More Recipes

After 4 days of full-time employment (THANK YOU, Lord!), I have learned the value of a meal that comes together quickly. This recipe certainly fits the bill, and with some hearty, crusty bread makes a satisfying meal. The recipe is from a Weight Watchers cookbook, and if you prepare it as noted has just under 200 kcal/cup (the recipe made 4 cups, enough for Dennis for one night and me to have for supper and then lunch the next day). My soup probably had a bit more, since I used homemade chicken stock. I also substituted dried, soaked, and pre-cooked white beans for the canned white beans. You could probably also cheat on the fresh tomatoes, if you don't have any nice ripe ones. Fresh spinach might be a nice add-in.

WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH FRESH TOMATOES AND BASIL
Makes 4 cups - 15 minutes prep time!

2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 can (19 oz) cannelini beans (small white beans) - rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken broth
2 ripe plum or Roma tomatoes - seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves - shredded (or use 1 tsp dried, plus 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in a medium saucepan; saute garlic till fragrant (30 sec). Add beans and broth. Reserve 1/3 of the beans or so with enough broth to moisten and mash or puree (so the soup will be thicker). Add mashed beans to the pot and bring it all to a boil; simmer on low heat 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and basil and heat through (another 4 or 5 minutes). Serve with cheese!

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After that quick soup, I would also like to share a recipe for good old, basic, homemade spaghetti sauce. Perhaps you ask - WHO has time to simmer a pot of spaghetti sauce when perfectly decent varieties can be plopped from a jar, heated (perhaps with the addition of a few spices or meat), and served within minutes? Well, if YOU don't have time to simmer sauce for a couple hours, DON'T try this sauce, because after you do, you will never want the jarred stuff again.

PASTISSADA (or as I call it, "spaghetti sauce")
Sauce for 4-6 people; good on pasta, polenta, or gnocchi

Heat in a big pot:
3 T butter
2 T olive oil
(Hmm... no wonder this stuff is so delicious)

If you like, brown:
2 slices bacon (or if you can afford it, use pancetta!)
Then remove to paper towels. Otherwise, just go ahead and add:
1 large clove garlic - minced
1 onion - chopped
1 large carrot - peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, with leaves (a good use for the floppy ones left over at the end of the week) - chopped
1 bay leaf
Scant 1/2 tsp ground coriander (Yes, coriander. IT'S GOOD.)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Saute over low heat till soft, 12 to 15 minutes.

Add
1 1/2 to 2 lb ground beef and/or deer
and cook 5 minutes or so to brown evenly.

Stir in
2/3 cup dry red or white wine
and cook 3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Then stir in
3 T tomato paste
and cook gently a few minutes more.

Add
3 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes (I used crushed or diced from a can!)
1/2 tsp salt (more if you really have to)
Cover partially and simmer over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours, or till the sauce is thick and smells WONDERFUL. Stir it every now and then. (You can add a bit of water if it gets too dry. This is also when you would add bacon back in, if you used it.)

Add pepper to taste and serve over polenta, pasta, or gnocchi (with cheese if you like - I certainly do!).

This is from Dennis's Venetian cookbook. Apparently this stuff was originally made with horsemeat and chicken giblets. Pretty gross, but TRY THIS RECIPE ANYWAY because it is AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS.