Lemon Orzo Soup Recipe - Avgolemono

I usually go for thick, full meal type of soups, but this one made me rethink that. But this isn't a thin brothy soup.  The combination of the egg yolks and lemon thicken it perfectly.

Note - if you use store-bought broth and you decide not to buy low-sodium broth, at least check the ingredients to ensure that salt is at the bottom of the list. You can add your own salt as you need it, but no soup can be good with a stock made with mostly salt.


Ingredients:                                              Difficulty rating: easy

·      2 Tablespoons of olive oil

·   2 Medium carrots, diced *

·   2 Medium stalks of celery, diced * 

·      1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional)

     

·      1 medium leek, the white and like green parts only. *

o  Cut it in half lengthwise and cut the halves into ½ “ pieces

·     1 32 oz. package of organic vegetable broth 

o  Use organic chicken broth if you prefer

·      2 organic eggs

·      2/3 cup orzo or 2/3 cup white basmati rice

·      Juice and zest of 2 lemons **- plus some lemon wedges to serve with soup for people who really like the taste of the lemon (like me)***

·      Kosher salt (to taste)

·      Black pepper (to taste)

* Note - when I'm in a hurry, I don't add the carrots, celery or leek, I just depend on the vegetable broth for the taste.  Sometimes you are just cold and don't want to wait for a delicious way to get warm! Just remember, nothing beats a homemade broth.

** Note - DO NOT use store bought lemon juice.  Use real lemons, the soup depends on that.

*** Note - I like to serve it with wedges of preserved lemons if I have them.

Preparation: 
Add the olive oil into a 3 quart pot over a medium flame. 
If using the Aleppo pepper, add it now.  (When it's a souper cold night this can really warm you up)
Add the leek and stir frequently until it is translucent. 
Pour the broth into a 3 qt. pot. 
Cover and bring it to a boil.

Whisk egg and broth together

Once it boils, turn the heat down so it is no longer at a rapid boil, but to a simmer and add the orzo or rice, and cook until it is al dente (firm to the bite).  The orzo has a faster cooking time than the rice.

Pouring orzo into the broth

While waiting for it to the soup to cook, break the 2 eggs, add add the yolk into a medium bowl.  Whisk them together and slowly add lemon juice, whisking for about 45 seconds to 1 minute - until they look smooth.  This makes the soup a bit thick and silky.

SLOWLY add 1 cup broth of hot broth from the soup to the eggs, a little bit at a time and whisk.
(You don't want egg drop soup, so this should be well whisked).
This should take about 2 minutes, until there is a good froth on the top.

Incorporate this into the soup pot with the rest of the soup slowly.

When the orzo or rice is al dente (a bit firm 'to the teeth', not mushy), 

When the broth comes to a boil, uncover it pour the egg, lemon mixture in a steady stream into the broth.  

Add the lemon zest before turning off the flame.  

If necessary, add more lemon, salt and pepper.  

Put the lemon wedges or preserved lemon on the table so people can add more lemon as they chose.  I always add more lemon, because I prefer the lemony tang, but being mindful of others, I give them the choice.

Tuscan Bean Soup (Ribollita) Vegetarian soup or with an Italian ham.

Ingredients                                                                      Difficulty Rating: Easy               

-  2-3 Tablespoons  Olive Oil 

-  1 ½ Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the bread 

Prosciutto di Parma
Optional

-  If you eat meat, add  2 – 4 slices of prosciutto or capicola or 

     speck (please don’t call capicola ‘gabagul’ like they did 

     where I grew up in New Jersey. “Gabagul” is not an Italian word 
for anything and no Italian person will know what you’re talking 
 about) if you eat meat, if you don’t then leave it out – cut into 1” pieces.

-  2 medium sized shallots or ½ onion, chopped

-  4 minced garlic cloves plus 2 whole peeled garlic cloves for later

-  ¼ teaspoon pepperoncino flakes (dried hot red pepper flakes) – use more or less depending on your taste, if you’re not sure, use less and next time use more if you think you’d like a little more kick

-   2 carrots, thinly sliced

-   2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

San Marzano
 Tomatoes

-  1 15 oz. can Cannellini beans

-  1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes.  I usually try to buy San Marazno tomatoes.  They’re grown in the volcanic soil at the base of Mount Vesuvius (Monte Vesuvio) which is where they get their sweet, very low acid taste.  But if you can't find them in your grocery store, this soup will still be delicious with most other Italian diced tomatoes.. 

-  4 cups vegetable broth (if you’re a meat eater you can use chicken broth) – I prefer to use organic, unsalted broth

-   Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano – if you like it, use 2 Tablespoons, if you love it, (like I do) use as much as you want.  

*Hint: Add a Parmigiano-Reggiano rind into the soup if you have one.  Don’t throw those out, keep them. Put them in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer after you grate your last bit of cheese.  They’re great to throw into soup for extra flavor

-   Kosher salt

Escarole

-   Freshly ground black pepper

-   Escarole, rinse it very well – remember, this really shrinks when you cook it so you can easily use 1 small head of escarole and it won’t take over the soup.  I’ve tried this with Kale and if you like Kale and want to use it, fine, but Kale is so overused now that I’ve grown to hate it. 

