Stuffed Artichokes and Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Yeah I know it is an odd combo. I saw the artichokes on sale and had to make them. The soup was already planned for tonight's dinner.

The stuffing for the artichokes is similar to what my mom used except I did not use mushrooms. I sauteed diced carrots and onions and the artichoke stems. I mixed breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan cheese, olives, olive oil, salt and pepper and added the sauteed vegetables. Not bad but not as good as Mom's. This will require more practice. And more stuffing. There was just not enough. I was reading a recipe by Lidia and it suggested baking them. My mom put them in a pan with water and steamed them. Next time...

The soup recipe comes from SkinnyTaste.com. It was quite different from anything I have tried before. A slurry? Isn't that from the 5th Dimension song Stoned Soul Picnic? Oh sorry that was surry down!

It did taste just like chicken pot pie... but I did miss the crust!


My version of Chicken Pot Pie Soup, from SkinnyTaste.com

Ingredients -
2 tbsp flour (to make gluten-free use 2 tbsp cornstarch instead)
1 cups water
2 cups fat free milk
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1/2 medium chopped onion
1 carrot chopped
1 chicken bouillon
fresh ground pepper
pinch of thyme
10 oz frozen classic mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)
1 potatoes, peeled and cubed small
8 oz cooked rotisserie chicken, diced small
salt

Method -
Create a slurry by combining 1/2 cup of the cold water with flour in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside.

Pour remaining water and milk into a large pot and slowly bring to a boil. Add celery, onion, mushrooms, chicken bouillon, thyme, fresh pepper, frozen vegetables and return to a boil. Partially cover and simmer on low until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove lid, add potatoes and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, and slowly whisk in slurry, stirring well as you add. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until soup thickens, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve. We did a cup of water the the broth to thin it out a little.

Sausages with Pan Cooked Chutney & Leek Mash

From JamieOliver.com we have Sausages with Pan Cooked Chutney & Leek Mash. I was hesitant about the chutney but it was very good. I used Chicken Sausage with Roasted Red Pepper and Asiago Cheese. This was a very delicious dinner. The leeks in the mashed potatoes was a nice touch. And I liked the fried sage leaves too!

Ingredients -
1 kg potatoes, peeled and halved
olive oil
2 leeks, sliced and washed
200 ml milk
extra virgin olive oil, leaves picked
1 sprig fresh sage, leaves picked
2 red onions, cut into thin wedges
1 good handful fresh or frozen (and thawed) cranberries
2.5 cm piece cinnamon stick
5 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 Chicken Sausage with Roasted Red Pepper and Asiago Cheese

Method -

Cook the potatoes in simmering water for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain, cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, add a lug of oil to another saucepan and add the leeks. Sweat gently for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the milk and bring to the boil then turn the heat off and add to the potatoes. Mash well and season to taste. Cover and set aside.

Preheat the grill to medium. Add a splash of oil to a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the sage leaves until crisp. Remove and set aside. Add some more oil to the pan and saute the onions for 5 minutes, then add the cranberries, cinnamon and a splash of water. Simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring, until the onions are soft and the chutney has reduced. Add the ginger and vinegar and cook for 30 seconds. Season, then remove the cinnamon stick.

Meanwhile, pop the sausages under the grill for 15 minutes, turning, until cooked. Serve with the mash, chutney and sage leaves. 

Beef Rolls Roman-Style

Tonight's main dish is from La Cucina, the Regional Cooking of Italy. Involtina Alla Romana, Beef Rolls Roman-Style. It looks like a lot on the plate. I used Sandwich Steaks so the meat was sliced nice and thin. It was quite good with the sauce from the pan. Page 590 for those of you who have the book! 

Involtina Alla Romana, Beef Rolls Roman-Style.

Ingredients -

8 slices lean beef top or bottom round about 3 oz each

8 sliced prosciutto

2 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch matchsticks

2 carrots, cut into 2 inch matchsticks 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

Salt and pepper 

Method -

Pound flat the slices of beef and salt and pepper them. Remove the fat prosciutto and set aside. Place one slice of prosciutto on each sliced of beef. Top each with 3 strips of celery and 3 strips of carrots.  

Roll up the beef slices,  being careful not to lose the contents, and tie closed with kitchen twine, which must be later be removed before serving. Toothpicks can also be used.

In a saute pan combine olive oil and the reserved prosciutto fat and onion. Place over medium-high heat and cook until the onion is golden. Add the beef rolls and cook at high heat for 1 or 2 minutes. 

Pour in the wine and when the wine has evaporated add the tomatoes. Cook over low heat to keep the sauce from thickening; if it cooks down too much add 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, repeating this if necessary. When the rolls and filling have cooked, about 20 minutes, adjust for salt and serve hot.

 

I found Baby Brussel Sprouts! Roasted them in olive oil, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.

 

Notice the pasta? Homemade and served with Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce. Four, that's right four ingredients. And it was an amazing sauce!

Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce

Ingredients -
2 cups tomatoes, with their juices (for example, a 28-ounce can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes)
5 tablespoons butter
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
salt

Method -
Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.

Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed.

Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. This recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta.
 

Italian Beef Stew

I love this time of year. It is comfort food time. A big pot of beef stew. Some bread. A glass of wine. Yes that is comfort. This was a new stew recipe that I tried from Cooking Light. Instead of the mushrooms I added red peppers. Nice flavors and the meat was so tender.

