The Feel Better Soup

This soup has made regular appearances in our house this month.  Which is to say...we've been sick a few times.  But fortunately, one of us was always able to muster enough energy to peel & chop a few vegetables.  I like this soup because it's bland enough that it won't aggravate an already upset stomach, but it's not so bland that the non-sick person feels like she's slurping a bowl of salted hot water.  It's also warm & hearty enough to cut through fever-induced chills, à la, the flu.  Now don't get me wrong, this is not the most flavorful soup you'll make this winter.  But it's probably one of the best things for you if you're sick.

The Feel Better Soup

6 cups stock (vegetable, chicken, or whatever you prefer)
2 potatoes, peeled
2 carrots, peeled
2 celery stalks, rinsed
1/2 bag frozen corn
1/2 bag frozen peas
fresh herbs (if you have some)

1.  In a large pot, heat stock to boiling then reduce to a simmer.  (You can add water here if you want more broth & less "stuff" in your soup.)

2.  Chop potatoes, carrots, and celery stalks into bite-size pieces.  Add to pot.  Cook until potatoes & carrots are soft enough to eat, ~12 minutes.

3.  Add corn & peas.  Continue cooking another 3-4 minutes until everything is hot.

4.  Serve.  If you're a non-sick person cooking for & eating with a sick person, add some extra salt & freshly ground black pepper to yours for more flavor.  Fresh herbs are also good to add here.  We had fresh thyme once, & it was a great addition.

Makes 4 large servings.

Tomato Topped Polenta

And on the very last day of January, I squeeze in my second blog post of the month.  New Year's Resolution - so far, so good. 

Anyway, polenta & tomatoes.  To tell you the truth, this dish isn't exactly my favorite.  BUT that's because I'm not the biggest fan of tomatoes.  In fact, unless it's been stewed beyond recognition into a chili or some type of pasta sauce, I can't say that I really even like tomatoes.  And this recipe features tomatoes, looking very much like tomatoes, front & center.  That said, David thought this dish was delicious (because he's one of those people that actually eats raw tomatoes!).  So considering that it only took about 30 minutes to make & requires minimal ingredients, I'll probably make it again.

Tomato Topped Polenta
Polenta cooking instructions adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
salt
1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal not instant)
1 tablespoon butter
black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bunch cherry or grape tomatoes, rinsed
freshly grated parmesan

1.  Mix water & milk with a pinch of salt in a large saucepan, & bring to a boil.

2.  When boiling, steadily pour in the polenta, & whisk.  Make sure there are no lumps. 

3.  Turn heat to lowest setting, & cook about 10 minutes, whisking frequently.  The polenta will thicken, & you can tell that it's ready when it's absorbed all the liquid. 

4.  Meanwhile, heat olive oil, garlic, & red pepper flakes in a pan over medium heat.  Before the red pepper flakes start to brown, add the tomatoes & stir to coat.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

5.  Cook about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down.  Remove from heat, & smush any tomatoes that remain whole.

6.  When the polenta is finished, add butter & pepper & stir.

7.  Spoon polenta onto plates.  Top polenta with cooked tomatoes.  Add a drizzle of good olive oil over top along with some freshly grated parmesan.

Makes 2 servings. 

Lemon Broccoli Pasta

So with all of the eggnog & Christmas cookies consumed last month, it seems I had little time to actually record the Christmas season's culinary projects on this blog.  That's not exactly a surprise since I've never been good at updating regularly.  So, my new year's resolution is to make 2 new blog posts a month.  This seems like an achievable goal so I might actually do it.  And it means I'll be trying at least 2 new recipes a month.

To start us off, a super quick & easy pasta recipe.  This is a simple recipe so ingredients are key.  Freshly grated parmesan & good olive oil (we got some for Christmas!) will make a difference.  Other vegetables can be substituted for the broccoli...I'm thinking spinach or asparagus would both be good choices.  And feel free to use whatever type of pasta you have on hand.

Lemon Broccoli Pasta

1/2 pound dried pasta
2 heads broccoli  (or 1 bunch asparagus/spinach)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic (use less if you're not a garlic fan)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes  (use less/none if you don't want the spiciness)
lemon juice
fresh parmesan cheese
salt & fresh black pepper

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  While waiting for it to boil, chop broccoli into eat-able size pieces.

2.  Add pasta to boiling water.  When the pasta is about halfway cooked, add the chopped broccoli to the same pot & continue cooking until pasta is fully cooked.  (This will result in broccoli that still has a little crunch to it.  If you're using spinach, rinse it & remove the stems.  Then add the spinach to the pot when the pasta has about a minute left to cook.)

3.  Drain pasta/broccoli, & reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water.

4.  Heat olive oil, minced garlic, & red pepper flakes in a skillet.  Watch this carefully, & remove from heat before garlic or red pepper flakes start to brown.

5.  Drizzle heated olive oil/garlic/red pepper flakes over pasta & mix.  Squirt some lemon juice & grate some parmesan over the mixture.  Add pasta water a little at a time to thicken the dish.  Add salt & pepper & more lemon juice & parmesan to taste. 

(If you want an even easier cleanup, skip step 3 & just drizzle some olive oil over the pasta with the lemon juice & parmesan.  And you'll only have 1 pot to wash.)

Makes 4 servings.