Lemongrass Beef Stew

In Austin, winter doesn't last long, so while it's here, I try to make the most of it.  We're a soup once a week or so type of family.  I embrace recipes that require long periods of time simmering on the stove or slowly cooking in the oven.

This recipe comes from my other Christmas present cookbook:  Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan.  I am so excited to cook out of this book, partly because I know I will learn some new cooking methods, some new ingredients, and some new recipes!

We loved this and our house smelled like loveliness for an entire day.  I started this in the morning, then set it aside and finished it later in the afternoon.

This serves 6 - 8.

Lemongrass Beef Stew
adapted briefly from Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan

3 lbs boneless beef ribs (I used chuck ribs, you could also use boneless short ribs or even boneless stew meat), cut into 1 1/2" cubes
4 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 large (about 2 c) onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c finely chopped lemongrass (cut in half, remove the thick out leaves and then finely chop)
3 T tomato paste
2 x 1" piece of ginger, peeled, then smashed or grated
2 whole star anise
6 c beef stock
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2" lengths
8 oz daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1/2" lengths
2 T fish sauce
1/4 c basil (Thai preferable), finely sliced, for garnish (optional)
1 hot chile (a Thai chile or jalapeño is preferable), thinly sliced, if desired

Place the beef in a bowl.  Drizzle with 1 T olive and sprinkle with 1 t salt and 1/2 t black pepper.  Stir to coat and set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 T remaining oil over high heat.  Working in batches, brown the beef on all sides.  Set browned beef aside.  In same pot, reduce the heat to medium and add the onions.  Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is a deep golden brown, stirring frequently.  Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the lemongrass, tomato paste, ginger, and star anise and stir to combine.  Add the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot.  Pour the stock over top.  Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat so the stock is at a gentle simmer.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is just tender.  Add the carrots and daikon, cover again, and cook an additional 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through and the meat is very tender.  Remove from heat and stir in fish sauce.

To serve, top with basil and sliced chiles if desired.

Cranberry Beans and Kale

We got home from visiting my family in Virginia at 9 pm on New Year's Day.  The next morning, we were doing Christmas with our kids.  Since ours are still on the younger side--4, 6, and 8 years old, we knew it would be an earlyish morning.  Curtis's mom was giving over to spend time with us as well.

I had planned on pulling a pan of lasagne out of the oven first thing and having that for lunch.  However, after a week of eating wonderful food, full of meat and goodness, I was ready for something a hair lighter.  Lasagne just didn't sound good to either Curtis or I.  After putting the kids to bed, I thought, "I have beans."  The plan was just to have beans and rice for lunch,

I went to my pantry and found a bag of fancy Bob's Red Mill cranberry beans.  I have no idea when or where I bought these--this wasn't a typical purchase.  I usually buy my beans from the bulk bins.  I looked at the back of the bag for cooking instructions and found this recipe.

It was perfect!  I had everything I needed in my house and I had kale that needed to be cut in my small garden outside.  I soaked the beans overnight, cooked them while we opened presents and started the soup once were were done opening presents.

We all loved it.  Curtis and I thought a little chipotle tabasco made the perfect garnish.  Much better than my pan of lasagne and we felt much better about ourselves for eating it (always a nice benefit on January 2).

This serves 6 - 8.

Cranberry Beans and Kale

adapted from the back of the bag of Bob's Red Mill Cranberry Beans

1 1/2 c dried cranberry beans (or other light colored beans--not black, pinto, or kidney)

2 T olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 t cumin

6 c chicken or vegetable broth

1 (6-oz) can tomato paste

1 lb (more or less) kale, center stems removed and coarsely chopped

1/2 c cornmeal 

1/2 c water

juice of 1/2 lemon

Soak the beans overnight.

The next day, cook the beans in enough water to cover by 1 - 2" inches in a large pot for one hour, or until beans are tender.  (The beans should simmer gently away for that hour--not a fast boil).  Drain beans and rinse out pot.

In large soup pot, heat olive oil.  Add the onions and cook until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Stir in the cumin.  Add the chicken broth, cooked beans, tomato paste, and kale.  Simmer until the kale is tender.  In a measuring cup, mix together the water, cornmeal, and lemon juice into a paste.  Pour it slowly into the simmering stew.  Simmer for another 15 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper

Serve hot and add some tabasco if you desire.

French Onion Soup

I feel like this soup doesn't need much of a preface.  It's a wonderful soup.  Everyone in my family loved it.  It's happiness in a bowl and not nearly as complicated as I remembered french onion soup years ago when I made it.  This was simple to make, most of the prep time was slicing onions.  Other than that, it was just a couple of hours of happiness as our house was permeated with the aroma of onions and beef.  What a wonderful winter Sunday afternoon.

Love. this. soup.  Need to make it again soon.  Thanks Deb! (of Smitten Kitchen)

Serves 4 - 6.  Maybe.

French Onion Soup
from Smitten Kitchen.com

1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced yellow onions
3 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
1 t salt
1/4 t sugar
3 T flour
1/2 c dry white wine (optional)
2 qts beef stock

Optional for serving:
crusty bread, toasted
Gruyere or swiss cheese, grated

Melt the butter and olive oil together in a Dutch oven over med-low heat (4 or 5 on my stove).  Add the onions, toss them to coat them in butter/oil and cover the pot.  Reduce the heat to low (2 on my stove) and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes.  Ignore them.  Don't peek.  After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat (to a 4 or so), and stir in the salt and sugar.  Cook the onions, stirring frequently for 30 - 40 minutes, until the have turned a nice brown.  This is the caramelization.  Don't rush this step (don't rush any of these steps in fact).  The slowness of the process is what gives the soup its wonderful flavor.

