Miso Soup

Adam introduced me to miso soup when we very first started dating (5-1/2 years ago!!), and though it took some time for me to get used to it, I have grown to love it. It's incredibly healthy, and always relatively reasonably priced. Unfortunately, when we moved to Tennessee, we realized that there are very few restaurants around that sell miso, and not all of it is good, so I set out to make my own homemade miso. For someone who isn't very comfortable with true Asian cooking, this was a BIG task! Fortunately, it ended up being ridiculously easy. Because we don't have an Asian grocery nearby, I ordered everything off asianfoodgrocer.com. The food was reasonably priced, you can pay through your Amazon account, and shipping was pretty quick (I ordered late Friday night, and it was there by the following Friday afternoon). I ordered one large container of white miso paste, 5 packets of bonito flakes (way over-ordered - probably could have used 2-3 for the amount of miso I have), one package of wakame and one package of konbu. (I also hit order *twice*, so if anyone in Tennessee is interested, I would be happy to sell my excess!)


Miso Soup

1 large strip konbu
1 Tbsp. bonito flakes
1/4 c. miso paste
1 c. firm tofu, cubed
1/2 tsp. dried cut wakame
1 tsp. chopped scallions

In a stock pot, cover konbu with 4-5 c. cold water. Bring to a simmer; remove konbu. Remove from heat, add bonito flakes, and steep 1 minute. Strain out bonito flakes. Whisk in miso paste. Add tofu and wakame; simmer 2 minutes. Garnish with scallions.

Minestrone (Italian Soup with Pasta)

I've mentioned before that my dear brother (with whom I live) is a very picky eater. In fact, picky doesn't begin to describe it. So whenever I make a dish and he turns around and says, "This is good! ....I would eat this again. ....Yeah, you can make this again," I KNOW I have a winner! This soup really is very delicious and incredibly healthy! I've marked it as a vegetarian dish because 1) most of us aren't strict vegetarians and 2) bacon/pancetta doesn't count as meat if it's only used as a flavoring, right?! ;)

This dish does require a bit of prep work, but because there's a 6-8 minute lapse between adding the onion/carrot/celery mix and the zucchini/potato/bean/tomato mix, it's pretty easy to get everything put together.

Also, this makes a TON of food. I have a 4.5-quart Le Creuset (mmm... I LOVE my dutch oven! But that's for a later post), and it was literally full to the brim - look at the last picture! That's about 18 cups of soup, in case you weren't counting.

I also love that this dish has pasta in it. If I had more room in the pot, I would have added more. As it is, the dish was still delicious and I can't wait to devour those leftovers.

Just look at all that food!!!

I served this soup with crescent rolls (yep, the kind from the tube... we love them around here) but it would easily stand alone or go with a salad or a grilled cheese.

Try this soup! You'll be glad you did.

Minestrone

1 c. (4 oz.) ditalini pasta, cooked to al dente, tossed with olive oil (to prevent sticking)

Extra-virgin olive oil
6 c. chicken stock
1/4 lb. pancetta*, diced
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. red chile flakes, or more or less to taste
2 c. finely chopped yellow onions
1 c. small-diced celery
1 c. small-diced carrots
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or rosemary, crushed
14-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
14½ -oz. can crushed tomatoes
4 c. small-diced zucchini
2 c. small-diced, peeled russet potatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan

In a 6-qt. saucepan over high heat, heat 2 Tbsp. oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add pancetta and cook until it begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally. Add the garlic and chile flakes; cook 1 minute. Lower heat to medium and add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until vegetables are soft, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add herbs. Raise heat to high. Add beans, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, and chicken stock; bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes, skimming off any foam. Season generously with pepper. Add salt, to taste. Just before serving, add cooked pasta. Serve warm with Parmesan and olive oil passed at the table.

*Pancetta is essentially an Italian bacon. It is very delicious and you can find it at most deli meat counters. If not, or if you don't want to spend the money, you can easily substitute a few slices of bacon, diced.

Rigatoni with Spicy Tomato-Vodka Sauce

This is a celebration of Meatless Mondays! I'm really loving cutting the meat out of my diet once a week - I feel so much healthier and have a little more of a spring in my step on those dreary days. It also encourages me to eat lots more fruits and veggies.

This is a really delicious recipe but it is so spicy! If you're feeding little ones or if you aren't keen on heat, go easy on the red chile flakes. Also, you can cut the vodka out of this meal with absolutely no problems.

Serve with a simple salad and crescent rolls for a quick, easy, filling meal.

Rigatoni with Spicy Tomato-Vodka Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes; more to taste

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 Tbsp. vodka

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (can use curly or flat-leaf)

3 Tbsp. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3/4 lb. rigatoni (about 4 cups)

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the garlic and red pepper flakes in the oil until they’re fragrant and sizzle steadily for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juices and the vodka, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a steady simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook to intensify the flavors and reduce the sauce slightly (by about one-quarter), 10 to 15 min.

Stir in 1/4 c. Parmigiano, parsley, cream, salt and pepper, and more red pepper flakes if you like. Simmer to incorporate the cream and reduce the sauce slightly, about 5 min. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente, 10 to 12 min. Drain well and return the pasta to its pot. Add the sauce, set the pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring, to let the pasta absorb some of the sauce, 1 min. Serve immediately with the remaining 1/4 c. Parmigiano, and extra parsley.

Thai Pineapple Red Curry

I absolutely LOVE eating at Spicy Thai in Provo. It is amazing. I think this recipe comes pretty darn close to my favorite dish, Pineapple Yellow Curry. It is remarkably easy and comes together quickly, AND (this is my biggest hang-up when it comes to oriental food) you don't need a lot of crazy ingredients to make it. Also, don't mix up Thai curry with Indian curry - the two are totally different. Thai curry is bright and beautiful, and Indian curry ... well... it looks gross. THIS is Thai curry:

Gorgeous! I love eating with my eyes. I absolutely adore bright colors in my food and I think this dish fits that well. :) I made this vegetarian because I'm instituting Meatless Mondays, but you could easily add some rotisserie or leftover chicken to this dish, or even add extra water and poach thinly sliced raw chicken breast as you cook the veggies.  To serve with the curry I just made a simple jasmine rice. So yummy!

Thai Pineapple Red Curry (adapted from Fine Cooking)

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. red Thai curry paste (on the Asian foods aisle in a small glass jar, near sauces)
2 c. snap peas, trimmed and cut in half on the diagonal
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 c. pineapple chunks, drained
14-oz. can coconut milk, well stirred
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
Kosher salt
1 c. loosely packed Thai basil (or regular basil, torn into small pieces), optional
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. fresh lime juice

Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 20 seconds. Take the pan off of the heat and stir in the snap peas, shallots, peppers, onion, pineapple, coconut milk, sugar, 1 c. water, and 1 Tbsp. salt. Stir to combine. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the basil and lime juice. Let rest off the heat for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Note: If available, add 6 wild lime leaves with vegetables. To make a meat dish, add 2-3 c. shredded rotisserie chicken.