Pasta E Fagioli

Menu:

Pasta E Fagioli Soup (copycat recipe from Olive Garden)

Italian Bread

Recipe:

Pasta E Fagioli Soup (bag or container for Crock Pot)

1 lb ground meat or Italian Sausage, cooked and drained

1 C diced onion

1  C diced or sliced carrot

1  C celery, chopped

2 C diced tomatoes, undrained

1 C kidney beans, drained

1 C garbanzo beans, drained

2 t Italian seasoning

3 cloves garlic minced

¼ C chopped parsley

3 drops Tabasco sauce

1 C marinara sauce

8 oz pasta

1 49.5 oz can of beef broth (Take Home)

Place pasta in small bags.

Place all ingredients in individual’s bag or container except beef broth.

Freeze

AT HOME:

Thaw and place into crock pot with can of broth.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Place pasta in crock pot the last 30 minutes, or cook separately and add when ready to serve.

 corriganscookday.wordpress.com

5th Annual Spokane Soup Swap

5th Annual Spokane Soup Swap

Thursday, January 31, 2012           

6:00-8:00pm

Located at the home of Cheryl Corrigan-Matamoros,

3806 W Woodside Ave.

328-9563 or 979-0462

Soup Swap Guidelines

1.     Make one or two soups that will freeze well and place into one quart containers.  6 quarts is suggested, but any less will do. Freeze the filled quarts.

2.     Make a copy of the recipe to bring. If you are able, think about those in our community who are hungry and gather a can or more of soup to donate to

2nd Harvest Food Bank of the Inland Northwest.

3.     Show up at 6:00 with your 6 quarts of frozen soups in a box or bag to carry them in, your recipe, and your hunger. If there are any instructions other than warm and serve, please accompany each quart of soup with those instructions.

4.     6:00- 7:00 visit with friends and meet new friends.

 Eat:  Soup and accompaniments will be served by hostess for your evening meal.

5.     7:00 Soup Swap:  take a number, you could be first to choose, or you could be last!  You take home the number of quarts you brought.

6.     8:00 Take your soup home and put in your freezer!

I got the idea for the Soup Swap on the internet while looking for new recipes.  The man who started it is in Seattle.  This is his website:

http://soupswap.com/   My own blog is found at spokanesoupswap.blogspot.com   I have another food blog about the meals I make at “Garland Cookday”, a freezer meal preparation event. http://corriganscookday.wordpress.com

Please RSVP by email and I will confirm.

cec037@yahoo.com

If you can’t come and want to have your own soup swap, feel free to copy this invitation and use it. Let me know when your swap will be!

What about an easy favorite?

Cream of Broccoli Soup

1 ounce butter
1 onions, finely sliced
1 carrots, finely sliced
1 stalk celery, finely sliced
1 -2 head broccoli
4 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup milk
1 t garam masala
salt and pepper as desired
Directions:
Melt butter in saucepan, add onion, carrot and celery.
Saute gently until soft, about 4 minutes.
Trim the woody ends of the stalk and peel.
Roughly cut up heads and remaining stalk.
Add broccoli to pan with chicken stock, milk.
Season with spices.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 25 minutes.
When broccoli is tender, transfer vegies to a blender or use immersion blender.
Blend on high until all ingredients are smooth.
Return mixture to saucepan.
Heat until lightly boiling and thickened.

Chicken and St. Maries' Wild Rice Soup

This recipe is for making ahead and freezing. If you leave the milk out you can add any type of milk you want 30 minutes before serving. You can add skim to cream or evaporated milk. Let me know how you like it!

St. Maries’  Wild Rice and Chicken Soup (bag or container)

3 cups cooked chicken, cut up (can use shrimp, but don’t bring, add when almost cooked)

1/4 cup butter

 ¼ C bacon bits

1 1/2 cup carrots, diced

1 1/2 cup celery, diced

1 1/2 cup onion, diced

8 ounces wild rice mix, uncooked

1/2 cup all purpose flour

4 cups 2 % milk

3 cups chicken broth

1 49.5 oz can chicken broth

Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. 

Add bacon and vegetables.

Cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. 

Add rice and 2 cups of the broth. 

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Stir flour into remaining 1-cup broth. 

Add to soup and stir until bubbly.

Add milk and heat through. 

Let cool down before putting in containers/bags with individual’s chicken for freezing.  

Serves 8.

Make sure each person gets a 49.5 oz can of chicken broth for use when reheating.

 

New Orleans Gumbo

There are as many different recipes for Gumbo as there are individuals who make it. This is the recipe I used that turned out terrific. Next time I make it I will use a larger pot and put in even more of the onions and green pepper. I did not add Tabasco because I thought it tasted fine. 1/2 Tablespoon of cayenne gave it just enough heat to enjoy, and didn't make it too spicy for anyone. My Mama from New Orleans attended and she was the only one who thought it was a bit hot. Go figure! The cuisine she was raised on in New Orleans had very little heat. I would love to hear from any other New Orleans or nearby residents. Let me know what you think about this recipe and share your own! How much heat do you cook with?



New Orleans Style Gumbo

1 C Vegetable oil
1 ½ C flour
3 t chopped garlic
2 medium onions, finely sliced
2 green bell peppers, finely diced
1 C celery, finely diced
1 T fresh mediterranean oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme or 3+ Tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
10 C Chicken or turkey Broth
1 C water
¼ C asian fish sauce
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 lb Chicken or Turkey Breasts
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
40 slices of Andouille Sausage or Pepperoni
salt and pepper
Tabasco sauce, to taste
2 Cups white rice

Directions
In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, over medium heat, toast flour until off white.
As roux turns from sand color to light brown to caramel color, turn down heat.
Continue cooking and whisking constantly until roux is a dark brown colour.
Increase heat to medium and add garlic, yellow onions, celery and bell peppers to roux.
Stir together well and cook 10 minutes.
Add fish sauce, chicken broth, water, green onions, raw chicken, spices and parsley, stirring until combined; bring to a gentle boil;
Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 45 minutes.
Take cooked poultry out and dice into ½ inch pieces.
Return poultry to pot.
10 minutes before you want to serve add the salt, pepper and Tabasco Sauce to taste.
At that time add the raw shrimp.
Cook until the shrimp are done, no more that 10 minutes and remove from heat.
Serve in large bowls over ½ - 1 Cup of white rice.
Sprinkle Gumbo File on top of individual bowl.

Mint Julep

MINT JULEP

3/4 c. sugar
Juice of 3 lemons, strained or 9 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 c. water
4 sprigs of mint, bruised
1 pt. ginger ale

Boil sugar and water 10 minutes, cool. Add lemon juice, mint leaves and ginger ale. Fill glasses half full with crushed ice and julep. Garnish with a sprig of mint.


Mint Juleps usually have bourbon whiskey in them, but this way all can enjoy!

Soup Swap 2012

At 6:00 the guests arrived laden with quarts of soup. All talk with introductions and "how do I know you?" or "how do you know Cheryl?". After gabbing about life we began with Mint Juleps. One guest brought homemade french bread, so we were drooling over that. The Gumbo smelled amazing! I was so looking forward to enjoying this meal after its aroma filled my house all day.Soon we were serving up; spoon of white rice in the bowl and cover it with Gumbo. Shortly after I was hearing the comments. They loved it! Although I have a New Orleans heritage with my Mom growing up there, I hadn't made Gumbo in over 15 years. I soon found out what a mistake that was! The flavors had melded together to create an indescribable burst of flavor in my mouth that I call "A circus in my mouth." The french bread was baked to perfection!

After the meal we did our soup talk, then swap.....then more talk....and more talk.....