brown-bread-muffin bread

I was looking for just a little something to make our faux minestrone soup go down a little easier. A couple of warm, buttered slices of this bread did the trick.

In the cookbook, this is called 'hearty brown bread.'  I was thinking it would be kind of a dark-rye, healthy bread, but it isn't really. I mean, I'm sure it's not unhealthy, but it's more brown-bread-muffin-like. It's nice and moist (apologies too all that can't stand that word) and the recipe is so darn easy -- no rising even -- I'll be making it again.

But enough talk about bread.

hearty brown bread

Albertina's, a restaurant in Portland

1 loaf

3 C whole-wheat flour

1 1/4 teas baking soda

1 teas salt

2 C buttermilk

1/2 C molasses

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Stir in wet ingredients. Pour into well-greased loaf pan. Bake until tester comes out clean, approximately 1 hour. (Mine took closer to 1 hour 20 minutes.)

lentil soup

I recently checked out Mad Hungry from the library. Man, it's a good cookbook! So far, I've made the blueberry muffins, breakfast sausage, and this lentil soup -- and I've copied several more recipes down for later. It's not the most beautiful cookbook around (I prefer more pictures) but the recipes have been winners so far and I like Lucinda Scala Quinn's style of writing and cooking.

This soup is delicious and hearty. I forget how rich and meaty lentils are -- and how cheap!

lentil soup

adapted from Mad Hungry

serves 6-8

3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, copped

3 garlic gloves, finely chopped

1/2 Tbs sea salt

1 small tomato, chopped

1 Tbs tomato paste

2 C green (or brown) lentils

1/2 teas dried thyme

1 small bay leaf

6 C beef broth (LSQ calls for chicken or veggie broth but I really liked the deep dark flavour of beef)

4 C water, plus more if needed

2 teas red wine vinegar

Heat large soup pot over medium-high heat and swirl in olive oil. Add the onion and saute until starting to soften. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and saute until the vegetables are lightly caramelized (5-8 mins). Add tomato and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add lentils, spices, broth, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender (about 20 mins). Stir in vinegar, thin the soup with more water if needed for desired consistency, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in a bowl topped with fresh croutons if you'd like. (Check out this post if you're interested in making croutons.)

veggie chili

Fall is definitely here and I, for one, am ready for it. Ready for some comfort food, ready for these cold sunny days, ready for a fire in the fireplace, ready for a warm bowl of chili...

Oh, look! A warm bowl of chili!

I warn you, this recipe makes enough for an army, or a freezer-full. But it's so good you'll be glad you've got extra on hand. Trust me. Start chopping.

Yeah, I should mention that this isn't a 'quick, it's 5 o'clock what are we having for dinner tonight' recipe (I mean, just look at that ingredient list!) No, this is a lovely vegetable-filled recipe that requires a bit of slicing and dicing. Nothing difficult or tricky, just chopping. Your efforts will be rewarded with layers of flavour and deliciousness.

It is known in our house as 'Kim and Larry's chili' because they are the friends who got us hooked. I'm not sure where they got this recipe, but I hope they don't mind me sharing...

veggie chili

serves at least 12

1 1/2 C dried beans (black, pinto, red, your choice)

4 C water

3/4 C bulgar

1 1/2 C boiling water

2 Tbs oil (or more if necessary)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 C celery, finely chopped

1 C carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" coins

1 C squash, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" cubes (we use butternut squash)

1 C eggplant, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

1 C mushrooms, halved or quartered

1 red pepper, cut into 1" squares

1 yellow pepper, cut into 1" squares

1 zucchini, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" cubes

1/2 teas Tabasco sauce

3 Tbs chili powder

2 Tbs cumin

1/4 C (or 1 Tbs dried) each of fresh basic, dill, and oregano

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teas dried red pepper flakes

2 28-oz cans tomatoes

3 C V-8 juice

2 oz tomato paste

1 C niblets corn

grated Monterey Jack cheese

First, bring beans to boil in water, then simmer until tenter. Strain, saving liquid. Also, soak bulgar for five minutes in boiling water, then set aside.

Saute vegetables (garlic, onion, celery, carrots, squash, eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, sweet potato) in oil for 15 minutes, stirring often. Add spices (Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, basil, dill, oregano, jalapeno, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes) to vegetable mixture, and saute 5 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, V-8 juice, tomato paste and beans. Add a tablespoon of the beans' cooking liquid, and add more to taste. Simmer, uncovered and stirring often, for 30 minutes. Add corn and soaked bulgar to the pot and cook until heated through.

