Vegan Bolognese

With both my honey and his daughter being vegetarian, I have been on a quest to find a good meat substitute for certain of my favorite dishes, most of which use sausage. I haven't had good results, with none of them having the right texture, and few of them having an honestly sausage-y taste.

I don't get a chance to cook very often for his kids, and they are unadventurous and picky eaters, so I figured pasta to be a safe choice. How about a nice, hearty Bolognese? I had one more veggie sausage to try, one I found at Aldi, called Lightlife, which came in a bulk tube, the better with which to cook it up as a meaty sauce. 

It has a taste more like a breakfast sausage, so I added some garlic and ground fennel for an Italian flavor, lots of onion, some ground carrots and baby bella mushrooms for more texture, and cheated by using a simple TJ's marinara sauce. 

1 lb tube of Lightlife Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage
3 tbp olive oil
1 tsp fennel seed, coarsely ground
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium or one large onion
2 medium carrots
4 oz. baby bella mushrooms (or more if you like them)
6 cups of your favorite marinara sauce

Heat your pan, and then add the olive oil, sausage and fennel seed, all at once. Cook on low-med heat, chopping the sausage with a wooden spoon to break up as it cooks.

While it cooks, shred the carrots and mushrooms in the food processor. To get a find texture, I put the carrots through the large grate blade first, then remove it and use the chopping blade as I add the mushrooms. Chopping them this finely will result in them not being distinguishable in the sauce. Process to the texture you like, and add with the garlic to the sausage mix until incorporated.

Chop onion in 1/4" dice, and add to the pan. Saute until translucent, then add the sauce.

Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes- 1 hour. Serve over a hearty pasta, such as rigatoni.

This will make a big enough batch to freeze some for later.

Kale and sausage soup with chickpeas

It's been four years since I made a post here, but I have been prompted enough by friends who see my food posts on facebook that I'll give it another shot. The hardest part for me about posting as a recipe blog is that I seldom use a recipe at all, and just throw ingredients together, which may vary from time to time, depending on my mood and what's available. Always feel free to adjust these to your own tastes accordingly.

I love kale enough that at least one person has referred to me as "the kale lady," and I use it often. This soup has pretty much become a staple in my choices of comfort food. Warm, richly flavored, and full of protein, accompanied by some good bread, this is a meal that can last you all day.

1 lb package of Italian turkey or pork sausage
2 tsp olive oil 2 medium or one large onion
10 oz. package or small head of kale, chopped
2 15 oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 qt. low-salt vegetable or chicken stock
1 qt. (more or less) water
8 oz. can of tomato sauce (or small can of diced tomatoes)
few dashes of black pepper
few dashes of Aleppo pepper
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

Saute the sausage until browned on the outside. If you use turkey sausage, you may need to add the oil at this point; if you use pork sausage, you should drain off the fat, and then add the oil. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Saute the onions until translucent.

While they cook, I usually go over the kale, separate the stems and chop them finely. They add texture and plenty of flavor, but if you really don't like them, at least save them for the stock pot! Once the sausages are cool enough to handle, peel the casings off and cut them into crosswise slices.

When the onions are done, add all the other ingredients and simmer for 1/2 hour or so. Enjoy.

Variations I have used include adding diced potatoes and/ or sliced carrots. If you do this, let them cook about 15 minutes in the stock before you add the kale and the beans.

Moroccan style pumpkin and chickpea stew

Once my neighbors are done with their autumn displays around the end of November, there are plenty of freebie pumpkins to be had in my development come trash day. Fortunately, it's cold enough here that they keep quite well in my unheated garage, although once brought inside, they need to be used fairly quickly, or they turn to mush. Since there are only so many pies and breads I can consume on my own, I've developed all sorts of other things to do with them, including soups and stews.

The seasonings for this stew are inspired by the flavors of Morocco, and the sunny colors and exotic spices are most welcome in the dead of winter. These flavors are easily adjusted to your own taste; I think a bit of cayenne would be really good in this, for instance, but I can't handle hot spices, so I leave it out.

