Italian Wedding Soup

Two blogs in one day! I'm a maniac. I've been meaning to post about Italian Wedding soup for a while and with Steph's cream of asparagus soup post, I decided to make it a soup day. Let's get to it:

This is a Giada receipe that I fanangled a bit. Fanangled is totally a word. Start by making the most important part - the meatballs! Finely chop one medium yellow onion, and saute it in a small frying pan a two count of olive oil and 4 chopped cloves of garlic and 1/3 cup of chopped fresh parsley. Cook over medium heat for around ten minutes, until the onions are tender and just beginning to color. Remove from heat and let cool. In a mixing bowl combine the cooled onions/garlic/parsley with 8 ounces of ground pork, 8 ounces of ground beef (20% fat, just do it), one large egg, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, one teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper. Get right up in there and mix everything together with your hands, then shape into small bite-sized meatballs - around one inch or so. Place on a plate or small baking sheet and refrigerate for fifteen minutes.

Get out your soup pot and heat a four count of olive oil over medium high heat for a couple of minutes. Cook your meatballs over medium heat in the pot (you may need to do this in batches to avoid over crowding), just to nicely brown the outside - they won't be cooked through so no chef tasting! You'll finish cooking them in the broth. Once you've removed the browned meatballs, de-glaze the pot with 1/2 cup of white wine. Next add ten cups of chicken stock, salt/pepper to taste and bring to a simmer. Carefully add your browned meatballs back to the pot and cook through, this will take five minutes or so. Next add one bag of baby spinach leaves (note - Giada uses one pound of chopped escarole, which I may try next time, I think it will hold up better than the spinach for leftovers). Cook the spinach for a few minutes (note - escarole will take longer, around ten minutes, so I would add that with the meatballs) over medium heat. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together two large eggs with 2/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Add this mixture to the soup slowly, while stirring with a fork to make long strands of egg. Stir carefully for another minute, taste for seasonings and add if necessary, then add the juice of 1/2 lemon (or a whole lemon if it's small). You're done! Pretty simple, right?

Get to it and let me know what you think about spinach vs. escarole.

xo

d

Guest Blog! Cream of Asparagus Soup

And now dear friends, it's time for a long overdue guest blog. This one comes from my lovely and fabulous cousin Steph, who I hope will become a frequent contributor. In her first guest blog, she treats us to a delicious recipe for cream of asparagus soup - a recipe that I am soon to try. Peruse, enjoy, and let us know what you think! Take it away, Steph:

I made this soup for a Valentine’s Day party. Some mommy friends and I got together while our beauties played and this is what I served them. They ranted and raved over it – even my mom (who is not an asparagus lover) really enjoyed it.

First, I sautéed some onions and garlic in some butter (I suppose you could use EVOO if you wanted… I am a fan of the buttah). Maybe ½ an onion and a tablespoon of minced garlic. Once those become soft, add 2 bundles of asparagus that have been sliced into 1 inch pieces. The size doesn’t really matter because you will be blending it all up anyway. Make sure to remove the bottom 1/3 of the asparagus. It’s kind of woody and not really yummy to eat. Sauté that for a couple minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also added a teeny tiny bit of cayenne pepper (and by teeny tiny, I really mean teeny tiny, you don’t want that to over power). Then add 2 boxes of chicken broth – or 1 box of broth and the same amount of water. If you use water, you will need to add a tablespoon or so of chicken base for extra flavor. Boil the asparagus until it’s tender. At this point you can either bust out your handy dandy emersion blender which is one of Dana’s favorite kitchen tools or let the soup cool and in batches, put in the blender and blend until smooth. MUST. LET. COOL….or you will have an asparagus explosion on your hands.