Serve in bowls, topped with cheese.

butternut squash soup

A perfectly fall soup for these shorter days -- butternut squash with apple.

I know, apple? I thought the same thing. But trust Elise of Simply Recipes. It's delicious!

salmon chowder

What's the weather like where you are? We've been dripping with rain for what feels like weeks. So even though it's almost June, we're still in soup, stew, and chowder mode around here.

I threw a bunch of stuff in the pot the other night and it turned out pretty tasty, so I thought I'd share...

salmon chowder

serves 3-4

1/4 onion, finely diced

extra virgin olive oil

2 celery stalks, diced

2 red potatoes, diced

2 cobs sweet corn, kernels removed

1 213g (7.5oz) can wild Alaskan pink salmon, broken up with a fork

2 C milk

1 - 1 1/4 C water

handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped

a little bit (1-2 Tbs) fresh chives, finely chopped

salt and fresh pepper to taste

In large pot, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion until soft. Add celery, potatoes, a bit of salt, and saute a few more minutes. Add corn and water. (The water will not cover all the veggies.) Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and turn down heat to low. Simmer until potatoes are done, stirring every so often to keep any potatoes from sticking to the bottom (about 15 mins.) Add salmon and milk and bring back to simmer. Turn off heat, stir in fresh herbs, season to taste, and serve.

oven beef stew

So apparently the trick to getting beef stew to turn out is to cook it for a longass time.

After making one too many stews with disappointingly tough meat, I did a little research. (Which is kind of like reading the instructions after you dig them out of the garbage.) Some folks swear by a slow cooker, but I just used my oven. This recipe gets the job done in two hours.

beef stew

cobbled together from a few different recipes

serves 3-4

1/2 lb beef stew meat (about 1 1/2" chunks)

1/2 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teas flour

handful of dried porcini mushrooms

3 celery stalks, diced

1-2 carrots, diced

2-3 yukon gold potatoes, diced

1 bay leaf

a couple pinches dried thyme

salt and pepper

3 C beef stock

handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Place oven rack in lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pat dry the beef stew meat in some paper towel and generously season with salt and pepper. In small bowl, put mushrooms to soak in 1 cup of warm water. Once mushrooms are soft, lift out with slotted spoon and roughly chop. Reserve soaking liquid.

In a large dutch oven (a.k.a. a big, deep pot with a lid that can go in the oven) over medium-high heat, heat a bit of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned beef to the pot and fry, turning, until browned well on all sides. Remove meat from pan and set aside.

Add a bit more olive oil to the pot and saute onions, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the onions soften. Add garlic and saute another minute or so. Add flour and mix well. Pour in slowly about 1/2 cup of the broth. Stir to dissolve the flour and then add remaining broth, bay leaf, dried thyme, mushrooms, and the mushroom's soaking liquid. Depending on how soupy/stewy you want your final product to be, you can add a bit more water or broth to the pot at this point if it looks like your veggies will be too crowded.

Once the broth has started to simmer, return beef to the pot. Cover, and place in preheated oven. Bake for one hour. After one hour, remove from the oven and add prepared veggies -- the potatoes, carrots, and celery. Cover again and return to oven. Bake one hour, or until meat is completely cooked and softened (for me, that's been 50-60 minutes.) Remove from oven, remove bay leaf, and stir through the fresh parsley. You could leave the beef in large chunks at this point, or roughly shred each chunk with a couple of forks before serving.

green pea soup

Need some festive fare for St. Patty's Day dinner tonight? Let me suggest Donna Hay's pea and potato soup with mint. Mmmm, good.

This hearty winter soup comes from the gal who gave us minty mushy peas. Don't be alarmed by minty soup -- it's not overwhelming. The herb just adds a layer of flavour that suits the peas and potatoes just fine.

pea and potato soup with mint

adapted from Donna Hay

serves 4

3 C frozen green peas

3-4 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

4 C chicken stock

1/2 C milk or cream

1 Tbs chopped fresh mint

freshly ground black pepper

optional additions:

1/2 C sour cream

1 teas freshly ground black pepper

and/or

2 pork sausages

Bring peas, potatoes and stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until potatoes are done, about 15 mins. Working in batches, roughly puree soup in blender. Return to saucepan and add milk/cream, mint, and pepper. (Season with salt, if necessary.) Heat until hot. Ladle into serving bowls and serve alone, with pepper sour cream, and/or with fried sausages.

