Work Family Weekend Recipe......Italian Zuppa with honey butter and corn muffins!!!! for February 28....

        

THIS WILL ALL BE SUBJECT TO REVISION AND REVIEW (the above is a template for a recipe card).
Recipe: Italian White Bean, Chicken, Escarole and Pancetta Soup Smothered in Parmesan served with Corn Muffins and Honey Butter, review at work, needed more spice, bland, not that impressive. I felt this was "okay" but for a fun family meal it didn't work. A big promising title but unimpressive results.
Ingredients:
Chicken breast, chopped into 1 inch chunks or two 1/4 inch coarsely chopped pancetta
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 medium yellow onion chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 carrots diagonally sliced 1/8 inch
2 parsnips diagonally sliced 1/8 inche
1 pound large head escarole thinly sliced (switch to cabbage if escarole too expensive or actually where do you get this?)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup water
1 can 16 ounce cannelini beans
1 tsp dried rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions: 
Saute everything but the broth, beans and parmesan.
Add broth and beans and bring to boil or simmer for 20 minutes.
Blend 1/2 the soup and return, add 1/2 of the parmesan.
Sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan and serve with corn bread and honey butter.

CORN MUFFINS (6)
Mix together these dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup flour
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder

Mix together these moist ingredients:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 1/2 Tbsp. melted butter

Spread some of the butter onto the muffin cups:
After mixing moist and dry ingredients, but not too much, fill the muffin cups 1/2 full.
Bake at 350 F for 15 to 17 minutes, and cool for 10 minutes.

HONEY BUTTER
1/2 stick butter and 2 Tbsp. butter mix together and refrigerate  15 minutes to use for later. 

Valentine's

Brocollini, gnocchi and mushrooms and of course flowers

February 13, recipe, WHITE BEANS, SAUSAGE & ARUGULA PASTA

February 13, recipe
WHITE BEANS, SAUSAGE & ARUGULA PASTA (4 servings)

Ingredients
12 ounces spaghettini pasta
12 oz hot or sweet italian sausage, casing removed
1 medium onion, quartered, thinly sliced
1 can (14 oz) roasted garlic-flavored chicken broth
1 can (19 oz) cannellini beanns, rinshed
1 bag (4 oz) baby arugula or 1 bag (5 oz) baby spinach
garnish: grated parmesan

Directions
Cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water as package directs. Drain; return to pot.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and onion and, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, saute 6 minutes or until no longer pink. Add broth and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat: simmer 3 minutes to blend flavors.

Pour over pasta, add arugular and toss to mix and coat. Top with parmesan.

Calories 748, 10 grams fiber 

Recipe, February 6, MOROCCAN LAMB SHANKS

Recipe February 6
MOROCCAN LAMB SHANKS (4 servings)

Ingredients
2 cans (15.5 oz each) chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup each pitted prunes and dried apricot halves
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp freshly grated orange zest
1/2 tsp each salt, ground cinnamon, cumin and ground ginger
4 lamb shanks (12 to 14 ounces each)
garnish toasted sliced almonds and chopped parsley

Directions
Mix all ingredients except lamb in an oval 5 1/2 qt or larger slow cooker. Add lamb; spoon some mixture over shanks.

Cover and cook on low to 10 to 12 hours until lamb is very tender.

Remove lamb to serving plates; spoon out chickpeas and fruit and a slotted spoon and add to plates. Pour liquid into a bowl, skim off fat and pour juices into a gravy boat. SErve with the lamb; garnish plates with almonds and parsley.

850 calories fiber 12 grams

RECIPE 2/1 BEEF, SHIITAKE & BARLEY SOUP

February 1
Recipe 1. Beef, Shiitake & Barley Soup (6 servings)

Ingredients
3 tsp oil, divided
12 oz lean beef chuck for stew, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
12 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup barley (not quick-cooking)
3/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions
Heat 1 tsp oil in a 5-qt pot over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 4 to 5 minutes until brownded. With slotted spoon, transfer beef to plate.

Add remaining 2 tsp oil to pot. Saute onion and carrots 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; saute 3 minutes more.

Return beef to pot. Add broth, water, barley, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until meat and barley are tender. Season with salt to taste.

Calories 206, fiber 5 g.

ITALIAN CHICKEN, WHITE BEANS, ESCAROLE SOUP with CORN MUFFINS and HONEY BUTTER

2 servings of ITALIAN WHITE BEAN, CHICKEN, ESCAROLE,

And PANCETTA SOUP SMOTHERED in PARMESAN

Served with CORN MUFFINS and HONEY BUTTER

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts chopped into 1 inch chunks

Or two ½ inch coarsely chopped pancetta

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 medium yellow onion chopped

4 cloves garlic

2 carrots diagonally sliced 1/8 inch

2 parsnips diagonally sliced 1/8 inch

1 pound large head escarole thinly sliced

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup water

1 can 16 ounce cannellini beans

1 tsp dried rosemary

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 Directions: sauté garlic and onion, then meat 8 to 10 minutes, add carrots, parsnips, then escarole, add broth and water, bring to boil. Add white beans and rosemary, simmer about 20 minutes. Blend half the soup and  return, add ½ cup of parmesan. Serve topped with remaining parmesan cheese.

SERVE WITH:  corn bread muffins and honey butter (see below)

6 CORN MUFFINS:

Mix dry ingredients:

½ cup corn meal

½ cup flour

1/8 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

½ Tbsp baking powder

Mix liquid ingredients:

½ cup buttermilk

1 large egg, slightly beaten

2 ½ Tbsp melted butter

Combine liquid and dry but don’t overmix.

Spread 2 tsp on muffin pan

Bake 15 to 17 minutes at 350 F.

Cool for 10 minutes and serve with

HONEY BUTTER:

1/2 stick of butter

2 Tbsp honey

Blend and refrigerate for 15 minutes.