Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup / Stew

1 tbs olive oil

½ medium onion, slivered (about 1¼ cups)

½ c quick cook pearled barley, rinsed

2 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp dried thyme

8 oz sliced button or cremini mushrooms

4 c  beef broth

1 tbs tomato paste

1 Teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 Bay Leaf

¼ -1 Teaspoon Salt to Taste

1 Teaspoon Miso Paste (or simply more salt to taste)

Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until they are translucent. Reduce the heat just a touch, add the barley, garlic, and thyme, and sauté for another 3 to 5 minutes.  Stir in the mushrooms, followed by the broth, tomato paste, vinegar, bay leaf, and I would start with ¼ teaspoon of salt and the miso if using. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow the soup to simmer for at least 1 hour, or until the barley is nice and tender.  Season to taste with additional salt (see my notes in the post above) and black pepper to taste.

Yields 2 hearty, meal-sized servings

Creole Shrimp and Sausage Stew

2 tsp olive oil

1 c chopped green bell pepper

½ lb c thinly sliced smoked sausage

1 tsp minced garlic

2 c. chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

½ lb medium, peeled and deveined shrimp

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Hot sauce for serving

Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add bell pepper, sausage, and garlic to pan and sauté until bell pepper is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil. Stir in shrimp and beans; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 min or until shrimp are done. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 4. Serve with crusty bread and hot sauce on the side.

Chicken Stew

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
1 carrot, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 chicken breast with ribs (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic)

Serving suggestion: crusty bread, chianti

Instructions
Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the
celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface
and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the stew into serving bowls and serve with the bread.

Tagliatelle with Mortadella

To serve 6:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/3 pounds (600 g) freshly made tagliatelle or fettuccine (dried will work if you must)
• An 8-ounce (200 g) slice of Mortadella di Bologna
• 1 pound (400 g) blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped plum tomatoes (you can if need be use plain canned tomatoes)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (if the tomatoes are tart)
• 2/3 cup milk
• Unsalted butter
• Freshly grated Parmigiano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION:

Dice the mortadella and brown it in a pot with a tablespoon or two of butter, stirring gently to expose all sides of the cubes to the pan. Add the tomatoes and the sugar if necessary, and cook for about 20 minutes.

When the sauce has thickened gently stir in the milk, season to taste with salt and pepper, and continue simmering over a low flame.

In the meantime bring pasta water to a boil, lightly salt it, and cook the tagliatelle. If they're fresh they should only require about three minutes. Drain them, season them with another pat of butter, the sauce, and serve, with grated cheese

Runza

• 2 loaves bread dough

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 4 cups chopped cabbage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1.     Thaw two loaves of frozen bread dough or make the equivalent amount using your favorite bread recipe.

2.     While dough thaws, make the filling.

3.     Brown the hamburger and drain, then return to pan.

4.     Add cabbage and onion and cook down.

5.     Salt and pepper to taste (1 tsp pepper recommended).

6.     Let dough rise, then punch down and roll a portion to 1/4" thickness.

7.     Cut into 4" x 8" pieces and add about 1/2 cup meat mixture to each.

8.     Fold dough pieces over and seal the edges, then place seam-side-down on a greased cookie sheet.  

9.     Let rise 20-30 minutes, then bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until brown.

Mini Greek Lamb Burgers

Serves 4. FOR TZATZIKI 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated (3/4 cup) 1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole milk yogurt 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint 1 small garlic clove, minced Salt and pepper FOR LAMB BURGERS 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb 1/2 small onion, minced (1/4 cup) 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried Salt and pepper 4 pieces pita bread (6 inches each) Iceberg lettuce, for serving 2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, sliced, for serving

Directions

1.     Heat grill or grill pan to high. Make tzatziki: In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, mint and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

2.     Make burgers: In a medium bowl, use a fork to gently combine lamb, onion, parsley, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Gently form mixture into 16 small patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Grill until medium-rare, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3.     To serve, warm pitas on the grill or directly over a gas burner, turning occasionally. Halve pitas, and fill with lettuce, burgers, tomato, and tzatziki.

Great with Greek Pasta Salad

Ham and Bean Soup

Cook Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

·         8 cups water

·         1 pound Great Northern beans or navy beans

·         2 cups cubed ham

·         1 ham bone or ham hock, optional

·         1/2 cup chopped onion

·         1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste

·         1 bay leaf

·         3 carrots, chopped

·         3 ribs celery, chopped or sliced thinly

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

Bring water and beans to a boil; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour.

Stir in ham, ham bone or hock, pepper, bay leaf, carrot and celery. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until beans are tender (skim foam from top), about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If soup is too thick, add a little water.

Remove ham bone or ham hock (if used) and trim meat from bone. Return meat to soup with tomato sauce and salt; simmer for about 15 minutes longer. Remove bay leaf.
Ham and bean soup serves 6.