In a large saucepot, saute 1 large onion and 2 ribs of celery in extra virgin olive oil until translucent. Create a well in the center of the pan and add: 1 tsp. ground coriander (seed), 1 tsp. ground cumin , 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. ground allspice, 2 tsp. paprika. Saute until spices are well blended and fragrant.

Add 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, 1 drained can chickpeas, and about 2 quarts of fresh pumpkin (or you could use butternut or some other squash), peeled and cut into 1" cubes. If you cut them smaller, they're likely to become puree in the soup. Add 2 cloves garlic, sliced, 1/4 tsp. saffron, and a generous sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper. Add approximately 1 cup of vegetable, chicken stock, or water, enough to barely cover vegetables. Bring to a low simmer for at least an hour, until vegetables are very tender. Taste after 1/2 hour, and add salt and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve over cooked couscous, quinoa or fluffy white or brown rice.

Turkey and Three Bean Chili

Although I call this Turkey Chili, it started out as a vegetarian, bean-based chili, and it can revert back to that original form easily.*

It was back then that I discovered my "secret ingredient" for the base. The results I had been getting, while they had a great flavor, had a texture that was too much like baked beans. I didn't want to use tofu (more beans, really), but wanted to add something to the mix that would bulk out the texture, yet wouldn't make it taste like something else. What I eventually came up with was shredded carrots!

They're the right color, their naturally sweet flavor blends in perfectly with the savory cumin and coriander seasonings, the texture provides a perfect medium for the beans, and if they're grated finely enough, you're not really sure what they are. I once served a milder version of this at a party intending it to be for the adults, but all the children present chose it over soup with a sandwich. What a great way for kids to get their vegetables!

Eventually, meat crept its way in, and I made it for years using ground turkey (as it's photographed here). I've also made it with chicken, and although I'm not a big red-meat eater, there's no reason it wouldn't work with beef. I first tried making turkey chili with roast turkey one year when I had more than enough Thanksgiving leftovers for one person to use. The results were so good that henceforth, I've make a turkey with the intention of freezing a certain portion of it for later use in chili. Dark meat seems to give the best flavor.

A few notes about the spices. First, this is not a mild chili. If you want a milder one, I suggest starting with half the amounts here, and than adding a little at a time to taste, or only using chili powder, and leaving the other peppers out.

Second, I'm very picky about my spices, and they really do make a difference. I happen to love Penzeys, and I'm lucky enough to have one near to me; they ship anywhere here in the U.S. and some overseas locations. I also buy my spices whole when I'm able, and use a mortar and pestle (or you can use a little electric chopper/grinder) to grind them just before they go into the pot. Trust me, if you buy the large, inexpensive jars that they sell at the corner drug store, or use spices you've had in your cupboards for a while, you're going to get different results.

Last, the use of nutmeg with the turkey. I have no idea what inspired me to try this the first time, but I discovered that using a little nutmeg with ground turkey improves the taste incredibly. Since then, I always use it, regardless of what I'm making. One of the things I'm most often told about this dish is that it "doesn't take like turkey", and I'm sure that's why.


Turkey and Three Bean Chili


3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 lb. ground turkey, or cooked, roasted turkey, cut into 3/4" cubes* **
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large white onion, diced
1 lb. carrots, finely shredded
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 28 oz. cans crushed or diced tomatoes
1/2 tbsp. best quality chili powder (Penzeys has several heat levels, and I use "Regular")
1/2 tsp. ancho chili pepper
1/2 tsp. aleppo pepper
1/2 of a Guajillo pepper, including seeds, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp, oregano
1 15 oz. can yellow corn, drained (be sure to get a brand with no sugar added), or 1-1/2 cups frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 15 oz. can each of black, dark red, and light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Heat a large pot on medium high heat, add oil and cumin, and cook for a minute or so, until spice is fragrant. Add coriander, and cook a few seconds more, then add the turkey. Sprinkle turkey with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and cook well, taking care to insure that the meat is in fine pieces. When it's just about done, add onion and cook a few minutes, then add carrots and garlic, and saute about 5 minutes, until carrots are cooked.

