Winter Warmers: Italian Wedding Soup

When I lived in New York state, I worked for a major bank. During my training I was sent to a different part of town to work in a corporate branch in the business district. I hated every second of it, except for lunch time on Wednesdays.  I smelled it before I saw it, rich, warm, flavoursome and I asked what it was. Italian Wedding Soup they said.  Every Wednesday they had Italian Wedding Soup. It was so good, the only way I got through my few months in that job was knowing that every week had a Wednesday!

The whole family, even the picky ones have inherited my love for this soup and often beg for it after a long hike in the mountains. It really is a full meal in a bowl with protein, veggies and carbs all covered.

I've tried many recipes over the years and nothing has compared to that little canteen. Eventually I had to reconstruct my own version. Some recipes use kale, some use spinach, either would work fine, I use spinach because it's easier to find here, but go with whatever works for you.  If you can't get Italian sausage, use normal sausage and add some ground fennel seeds, chilli and Italian seasoning to the meatball mix and you will come pretty close! A perfect meal for these cold wintery days.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs-

• 1 lb Italian sausage meat (remove casings from alb of sausage)
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• handful parmesan
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• salt, pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and form small one inch meatballs. Brown in a 200C/400F oven for about ten minutes. 

For the soup-

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3-4 celery stalks, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3-4 litres chicken stock
• 1 cup small pasta shapes (orzo or risini work well, broken spaghetti is fine too)
• 2-3 handfuls torn spinach
• Meatballs
• Salt
• Black and white pepper
• Parmesan cheese to serve

Saute the carrots, onion and celery in the butter and olive oil until soft. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or so until fragrant. 

Pour in stock and add pasta, cook for about ten minutes then add meatballs. Allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes until pasta is cooked. Stir in the spinach and allow to wilt. Season with the salt and two types of pepper. Serve in big bowls with lashings of freshly grated parmesan.

Healthy Asian Veggie Soup

Well 2013 has been off to a good start. I’m down 5 pounds which makes me one happy mama!

I wouldn’t have been able to do that without this ridiculously delicious but very healthy soup. You can doctor it up with whatever vegetables you have on hand, but I definitely find the Chinese Cabbage gives it an almost noodle soup type feel.  There's no added fats so if you're on a WW or Unislim type program, it's more than likely free.  It's full of goodness and fibre and will fill you up for ages!

If you've got a few extra calories to spare, throw in a pack of those "straight to wok" noodles and cook through, spaghetti works too in a pinch!If you like it spicy go wild with the sriracha sauce, we've all been sick here lately and this has been a lifesaver cold remedy!


Healthy Asian Vegetable Soup

• 3-4 cups vegetable chicken stock
• 1 carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 onion, thinly sliced vertically
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• handful mange tout, julienned
• 5-6 button mushrooms, sliced thinly
• pinch five spice powder
• pinch white pepper
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 large handful shredded Chinese cabbage
• small handful of beansprouts
• coriander, chopped
• pinch sweetener (optional)
• Sriracha or chilli sauce, to taste

Bring the stock to a simmer and add all the ingredients save the cabbage, beansprouts and coriander.  Simmer until vegetables are done to your desired level of crunch.  Stir in cabbage, add sriracha sauce to taste and garnish with beansprouts and coriander.

Easy as pie! <3

Salmon Ramen For One

I've been on a bit of an Asian kick lately it seems and here is another one. This is such a warming healthy soup that really is a perfectly balanced meal. I make this for myself if I happen to get a few moments for lunch without the kids.  You can spice it up as much as you like and change the vegetables to cater to your own tastes.

If you don't have ramen noodles, udon or soba will work fine, so will just plain old spaghetti!  It's very flexible! :)

• 1 skinned fillet of salmon
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp chilli sauce (like sriracha)
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
• 1 small red onion, thinkly slived
• 1 small carrot, julienned
• 1-2 cups chicken stock or dashi
• Handful mange tout, julienned
• 1 cup of cooked ramen noodles
• handful bean sprouts
• handful coriander, chopped

Marinate the salmon in the mirin, soy sauce, honey, chilli sauce, garlic and ginger for half an hour or so. 

Stir-fry the carrot and onion for a minute or two until just softened. Remove from pan. Add stock and bring to a boil.  Add salmon and marinade and cook 3-5 minutes until fish is cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.  

Add noodles and vegetables to a bowl, ladle stock over them.  Top with salmon and sprinkle with coriander. 

