BEST RECIPES OF 2007
It is my custom on the first memo of the new year to reprint what I consider the best recipes of the previous year, starting with Make-A-Meal Soup.
MAKE-A-MEAL SOUP
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound smoked sausage, thinly sliced
- 3 cups water
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 ribs of celery, chopped
- 1/4 head cabbage, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons uncooked long grain rice
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
In a large saucepot or Dutch oven, brown onion until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Recipe makes 8 servings.
Source: Best of Best from New Mexico Cookbook, published by Quail Ridge Press for $16.95. To order call 1-800-343-1583.
I hope you don't mind two more soup recipes because my sister won a chili contest in a suburban newspaper in the Pittsburgh area with her Italian version and Lori Benedict Heathfield's soup recipe was another winner with me. I could live on soup and maybe that's why good soup recipes are so appealing to me!
ANN'S ITALIAN CHILI
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1 pound Italian hot sausage
- 4 medium onions, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 3 cans Bush's hot chili beans, undrained
- 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 1 cup water
- 1 12-ounce can beer
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
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- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup catsup
Saute meat, onion, bell pepper and celery together until meat is no longer pink. Drain fat. Return mixture to large saucepot. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Recipe makes 10 to 12 servings.
LORI'S SOUP
- 2 pounds Italian sausage
- 3 carrots 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 quarts fat-free chicken broth
- 2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 2 15-ounce cans cannelli beans
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 cups large shell pasta (I use whole wheat kind)
- 1 6-ounce bag baby spinach, stems removed
- 1 cup gated Parmesan cheese
In a large saucepot saute Italian sausage until no longer pink; drain on paper towels. Remove fat from stockpot. Return meat to stockpot and add remaining ingredients except pasta, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are almost tender. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Add spinach only long enough to wilt it. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on each serving.
Source: Lori Benedict Heathfield, Columbus, IN, via her mother, Joan Benedict, Bryan.
It's wintertime and what could be more appropriate to serve with our hearty soups than Winter Salad.
WINTER SALAD
- 1 bunch broccoli (stems removed and florets cut into small pieces)
- 1 head cauliflower (stems removed and florets cut into small pieces)
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
- 8-ounce package sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup Craisins
- 1/2 pound bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
- 1 1/2 cups Hellmann's Light Mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- Toasted almonds for garnish
Toss broccoli, cauliflower, onion, Craisins and bacon. Whisk mayonnaise, sugar and white vinegar together and add to vegetable mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Recipe makes 8 to 10 servings.
Source: Gooseberry Patch Christmas Cookbook; Oxmoor House, Inc. To order, call 1-800-765-6400. |