To serve with pepper sour cream, blend sour cream and black pepper together. Top soup with a dollop of the mixture.

To serve with sausages, slice sausages into thick rounds. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, fry until golden and crispy. Divide among serving bowls.

zucchini fennel soup

Here's another recipe to utilize the great zucchini crop of '09.

The fennel and lemon are very subtle and lovely in this. I even added a bit of the lemon water that the fennel is cooked in back into the pot with the broth (original recipe just said to toss it) and it was just lemony enough.

zucchini fennel soup

(from Food and Wine)

1 fennel bulb, cored and sliced 1/2-1/4" thick

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Olive oil

4-5 zucchini, sliced crosswise 1-4" thick

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, smashed

4 C chicken or veggie stock

Salt and pepper

In large saucepan, put fennel, lemon juice, pinch of salt, and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until fennel is tender when pierced (about 10-15 mins). Drain off water. (Reserve a bit of the lemon water if you'd like.)

In same pot, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add zucchini, season with salt, and saute over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until just softened (10 mins or so.) Add stock, lemon water if using, and cooked fennel and bring to a boil. Simmer until vegetables have softened completely (another 10 mins.)

Remove from heat. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return soup to the pot, reheat/season if necessary. Ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with croutons, a bit of sour cream or creme fraiche, or fennel fronds.

*I'm trying to see how freezing zucchini works for me this year -- I have some grated for zucchini bread, but I'm thinking I should slice some as well to have at the ready for this soup.

tomato, chickpea, and roasted red pepper soup

I know it feels like I just posted a soup, but I just gotta give you this one too. I'm sorry I don't have a better picture for you, but I promise it's delicious nonetheless. A little spicy and very tasty.

tomato, chickpea, and roasted red pepper soup
(I changed up this Martha recipe)
serves 4

2 garlic cloves, minced
a scant 1/2 teas red-pepper flakes
1/2 teas cumin
course salt
a couple Tbs olive oil
1 can 19-oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups roughly cut canned plum tomatoes, with juice
1 roasted red pepper*, roughly chopped
4 cups chicken stock
sour cream for garnish

*Don't bother with the jarred variety -- making your own roasted peppers is really simple. Either place your pepper over an open gas flame or under the oven broiler until it is blackened on all sides. Once it's blackened, seal it up in a bag and let the pepper steam for 10-15 minutes, until the skin seems like it would slip right off. Using a paring knife, peel off the blackened skin, cut it open, remove the seeds and roughly chop.

In a small bowl, mix garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, and a pinch of course salt together. Use the the back of a small spoon to crush into a paste.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic mixture, and cook until softened, a few minutes. Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and stock. Simmer, stirring often for about 15 minutes.

Let cool a bit and then puree soup in a blender. Rewarm, if necessary. Serve with a dollop of sour cream. Optional -- Enjoy leftovers at work and momentarily forget you're among a room full of coworkers as you audibly mmmmm over your yummy soup.

carrot and coriander

It's been a while since I posted a soup recipe. And that's not at all reflective of how much soup we eat around here. It's just so warm and easy, who wouldn't want to eat it several nights a week? (probably my husband, for one, but he's too polite to say anything)

Well this carrot soup is one of our ol' standbys. It's great for the days when practically all we have in the fridge is a bag of carrots.

Try substituting basil for cilantro -- yumm.

carrot cilantro soup
4 servings

olive oil
8 large carrots, peeled and grated
about 1 C fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
4-6 C chicken or veggie broth
1/2-1 C milk or a swig of cream -- optional, but adds a nice creaminess

Grate the carrots into a medium saucepan. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil and put over medium heat. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the carrots change colour slightly. Add enough broth to cover the carrots and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stir in the cilantro and simmer another few minutes. Run the hot soup through a blender to puree. Finally, add a bit of milk and reheat, if necessary.

fighting off 'boring soup syndrome'

How do you take what runs the risk of becoming a boring ol' vegetable soup and make it into something yummier? I would love to hear what your tricks are.

Last night, when faced with that very dilemma, I tried adding some sesame oil, soy sauce, and some angel hair pasta for a little Asian-inspired fare. The aroma was lovely! It tasted good too.

Veggies: onion, green onion, celery, carrot, mushrooms, zucchini, and bok choy (throw in the bok choy at the very end -- it doesn't need much cooking time)
Swimming in: chicken broth, along with a teaspoon of sesame oil and a tablespoon of soy sauce
Additionals: noodles -- and red pepper flakes would have been good had I thought of it

st. patty's split pea soup

I'm having a momentary lapse back to my childhood playground

What did you eat for breakfast? Pea green soup! What did you eat for lunch? Pea green soup! What did you eat for dinner? Pea green soup! What did you do all night? ...

Sorry, I couldn't resist.


Although it ain't much to look at, this yummy soup is just like Steven Spielberg's mom used to make (according to Ina Garten.) The recipe is from Parker Hodges, the chef at Ina Garten's old Barefoot Contessa store.

This soup thickens up a lot. I would recommend using mostly broth to start, and then just "water it down" with plain water when it sets a bit.

(split) pea green soup
serves 6-8

1 C yellow onion, chopped (1 small onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 C olive oil
1/2 teas dried oregano
1 Tbs salt
2 teas ground black pepper
2 C carrots, diced (3-4 carrots)
3 small red potatoes, unpeeled and diced (for about 1 C)
1 lb dried split green peas
8 C chicken stock

In 4-qt stockpot, warm olive oil and saute onions, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper together until onions are translucent (10 mins.) Add diced carrots and potatoes, 3/4 lb of split peas, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

Add remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the peas from burning on the bottom of the pan. Adjust consistency by adding more water. Season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve hot with croutons, toasted slices of baguette, or just a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

sopa de lima

This soup is from Mexico's Yucatan.

I found this recipe as I've been putting together a little "chicken soup from around the world" collection for one of my aunts. Right now she needs all the healing properties, potions, and prayers she can get.

This one from Mexico caught my eye. I'm afraid I can't share where its from, because I have only its xeroxed copy (Gourmet or Bon Apetit, most likely.)


sopa de lima
serves 4-6

8 C chicken broth
1/2 C fresh lime juice (2.5 of my limes)
canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
*2-4 serrano or other hot chilies, seeded and chopped (to taste)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 lb chicken breasts or thighs, trimmed of fat and diced
2-3 large vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced
salt
4 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-in strips
a couple Tbs fresh cilantro leaves

*Since I didn't have the chilies on hand, I used a teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes. It added a bit of kick, but I'm sure the chilies would have so much more depth of flavour. Next time.

In a large pot, combine chicken broth and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer while you prepare the onions. In large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until its translucent and beginning to brown (5 minutes.) Stir in chilies (or red pepper flakes) and garlic; cook until mixture is brown and aromatic (1-2 minutes). Add a ladleful of the hot broth to the skillet, stir, then pour the contents of the skillet into the simmering broth. Add chicken pieces, tomatoes, and salt to taste to the broth. Simmer gently until the chicken is cooked thoroughly (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set tortilla strips on a baking sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes, until crisp. Place a few strips in the bottom of each serving bowl. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro leaves. Don't be tempted to skip the garnish! It adds so much great flavour. Enjoy!

rosemary white bean soup

I'm on the hunt for more bean soup recipes.

Ever since I made this white bean soup and this black bean soup, I can't seem to get enough of beans and broth.

This recipe comes from one of my favourite celebrity chefs, Ina Garten. It is found in her Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (which was her first book I think.) I changed the recipe slightly by waaay reducing the amount of onions and by using canned beans instead of soaking dried ones.

We enjoyed our warm bowls with a baguette and a hunk of blue cheese. Perfect weeknight eats.

white bean and rosemary soup
serves 3-4

2 - 15.5 0z cans white beans **
1/2 yellow onion, diced
olive oil
1 garlic cloves, minced
1 branch fresh rosemary
4 C chicken stock
1 bay leaf
salt and fresh pepper to taste

** In Ina's original recipe, she calls for 1 pound of dried white cannellini beans. If you go that route, then put beans in a medium bowl and cover with water by at least an inch and leave them in the fridge for 6 hours, or overnight. Drain.

In large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until onions are translucent (5-10 mins). Add garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add drained beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until beans are very soft.