-    4 thick slices of a hearty Italian bread, plus more for dunking in the soup.  Pane integrale (whole grain Italian bread, not whole wheat sandwich bread) would be OK with this soup of you prefer it.

Preparation

Enamel Coated Cast Iron 
Dutch Oven

Cast Iron Dutch Oven

-   - Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a heavy bottomed pot.  I usually use a good size black Cast Iron Dutch oven or an Enamel coated Dutch Oven

- Add the onion first and when it starts to soften add the garlic.  If you add them at the same time there’s a good chance the garlic will burn.  Stir it

As soon as the garlic starts to become translucent add the meat if you’re going to use it.  I don’t eat meat, so I skip that part. 

- Add the carrots and the celery and stir for about 5 minutes or until it becomes al dente (not mushy).

*Hint – sometimes I cheat and  put the carrots and celery into the microwave with just a touch of water or broth, just to get them to the point of al dente..  Then I add them to the pot, together with the tiny bit of liquid.  It’s faster and I get impatient stirring, even for 5 minutes.

- Add the Cannellini beans to pick up all the flavor in the pot.  Stir them gently for 1 minute.

- Add the diced tomatoes, and the broth.  Stir

- Add the Parmigiano rind now if you have one. Stir

- Simmer until the carrots and celery are tender, about 20 minutes.

- Remove the Parmigiano rind.

- While the soup is cooking, it’s time to make bruschetta.  (Bruschetta (pronounce Bru-sketa) is really just toasted Italian bread.  Most of us think of it as toasted Italian bread topped with a tomato mixture, but really bruschetta is really just the toast, the rest are toppings.)

Bruschetta

Pop-up toaster

- For a pop up toaster:

          Put the bread in and toast lightly
          Drizzle just a little of the bread with some extra virgin olive oil on both                sides (make sure it’s over a plate or it gets really messy.
          Rub both sides of the bread with the whole garlic clove

     -  For a toaster oven or broiler:

          Drizzle just a little of the bread with some extra virgin olive oil on both                sides  (make sure it’s over a plate or it gets really messy).

Toaster Oven

          Rub both sides of the bread with the whole garlic clove
          Remove it from the toaster over when it’s slightly golden on both                  sides

Or toast it any way you'd like

-  After simmering the soup for about 20 minutes, add the escarole – you can tear it into   
    pieces first if you’d like

-  Let it simmer in the soup for about 5 – 7 minutes

-  Put the soup into bowls and add a piece of the bruschetta on the top. 

To make it extra special sprinkle some Parmigiano and drizzle the remaining olive oil on the top of the bread. 

Be sure to make some extra bruschetta for dunking!

Black Bean Burgers - Vegan and Gluten Free, but Don't be Frightened, They're DELICIOUS!

Ingredients                                                                                      Difficulty Rating: Easy

2 - 3 carrots, depending on size

1 medium red onion

Bunch of cilantro (depending on taste)

Roasted red pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 cans Black beans

2 Tablespoons potato starch

1 teaspoon vegan mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons of vegetable or sunflower oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Food processor
Flat griddle - oil and preheat
Ice cream scoop (optional)

Preparation

Rinse the beans well leaving  none of the liquid from the can on the beans

Shred the carrots with the top shredding blade of the food processor.





Remove the shredding blade and put in the large S-shaped blade on the bottom of
the food processor


Add the carrots back into the food processor. Rinse and add the cilantro, red peppers, onion , potato starch, lime juice and mayonnaise.  Pulse several times - you DON'T want a puree, so make sure that you don't use the 'on' button on the food processor, it must be pulsed with short quick pulses.  Do this about 10 or 12 times.

Then add the black beans.  Pulse again until everything is mixed together, but it shouldn't be a smooth consistency.  It should be the consistency of chopped meat.

Taste it.  If it needs salt and/or pepper, add it now.  If you think it needs more cilantro or lime, add it now.

The griddle and the oil should be very hot, but not smokey.
I use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the bean mixture to keep everything a uniform size, but it's not necessary.  You can use a regular cooking spoon.

Scoop you the bean mixture, one scoop at a time
and add them gently to the hot griddle leaving some space between each one.



After you've got them all on the griddle, put oil on the back side of a spatula and gently tap them down until they look like a burger.  Don't push them down, but gently tap them with the oiled side of the spatula. Cook for about 5 - 6 minutes on each side.  You don't want them too soft on the inside.

Serve topped with guacamole and/or hot sauce or whatever topping you feel like creating. Serve them with or without buns (yes, there are glutton free hamburger buns). Serve them on top of greens.  BE CREATIVE and have fun!!!

Savory Lokshen Kugel

preheat to 350 ºF                                                                                                            Difficulty Rating - Easy

This is a dinner kugel, not a sweet dessert kugle. In my family we never had sweet kugels, and now I don't like them. I understand that lots of people do like sweet kugels, but not me. To each their own.

