Italian Wedding Soup...chickenized.

Dear Ina,

I have but one request...

Will you marry me?

Love,
Tan

Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa) has never let us down.  We've been having crazy up and down weather.  Like...really, really, ridiculously crazy temperature changes.  Today we should get into the 90s but yesterday we were in the 60s...but the day before in the upper 80s and the day before that in the lower 60s.  I think you get it.

I've been dying to try the Italian Wedding Soup out of her Back To Basics cookbook.  I've made my own before, but what I had to try was her meatball recipe.  Girlfriend makes a chicken meatball...1/2 ground chicken & 1/2 Italian chicken sausage.

So, I did...and to marvelous reviews and loud slurping.  Another successful Ina creation!

On a side note, make sure you don't buy cooked Italian sausage.  I, of course, being so careful & meticulous would never run through Trader Joe's after not finding chicken sausage in the military commissary, find Italian chicken sausage in TJs, do a quick celebratory dance, load up on many non-essential TJ items, & waltz through check-out.  I would check the item carefully and make sure that I was getting an uncooked meat item since it was to be mixed up with other raw meat and only get what I needed and then check-out

But, since Mama loves her Vita-mix, you can be darn sure that I ground up that cooked sausage and mixed it in with the raw chicken...FABULOUS.

ENJOY!!!!!!

From Tanya Eats

I'm Pho-real about my addiction...

My name is Tanya and I have an addiction.

Oh pho, how I love your hot, steamy goodness! My kids adore you and our family chooses you to warm our cold, winter days. We love you pho and are just so happy you are only 15-20 minute drive away now that we live in an area with more diversity. Thank you.

But seriously, we are so loving this fabulous Vietnamese noodle soup. I had loved them from back in the day in DC and of course, in CA where there are a veritable plethora of pho shops in the Bay Area. How could you not love this beefy broth, noodle, fresh herb, meaty goodness? Ooooooooh...so good. Now, if they could tone down the MSG, we'd be allllllll good!

Harrira/Harira...Yumminess in a Bowl

So our family loves ourselves some soup/stew. Love, love, LOVE it!! Although FL (East Coast) summers are not ideal for eating soup (I say "eating" since I put so much dang stuff in it that it's definitely a stand-alone meal). Anyhoo, the Hubby came home from being out to sea for the summer and I definitely need to start feeding that belly with some good, HEALTHY food. With him home, that means cooking for an entire neighborhood is back in effect!

So, the first time I had harrira/harira was at the Lebanese Taverna in Rockville, MD. It was this past winter holiday season when the Hubby was out to sea (effectively missing Turkey Day, Xmas, New Year's, our anniversary, & my birthday for the 2nd year in a row) so the kids and I spent the holidays with The Fam in DC. Anyhoo...back to The Soup. Oh my yumminess was I in love...except that it was mildly spicy due to all the SALT it had. Yeah, that was the only drawback. But, the flavors were out of sight and just like nothing I had had before. So, once settled back in FL and thinking about our time in DC, I remembered The Soup.

I came across many different recipes, many of them calling for lamb. We're not big lamb people and the only time I can stomach lamb is in a gyro. The gaminess is what gets me. Anyhoo, I've gotten a pretty good knack at perusing recipes and weeding out what won't be good. I finally narrowed it down to about 5 recipes and then to 3 and finally down to Emeril Lagasse's recipe. Emeril says it's Moroccan. I had it at the Lebanese Taverna. I've seen it under other ethnicities but really was just too excited to make it to narrow down which ethnicity can claim it. Till then, this Middle Eastern soup is just SO good. BTW...one thing I did find out that was the same across the board is that harrira/harira is a soup used to break fast during Ramadan.

It's definitely got a bunch of different spices...and normally ones I'm not really fond of in savory foods (ie. cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.). But, OH MY MY MY MY...this is so good. Anyway...if you're looking for a new twist on a veggie soup, try this one out!!!

I'm not one to follow recipes when cooking (just baking and I still deviate at times with those...esp. when it comes to adding cinnamon and/or vanilla). So, I've added my additions in red...but mainly I just eyeball everything. So, all the measurements for the spices below, I just kept pouring it out until I was satisfied with the amount. ;o) Keep in mind, I like spices, cilantro, and LOTS o' veggies/fiber in my dishes. Plus, the kids love this soup (toddlers with very global palates), so I definitely take this opportunity to sneak in lots of veggies!! Also, my end result was a filled-to-the-brim 8QT All-Clad stockpot...;o) I don't exaggerate when I say I cook for the neighborhood.

