Italian Wedding Soup

I don't know what all of a sudden happened and made me go into a soup obsession.  Maybe it was the cold, maybe it was receiving this jewel, but nonetheless, they seem to be on tap a lot around here and I seem to just find great recipe after great recipe.

You might not have jumped on the band wagon when I made this one, but let me tell you, I would be willing to wager you would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't like this Italian Wedding soup.  The only argument I can see against this is if you are vegetarian and I would encourage you to make this the dish you go non-vegetarian on just once in your life.

Contrary to what you might first assume, this soup has nothing to do with any Italian marriage  tradition, but is actually a mistranslation in the Italian language and refers to the fact that meat and vegetables go well together.

Now back to what's important... how good this is.  The chicken meatballs are baked with fresh bread crumbs, two cheeses and added to simmer with chicken broth, wine, tiny star pasta, vegetables, fresh spinach and a little dill.  This is good when it's cold, I imagine it would be perfect for someone under the weather and I enjoyed it all week for lunch.

In conclusion, I will try to help you understand the gravity of how much I love this soup by telling you that I'm not sure I will ever be able to make any other type of vegetable soup or chicken noodle soup ever again.  This is a perfect blend of the two and just hits the spot.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Italian Wedding Soup
Adapted from Ina Garten
Recipe Notes
I could not find regular chicken sausage.  I found a variety that was blended with spinach and feta and I thought those flavors would be fine.  If there is not ground chicken, you can have a butcher ground chicken breasts for you, but you might not have realized it's in most grocery stores.  I'm not a fan of washing the mini food processor if I don't have to so I've come up with a bread trick for fresh bread crumbs.  Any time I have a few pieces left over from a loaf, I pop them in a freezer.  I take the bread out for a few minutes and then grate it with a cheese grater.  The almost frozen bread makes perfect crumbs.
Freezer Note:  Double the recipe of the meatballs so you can have two batches.  For the batch you are not going to use, place on parchment paper an inch apart and freeze for one to two hours.  Wrap tightly in saran wrap and place in a freezer bag.  Freeze for up to two months.  When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator for one hour.
Ingredients

For the meatballs:

3/4 pound ground chicken

1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed

2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs *see recipe note

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

3 tablespoons milk

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup minced yellow onion

1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3/4 cup diced celery (1 large stock), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

10 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta stars (or any other small pasta)

1/4 cup minced fresh dill

12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. Using a teaspoon, make mini meatballs and place about 1 inch apart.  (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside. You can also freeze unbaked meatballs at this point for use in a later soup. 

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

somewhere in wyoming....

happy monday!

Hope you are enjoying your day off....maybe doing something....presidential-y..?slightly disturbing image found here
just a quick thought: 
I couldn't believe (and I was so excited!), at the response to last week's running post! I thought you'd all be bored to death. We'll do a part two this week, so if you'd like to leave a running related question in the comments here, I'll try my best to

shabby apple winner!!!

Rachel June!!! Email me at sheenajibson at gmail.

Go check out Shabby Apple--they're offering a 10% discount to my readers! Just use "littleredhouse10off" at checkout.

thank you FPC.

You might have noticed that my banner got a little face lift. Thanks to the wonderful stylings of Allison, it looks much better. Allison is a co-owner of Frontier Paper Company, which makes amazing paper products that really live up to their tagline... notably fresh paper goods. Each project is custom and dreamy. Check them out if you haven't. Thanks, Frontier Paper Company! And I hope to meet the other co-owner, Libby, soon!

How cute is this invitation for a Valentine's Day party? I'm in love...

Coconut Curry Vegetables with Coconut Rice

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something."

-Mitch Hedberg

This post is part of a series, Healthy Vegetarian Mains

So the secret's out. I love coconut. Coconut milk, coconut oil, fresh coconut, shredded, whatever.

I can't stay away from the stuff. I've made Caribbean Coconut black beans and vegetables over rice, I've made Thai Pumpkin Soup (with coconut milk, of course) and now this Coconut Curry Vegetables with Coconut rice, a double whammy of coconut. Considering I haven't really posted many main dishes here, that's quite a lot of the stuff.

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It's not such a bad thing to love. Coconut meat is full of fiber and vitamins, coconut water is popping up everywhere as an electrolyte filled drink, and coconut oil has a ton on nutritional benefits.

This is a dish I make often. It's super fast, easy to make, and versatile. Sometimes I make it with only vegetables, and sometimes I include shrimp. It would also be tasty with chicken added.

This dish is full of flavor. I use a mild curry powder, but you could use a spicier version. I also use just a pinch of crushed red pepper, but you could use more. I'm not so good with the spicy food, but if you like things hot and spicy, it's perfect served with this creamy, and mild coconut rice.

I like to make rice in the oven. I have an electric stove I don't always get along with, so by cooking it in the oven prevents any scorching on the bottom of my pan, me worrying if the heat is low enough, and wondering when it's done. Plus, it's a no brainer. Put it in for a half an hour, take it out, let it sit for a few minutes, done. Not a scorched pan in sight. Only perfect, fluffy, delicious rice.

Of course you don't need to make coconut rice, you could use water instead of the coconut milk. The coconut milk adds just a slight coconut flavor, and a rich and creaminess that I'm in love with. If you want to boost the coconut flavor of the rice, then add the optional toasted unsweetened shredded coconut. Make sure to buy light coconut milk for the rice, using the regular variety makes the rice too heavy, and slightly greasy.