Add tomatoes, and if mixture seems dry, about 1 cup of water. Sprinkle in the peppers, cinnamon and oregano, bring to simmer, and then cover and cook on low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. If you would like to make this in advance, it freezes well at this point, before the beans and corn are added.

Add corn and beans. Taste for seasonings at this point, and adjust as necessary. Cook on low heat, covered, for about an additional hour. Serve over piles of fluffy white rice, and sprinkle with jack cheese or queso if desired.

Enjoy.


** If using cooked, roasted turkey, add to other ingredients right after tomatoes.

* If you leave out the meat, either add another can of your favorite beans, or reduce the seasonings by about 25%.

Vegan Paella

I had a large potluck to attend a while back, and I was supposed to bring something Spanish-influenced. I dithered all week about what to bring, since I know little about Spanish food and didn't want to bring Tex-Mex. By that morning, I still hadn't decided, but I wasn't that concerned when I decided to take a late morning nap, since I had plenty of time... Next thing I knew, it was 3 PM, and I had two hours to shop, cook, and get myself ready!

Well, the only logical thing to do was to improvise with things I already had on hand. Quick perusal of a couple of cookbooks for ideas, and I decided a Spanish rice dish would fit the bill. But not a typical one - how about a paella? Essential ingredients: medium grain rice, saffron, garlic, sweet red peppers... check, check, check... Ok, what about the protein source? Not enough time to cook chicken, don't want to worry about shellfish allergies with frozen shrimp, many folks won't want to touch clams... why not beans? A vegan paella would keep well at room temperature, and be quite a bit more crowd-friendly. Thus it went, improvising as I went, to make this simple, quick, and tasty "vegan paella" that was a big hit:

This recipe is approximate, as it's from memory. Feel free to alter it to suit your own tastes, and what you have on hand.

Saute one med white onion, diced, on med high heat, in 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil for about two minutes. Add one sweet red pepper, and when onions just begin to toast slightly, turn heat down to low and add 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until garlic begins to soften, but do not toast it (add a few drops of water if necessary.)

Add 1-1/2 cups Spanish or Mexican style medium-grain rice. (You can substitute regular long grain rice, but then decrease liquids by about 1/4 cup, and reduce cooking time to 12 minutes.) Saute rice with the vegetables until it just begins to turn opaque. Add 3 cups of hot vegetable or chicken stock, some salt if the stock needs it, 1/4 tsp. crushed saffron threads, 1/4 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp. aleppo pepper flakes. If you have to use regular red pepper flakes instead, start with less and add to taste. This is not supposed to be a spicy dish.

Stir all together, then add 1 can drained garbanzo beans, 1/4 c. brined capers and 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley. If I had artichokes on hand, they would have been a marvelous addition, as would green peas (frozen work just fine). Cover and simmer on very low heat for 15 minutes, and do not uncover during this time. The rice should be al dente, and will continue to soften a bit as it sits covered. If it's very dry, you can add a little more liquid, but not more than a tablespoon or two, or the rice will get too soft.

I'd let it wait another 15 minutes or so before I serve it, and it stayed hot in a covered container for nearly 2 hours.

Herb-Crusted Roast Pork Loin with Sauerkraut

When I was young, my mother made pork roast with the sauerkraut baked along with the meat. Family lore has it that the first time she made it, she misunderstood the instructions given to her, and she and my Dad liked the result so much that she always did it that way henceforth. I love the way that baking the sauerkraut mellows it a bit, yet still adds a bit of nice tartness to the meat. In this version, we get additional tang from the addition of a mustard, herb and black peppercorn crust.

A roast is hardly what comes to mind when I think of thrifty eating, but when I was looking recently to make dinner for guests and I saw a bone-in loin for $1.19/lb., it turned out to be an economical choice, indeed. It fed four generously, and leftovers went on to become sandwiches, an addition to homemade spaghetti sauce, and the remnants and bones the base for a bean soup. This could have easily served 8 people. I wish I had a photo of this one, because it really was lovely!


