Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Spring is in full bloom and the Easter weekend was full of fun times.  Granddaughter Rachel and the neighbor kids enjoyed an early morning Easter egg hunt.

There were so many eggs that her basket was full.

Cameron will have to wait until next year to participate because he is still a little unsteady walking on his own.

But the older kids shared with him.

DIL Kristen made the most delicious Easter brunch for us.  The menu included Crispy Smoked Mozzarella with Honey and Figs, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Bangers and Pierogies, Leek and Herb Frittata and Mixed Fruit Salad.  She got the bangers from the local meat market where they are made in house.  They were recommended to her by British friends who claimed them to be very authentic.

The Smoked Mozzerella with Honey and Figs was a fantastic recipe from Giada DeLaurentiis.  You can find the recipe here.

After all of that wonderful food, some of us worked it off jumping rope.  I wasn’t one of them.  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  We certainly did.

My friend Maxine recently attended a symphony guild reception and raved about the appetizers served.   One in particular that she mentioned was a simple tomato soup served in a cordial glass topped with a triangle of  a grilled cheese sandwich.  It was easy to sip the soup and dunk the sandwich if you preferred; no utensils necessary.

I thought, what a great idea for a Super Bowl party.  Just put trays of hot, freshly ladled soup and warm grilled cheese sandwich triangles on the serving table for everyone to grab and eat.  Now, I do have some fancy cordial glasses if you would like to do a more refined presentation.  Afterall, there is a difference between a Super Bowl Party and a Symphony Soiree.   It is your choice.  Here is the more refined version.

The glasses are smaller and I used Pepperidge Farms sandwich bread which is thinner and smaller in size.

I also cut the crusts off of the bread.  Tres Chic.

But whichever way you present them they will be a hit.  The soup is easy to make and is very flavorful with an added punch from basil pesto.  To be honest with you, tomato soup is not my favorite, but I loved this one.  It will be made often in this kitchen.   This idea of mini soups and sandwiches can be used with many different creamed soups and grilled sandwiches.  Just let your imagination run wild.

TUSCAN TOMATO SOUP

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots or 1 onion, chopped finely
3 (14 ounce) cans Italian diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/3 cup basil pesto
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large sauce pan.  Add diced shallots or onions and cook over medium low heat until they are softened.  Add tomatoes and bring them to a simmer.  Add the chicken broth and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.  Add half and half and pesto.  At this point you can either use an immersion blender to puree the soup or blend in a food processor or blender (in batches) until you have a smooth consistency.  Return soup to pan.  Add salt and pepper to taste and keep warm until you are ready to serve it.  Ladle the soup into a two cup measuring cup with a spout and pour into each serving glass.

Top with triangles of grilled cheese sandwiches.  Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles before placing on glasses.

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Don’t you just want to dip your chips into this cheesy concoction?  I have made this twice during the holidays.  The original recipe came from the Tabasco website.  My DIL Kristen introduced it to me and I have been making it for large get-togethers ever since.  There is lots of cheese in it but somehow the spinach and artichokes make it seem healthier.  At least that’s what I tell myself.

It is a simple appetizer to prepare if you remember to thaw the frozen spinach ahead of time.  Also be sure to squeeze the spinach like you really mean it until there is little moisture left in it.  Everything is cooked together in a large skillet and then transferred to a baking dish to bubble and brown in the oven.

This would be perfect for a Super Bowl party.  As much as I love guacamole and hummus, it is comforting to have a dip that is hot out of the oven.  I think you will agree.

SPICY SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP

1 stick of butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 (10-oz) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 (14-oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (not marinated)
1 (8-oz) pkg. cream cheese
1 (8-oz) carton sour cream
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons Tabasco pepper sauce (or to taste)
Salt to taste
Garnish with a finely chopped tomato or a sprinkling of paprika

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sour cream, 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Tabasco pepper sauce and salt.

Stir until well blended and heated through.  Pour mixture into a 1/2-quart casserole dish and top with remaining Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheeses.  Bake in a 350 F oven until cheese starts to brown, about 10 minutes.  Serve with pita bread or tortilla chips.  Garnish with chopped tomato or paprika.

