recipe of the week: spinach tortellini soup (slow cooker!)

spinach tortellini soup (in the crockpot!)

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups vegetable broth

3 cups water

6 oz raw mushrooms, washed and sliced (i use the wild mushroom blend from whole foods)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cayenne peper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

freshly ground black pepper

2 cups cheese tortellini

4 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn

1 cup skim milk

1 cup whipping cream

fresh parmesan cheese to top

begin by stirring together in a crock pot the vegetable broth, butter, water, flour, mushroom, onion, garlic and spices.

 cover and cook on low from 6-8 hours

 add torn spinach leaves

 and tortellini.  stir together and cook for another 30 minutes or so

 add milk and whipping cream

 cook on low for another 20-30 minutes

 and enjoy!

 top with parmesan cheese if you wish. (we wish :-)

*adapted to eliminate pre-packaged mixes and to fit our tastes from this recipe

recipe of the week: ny deli mac & cheese

adapted slightly, but pretty much rachael ray's recipe (found here)

ny deli mac & cheese

1 pound pasta (i typically use elbow macaroni)

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon or so of italian seasoning

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup skim milk

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese

8 oz mild cheddar cheese

1/4 cup spicy deli or german mustard

1/2 pound pastrami, chopped roughly

6 slices rye bread

cook pasta according to package directions. 

meanwhile, heat a large skillet or saucepan and add the butter and italian seasoning.  when butter is melted, whisk in flour and cook for a minute before adding the chicken stock, milk and mustard.

 toast up the rye bread slices

 then pulse them in a food processor

 remove and set aside in bowl, then also chop the pastrami in the food processor

 shred cheese and mix well

 once liquids on stove have heated through, stir cheese* in a figure eight motion until melted and smooth
*but reserve just a bit of the cheese 

 add pastrami

 place cooked pasta in baking dish

 pour cheese mixture over noodles

 yum

 top with toasted rye crumbs

 add reserved cheese

 bake at 400゜ until browned and bubbling

and watch your husband enjoy :-)

recipe of the week: gnocchi w/wild mushroom soup

otherwise known as "the ragu that turned into a soup"


perhaps because i put in the whole can of tomatoes instead of the cup asked for?
who knows.  i do know that i liked it as a soup, so chances are that's what it will be in my house from now on.


here's the recipe as i made it :-)  (the original is here if you want to try it as a regular old ragu)


Gnocchi w/Wild Mushroom Soup


olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced,
1 stalk of celery, diced
2 pounds mushrooms, stemmed and diced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, stemmed and diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup white wine
1 can whole peeled tomatoes (i used the 365 organic brand from whole foods)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp of ground coriander (or 1/2 tsp of coriander that you grind yourself in a mortar and pestle because you refuse to go buy one.more.spice)
1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds (see above)
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)
2 packages of good-quality gnocchi (i've had great luck at trader joe's and whole foods)




heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat
add onion, carrot and celery and cook until soft (about 5 minutes)

add 1 pound of the mushrooms and cook 3-5 minutes

season with salt and pepper, then push to the edges of the pot

add more olive oil and the additional pound of mushrooms and cook another 3-5 minutes

add the cremini mushrooms and cook 1 additional minute then season with salt and pepper

add the tomato paste and cook while stirring for about 2 minutes.

add the wine and cook down for about 2 minutes.

add the tomatoes, water and spices and simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes.  meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to package directions.  

serve by putting gnocchi in a bowl and ladling the soup over it. fresh parmesan on it won't hurt anything.

verdict?
i loved it.
anthony, who is not much of a tomato OR mushroom person finished a bowl.


so, this is going down as a girls night or "i'm on my own" type recipe.  
(he did mention he would probably like it better with sausage...but we have my tortellini minestrone soup for that...)

(today i'm joining in this link-up since friday is generally when i post my recipe of the week...so visit this blog and link to one of your own if you like!)

recipe of the week: (rerun.revamped.revised) vodka pasta

i've posted this recipe before, here.

however, i've revised it and made it better as far as we are concerned...PLUS i have pictures this time around :-)

lora's vodka pasta

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 pound hot (spicy) italian sausage (this is quite important!)
1 cup vodka*
1/4 cup chicken stock*
2 28 oz cans fire-roasted italian tomatoes (i use one can of crushed and one can of diced)
seasonings (salt and pepper, italian seasoning, etc) to taste
1/2 - 1 cup heavy cream
1 pound pasta (i prefer a small penne for this recipe)

(*this is the ratio: if you want a thicker sauce go with 3/4 cup vodka to 1/8 cup chicken stock)

heat a stockpot or large saucepan over moderate heat.  add olive oil, butter, onions and spices.  gently saute 3-5 minutes and add garlic

saute another 3 minutes and add sausage to brown. 

 add vodka, and reduce for 2-3 minutes.

 follow with chicken stock and tomatoes and any additional spices you may want to add.  bring sauce to a bubble, and then simmer for about 20 minutes.  i always use this time to prepare the pasta.

 after the pasta is cooked, add the cream.  stir into the sauce and return to a slight bubble, then serve.

and enjoy!