Tuscan Bean Soup

So have you been baking all that bread? Well, now you need something to go with it. Here’s my recipe for Tuscan Bean Soup using pantry items from my first book ‘What’s In Your Pantry’.

Tuscan Bean Soup

There are as many recipes for Tuscan Bean Soup as there are Italians, everyone makes their soup slightly different. Sometimes I like to use an immersion blender and mash some of the soup when it’s finished. Serve with lots of crusty bread and fresh butter.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 clove garlic
¼ lb. pancetta, chopped
1 stalk celery, minced
1 carrot, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 qt. chicken or vegetable stock
2 cans cooked cannelini beans, white kidney beans will do
1 small can chopped plum tomatoes
1 leftover rind of Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, ground or crushed
½ bunch fresh sage, chopped
2 sprigs Italian parsley, chopped

Heat a Dutch oven over a medium high heat, add oil and when hot, sauté onions until lightly translucent. Turn down the heat to medium; add garlic and pancetta, stir to cook but do not brown the garlic.

Stir in the celery and carrot, season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Add the tomato paste and stir until the vegetables are well coated.

Add the stock, beans, tomatoes, cheese rind and seasonings. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and let the soup simmer for at least 30 minutes. The cheese rind should have melted into the soup, but, if there is still a hard piece left, remove it and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

Chicken and Barley Soup

1 / 5 / 18

Chicken & Barley Soup

Poached Chicken
1 qt. chicken stock
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
½ small onion
2 medium chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on
Sea salt and ground pepper
Soup
2 stalks celery
2 carrots, peeled
½ small onion
Olive oil
Sea salt and ground pepper
6 cups chicken stock
2 medium chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on
1 cup cooked barley*
1 small can diced tomatoes
½ cup frozen peas
½ cup snow peas, cut diagonally into bite sized pieces
1 cup baby spinach
zest of 1 lemon plus 1 Tb. or more of juice

Poach chicken or purchase 2 cups cooked chicken.

To poach the chicken, bring chicken stock to a boil, turn heat down so the stock is just barely simmering. Roughly chop the celery, carrot and onion and add to the stock along with the chicken, season with a little sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and simmer for 20 min. to ½ hour or until chicken is cooked through but not dry. Remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat from the bone, discard skin and bone. Shred or chop the chicken into pieces and strain the stock through cheesecloth and reserve.

For the soup:

Cut celery, carrots and onion into bite sized pieces. Heat a Dutch oven or lg. saucepan over medium high heat, add just enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan, add the vegetables and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper and sauté until lightly translucent and soft. Add enough chicken stock to the reserved stock to measure 6 – 8 cups and add to the vegetables. Add remaining ingredients except the lemon juice and simmer until the spinach is barely wilted, adjust seasonings and serve with a little squeeze of lemon juice.

*See How to Cook Barley, Debskitchen.com

How to Cook Barley

1 / 5 / 18

Barley Basics

There are several types of barley, flaked, flour, grits, hulled, pearl and more. Most of the barley you’ll find in the supermarket is pearl barley or polished barley, which has had its hull removed, and most of the nutrients that go with that, but also reduces the cooking time (slightly). An un-hulled barley can take up to 20 minutes longer to cook but it’s an excellent source of fiber and keeps you fuller longer. Bob’s Red Mill has a great ‘hull-less’ barley that still contains the bran. It’s an ancient variety that grows in a loose hull thus saving much of the nutrition but it does take as long to cook as the un-hulled barley. Use 3 parts water or stock to 1 cup of barley; if using pearl barley start checking after about 20 minutes of cooking, barley can take up to 1 hour to cook. Try using a pressure cooker making a larger batch than you need and freezing the cooked barley in 1 or 2 cup packets for later use in soups or salads or as a side dish.

Some people like to soak their barley overnight or even for just a few hours. It doesn’t cut down much on cooking time and may alter the appearance or color of the grain but if you have trouble digesting whole grains this may work for you. Whole grains contain an anti-nutrient called phytic acid which binds with certain minerals (e.g. zinc, phosphorous, calcium and iron) and prevents them from being absorbed by the body. Phytic acid is also very hard on the digestive system. Most of the phytic acid is contained in the exterior bran and germ layers of the grain. Ironically, whole grains are much higher in minerals than polished or refined grains, but we won’t receive those benefits unless we neutralize the phytic acid. Soaking your grains before cooking them will neutralize the phytic acid and release the enzyme inhibitors, making them easier to digest and the nutrients easier to absorb. Soak overnight with a little squeeze of lemon juice or other acidic liquid (apple cider vinegar etc.), drain and rinse before using.