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deer in our field I caught hanging out today

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Coconut Curry Vegetables With Coconut Rice


Ingredients for vegetables

2 Tablespoons olive oil, or other neutral oil

one onion sliced, I used a white onion

one bell pepper, I used a half of a red one, and half of a yellow one this time, sliced thinly

2 cups (300 g) sugar snap peas (I used the kind in a bag ready to use)

2 cups (300 g) assorted stir fry vegetables (I used the kind from a bag, already cut up)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp curry powder (I used mild)

1 Tablespoon sugar

pinch of crushed red pepper, or up to 1/4 or 1/2 tsp if you like things spicy (if you aren't very familiar with this, add it gradually, it can get hot fast.)

1 cup (236 ml)  light coconut milk from a can (a 13.5 oz can is 2 cups) freeze the rest in a ziplock bag for another use, if desired

2 Tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 Tablespoon (15 ml) cold water

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro-optional

salt to taste


Ingredients for rice

1 cup (8 oz) (210 g) rice- I used Jasmine, any type would work, if you use brown rice it may need to cook a little longer

2 cups (473 ml) light coconut milk- (one 13.5 oz can is about 2 cups)

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (38 g) unsweetened shredded coconut-you can find this at health food stores-toasted lightly-(optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or 180 Celsius. Rinse the rice well in a fine mesh strainer under cold water. Place the rice in a covered oven safe dish, or a covered pan safe for the oven. Heat the coconut milk in a pan or in the microwave. When the coconut milk is at a simmer add it to the rice with the salt.

Place the covered rice in the oven for 30 minutes. While this is cooking make the vegetables.

Get your mise en place ready. Get your cut vegetables ready to use next to the stove. (Once you start cooking this, it goes fast.) Get your garlic minced and ready to go, and measure out the spices in a little bowl. In another small bowl, mix the cornstarch and tablespoon of water to make a cornstarch slurry, set aside.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the oil to your pan and start cooking the onion, bell pepper and sugar snap peas, (and any other vegetables you might be using that take a while to cook) add a pinch or two of salt, and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

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Add your spices, the cumin, coriander, curry powder and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add the 1 cup coconut milk and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the other quick cooking vegetables you may be using, in my case it was the stir fry vegetables, which were kale and other very small cut veg, so they didn't take very long to cook.

Cook for 2-3 minutes until vegetables are to your desired tenderness. Add the lime juice. Get your cornstarch slurry, stir it first, then add it to the pot. Stir it all together and bring to a boil. When the sauce has thickened it's done. Taste it and see if it needs salt, if it does, add it. Keep it warm until the rice is done.

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After the rice has cooked for 30 minutes, let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes. Then add the toasted coconut (if using) and stir together to distribute. .

Serve the vegetables and sauce with the coconut rice. Top individual portions with the chopped cilantro. (if using.)

This dish serves 3, or 2 pretty large portions, if you are serving 4 adults, I'd double this.

Options

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Shrimp

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If you want to make Coconut Curry Shrimp, substitute one pound of raw shrimp for the 2 cups of stir fry vegetables. Add them when you would add the quick cooking vegetables. Or use cooked shrimp and add it last, just stir it to get it hot.



Chicken

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If you want to make Coconut Curry Chicken, substitute 2 cups cooked chicken in strips or cubes, for the stir fry vegetables and add it at the end, stirring it to warm it in the sauce.

Quick Vegetable Throw-Together

I can make a quick meal when I must.  And boy did I do this one quickly.  I received the call that my friend was being released from hospital and she would be at our place in twenty minutes to collect her vehicle.  Undergoing a huge amount of stress and not looking after herself properly; meaning not eating well; I couldn't resist.  I decided to have a handy vegetarian meal ready for her to take, so that at least she didn't have to worry about cooking tonight. 

This is what I made from ingredients that were in my crisper, pantry and garden.

Peel one sweet potato; oil and season with a little salt and pepper.  Cube evenly into small pieces and bake on a high heat. Mine took about fifteen minutes. 

Throw a pan onto the stovetop; chop two brown onions and sautee in some olive oil.  Sprinkle lightly with some salt as this helps to draw out the moisture from the onion and ensures faster cooking.  Add some crushed garlic;  I put in about 8 cloves.

Upon browning; I added the cut-up stalks from one whole bunch of broccolini.  Save the tops for the last five minutes.  I found 1/2 a zucchini.  Dice and add to the pan. Keep mixing to ensure the mixture does not burn as I used a medium to high heat. 

Reduce heat; add corn kernels from one cob of corn.  Mitch raced down and brought me one from his garden.  Just gorgeous.  Add one roughly chopped roma tomato for a little liquid; place lid on pan and cook for a couple of minutes.

Take off lid; add a can of whole tomatoes that has been blitzed; so juice and all the contents.  Increase heat; allow to bubble for a couple of minutes.  Add extra cracked black pepper, a heaped teaspoon of sugar; salt to taste and the tops of the broccolini.  Mix well.  Contine cooking on a medium to high heat.  I wanted to reduce the liquid as much as possible.

I had some home cooked chickpeas in the freezer.  Use a can if you choose.  I defrosted them by placing in water and rinsing till all the peas were separated from each other.  When the liquid in the frypan has reduced by half; throw in the chickpeas and cook for a further couple of minutes.

Remove from heat.  I placed the entire mixture into a glass bowl set over a rack to help cool as fast as possible.  Take the baked cubes of sweet potato and carefully stir into the mixture. 

I sprinkled the lot with some of Philomena's beautiful parsley.  Done.

After a cup of tea, some of Mitchell's birthday cake and a healthy chat; I packed her off with the vegetarian throw-together which I really enjoyed concocting.   She was of course delighted; but mostly relieved I think. I know I would love to have a night off cooking! 

Now. What's for our dinner tonight?  Looks like leftover cabbage rolls guys.  Again.