Once the onions are caramelized, stir in the flour and cook briefly.  Stir in the wine if using.  Add the stock, a little at a time, stirring between additions.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes.  If you are using homemade beef stock, you may have foam float to the top.  You can skim that off for a clearer broth.

Enjoy.  For a fancy meal, put a piece of crusty toasted bread in the bottom of a bowl, sprinkle with gruyere and place under the broiler for a few minutes.  I'm scared of my broiler, so I simply cut my crusty bread into croutons and sprinkle grated Gruyere over top and enjoy.

Palestinian Meatball Soup

I went looking for this recipe thinking of an light Italian broth, tiny meatball, and vegetable type of soup.

This soup does not fit that description at all, what so ever.

This soup is a hearty, warm-your-healthy-bones soup (in other words, not a sick and I want to feel better soup).  This soup is the I spent an hour outside building a snow man with my kids and am freezing kind of soup.  Or, since here in our part of Texas we can't build many snowmen, it is the strong north wind, we're a bunch of wimps, it's 35 degrees out of type of soup.

This soup contains a spice mixture called baharat.  To make the baharat, you need a spice grinder (or mortal and pestle, which I can never figure out how to operate correctly).   The spices in baharat are pretty easy to find, especially if you can buy them bulk somewhere.  The recipe for baharat makes enough for three recipes of this meatball soup.  Make it all at once and set aside (in a tightly sealed container) and save it for next time.

The original recipe calls for freekeh, an ancient Middle Eastern grain.  The first time I made this recipe, I thought I had freekeh, but it turned out to be farro, so I used that instead.  The second time, I searched two stores (including Whole Foods) for freekeh and couldn't find it so I used the red wheat berries I had at home instead.  Both substitutions worked great.  Bulgur is also suggested by the original recipe authors.  Maybe one of these time I will visit a few more stores to attempt to find freekeh.  For now, I am happy with my substitutions, both of which were easy for me to find at Whole Foods.

We all like this soup, especially the meatballs.

This will serve 6 - 8 depending on the size of your eaters.

Palestinian Meatball Soup
adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Baharat Mixture:
1 t black peppercorns
1 t coriander seeds
1 small cinnamon stick, coarsely chopped
1/2 t whole cloves
1/2 t ground allspice
2 t cumin seeds
1 t cardamom pods
1/2 t whole nutmeg, grated

To make baharat:  place all the spices in a spice grinder and grind until a fine powder is formed.  It will keep for 8 weeks in an airtight container.

Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1 sm onion, finely diced
2 T flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 t ground allspice
1/4 t ground cinnamon
3 T flour
2 T olive oil

Soup:
2 T olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled if desired and cut into 3/8"cubes
2 celery stalks, cut into 3/8" cubes
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes (with their juice)
2 T tomato paste
1 T baharat mixture (see above)
1 T ground coriander
1 cinnamon stick
1 T superfine sugar
1 c cracked freekeh, farro, or wheat berries (red or white)
2 c beef stock
2 c chicken stock
3 1/4 c hot water

chopped cilantro
lemon wedges

To make the meatballs, combine ground beef, onion, parsley, allspice, cinnamon, 1/4 t pepper, and 1/2 t salt.  Mix well with your hands and form into 24- 30 meatballs (or more or less depending on how big  you like your meatballs).  Heat the oil in a dutch oven or soup pot and fry the meatballs over medium heat until golden brown on all sides and cooked through.  Remove from pot and set aside.

In the same pot, add a little olive oil if the pot looks dry.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, scraping the browned meatball bits from the bottom of the pan.  Stir in the carrots and celery and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, baharat mixture, coriander, cinnamon stick, sugar, 2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.  Stir in the grain (freekeh, farro, wheat berries, etc) and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.  Add the beef and chicken stocks, hot water, and meatballs.  Bring to boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 - 45 minutes (cooking time depends on the type of grain you are using), stirring occasionally, until the grain is tender.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro (don't skip this step.  This dish needs the cilantro) and with lemon wedges on the side (you can step this if you want).

Vegetable Soup

Sometimes, only sometimes though, I am a bit of a slow learner.

M has been in school for 1 1/2 school years now.  I've packed countless lunches, the majority of them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a piece fruit, raw vegetables or edamame, a cheese stick, and a snack.  I haven't varied much from this, because M is happy with this lunch.  After a year and a half packing pb&j sandwiches for lunch, I've discovered an alternative--the thermos.

I can hear everyone sighing and saying, "Well, duh, Melani. Those have been around as long as sliced deli meat" (I am making this up, by the way, don't quote me!).  However, like I stated in the beginning, sometimes I am slow.

This vegetable soup has been one of M's favorite things to take her new thermos.  She's been asking for me to make it again, both for supper and leftovers for lunches.  Everyone else liked it too.

When I made this, I looked at the recipe and thought, another minestrone recipe just not labeled as minestrone.  I guess it's not though.  There is no pasta or cannellini beans.  It could easily be made vegetarian by omitting the pork listed in the beginning and using a well flavored vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.  I actually didn't have potatoes when I made this, so I left them out and upped the amount of carrots I used.  I also threw in some celery for good measure.  Feel free to use the vegetables you have on hand.  I could see this being a good recipe to throw some kohlrabi in.

I found this recipe at The Year in Food.  There aren't a ton of posts, but when she does, the pictures are beautiful and the layout is uncluttered.  There are usually a lot of vegetables featured, sometimes strange grains (quinoa), and it follows the agrarian calendar.

