Minestrone

Mmmm.....Soup good enough to warm your soul when the fall winds start whipping. This soup has everything good going on. Its hearty, healthy, filling and plain scrumptious! Make a big pot today and enjoy!

Minestrone
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
5 carrots, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
4 cups tomato sauce
1 cup canned kidney beans, drained
2 cups fresh green beans, sliced into 1" chunks
2 cups baby spinach, rinsed
3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fun shaped pasta, cooked
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Heat a large stock pot over medium low heat. Add oil and saute garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add onion and continue to saute for an additional 3 minutes. Add celery, carrots and cook for another 2 minutes. Total saute time is about 8 minutes. Vegetables should still be somewhat crisp.
Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Then add kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, oregano, basil and salt and pepper. Simmer for atleast 40 minutes until veggies are tender and all the nummy flavors have fused together.
Stir in cooked pasta.
Serve soup topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese and your favorite bread.

Borscht

Fall has settled into the air...the days have been cool and rainy. The air is crisp and feels great at 6 am while I'm out on an early morning run. Yesterday there was even scattered light patches of frost on the grass. You know what that means? I spent the entire day dicing vegetables for my favorite soups and kneaded bread dough the rest of the day for some homemade soup and bread. My house smelt devine all day today. Simmering vegetables and fresh baked bread is enough to make me float around my house all day wearing a smile. Not even the mountain of laundry is a match for the good mood that fresh soup and bread puts me in.

Borscht

8 cups beef broth*
1 pound slice of meaty bone-in beef (I used a serlion steak)
1 large onion, peeled, roughly chopped
4 large beets, peeled, diced into 1/2" cubes
4 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 large russet potato, peeled, diced into 1/2" cubes
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

*Use gluten-free broth if you are cooking gluten-free

In your stock pot, add 4 cups beef broth and bring to a boil. Season steak with salt and pepper. Add onion and steak to the beef broth. Cover pot and boil until steak is tender, 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.

When meat is cooked and tender, transfer to your cutting board and dice into desired size...bite size works best. Spoon any fat from broth that has floated to top and return meat to broth.

Add remaining 4 cups of broth, beets, carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil,then reduce heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender...about 30 minutes.

When vegetables are tender, add shredded cabbage and 1/2 cup of the dill. Continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in vinegar.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a scoop of sour cream and additional dill.

Enjoy!

Ciabatta Bread

You know those fall days that are cool enough to put you out of your comfort zone but not cold enough to force you to turn on the heat yet? We're smack dab in the middle of it and I have about 4 quilts on my bed. You know what else I do on days like these? Bake bread. Not only does your house smell delicious...but it gets nice and warm from the oven running too!

Ciabatta Bread
2 packages regular active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cup very warm water (115 to 120 degrees)
3 to 3 1/4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary, chopped (if desired)

In a warmed mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast forms a foam on top of the water. Add 3 cups flour, salt and sugar. Mix on low speed (speed 2 on your KitchenAid) until flour and water are just combined. Stir in oil and mix on low again for about 3-4 minutes until dough cleans away from side of bowl. If needed, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour. Dough should be slightly stick still but able to handle.
Form dough into a ball and place in greased bowl, turning dough so the topside is greased. Cover and let rise about 45 minutes until doubled in size. I usually heat my oven on 400 degrees for 2 minutes, then place dough inside oven and turn oven off.
Punch down dough and place on a floured surface. Divide dough in half and shape each have into a ball and let raise again until double.
Grease two cookie sheets with Pam. Stretch each ball of dough on individual cookie sheets into an 18 x 6 rectange by pulling edges away from each other. Dough should be roughly 1/2" thick. Using your fingers, make indents all over dough. Cover dough and again let rise about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush dough with and egg wash (1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water wisked together.) Sprinkle chopped Rosemary over top (or desired herb). Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.

I always like bread when its fresh out of the oven with butter!

Enjoy!