1/4 cup spicy brown or country style prepared mustard
1/2 tbsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. powdered bay leaf
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or dried, and soaked in hot water for a bit to rehydrate)
2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 6-8 lb. loin of pork, bone in (you can use boneless, but you'll need to look up and alter the cooking time)

2 tbsp. black peppercorns, coarsely ground
1 32 oz. refrigerated bag of sauerkraut

Mix together the first 6 ingredients. If necessary, trim extra fat off meat. (Most meat departments sell them very well-trimmed these days.) Rub mustard mixture all over pork roast, and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 1 to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain sauerkraut, and spread a layer over the bottom of the roasting pan, large enough to make a base on which to place the meat. Take remaining peppercorns, and carefully spread them all over the coated roast, taking care to cover all areas evenly. If necessary, add a little more mustard so that the peppercorns stick. You may have some peppercorns left over, depending on the surface area of the roast. Set roast on the sauerkraut, bone side down.

Put meat into oven and then turn temperature down to 350 degrees. Roast for 20-25 minutes per pound, until meat thermometer in the center of the roast registers 155 degrees, or up to 165 if you prefer it well-done. Let rest 10 minutes before carving.

Enjoy.

Wild and Brown Rice Pilaf

When I was young, and just learning to cook for myself, I often took cues from popular items from the supermarket shelves. One such thing that I discovered was Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice. But, concerned about unhealthy ingredients even back then, I would make it with only a portion of the flavor pack they provided, which was full of salt, sugar, and other unnecessary chemicals. I then started substituting herbs from my own shelf, and soon realized that I was paying a couple of dollars for what amounted to about a cup of rice, and knew I could do better.

Wild rice was a pretty esoteric item back then, I had to go to a gourmet store to find it, and it was expensive, but still quite affordable compared to the tiny amount that you got in the packaged mix. I still liked using parboiled rice at the time, so I would buy the large bags of Uncle Ben's. I played around with the herb blend, and learned to use stock instead of water for a richer taste.

Over the years, this has become one of the basic dishes in my repertoire. Onions and mushrooms have become a standard additions, and celery if it's on hand. If you like mushrooms, add some dried porcinis to the stock for a really rich flavor. It's easy to make this into a main dish by adding a little chicken or other leftover meat (or tofu), and it can make a great poultry stuffing. In fact, I even add it to the bread mixture that I use to stuff my Thanksgiving turkey. Mixed bread and rice sounds odd, but it really works well.

Eventually, other kinds of rice found their way into the markets, and into my kitchen. These days, I'm most likely to use brown rice, but basmati, jasmine, and short-grain Spanish rice all work well with this. This recipe adapts well to all of them, and it can translate to a risotto quite easily.


1/2 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
1- 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, chopped finely
1 stalk celery, with leaves, chopped finely
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic (optional)

1-1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock**
1 cup water
1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1-1/2 tsp. dried poultry seasoning*
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
salt to taste
1 cup of brown (or your favorite) rice**

Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a small saucepan. Add wild rice, and cook for about 1/2 hour, until kernels start to pop open, but before they're thoroughly soft. Drain and set aside. (Note: Some wild rice directions have you use a smaller amount of water and allow it all to be absorbed. You may use this method if you prefer, but it will be a much heavier and earthy flavor.)

Heat a medium-sized saucepan, then add oil, onions and celery. Sauté until nearly soft, add the mushrooms and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the stock, water and seasonings and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer on low until 6 minutes before the cooking time is done. Stir in the drained wild rice, and continue to cook covered for 6 more minutes. When the cooking time is done, remove from heat, but leave the lid on and do not stir for at least 5 minutes before serving. (This is important for a light and fluffy rice.)

Enjoy.


** Different types of rices vary quite a bit in the amount of liquid they require and the amount of time they need to cook. Follow the recommended amounts and the cooking time on the package of whatever rice you use, less a couple of tablespoons of water to compensate for the moisture in the vegetables.

* I use Penzeys Bouquet Garni blend, but you can use a powdered blend such as Bell's Seasoning with good results. If you use fresh herbs, double the quantity.

