Bean and Pasta Soup #WordlessWednesday

Many of us here in the United States are feeling the full wrath of winter.  Some aren't even used to that kind of weather.

I can't make it stop but I can suggest something to help take the edge off, if your power is on.

SOUP.  Because, as an ad used to say, soup is good food. 

And anyone can make it.

One of my aunts had a dream:  One day, she would publish a soup cookbook.  She never accomplished it and has been gone for years now, but I remember what she told me. 

My spouse loves to make homemade soup.  This is one of his creations.  The great thing about this is that you can put in whatever is on hand.  And, it doesn't even have to be hot.  If it's summer for you, or if you are in a mild climate there is always cold soup.

Here's how spouse did this soup:  this is just a high level description but there are a lot of recipes online.

For the broth, spouse cooked a smoked ham hock in water, but you can use a broth from a retort. You can use vegetable stock if you are a vegetarian, and skip the meat altogether and just use beans.  He cooked dry beans but you can use canned.  There is no soup police monitoring your cooking.

Spouse then cooked beans and pasta separately.  He took the meat off the ham bone. He added kale from our front yard (fresh picked - it's all gone now), along with sliced carrots, sliced celery and whole wheat pasta.  I could see frozen or canned corn in this soup, or even frozen or canned carrots or frozen spinach or kale (just adjust cooking time).

Easy, right?  Serve hot - it's winter, after all.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for #WordlessWednesday.

Winter Wonders - Soup Is Good Food

Every Wednesday, I post a "Winter Wonder"

Yesterday, I was wondering when winter would end.

The sidewalks were full of sleet and it was starting to ice over.  This morning it is still hazardous.  But tomorrow, it will be near 50F (10 C).

What a wonderful day for soup.  I was reminded of a post from January 25, 2014 when someone asked if I had any posts with winter recipes.  Indeed, I do.

I am happy to say that my mother in law (the person my spouse made the soup for) did recover from the condition that necessitated her surgery.

Here's my post, for day 11 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Sustainable Saturday- Marrying Soup

My mother in law, recovering last week from surgery, wanted comfort food - a couple of her favorite soups.  She is of Italian heritage, and so my spouse decided to make a soup that was fed to him when he was young.

Many Americans know a version of this soup as "Italian Wedding Soup".  (The "wedding", incidentally, refers to the marriage of the ingredients, not marriages of people.)  However, in my spouse's childhood, they knew this soup as Escarole Soup.

This is how my spouse and I made Escarole/Italian Wedding soup last week.

First, earlier in the day, spouse had roasted a turkey breast.  Now, he took the carcass, and made bone broth.  But, because we didn't have loads of time, he "cheated". We added some commercial chicken broth to the bone broth. (Whose broth? My mother in law's local store had Rachel Ray's broth in retorts but spouse has started to use organic free range broth in retorts sold at our local Aldi.)

Spouse strained out the bones and fat. He set aside the remaining turkey meat set aside for the other soup we were making.

Next, it was time for the meatballs.   First, spouse prepared a ground meat mixture.

Spouse made these from part organic ground turkey and part ground beef.  As my mother in law had some Italian seasoned bread crumbs, we added that, too. The meatballs will cook right in the soup.

Next came kale, one of the most nutritious greens there is.

Next, escarole.

Finally, sliced organic baby carrots (non-organic are just fine) went into the soup.  My mother in law had some spinach that was a tiny bit out of date but still good for cooking, and that went in, too.

Finally, pearl couscous. You can cook these right in the soup, too.
If you wanted, you could add some orzo (risoni)instead.  

Time to marry the flavors!

We cooked it until the greens were wilted and allowed some extra time for the flavors to blend. Then, it was eating time, with some Italian bread.

So easy, so nutritious. And, it tasted so good.  My mother in law is a good cook and she gave the soup a thumbs-up.

I hope it sped my mother in law's recovery.  Soup is the most sustaining food you can serve on a snowy winter day.

A snowy tree in my mother in law's yard

What is your "go to" food when someone is not feeling well?

Sunday Turkey and Greens Soup

On a cold winter's day, what is better than a steaming bowl of soup?

When our local supermarket had some reduced price turkey wings (we've never had a problem with their reduced meat) my spouse bought a couple of packages.  Soup is an excellent food - it hydrates you, and (the way my spouse makes it), it is suitable for those watching their weight.  Also, the sodium content can be adjusted according to taste.

First, he made the soup base.

Take the turkey wings and add them to a large pot with water to cover.  Add a couple of bay leaves and several cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat part of a large knife to release the flavor.

Simmer for about one and a half hours.

In the meantime, spouse prepared the meatballs with the following:
Ground beef/veal/turkey mixture about 1/2 pound (about a quarter of a kilogram)
chopped parsley
chopped garlic, cloves first smashed with flat part of knife
chopped green onions (some call them scallions)

He mixed all ingredients together with his hands, formed little meatballs, and cooked one quickly in the microwave to taste.  Satisfied, he dropped them into the soup, raw. 