This recipe will make 8 - 10 servings.

Vegetable Soup 
adapted slightly from The Year in Food

4 oz pancetta or bacon (optional--can substitute enough olive oil to saute onion in)
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 c chicken or vegetable stock (or a mixture of either of those and water)
28 oz diced tomatoes (fire-roasted are especially tasty)
4 med potatoes, cubed (optional)
1 -2 sm/med kohlrabi, peeled and diced (optional)
1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
red chile flakes, to garnish
Parmesan or cheddar cheese, to garnish

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add the bacon or pancetta and cook until the fat is rendered and it has browned (especially in the event you are using bacon, make sure it is good and cooked).  Remove excess fat (more than 1 T).    Add the onion and celery and cook until softened and onion is translucent.  Add the stock/water and diced tomatoes along with the potatoes (or kohlrabi).  Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes/kohlrabi are beginning to soften.  Add the carrots and continue to cook the root veggies are cooked, but still hold together well (don't cook to easily breakable stage).  Stir in the kale and cook just until kale has wilted and softened.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot.  Top with red chile flakes as desired and a grating of cheese.

Asian Beef Stew

Once we discovered the wonder of the thermos we learned lunch options were endless.  This was another one of M's favorites to take for lunch, however, she did have to beware of the aromatics.

The star anise may be a little hard to source.  If you can buy it in bulk somewhere, it's very affordable and worth it.  The dried shitake mushrooms also look really expensive you buy them bagged.  They are also a lot cheaper if you can find them in bulk (possibly at Whole Foods if your Whole Foods is big enough).  If you can't find them, just substitute cremini mushrooms.  Shitake mushrooms give a nice meaty flavor to the stew.  If you aren't a fan of a slight wine taste to your beef stews, just leave out the sake (or sherry).  Just add a little of water to the pan to deglaze it.

This will serve 4 - 6  in these proportions.

Asian Beef Stew
adapted from monkeymom on Food52.com

3 lbs stew meat, cut into 1- 2 inch cubes
salt and pepper
1 - 2 T canola oil
3/4 c sake, sweet rice wine, or sherry (red)
1/4 c soy sauce
1 T brown sugar
3/4 t rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 c chicken stock
2 star anise
1" piece of ginger root, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, left whole
3 - 4 red chili peppers, fresh or dried (to taste)
3 whole dried shitake mushrooms, stems removed (can use fresh, just remove stems and quarter)
zest of 1 lime
3 - 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 lg daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1" pieces (optional)

Heat oil in a large dutch oven.  Sprinkle beef cubes with salt and pepper.  Brown beef in batches and set aside.  Return meat and accumulated juices to pot.  Add the sake (etc) or water to pot to deglaze.  Bring to a boil and scrape up browned bits.  Add the soy sauce and sugar.  Add the rice wine vinegar, stock, star anise, ginger, garlic, chiles (if using), and mushrooms and bring to a boil.  Add the lime zest.  If meat is not covered with liquid, add enough water so meat is covered. Once the stew comes to boil, cover tightly (either with a lid or foil), and transfer to preheated 325 degrees oven.  Cook for 1 hour.  Stir and cook for a second hour or until meat is tender.

Return the stew to the stove. Remove the lid and simmer on medium heat to cook reduce the liquid, about 30 minutes.  While the stew cooks down, in a separate saucepan, bring a pot of water to a boil.  Place vegetables in boiling water and cook for 20 minutes or until tender.  You want the carrots to stay bright orange and not to fall apart easily when stirred.  Add the boiled vegetables to the stew.

Serve hot with either brown rice or noodles.  Garnish with chopped green onion or a bit of lime juice.

Thai Curry Chicken Soup

In my search for "healthier" recipes, I looked for ones that are full of flavor, loaded with veggies, and are unique.  As much as I love lentils and beans, I reach a saturation point after a while---two different lentil dishes plus their leftovers are about all I can handle.  While this didn't have as much veggies as some, it still fit my healthier label.

We loved this soup.  I greatly reduced the amount of spice in it so my kids would eat it and eat it M did!  (I've pretty much given up with the boys eating much for supper....I think they eat enough during the day that by supper they're not super hungry...I remember M doing the same thing, then along came kinder and changed it.  I've accepted the boys don't like anything I cook and M will eat almost anything because she is starving after school).

As is quickly becoming a trend, I want Asian flavored foods in the winter--something about fish sauce (of the Vietnamese nature), ginger, or star anise is comforting when it is cold.  This soup didn't have any of these, but I did get to use a little more of my Thai red curry paste.  The optional ingredients I didn't use, for obvious reasons if you know me (kids don't do spicy and I don't do corn).  There is no set time for this to simmer.  Like many soups, the leftovers are even better because the flavors had time to marry.

This should serve about 4 - 6.

Thai Curry Chicken Soup
adapted a bit from apartmentcooker on Food52.com

2 T olive oil
1/2 c onion, minced
1/2 c cilantro, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-oz) can coconut milk
6 c chicken stock (or a combo of chicken stock and water)
2 t (you can use up to 2 T) red curry paste
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
1 T ginger, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1-2 c mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 c corn kernels (optional)
1 1/2 c or so chicken, cooked and shredded

thinly sliced jalapenos
thinly sliced scallions
roughly chopped cilantro
lime wedges
avocado, thinly sliced (optional)

Heat 1 T olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until softened.  Add the garlic and cilantro and cook until fragrant, about a minute more.  Add the coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Add the red curry paste and zest and juice of lime.  Meanwhile, in a saute pan or skillet, heat the remaining T of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the jalapeno, if using, ginger, scallions, mushrooms, red bell pepper, corn, and chicken and cook until heated, 4 - 5 minutes.  Add to the broth.  Simmer until the mixture has reached desired flavor.  Season with salt.