Nutty Grain Bread

One of the things I've noticed in recent years is that the breads we buy in the supermarket keep getting sweeter and sweeter, to the point where I've noticed it affecting the taste of my sandwiches. This is especially true of whole grain breads, which I prefer, even when you get them in the health food store, or my favorite place to shop, Trader Joe's. With that in mind, I decided that I should learn how to make my own.

My hands aren't really strong enough to knead bread well, and I keep my house on the chilly side, so I figured a bread machine would be my best bet for good results. Not on my budget while I'm out of work, I turned to Freecycle, a great site where people can post to either offer unwanted goods, or to find things they need. On my third try, on Christmas Eve, I got a reply. Someone in a nearby town had an up-to-date, digital bread machine that had been used maybe half a dozen times, and still had the original instructions, etc. After a few emails to coordinate the pick-up, on the day after Christmas, I drove over the river and through the woods to a house way out in the countryside. There, I found a large white plastic bag sitting in the driveway for me, wet from the day's drizzle. A Christmas gift, my favorite one, from an unknown benefactor named Chris. I'll always consider it my present from Santa Claus, aka Kris Kringle.

Eager to use it, I rushed home to check out some recipes, only to find that every authority on the subject said I needed to use bread flour, and couldn't use the all-purpose I had on hand. So, what else to do till the next day than check out recipes. I also solicited my English friend, who had served me delicious bread machine bread while I was there visiting, who offered me good advice, and a basic whole-wheat recipe from which to start.

Out the next day to buy supplies, I headed to a good discount grocer in town that caters to the significant minority of South American residents here. I returned with 5 lbs. each of white and wheat bread flour, yeast, a bag of wheat berries, a bag of flax seeds, and sunflower seeds. Amazingly, that only came to a little more then $10, much less than I had expected, and far less than the supermarket chains would have charged. I'm estimating that a 1.25 lb. loaf is running me about $1.75, significantly less than I'd be paying for store-bought bread.

After a few attempts and recipe tweaks, this is what I'm now using for my basic household bread. I haven't bought any from the supermarket since the first of the year, and now I'm comfortable enough that I'm trying other kinds as well.


Nutty Grain Bread

7/8 cup lukewarm water
4 tsp. oil
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup white bread flour
1 cup whole wheat bread flour
1/4 cup wheat germ flakes
1-1/4 tsp dried yeast (1/2 of an envelope)
2 tbsp flax seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup cooked wheat berries

Follow the instructions for your own machine, or consult a bread book if you want to try this by hand. I first used the whole wheat setting, which makes a lighter, more open texture, but now I make it on the basic bread cycle, which results in a denser loaf that's great for sandwiches. Most machines instruct you to put the liquid ingredients in first, followed by the flours, and then the yeast. After the initial mixing, check the texture of the dough, and adjust the flour or water if necessary. My machine has a beep after the first rising, which is when I add the seeds and wheat berries. I've tried softening the wheat berries in water, but cooking them thoroughly works much better. I make about 1 cup, and then freeze them in 1/4 cup batches for future use.

Roasted Chicken with Winter Vegetables

About a week ago, my best friend was having a birthday, and I invited her and her husband over for dinner. She's someone who is very particular about her diet and healthy eating, and many of our friends are reluctant to cook for her. The only modification I made from how I might usually make a dish like this is that I prefer to use butter or margarine and make an herb butter for the chicken, as it's easier to work with.

I headed to the supermarket with only a vague idea of what would be on the menu. I found roasters on sale, as well as white potatoes, yams and butternut squash. That was the germ of my inspiration, and the result turned out to be such a hit that the enormous plate of vegetables I put on the table yielded no leftovers. A simple green salad rounded out the dinner. The entire dinner for 4 cost me about $15 (before wine, provided by a friend), and there was plenty of meat left over for soup. If you're feeding a crowd, add another potato and yam or two, but make sure your roasting pan is big enough.


