Greens Galore Soup with Cayenne and Lemon

After a food-filled four days in California over the new year, I was ready for some greens. So I decided to make this soup I had recently saved which is basically just a ton of greens blended up with caramelized onions.  The result is a super fresh soup that I felt really good about eating!  

I liked this soup a lot more than I thought I would, and will probably end up freezing half of it because it made a lot of soup.  Another reminder to read a recipe carefully before you start to make it because I should have cut this in half based on the amount of liquids alone.  The small pinch of cayenne does not add a lot of heat, feel free to add more if you like spicy.

In any case, this soup is a wonderful kickstart to the new year and I hope you like it as much as we did!

Greens Galore Soup
Adapted slightly from Cookie and Kate
Serves at least 6

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 2 Tbsp plus 3 cups water, divided
• 1/4 cup arborio rice, rinsed
• 1 large bunch Italian kale (about 1 pound), thick ribs removed, leaves chopped coarsely.
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 ounces of gently packed spinach or baby cooking greens, such as chard (I used two 5 oz tubs of OrganicGirl's Super Greens which is a mix of spinach, chard, and other baby greens)
• 4 cups broth (I used chicken, but veggie would make this dish vegan!)
• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice (or more to taste)
• Serve with (optional): Cooked rice and a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas

First, start the onions caramelizing. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add the chopped onions and 1/4 tsp salt.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are starting to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low, add 2 Tbsp water, and cover. Cook until the liquid is greatly reduced and the onions are a rich caramel color, this should take about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, and each time replace the cover on the pan.

While the onions are cooking, combine 3 cups water, 3/4 tsp salt, and the arborio rice in a large soup pot or dutch oven.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover.  Cook for 15 minutes. 

(If you want to have this over Jasmine rice and with chickpeas like we did, start the rice now. 1 1/2 cup water and 1 cup jasmine rice with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 18 minutes.  If you have a small strainer that fits inside your pan that you used to rinse the chickpeas, when the 18 minutes are up set that strainer on top of the hot rice pot and put the lid over it to warm up the chickpeas!)

Add to the soup pot the chopped kale and the minced garlic.  When the onions are caramelized, stir them into the soup pot along with the baby greens, broth, and cayenne pepper. 

Return the pot to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until the greens are slightly wilted but still bright green.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice.  Taste and add more salt, lemon, or pepper to taste. 

You can eat this as is for a super healthy green soup, or on top of rice and chickpeas for a heartier dinner.  Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy! This looks swampy, but me and my love agree, this soup tastes much better than it looks!

Fresh Corn Polenta - with a side of BBQ Chicken and Balsamic Pepper Flake Chard

Let's just get one thing straight right off the bat.  This post is all about the Fresh Corn Polenta.  When I stumbled across this recipe I thought - must try, immediately.  This recipe is the epitome of summer.  I'd say if it didn't require turning on the stove (for like 10 minutes, tops) it might be the king of the summer recipes.  But we can't all be perfect, can we?  Anyhow, please do give this recipe a go.  It requires little work, few ingredients, and a huge pay off.  Summer corn is one of life's simple pleasures and this, this my friends, is the way to highlight it.

As I grated the corn for the polenta I had one of those "no duh" moments with the realization that the starch that's hiding in the cob of the corn pockets is what naturally thickens this polenta right up.  I mean, where the heck did I think corn starch comes from? Tomatoes? Don't answer that.

I decided to top my polenta off with some super simple chicken marinated in BBQ sauce and a sautee of rainbow chard.  I dressed the chard with red pepper flakes and balsamic to give it some heat and acid to bounce off the super sweet corn polenta.  This meal was so good.  I give it two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

Fresh Corn Polenta
from here
Serves 3

• 5 ears of corn - I used sweet white but feel free to use the less sweet yellow
• 1 tablespoon of butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Parmesan, grated (optional)

Clean the corn, removing all husks and silk threads. Working over a bowl, grate the corn using the large grate side of a box grater.  You will end up with a pulpy wet mixture.  Melt the butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the grated corn, stir in some salt and pepper. Allow mixture to cook over medium low heat, stirring it often so it doesn't burn, until it becomes thick.  Serve immediately with some grated parmesan, if using.