To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with jalapenos, scallions, cilantro, lime, and avocado as desired.

Smoky Minestrone with Cheesy Tortellini and Parsley Pesto

I am coming to learn that Minestrone is the Italian version of stone soup or the Mexican chicken caldo. It works great as a clean out the vegetable crisper soup, which could be why I have so many different versions of minestrone on my blog. This one is great for using zucchini, potatoes, and leafy greens.

There are several things I love about this soup. Thing 1 is the tortellini. In my humble opinion, one can never go wrong with cheese tortellini. Ever. Thing 2 is the parsley pesto. Although we are starting basil season her in CenTex, I used store bought parsley that was languishing in my crisper drawer. I like the slight bite of parsley better and had no desire to use the basil that was also languishing in my crisper drawer.

We all love this soup. The kids even ate the zucchini in this without a complaint. Being swim season and all these days, M ate three servings. I was pleased to be able to pull a leek from my little raised garden to use in this soup. The vegetable amounts are estimates--since I had small carrots and potatoes, I used 6 small carrots and 4 small potatoes.

This serves at least 6 and possibly 8. It is equally good on a warm, muggy early summer (yes, the end of May is early summer here) afternoon as it is on a cold winter's evening.

Smoky Minestrone with Cheesy Tortellini

adapted from WinnieAb on Food52

3 T olive oil

2 oz bacon or pancetta, chopped into small pieces (both chop easier if partially frozen)

1 lg onion, peeled and chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 ribs of celery, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 medium-large potato, peeled and chopped

4 c chicken stock

1 (15-oz) can chickpeas

1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes

salt

1 c kale, chard, or collards, roughly chopped

1 (9-oz) pkg cheese tortellini

Pesto
1 c packed parsley leaves

2 T pine nuts, toasted

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T Parmesan cheese, grated

1 T olive oil

Heat 1 T of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon or pancetta and cook until they have started to brown. Add 2 more T of oil, if the pot looks dry, along with the onion, leek, and garlic. Continue to cook over medium heat until softened. Add the celery, carrot, zucchini, and potato. Stir for a minute or two. Add the stock, chickpeas, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or so, or until the potatoes are tender (that will depend on how small you cut the potatoes).

If you are making this soup ahead of time, stop here. Finish right before you are ready to eat.

While the soup simmers, make the pesto. I find it easiest to do this by hand, based on the small recipe. Chop the parsley until it is very, very fine. Chop the toasted pine nuts and garlic. Add to the parsley, along with the Parmesan. Stir in the olive oil. Set aside.

Add the kale and tortellini to the soup(if you are using chard, add that a minute or two after the tortellini), and cook 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Taste and add more salt. Serve and garnish individual bowls with a nice spoonful of parsley pesto, as desired.

Minestrone Soup!!! With Cabbage!!!!

I have several minestrone soups in my collection already. What propelled me to try a new one though, was the presence of cabbage.

CSA's are unpredictable, or at least our CSA is. Last year, we got just a little cabbage, at the end of the season. This year, we get a head of cabbage a week, which for us, is a lot of cabbage. I've had a hard time staying ahead it. Last year, we got tons and tons of carrots. Yesterday we got 4 small ones (and in general the bunches have been smaller). I've been buying carrots at the store to handle our winter carrot eating habit. That's just how a CSA goes, I guess. I think I'd take the carrots over the all the cabbage though.

Anyway, I was excited about this recipe, even though I was unsure of it. The recipe called for uncooked, un-soaked dried beans to be used, which just seemed like blasphemy to me. Could the beans possibly be cooked without pre-soaking them? I tried, and for the most part, they were fine. The garbanzos were a little hard still, but very edible, and I found that the next day, the consistency was just right for them. If you can, buy the beans in bulk so you can just buy as much as you need. I liked using the Parmesan cheese rind which had been hanging out in my fridge for quite a while, waiting for a recipe like this.

The kids tried this and I think they would have liked it, except for the fact that it was too spicy. Yes, I managed to make minestrone soup too spicy. I agreed with them too and found an alternative for them without any qualms (normally, they eat what we are eating, unless I know ahead of time they probably won't like it or it ends up being too spicy). I have adapted the recipe some to take this into account.

Additonally, I think this recipe easily could be adapted to a slow-cooker if you would want to experiment. This recipe is time intensive, but not much work. It just requires at least 2 1/2 hours of cooking time, so save for a cold day.

This recipes feeds 4 - 6.

Minestrone Soup--With Cabbage!!!!
adapted from Foodwriter97426 on food52.com

1 med onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
3/4 c dry cannellini beans
1/4 c dry garbanzo beans
6 c water
1 bay leaf
2 t fresh thyme, chopped
2 t fresh rosemary, chopped
2 t fresh oregano, chopped
1 1/2 t salt
a dash of black pepper
1 c green beans, cut into 1 - 2 inch pieces (I use frozen)
1 c carrots, coarsely diced
1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)
2" piece Parmesan cheese rind
10 oz of cabbage, thinly sliced
1/3 c small pasta
1/2 c red wine

Saute onions in a little oil in a large soup pot over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the beans, water and by leaf. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 hrs or until beans are just barely tender. Add thyme, rosemary, oregano, salt, dash of pepper, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, and cheese rind. Return to a boil, then cover and continue to simmer another 30 minutes over low heat. Add cabbage and pasta to the pot. If the soup looks dry at any time, add up to an additional 1 1/2 c of water. Simmer, uncovered, another 30 minutes. Add wine, and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if desired. Serve topped with some extra grated Parmesan.

