Borscht
2 cans of sliced beets
1/2 head of shredded red or green cabbage
1/2 cup each of chopped, celery, carrot and onion
1 large parsnip or 3 small turnips
1 bay leaf
3 cans of chicken broth
Simmer all the above together for 40 to 45 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add cooked fresh polish sausage and cooked chopped unpealed potatoes if you want to make it meal.
Let all your soups cool on the stove while you read your book or smooch on the couch watching TV. Then place in containers, lable and stick wherever you can find room in your freezer. You will be happy you did.
PS watch out for small containers flying out of the freezer. They can break a toe.
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