The meatballs, added.

After another 30 minutes,, he took out the now-cooked turkey wings out and defatted the broth.  

(By now, the meat will fall right off the bones)

You want to have the meatballs cook in there before the defatting so that some of their fat is taken out at the same time.

Then, he added veggies that take a few minutes to cook - baby carrots, celery - and cook another 20 minutes or so.  Finally, he added the tender greens - escarole (what we use) or spinach, plus some precooked pasta.

If you wish, you can add canned beans, tomatoes, or corn, to this soup, also.  The beauty of this soup is its versatility.  There is no right way to make it.  Use what is on hand.

Delicious - just perfect for a day like today.

Mangia!

Do you like soup?  What is your favorite?
I don't publish many recipes on my blog, but if you want to see more, let me know.

Travel Soup

Many of us pick up souveniers when we travel.

Some buy jewelry, others local artwork, still others coffee mugs or paperweights or even refrigerator magnets.

My husband and I pick up food.

My lighting puts a yellow cast on everything - a food photographer I will never be

Last night, my spouse made me soup for supper.  Our weather here in upstate New York has been cold and there is nothing on a cold winter's night like a bowl of homemade soup.

Especially when the soup is made with souvenirs of our travels.

Here is my spouse's recipe.  He is a hands on cook, throwing in some of this and some of that so his recipes are never exact, and neither are his explanations.  If you are an experienced cook, you'll get it.  If you aren't...well, good luck.  But this soup was so delicious tonight that I wanted to share it with you.

Travel Soup
Sea Island Peas (an heirloom field pea we picked up in Charleston, South Carolina.)  You can substitute another small bean -perhaps a red bean.  Or, another bean, but you would have to presoak.
Smoked Ham Hocks (which we bought in a Mennonite store in Ohio)
Enough water to cover meat

You do not have to presoak the peas.  Rather, put them in a pot of cold water with the smoked ham hock, with 3 or 4 bay leaves and garlic cloves, chopped coarsely, to taste.

Bring mixture to boil, then lower to very gentle boil, with pot covered. 


Cook this until the meat and peas are tender. (He wouldn't give me a definite time but said about two hours.  So, your judgement.

 Then, take off lid, turn heat up a little until gently boiling, then let reduce until the broth is as srong as you want it.

Remove meat and beans, strain broth in a fat separator to remove excess fat, then put defatted broth into another pot.  Then, add veggies:  sliced carrots, celery, green onions, spinach, corn, or whatever you have on hand.  Then cook until veggies are tender.

Separately, cook some pasta until al dente, drain, add to soup bowls.

Take meat off bone, chop up into chunks as big as you want, and then put into the soup bowls.  Put a measure of beans into each bowl.  Finally, add the broth/veggie mixture.

Serve with my corn muffins I blogged about earlier this week.

Do you like soup? What is your favorite soup?

Easy Peasey Honeynut Squash Soup

Last year, I blogged about a new butternut squash variety developed by Cornell called the honeynut.

This year, we grew them for the first time.  The results were a bit small, but the squash are as sweet as sugar.  They are the sweetest winter squash I've ever tasted.

They never got big, and we didn't get too many, but the experiment was successful enough that we will try it again next year.  And, we were able to find some more in a farmers market about an hour from where we live in upstate New York.

Today, I want to give you a quick and easy recipe for low calorie (but high taste) winter squash soup.  Made with the honeynut squash, this doesn't need any sweetening.  You can also use regular butternut squash.  You can thank my dear spouse for this recipe because my cooking skills don't extend too far.

1. Don't split squash.  Just poke some holes in it with a knife.  The squash will be hard, and you don't want to injure yourself.

2.  Cook whole squash in microwave until soft.  For a squash the size of the above, about five minutes.  Length of time will vary according to size.  Two squash, to make soup for 2-3 people, will take 10 or so minutes.  Then, split and remove seeds, let rest.  (If you don't have a microwave, you can do this in a conventional oven, and you can still roast it whole.  It will take a lot longer.)

3.  Then, scoop out the flesh and put into blender with some chicken stock or veggie stock. Puree. 

4.  You can season with nutmeg, ground ginger, or sage - if you do, it is recommended that you cook it for a few minutes to allow seasonings to blend.  If desired, cool to room temperature, or eat hot.

This wasn't one of my better photos and you can blame NaNoWriMo for that. 

This makes a wonderful late fall soup, and it is so versatile.


You can add some caramelized onion in the last stage of cooking (after you puree).  Or, you can add chopped up cooked carrots, or, really, whatever you want.  I would think some applesauce would work for a sweeter soup.  Or, you can make it thin and use as a sauce for ravioli or other pasta.

