Sausage and Vegetable Soup

6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 6 ounces italian sausage (about 2 medium sausages, casings removed)
• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, diced ( I pulsed the carrots, celery, and garlic in a food processor together until diced)
• 3 stalks diced celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
• 3-4 small red potatoes, chopped into ¼”- ½”  pieces
• Two 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 2½ tablespoons tomato paste
• 6-8 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 ounce cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2½ cups orecchiette pasta, cooked al dente
• 3 handfuls fresh spinach leaves
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh store-bought pesto
• About 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Optional: Sour batard, sliced and toasted for serving.

Instructions

1. Add the sausage to a large heavy bottom pot, and cook over medium-low heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, but leaving the sausage in small chunks.
2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, potatoes, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes.
3. Push vegetables to the side of the pot and add tomato paste to the cleared area. Cook the tomato paste, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir to combine the tomato paste with the vegetables in the pot.
4. Add the canned tomatoes, 6 cups of chicken broth, bay leaf, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoons pepper.
5. Cook on medium-low uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
6. Discard the bay leaf. You can make this part of the soup in advance and refrigerate it or freeze it after this step.
7. When you’re ready to serve, add the beans and cooked pasta to the soup and heat through. If the soup is too thick, add some more chicken broth.
8. Add the spinach, stirring to combine, and cook until the leaves wilt.
9. Add the white wine and pesto, and stir to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a side of sour batard toast.

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Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

9-11 servings

Ingredients

For the Soup

• 1 pound whole chicken
• 3 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
• 3 turnips, peeled and quartered
• 6 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 5 celery stalks with greens, roughly chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• About 10 fresh parsley sprigs
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1-2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder 
• Salt
• White pepper

For the Matzo Balls

• 1 box Streit's Matzo Ball Mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs

For Serving

• 4 carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley or dill

Instructions

For the Soup

1. Place the chicken, onions, turnips, carrots and celery in a large 12-quart stock pot and add enough water to fill the pan almost to the top, 6-8 quarts. Bring to boil. Let the soup boil gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes, skimming off any froth or scum as it forms. Reduce the heat to low and add the bay leaves, parsley sprigs, celery seed, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Cover and simmer 3-1/2 hours more. (Note: if you want to use the chicken in the finished soup or for another purpose, remove the chicken from the soup after 90 minutes, pull the meat off the bone and return the carcass to the pot.) Let the soup cool on the stovetop until the pot is no longer hot; then place the soup pot in the refrigerator overnight.
2. The next day, remove the pot from the refrigerator and skim most -- but not all -- of the fat from the surface of the soup. Using tongs, remove the chicken from the soup and discard. Place a colander over a large bowl or pot, and pour the soup through the colander to strain out all the vegetables. Discard the vegetables (they will be too mushy to serve with the soup). Place a fine mesh strainer over a smaller soup pot and strain the soup again to be sure the broth is clear. Discard the remaining solids. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.

For the Matzo Balls

1. Follow the instructions on the package to combine the oil and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the package ingredients and let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Wet your hands and gently roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls (do not compact!). Drop the matzo balls into the boiling water. Bring back to a boil, then cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the matzo balls to a large plate or tupperware container. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Note: if you're making the matzo balls at the last minute, you can transfer them right from the boiling water into the chicken soup.)

For Serving

1. Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the chicken bouillon powder, along with more salt and pepper to taste. (The amount of seasoning you add will depend on your personal preference and on how much water you used. I like a well-seasoned soup, so I add about 2 tablespoons of bouillon powder, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper -- just add the seasoning gradually, tasting as you go, until the soup tastes flavorful.)
2. Add the carrots and cooked matzo balls and simmer until the carrots are cooked and the matzo balls are hot throughout -- both are ready when they float to the surface. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with fresh parsley or dill.

