Zuppa Toscana

                 

              Zuppa Toscana, There are dime a dozen recipes online. The base ingredients is the same for all.  I dont think you can go wrong with this. 

But again this differs based on my love for spices and avoiding whipped cream all together. I would love to try this in slow cooker by frying onions, garlic, sausages. Transfer in a slow cooker with potatoes,  chicken stock, salt and kale. 

Here is my version on stove stop: 

                              

 1 lb Italian ( mild / hot sausage)

• 5 large russet potatoes sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ¹⁄₄ cup bacon bits or  bacon flavor ( optional)
• 2 to 3 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ tsp cinnamon powder or 1 inch long cinnamon
• ¼ tsp clove powder or 3 to 4 cloves ( I grind them in coffee grinder)
• 1 tsp dry oregano
• 4 cups kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped  you don’t have to be accurate. Use how much or less you want.
• 2(8 ounce) cans chicken broth or vegetables broth
• 2 cups of  water
• 1cup whole milk  or heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

1.   In 3 Tbsp oil fry onions and garlic until translucent

2.   Add  Chopped/ sliced uncooked sausage. I like it crumbled, so I crumble them with while they cook. Replace sausage with veggie protein if you want a vegetarian soup.

3.   Add clove and cinnamon powder, 1 tsp dry oregano and  ½ tsp black pepper. I love it spicy so I add 1 tsp red chili powder or paprika and 1 /1/2 tbsp. salt.  Stir in sausages and add potatoes

4.   Adjust spices and salt based on your preference.

5.   Add chopped potatoes within 2 min after adding spices. you don’t want spices to burn. Cut potato in half-length wise and then slice them in half shaped moon

6.   Add potatoes to crumbled sausages / veggie protein.  Add chicken stock or vegetables stock. Cooking potatoes this way, takes about 1/ ½ hour on medium heat. If you own a pressure cooker then the time is reduced by 1 hour.

7.   Pressure cook chopped potatoes for about 10 min or 2 or 3 whistle, if in doubt remove early. You don’t want overcooked potatoes

8.   Add bacon or just the flavor

9.   Add chopped washed kale

10.       Add fresh basil about ¼ cup

11.       Simmer for another 15 minutes.

12.       At this point I use hand blender to crumble kale and potatoes just a bit, don’t make it mushy.

13.       Turn to low heat.

14.       Add cream/ whole milk .

15.       Heat through and serve.

Spinach Soup

Spinach soup..winter comfort soup minus Fat..

This is so easy more like 15 minutes comfort winter soup.  Try it today:

Boil 1 cup of chicken stock or vegetable stock with 2 cups of water.  Add crushed garlic clove,  3 cups of spinach, remove some stalk..

Add cubed firm tofu if you like.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Add 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce and salt to taste. You are done, serve hot.

Other Options : I stir fried some mushrooms and ¼ cup of green onions and added to the soup.

You can also add shrimps.

You can stir fry tofu before you add to the soup.

Add cayenne pepper.

Miso soup with Udon Noddles.

In Okemos, around this time of the year, by night, you begin to feel the nippy cool breeze, declaring the onset of fall. It’s one of the most pleasant time of the year where the blazing sun is calmer and nite is cool and not stinging. And around this time of the year I start to crave for something warm and a bowl of soup completes it. So Here is tried and test default  Miso soup with Udon noodles.

For this, You need to pay a visit to your local Oriental store in your neighborhood.  
 Ask and don’t look for  Shiro Miso if you have no clue what it is..(psst .. soybean paste)  …or you might choose to be my disciple  and do exactly what I did which is , look for it in every aisle approx 12 min and then ask owner, who then takes you straight to freezer section.  Ask for white shiro miso with Dashi added. I bought mine from Lotte market. Vegan avoid dashi and ask for without .. Dashi is Japanese chicken bouillon.

I basically added vegetables I love in soups..so I finely chopped carrots, mushrooms,  scallions, baby bok Choy, bean sprouts and snow peas.Cut them real fine so they cook faster.
  Recipe, requires seaweed but oh!  well ,I forgot to buy them!

Other Ingredients are:

• 5 cups Vegetable or chicken  broth.( low sodium).
  1 cup water.
  1 1/2 teaspoons instant dashi granules( optional).
  2 heaps tbsp of miso paste( mix in water to remove lumps).
  1 tablespoon dried seaweed, soaked in water.
  1  cup cubed tofu( semi firm).
  ½  tsp cayenne pepper ( optional).
  Udon noodles from frozen section (  Udon is made from wheat).
  and vegetables given above  or add your favorite vegetables.

Boil water for Udon .Cook Udon based on how much you want.

