A Cottage by the Sea
  • Home
  • On My Mind
  • Quotes
  • Secrets of an Old Woman
  • A Solitary Traveler
  • Compassionate Reading
  • Comfort food
  • Books
  • Suggested reading
  • Poems
  • About me
  • About me and my blog

Nutritious minestrone~

8/6/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
MINESTRONE

    I’ve adapted this from Italian, a cookbook published by Barnes &Noble in 2003. This one, along with Best-Ever Slow Cooking and Chicken, also published by B & N,  and I’m set for cookbooks.

Ingredients:

6 cups of stock or water. I use vegetable stock
3 T olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 leek, sliced
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
1 bay leaf
¼ dried thyme (or 1 fresh sprig)
salt and pepper to taste
2 zucchini, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 30 oz. can of cannellini beans, drained
fresh basil
grated Parmesan cheese

1.     In large pot, heat olive oil and add onion and leek. Cook for 5 minutes
2.     Add carrots, celery and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
3.     Add potatoes. Cook for 3 minutes.
4.     Add hot stock, herbs and salt and pepper. Stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes.
5.     Stir in zucchini and tomato; cover and boil for 5 minutes
6.     Ten minutes before serving, stir in beans and basil leaves and simmer for 10 minutes.
7.      Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

The recipe calls for 3T pesto sauce, which I don’t have, so add fresh basil leaves.

It also calls for peas and three tomatoes, not one. Clearly you can throw in any veggies you like and have available.


0 Comments

Italian Sausage Soup~

5/25/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
I’m back into soup. This recipe is from my friend Barbara who got it from her friend Susan. I add more pasta shells, which makes it more of a stew than a soup. I served it with salad and corn bread.

Ingredients:

SUSAN’S ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP                                    Serves 6-8

1 ½ lbs. of Italian sausage, in ½ -inch slices
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
28-oz. can of Italian-style tomatoes, with liquid
42-oz. can of beef broth, unsalted
1 ½ cups of dry red wine
½ tsp. of basil
2 cups of uncooked bow or shell pasta
2 medium zucchini, in ¼-inch slices
1 medium green pepper, seeded and chopped
3 TBS. of chopped parsley
5 oz. of Parmesan cheese, grated

Saute sausage in large kettle until lightly browned.  Drain and discard fat.  Add onions and garlic.  Saute until onions are limp.  Stir in tomatoes, breaking them into small pieces.  Add broth, wine, and basil.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Cool, transfer to a large bowl, and refrigerate.  Skim fat from surface and discard.  Return soup to kettle.  Stir in macaroni, zucchini, green pepper, and parsley.  Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, or until pasta and vegetables and tender-crisp.  Serve with cheese.

This soup can be too dry on the second day.  If so, add liquid then.


0 Comments

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

5/13/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
Broccoli-Cheese  Soup

My sister gave me this recipe from “Cooks Illustrated.” Here is my rendition. This is not the most simple soup in the world to make, but it isn’t complex either. And it is yummy and nutritious.

Heat 2 Tablespoons butter in large pot or Dutch oven.
When foaming subsides, add:
2 pounds broccoli, florets and stems, chopped in 2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
(optional: two medium garlic cloves, pressed)
Cook, stirring frequently for 6 minutes

Add:
1 cup water
1 teaspoon baking soda
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring once.

Add:
2 cups chicken broth
2-3 cups water

When simmering, add:
2 ounces (2 loosely packed cups) baby spinach
Cook for about one minute until wilted.

Blend mixture. I use a food processor but you can use a blender. Blend to desired consistency. I like the texture of a few small lumps.
Add to the mixture:
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3 ounces)
¾ cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Picture
Return to Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Add water to adjust consistency of soup
Salt and pepper to taste

You may find that it is a little difficult to find all of the ingredients in the photograph. Here is a clue. I buy herbs and spices, in this case the dry mustard, in bulk. Whenever I can, I roast a chicken for a couple of meals and then make chicken broth.