1 roaster chicken
2 tbsp. assorted dried and/or fresh herbs, finely minced (I used a premixed Bouquet Garni, and added additional thyme, tarragon, rosemary and fresh parsley)
1 butternut squash (I used only 2/3 of it)
1 large white potato
1 large yam
2 ribs celery
1 large or 2 medium onions
olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
sea salt and freshly-ground pepper

Take the herbs and mix them in a small dish with about 1-1/2 tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt. Set aside. (As I mentioned before, this also works very well with butter or margarine instead.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove giblets from chicken, and make a stock, if desired, by covering them with about 6 cups of water with some salt, bay leaf, and the trimmings from everything except the potatoes. Simmer on low heat for about an hour, strain and store (I freeze mine). Makes about 1 quart.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry, and salt the cavity. Lift the skin by running your hand under it all over the breasts and legs. Spread the herb mixture under the skin, making sure to get to all areas. This is likely to get oil on the outside of the skin as well, but if it's not covered, add a few drops to the outside, and salt lightly if desired.

Put the chicken in a large roasting pan and roast for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 for 1 hour.

Peel all the vegetables and cut into 1-1/2" cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt, and a generous amount of cracked black pepper. Add them to the roasting pan with the wine, lifting the chicken and placing it on top. (Note: I like my poultry very well done, falling off the bone. If you want it cooked less, adjust the time per the roaster instructions, leaving 1 hour for the veggies.)

Plate up and serve.

Butternut Squash Risotto

This is a repost from elsewhere, but I made this dish for a potluck dinner party I attended a while back, and it was a great hit, so I thought I'd share it.

Ingredients

3 lb. butternut squash, cut into 3/4" cubes
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp sugar*
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter (can use olive oil instead)
1 medium onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups low salt chicken or vegetable stock
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese*

* optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss squash cubes with oil and sugar, and roast in shallow baking pan for 10 minutes. Toss and roast for 10 more minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and set aside. (May be done 1 day in advance. Bring to room temperature before adding to rice.)

Bring stock to a simmer and keep at a very low simmer.

Meanwhile, cook onion in butter over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, about 3-4 minutes, until rice becomes opaque. Add wine and cook until it is absorbed.

Stir in 1/2 cup hot stock, and cook at a simmer, stirring frequently until broth is mostly absorbed. Continue simmering and adding stock 1/2 cup at a time, making sure it's is absorbed before adding more, and stirring thoroughly with each addition. Cook until rice is creamy looking but still al-dente, about 20 minutes total. There may be some leftover broth.

When you add the last scoop of stock, stir in the squash pieces, sage, and a generous grind of fresh black pepper. At the end of the cooking, stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately garnished with sage sprigs and additional cheese. Pass additional cheese if desired. Makes 8 generous servings.

Minestrone

Whenever I think of minestrone, I have a memory from some 20-odd+ years ago, back when Dunkin' Donuts made its first foray into the non-donut world. Looking to expand into the lunch market, they offered soups, and we found ourselves in the Horseheads, NY Dunkin', looking for an alternative to the other fast food options en route. As I ordered the minestrone, the waitress looked at me as if I had strange things coming out of my head, and I finally had to point to the board so that she could see I really was ordering something from the menu. "Oh, you mean mine-strone?" She was incredulous at my pronunciation of "Min-est-roney", and seemed to think we were saying it that way to mock her. To this day, when my son and I refer to this easy and versatile soup with each other, we call it "mine-strone".

Yesterday's kitchen project was to take the carcasses of 3 chickens and turn them into stock. In addition to the chicken, some odds and ends from the refrigerator, including a cut onion (including the skin), some celery, carrots, parsley stems and some remaining sauce left from a chicken cacciatore made last week, seasoned with bay leaf, salt and black pepper. Four quarts went into the freezer, 3 of them with meat, and one with only broth. The remaining 1.5 quarts was the basis for a delicious minestrone, not a classic recipe, but one to include yet more things that needed using up.