Harrira/Harira

adapted from Emeril's Harira Recipe

1/4 pound dried chickpeas (I use 2 cans of chickpeas...kinda too busy to be soakin' 'em bad boys)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup diced onions (I used a large & medium size onion)

1/2 cup diced celery (I probably used about 6+ huge stalks)

Carrots, diced (I actually used about 8+ carrots...I'm telling you, VEGGIE-intensive over here)

Garlic, minced (I used about 5-6+ cloves...garlic is my addiction)

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices

1 1/2 quarts rich chicken stock (I used more since I had a lot more of everything added...and the rice will soak up a lot of the liquid)

1/4 pound dried green lentils (I used ~1/2 lb. or more)

1/2 cup long-grain rice (I used brown rice about 2-3x as much)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (again, I used A LOOOOOOOOOOT of cilantro)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (I probably used about a 3/4-1 cup of this)

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Cilantro sprigs, for garnishing

Pick over the chickpeas, cover with cold water, and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain chickpeas and rinse well with cold running water. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken in batches, and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the onions and celery and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring well. Stir in the chicken stock, lentils, and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook at a gentle simmer for 1 hour.

Add the rice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and return the soup to a simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cilantro, parsley, and lemon juice and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes.

Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

Asian Weekend

So, last weekend we spent indoors. I wanted to kids to take some downtime and recover a little quicker from the tail-end of their colds. So, we had a Blockbuster weekend and I made some soup! Luckily, it was raining this weekend, so I didn't feel as weird making a hot soup in the middle of a FL summer. ;o)

Sunny Florida my arse.

So, I made a daikon (Asian radish) beef soup and lumpia. I didn't take photos of the lumpia/spring rolls/eggrolls since I was in a rush and was playing around with my ingredients. But, I'll definitely post something about it next time I make 'em and have time to take photos. But, they were good, soooooooooo goooooooooood. My 4YO daughter ate more than me, and believe me, I can pack it away with the best of them. She makes me so proud...heh, heh, heh. She can thank me later for her super high metabolism....although mine's been sluggish since freshman year of college.

Anyhoo...on to my daikon soup. I learned how to make this comfort food from my mama and added my own flair to it. It's sooooo simple, satisfying, and savory. It's DEFINITELY a must-make during cold fall/winter months. Low-fat, healthy, and just yummmmmmmmy! Cook be warned that this will smell really, really ridiculously good...until you add the radishes...then you might want to make sure only those who love you and know you're a good cook are in the house. Others may doubt your abilities as well as not want to enter your abode.

Alrighty, I am BIG on making my own stock. There is just something about making your own stock that makes a soup that much better. Plus, you get to control the sodium levels & everything else you put into it. So, I started with some rib bones (I honestly like to buy anything that has a good amount of meat on it and big bones). Sometimes I get lucky and buy the ginormous beef bones available at the commissary (the military grocery store), if they have it. Anyway, wash the beef goodness off and place in a large pot and cover them with cold water.

I have a small amount of bones since it was just me & the kiddies eatin'...although it was still enough for 6-8 adults.

Add some large chunks of ginger (I like a lot but it can get spicy), peeled and smashed. I also like to add a carrot or two (deviating from my mama on this one). Bring to a boil and simmer...forever...or as close to it as you can. Season with salt and pepper too. Make sure to skim off any yuckiness as the stock cooks. Cover and let simmer for several hours or longer. I think, the longer the better. Since I didn't add more meat this time (as I would when my buffness is home), you should definitely add more beef (if you're a meat lover & for protein) several hours before you serve it so it has time to get nice and tender.

After you simmering for several hours, you'll want to continuously skim off any fat globules (that separate from the meat) & liquid fat from the soup. You'll feel better about yourself after your belly is nice and full and you know you ate only good stuff.

After several hours, I like to bump up the flavor by adding at least one can of CHICKEN broth...yup, I still will add premade canned chicken broth to my stocks to enhance the flavor and make it a bit richer (unless I've been cooking stock for the whole day...literally and have a load of bones up in that puppy). Season to taste AFTER you've added the stock. You may want to add soy sauce to taste too...I usually don't. I did this time though.

About 30-45 minutes prior to serving the soup, take the daikon, peel it, and slice it into 3/4-1 inch rounds (which you may want to slice those round in half...totally optional since you're eating it and not me). I also will throw in several more carrots since we love carrots & the added nutrition. HOWEVER, too many carrots will turn this soup SWEET. When all is said and done, have some hot, cooked rice waiting (we like brown or a combo of white/brown) in some bowls. Ladle the hot soup over it and VOILA! Healthy, satisfying, guiltless yumminess waiting to be in your belleh! We also like to make a simple dipping sauce for the meat by pouring a small amount of soy sauce into a dipping bowl, add olive oil (or whatever oil you like), and lots of fresh ground pepper. My mom likes the sauce with more soy, I prefer more oil.

Thank you, Mom. I don't tell you enough, but I'm so grateful for you and all the things you have taught me. The biggest things you've taught me are to be super affectionate & my love of food.