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.”

Poultry (Chicken or Turkey) Stuffing

Just in time for the holidays...four tasty recipes for turkey dressing guaranteed to tempt the tastebuds. The first recipe I learned when I was 8 years old, watching my great-grandmother stuff a turkey for Christmas dinner, the variations are my own.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of sliced white bread, toasted

1 large onion, minced

4 to 6 stalks of celery, finely sliced

2 finely minced garlic cloves

1 tsp olive oil

1 jumbo or two small eggs, whisked

3 tbsp Bell’s poultry seasoning (or sage)

⅓ cup melted butter

½ half tsp salt

Pepper (optional)

Method:

Discard end pieces and toast bread. Stack 4 slices and cut with a sharp knife into 1” cubes. Repeat until all slices of toast are cubed. Place in large bowl.

Heat olive oil in skillet and when hot, add onion and celery. Cook until onion becomes translucent, then add garlic, cook for another minute, then remove from heat and add to cubed toast. Sprinkle poultry seasoning and salt over toast cubes and add egg and then half the butter.

Mix gently with hands until all of the toast is coated with the seasonings, butter, and egg. If mixture is too dry, add the remaining butter.

Stuff turkey fairly tightly and truss. Roast as usual. Makes enough for a 20 lb turkey both neck and body cavities.

Variations (which I usually put in the neck cavity so there are two dressings to choose from)

Sausage and apple

Set aside ¼ of the dressing made above for the neck cavity. To it, toss in:

6 ounces sausage, sautéed and drained (I use a mild Italian sausage)

1 granny smith apple, peeled and coarsely chopped and sautéed with the sausage.

Oyster and chestnut

Set aside ¼ of the dressing made above for the neck cavity. To it, toss in:

A can/jar (no more than 6 oz) of oysters

⅓ to ½ cup chestnuts, cut or broken into small pieces

Mushroom and onion

Set aside ¼ of the dressing made above for the neck cavity. To it, toss in:

½ cup mixed mushrooms sautéed in butter and white wine

Piccata: Chicken or Veal

This is a quick-to-cook dish, so I recommend having your salad, starch and vegetable ready to go before you put this on the stove. Traditionally served over pasta, it is equally delicious with potatoes and goes well with green veggies like asparagus or fresh peas.

Photo by rkazda, flickr

Ingredients

4 to 8 slices of boneless veal

   OR

4 to 8 boneless chicken breasts

½ cup flour

½ cup butter (not margarine)

½ cup minced onion (optional)

½ cup thinly sliced button mushrooms (optional)

1 tablespoon garlic, minced or crushed

1 tablespoon small capers, drained

½ cup Marsala (wine)

   OR

½ cup beef broth (for veal) or chicken broth plus 2 tsp lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

Method

Cover meat with plastic wrap and pound with meat mallet until tender and no more than ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Remove plastic wrap. Dredge meat in flour until well coated.

Melt butter in skillet. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until onion softens, then add garlic and cook until garlic is soft. Add meat and brown on one side, the turn and brown on the other, Add capers and Marsala, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook slowly until most of the wine is evaporated and meat is done through. Remove meat to a warm plate and pour sauce from pan over it. Serve immediately. Serves 2 to 4 people.