Would you like to see more recipes like this?  Would you like me to devote a particular day, perhaps Mondays, for a recipe? (It wouldn't be every Monday).  Let me know, dear readers, what you think.

Sustainable Saturday - You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Like Matzoh Ball Soup

Years ago, there was an advertising campaign in the New York City area, where I grew up.

"You Don't Have to be Jewish To Love Levy's Real Jewish Rye". The campaign featured pictures of people belonging to various ethnic groups enjoying Levy's rye. 

(Sadly, the person who penned that slogan, Judy Protas, died last month, at the age of 91.  Another chunk of my childhood, gone.  But I digress.)

You know what?  You don't have to be Jewish to like matzoh ball soup, either.

In January, my mother in law had a radioactive implant for a week, and it was then removed.  She was recovering from the removal surgery two weeks ago.  (As reported yesterday, she most probably will not have to undergo any more treatment - hurrah!)

My mother in law has lived all her life in suburbs of New York City.

She didn't have much of an appetite, but soup appealed to her.  My spouse and I decided to treat her to a couple of her favorite soups.  One, Escarole/Italian Wedding Soup, I blogged about last Saturday.  The other soup is a favorite soup of this woman of the New York City metropolitan area whose mother and father were both born in Italy.

Real Jewish matzoh ball soup.

First, for those who did not grow up around matzohs, they are a thin, crispy flat bread, normally made from white flour.  Years ago, there were two basic types - plain, and egg.  The plain ones were made from flour and water, period. The egg matzohs were sometimes made with apple cider. The eggs made them softer, and they were intended for children and the infirm.

Nowadays, you can find matzohs made from spelt, from whole wheat flower, and matzohs flavored with garlic and onion.

Matzoh balls (also known as knaidels) are a soup dumpling made from ground matzoh meal, chicken fat (or oil) and eggs.  Some cooks add water - some cooks swear by seltzer.

But, since we couldn't find matzoh meal, we had to use matzoh ball mix.  I mixed it up per the directions and put it into the refrigerator to cool.

Meantime, my spouse prepared the soup from the bone broth/retort broth we had made earlier in the day.

We added the chilled matzoh ball mix to the broth, along with some fresh spinach and turkey meat (again, see last week's post).  Quickly, the matzoh balls puffed up.

It didn't take long, and my mother in law soon had some comforting soup to feast on.  My spouse talked to her yesterday, and she remarked on how much she loved eating the matzoh ball soup.  What could be a better subject for sustainable living than a good soup?

I wish I could send some soup out to my good friend in Brooklyn, who started a new, extensive chemo treatment yesterday.  She is a faithful reader of my blog.  My friend was actually hungry after yesterday's hours long session.  I think it would be fantastic if you could send her some good thoughts, good vibrations or even some virtual chicken soup. 

Do you have a favorite dish that does not come from your childhood ethnic cuisine?

Sustainable Saturday- Marrying Soup

My mother in law, recovering last week from surgery, wanted comfort food - a couple of her favorite soups.  She is of Italian heritage, and so my spouse decided to make a soup that was fed to him when he was sleep.

Many Americans know a version of this soup as "Italian Wedding Soup".  (The "wedding", incidentally, refers to the marriage of the ingredients, not marriages of people.)  However, in my spouse's childhood, they knew this soup as Escarole Soup.

This is how my spouse and I made Escarole/Italian Wedding soup last week.

First, earlier in the day, spouse had roasted a turkey breast.  Now, he took the carcass, and made bone broth.  But, because we didn't have loads of time, he "cheated". We added some commercial chicken broth to the bone broth. (Whose broth? My mother in law's local store had Rachel Ray's broth in retorts but spouse has started to use organic free range broth in retorts sold at our local Aldi.)

Spouse strained out the bones and fat. He set aside the remaining turkey meat set aside for the other soup we were making.

Next, it was time for the meatballs.   First, spouse prepared a ground meat mixture.

Spouse made these from part organic ground turkey and part ground beef.  As my mother in law had some Italian seasoned bread crumbs, we added that, too. The meatballs will cook right in the soup.

Next came kale, one of the most nutritious greens there is.

Next, escarole.

Finally, sliced organic baby carrots (non-organic are just fine) went into the soup.  My mother in law had some spinach that was a tiny bit out of date but still good for cooking, and that went in, too.

Finally, pearl couscous. You can cook these right in the soup, too.
If you wanted, you could add some orzo (risoni)instead.  

Time to marry the flavors!

We cooked it until the greens were wilted and allowed some extra time for the flavors to blend. Then, it was eating time, with some Italian bread.


So easy, so nutritious. And, it tasted so good.  My mother in law is a good cook and she gave the soup a thumbs-up.

I hope it sped my mother in law's recovery.  Soup is the most sustaining food you can serve on a snowy winter day.

A snowy tree in my mother in law's yard

Next Saturday, I will blog about the other soup we made.

What is your "go to" food when someone is not feeling well?