Gomoku Soba

When it is hot, I crave Mediterranean dishes---ones heavy on fresh tomatoes and eggplant. Dishes that started with olive oil and garlic. As the weather cools, I find myself moving halfway across the world. Noodles still come into play, but noodles known by udon, soba, and rice sticks. Asian foods emerge as the temperatures drop. Stir fries loaded with broccoli and carrots and hot, rich soups with noodles, cabbage, and scallions floating in them.

Part of my journey to Asian food this fall was the arrival of this in our CSA box. This is a Napa or Chinese Cabbage. As usual, I consulted my go to international cookbook, Sundays at Moosewood. This very rarely lets me down when it comes to the non-typical vegetables that show up in our box.
This recipe takes a couple of non-typical ingredients. The first is kombu. Kombu is a flat, green, dried seaweed. I find it in a blue bag at Central Market (I am sure Whole Foods and an Asian market would have it, too). It looks a little expensive, but you only use a little of it at a time. The other non-typical ingredient is dried shitake mushrooms. I buy these in bulk at Central Market as well (again, I suspect Whole Foods or an Asian market would have these too). The price on the container kinda freaked me out (it's like over $60 per pound). However, the mushrooms for this recipe cost $1.60, not too bad.

Unfortunately, my children love this. That makes me sad, less for me. I made the broths ahead of time and then would cut the vegetables and cook the noodles for individual servings.

This recipe serves 4.

Gomoku Soba
or Noodles and Vegetables in a Flavorful Broth
from Sundays at Moosewood

1/2 oz dried konbu (I just estimated)
8 c water
8 dried shitake mushrooms
2 c hot water
5 T soy sauce
1/2 c sake or mirin
1/2 c lg carrot, sliced into thin rounds
8 scallions, cut into 2 1/2" lengths
2 c sliced Chinese cabbage, 1/2" thick
1/2 lb soba noodles

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved (optional, I skipped this)
chopped scallions (optional)

Bring the kombu and 8 c of water to a boil. Turn the heat down, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the kombu (pour through a strainer if you need to). This broth is called kombu dashi. While the kombu simmers, soak the shitake in 2 c of boiling water for 20 - 30 minutes. Remove the shitake mushrooms, reserving the liquid. This broth is called shitake dashi. Trim off and discard the stems of the shitake. Thinly slice the caps into strips. Combine 1 1/2 c of the shitake dashi (this should be all or nearly all of it) and 3 1/2 c of the kombu dashi (save the leftover kombu dashi for another batch of soup. It will last 4 - 5 days). Add soy sauce, sake, and sliced shitake. Simmer.

One at a time, cook each vegetable in the broth (I typically put the vegetables on a slotted spoon and dip into the broth. This makes it easier to fish out the blanched vegetables). Cook until each is just barely cooked. I cook carrots first, then scallions, than the cabbage. Remove the cook vegetables from the stock and set aside. As the take turns cooking, cook the soba in a separate pot of bowling water, according to pkg directions (about 3 minutes). Drain. Divide the soba between the individual bowls (one for each person eating). Arrange on top of the soba the vegetables and two halves of the hard boiled eggs. Pour the very hot broth over top. Garnish with chopped scallions, if desired.

Thai Red Curry Squash Soup

I love pureed soups. They are one of my favorite things about cold weather. I make a batch of a pureed soup, have it for supper and then enjoy it for lunches for several days afterwards. My husband, unfortunately, doesn't see it that way. Pureed soups are appetizers for him.

We don't do appetizers in our house. If I make something, it's supper, not an appetizer. However, with this soup, Curtis got lucky. I knew this soup would be spicy, so I knew I couldn't give it to the kids for supper. Sigh. So, I made this and I made a main dish as well. All were happy. I enjoyed my pureed soup, Curtis enjoyed his appetizer and main course, and the kids enjoyed the main course.

An ingredient note: Red curry paste comes in a large quantity. I have a container of it stashed in the back of my fridge. The stuff is SPICY!! Most recipes call for 1 T of it at a time. If you buy it, find a container that you can reseal and store in the back of your fridge until you make this or another red curry recipe again.

This serves 6 people easily.

Thai Red Curry Squash Soup
adapted slightly from Food and Wine

2 T butter
1/2 lg onion, thinly sliced
2 T thinly sliced fresh ginger (or 2 t ginger spice)
1 T Thai red curry paste (see ingredient note above)
1 1/2 lbs orange winter squash, kabocha, kuri or buttercup is preferred, but butternut will do, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2" chunks
2 1/2 c water
1 (13.5-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 t lime zest (or 1 keifer lime leaf)
1/2 stalk of lemongrass (to get half, cut in half vertically), smashed and cut into 2" lengths (don't use long green ends, use the lighter colored bottom 1/4 - 1/3")
1 T sugar
1 T fresh lime juice
salt, to taste

In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter. Add the onion and sliced ginger, if using, and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Add the curry paste and ginger powder (if using) and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the squash and water and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer until squash is soft, about 25 minutes. Add the coconut milk, lime zest, and lemongrass, cover partially, and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Discard the lemongrass (and lime leaf, if using). Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender (or just use an immersion blender in the pot). Return to the pot and stir in the lime juice and sugar. Season as desired with salt.

Serve hot.

