Wedding in January - or February

A few weeks ago I posted a status update on Facebook that I was weeding in January. Most everyone conveniently misread this to say "Wedding in January". In order to avoid a similar problem let me get out of the way that no, we didn't make Wedding Soup for any reason other than it sounded good. Actually, Italian Wedding Soup is apparently thus named by result of a mistranslation. It really is meant to be minestra maritata ("married soup"). In any case, Italian Wedding soup is basically brothy soup with greens and meatballs. There are, of course, many variations, and while I made our version with fake meat, I think ground turkey would work really well this recipe. I adapted the recipe from an Ina Garten recipe. Ina Garten is otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa and is a protege of Martha Stewart. I don't hold that against her, and her Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is one of my favorites...

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey or Gimmie Lean ground beef style meat substitute

1/4 small red onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

2 tbsp fennel seeds (Jay thought this was slightly too much, I liked it... adjust accordingly)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1 tsp salt

Broth:

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup whole wheat pasta (rotini, elbows, or even orzo would work)

1 bunch lacinato kale, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine ingredients for meatballs and mix thoroughly. Using a tablespoon or just your hands roll meatballs into 1" balls and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cook for 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Take out of the oven and set aside.

While the meatballs are cooking assemble soup. In a large soup pot heat olive oil and cook onions, celery, and carrots over medium heat for 5 minutes until onions are slightly translucent. Add wine and let the alcohol cook off for a minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add pasta and lower heat to a simmer. Cook until pasta is cooked and add kale. Turn the heat off and let the soup sit for 2-3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. To serve ladle soup into a bowl and drop three meatballs into broth. Garnish with Parmesan and red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.

Fagioli again

A rainy Seattle day combined with finally getting to those domestic tasks I have had on the to do list meant I wanted something really simple and basic for this meal. Pasta with beans (pasta e fagioli) is a traditional meatless Italian soup that is hearty and cheap. This variation did not include tomatoes, instead relies on the strong flavor of rosemary and garlic. It turned out quite nicely along side a rosemary loaf from Essential Baking Co:

Pasta e fagioli

2 cups dried white beans (great northern or cannellini), soaked overnight

6 cups water

1 head garlic, whole, top 1/2" cut off

3 fresh sage leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 large carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups dried whole wheat pasta (rotini or elbow)

2 tsp dried rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

In a pot bring 6 cups water, soaked beans, the head of garlic, and sage leaves and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours until beans are fully cooked. Turn off heat and allow beans to rest in the water while you do the remaining. In a soup pot heat olive oil and cook onions, celery, carrots and garlic until onions are translucent. Add rosemary and cook 2-3 more minutes. Add broth and pasta and bring to boil. Simmer until pasta is cooked. Add beans and cooking liquid. Take off heat, salt and pepper to taste.

#27

So eleven days in I really wanted to cover my proverbial bases. Brainstorming, Jay and I figured we would try a Thai style soup - something a la my absolute favorite # 27 from Mae Phim. #27 is, I think, some version of heaven. It is also very rich. So when I made it I tried to make it a little less so, and add some veggies for some degree of nutritional value. We went to the new QFC in our hood, which didn't have a great selection of Asian style noodles, so we ended up with a Japanese style somen noodle. I think I would have preferred it with a wider udon. Other than that it turned out well, just the right amount of spice and flavor but not nearly as rich as the original #27:

Curry Noodle Soup

1 medium onion, 1/4 minced, the rest diced

2 tbsp ginger, minced

3 lemongrass stalks, the bottom 4 inches minced

3-6 tbsp good quality yellow curry paste (amount will vary depending on quality and type - look at the instructions on your curry paste for typical coconut milk/paste ratio)

2 cups vegetable broth

4 cups light coconut milk

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 block nigari tofu (any extra firm tofu will work, chicken might be nice as well), cubed

1 tbsp canola oil

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 carrots cut on the bias into 1/2 inch pieces

2 small jalapeno or thai peppers, seeded and minced

10 oz. udon, soba, or rice noodles, cooked

2 green onions, thinly sliced

good quality chili paste to taste (optional)

In a soup pot heat 1/4 cup vegetable broth over medium high heat. Add minced ginger, lemongrass and onion for 3-4 minutes until just cooked. Add curry paste and mix thoroughly. Add 2 cups of coconut milk and, whisking thoroughly, heat to a boil. Add remaining coconut milk, remaining broth and fish sauce. Heat to a simmer and add cubed tofu. Simmer while you prepare the rest.