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Making soup is a creative outlet.  I like to experiment with combining ingredients.  Making soup is also forgiving of mistakes.  Even if you screw up, it still tastes good.  But in this case there were no screw ups.  I started with a recipe from Cooking Light magazine and adapted it.  I had some boneless pork chops in the freezer and had just been to the supermarket where I found a quick cooking wild rice medley from a company called Canoe.  Their website is interesting and the name Canoe came about because wild rice was first harvested from canoes.  The wild rice medley has bits of dried red peppers, carrots, celery, onion and parsley in it but no pesky preservatives or additives.

I love combining black beans and greens together in a soup.  Kale is one of my favorites and it adds great nutrients and color.  The recipe called for two serrano chilies and lime juice which added a kick and a refreshing bite.

Have you noticed the great variety of tortillas in the market lately?  Mission has just come out with with an artisan tortilla with flaxseed and blue corn.  It has lots of Omega 3s and is high in fiber.  I topped the soup with these tortilla strips which I toasted in the oven.  You can also top the soup with sliced avocado and sour cream.  Anyway you do it, you can’t go wrong with this great combination.

PORK AND WILD RICE SOUP

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound pork loin, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup quick cooking wild rice medley
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced
1 1/2 cups of water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 (32-ounce) carton fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups kale, washed, stems removed and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Toasted tortilla strips, avocado and/or sour cream for garnish

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Brown pork on all sides.  Remove from pan.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Add rice, onion, garlic and chiles; saute 3 minutes or until onion is tender.  Add pork, water oregano, brogh and beans; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender.  Stir in kale, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper and simmer gently until kale is wilted, about 2 minutes.  Top each serving with garnishes of choice.  Serves 6.

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I have been on a quest for new soup ideas this Fall and Winter.  I did a Spanish Cocido here and a Tortilla Soup here.  Now I have tried an Albondigas soup.  It is a Mexican meatball soup.  Albondigas means meatballs in Spanish.  The meatballs can be made from  ground beef alone, a combination of ground beef and chorizo sausage, or in this case, ground beef and ground pork.   They have cooked rice and bread in them to stretch the portions.  According to some sources fresh mint is a necessary flavor in the soup.  The broth is made from chicken stock flavored with vegetables such as carrots, onions, zucchini and tomatoes.  It is a very satisfying combination.

Speaking of vegetables,  I am so happy to be in Florida right now.  I went to the Flagler Beach Farmers’ Market last Friday.  Here are some of the images.

Colorful Peppers.

Local Farmers.

Red Bell Peppers priced at 2 for $1.00.  I spent $10.00 total and came home with 2 peppers, 5 ears of corn, 1 head of lettuce, 1 pound of green beans, an acorn squash, 3 tomatoes, 2 zucchinis, 5 limes and 2 lemons. 

You can add any vegetables that you have to this soup, but in this case, I followed the recipe from My Recipes for Grandma Salazar’s Albondigas Soup.  My fennel breadsticks went very well with it.

ALBONDIGAS SOUP

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup short-grain rice
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion, divided
1 1/4 cup white bread crumbed
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro, divided
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 tespoon salt
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1/2 pound ground sirloin
2 large egg whites (or 1 whole egg)
1 cup chopped carrot
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup chopped seeded peeled tomato (or canned tomatoes, chopped)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth  ( I used more )
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 cups chopped zucchini
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pour water over rice, and let stand 20 minutes.  Drain.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add 1/2 cup onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Place bread in a food processor; pulse until couarse crumbs form.  Measure out 1 1/4 cups.  Combine rice, cooked onion, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup cilantro, oregano, and next 5 ingredients, stirring well.  Shape mixture into 29 (1 inch) meatballs.  Chill 20 minutes.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add 10 meatballs, and cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides.  Remove meatballs from pan; drain well on paper towels.  Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel.  Repeat procedure with cooking spray and remaining meatballs.  Return pan to heat.  Coat with cooking spray.  Add 1 1/2 cups onion, carrot and garlic to pan; saute 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Stir in tomato and broth, bring mixture to a boil.  Add meatballs and mint to pan.  Reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes.  Add zucchini, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to pan.  Cook 10 minutes.  Garnish with cilantro.

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