0 Comments

Comfort Cauliflower and Carrot Soup

1/20/2011

2 Comments

 
Picture
        Before I begin, let me review one of my rules for Comfort Food—it must be delicious but it does not need to be nutritious. And yet, let’s face it, don’t we feel exonerate, and maybe even “holier than thou,” when we prepare something that is both?
      Today I’m feeling healthy and wise as I make my version of Carrot-Cauliflower with Tarragon Soup from “The Body Ecology Diet,” by Donna Gates. (The book was given to me by Grace, my nutritionist/nurse friend at Deborah’s Natural Gourmet in West Concord, MA--check out the store’s website.) This soup is simple to make, especially since the cooks (that’s you and me trying instill a modicum of simplicity into our lives) don’t need to be precise about the amounts of each ingredient.

Picture
Here it is, Comfort Carrot-Cauliflower Soup. The official recipe calls it creamy. It may look and taste creamy but there’s not a smidge of cream in it.

In a large pot, sauté until translucent:
1 medium onion in
2 Tablespoons butter (or ghee) and
1 Tablespoon dried tarragon (I love tarragon)

Add:
2 cups diced carrots
1 cauliflower head, cut into floweret size (“What does she mean?” you ask.  You’ll figure it out.)  

Cover with water and simmer for a half hour or until tender.
When cool, blend the mixture, and return it to the pot.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for ten minutes.

There you have it, a creamy comfort soup without the cream. You can create your own variations to the recipe, such as substituting chicken broth for the water, but I want to keep it simple for you. 


2 Comments

Comfort Chicken Soup

12/11/2010

0 Comments

 
Picture
Recipe (Blog 12/7/10)
 Throw (not literally but I guess you could) into a crock pot:
• 3 pounds chicken breast, cut in bit size pieces
• 1 large onion, sliced           
• 6 carrots, diced           
• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 3 celery hearts, diced
• 1 quart chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon tarragon (the blog says 2 teaspoons, but when I tasted it, I decided it needed more)
         I cook this for eight hours under low heat, but you can be flexible about the time and temperature.
          Before serving, add cooked noodles. I use wide one, but any size or kind will do.


Keep it simple
• It takes me about twenty minutes to cut and slice and get the soup simmering.
• Add other ingredients such as green beans, parsnips, parsley, ­­­­­­your favorite_______.
• To stretch it out, add more broth and noodles. Of course this depends on the size of your crock pot.
• Easy to freeze.
This recipe gives you
• a comforting meal for a large group of people
• plenty of meals for yourself and your family
• meals to share with others.

0 Comments
    Picture
    Girl with Cherries, ca. 1491–95, Attributed to Giovanni Ambrogio de Predi

    About Comfort Food

        Whenever I long for silence, solitude and simplicity, I’m always hoping to find comfort food waiting for me.  My comfort food rules are simple.

    Comfort Food must be
    1) Easy to prepare
    2) Taste yummy in my tummy
    Comfort Food does not need to be
    1) Nutritious (although it often is)
    2) Prepared from scratch
    Comfort Food can be
    1) Fruit and vegetables
    2) Fried in bacon fat (my personal favorite)
    3) Chocolate
    4) Low in cholesterol
    5) High in cholesterol
    6) Add your personal favorite:­­­_____________

    Index
    Fresh Tomato Sauce
    Broiled Salmon
    Baked Zucchini
    Ministrone
    Italian Sausage Soup
    Simply Yummy Zucchini Bread

    Comfort Beef Stew
    Guacamole
    Broccoli-Cheese Soup
    Brownies
    Comfort Chicken Soup

    Comfort Carrot and 
         Cauliflower  Soup Comfort Cheese Appetizers
    Grilled Salmon

    Mac and Cheese
    Meatballs-Made-by-Her
    Yorkshire Pudding
    Broccoli-Cheese Soup


    Archives

    June 2018
    September 2016
    September 2015
    November 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    February 2012
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010

    Categories

    All
    Chicken
    Dessert
    Fish
    Meat
    Nutritious
    Simple
    Soup
    Vegetables
    Yummy

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.