Remove rosemary branch and bay leaf. Coarsely puree beans, using a blender or food processor. Return soup to the pot and reheat. Season if necessary. Serve hot.

black bean soup

'Tis the season for soup. Hot, delicious, fulfilling soup.

This warm and delicious one is a modified a Real Simple recipe. Enjoy!

black bean soup
serves 6

olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove
1/2 teas chili powder
1 teas ground cumin
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 - 15.5 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 C chicken stock (or veggie stock if want a vegetarian soup)
1 Tbs tomato paste
juice of 1 lime
sour cream for serving
roughly chopped fresh cilantro for serving

In large stockpot, heat oil and saute onion until translucent (5-10 mins). Add garlic and saute a couple minutes more. Stir in cumin and chili powder and cook for a minute before adding celery, carrot, and bell pepper. Saute for a couple minutes. Add beans and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Stir in lime juice and tomato paste.* Puree most of the beans and veggies in a blender or food processor to thicken the soup. Return to the pot and reheat if necessary. Ladle into serving bowls. Top with dollop of sour cream and sprinkling of fresh cilantro. (These garnishes add lots of flavour so try not to just eat out of the pot!)

*At this point I turned off the heat and let it rest for 30 minutes while I ran an errand -- a factoid I share because the rest may have allowed the flavours to better marry and mingle. Alls I'm sayin' is I'll bet this is the kind of soup that's way better on the second day.

soup n' salsa

You know how sometimes you try a new recipe, even though you aren't sure how good all the ingredients will be together? I'm not talking about if a recipe calls for beets, hazelnuts, and goat cheese, 'cause you know that will be good. No, I'm talking about when you can't really taste how it's going to turn out, but you make it anyway.

Well I was pleasantly surprised -- no, downright shocked -- at how well the ingredients in this soup and salsa recipe came together. The beans, the hint of pepper, the basil, the creamy feta, the texture of the orzo, the lemon -- oh the lemon adds a very special something, so make sure to use a fresh lemon and not the bottled stuff -- I will definitely be making this again.

white bean soup with salsa
(modified from this Real Simple recipe)
serves 3-4

1/2 C orzo
1/2 red onion, diced
1 ripe & tasty tomato, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
5-8 leaves fresh basil, julienned
1/8 - 1/4 C feta cheese, crumbled
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teas dried red pepper flakes
1 15-ounce can white (navy) beans, rinsed
2 C low sodium chicken broth
juice of 1 lemon (a few tablespoons)

In a small bowl, combine tomato, red pepper, basil, feta, a dash of vinegar, and a dash of olive oil. Toss to coat well and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute red onion for a couple minutes, then add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is quite soft. Add beans, 1 3/4 C of the broth, and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute before ladling hot soup into a blender or food processor. Pulse until a chunky puree.

Return to pot and add last 1/2 C broth. Return to heat and bring to a simmer. Finally, stir in orzo and season with pepper, and salt if necessary. Ladle into serving bowls and divide salsa among the bowls, spooning it on the top.

vegetable soup with parmesan toasts

After a rollicking day of cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping, this simple fall-inspired soup settled the weekend. Try it next time you need a good settle.

Ack! Pardon the picture. I suppose I shouldn't have tried to get a picture of the orange butternut squash in my mustard coloured bowl under poor lighting.

vegetable soup with parmesan toasts
(modified from a recipe in Real Simple March '06)
for 3-4

2-3 bunches of baby bok choy -- cleaned, trimmed, and cut lengthwise
a few Tbs olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 medium butternut squash (about a pound) -- peel removed* and cut into 1/2-in pieces
1 C white wine
1 C chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
9-12 1/2-in slices of baguette
1/2 C freshly grated parmesan cheese

*Be careful when removing the peel of the squash. I now see why most recipes have you cook butternut squash before cutting it too many times -- it's a bit of a challenge.


Preheat oven 350 degrees. Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Saute garlic until fragrant. Add squash and season with salt and pepper. Saute for a couple minutes before adding liquids. After adding wine and broth, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer until the squash is tender (about 15 mins). Add bok choy, stir, and cover. Steam until tender (another 5 mins).


While the squash is simmering, place the baguette slices on tinfoil. Brush slices with oil and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake until golden (10-15 mins).

