The Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread 2/3/17

2/2/17 | Cottonball

[CottonBall]

Today’s recipes are Italian soups! This is in honor of my Nonna (Italian grandmother), who strangely enough, couldn’t cook anything except soup. Her soups were out of this world good. Unfortunately, I never watched her make one to learn her secret. I know she didn’t make her own stock, so that wasn’t the key. She was rather a lazy cook, so I’m guessing it had to do with some Italian ingredients that we can’t get here, or I don’t know about.

So these recipes are ones I’ve found and probably modified to suit my tastes. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I’ve always enjoyed the pics in Jamestown’s threads, being a visual person plus lazy, but these recipes are from my files, sans pictures.


Ribollita (Reboiled Italian Cabbage Soup)
This one is rich and hearty, even though it is mainly vegetables. I make a big pot in the winter and have it all week.

1/2 lb dried white beans
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 lb diced bacon
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
3 T minced garlic
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
28 oz chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups coarsely chopped kale
4 cups coarsely chopped Savoy cabbage
6 cups chicken stock
4 cups sourdough, without crusts

Soak beans overnight. Simmer in 8 cups of water 45 minutes; add 1 tsp salt and simmer 15 minutes. In oil, sauté bacon and onion. Add carrots, celery, garlic, 1 T salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper until tender. Add tomatoes, kale, cabbage if using, and basil and cook 7 to 10 minutes. Drain beans, reserving liquid. Purée one half with a little cooking liquid and add to pot with the remaining whole beans. Pour bean liquid into large measuring cup, adding chicken stock to make 8 cups. Add to soup, boil, then simmer 20 minutes. Add bread and simmer 10 minutes. Sprinkle bowls with Parmesan cheese and olive oil.

Iota
This is my mother’s recipe. She was from Trieste, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire before being annexed to Italy after World War I. So many of the recipes from the region have Austrian or Hungarian influences. The long slow cooking of the sauerkraut mellow its flavor so it’s not as weird as you might think at first glance. It probably still is an acquired taste, however.

10 ounce dried white beans
8 cups water
2 cloves garlic
1 potato, diced
3 ounce bacon, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 pound sauerkraut
2/3 cup cornmeal

Soak beans in cold water twelve hours. Drain. Cover with water and simmer one hour. Cook bacon. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add drained sauerkraut to the bacon in pan with oil. Add 1/2 tsp cumin. Add 1 cup water and cook very slowly one hour. Cook until liquid has evaporated. Add one diced potato and 4 cups water. Cook at a slow boil 30 minutes. Add beans and cook slowly 30 minutes. Add cornmeal in a thin stream, 3 cups water and cook at a slow boil one hour.

[CottonBall]

Italian soups are great with some crusty bread on a cold winter night! Ok, so are any other soup...and lots of other things. So tell me what you like to have to keep you warm and toasty when it is frosty outside!

[CottonBall]

Ping to the weekly cooking thread!

Post your favorite soul-warming recipes. Or find a new favorite here.

[Qiviut]

I made a double batch of split pea with ham soup a couple of weeks ago & just finished up the last container from the freezer. I’ll be making it again this weekend .... here’s the (crockpot) recipe I use - link at the bottom:

“A quintessential winter soup using leftover ham and dry split peas.”

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
1 pkg of pre-sliced carrots or 4-6 carrots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pkg dry split peas (16 oz)
1 ham bone or 16-20 oz of cooked, sliced ham
2 Tbsp fresh thyme
2 - 32 oz boxes of chicken stock or equivalent fresh or canned
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup half and half

Instructions:

1 - Put olive oil and butter in large pot and warm on medium heat until butter has melted.
2 - Add carrots, onions and celery and cook until onions are translucent.
3 - Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
4 - Put peas, ham or ham bone, thyme, chicken stock and vegetables in a slow cooker.
5 - Cook on the lowest heat for 8 hours.
6 - Remove ham bone if used, cool and then remove meat and add meat back to pot.
7 - Add 1/2 cup of half and half; season to taste with salt and pepper.
8 - To thicken, blend partially with a stick blender or remove approximately 3 cups and blend in a countertop blender; return blended soup to pot and heat if necessary before serving.

Notes:
This makes a lot of soup; enough to both serve and then freeze half for later.

Source: Creative Culinary
http://www.creative-culinary.com/best-split-pea-soup-carrots-ham/

[Silentgypsy]

Thank you!

[bk1000]

One trick, when the soup just won’t seem to come together is to add a bit of cider vinegar. Not too much! If it just isn’t happening, try this. Never tried it with a cream soup though.