To make a full meal of this, add whatever sauteed green suits your fancy and some protein.  Really you can't go wrong with whatever you decide to whip up and add on top.  Happy Summer!

Soup of the Bakony Outlaws

First things first, this soup has an outstanding name that comes not from the bacon in it, but from a region of Hungary called Bakony.  I picture a bunch of rough looking dudes eating this feast around a campfire in the mountains after just having stolen the bacon that's used in it. Besides that, the ingredient list is a lot of my favorite things all piled into one very rich, hearty, comforting soup. Not the most "springy" soup, but it sure did hit the spot on a cozy Friday night spent at home.  If you like Hungarian Mushroom soup and if you like bacon, you will most definitely enjoy this soup. 

One important aspect of making this soup (and most soups) is that the vegetables are cooked perfectly. Not too mushy, not too hard, but just perfect. Chopping them up small and consistent in size (before you begin making the soup), as the recipe indicates, helps with this and also keep an eye on your pot to make sure it doesn't boil too heavily but stays at a low simmer.  I felt a little guilty chopping up the gorgeous beef tenderloin to put in this soup forgot all about it once I tasted those tender little chunks in the finished soup.  This soup takes a lot of chopping but believe me, it is worth the effort.  I will definitely be making this again on a cold winter's night in the future.

Soup of the Bakony Outlaws 
Adapted from Fine Cooking and I made very few changes. 

Serves 6 +

• 3 Tbs. oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, cut in 1/4-inch dice
• 3 slices thick cut bacon, about 1/4 lb or slightly les, cut in 1/4-inch dice
• 2 Tbs. sweet paprika
• 8 oz. beef tenderloin, cut in 1/4-inch dice (the original recipe calls for veal) 
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 skinny carrots, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch dice 
• 2 medium turnips, cut in 1/4-inch dice
• 8 oz. mushrooms, cut in 1/4-inch dice (I used cremini but a fancier variety would be swell)
• 2 medium red potatoes, cut in 1/4-inch dice (medium=about three inch diameter)
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded, and cut in 1/4-inch dice  (a can of diced would also work well)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup heavy cream or crème fraîche
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 bunch of swiss chard, ribs removed, sliced into ribbons (optional)
• 3 Tbs. chopped fresh dill

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and cook the onions and bacon over medium heat until the onions start to color, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cook, stirring, another 2 minutes to release and develop its flavor. Add the beef and just enough stock to cover it. Cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the chopped carrots, turnips, mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, and enough stock to cover the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, another 20 minutes. Add a little more stock if the soup looks too dry during cooking, bearing in mind that more liquid will be added later. (I did not need to add more stick, used 3 cups total.)

Put the sour cream and cream in a small bowl and stir in the flour with a fork or whisk.  Pour this into the pot and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the chopped chard and fresh dill and dish it up!

We ate this with a seedy baguette and could not stop oohing and aahing! It is extremely rich and I think the amount of cream/sour cream could be reduced in half and still be just as inspiring. 



P.S. This soup tastes about a zillion times better than it photographs!

Lamb Meatballs, Two Ways

This is a long post but bear with me.

In the past year or so I have realized that I LOVE lamb. Like I want to eat it all the time. I don't, but if it is an option when we go out to eat I will generally order it in some form. But that being said, I had never attempted to cook anything with lamb.  This little meatball recipe sure did make me happy and I am looking forward to eating the leftover stew tonight and cooking with lamb again soon!

If you are not accustomed to lamb, this stew definitely does not have an overwhelming lambiness to it, but the essence is there.  This stew is a perfect springtime dish because though it does have the lamb, it is really pretty light, filled with greens, and beautiful to look at, thanks to the red chard stems. Another thing I love about meatballs in general is that you can make a ton of them all at once and then use them however you see fit! I saved some out of the stew for us to have pita wraps the second day, which breaks up the monotony of eating the stew for multiple days in a row. If we would have had more lamb I might have doubled the recipe and froze a bunch, but alas we were not able to get much lamb. This type of double duty cooking is my fave and is a good way to not waste food!

