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I eat soup a lot. It's the best way to clean out your kitchen of extra rice, pasta, meat, or produce. It's also the perfect one pot meal that has endless possibilities. Here are some new directions I plan on taking my soup making.
Chorizo & White Bean Soup with Queso Fresco
Smoky Tomato Soup with Maple-Candied Bacon
Albondigas Soup – Mexican Meatball Soup
Lentil Soup with Crumbled Sausage and Ditalini Pasta
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Popmuse loves meatballs. As his kind and loving husband, I'm always looking for ways to reinvent and elevate meatballs. I just tried this recipe from Broke Ass Gourmet. They're are great with a side of sweet potatoes or butternut squash. They are good by themselves but amazing with a balsamic glaze (see below) or your favorite BBQ sauce.
Turkey-Apple Meatballs with Honey & Sage
Extra virgin olive oil for greasing baking sheet
1 lb ground turkey
1 large or 2 small tart apple(s), peeled and diced finely
1/4 medium onion, diced finely (about 1/4 cup diced)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, lightly-beaten
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp ground sage
3/4 tsp each salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and set aside.
Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Using hands, form mixture into meatballs by rounded tablespoonful and arrange on the oiled baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until meatballs are lightly-browned on the outside and cooked through on the inside.
Quick Balsamic Glaze
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
cracked black pepper
In a small pot or pan combine balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, place over high heat and boil until thickened. Cool slightly and spoon over the greens, sprinkle with the cracked black pepper and serve.
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On the rare occasion I decide to eat salad at home, I want it to be easy to throw together and worth eating. Too often salads involve 45 ingredients that you have to finely chop and toss and the results are pretty disappointing. This recipe, originally adapted from Donna Hay, came from Once Upon A Plate. It only takes a few minutes to throw together and is pretty tasty. Donna Hay made hers with peaches, but I used nectarines because I had them on hand.
Nectarines Wrapped in Prosciutto with Balsamic Vinegar Syrup Drizzle
2 nectarines or peaches
6 slices prosciutto, halved
3 or 4 ounces arugula or other tender salad greens
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
cracked black pepper
Cut each nectarine (or peach) into 6 wedges then wrap in the prosciutto.
Arrange greens on four plates, divide the wrapped fruit evenly among the plates.
To make Balsamic Syrup:
In a small pot or pan combine balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, place over high heat and boil until thickened. Cool slightly and spoon over the greens, sprinkle with the cracked black pepper and serve.
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There isn't enough pie in the world. I always had the impression that in the 1950's there was one cooling in the window of every kitchen. My parents used to have an antique piece of furniture called a "pie safe" which was a large cabinet with ventalated doors made exclusively for storing pies. When did having a cabinet full of pies go out of style? It's time to bring pie back. Please don't let our childrens children go pieless. It's too important.
Side Note: Stop making those Weight Watchers "pies" with low fat yogurt and cool whip - They DON'T taste just like the real thing and you deserve better.
Maple Brown Sugar Cream Pie w/ Brown Sugar Meringue
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Growing up, my dad and I used to make milkshakes a lot. Always wanting more from our milkshakes, we quickly moved on from flavors like chocolate or vanilla to pina colada or butterscotch. Milkshakes are a very easy dessert with a lot of potential. Get on it people.
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I love Susan Feniger and I love beef stew. Naturally, I had to try Susan's recipe for beef stew. This would be great for St. Patrick's day y'all.
Beef and Guinness Stew
2 pounds stewing beef
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste, dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups Guinness
3 cups largely diced carrots
Sprig of fresh thyme
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Trim the meat of any fat or gristle, and cut into 2-inch cubes. Toss beef with 1 tablespoon of the oil. In a small bowl, season the flour with salt, pepper and cayenne. Toss meat with seasoned flour. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Brown the meat on all sides. Reduce the heat, add the onions, crushed garlic and tomato puree to the skillet, cover, and cook gently for 5 minutes. Transfer the contents to a bowl and pour half of the Guinness into the dutch oven. Bring Guinness to a boil and stir to dissolve the caramelized meat juices on the pan. Return meat to pan and pour in the remaining Guinness. Add the carrots and thyme. Stir and adjust seasonings. Cover and put in a 300 degree F oven until the meat is tender, 2 to 3 hours. Garnish the beef with parsley and serve.
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