Once everything is blended until smooth, add it back into the soup pot. Add a 16 ounce container of sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt would probably work too if that is more up your alley). Stir to combine and taste for seasoning. Be careful how much salt you add because ….wait for it… you will be adding some roasted asparagus and homemade croutons to the soup!! Yes please! If the soup seems too thin, make a quick rue and add that to the mix. I used 2 tablespoons of butter and about 1 ½ tablespoons of flour. A nice loose rue will help to tighten up the soup a little bit. Make sure to cook the rue for a couple minutes so you don’t get the raw flour taste.

Now, on to the roasted asparagus and croutons. Slice another bundle of asparagus in 1 – 1 ½ inch pieces (discard the bottom 1/3 again). Put them on a baking sheet and coat them in EVOO,

salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven for a half hour or so (until they are soft). For the croutons, cut up some French bread or some other kind of dense bread into 1 inch cubes. Drizzle with EVOO, garlic salt, and pepper. Bake in a 375 degree oven for a half hour or so (until they are kind of crunchy). Serve soup with a few roasted asparagus pieces and some croutons on top. It is delish!!! And easy peazy lemon squeezy!!

Weeknight Dinner - Panko Crusted Pork Chops with Cider-Mustard Sauce

I really am going to try to post more, people. I promise. I even started a twitter account, so follow me for quick food insights and lots and lots of kitty pictures! Hit me up: @osterblum

Now for a quick treat, a weeknight meal that is simple but super delish - and uses a protein I am quite wary of: pork chops! If you're a regular reader here at SND you'll know that I rarely cook with pork tenderloins/chops (now bacon - that's another story). I just feel like pork chops are always overcooked and boring. Well I take it back! They're a great idea for a weeknight dinner because they cook quickly and if done right (and simply) they can be outstanding. Here's whatcha do:

Start with four bone in pork chops (Trader Joes or Whole Foods). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and preheat your favorite large skillet over medium high heat. Coat the pork chops in S/P seasoned flour (1/2 cup or so), then egg (2 whisked on a plate), then panko bread crumbs (a japanese bread crumb with a great texture - you'll need probably 2 cups). I like to set up the dredging station right next to the stove for minimal spillage. Be sure to really press the panko crumbs in after you've floured/egged. Pour a six count of olive oil in your heated pan, let it heat for a moment or two, then cook the chops for a few minutes per side to get the coating nice and crispy. Once each side has a nice brown crust, remove the chop from the pan, and place into the oven on a sheet pan with a rack. The chops will be rare at this point, but if you cook them in the oven after browning whilst you prepare the rest of your meal, they should come out perfectly juicy and medium (it's about 15 minutes).

Pour the oil from your frying pan, and over medium to medium high heat add some hard apple cider (I used half of one of those tall bottles, I think it's a 20 ounce bottle? I'm awesome with details, I know). Reduce the cider for a few minutes, then add 3 tablespoons of whole grain mustard and whisk in. Once the mustard is combined add some S/P to taste as well as 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or more, if you want it spicier). I added the cayenne because the cider was super sweet and I didn't want the dish to be cloying. In a small bowl whisk together 1/2 cup of chicken stock with 2 tablespoons of flour, then whisk that into your sauce to tighten it up a bit. Once it's thickened, taste for seasoning and then add about 1/4 cup of half and half. Turn the heat down to low and bubble for a few minutes more.

And you're donesies! Serve the chops with the sauce on the side and over some gnocchi (pre-made and purchased from Trader Joes) and asparagus with garlic. I made the gnocchi (which cooks very quickly) and asparagus as the sauce was coming together, so your timing should be just right if you start the sauce and sides after the chops go into the oven. The asparagus is super easy, just chop 1-2 cloves of garlic, fry them over medium heat in a little olive oil for thirty seconds, then add your asparagus (be sure to trim the bottom third from the asparagus stalks). Add some S/P and a few glugs of white wine - they'll take about five minutes to get tender but still have plenty of bite (longer for super thick asparagus, I like using the really thin stalks). A nice spritz of some fresh lemon at the end of cooking brightens the asparagus up nicely.

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Give this one a try and let me know.

xo,

d