Italian Wedding Soup

I recently had Italian Wedding Soup at an engagement party. It was so delicious, I was inspired to make some. 

Thanks, Dudley, for the inspiration!

Dudley said she used Ina Garten's Italian Wedding Soup recipe. I used what I had on hand--a mixture of kale and baby spinach, ground chicken & ground pork, a random small pasta and canned chicken broth. It didn't seem as good as Dudley's but it was still really good!

Did you know that, according to Wikipedia, the name Italian Wedding Soup comes from the expression in Italian that the meat and greens "marry", or go well together?

I guess that means that they don't serve it at all weddings in Italy.

I think the meat and greens go well together, indeed. I like it with a little shaved parmesan cheese on top.

Italian Wedding Soup

adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1/2 lb. ground chicken
1/2 lb. chicken or pork sausage, casings removed
1 cup bread crumbs or dried stuffing mix, moistened with 1/2 cup broth or milk
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons each, chopped thyme and oregano
1/4 cup grated Romano & 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery with leaves
2 cans chicken broth and enough water to make 10 cups
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta, cooked and drained
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach or kale, washed, ribs removed from kale

 I snipped this parsley, thyme & oregano from my front yard.

 For the meatballs, mix ingredients in a large bowl.

Form into small meatballs and set aside.

Ina bakes the meatballs for 30 minutes at 350ºF, I dropped mine to cook right into the soup. But that comes later.

 Mince the garlic and finely chop the celery and onion. I used Chinese celery, which is mostly leaves and thin stems. I picked some up at my local Chinese market, it looked so fresh.

Saute the garlic, celery, onion, parsley, thyme and oregano in 2 tablespoons olive oil until wilted, then add the chicken broth, wine and water. I didn't have dill, but it's good with dill.

Boil another pan of water for the noodles, cook & drain.

 When the soup boils, drop in the meatballs and stir gently. When the soup returns to boil, lower heat to medium and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Skim any foam that surfaces to the top and discard.

 Wash spinach and kale. Remove the tough ribs from the kale and tear into bite-sized pieces.

My sister-in-law Nancy always used to tease me for eating kale. She said it was a garnish. Now she says kale is her boyfriend.

 When the noodles are done and drained, and you're ready to serve the soup, add the spinach and kale. Stir gently. It takes less than a minute for the greens to wilt, that's when you want to serve the soup.

Add a sprinkling of pasta and some shaved Parmesan cheese if you like.

Itadakimasu!


***


Since I've been away from blogging for awhile, I've got a lot to catch-up on!

Dudley is on the left, she inspired me to make the soup.

Remember Jessica's yummy Thai Chicken Salad guest post? That's Jessica's mom Elyse on the right. She and Dudley are the proprietors of Bouquets and Bow Ties Events. You'll be seeing more of them here because...


Rick and Jessica are engaged!

We're having a wedding!

A couple of months ago, Jessica's parents hosted a wonderful engagement party. We were pleased to meet their family and friends.

In the early fall, Rick proposed in what will be their new home that is under construction.

 Here, he is putting the ring on her finger.

 Congratulations to the happy couple!

I think they just exude happiness.

Jessica and Rick met on an airplane. They were sitting next to each other and struck up a conversation over a book Rick had just finished reading. He gave her the book to read with his business card inside.

The rest is history!

This is the book.

 Rick wrote why he knows that she's The One on the inside cover of the book. I think that's so romantic.

Then they made a stepping-stone for their garden with their handprints.

Together, in the shape of a heart.

Ahhhh---Love.


***

Italian Wedding Soup

adapted from Ina Garten at FoodNetwork.com, makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1/2 lb. ground chicken

1/2 lb. chicken or pork sausage, casings removed

1 cup bread crumbs or dried stuffing mix, moistened with 1/2 cup broth or milk

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons each, chopped thyme and oregano

1/4 cup grated Romano & 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup minced onion

1 cup diced celery with leaves

2 cans chicken broth and enough water to make 10 cups

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup small pasta

1/4 cup minced fresh dill

12 ounces baby spinach or kale, washed, ribs removed from kale and torn into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken and sausage, bread crumbs moistened with broth or milk, oats, garlic, cheeses (if desired), egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into a bowl and mix gently with a fork. Form into meatballs and set aside.

