Minestrone Soup

Fabulous for chilly nights and a frugal way to use up leftovers! Nothing beats a bowl of hot, flavourful soup served with a thick slice of buttered ciabatta. It is so easy to prepare and can be made with or without meat. Any vegetable soup can be turned into minestrone with just a few additions: tomato paste, kidney beans or black beans (canned), pasta (I use small shells) and basil—plenty of basil, fresh or dried. Here is how to make the soup shown in the picture:

Ingredients

Leftover chicken, deboned, skin off, chopped small

            (see below if you have a chicken carcass
              that needs the meat removed)

4 quarts/litres water

8 stalks of celery, cut small

1 onion roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed or pressed

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp thyme (dried)

½ tsp marjoram (dried)

1 tsp Italian seasonings (dried)

1 tsp sweet basil (dried) OR 8 large basil leaves, chiffonade

2 bay leaves

1 cup white wine (red wine for beef or lamb) (optional)

250 g (8 oz) small pasta shells

½ cup carrots, cut small

½ cup baby peas

1 can (400 gr) red kidney beans or black beans

1 can (400 gr) crushed tomatoes

3 to 6 tablespoons tomato paste

Salt to taste

Method

A.   If the chicken is already off the bone, chop it into pieces ½ inch (1.25 cm) or smaller.

1.      Heat oil and sauté onion, garlic, celery, herbs and chicken pieces until onion is translucent

2.      Add water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour.

B.   If the chicken is not off the bone:

1.      Heat oil and sauté onion, garlic, celery and herbs until onion is translucent

2.      Add chicken and water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken comes off the bone easily. Remove chicken from pot, keep pot simmering.

3.      Cool chicken until you can easily remove meat from bones. Remove meat and chop into pieces ½ inch (1.25 cm) or smaller.

4.      Return meat to the pot

C.   Add wine to the pot and top up with water as needed to have 4 quarts of liquid in the pot. Bring the pot to a full rolling boil and add pasta. Cook until done (see package directions for time needed)

When pasta is done, reduce heat to simmer and add remaining ingredients. Cook until carrots can be easily pierced with a fork.

Variations

Vegetarian/Vegan: Follow directions, just omit meat.

Red meat: If using leftover beef or lamb, cut into small pieces removing fat, cartilage and membranes. Follow directions for leftover chicken.

                   If using uncooked lamb or beef, cut into small pieces, removing fat, cartilage and membranes. Heat oil and sauté onion, garlic, celery, herbs and meat until onion is translucent and meat is browned on all sides. Add water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Then follow directions “C.”

Beef Wellington

This dish is often avoided by the home cook because it is perceived to be complicated to prepare. It really isn’t—it is much less time-consuming and complicated than stuffing and roasting a turkey, for example. If you like succulent, tender, tasty beef and want something a bit more formal and impressive to serve your family or guests, this is the dish for you!

Ingredients

1 chunk of beef fillet weighing approximately 1 kg (2.2 lbs), aged in your refrigerator for 10 to 14 days

1 packet phyllo dough or puff pastry (phyllo dough preferred), thawed

1 onion finely minced

½ to 1 cup minced fresh mushrooms

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1-2 tsp Fines Herbes

½ to ¾ cup soft, spreadable chicken liver paté (can be vegetable if you don’t like liver)

Olive oil

Butter

Salt to taste

Shallow bowl of cold water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 220˚C (425˚F)

While oven heats, prepare meat: rinse under cold running water and pat dry. Brush lightly with olive oil. Place on a rack in a small oven pan and when oven is up to temperature, put meat in centre of oven. Allow to cook for 15 minutes to sear the outside. Remove from oven after fifteen minutes and set aside. Increase oven to 230˚C (450˚F).

While meat is cooking prepare duxelles:

Melt some butter in a skillet and add mushrooms, onion, ginger, herbs, salt and sauté, stirring constantly. When onions become transparent, add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from stove and set aside to cool slightly.

Spray the bottom of a baking dish with non-stick spray or brush lightly with olive oil. Unroll dough and lay in the bottom of the dish with excess overhanging the sides. Set aside.

Mix the paté with the duxelles until thoroughly blended. Spread about ⅓ of the mixture on the dough in a rectangular shape large enough to make a base for the meat.

Remove meat from roasting pan without piercing it—use tongs or your hands—and place on top of the spread mixture. Now spread the rest of the mixture on the meat, including over the sides.

Fold up the sides of the dough to cover the meat, using cold water spread with your fingers to seal the edge. Now fold the ends of the dough to fully encase the meat, also sealing with the fingers and cold water.

Place in a 230˚C (450˚F) oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 220˚C (425˚F) (leave oven door open until the temperature reduces). Cook for another 10 minutes for medium-rare or 15 minutes for medium. (Beef Wellington should always be served pink in the middle).

Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with horseradish sauce on the side.