[V K Lee]

Food for the Super Bowl
These posted on the last thread but as they might be considered Super Bowl fare, will post them again

EPIC MEAL TIME - NOW A CHANNEL ON ROKU
http://www.epicmealtime.com/

EPIC MEAL TIME - DEEP FRIED BAKED POTATO
http://www.epicmealtime.com/videos/handle-it-deep-fried-baked-potato/

50 POUND FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjQZMS9yyB0

HANDLE IT VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ksnN_1BPZs1KVooCxa-ApEyC6ObAB5I

The links below also posted on the last thread as these two posts were late in the week, few might have seen them. SECOND CHANCE, LAST CHANCE.
You might enjoy the views

https://issuu.com/categories/home-and-garden
https://issuu.com/categories/food-and-drink
https://issuu.com/explore?utm_source=anon-feature-cta

[Qiviut]

Here’s another one that has been on my mind lately & is probably going to happen on Sunday & yes, I will be using venison. You could easily use beef stew meat & the recipe would turn out just as good, IMO. Emeril’s Essence is what adds some really good flavors. This one was a big hit with my folks.

A couple of notes:
- Instead of cooking it on the stove, I transferred the stew to a crockpot (after deglazing pan with wine & adding stock) & simmered it for a few hours until the meat was very tender.
- I used one cup canned tomatoes (juice drained) for the one cup chopped fresh tomatoes
- I used beef broth (no salt) for the “brown stock”

Venison Stew (Emerill Lagasse)

Ingredients for Stew:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds venison stew meat
1/4 cup flour
Essence, recipe follows
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
4 cups brown stock
Salt and black pepper
Crusty bread

Essence (Emeril’s Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Directions:

In a large pot, over high heat, add the olive oil.
In a mixing bowl, toss the venison with flour and Essence.
When the oil is hot, sear the meat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the celery and carrots.
Season with salt and pepper.
Saute for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomatoes, basil, thyme, and bay leaves to the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine.
Add the brown stock.
Bring the liquid up to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer.
Simmer the stew for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the meat is very tender. If the liquid evaporates too much add a little more stock.

Remove the stew from the oven and serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread.

Directions for Essence (Emeril’s Creole Seasoning):
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container. Yield: about 2/3 cup

Source:
Recipe from “New New Orleans Cooking”, by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/venison-stew-recipe.print.html

[CottonBall]

Perfect timing, I was planning on making split pea soup tomorrow :-)

[CottonBall]

Is the Super Bowl this weekend? Shoot, that should’ve been my topic.

[CottonBall]

That’s a good idea. A touch of acid tends to brighten up a dish. I know I like things on the acidic side. Thanks for the great idea!

I would be careful with Cream soups, as it might tend to curdle them.

[V K Lee]

We’ve been focusing on more important things of late. Just today realized this was the weekend (we’re out of it locally so admit the interest was lost) 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 5.

[boatbums]

Well it's supposed to get back to the mid-80's next week so there are very few "cold winter nights" here in Florida to enjoy hearty soups and stews. I still like making them though. This is one of my husband's favorites:

Lentil and Italian Sausage Soup

1 lb. dried lentils, rinsed well and drained
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
5 carrots, chopped
4 or 5 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 qts. chicken stock
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

In large pot on medium high, crumble and brown the sausage, then drain off grease. To the sausage, add onions, celery, carrots and garlic, oregano, basil, bay leaves and season with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper, stir well. Sauté until onions are translucent. Stir in lentils, chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to boil then turn down the heat and simmer until lentils are tender (about 45-60 minutes). Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

This will thicken as the lentils cook and you may need to add a bit more stock or water, if a thinner soup is desired. Serve with grated cheese on top and a nice crusty bread.

[Trillian]

The Ribollita sounds very similar to my minestrone minus the bacon. I love soups. I could eat them daily and be happy.

[Trillian]

When I make a big pot of chicken, potatoes and dumplings.. My husband adds a bit of cider vinegar to it. He learned it from his grandfather, and is the only one in the house that does it. I add parmesan cheese to mine before I eat it.

[boatbums]

Split Pea soup is another one of my husband’s favorites. I use a few smoked ham hocks in addition to the ham in the recipe. I just add the chopped ham about 20 minutes before the soup finishes along with any meat that you can pull off the hocks when they’re done in the soup. Rats! I guess I’m gonna make us some split pea this week.

[CottonBall]

That sounds delicious! And I especially appreciate the picture.

Mid-80’s? Geez, what are your summers like? That’s a normal high for us in the summer in East Tennessee!

[CottonBall]

Oh yeah, I forgot about ham hocks. They impart a wonderful smokey flavor. I got mad when they were so expensive and quit using them.

[boatbums]

Now they’re saying only 80! At least the lows are 60’s and humidity is pretty low. I REALLY miss North Carolina. I loved the weather. The summers are brutal here in Tampa. Thank God for A/C!

[SaveFerris]

nice

[IamConservative]

This recipe is terribly simple. If you can boil water, you can make this. It makes an aroma that fills the house and has a taste that will warm the soul to the very core. It can’t be beat after being out in the cold...

Sausage and Potato Hash

- 1# of your favorite Kielbasa, smoked sausage or andouille cut in bite size pieces.
- 4-5 potatoes diced in 1/2” cubes. Enough to get approximately a 2-1 ratio of potatoes to sausage.
- 1 medium onion diced small.
- Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Add a cup of water. You can cover and bake @350 until potatoes are good and tender, or you can cook in a slow cooker.

I eat mine with some hot sauce and crusty bread for dipping in the juices.