Ham and Bean Cabbage Soup

I love ham for Easter, however I always have a hard time coming up with ways to use the leftovers. There seems to be a plethora of leftover turkey/chicken recipes, but ham ones are harder to find. I used some of the ham in a ham/noodle casserole and would have loved to have made a ham and asparagus quiche, but I haven't had any luck in my very, very limited search for local asparagus. It was kinda chilly last week, so I decided maybe I could swing a soup.

Mmm...I was glad I did. This soup is a step beyond your basic ham and bean soup with the addition of potatoes, cabbage, parsley, and thyme. It was wonderful, especially with the large baguette croutons dipped into it. I altered the recipe to use my leftover ham, the original called for ham hocks. I was able to cut my cooking time down considerably by using my already cooked sliced ham. To see the original version of the recipe using ham hocks, click here. You could also cut down on preparation/cooking time by using canned beans. That just isn't as fun though and probably not as tasty either (because ingredients don't have time to marry). I soak the beans overnight so they are ready to cook when I get up the next day (but I never cook them quite yet). You can also cook the beans, and then cool and refrigerate until you are ready to make the rest of the soup. This serves 4 - 6 people as dinner.

Ham and Bean Cabbage Soup
adapted from Gourmet

1 c dried white beans (like Great Northern, navy, or cannellini), picked over and rinsed
1 whole clove
1 medium onion, peeled and left whole
1 lb cooked ham (don't slice until later in the recipe)
3 qt water
6 fresh parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 fresh thyme sprig
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb potatoes
1 lb cabbage, cored and cut into 1/2" pieces (about 6 c)
1/4 c butter, softened (but not melted)
12 (1/2" thick) slices from a baguette

Soak beans in cold water to cover by 2 inches at room temperature for between 8 - 12 hours. Drain in colander.

Stick clove in onion. Bring beans, ham, water, onion, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, and garlic to a boil and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until beans are almost tender, 40 - 50 minutes. (You can stop the recipe at this point and finish about 30 minutes before you are ready to eat). When the beans are almost done, peel potatoes and cut into 1" pieces. Add potatoes and cabbage to beans, then simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are very tender, 20 - 25 minutes. Remove the hunk of ham from the beans and cut into bite sized pieces once ham is cool enough to handle. Return to soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf and onion.

Meanwhile, while the vegetables cook, spread butter on both sides of the bread, then toast in batches in a 12" cast iron skillet over moderate heat, turning over once, until golden, about 2 minutes total. Serve soup with toasts.

Awesome Homemade Ramen

The bok choy has been collecting in my refrigerator. Despite having lots of bok choy recipes, I have felt at loss lately about what to do with it. I am all out of beef (what a bummer!! Come on steer--fatten up already!), and was needing a break from stir-fry. I haven't been terribly into bok choy salad this year, but am finally starting to get a hankering for it. I needed a new bok choy and I needed it fast!

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I saw a recipe on thekitchn.com for an easy bok choy/poached egg noodles soup. I stored the info somewhere in my brain where it didn't get lost (for a change) and remembered it last night when I was contemplating serving my kids hotdogs and white rice for supper (which I must confess, I did. They also ate lots of peas). My husband obviously wasn't home for supper. I couldn't bring myself to eat hotdogs and white rice. Although the kids thought it was fabulous for a change, I wasn't impressed. Then, I remembered this recipe.

I love this recipe. It is so good and so easy! I used dried udon noodles, but you can use prepared udon noodles as well. I also found some chicken stock from an asian/orange-spiced roasted turkey I made after Thanksgiving (ok, way after Thanksgiving, like in January. It was a rough November) and used that. I didn't use much other seasonings, but if I use less flavorful stock next time, I probably will season it. I very gently eased my egg into the soup and it poached perfectly--I was so pleased with myself, my first poached egg. The amounts are kinda loosey goosey because this is one of those recipes that is a base--adapt to your likes. I used about 1 c of bok choy and thought it needed more.

I begrudingly shared a bite with M, after she had filled up on her rice/pea/ketchup concoction she created on her plate. She also enjoyed it. It's funny, I've made a bunch of "fancy" recipes lately, but this simple comfort soup, that reminded me of eating ramen noodles in college, has been my favorite new recipe of the last two weeks. This will serve two ravenous adults as a meal.

Awesome Homemade Ramen
adapted from thekitchn.com

4 -5 c chicken broth
2 whole star anise (opt)
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 pkg dried udon noodles (about 5 oz) or 2 7-oz pkgs pre-cooked udon noodles
1 -2 c bok choy leaves, sliced into ribbons
2 green onions, thinly sliced
soy sauce, to taste
1 t garlic powder (opt)
sesame oil, to taste

Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium sauce pan. Add the star anise and cinnamon, if using, and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. If using dried udon noodles, add them to the broth and cook until they are pliable (very bendy, but not fully cooked). Crack the eggs into separate measure cups and slip them one at a time into the broth. Cook for two minutes. Add the bok choy and stir very gently so as not to disturb the eggs. Cook for an additional two minutes, until the egg whites are completely set, but the middles are still loose (cook an extra minute if you want your yolk set). Remove from heat and add garlic powder (if using) and green onions. Add soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. Eat immediately.

Moroccan-Style Chicken and Root Vegetable Stew

I love stews, especially stews from cultures other than mine (which would be any stew with more seasoning than Worcestershire sauce and celery). I was excited last weekend when the weather turned chilly--I know it is short-lived and before long we will be hitting 100 degree days over and over and stews will be but a distant dream. Stews are my favorite way to use root vegetables besides roasting them or turning them into a pureed soup. I successfully cleaned out my root vegetables with this recipe. We all loved it, especially with a little bit of fresh cilantro (from my herb bed) snipped over top.