For the soup, heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a large pot. Add onion, celery, thyme, parsley, oregano and garlic and saute until wilted and soft, about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth, wine and water and bring to boil. Boil pasta and drain. Drop the meatballs into the boiling soup. When the pot returns to boil, turn the heat down and simmer gently 10 minutes. When you're ready to serve the soup, return to boil and add the washed spinach & kale with ribs removed and torn into bite-sized pieces. Cook for about a minute or until greens are wilted. Serve with a scoop of pasta and garnish with shaved Parmesan.

Green Chile Posole

I just recently tried making posole with green chiles instead of red chile sauce.

I guess I'm just a green chile kind of girl, because I really liked it!

My family may even like the green chile posole better than the red.

Serve the soup plain, with meat and hominy, and let each person add the toppings themselves.

Cabbage, cilantro, green onion, jalapeños, lemon, and radishes are the usual accompaniments. 

I forgot to buy the radishes, that's why you see a bit of tomato.

Here's what you'll need:

2 lbs. pork butt

2 lbs. chicken thighs

1/2 onion

1 carrot

1 stalk celery

2 cloves garlic

28 oz. can diced green chiles

1 1/2 lbs. fresh tomatillos

2 28 oz. cans white hominy

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

toppings:

thinly sliced cabbage

thinly sliced green onions

cilantro leaves

lemon or lime wedges

sliced radishes

chopped jalapeño

I bought this pork butt from my local Mexican market.

The butcher was really friendly and helped me pick a good cut of meat.

I haven't seen this cut of pork butt at Vons.

I like to use a mix of pork and chicken for posole.

I learned how to make posole from my friend Sue Godinez.

She makes a delicious pot of posole for her annual New Year's Eve party, along with her German Chocolate cake.

Before I added the chicken thighs to the pot, I trimmed them up a little, removing the skin and some fat.

You can use them as is for a richer broth.

Put the pork and chicken into a large pot and cover with water.

Bring to boil, skim the foam, and lower the heat to simmer.

Add the garlic and onions.

The whole carrot and celery too.

You don't need to chop them, you're going to be fishing them out later.

Add 1 teaspoon each--cumin and dried oregano.

Drain and rinse a 28 oz. can of diced green chiles and add them to the pot.

I used about a pound-and-a-half of fresh tomatillos.

Peel the outer husk away from the fruit, then core, wash and dice.

Tomatillos are often referred to as green tomatoes.

Dice them and add them to the pot.

The tomatillos can also be pureed before adding.

Take the chicken out after one hour, simmer the pork for another hour or until tender.

Remove the carrot and celery.

The meat will be tender, and it will be easy to separate the meat from the fat.

Shred the meats into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot.

If you are making the posole ahead of time, you can cool and refrigerate from this point.

I like to make the posole a day ahead to remove the fat that gathers on the surface and is easy to remove.

Reheat after skimming, adding the drained and rinsed hominy.

Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Serve with the toppings on the side.

The condiments add a great freshness and crunch to the soup.

Some spanish rice and toasted corn tortillas round out the meal.

 ¡Buen provencho!

***

Last week I had a big "The Song Remembers When" moment.

Do you know that Trisha Yearwood song?

The song is about hearing a song and it transports you back to a day and time--The Song Remembers When.

Last week on American Idol, one of the contestants sang "End of The Road" by Boyz II Men.

Listening to the song took me right back to when Sue and I took our junior high age kids to Irvine Meadows Amphitheater to see Boyz II Men.

TLC and Montell Jordan were also on the bill, but TLC had to cancel their appearance. The kids were disappointed, but they had so much fun!

I remember Sue and I didn't know what to do to keep the boys from staring at the couple vigorously making-out in the seats right in front of us!

It made me think of that time in our lives, picking up the neighborhood kids in my white Astro van for school, and how Cosmo used to check his hair in his reflection every morning as I'd drop them off at the back of Orangewood.

I love how music can do that, trigger memories, and transport us back to a time and place.



Trisha Yearwood, The Song Remembers When.

No printable recipe for Green Chile Posole yet.

Won Ton Soup

Won Ton Soup is one of my favorites.

Maybe it's because I love noodles.

I would always judge a Chinese restaurant by how good their won ton soup was.

It's surprisingly simple to make, especially if you plan ahead a little and have some won ton skins on hand when you make your gyoza.

You can make some won tons with the same filling, freeze them, and have them handy for soup!

Start with some chicken broth.

Home made is by far the best, but you can use canned.

For four cups of stock, add two cups of water.

Also add a slice of ginger root and one clove of garlic, crushed.