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Broccoli Soup with Cheese

Serves: 2 big bowls

INGREDIENTS

·         one bunch of fresh broccoli [enough for a few cups of chopped tops]

·         2 cups vegetable [or chicken!] broth

·         ½ cup of sharp cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping [freshly grated]

·         1 heaping cup of regular gouda cheese [freshly grated]

·         1 cup of shredded carrots [or a little extra!]

·         1 small white onion [about ⅔ cup or 1 cup, chopped]

·         2 large cloves of garlic, minced

·         1 cup half and half [or heavy cream], room temperature

·         3 TBSP all purpose flour

·         3 TBSP butter

·         1 bay leaf

·         ¼ tsp garlic powder

·         ⅛ tsp allspice

·         ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg

·         ⅛ tsp dried basil

·         ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

·         ⅛ tsp salt [will vary based on salt content of your stock/broth]

·         a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1.    First the veggies: Chop them! Dice the onions super small, mince the garlic, an shred the carrots if you didn't buy pre-shredded. This can all be done ahead of time and stored in the fridge for later. For the broccoli, chop ⅔ of it into tiny florets [just cut off as much stem as you can and it'll fall apart in the pot] and then take the remaining ⅓ and give it a rough chop so you have a few large pieces to add to the soup. Totally optional!

2.    Add your veggie broth to a pot on medium-high heat, add your ⅔ of your broccoli [about 2 cups of florets] as well as your onion, garlic, carrots, and bay leaf. Simmer on medium, covered, for about 15-20 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

3.    Once the broth is done, start your roux: In a large pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, whisking constantly. Once melted, slowly add 3 tablespoons of flour as you continue to whisk.

4.    For a thicker soup, use an extra tablespoon of each. I skipped it. Remove from heat and slowly pour in the broth from your veggie mixture [its okay if some of the veggies jump in along side it!] and stir to incorporate.

5.    Next pour in the veggies and slowly stir in 1 cup of room temperature half and half.

6.    Return to the burner on very low heat, uncovered.

7.    Spoon out the bay leaf and season with the above herbs and spices, adding a little extra of whichever you like to taste. I personally adore the pinch of nutmeg in this soup but feel free to leave it out if it's just not your cup of tea! The soup is great both ways! Depending on the saltiness of your broth, you might skip the salt entirely or prefer to add a bit more. Taste and tweak as needed after adding your cheese.

8.    Once the soup has warmed back up, stir in the grated cheeses [slowly and in small batches] and remove from heat immediately.

9.    That extra broccoli you left on the side? Blanch in boiling water, steam in your microwave, or basically cook it however you'd like, then stir that green goodness into your completed soup for great texture and an extra burst of broccoli.

10.  Garnish with a little extra grated cheddar and a sprinkle of parsley and even a pinch of spicy red pepper flakes if you'd like! Anything goes!

Enjoy it!

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Chicken Nuggets

4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
• 1 cup peanut oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE HONEY MUSTARD

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

• To make the honey mustard, whisk together mayonnaise, honey, mustards and lemon juice in a small bowl; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine chicken, pickle juice and 1/2 cup milk; marinate for at least 30 minutes. Drain well.
• Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup milk and egg. Stir in chicken and gently toss to combine; drain excess milk mixture.
• In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken, flour and confectioners' sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Serve immediately with honey mustard.

Enjoy it!

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Fried Rice

4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

·         3 Tbsp. butter, divided

·         2 eggs, whisked

·         2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

·         1 small white onion, diced

·         1/2 cup frozen peas

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         salt and pepper

·         4 cups cooked and chilled rice

·         3 green onions, thinly sliced

·         3-4 Tbsp. soy sauce, or more to taste

·         2 tsp. oyster sauce (optional)

·         1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

INSRUCTIONS:

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate.

Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add carrots, onion, peas and garlic, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onion and carrots are soft. Increase heat to high, add in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and stir until melted. Immediately add the rice, green onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce (if using), and stir until combined. Continue stirring for an additional 3 minutes to fry the rice. Then add in the eggs and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil, stir to combine, and remove from heat.

Serve warm.

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