In boiling broth, add thinly sliced vegetables and tofu, and seaweeds, simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes.  Once tender add diluted Miso paste, stir and switch off your stove.You are done. Do not boil once you add Miso paste. Serve Steamy hot  and enjoy!

Healthy Chicken Noodle soup.

I believe homemade chicken soup and bubble baths are cure for just about anything. In our mundane life style, I believe in the power of cooking uplifts spirits and bring everyone a step closer to the kitchen and closer to me.  Here is my version of Chicken Noodle soup.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium size onion (chopped)
• 1 cup  carrots (chopped)
• 1 stalk celery (chopped)
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Few cloves
• 4 to 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1tbsp of ginger finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp Oregano, ½ tsp basil,  ¼ of a bunch, fresh parsley.
• Salt and paprika to taste
• (Optional spices garam masala, green chilies)
• a pound of boneless or chicken breast( trim fat and discard  (or keep just few ) bones .) I usually cook boneless. I also do not add stock as there is enough meat to make its own stock. Why use extra sodium!
• Noodles for the soup: I usually boil noodles separately drain and keep it ready to serve along with a soup. Just another tip to avoid extra starch. Do not dump LEAVE pre cooked macaroni in the soup( or may be any pasta). They drink soup and turn into real fat noodles with no broth left behind. Been there done that.

In a pot pour oil, add Onions, garlic, ginger , bay leaf, cloves. Fry for  for ½ minute,  add cut cubed  boneless ( or with bones) chicken . Stir them well. Now add all the spices, parsley, basil oregano, paprika, salt. Stir fry them in high heat. After 5 minutes, add chopped vegetables. Stir for another 5 minutes on high. Its ok if chicken sticks to the bottom of the pan, scrape the bottom of the pan, this way soup is more flavorful.  Add 5 to 6 cups of water. Let it boil and then simmer for an hour and a half. Cook Noodles on the side.  Serve it with steaming chicken noodle soup and experience Nirvana.

Veg Wonton Soup

My tried and tested recipe  yesterday and it just came out yummylicious, I admit that I mixed two recipes online, one of Emeril Lagasse and the other from another blogger..I improvised by adding, removing few ingredients. Here is my version:
Ingredients:
  2 medium carrots
1/2 of a cabbage ( baby bok Choy from Oriental shop)
1 yellow onion and a bunch of scallions
  dried Fungus ( oriental shop)
1/2 tsp chopped garlic and ginger paste
3 stalks of green onion, finely sliced
1 package of firm tofu and use just 5 tbsp mushed
1 package of wonton wrappers (Oriental shop)
1 package of fresh egg noodles
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper.. optional
3 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 Tsp corn flour ( optional)

spices:
chilie garlic sauce( Oriental Mart)
lite soy sauce
Hoisin sauce

pinch of salt
Step 1: The soup!
  lets start with the stock and let it simmer away while we make the dumplings. In 2tbsp oil ( any)  add chopped garlic. Take 1 1/2 carrots and cut into big chunks and throw in a medium pot. Now add in 1/2 of a cabbage, roughly cut in half. Cut an onion into sections and throw  in as well. Stir fry a bit may be like 10 minutes . Fill the pot with water. (I added 12 of 8 oz cup) Add pinch of salt and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Let that simmer for about 45 to 50 minutes
Step 2: The dumplings!
To my processor I added diced cabbage,( 1 cup ) few stalks of green onions, equivalent to 8 baby carrots and few tbsp of tofu, 1 tsp of chilli garlic sauce . Chop in your  processor, it should look like  a little chunky crumbs dont turn it into paste.  In a wok, add tbsp of sesame oil, add above mixture and a little salt and stir fry. Cook until soft flipping the over several times – about 5 minutes total. Turn off heat and set aside. Once cool, finely dice the mushrooms and add to the mixture bowl.  Sprinkle the corn flour on top, toss to combine and we’re ready to wrap! Take about 1/2 a tablespoon of filling and put it in the middle of the wrapper, take one corner of the wrapper and fold it so it meets the diagonal corner. Crimp down the wrapper along the filling and set aside. Continue until you run out of wrappers! suggestion watch You tube on how to wrap wonton or dumplings ..mine usually turns out dumplings even though I start as Wonton :-)
Drop them gently in boiling water and let it cook until they float on top.
Step 3: The cooking!
Once your stock is ready strain the broth. I usually use carrots from this stock by crumbling them with fork and add it to the pot again. Boil soup and add cooked dumplings. Dumpling are already cooked so all you are doing at this point is to heat soup and Serve immediately with sauce. I prepare mine with 4 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp chilli garlic sauce, 1/4 tsp hoisin sauce.