I mixed together a couple different meatball recipes because the original stew recipe meatballs sounded too plain and the other one from The Oregonian Cookbook had a lot of different seasonings I thought would work well, so I omitted just one (dill) and used slightly less of all of them.  It worked out beautifully.  Also I did not use orzo, as the original recipe suggested, but instead tossed in some leftover rainbow Israeli cous cous that I had in the fridge. It was perfect!

First up, the stew:

Lamb Meatball and Swiss Chard Stew

Adapted from Real Simple and from The Oregonian Cookbook

Serves 4-6

For the Meatballs:

1 lb ground lamb (our butcher did not have a full pound of lamb so I amped down all the ingredients somewhat.)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp dry oregano

1/4 tsp dry thyme

3/4 tsp cumin seeds, crushed

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

For the Stew:

1 large bunch Red Chard, stems chopped and leaves sliced, separated

5 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup small pasta such as orzo, stars, leftover Israeli cous cous, which is what I used

salt and pepper 

plain yogurt for serving (optional)

Make the meatballs:

1. Combine the eggs, garlic, bread crumbs, paprika, oregano, thyme, cumin, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the lamb and gently mix with your hands until just combined. Form the mixture into meatballs about an inch in diameter (I had 28 meatballs out of about 2/3 lb).

2. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs in a single layer, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 4 to 6 minutes (longer if your meatballs are larger). Transfer meatballs to a plate and reserve the pot to make the stew!

Make the stew:

1. Once your meatballs are removed from the pan, turn down the heat to medium and toss in the chopped chard stems.  Cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  

2.Add the chicken broth and reserved meatballs (save some for another use if you wish!) and bring to a boil.  Toss in your uncooked pasta if you are using orzo or some such (if you are using something leftover like I did, toss it in with the chard in the next step!). Reduce heat and simmer to let the flavors meld and the pasta cook, about 10 minutes or until the pasta is to your desired consistency. 

3. Once the pasta is cooked, fold in the chard leaves (and your pre-cooked pasta if that is what you are using). Serve warm topped with the yogurt, if desired.  

Look how pretty!

The next day, take those leftover meatballs that you did not toss into your stew and make a pita sandwich with roasted veggies and a super delicious cucumber mint yogurt sauce on the side! You will not be disappointed with this 'leftover' meal!  You can use any veggies to roast, but I thought the sweet potato and asparagus were especially good with the yogurt sauce. I also put some of this sauce on my meatball gyro because dang it was delicious!

Lamb Meatball Gyro with Roasted Veg and Cucumber Mint Yogurt sauce

Adapted from The Oregonian Cookbook 

Serves 2

For the vegetables:

1 sweet potato

1 small bunch asparagus

olive oil

paprika

salt and pepper

For the yogurt sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 small cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint

1 tsp lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the pita

8 - 10 already cooked lamb meatballs (see above!)

2 pita breads

Roasted garlic hummus (I like King Harvest brand)

1 Roma tomato, sliced

2 leaves romaine or butter lettuce, chopped

crumbled feta cheese

1. Make the yogurt sauce and let it hang out for a while to get extra delicious. Place the yogurt in a medium bowl. Stir in the cucumber, herb, lemon zest, and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (This yogurt sauce recipe makes a bit more than you will likely use at one time so chop it in half or use it for something else! dip, salad dressing, another gyro-type thing, etc.)

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop your sweet potato into small bite sized chunks. Snap off the hard ends of the asparagus. Toss them all with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a bit of paprika. Roast in the oven until both are softened perfectly, about 15 minutes, tossing them around once or twice if you think of it. 

3. While the veggies are in the oven, warm up your meatballs. You can either toss them onto the sheet pan with the veggies or toss them into a skillet on the stove on medium heat. You just want to warm them up to 165 internal temp.

3. When your veggies are cooked, remove them from the oven and throw your pitas into the still warm oven to soften them and warm them up.  

4. Spread 2 Tbsp of hummus on each warm pita. add the lettuce and tomato slices.  Place on your warmed meatballs and sprinkle with feta cheese.  Put some of the veggies on the side with a big dollop of cucumber yogurt sauce and gobble it up! I put some of the sauce on my meatballs too because it was just so delicious!

oh and here is a video of making the meatballs and stew!