Category Archives: Soups/Salads

Beef & Barley Soup

Barley

Beef Barley Soup

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The flavor of this soup relies on using a good and flavorful beef stock. Read the label to make sure it’s not over salted. Or you could try making a batch of your own!

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 pound beef stew meat or
  • 1 ½ cups leftover beef, chopped or shredded
  • Sea Salt and ground pepper
  • 1 cup pearl barley, cooked*
  • 1 small leek, diced
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced into bite sized pieces
  • 1 medium stalk celery, peeled and diced as you did the carrots
  • 1 medium onion, diced similar size to carrot and celery
  • 4 cups good beef stock

Heat the olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven or pressure cooker**.

Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown in batches, don’t crowd the meat or it will steam and not brown. Remove the meat and set aside. If using already cooked meat skip this step and jump ahead.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan if necessary, add the vegetables and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.

Add the barley and the reserved meat; simmer the soup for another 15 or 20 minutes, until the barley is tender. Season with a little salt and pepper if needed and enjoy.

To cook barley, bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the barley. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, drain, and set aside.

**To pressure cook the soup: After browning the meat, add the stock and barley to the pan, place the lid on the pressure cooker, bring to full pressure and cook for 10 min. I let the pressure cooker naturally release pressure before continuing.

Add vegetables and return to pressure over high heat. Cook 15 minutes and let pressure release. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Barley photo credit, Fine Cooking.  To read about barley follow this link, Fine Cooking-Barley

 

Minestrone Soup

minestronesoup

 

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This is my favorite cold weather soup, I love it with a little squeeze of lemon juice, it brightens up all the flavors in the soup. Served with a big chunk of homemade bread, it’s a meal all of it’s own. Make a big pot, the flavors get better the second day as it all marries together.

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, approximately
  • 1/4 pound diced pancetta*
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, minced
  • 2 stalks celery, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced
  • 1 can roma tomatoes, crushed, 15 oz.
  • 2 quarts chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, crushed or ground, or as needed
  • 2 salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups cooked mixed beans, red kidney, cannelini, black and borlotti
  • ¼ pound small pasta, cooked and cooled
  • 1 cup Swiss chard or spinach, chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced, to taste
  • ½ cup pesto sauce or
  • 2 tablespoons Chef Debbi's Romano Herb Seasoning Mix**
  • Parmigianno-Reggiano, for garnish

Serves 6

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil; when hot add pancetta and sauté until lightly browned. If needed, add another tablespoons of oil and onions, carrots, celery; sauté until the vegetables are translucent, approximately 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and parsley and then add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Season to taste with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.

If using canned beans, rinse and drain them before adding to the soup. Add Swiss chard or spinach to the soup and cook until slightly wilted. Add pasta and lemon juice, stir to mix well, adjust the seasoning and ladle into bowls.

Swirl a little pesto on top or Debbi's Romano herb mix and garnish with Parmigianno-Reggiano.

*Omit for vegetarian version

**Romano Herb Seasoning Mix available www.debskitchen.com

Cioppino

Cioppino

Image: Wikipedia

 

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San Francisco style cioppino will warm you up on a cold day; serve with warm crusty bread and you could even imagine you heard a foghorn. This is my adaptation of a favorite dish, don’t let the long list of ingredients dissuade you; this is quite easy to make.

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups dry white wine
  • 1 quart chicken stock, or fish stock
  • 1 lg. can whole plum tomatoes with juice
  • 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro -- chopped
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 pound white fish, halibut, sea bass, cut into large pieces
  • 1 pound small clams, washed
  • ½ pound calamari, cleaned and sliced
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 pound Dungeness crab, cut into 3-4” pieces, shell on
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • ¼ cup lemon zest
  • red pepper flakes, optional
  • Lemon wedges

Serves 6

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add oil and butter; when butter has melted, add onion and celery; sauté until translucent. Add garlic and stir briefly, do not brown. Add wine, stock, tomatoes with juice, herbs, lemon zest and salt and pepper; bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Add fish and clams to simmering broth, cover and cook 5 minutes.

Add calamari and shrimp, cook until shrimp are barely pink; then add crab and press gently to immerse in broth; cover and cook just

until hot, 2 to 3 minutes.

Ladle cioppino into wide bowls and sprinkle with parsley and lemon zest. Serve with lots of crusty bread and lemon wedges.

Gazpacho with Avocado

gazpacho-shooters

Gazpacho

Serves 2-4

1 small red onion
2 small cucumbers
2 ribs celery
1 small jalapeno, optional
1 roasted red bell pepper
6 medium tomatoes
1 cup French bread, cut into cubes and soaked in a little water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, zested
1 Tablespoon lemon juice, to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ Hass avocado, chopped

Rough chop the vegetables and add to a blender, for a chunkier texture process in a food processor instead of a blender.

Squeeze the water from the French bread cubes and add to a blender along with the vegetables. Add olive oil and vinegar and blend to a puree. Season with salt, pepper (if needed), lemon juice, zest and Worcestershire sauce. Refrigerate over night for best flavor.

To serve, check for seasoning again before pouring into a bowl. Garnish the top of the soup with the chopped avocado.

Goes very well with a nicely toasted slice of cheesy garlic bread.

 

Blue Cheese Tangerine-Apple Walnut Salad with Dried Cranberries

tangerines

Serves 4
¼ cup pomegranate vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 bunch baby spinach leaves
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced into large chunks
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted walnuts
3 tangerines — peeled and sectioned

For the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and olive oil; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly toss the spinach with enough dressing to coat leaves; place onto individual plates or a platter. Garnish with apples, cranberries, nuts and tangerine sections. Serve extra dressing on the side.

Apple and Pomegranate Salad

Ingredients

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 Pinch sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 ounces blue cheese — crumbled

4 cups baby mix lettuce

1 pomegranate — seeded

1 tart apple — cored and diced

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, large pinch of salt, large pinch

of pepper, and the sugar. Add vinegar, and whisk to combine. While

whisking, drizzle in oil. Continue whisking until emulsified. Add blue

cheese, and stir gently to combine.

In a large bowl toss lettuce with dressing and plate. Top with apple and

pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

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