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Category Archives: Soup

Beef and Eggplant Stew Recipe

07 Jun

Now if I headed it with “Tadzhikistani Badrijan Kourma Recipe”, your eyes probably would’ve rolled back in your head…..  Tadzhikistan is a country north of Afghanistan and the cuisine is influenced by Persian cooking.  Meat is not terribly plentiful, so soups and stews (protein content) is bolstered with yummy chickpeas!  I don’t bother with saffron rice with a crust as the cookbook “Please to the Table” calls for.  It holds up great to barley or potatoes!  The ingredient measurements aren’t important.  This recipe is courtesy, once again, of my cooking Bible, Please To The Table

INGREDIENTS

1 lg. eggplant, about 1 1/2 pounds

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 cups coarsely chopped onions

3 medium-size carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally, 1/4-inch thick

1 lb. boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. sweet Hungarian paprika

1 tsp. cumin seeds, or more to taste

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or more to taste

2 cups Beef Stock or canned broth (I use “Better Than Bouillon, about a Tb)

3 lg. tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped pinch of sugar Salt, to taste

1 can (16) chick-peas, drained (I rehydrate my own)

3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Pierce the eggplant all over with a small knife and bake on a baking sheet until soft, about 45 minutes. Cool until manageable, cut in half, scoop out the pulp, and set aside.
Heat half the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute until colored and softened, about 15 minutes.
In a heavy casserole, heat the rest of the oil over medium-high heat, and brown the meat on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Add the sauteed vegetables, turmeric, paprika,cumin seeds, cayenne, and the eggplant pulp to the casserole. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add the stock, tomatoes, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 1/4 hours.
Add the chick-peas, taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary, and cook for 10 more minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley with rice, barley or potatoes. Serves 6 over rice

 
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Posted by on June 7, 2012 in BEEF - it's what's for dinner!, One Pot Meals, Pruett's Cruet, Soup

 

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Quick n tasty Northern Bean Soup

24 Jan

2 ounces sliced pancetta or bacon, cut in small strips.  I used some smoked turkey, something I seldom buy due to nitrites/nitrates.  I used 4 oz  and sauteed it up with the onions.

1 cup diced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cans (15 ounce size) cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained (1 lb of dried beans, cooked to mushyness)

2 tsp dried sage

1 Tb chicken soup base (it’s more chickeny and less salty than bouillon)

pepper

Sautee the non beans in some EVOO until done to your liking of carmelization.  Mix with cooked beans.  You can puree them as well. I also snuck in the equivalent of a head of cauliflower that I had pureed and frozen in the freezer.

 
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Posted by on January 24, 2012 in Pruett's Cruet, Soup

 

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Armenian Lentil Soup (Vospapur #2)

03 Jan

There seems to be an Armenian lentil soup for every day of the week!  This is also a great way to use up left over chicken, especially a chicken prepared with paprika or if you’re daring, leftover Cajun spiced chicken.

For this soup you’ll need –

About 6 c water

Chicken or tomato flavored soup base or bouillon

1.5 cups lentils.  Any color will work, but the orange ones cook to mush in about 15 minutes for a QUICK meal.

1 onion, chopped.  I like red

EVOO to sautee the onion, if desired

1 10 oz pkg frozen spinach

1 lb tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved

couple cloves of garlic, to taste

2 Tb lemon juice or more to taste

.75 tsp cumin

.5 tsp coriander AND hot paprika (or cayenne will do)

Bring lentils to a boil in bouillon, then simmer till soft.  At some point, add the frozen spinach.  While lentils are simmering, sautee onions if desired.  If not, then just chop and toss in the soup.  Add spices to the onions and when they’re almost to desired carmelization, add garlic.  If you add it too early, it can become bitter.

Add tomatoes to soup pot and anything else I forgot to reference above.  Providing it doesn’t get too thick, you can NOT make a mistake with this.  When the tomatoes are soft, turn off the heat and add 2 tb of lemon juice.

While enjoying this delicious Armenian dish, try to think of other famous Armenians besides the KK’s.

 
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Posted by on January 3, 2012 in Pruett's Cruet, Soup

 

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Armenian Lentil Soup w/Dried Apricots (Vospapur #1)

09 Nov

There seems to be a Vospapur  for every day of the week in Armenian cuisine.  Lentils are cheap and a great source of protein and fiber.  You can use brown lentils, but I prefer red lentils because they cook to mush in about 15 minutes.  The beauty of these recipes is that they are flexible.  Just make sure to add water as needed so your lentils don’t burn.  The apricots rehydrate nicely and add just a sweet touch to the soup.  Try it!

EVOO

1 large onion, chopped (I like red)

2 large cloves garlic or about 1 TB jarred

1.5 c. red or brown lentils

1.3 c. chopped dried apricots. (11 of them…. cut with scissors so they don’t stick to your knife blade)

5 c. water + stuff to flavor it to make 6 servings.  In other words, check your bouillon or soup starter for one portion and then make it 4-6 portions.  I like chicken flavored soup starter better than bouillon b/c it’s more chickeny and less salty.

3 plum tomatoes (or regular, doesn’t matter!) chopped

1/2 tsp ground cumin and 1/2 tsp ground thyme

S & P

2 Tb lemon juice.

In a soup pot, sautee onion over medium heat until the color you like.  Then add garlic (don’t add it at the same time b/c it cooks faster than onions and can BURN).  Saute a bit longer.  Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to boil, then simmer until lentils are mushy.  Make sure to check on the consistency from time to time!

When soup is satisfactorily mushy, add 2 Tb lemon juice and simmer a couple mins more.  Stir and enjoy.  You can also puree it but I don’t see the need when the lentils are mushy!

You can also add left over cubed up chicken.  Cajun flavored chicken adds a wee bit of a kick to this sweet and mild soup.

 
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Posted by on November 9, 2011 in Pruett's Cruet, Soup