This recipe will serve 6 (and uses just a bit of chicken for how many people it serves!). My use of root vegetables weren't exact, I used just as much as I had; a little more sweet potato, considerably less kohlrabi, and I didn't even measure the turnips or rutabaga (but I suspect I used less turnips and more rutabaga). If I would have had couscous in my pantry, I would served this over top. Instead, I had to only imagine how good that would have been.

Moroccan-Style Chicken and Root Vegetable Stew
from Bon Appetit

1 T olive oil
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 c onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 T curry powder
1 T ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick
2 c sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 c parsnips or kohlrabi, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 c turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 c rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 c chicken broth (or 2 c of a water/chicken broth combination)
1/4 c dried raisins or currants
1 c canned diced tomatoes, drained

Heat oil in large pot over medium high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pot and saute until light golden, but not cooked through, turning occasionally, about 1 - 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Add more oil to pot if it looks dry. Add onion to pot and saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 more minute. Add curry powder, cinnamon, and cumin and stir 30 seconds. Add root vegetables, broth, and raisins. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add tomatoes, and chicken with any accumulated juices to the pot. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and flavors blend, about 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Kale and Cannellini Ragout

I took advantage of what may be on of the our last cool days the other day and made some Kale and Cannellini Ragout. It is a mix between a soup and a stew. I know I have lots of kale and cannellini recipes. This is by far the easiest and yet another a version on a great combination of foods.

I made this for the kids and I. They usually eat the kale and cannellini soups pretty well. M wasn't too sure about it, but I informed her that kale was a super food and the best part of the soup for her. That was enough to sway her and she decided that she liked kale, especially with an ample dousing of Parmesan cheese on top. I didn't have Italian bread, so I used pumpernickel (it's what I had!). I'd use pumpernickel again if I happened to have it. This makes 4 servings.

Kale and Cannellini Ragout
from Bon Appetit

6 T extra virgin olive oil
4 1 1/2-inch thick slices Italian (or other good) bread, cut into cubes
1 t plus 1 T fresh thyme, chopped (optional)

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 t dried crushed red pepper (optional)
5 c (packed) kale, thinly sliced
1 (14 oz) can vegetable or chicken broth (2 cups)
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can cannellini beans, drained

Toss bread cubes with 1 t thyme and 2 T oil in a large bowl. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven until bread cubes are crispy, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, add remaining 4 T olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper (if using) to a soup pot. Saute over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add kale and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, and remaining 1 T thyme. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Top with croutons and sprinkle with some grated Parmesan cheese to serve.

Turnip and Pear Soup

This is another Sundays at Moosewood Finnish puree. I am not a huge fan of pears, but I think it is mostly the texture, because I loved this soup. Like the rutabaga and orange soup, I didn't try to serve this to anyone besides baby I and myself. We both loved it. This soup successfully cleaned out all the turnips that had been multiplying in my fridge. This yields 4 cups of soup.

Turnip and Pear Soup
Sundays at Moosewood

1 med onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
3 med-lg turnips, peeled and chopped (3 c worth)
2 lg pears, peeled, cored, and chopped (3 c worth)
1 t dried thyme
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 c vegetable stock or water
1/4 t nutmeg
1 1/2- 2 c pear or apple juice
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent but not browned. Add the turnips, pears, thyme, and salt. Saute for another 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Add the stock (or water) and cook, covered, on low heat for 20 - 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and soft. Add the nutmeg. Puree in blender or food processor with the pear juice until smooth and thick. Season with black pepper to taste.

Rutabaga and Carrot Soup

For the first time ever, I saw and owned a rutabaga this week. In our CSA box was a large, white and purplish, somewhat hairy root vegetable. I named it a rutabaga and set out in search of a recipe.

My epicurious searches weren't turning up anything I was interested in---just mashed potatoes with rutabaga snuck in types of recipes (ok, there were more than that, but I just didn't find them interesting). I thought that surely some culture somewhere had rutabaga's as part of their every day diet. Sure enough, my Sundays at Moosewood cookbook helped me (an awesome vegetarian cookbook). Turns out Finns (as in from Finland) eat rutubagas and had a soup just for me. This also fit in my cooking the Olympics goal.

I haven't tried this on anyone but baby I and myself. I've been eating it for lunches and enjoying it. The cookbook recommends adding a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream and a orange-cranberry sauce. I didn't do this. I would have liked to, but it just didn't happen amidst birthday preparations for J, who just turned 3. This soup is healthy--very low fat and low cholesterol and made me feel better about eating a Krispy Kreme doughnut (or was it 2? I am not admitting anything!). Baby I isn't quite sure what he thinks about this---he kinda makes a face for the first couple bites because of the tartness, but after that, he eats it just fine.

Rutabaga and Carrot Soup
from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

1 medium onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
3 small carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small - medium rutabaga, peeled and chopped (about 2 c, but I may have used more than that)
1/2 t salt
1 c vegetable or chicken stock (not chicken if you want to keep this vegetarian, but I didn't care)
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
2 c orange juice
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent but not browned. Add the carrots, rutabaga and salt. Saute for another 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Add the stock (or water) and cook, covered, on low heat for 20 - 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and soft. Add ginger and nutmeg. Puree in blender or food processor with the orange juice until smooth and thick. Season with black pepper to taste. Serve with orange cranberry sauce and a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream, if desired.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

My search for recipes containing oranges continued and I came across this recipe for Vegetarian Black Bean Chili. I decided to use this recipe to cook up a batch of black beans. As the black beans were cooking though, I realized they were a little spicy for my kids, so I used an equivalent of 2 cans of home-cooked and 1 can of store bought beans.