My version of Italian Beef Stew, from CookingLight.com

Ingredients
7 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into cubes
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
3 3/4 cups chopped seeded peeled plum tomato (about 2 pounds)
1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
I sliced red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
 
Method
Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion and chopped carrot; sauté 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; dredge in flour. Add half of beef to pan; sauté 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure.
Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 5 minutes). Return meat and the onion mixture to pan. Add tomato and next 5 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, and stir in sliced pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour or until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, basil, and parsley.

Chicken Noodle Soup and Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Galette

 

It was 28 degrees out this morning. Soup is on. Chicken Noodle tonight. I have been reading recipes that say to squeeze a lemon over the soup before serving. Forgot to try it tonight but will make a note for the next time.

This Galette was amazing. It was so light, the crust was perfect! The filling was a little sweet from the apples but then the goat cheese and shallots brought it back around to savory. Click here for the recipe.

Meatloaf and Roasted Zucchini

But first there was breakfast - Cinnamon Chip Scones

And Egg and Cheese Sandwiches on No Knead Wheat Bread

Now on to dinner. Meatloaf, my secret recipe. Heck no real secret. Ground beef, ketchup, mustard, horseradish sauce, Worcester sauce, sauteed diced onions and carrots, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper, parsley. Sorry I don't measure!

The Zucchini was a new recipe that I found. Grrr, I can not find where this recipe is from. When I do I will update this post. But this is my new favorite way to prepare zucchini. The zucchini is cut in half and then into 3 inch pieces. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme and Parmesan cheese. Bake 400˚ for 15 minutes on lower oven shelf then move to top shelf for 15 minutes. The outside is just a little crispy and the inside melts in you mouth.

Steak Pizzaiola and Butternut Squash Ravioli

Where did the week go? We had a little health issue with Archie. Poor guy. I brought him to the vet on Thursday, Halloween. I don't think I told them he wanted to be a poodle for Halloween.

Dinner tonight was pretty good. The Steak Pizzaiola was prepared using my mom's recipe. Two Rib Eye Steaks, topped with diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, basil and olive oil. Baked for 25 minutes at 400˚. And yes you need Italian bread because the sauce is quite good.

Now about the Ravioli... The recipe for the stuffing was from Food52. The pasta recipe was from Tide and Thyme. I tried making the cappellacci following the directions on Food52. Perhaps if I had started earlier in the day to make them but they were too time consuming.

 

I remembered I had a Ravioli Maker! Much faster production using the ravioli maker.

 

And the recipe for the stuffing makes quite a bit. What to do with the extra? I rolled out some pasta and made a small casserole! Looks like lunch. 

And I still had extra pasta dough so I made noodles which I can pop those in the freezer for another day.

 Hope everyone had a lovely fall Saturday and don't forget to turn your clock back!

Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

This could be in this year's Top 10 List. The Spaghetti Squash was cooked in the microwave. To cook the squash in a microwave cook the squash whole for three minutes. Then slice the ends, cut it in half and put it in a glass dish, cut side down, with a little water. Microwave for 10-12 minutes or until soft. The cooking time depends on the size of the squash. Let it cool slightly and scoop out the seeds. (Next time I am going to try to roast the seeds). Using a fork, pull the strands of squash away from the sides.

The cooked squash was then mixed with Marinara Sauce (homemade), Mozzarella and some Parmesan. The squash mixture was placed in a greased baking pan, keeps clean up easy.

The meatballs were a basic recipe. I started out with a pound of ground beef. To that I added 2 slices of Italian bread that had been soaked in milk, crusts removed, and then squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible and then cut into small pieces. The other ingredients are 1/4 cup of minced yellow onion, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley and a little Parmesan cheese and 1/2 teaspoons of salt and pepper. I combined all the ingredients and shaped them into 3 inch meatballs. The meatballs went under the broiler, turning them a couple of times until they were browned.

Next I put the meatballs on top of the Spaghetti Squash mixture and topped them with some Marinara sauce. The dish went into a 375˚ oven for 30 minutes.

The meatballs were moist and delicious. The Spaghetti Squash made the dish nice and light.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup & Quinoa Salad

We got in last night from a vacation in Florida. The first thing I did when I got home was put flannel sheets on the bed. Holy cow it got cold. And you know what that means - Soup! While on vacation I actually had time to read through recipe emails. There are a lot of recently pinned recipes that I can't wait to try.

Tonight we started off with Creamy Sweet Potato Soup and Quinoa Salad with Hazelnuts, Apple and Dried Cranberries.

The Creamy Sweet Potato Soup is from Cooking Light. We loved it. The cumin and red pepper give it just enough spice. I did not have bacon so I used diced salami. This would be fine without the salami.
Click here for the recipe.

The Quinoa Salad with Hazelnuts, Apple and Dried Cranberries is from Food 52. I liked it but Chris was not a big fan. Looks like I have lunch for the week. Click here for the recipe, just give yourself some extra time because there is a lot to see at Food 52.

With the soup and salad we had some Focaccia Al Oilo that I had in the freezer. The recipe is from Foccacia by Carol Field. I love the recipe. It uses white wine in the dough. The texture of the dough is wonderful. I own the book but I found the recipe online at the LA Times if you want to give it try.

We Will Be Back After A Short Break