Parsnip and Coriander Soup

I recently had lunch with my parents in a little cafe in Ballina and my Mom ordered a Parsnip and Coriander soup.  Let the record show that I hate parsnip, with a passion, so when she asked me to try it I was incredulous and refused.  My Mom however is not one to take no for an answer so she forced the issue and I acquiesced only to find myself completely blown away by a sweet, creamy peppery concoction that didn't taste like parsnip at all. I immediately grilled the cafe owner on the recipe, determined to make the soup at home.  I get an organic box every week and when parsnips come in it, they just go to waste, but now I had something to do with them.  This is my attempt to recreate the soup and I have to say it was fabulous, even the kids ate it and that's high praise indeed. 

Ingredients:

• Knob of butter
• 3 large pasrnsips, roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1L good vegetable stock
• 1 cup (8 fl oz) heavy cream
• 1 large bunch coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper, to season
• Coriander and cream to garnish

Melt the butter in a large pot and add the onions.  Saute for a few minutes until softening.  Add the parsnips and cook for about ten minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the garlic and stir for a minute, then add the stock.  Simmer for half an hour until the parsnip is cooked through. Add the cream and the coriander.

Using an immersion blender, blitz the soup until it's smooth and creamy.  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with more coriander and a drizzle of cream if you like.  Serve with crusty bread.

Borscht

This is a fantastic seasonal recipe that showcases the flavour of fresh beetroot so well.  It's also a great use for leftover roast beef.  Borscht, like our own Irish stew, is a very personal recipe, each cook will do her own thing.  This particular recipe has no cabbage which might strike some as odd, but it truly is sweet and delicious and full of wintery goodness.  Easy as pie to prepare and even easier to eat!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb leftover beef or stewing steak, diced
• 2.5 litres beef stock
• 6 large beetroot, scrubbed clean and tops removed
• 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• Juice of a lime
• 3 tbsp sugar
• salt and pepper
• sour cream, to serve
• chopped chives for garnish

Combine the first six ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow the soup to simmer for 2 hours.

Half an hour before serving, remove the beetroot, keeping the broth at a simmer.

When beetroot is cool enough to handle (I run them under cold water), peel and grate them (the peels should slip right off).

Return them to the pot. Stir in lime juice and sugar, then season with salt and pepper.

Serve, garnished with a dollop of sour cream and some snipped chives.


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Jerusalem Artichoke (Sunchoke) and Carrot Soup

Jerusalem artichokes, or sunchokes as they are sometimes known are a very under utilised vegetable.  They are tubers, just like potatoes, but with a sweet and subtle taste.  They remind me of an understated combination of artichokes and celeriac.  They go well with fish, potatoes and make a wonderful addition to the winter kitchen.

I was pleasantly surprised to find over a pound of them neatly tucked in the bottom of my weekly organic box.  I had plans of making a romantic dinner for himself consisting of seabass with a Jerusalem artichoke risotto, but kids and hormones got the best of me and they ended up as soup.  This is a lovely soup that tastes rustic and earthy.  Himself had never had these artichokes before and he loved it.  The kids were not told what was in it, but they too really enjoyed it.  It's easy and tasty, what more could one want?

Ingredients:

• 3 oz butter
• 1.5 lb Jerusalem Artichokes
• 1 lb carrots
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1.5 L Stock
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Creme Fraiche, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Peel and "de-knob" the Jerusalem artichokes.  Cut into small chunks.  Place in a bowl of water to prevent oxidation.  Peel carrots and cut into chunks.

Melt butter in stock pot.  Saute celery and onion until softened. Add artichokes and carrots and saute for ten minutes.

Add stock and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes or so until vegetables are cooked through.  Blitz the soup with an immersion blender and serve with creme fraiche and fresh diced parsley.

Source: Delia Smith

Quick and Delicious Asian Noodle Soup

This is a ridiculously easy yet extremely tasty lunchtime snack.  I went with a vegetarian option, but you could easily add some chicken or prawns or to keep veggie, some tofu.  The points come from the egg noodles, everything else is free, so by all means, add loads of your favourite veggies.  Mange tout, peppers, asparagus and carrots would all be excellent additions.  Below is how I made mine.

Quick and Easy Asian Noodle Soup

(serves 1)

1/2 pint chicken stock

50g dried Chinese egg noodles

1/2 red pepper, sliced

2 scallions, sliced

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

pinch sugar / sugar substitute (to taste)

Handful bean sprouts

2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped

Bring stock to a boil and add noodles.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften.  Add red pepper, cook for a further minute or two.  

Add ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar.  Cook until noodles are done.  Add scallions and bean sprouts, reserving some for garnish.

Ladle into a large bowl and garnish with remaining sprouts and scallions and top off with the coriander.  Serve immediately. 

WW Points: 2.5