Mushroom Spinach Soup

A couple of days ago I came across an episode of Popeye the Sailor Man (thank you, YouTube, for your recommendations;)) where he was fighting termites in his house. I find this cartoon pretty funny and informative too: I mean after 5 minutes the kids who are watching the cartoon know who termites are, what they eat and why and how Popeye defeated them - he was strong because he ate spinach! I remember reading somewhere that the spinach sales skyrocketed in the 40's because of the cartoon. There was a lot of discussion about the creators' concept of "consuming spinach leads to physical strength". Some were saying it was based on the misleading information regarding spinach's iron content (10 times more than it really is), some said that Vitamin A was the reason this leafy vegetable was chosen for the cartoon. I think in the end it doesn't really matter. What's incredible is the whole idea that the spinach sales went up because of some cartoon! That proves that we can change our kids' perception on what is a good snack and what is not by just creating more cartoons that praise veggies and fruit and decreasing the number of commercials with cartoonish characters showing how good hamburgers and chips are.

I am not going to sit here and say that I really enjoy eating spinach. I guess my sense of responsibility for my family's well being makes me add a little bit of spinach here, a little bit there;) I'll add some fresh spinach to a salad, make spinach and ricotta filling for crepes or mix some spinach in a mushroom soup.  

I cannot not mention the use of wine in this recipe, as it plays a big role in making this soup aromatic and rather intriguing without any spices. But I feel it's wrong to express how I support using wine in cooking after talking so much about spinach (from cartoons to wine...yeah) Maybe next time:)

Ingredients:

1 lb white mushrooms, sliced

a handful of dry crimini mushrooms

1 bunch of fresh spinach, roughly cut, stems removed

1 1/2 qt (6 cups) vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine

parsley, finely chopped

olive oil

salt

black pepper

In a small bowl cover crimini mushrooms with hot water for approx. 5 minutes. Drain them.

Add enough oil to a large frying pan to cover the bottom and heat it up on a high heat setting. Add white and crimini mushrooms and cook stirring for 3 minutes. Mix in spinach and cook for 4 more minutes. Pour in wine and let it evaporate, stirring occasionally. Once the liquid is gone (8-10 minutes), turn off the heat and add parsley to the pan.

Bring your stock to boil, add the mixture from the pan and cook for 8 minutes on a medium heat setting. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot.

 Enjoy!

Beef and Rice Soup

There is a joke: one sushi restaurant in Europe extended an invitation to a well-known sushi chef from Japan to visit their place and give his opinion on the menu. They served him a plate of their best sushi. He sampled everything they brought and the manager asked:"Well, how is our sushi?"  And he said:"I haven't tried it yet but I really enjoyed what you served me so far" :)

I think this kind of situation happens all the time when you serve what you think is an authentic dish to a person, whose country this dish originates from. They are always going to say it is not a real thing. I learned this lesson long ago... Actually, no. My mom was teaching me for a long time, that I should often change the name of the recipe so people don't compare it to anything. But of course I didn't listen - I learned it the hard way:)

This dish is the result of my attempts to recreate the soup my grandfather used to cook for me when I was little. It is from Caucasian (Georgian) cuisine and is called Kharcho ("beef soup"). It is quite a piquant soup with lots of spices and greens. I can not call Kharcho the soup that I made following the recipe below, because it doesn't taste like Kharcho at all, but is pretty yummy and aromatic. I mean, the ingredients are the same, but it doesn't taste how my grandfather's soup did. How can this be? But it doesn't matter, I'll work on my authentic Kharcho's recipe, and let's call this particular soup Beef and Rice Soup, shall we? :) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

10 cups water

1 lb beef stew

5 whole black peppers

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup rice

1 onion

1/4 tbsp whole wheat flour

3 garlic cloves

1/4 cup walnuts, blended until resembles breadcrumbs

1 tsp hmeli-suneli (spices combination, can be found in European stores)

8 oz tomato sauce

3 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp of lemon juice

10 tbsp pomegranate juice

1/4 tsp paprika

parsley

basil

cilantro

salt

ground black pepper

Wash the meat and place it in a cooking pot with whole peppers and bay leaves. Add water and put it on the stove. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and with a large spoon or a skimmer skim off any foam that forms on the surface. In approximately 20 minutes, put rice in a pot. 

