Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Homemade Italian Wedding Soup

This may be one of my favorite soups that I have ever made. I used the stock that I made from turkey bones from a turkey dinner we had a few weeks ago, and I pulled from a few different recipes to create this recipe - which turned out #awesome.



Homemade Italian Wedding Soup

50 min - 1 hour

For the Meatballs:

1 lb ground meat (I used turkey)
1 egg
1/2 cup of grated romano
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2-3 T olive oil for sautéing

(25-30 minutes)

For the Soup:

1 med onion
5 cloves of garlic
2 T oil for sautéing (I use a neutral oil, like grapeseed)
8-10 cups of stock
1 head of escarole
3/4 cup of orzo
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
juice from half a lemon
romano for garnish

(25-30 minutes)




Meatballs:

- To make the meatballs, place all ingredients (ground meat, egg, romano, bread crumbs, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper) into a bowl and mix together. Roll into whatever size meatball you would like - I rolled mine to be about 1/2-3/4 inches in diameter.

- Heat a skillet over med-high heat with the olive oil. Saute the meatballs  in batches until they are browned on all sides - about 10 minutes. If they are on the smaller side, they most likely will be cooked through, but it's alright if they are a little pink in the middle, they will cook more while you are making the soup.

- Place on paper towels to absorb any excess oil and put off to the side.



Soup:

- In a 6 quart soup pot or dutch oven, heat the neutral oil over med-high heat,  add the garlic and onions and saute until soft (not browned) - 6-8 minutes.

- Add the stock and bring to a boil.

- Add the escarole, reduce to the heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, covered.

- Add the orzo and bring the heat back up to a slow boil. Cook the orzo for about 3 minutes, then add the meatballs and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes.

- Reduce the heat back to low, add the red pepper flakes and lemon juice and simmer for a few more minutes.

- Serve hot with additional romano for garnish if desired!


Happy Eating!

xo. cheers. namaste.

MK

Monday, January 27, 2014

Easy and Delicious Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup


There's just something so comforting in having a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. It's calming to eat and easy to make. I almost always have these ingredients in the house, and it's not something that requires a big production. This just seemed like the perfect thing to do on Sunday night after the end of a snowy cold winter weekend...

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

1 cut cut up fryer chicken (or you can leave it whole)
3 quarts of cold water
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry thyme (optional)
2 teaspoons parsley flakes (optional)
8 - 10 oz egg noodles

An hour and forty-five minutes (15-20 minutes hands on)

- Place chicken in dutch oven or soup pot with about 3 quarts of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

- Remove the chicken from the pot with tongs or a slotted spoon. Using two forks, remove the meat from the bones, shredding the meat as you are removing it. Return the bones to the pot and simmer for 45 minutes - covered. Remove bones from the broth and discard. 

- Add the diced carrots, celery and onion, the salt and pepper, as well as the thyme and parsley (if you are using those). Stir and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

- Bring back to a boil, add the noodles and chicken, cook for 8-10 minutes.

- Taste for seasoning and serve!






Stay Warm!

xo. cheers. namaste.

MK

Saturday, January 25, 2014

New York City November

Because my buddy Drew just sent me a few super sweet shots from my trip to NYC in November for my birthday - I thought I'd post a little photo montage from my week in the Big Apple. As per usual it involves lots of food, friends and good times :-)


Photo Property of Andrew Mauney
--- Arrive ---




--- Dinner : Spaghetti :  Brooklyn ---

my host family

--- AG : Soho ---





--- Lunch : Chickpeas : Soho ---


--- Soul : Spin : Brooklyn ---



--- Lunch : Thai : Union Square ---


--- Sightsee : Ferry views ---





 --- Adventures through the city ---





 --- Madison Square Garden : Penguins---


--- Pizza : East Village ---


--- Lunch : Ippudo : Noodles ---




 ---Dinner : Steak and Frites : Brooklyn ---


---Yoga : Brooklyn ---


--- Sushi Lunch : Bryant Park ---



--- Dinner : Tequila : Brooklyn --- 



--- Party Pants ---



--- Brunch : Financial District ---



(my favorite photo from this trip)

--- Celebrate : Ngam : East Village ---







--- Until we meet again, NY ---

Photo Property of Andrew Mauney

xo. cheers. namaste.

MK