Soup, Stew, and Meatballs

Today we have three recipes for you – a soup, a stew, and a meatball recipe.

Minestrone

Makes 8 servings

6 cups water
1 28 ounce can tomatoes, cut up
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 teaspoon instant beef bouillon granules
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic, or 2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 15 ounce can cannelloni or great northern beans
1 10 ounce package frozen lima beans, or 1 9 ounce package frozen Italian style green beans
4 ounces broken linguini or spaghetti
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 to 3 tablespoons purchased pesto (optional)
Grated Parmesan cheese

Ina 5 to 6 quart pot or Dutch oven, combine water, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, cabbage, carrot, celery, bouillon granules, Italian seasoning, garlic, and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in undrained cannelloni or great northern beans, lima beans, linguini, and zucchini. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Serve in bowls with a tablespoon of pesto, if desired, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Notes from the Hare

You can freeze this for up to 3 months at a time. After simmering, remove the soup from heat and allow it to cool. Transfer the soup to a pair of 2 quart freezer containers; seal, label, and freeze.

When ready to serve, transfer a portion of frozen soup to a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Stir occasionally to break up the mixture.

Sweet and Sour Meatball Stew

Serves 4

1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks
1 medium sweet green pepper, cut into strips
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into strips
1 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon grated ginger, or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon bottled minced garlic, or 1 clove garlic, minced
24 meatballs, thawed if frozen
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 cups fresh pea pods, or one 6 ounce package frozen peas
3 cups hot cooked rice

In a 12 inch skillet, combine undrained pineapple, red and green peppers, broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, and garlic. Add meatballs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and meatballs are heated through.

Combine cornstarch and water; stir into skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in pea pods; cook and stir 2 minutes more or until pods are heated through. Serve over hot rice.

Notes from the Hare

None for the stew

Marvelous Meatballs

Makes 48 meatballs

2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups soft bread crumbs (2 slices of bread)
1 cup finely chopped onion
½ cup snipped fresh parsley
½ cup milk, chicken broth, or chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
½ teaspoon pepper
2 pounds ground meat (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, or turkey)

In a large bowl combine eggs, bread crumbs, onion, parsley, milk or broth, salt, thyme, and pepper. Add ground meat and mix well. Form into balls (roughly 48 balls at 1 ¼ to 1 ½ inch). Place on a wire rack in a large baking pan, or on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Drain on paper towels.

Divide into portions of 24 meatballs each and place in freezer containers; seal, label, and freeze. Use as needed, thawing first if frozen.

Notes from the Hare

To thaw, you can either let a portion stand in the fridge overnight, or spread them in a single layer in a 2 quart microwave safe dish. Cover and cook on 100% (high) power for 4 to 6 minutes or until thawed, stirring once.

Source for all of the recipes: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Two from the Dispatch

Here’s a couple of recipes I found in the paper yesterday that looked tasty.

Porcupine Meatballs

Serves 4

1 pound ground beef
¾ cup instant or regular white or brown rice
1 1/3 cups water
½ cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix beef, rice, ½ cup water, onion, salt, celery salt, and pepper. Shape into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter and place into baking dish.

Mix sugar, Worcestershire sauce, remaining cup of water, and tomato sauce. Pour over meatballs. Cover dish with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Notes from the Hare

Nothing for the meatballs – although I’m not entirely sure where they got the name ‘porcupine’ from.

Pasta and Bean Soup

Serves 2

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sliced yellow onion
½ cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
2 ½ cups canned diced tomatoes, low sodium, undrained
3 cups water
1 cup sliced cabbage or lettuce
1 cup “short” pasta (fusilli, penne, etc.)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 cups fresh spinach (or frozen)
1 cup rinsed and drained canned red beans
¼ pound lean smoked ham, cubed (roughly ¾ cup)
½ cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, etc.)
Salt
Pepper

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add cabbage and pasta, increase heat and boil uncovered 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir vinegar into horseradish. Add to soup with the spinach, beans, and ham. Boil 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted and pasta is tender. Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste

Notes from the Hare

You can make the soup vegetarian by replacing the ham with more cheese, or leaving both out entirely You can also use a few drops of hot pepper sauce instead of horseradish

A Quartet of Mexican Meals

Today’s recipes all share a common component – namely, a specific Mexican flavored meat mixture that you can make in bulk ahead of time and freeze so you have a head start on making any of the dishes below.