Ladle the soup into serving bowls and top with parmesan toasts. This isn't a soup of swimming veggies, as there's only a bit of liquid for each dish. Enjoy!

one ton o' wontons

I was craving homemade ravioli. Being a bit impatient, I bought wonton wrappers to shortcut the cranking out of homemade pasta. When I went searching for tips and hints, however, I found this recipe on Martha's website. This wonton soup looked way too good to pass up. And what better use for wonton wrappers for than actual wontons. Ravioli can wait -- now I want wontons.

Minor modifications: The original recipe called for ground pork, which I substituted for ground chicken. I used less scallions than Martha -- she must love onions -- but I used more ginger and soy sauce. I also threw in some shaved carrots at the end for added colour.

wonton soup
serves 3-4

1/2 C finely chopped cabbage (Napa or Savoy)
course salt
3/4 C ground chicken (or pork)
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 - 2 Tbs fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 teas soy sauce
1 1/2 teas toasted sesame oil
24 wonton wrappers (thawed, if frozen)
3 1/2 C low-sodium chicken broth
2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 teas rice vinegar
1/2 carrot, peeled and finely sliced

To make the wontons: In a small bowl, toss cabbage with 1/2 teas salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Wrap in paper towels and firmly squeeze out liquid. Meanwhile, toss together meat, scallions, ginger, soy sauce and and 1 teas of sesame oil in a medium bowl. Add dried cabbage. Mix well with fork and refrigerate until ready to use.




Working with one wrapper at a time (keeping the rest under a damp towel), spoon a teaspoon of filling in the center. With dampened fingers, wet the edges and fold wrapper in half (forming a triangle) over filling. Press edges firmly to seal. Moisten the tips along the long side of the triangle and bring together, overlapping and pressing together. Fold remaining corner towards the back. Place on an oiled plate and cover with a damp towel. Fill and form remaining wontons.

To make the soup: In large pot, combine broth with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add wontons one at a time and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until wontons are cooked through (about 6-8 minutes). Stir in scallions, carrots, vinegar, and remaining 1/2 teas sesame oil. Season with salt, if necessary, and serve.

pappa al pomodoro

In Italy, pappa al pomodoro is the ultimate "poor man's food." Tomato and bread soup with lots of fresh basil -- simplicity never tasted so good.

pappa al pomodoro
serves 4

about 2 C stale bread, cut into cubes
1/2 teas (or as much or little as you can handle) dried red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1/2 sweet onion, diced fine
fresh tomatoes, (or if it's winter time, you can get away with using 2 14-oz cans of diced tomatoes)
4 Tbs fresh basil, chopped
6 C low sodium chicken stock

In a large saucepan, over med-high heat, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the dried red pepper flakes and cubed bread. Cook, stirring occasionally until the bread is golden. Transfer bread to a plate lined with a paper towel; set aside.

Add a bit more olive oil to the pan and saute the onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook until you can smell 'em (usually less than a minute). Next, add the tomatoes, basil, and prepared bread. Stir to combine and heat to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Add the broth (best if it's already hot) and mix well. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the flavours have had the chance to blend. Mash the tomatoes and bread together with a fork . Season with pepper and more salt if necessary -- I find that the stock makes the soup plenty salty. Buon appetito!

soulful leek and potato soup

It has been cold here lately. The weatherman's "sub-zero temperatures" really doesn't convey how friggin' cold -24C with windchill can be. Cold weather is among my excuses for making soup. This leek and potato soup warmed us up good -- and it's tasty to boot.

leek and potato soup

2 leeks, tough ends removed, sliced lengthwise, washed, and sliced
3 large potatoes (I used yukon gold), peeled and cut into chunks
ground black pepper
1-2 teas coriander
1 Tbs of dried thyme
3-4 C chicken broth
1/2 C cream
croutons*

Saute the leeks, potatoes, and spices in a bit of olive oil and a pat of butter. When the leeks have softened, add enough chicken broth to cover well. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are done (20-25 mins). With a slotted spoon, remove potato chunks into a bowl. Mash the potatoes or puree them with a hand mixer, then add back into the soup. Stir in cream. Serve, topped with croutons.

*I cut leftover french or italian bread into cubes and stash it away in a ziplock bag in the freezer for occasions such as this. To make croutons, I take some cubes out, toss them in olive oil, salt, and a pinch of dried herbs (such as thyme or italian seasoning), and then broil until toasted, shaking the baking sheet often.