Irish Stew

 

Since I am the red-headed, fair skinned of the group, I felt it was my obligation to cook and write about one of my favorites: Irish Stew.

 

This stew originated as a hearty, flavorful peasant dish made with the cheapest and often, most left-over ingredients. This recipe belongs to my aunt Cathy and it has become a favorite over the years. She cooks hers in a crockpot and I cook mine on the stove top but it is just as yummy either way!

 

Ingredients:

 5 potatoes

1 onion

1-2 cups of frozen corn

1 bell pepper

3 carrots

1 stick of butter

1 can of roast beef

16 oz can of chopped tomatos

16 oz can of tomato sauce

1.5 cups of water

 

Serves: 4

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes stove top or 7-8 hours in crockpot

 

Finely dice your onions.

Chop your potatoes in 1 inch cubes.

 

Add potatoes and corn to water.

Add carrots, bell pepper, onion and butter. Boil until tender.

 

Add roast beef, canned tomatoes, canned sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

 

Serve with pita chips or corn bread. Enjoy!

 

'Till next time,

Natalie



 

White Bean Soup with Rosemary and Bacon

I've always loved cannellini beans. They are light, smooth, and full of flavor and work perfectly in this soup! The combination of cannellini beans, bacon, rosemary and the olive oil just work so well together in this soup. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. When I originally made this recipe I used shredded parmesan cheese. I do not recommend this. It clumped together and stuck to the bottom of the pot and was just weird and a little awkward to eat. Learn from my mistake, grated parmesan is definitely the way to go! 

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 strips of thick cut bacon, chopped

1 large onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic, diced

2 quarts of chicken broth

2 (14.5 oz) cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 bay leaves

2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ cup heavy cream

¾ cup grated parmesan cheese 
salt and pepper to taste

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add bacon to the oil and cook until crispy, about 7-9 minutes. 

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. 

After removing the bacon from the pot, add the diced onion to the reserved bacon drippings and season with salt and pepper. Cook the onion for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and become transparent.

After cooking the onion for 5-7 minutes, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. 

Add the chicken broth, cannellini beans, bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme. 

Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the rosemary stems and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Serve each bowl with a ladle of soup and garnish with crispy bacon pieces. 

Hope you enjoy this delicious rustic soup!

'Till next time,
Caroline

Tuscan Ribollita

This recipe for Tuscan Ribollita is as authentic as they come. While traveling around the world, my brother's girlfriend, Reva, spent some time in Italy. While in Tuscany, she learned quite a few recipes, one of them being this recipe for Tuscan Ribollita. There are quite a few variations on this hearty soup but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans, and inexpensive vegetables. 

Ingredients:

2 carrots

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves

olive oil to taste

1 bunch of kale, shredded

7 cups vegetable broth

3 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 

In a food processor, pulse carrots, onions, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a small to medium dice. In a large stock pot, heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté vegetables in oil for about 5 minutes. Next stir in the shredded kale to the stock pot and cook for about 10 minutes. In Italy, they use cavolo nero kale or also known as black leaf kale. If you can find it, use it. If not, your traditional grocery store kale will work just as well.   

Once your kale has cooked for about 10 minutes, or looks like the picture above, stir in 2 cups of vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes. While simmering, put 1 & 1/2 cans of the cannellini beans into a food processor with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Puree the beans and olive oil until smooth. Stir the pureed beans into the soup.

Add the remainder of the broth, whole beans, and seasonings into the soup. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Just before serving, tear bread into bite sized pieces and let soften in soup. Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy. 

'Till next time,

Caroline