If you have some shiitake mushrooms, thinly slice them and add them, too.

I had these vegetables on hand--baby bok choy, chinese peas and bean sprouts.

You can use any vegetables you like.

I think non-root vegetables work best.

Cilantro is really good in here, as is watercress.

Immerse each vegetable in boiling water for about 10 to 15 seconds only.

That keeps them from getting overcooked.

After the ginger and garlic have been cooking in the soup stock for a few minutes, taste the stock. If it needs some more body, add some dashi--soup stock. The dashi above is made from vegetables.

The bonito flavored dashi is good in won ton soup.

Or you can use konbu dashi.

These are the won ton wrappers they had at Nijiya Market.

Look at the date to be sure they're fresh.

If they're old, they won't bend nicely, they'll crack.

This is the sausage/mushroom filling I made for gyoza.

If you're going to make won ton, use it the same day and freeze the won ton. 

It's not good to keep the filling for more than a day.

Moisten around the edges with a little bit of water and fold it in half, pressing it together firmly with your fingers.

Put a dot of water near one corner, and bring the opposite corner over to overlap, then press firmly.

I like this shape for won ton soup, but you can also leave them flat.

Drop the won ton into boiling soup stock or a separate pot of water.

Cook for a few minutes over medium heat until the won ton float, then they're done.

Spoon the won ton into soup bowls.

You don't want to leave the cooked won ton in the broth, the noodles will expand a lot, so ladle them right into the bowl.

Put the blanched vegetables into a bowl with the won tons and ladle the hot stock over them.

Serve. 

If you like a little dipping sauce, you can make some ponzu sauce with lemon juice, shoyu and a splash of vinegar and sriracha hot sauce.

Sprinkle with some cilantro leaves and chopped jalapeno.


Delicious!

This is my favorite won ton soup, the Hung Tao Won Ton Soup at the House of Louie Chinese Restaurant in West Covina.

The won tons are fried, and the soup is thick, with little pieces of chopped barbecued pork, egg flowers, and cilantro in the broth.

They serve it really hot, just as I like it.

Yum!



***



When I was a little girl, I went to Japanese language school, I've talked about it before.

This is the old Community Center where I first started Japanese school,

I was about 7 years old.

It's tough being a new kid at Japanese school.

Everyone already knows each other, and at recess, all the girls were in small circles, holding hands, and doing the Soupy Sales shuffle together.

I remember watching them from the porch of the school.

The girls would slide their feet--left, right, left-left, then right, left, right-right--all together, laughing and having fun.

I couldn't do it--when I looked down at my feet, I just had two lefts, no rights.

It can get lonely on the porch at Japanese school all by oneself, watching all the other girls having fun.

Until you look around on the porch, see someone else, and make your own friend.

This is Susan.

She was new at Japanese school, too.

She's a couple of years older than me, so smart, and so, so nice.

We became fast friends.

I wanted to be just like her.

Even more so, when she got these blue glasses.

I remember thinking they were the prettiest, coolest things I'd seen.

I really wanted a pair of blue glasses.

But I didn't need them.

Or get them.

Susan used to let me wear her blue glasses at Japanese school.

Except when she needed them.

To see.

Then I had to give them back to her.

Remember these girls?

Susan is second from the left.

She recently told me she'd always admired my Japanese odori technique.

She wanted to dance like me.

I never knew that.

(Me!?)

I'd always admired her popular dance technique.

We talked on the phone for hours and hours, all through high school.

Once, one of my dad's friends had to use Emergency Breakthrough because our phone line had been busy all evening. 

I was talking to Susan.

When she went away to college, we wrote letters.

Lots of letters.

I still have the letter she told me she was in love with John, and another when she asked me to be her maid-of-honor in their wedding.

We wrote when she moved around the country when her husband was going to graduate school, and when our children were small.

Susan is still my role model.

She's artistic and a talented artist, but doesn't know it.

She's on a roller hockey team and is super-fit.

She worked so hard for the past few years taking care of her aging, ailing parents--not an easy thing to do.

She understands me, knows me so well, and always gives me the benefit-of-the-doubt--seemingly without thinking twice--when I stick my foot in my mouth.

We're back to talking on the phone, sometimes with long conversations like when we were kids.

Feeling left-out and standing on the porch at Japanese school during recess wasn't so bad, after all.



You never know when you'll meet a friend.



Thanks, Susan, for being a life-long friend.

No printable recipe for this one yet.