It turned out great! It wasn't really vegetarian since my home-cooked beans were cooked in bacon grease, but we're not vegetarians so that wasn't a problem. We all enjoyed it, except for J who has decided he's not a big bean fan (however, now M is. I am convinced they trade off liking foods just to vex me!). The toppings were definitely a plus for the meal. This serves 4 - 6.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 oranges
2 T olive oil
2 c chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 - 4 t chili powder (adjust according the the black beans you are using. Mine were spicy so I didn't add any chili powder)
4 t ground cumin
2 t ground cinnamon
3 (15-oz) cans black beans, drained (or the equivalent of home-cooked black beans, about 5 1/4 c)
2 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice

crushed tortilla chips
grated cheddar cheese
sour cream or plain yogurt
chopped fresh cilantro
hot sauce


Grate enough orange peel to measure 1 1/2 t. Juice oranges.

Heat oil in heavy large sauepan over medium high heat. Add onions; saute 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and spices. Add beans, tomatoes, and half of orange juice. Simmer over medium heat until heated through and flavors blend, stirring often, about 15 minutes.

Mix in orange peel and remaining orange juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with hot sauce, sour cream , chopped fresh cilantro, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Spanish Beans and Greens Soup

I am a huge fan of collards and kale these days. I think my favorite way to use them this year is in soups and I seem to have a soup recipe for all occasions that has collards/kale. Some things seem to be similar amongst the soups---cannellini beans, broth (of course), and usually potatoes and sausage. It's the other things and seasonings which makes the soups unique. This one had saffron (mmm....one of my favorite things!). It is also a very forgiving soup if you don't have enough (or all the ingredients). I had only 1 1/2 c of cannellini beans and that was not a problem. M would have liked more beans, but she survived.

All of us who tried this loved it. M ate two or three bowls and even ate the collards in the last bowl when I told her it was the most nutritious part of the soup (she's really into food that gives her "energy" and "makes her strong" right now. I'm not complaining! It offsets her desire to eat candy every day---poor child, that doesn't happen!). I put it through my little food mill for baby I and he ate a couple of small bowls. Curtis liked it enough he took it for lunch two days in a row. It's a winner!!

Spanish Beans and Greens Soup

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c onions, choppped
1 t salt
1 T olive oil
1 t fennel seeds
3 bay leaves
1 lb bulk sausage
2 c potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 c vegetable or chicken stock
4 c (or more) kale, collards, chard, or cabbage, stemmed and chopped
1 c celery with leaves, chopped
3 c cannellini beans, cooked and drained
generous pinch of saffron
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

In a soup pot, saute the onions and salt in oil on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are golden. Add the fennel, bay leaves, and garlic and saute for another minute. Add the sausage and cook until it starts to brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, stock, greens and celery. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add the beans, saffron, salt, and pepper. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked, 5 - 10 minutes (depending the greens you used).

Swedish Lamb Stew with Dill Sauce

As you may have noticed, the theme for recipes lately have been using dill. Yes, seeing the little glass full of dill sitting on the windowsill makes me happy, but I figured I could get even better use out of it. Yesterday, I commented on recipes only calling for a tablespoon here and maybe a 1/4 c there of dill. This recipe solved the problem, calling for an entire bunch of dill. I didn't want to throw the baby with the bathwater though (isn't that a great saying?) and before I threw the bunch in the pot, I cut off some from the top so I would 1/4 c dill for my sauce. My windowsill is now missing it's pretty dill, but the lamb from last night enjoyed it.

I used lamb in this dish, you could use chunks of pork or beef (stew meat or whatever else you have handy) if you prefer. Curtis doesn't like the strong gamey taste of lamb, but I've found that is easy to temper by removing a lot of the fat from the lamb before cooking it. We all enjoyed it, even baby I. I think next time I will try beef stew meat instead of lamb (because, well, it's a whole lot cheaper and already in my freezer). We had a slight sauce problem due to switching chefs in the middle of dinner making for a last minute grocery store run for noodles. Thin sauce or not, we loved it! The dill wasn't overpowering, but wonderful. This makes 4 servings. While this takes a lot of simmering time to make, hands on time is very short, making this a relatively easy meal.

Swedish Lamb Stew with Dill Sauce
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 1/2 lbs boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes (or pork or beef)
4 c water
1 lg onion, chopped
1 lg carrot, chopped
1 large bunch of fresh dill (reserve 1/4 c of this for the sauce)
2 large pinchs of pepper
2 t salt

2 T butter
2 T flour
1 T white wine vinegar
2 t sugar
1/4 c fresh dill, chopped
2 T whipping cream

Place lamb, 4 c water, onion, carrot, bunch of dill, pepper and salt in a heavy large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off foam. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours (you can do this as long as you want, really, or even in a slow cooker, but for a longer time). Strain broth into a small saucepan. Boil until reduced to 2 1/3 c (if you end up with less than this, just add a little water to get to 2 1/3 c), about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the dill from the lamb.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk 1 minute. Whisk in 2 1/3 c reduced broth. Cook until sauce thickens and boils, whisking constantly, 6 minutes (or longer in our case). Whisk in white wine vinegar, sugar, and 1/4 c chopped fresh dill. Simmer 3 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in cream and lamb an simmer until heated through about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve over noodles.