White Bean Soup w/ Crispy Prosciutto
Think of soup like your favorite old sweater. It's warm & comforting and with different accessories and separates, you can create several different outfits out of your old standby. For the past two years I've been obsessed with white beans. I've made different variations of this soup with similar flavor profiles. There's the Tuscan Ribollita that uses white beans, bread, kale & pancetta. There's my favorite soup ever, Sausage White Bean Soup and most recently my mom's Pasta Fagioli Soup that also uses sage, pancetta and white beans. Never have I made a soup that purees white beans so they make the base of a soup. This is also the first time I've baked prosciutto in the oven and created shards out of them! I liken these little adjustments to putting your sweater over a hot new dress and sealing the deal with a fabulously fancy red scarf.
When you puree white beans in soup, magic happens. It's as if you added a cup of silky heavy cream...And those crispy Proscuitto shards? Scrumptious! I think most of them bypassed the soup and went directly into our mouths.
Hello White Bean Soup, you're like an awesome new outfit in my repertoire.
Pasta Fagioli Soup
I'd like to introduce you to my mom's famous (to our family) Pasta Fagioli soup. During the winter, my mom makes this soup like it's going out of style. Over the years, she's learned a few things while making this soup: always make a double batch & it's nice to add more pancetta. The double batch thing is important because she can pull some out of the freezer on a whim for my dad or she can be prepared for when my brother comes home from New York and raids her fridge (he inhales this soup, even when it's cold!).
For years I was reluctant to try this soup; I don't know why. I guess have weird issues with hot tomatoes and the thought having beans with pasta kinda weirded me. I dunno!
One day last year I was hanging out at my parents house and my mom convinced me to some. Let me tell you I how dumb I felt for wasting many years of my eating career without this soup. It was AH-MAZING. I am a changed woman.
This is one of those recipes that instantly becomes a staple in your life. You'll go on auto pilot when you're grocery shopping and always buy the ingredients so you're never too far from a batch of this soup. Heck! You might even have some stocked in your freezer for a moment's notice like my mom.
It's hearty, comforting and pleases all the men in my life; I like that in a soup.
Antipasti Party
We had a little impromptu Antipasti Party this afternoon at our house. The last time our friends were over, we were eating Panettone French Toast, my friend was pregnant, and it was raining cats & dogs. Today the sun was shining and we were able to meet their brand new baby while devouring a nice little selection of Italian cheeses and cured meats!
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Homemade Cheese Ravioli
Working on your resolutions for 2011?
In addition to DRINK MORE WATER, you should add MAKE PASTA FROM SCRATCH to your list. It's definitely a life changer. You will never take fresh homemade pasta for granted again. If you find yourself really digging the experience, you might take it a step further and make a batch of these scrumptious cheese ravioli. Wanna go crazy? Double the recipe and make it for your family on Christmas Eve. Having survived the crazy, I'd make sure you have about 4 hours of time allotted to do so. It's a lot work, but totally WORTH it. Don't let my mom tell you any different!
But let's start off simple. Pasta dough.
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Breakfast Polenta
For the past few months, we've been enjoying breakfast polenta at the Whole Foods breakfast to-go bar. It's a nice little routine we have. I go to yoga on Sundays, Casey watches Coop and I pick up some polenta & coffee on my way back home. It's thick, creamy and super delicious. We sit at our kitchen table and devour it slowly while Cooper naps. It ties us over until our late afternoon lunch. And it's heaven.
This morning was different. I woke up with the urge to have Breakfast Polenta immediately! Not even coffee first. NOW. And since yoga is tomorrow, what excuse do I have to go out and pick some up? None.
I mentally prepared myself for this polenta adventure to be like risotto-- where I had to coax the grains into thickness by stirring it every second....babysitting it....for a long time. But NO!!! It all came together in a blink of an eye. It thickened up perfectly. I was even able to run away to help change a diaper in the process. Totally glamorous, huh? If it got too thick, I just added a little more milk.
The only challenging thing is cleaning up the pots & bowls...which are still sitting in the sink. It's Saturday, and I'll get to that later.
This recipe comes from Heidi at 101cookbooks. It's a wonderful post! You should read it! I like her idea of having a Breakfast Polenta party...and supplying all of the sides! A big batch, a room full of friends for brunch. What could be better? Playing around with sweet & savory toppings sounds pretty fun too!
It all starts with a cup of polenta.
Italian Fries
This recipe really doesn't need an explanation; it's absolutely amazing and you will not have leftovers. One of my guy friends asked me how I got the potatoes so crispy without frying them. It's the cheese! The cheese made them crispy! I mean, how good is that?
Give me a plate of these fries and a spatula so I can chisel all the cheese & potato crispy bits from the baking pan. Seriously, there's nothing better.
Vegetable Minestrone
Hubby with cold+
Fridge full of veggies+
Fresh beans from neighbor=
Veggie Minestrone!!
So now that we've figured out that equation, here's what I am eating for lunch today:
Here are the veggies to chop:
Watch it simmer in the pot:
I am enjoying a bowl of it while my baby naps!
The best part about this soup is that it is easy adaptable. You can add whatever veggies you have on hand.
Enjoy with a crusty piece of bread! And know that you knocked down a HUGE chunk of your vegetable requirement for the day!
Summer Vegetable Soup
Print This Recipe
-1 large onion chopped
-1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
-32 oz. container chicken stock
-3 zucchini chopped
-1 1/2 cup shredded carrots (that's what I had on hand- you can chop up like 2 carrots or so)
-1 16oz. can cannellini beans
-1 cup chopped green beans
-3 large cloves garlic smashed
-1/2 cup macaroni (short elbows)
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 tablespoon curry powder
-1 dash of cayenne pepper
-salt & pepper to taste
-a quick glug of red wine vinegar
TO DO:
Saute onion & garlic in the olive oil in a large soup pot until translucent on medium high heat. Add chicken stock, curry powder & cayenne pepper. Add vegetables and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add beans. If the soup looks too thick- with not enough broth, add a bit of water to thin it out. Taste to see if it needs salt & pepper. 5 minutes before you are done, add that glug of the red wine vinegar. It will add a nice little tang to the soup. The whole process should take less than 40 mins.
Enjoy!
Tomato Basil Pasta
I'm a busy bee lately! Soo much to do....Sooo little time.
Which means that I've stepped away from the kitchen for a bit....
But when I've been in there, I've concocted quick little breakfast sandwiches like this one:
(a whole wheat English muffin with egg, cheese & turkey bacon)
It's worth waking up for in the mornings. I'm kinda obsessed with them.
Tonight I roasted some tomatoes (not from my garden-yet)
I picked some fresh basil from my little garden I've been working on-
Boiled some Whole Wheat Spaghetti...Tossed in a HUGE handful that basil.
Added:
-red pepper
-extra virgin olive oil
-those tomatoes
-a splash of red wine vinegar (It brings out the sweetness in the tomatoes and adds a nice kick)
-fresh ground pepper
-topped with a little grated parmesan.....
My hands still smell like basil, and I am totally loving that!
I'm dreaming of getting back in the kitchen (soon).
I could really use a challenge of making something fun/tasty/good.
You should see what I've clipped out to try....