First, the meat mixture.

Mexican Meat Mix

2 pounds ground meat (beef, lamb, pork – turkey or chicken would probably work too)
4 cups chunky salsa
23 ounces red kidney beans, drained (roughly – the recipe calls for a 15 ounce can and an 8 ounce can, but I’d approximate if it were me)

Brown the meat in a large skillet (if you opt for chicken or turkey, use a tablespoon or two of oil to cook the meat). Drain off all the fat thoroughly, then return meat to skillet. Stir in salsa and beans. Divide into four 2 cup portions and place in freezer containers; seal, label, and freeze. Use as needed, thawing first (or one portion can be used right away for any recipe below).

Notes from the Hare

To thaw in the microwave, transfer to a microwave safe bowl and heat on medium high head (70% power) for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. To thaw in the refrigerator, remove a portion from the freezer and let it stand overnight in the fridge

And now the recipes.

Taco Salad

Serves 4

1 portion Mexican Meat Mix
½ cup salsa
4 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 large green or red pepper, cut into strips
½ cup sliced green onion
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey Jack)
Tortilla chips
Frozen avocado dip, thawed (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Pickled jalapeno peppers or pepperocini peppers (optional)

In a saucepan, heat the thawed meat mix. Stir in salsa and heat through.

Place lettuce on plates. Top with tomatoes, sweet peppers, and green onion. Spoon hot meat mixture over salad and sprinkle with cheese. Serve with tortilla chips. Dollop with avocado dip and sour cream if desired. Garnish with peppers, if desired.

Chili Pie

Serves 4 to 6

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cooking oil
1/3 cup milk
1 portion Mexican Meat Mix
1 can (8 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
½ of a medium green pepper, cut into thing rings
½ cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey Jack)
Sour cream

For the crust, stir the flour, sugar, cornmeal, and salt together in a 9 inch pie pan or plate. In a separate glass, stir together oil and milk; pour all at once over the flour mixture. Mix with fork until completely moistened. With fingers, pat dough evenly on sides and bottom of plate. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for 10 minutes and remove from oven.

While the crust bakes, combine the thawed meat mix and corn in a pan over medium heat. Cover and heat. Spoon mixture into pie crust. Top with green pepper rings and cheese. Return pie to oven and bake about 15 minutes or until heated through. Dollop with sour cream.

Soft Shell Taco Pie

Serves 4

1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 carton (8 ounces) sour cream
¾ cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey Jack) divided
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies, drained
2 tablespoons milk
Nonstick spray coating or 1 tablespoon cooking oil
3 10 inch flour tortillas
1 portion Mexican Meat Mix, thawed
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 small tomato, cut into wedges
1 ripe avocado, cut into wedges (optional)

In a bowl stir the flour into the sour cream. Add ½ cup of shredded cheese, the green chilies, and milk. Mix well. Spray 9 inch pie plate or pan with nonstick spray. Place one tortilla in the pan.

Top with about 2/3 cup of thawed Meat mix and one third of the sour cream mixture. Repeat with another tortilla, another 2/3 of the meat mix, and another third of the sour cream mixture. Cover with remaining tortilla, remaining meat mixture, and remaining sour cream mix.

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup of cheese over pie. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve. Serve with shredded lettuce, tomato wedges, and (if desired) avocado wedges.

Mexican Pita Pizza

Serves 6

3 large pita bread rounds, split horizontally
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey Jack)
1 portion Mexican Meat Mix, thawed
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies, drained
Additional shredded cheese
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomato
Sour cream (optional)
Snipped Cilantro (optional)

Place pitas on a large ungreased baking sheet; do not overlap. Divide the 1 cup of cheese evenly between pitas. Spoon meat mixture over cheese. Sprinkle with diced chilies.

Bake, uncovered, in a 425 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until hot and cheese is melted. To serve, top with additional cheese, lettuce, tomato, and, if desired, sour cream and cilantro.

Source for all of the recipes: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995