In a wok, heat canola oil over high heat. Saute each of the veggies (remaining onion, carrot, bell pepper and jalapeno) one at a time until just barely soft. As the veggies are cooked add them to the curry broth pot.

To serve place a 1/2 cup noodles at the bottom of a bowl. Ladle curry broth and veggies over until covered. Garnish with green onion and chili paste (if desired).

The Kitchen Sink

So the Italian version of tortilla soup turns out to be Minestrone. So vague is the definition of this soup I have yet to find a codified recipe nor an agreed upon pronunciation. Is it Min-e-stron-ee, rhymes with knee? or Min-e-stron rhymes with throne? I really couldn't say. All I know is that making Minestrone is a dangerous endeavour. Dangerous because when including everything but the kitchen sink, one is likely to make far too much soup, which is what happened tonight. Seriously, if anyone in the area needs some soup, feel free to stop by. So Jay and I had many arguments (err, conversations) about what exactly constitutes Minestrone. He seemed to have more rules than me. Must have pasta. Must have tomatoes, but not a tomato broth. I looked at probably 4-5 minestrone recipes and have created the following. A few recommend garnishing with pesto, which I store bought (I know, for shame):

Minestrone with Pesto

2 tbsp olive oil

1 med onion diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 small potato, cubed

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried marjoram

2 dried bay leaves

1/2 lb green beans, stemmed and cut into 2 in pieces

1 red bell pepper

1 zucchini, chopped

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

8 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 lb whole wheat rotini pasta

1 15 oz can beans (great northern, kidney, or cannellini will all work)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup pesto, homemade or store bought

In a large soup pan heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and sweat for 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for 2 minutes more. Add thyme, marjoram and bay leave and cook for 1 minute. Add green beans, bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, broth, wine and dried pasta and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until pasta is cooked. Add beans and cook for a few minutes to heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of pesto.

Pasta with beans and greens

I traveled to the Piedmont region of Italy six years ago with a group of fellow students in order to study and document ancient stone building techniques. Overlooked by many, this northerly region combines the warmth of Italian hospitality with the crisp and clean simplicity of Switzerland. While there, we stayed in the small village of Canova - a collection of stone houses interconnected by stairways and alleys. Hosted by the husband and wife team who had renovated the medieval structures, we ate very well - hearty meals of pasta and fresh vegetables usually followed by espresso and little chocolate cookies. These days, when I want a quick but satisfying meal I copy a meal the lady of the house often served at lunch: Pasta with beans and greens.

When I make it in my kitchen I use whole wheat pasta (kamut, quinoa and spelt are nice as well). I find that these pastas don't weigh me down quite as much as traditional semolina pasta. I prefer a chunky shape to a noodle (rotini, penne or orecchiette). I alternate between using hearty greens (curly kale, collards, or rainbow chard) and other more "exotic" options (rapini, beet greens, or lacinato kale). Depending on what is in my crisper I will even make this pasta with something as simple as broccoli and peppers, as I did tonight. Regardless of the exact ingredients the recipe generally goes something like this:

Pasta with Beans and Greens

1 lb whole wheat pasta shapes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut in wedges
6 large cloves garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch greens (curly kale is my favorite), loosely chopped
1 15oz can great northern or other white bean
1-2 tbsp red pepper flakes (depending on how much kick you like)
1 tbsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Boil water for the pasta and cook per instructions. Saute onion in 1 tbsp. olive oil till slightly cooked (2-3 min). add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute till onions are thoroughly cooked. add chopped kale and cook until just wilted. add beans, toss together and heat until beans are heated through. salt and pepper to taste.

When pasta is cooked strain and rinse with cold water. Put in a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper pasta to taste. Add beans and greens, as well as the grated Parmesan. Toss until combined. Serve with crusty bread and a hearty red wine.