Lentil Soup

It's not much of a looker but it's got a great soul... Lentil soup that is. So earthy and warm.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large onion, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

2 tsp kosher salt

2 large tomatoes (beefsteak works great), sliced

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

1 tsp sugar

salt & pepper

1 lb lentils, picked and rinsed

8 cups of chicken or veggie broth

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

salt & pepper

balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Slice tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Combine balsamic vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add tomatoes and allow to marinate for 10 minutes, tossing to coat. Spread tomatoes on an aluminum lined baking sheet. Drizzle each with remaining dressing and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes. Once they are cool enough to touch, peel off skin and chop up just a little.

Drizzle enough olive oil in a large soup pot to coat bottom. Heat over medium. Once hot, add garlic, onion, carrots and salt. Stir and allow that to sweat for about 7 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

I have a real dislike for celery but if you don't mind its putrid taste, cut the carrots portion in half and dice a 1/2 cup of celery into the mix. I used a mini food processor to speed up the chopping a bit. It's very easy and helps keep things a little more uniformed. 

To the pot add: tomatoes, lentils, broth, coriander and cumin. Stir and turn heat up to high to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Remove half of the mixture into a blender (mostly solids, but enough liquid to blend). Cover lid with a towel and blend until smooth. Return to pot and stir. 

Ladle into bowl and drizzle a little bit of balsamic into each bowl. I served it with a crusty bread that I sliced into thick slices, drizzled with olive oil, broiled until toasted and rubbed fresh garlic on each slice. AMAZING!

Chicken Paprikash

Hungarian Paprika is one of those spices that everyone should know and love. Some people don't find that the little red tin variety tastes any different than the generic kind. Although I haven't tasted both side by side, I will say that when an entire nation prides itself on one product they call uniquely theirs, it's a matter of quality. Take maple syrup for example, have I ever tried Maine's maple syrup and known it wasn't from Vermont. No. But would I ever, EVER, allow anything but Pure Vermont Maple Syrup into my home? Hecky naw!
So with that clear example at hand, I give you:

Chicken Paprikash

Ingredients:

2 or 3 swirls of EVOO, enough to coat bottom of pan

2 lbs chicken breast, chopped into 1 inch pieces

salt & pepper

baby red potatoes

2 large or 3 medium onions, sliced from root to tip

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 tblspoons Hungarian sweet paprika

1 tsp hot Hungarian paprika (or cayenne pepper)

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

salt & pepper

2 tblspoons butter

1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Add salt and boil until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and set aside. I prefer red potatoes for their silky smooth texture. Next time I make this dish, to add more traditional flair, I'll use chicken thighs and serve it with dumplings instead.

In a large skillet or heavy bottomed soup pot, heat oil over medium/high and add seasoned chicken pieces. Brown up the chicken and remove from pan. Don't worry about cooking it thru as it will go back into the pot to finish. 

Add onions and garlic to pot. Cook while stirring until onions pick up all the delicious bits off the bottom of the pan and start to turn a light brown. Add paprikas (and cayenne) and stir to coat everything. Add wine, broth and chicken. Stir to make sure you pick up any bits off the bottom. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and season as necessary. 

Stir in butter and allow to melt. Stir in sour cream so incorporated. 

Serve poured over potatoes or noodles or dumplings. Also since there is so much delicious sauce to mop up, some bread would be nice, especially rye bread. 

Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage

This weekend Jourdan came to visit from Orlando and we went to the Incubus concert in Tampa. It was the best live show I've ever seen. Great set list (although I was hoping for "Make Yourself"), great performance and energy. Anyhoo... we were hanging on the couch talking recipes and Jourdan was telling me she had made one of the Everyday with Rachael Ray recipes and how delicious it was. I decided to give it a shot. Pesto Gnocchi for dinner! I figured after talking so much about it I didn't need the recipe I could "Wing It"... well according to Jourdan, my picture didn't look ANYTHING like it was supposed to... it tasted delicious though!

Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage

Ingredients:

2 medium tomatoes, sliced into thick slices

2 drizzles of extra virgin olive oil

2 drizzles of balsamic vinegar

1 pinch sugar

salt & pepper

2 swirls extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 links of fresh hot italian chicken sausage, remove casing

1 package of gnocchi

1 cup milk

3 tblspoons pesto

handful of parmesan

salt & pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. In a medium bowl, mix together EVOO, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Marinate tomatoes while waiting for oven to preheat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick spray. Lay tomatoes out in a single layer. Roast for 25 minutes or until soft and "roasty looking".

In a large pot, bring water to boil. Add gnocchi and boil for 3 - 4 minutes. Drain and set a aside.

Heat a large skillet on medium with 2 swirls of EVOO. Add garlic and sausage and break up sausage while browning. If you can't find links of italian chicken sausage, look for bulk italian chicken sausage or if you like pork, then use that. This recipe would be delish with chopped chicken breasts and add in italian seasoning. Or don't add any meat and have a veggie dish instead.

Once the sausage is browned up nice, add the gnocchi and toast them up a little. Lower heat to low/medium and add about half of the milk to loosen up the bits on the bottom. Add pesto and stir to combine. Season and taste. Add more milk to control how "saucy it is". The sauce should me smooth and thick, not runny, unless you like it runny...  Add roasted tomatoes and break up a bit in mixing. Add parmesan and stir until melted.  I like to garnish with a little parm and serve with garlic bread (or cheat and pop some texas toast in instead).