Home Sweet Home - Beef & Mushroom Soup

Pat mad it home very early this morning.  Quite a bit worse for wear and not feeling at all well.  So a lot of TLC is in order.  Not eating well for over a week and being dehydrated, I've opted for some very well de-greased soups and maybe some pudding for the sweet tooth I know he is bound to have.

Of course there is home made chicken soup and I decided to opt for a simple Beef-Mushroom and Vegetable Soup.  Luckily there was still home made beef stock in the freezer that I made a while back (thank you Julia Child).  So last night while watching the final episode of Top Chef All-Stars; congrats to Richard, I got the ingredients together and let it simmer for a while.  I just hope he is up to eating it later today.  For now sleep my sweet....you are home!

Beef-Mushroom Soup with Vegetables

1 lb very lean stew beef, cut into bite size pieces
1 small onion, minced
olive oil, to coat bottom of pan
1 stalk celery, chopped small
2-3 carrots, chopped small
3 quarts good quality beef stock
3-4 oz. Shiitake Mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
4 oz Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
4 oz White Button Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup peas (I use frozen)
additional vegetables as you like
1 Bay Leaf
pinch of thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a heavy bottom pot or Dutch Oven bring oil to temp to brown your beef.  Add beef with a bit of salt and pepper and brown lightly.  Add minced onion and saute until translucent.  Add a bit of the stock to de-glaze pan.  Once you have gotten all the browned bits up add the remainder of your stock along with carrots and celery, bay leaf, thyme,salt and pepper.  Allow to cook until carrots are al dente.  If you are using other fresh vegetables allow them time to cook.   Add mushrooms and cook until just tender.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.  At this stage you can add rice, barley or noodles just prior to serving.

Review - "The Italian Slow Cooker" by Michele Scicolone

I've recently stopped buying cookbooks.  Let me re-phrase that, I'm being very selective about the books I buy and I have discovered the joy of the Kindle!  Granted, with the Kindle you don't get the pretty pictures, but once I've checked it out and drooled over it at the bookstore, I can pretty much live without the photos. I'm not going to go into all the reasons I love my new toy, but it is making life easier!

I have a couple of Ms. Scicolone's books including both Soprano's cookbooks and I like the way she writes.  Her recipes come out delicious, they are easy to follow and in the case of The Italian Slow Cooker simple to make.  Be forewarned though, a number of the recipes in this book do call for browning meat ahead in a skillet or sauteing items before putting them in the slow cooker.  The recipe I posted for the
Slow Cooker Chicken Stock is straight from her book.  There is also a recipe for Roman Oxtail Stew and a wonderful Beef in Barolo.  I haven't made them all, but the recipes I have tried have been delish!  So for those of you who like your slow cooker, I highly recommend you check it out whether in paperback or on Kindle.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sorry for not posting this yesterday folks, but it seems that I have come down with the flu!  Thought for a while it was just a bad cold, but with all of the other symptoms, like fever, aches and pains and the like....flu it is.  I need to get over this quickly!  So I will be living on homemade chicken soup with lots of dandelion greens for the next couple of days.  The good news is, no one here to pass this on to (except for Max the dog).

Today's recipe.....Irish Soda Bread.  So if you have about an hour, make this to go with your Corned Beef and Cabbage tonight!

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups all purpose flour
4 tbsps. white sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly grease a large baking sheet. 
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine.  Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg.  Turn dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
Form dough into a round and place on baking sheet.  Bake in preheated oven for appox. 45 minutes.

Chicken Soup - Food for the Soul

I've been watching the weather up North, so this one goes out to my friends and family up there....Stay safe and dry!

When I'm feeling punky,down in the dumps or the weather is cold and damp, one of my favorites is Chicken Soup. Mommy made wonderful Chicken Soup....and then there's Pat's Chicken Soup. When he's at home (not somewhere else in this great wide world) he'll make a batch. And oh the wonderful things that come from that stock. The minute I come down with a cold or some form of "creeping crud" he makes it for me and all is well with my world.

In our house we always keep home made stocks in the freezer. They are a great quick go to for soup, stews, gravies and sauces. For those of you with busy lives who think "I don't have time for that", trust me when I say it doesn't take as long as you think; prep time is short and then you just let it simmer. The aroma coming from a pot of chicken stock on the stove just says "I love you". And for those who love the slow cooker (this one is on my personal wish list All-Clad 99009 Stainless-Steel 6-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker), I found a terrific recipe in the book "The Italian Slow Cooker"(I've made a number of the other recipes and have been quite happy". It makes a great stock and I just tweak it with it with whatever I'm in the mood for.

So go make some Chicken Soup today! Add some beaten egg, grated Parmigiano, and maybe some spinach, escarole or even better yet dandelion greens! Try making matzo balls. Make it your own and your family will love it!

Here's the recipe for Chicken Stock from The Italian Slow Cooker...

3 lbs chicken wings, backs or other parts
1 large onion, peeled
2 medium celery ribs with leaves, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
6 whole peppercorns
A few fresh parsley sprigs
10 cups water

Combine all the ingredients in a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Let cool slightly. Strain broth into a bowl and discard the solids. Refrigerate until cold. Remove the fat from the surface.

Use within 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Makes 2 1/2 quarts.