Spinach and Lentil Tortellini Soup

 From Beth at Bookmans. "Christmassssssss" only Roseberry and Meg will get that one. 

1/2 cup lentils

2 cups shredded carrots

large chopped onion

4 oz chopped ham or canadian bacon

2 minced garlic cloves

2 tbs basil fresh or dried

1/4 tsp pepper

5 cups chicken broth 

1 cup water

4 cups fresh torn spinach

1 9 oz package of refrigerated cheese filled tortellini

Rinse lentils and put in crockpot. Add carrots, onion, ham, garlic, basil and pepper. Pour broth and water over all. Cook on low for 61/2 to 7 hours. 30 minutes before serving put on high and add tortillini. add spinach and serve. 

Leftovers are thick and delicious if any is left. 

Lynettes Pancit Miki and another Pork Guisantes

OH this soup. I can still taste it while eating bowls of it in Whitmo' village. Lynette Rabanal (Borromeo) knows how to cook. She taught me her pork chops recipe which were so good and her Miki recipe. So good and great when you feel the sickness coming on. The only hard thing to find is a good miki noodle. For me the closest is at the Mekong in Mesa so making this is rarer than I'd like. I'll have to change that. Anyways here's the recipes. I hadn't made this in a long time and found the recipes stuck in a book by accident. I'm glad I found them.

Lynettes Pork Chops

Pork Chops

sprinkle with shoyu and oil

season with seasoned salt

bake in oven

turn over once

Lynettes Pancit Miki

4 lb chicken breast

4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large inch of fresh ginger root

1/2 sliced onion

salt/pepper/patis

chopped green onions

1/2 pound fresh miki noodles

Boil chicken in water in large pot. Simmer until cooked. Remove chicken and save chicken broth. Shred chicken. In wok saute garlic in oil, add ginger and onion. Add chicken and seasoning. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add noodles, stir for 3 minutes. Then add 2 cups of broth, top with green onion.


Somehow I got another pork guisantes recipe on the same piece of paper. It's a little different from the other one.

Pork Guisantes
2 1/2-3 lbs pork, thin sliced
4 clove garlic
16 oz tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 bay leaves
1 lb frozen peas
4 oz bottle of pimentos, drained

Brown pork with garlic. Add rest of ingredients but not the pimentos and peas. Simmer for 60 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick, add peas and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pimentos and serve with rice. 

Lentils

But not like the gross vomit lentils that Neil always makes on the Young Ones. Lentils are cheap, filling and delicious. They are also very nutritious. Here are a few recipes that we used to eat.

Hamburger Vegetable Lentil Soup

1 lb hamburger                          1 cup diced cabbage, celery, carrots 

5 3/4 cups tomato juice              1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup washed lentils                  salt, pepper, bay leaf, garlic

4 cups water

Brown and drain hamburger in pot. Add liquids and rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hour. 

Meatless Lentil Chili

5 cups water and 2 1/3 cups washed lentils. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes.

Add:

1 can tomatoes or tomato sauce

chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin, salt, pepper

Simmer for another 30 minutes. 

Wishes Granted: French Onion Soup

I received a list of requests recently and have a chance to fulfill them. So here we go.

French Onion Soup

1 large sweet onion like a Walla Walla Sweet
4 cups Beef Broth (good quality)
optional: splash of red wine
Slices of provolone, gruyere or swiss cheese
French bread (home made preferred)
butter, salt, garlic

Slice onion thin. Transfer to a pot and sauté with a large chunk of butter until they are translucent and soft. Add beef broth and wine. Add a little garlic and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour each serving into a deep bowl, add a slice of bread on top. Top with cheese of choice and broil 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Here is another recipe I found handwritten in the ratty handwritten cookbook without a cover.

French Onion Soup
1/4 cup butter
2 lbs onion sliced thin
2 large cloves sliced garlic
2 TBS brown sugar
4 cups beef stock
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
salt
1 cup Swiss cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

that's all it says. But I figure the execution is something like: brown onion and garlic in butter. Add rest of ingredients except for cheese and simmer for 30 minutes. Ladle into individual soup bowls, add slice of bread and cheese on top. Broil for 5 minutes.

Potatos Soups

As Toki would call it. Potato Soup. Easy, cheap and delicious.


Potato Soup

4 potatoes peeled, quartered
1 cup water
1 can chicken broth
italian seasoning, salt
pinch of Tony Cacheres cajun seasoning
2-3 TBS butter
1/2 diced onion
2 cloves chopped garlic

Saute onion and garlic in butter. Add potatoes, stir up for a minute in butter. Add water and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add seasonings. Bring to a simmer and cover for 20-30 minutes, stirring often.
Whip well so it breaks up to get creamy. Add 1 TBS flour to 1/2 cup of milk, whisk well and add slowly to soup. (if you have a hand blender, put it in there for 30 seconds) Cook another few minutes to thicken. Serve with bread.

You can also add a cup or two of chopped ham which is a great way to use up holiday leftovers.

Boogernose Soup

Ahhh lovely green boogernose soup. Many a stomach was filled on a cold day with this hammy concoction. Well it's super cheap, delicious with fresh warm herbed bread or biscuits. I usually used leftover ham or ham bone from holiday dinners to make this. The ham and bone could be frozen for months. Sausage balls are also an option. Another slow cooker winner.  All hail the boogernose!

Split Pea Boogernose Soup

2 cups split peas
1/4 pound chopped raw bacon or 1/2 cup diced cooked ham or 1 leftover ham bone
1 cup finely chopped onion
basil, garlic, herbs
7-8 cups water

Bring all to a boil. Simmer 2 1/2-3 hours, stirring often until well cooked and all pureed on its own. Salt when done.

If adding sausage balls, add those at the last 1/2 hour.

Can also be made in slow cooker. Add sausage balls to last 3 hours of cooking.

Sausage balls: mix and roll into 1 inch meatballs
1/2 lb raw ground sausage
1 tsp parsley
1 egg
2 1/2 TBS bread crumbs
italian seasoning