Saute in a few tablespoons of olive oil:
1 medium onion
1 celery stalk and/or a handful of celery leaves

If you have any bacon, pancetta, or pork bits on hand, 1 small piece is enough to add a lot of flavor. Add a couple of cloves of chopped garlic toward the end, and do not allow it to brown.

Add a 1 lb. can of diced tomatoes in juice, or its equivalent in fresh tomatoes, and 6 cups or so of chicken stock with meat (optional - this can be a great vegan dish with vegetable stock), and 2 cans of your favorite beans, drained and rinsed. I used garbanzos and canellini beans.

You'll need some green vegetables, and zucchini is the classic addition. I had none on hand, so used a large handful of fresh spinach leaves and about a cup of frozen haricots verts that I chopped into 1-inch pieces. If you like, you can add a small amount (1 tablespoon or so) of Italian cheese such as Parmesan or adagio to the pot.

Now you can see what else you want to use up. Cabbage is a classic addition, and I had a small amount of sauerkraut that needed to be used, so I tried it. The tartness was absorbed into the food during cooking, and it came out quite good. I also had leftover corn, and added that.

Add about 2 cups of water, about 1-1/2 tsp crushed oregano, some freshly ground black pepper, and salt to taste. If you use commercial broth or added cheese, you probably won't need any.

Separately, cook 1/2 lb. of small pasta until al dente. I like small shells, but elbows, rings or ditalini work just fine. Drain pasta and cover in room-temperature water until ready to serve.

To serve, drain pasta and put into bowls. Ladle soup on top, and grate some Romano or Parmesan cheese on top (optional). Serve with some good, hearty bread. Enjoy.

Welcome to my blog

Over the past few months, I've taken to making occasional food posts on another blog or on facebook, and I'm often surprised at how much attention they get. I frequently get requests for recipes, or comments from my friends that suggest that what I do is something mysterious to them, a bit of alchemy, if you would.

It's interesting to me, because I don't consider myself a gourmet cook. Far from it; the food I cook is mostly homey comfort food, simple, with an emphasis on healthy ingredients and straightforward cooking techniques. You're unlikely to find me "boning a duck", and if I make spanakopita, I'll be using store-bough filo. I also won't hesitate to use canned beans or frozen vegetables, especially at those times of the year when fresh ones are likely to be imported or of lower quality.

The other irony is that most of these posts have been made during very lean economic times for me. I've been unemployed for the past few months, and I'm on a very tight food budget, sometimes as little as a dollar a meal. In order to get there, I've had to make every bite count, and to make sure that nothing goes to waste. A lot of what I've been doing involves transforming leftovers into other things, finding ways to stretch a roast, or to use up odds and ends before they spoil. The title of the blog, and the focus of my posts, will be on eating well without spending a lot.

Am I an "epicure"? Sure, but of the gourmand rather than the gourmet variety. Thefreedictionary says an epicure is, "A person with refined taste, especially in food and wine. 2. A person devoted to sensuous pleasure and luxurious living." Wikipedia says a gourmand is "a person who takes great pleasure in food." Quite honestly, my preference would have been something more along the lines of "thrifty gourmand" or "alchemy on a shoestring", but after a few dozen tries for a name that wasn't taken, here we are.

Although I'll be posting recipes, there aren't likely to be hard and fast ingredients lists. A lot of things I make involve a quick inventory of the fridge or a browse through the produce or meat aisle before I'm inspired. Salt, sugar, etc. should always be to your own taste, not mine. If I use tarragon and you don't like it, you should always feel free to use other herbs that you prefer. I also recognize that while I'm without a paying job, I have more time than funds on my hands. So, I might be making my own stock, for instance, but that doesn't mean that store-bought wouldn't work just fine.

I'm fairly dedicated to cooking with a healthy approach but I'm not absolute about these things. If a piece of bacon is all you need to elevate a dish from good to sublime, I'll use it, but you're not going to find me making high fat dishes, sauces laden with cream, or decadent desserts. I don't eat that way, nor do I cook that way. There are plenty of those to be found elsewhere.

Comments are encouraged. If you have success or failure with something, or if you try a variation of something I suggest, I'd like to hear about it.