Meanwhile heat the oil in a pan and add onion. Cook it for 5-6 minutes and stir in the flour. Mix well and transfer to a plate. Cook garlic in the same pan for a couple of minutes. Add onion, garlic, walnuts, hmeli-suneli, tomato paste  and sauce to the soup. Stir in lemon juice, pomegranate juice, paprika, salt and pepper and cook for 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat and cover. Add the parsley, basil and cilantro and let it stand for 5-10 minutes for the flavors to develop.

Enjoy!

Lentil Soup

With summer approaching I switch to lighter, water-based soups. Lentil zucchini soup is satisfying, colorful and healthy. As a bonus for us, ladies, who are getting ready for the swimsuit season, it is low in calories. It is a perfect lunch or have it for a light dinner in the evening.

Ingredients:

½ cup red lentils

1 tsp cooking oil

½ onion, finely chopped

1 zucchini, diced

2-2 ½ cups water

¼ tsp ground turmeric

salt

pepper

Heat the oil in a frying pan on a low setting. Place the onion in the pan and cover it. Cook the onion for 6-7 minutes until soft, stirring once. Put the heat setting on medium and add zucchini to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Wash lentils and place them in a pot. Add turmeric, water and the ingredients from the pan. Bring the liquid to the boil. Reduce the heat setting to low and cover the pot. Let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes (until the lentils are soft and ready). Pass the soup through a sieve. Reserve approximately a cup of the body of the soup and place the rest in a blender. Blend until smooth. Return the liquid, the mix from the blender and the reserved cup to the pot, season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. 

Serve hot with crackers or toasts. 


Makes 3-4 servings 

Tips:

• For a richer flavor, use stock as a base for this soup
• Adding meat is another great way to enrich the dish

Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Soup

You know how they say that our eating habits come from our childhood? My grandparents believed that soup is an essential part of any dinner and since I can remember there is nothing better for me than to start a meal with a bowl of delicious soup. 

This chicken soup is a filling yet a light flavorful dish that you can serve as a first course or take it for lunch to work. Its soothing properties make it great in a cold and flu season - it is filled with nutrition and leaves you satisfied without being heavy.

The key to this dish is to make your own stock as it gives the soup that homemade full flavor that you will never get from stock cubes. Cooking stock is easy and doesn’t require your attention for the most part – you have plenty of time to prepare ingredients for the soup or make those delicious cakes for dessert:) 


Ingredients:

Stock:

water

2 lb chicken parts (drumsticks, thighs), bones cut in half with a knife and a mallet

1 carrot, peeled

1 onion, peeled

salt

Soup:

1.5 qt chicken stock

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

½ cup of pasta 

1.5 tsp olive oil

parsley, finely chopped
salt

pepper

Making stock: 

Put the stock ingredients, except for salt, in a pot. Add cold water - 1.5 qt or until chicken parts are covered by 1 inch. Bring it to a boil and with a large spoon or a skimmer skim off any foam that forms on the surface. Reduce the heat to a low, add salt and simmer uncovered for 50-60 minutes. Discard the vegetables. Transfer the chicken parts to a platter and separate meat from the bones. You can use the stock immediately, refrigerate for up to a week or freeze it in small containers and use it later for soups, sauces and stews.

Making soup:

Return as much of the chicken meat as desired to the stock. Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook them for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add a carrot. Cook it for 3-5 minutes over medium heat until soft but not brown. Add the carrot and pasta to the pot. As soon as pasta is ready (5-8 minutes), season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, add parsley and cover the pot. Leave it on the stove for 5 minutes for the flavors to infuse.

Serve and enjoy!