Barley Basics

To make in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot check the manufacturer’s instructions or try this website for info, https://instantpot.com/instantpot-cooking-time/

3 cups water or stock
1 cup barley
1 generous pinch of salt, optional

Combine the barley and water or stock in the saucepan. Add the salt if using.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat, cover and simmer, checking at 20 minutes for pearl or polished barley. Keep an eye on the pot as barley will give off a lot of foam at first and can cause the pot to boil over, for hulled barley, start checking at 40 minutes. The barley is done when it has tripled in volume and is soft yet chewy. Add more water if the pan becomes dry before the barley has finished cooking; check every 5 minutes until desired chewiness is reached.

When the barley is done, it will have absorbed most of the water. If there is a little water still left in the pot, just leave the barley to sit for 10 minutes, covered, until it has all been absorbed. If there is a lot of water left, drain the barley. If you want to cool it quickly to freeze, spread it out on a half sheet pan until cool, then measure and freeze.

Soup Season

10 / 3 / 17

Photo: Christina Peters

I love fall and winter and I love to cook hearty stews and warming soups. One of the most important ingredients is stock or broth for your dish and homemade is the best. Most of the time spent making stock is hands off, it needs to simmer for a good 4 hours so prep time in the kitchen can be limited to about 1/2 hour. Cut most of that time in half by making the stock in your pressure cooker but I like the results better just simmered slowly on the back of the stove. (Besides it makes your house smell wonderful!) I’ve included a list of descriptives for stock, broth, stew, soup etc. And my recipe for a perfect stock; stock is made with bones and broth is made with pieces of meat and vegetables and is a little less hearty than stock. Keep some stock in your freezer for quick meals during the winter season. Recipe below but here are some descriptives of soups, stews etc.

Bisque: a rich, thick usually smooth soup. Thickened either by pureeing or adding cream and usually made with some kind of seafood.

Chowder: a thick, chunky soup

Stock: clear savory liquid made from vegetables or meat on the bone

Broth: similar to stock but made with just meat or vegetables, not a hearty as stock

Gazpacho: a cold vegetable soup usually with tomatoes as main ingredient

Gumbo: thick broth with creole seasonings and chunks of meat & vegetables

Stew: thick soup with chunks of vegetables and/or meat

Soup: thinner than a stew with less chunks

Guides for making stocks

Use mild flavored vegetables, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes

No oily fish such as salmon

Beef bones with marrow will have more flavor

Use chicken feet for great taste and lots of natural gelatin

Do not season stock with salt until after it’s cooked

For making soups or stews

Any fresh or frozen veggie can be used. Do not defrost vegetable before using, just toss it into the stock.

Onion, peas, broccoli florets, celery, carrots, potatoes (will help to thicken soup also), corn, zucchini, peppers

Herbs

Basil, oregano, thyme, Italian parsley, crushed red peppers, Italian seasoning

Beans

Keep canned or frozen beans such as kidney, navy, white beans, pinto, black beans

Grains (pre-cook and freeze) Add at the end of cooking time

Farro, barley, rice, pasta, quinoa, beans

Chicken or Turkey Stock aka Bone Broth

1 whole organic chicken, about 4 lbs., rinsed well, or
3 # chicken pieces, backs, necks, wings, feet; these pieces will render a lot of gelatin (flavor) to your stock. Do not use livers but gizzards and heart are okay
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons cider vinegar, optional for bone broth
1 large onion, quartered, leave skin intact but wash off any dirt from the root
1 large carrot cut into thirds
2 celery stalks cut into thirds, include some top leaves
1 large leek, cut in half lengthwise and washed well between the leaves, cut into thirds
6-9 whole black peppercorns

Place the chicken into a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer and skim any foam that rises to the surface. This should take about 15 minutes.

After removing any foam add the cider vinegar (for bone broth), vegetables and herbs, bring back to a boil, turn heat to a simmer and cook 2 – 2 ½ hrs.

Remove from the heat and let the stock sit for 10 to 15 minutes, remove large chicken pieces and strain remaining stock through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Cool by placing the container of strained stock in an ice water bath in the sink and then refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove the fat from the stock by skimming with a ladle. The stock will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. Be sure to label and date before freezing.

To adapt the recipe for Turkey Stock, roast a turkey back, neck, 2 wings and 1 package of chicken feet (yes, chicken feet have tons of flavor!) in the same manner as above.

For a deep rich flavor you can brown all your chicken pieces and vegetables, if desired, before making stock.

*Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Directions

Place all pieces into the pot along with herbs, vegetables etc. Add 10 cups of cool water, cover and cook on high for 1 hour in your electric cooker. Let pressure cooker release naturally, strain and cool as above.

Beef & Barley Soup

1 / 7 / 161 / 19 / 16

Beef Barley Soup

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

12 / 6 / 142 / 4 / 15

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