Fleishig recipe  (accompanying meat dishes)
Ingredients:
1 bag wide egg noodles
2 eggs - room temperature (I use 3 eggs)
4 Tablespoons margarine or ½ cup shmaltz (chicken fat) or a light oil (I substitute ¼ cup canola or sunflower oil)
Kosher salt to taste

Preparation:
In a large pot, bring water to a boil
When it boils, add noodles and cook for about 6 minutes or until noodles are soft, but not mushy
Drain noodles and put back into the pot.
Add oil or margarine
Mix the eggs and combine them and the salt with the noodles
Pour all the above ingredients into a 12" x 8" casserole Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.


Milchig recipe (Accompany dairy dishes)

Ingredients:

1 bag wide egg noodles
2 eggs - room temperature (I use 3 eggs)
4 Tablespoons butter or margarine or sunflower or canola oil Kosher salt to taste
Cottage cheese, farmer cheese and/or sour cream - whatever you have around the house. (I use ½ cup
Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper (to taste, optional)

Preparation:
In a large pot, bring water to a boil When it boils, add noodles and cook for about 6 minutes or until noodles are soft, but not mushy

Drain noodles and put back into the pot.
Add add oil or margarine and mix
Mix the eggs and combine them and the salt with the noodles

Combine all the remaining ingredients and pour into a 12" x 8" casserole



Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Zuppa con Polpettine - Meatball Soup aka Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients for Meatballs

·        1 pound lean ground beef  (some people prefer ¼ pound pork instead of all beef)
·        1/3 cup plain dried bread crumbs (I like to use panko crumbs put in the blender to a fine grind)
·        2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
·        1/3 cup grated Parmigiano                              
·        3 cloves garlic , finely minced
·        1 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
·        1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
·        1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
·        2 large eggs , beaten
·        1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Ingredients for Soup

·        2 tablespoons light olive oil
·        1 medium white onion , finely chopped
·        1 medium carrot , finely chopped
·        3 cloves garlic , minced
·        1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
·        1/2 crushed red pepper (optional)
·        1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper , to taste 
·        6 cups low-sodium chicken broth 
·        1 1/2 cups water 
·        14 oz. can of diced or crushed tomatoes
·        1 1/4 cup uncooked tubitini (you can use orzo or ditalini)
·        2 cups shredded kale (or spinach or escarole)

   

Method: 

Meatballs: Add beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, egg, and nutmeg  into a large bowl.  I use a food chopper (this was passed down to me from my mom , it's about 70 years old, she got it when she got married) to combine the ingredients and at the end I use my hands to gently mix together - mix well. 

Make small meatballs, about the size of a quarter by rolling them in your hands. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. Heat a griddle and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When it's hot add the meatballs, keeping them about 1/2" apart.  Brown on each side.  At this point they can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen.

Soup: Add olive oil to a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 4 minutes.

Stir in broth, tomatoes, and water. Cover and cook 10 minutes over medium heat or until soup comes to a boil. Boil for another 10 minutes

Add meatballs and tubitini to the boiling soup and stir to make sure they are fully submerged. Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes over medium heat. Stir in kale. Test a meatball and a piece of pasta to ensure that they are fully cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

Note: If you make the soup ahead of time don't add the tubitini until you reheat the soup.  Bring the soup to a light boil, add the pasta and let it boil for about 10 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Note:  If you don't eat it all at the first sitting, the pasta may soak up a lot of the soup, so you might want to add more broth. 

 

 

 

  

Sauteed Escarole and Beans (Scarola & Fagioli)

Serving size depends on how it is being served.

Ingredients:                                                                                          Difficulty Rating:  Easy

1 8 oz. can cannellini beans
2 medium heads of escarole – preferably organic
6 medium cloves of garlic-well diced
½ medium onion, diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin)
About ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste

Preparation

Rinse the beans well.  Don’t keep the liquid that the beans come in.  Some recipes may tell you to keep the liquid because it will make the dish creamier, but the sugars, starch and sodium from the beans are concentrated in the liquid and that is the part you want toget rid of. 

Rip the escarole into medium size pieces and rinse very well.  I usually spray it with Eat Cleaner, All Natural Fruit and Vegetable cleaner while I’m rinsing it. Then spin or pat dry.

Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a large sauté pan over a medium flame.  A large pan is needed because you’ll add the escarole at once.  It will shrink tremendously, but to hold it all in the beginning, the pan has to be big. 

When the oil is hot, but not yet smoking, add the crushed red pepper and the onions.  Sauté them for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, and add the garlic and a little bit of the salt. Let it sauté until the garlic is translucent.   Be sure it doesn’t burn.



Add the beans, stir and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Add the escarole to the pan.  It will be a lot of escarole, but it cooks down quickly.  



 

Cover the pan and let it cook over a low/medium flame for about 7 minutes.  It will cook down quite a bit. 

Uncover, add salt, pepper and Pecorino Romano to taste.  I often add a bit of good fruity Extra Virgin Olive Oil as well  Ahhhh....  delicious.

Escarole and beans can be served so many different ways.  We've had it as a main dish, as a side dish, over pasta, over risotto and even for breakfast.

That's how I had it today - as part of my favorite meal, breakfast.

How?

With sunny side eggs!  Sound crazy?

Give it a try.  It's delicious!