Easy vegetable beef soup

Easy vegetable beef soup.

FYI:  dicing your vegetables in advance saves a lot of time.  I use my handy chopper and make several bags to have on hand for soups like this.


I am posting the recipe as it was written but I adapted it to my liking.

 I followed the recipe pretty much for the exception of I used ground beef and I used 4 cups beef broth and 2 cups vegetable broth.  I also cut back on wine to 1/8 cup and cooked it in a Dutch oven on top of the stove and  not a crockpot.

Crockpot is good for those that want to use stew meat.

Yummy soup!

   1 ½ pounds lean beef stew meat
   1 tablespoon cooking oil
   2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
   1 cup chopped yellow onions
   1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
   3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
   3/4 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
   6 cups (1.5 L) beef broth
   1/4 cup (60 ml) dry red wine
   1/2 cup quick-cooking yellow rice

Cut any large pieces of stew meat. In a large nonstick skillet, heat cooking oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the meat, turning occasionally, until browned. Drain off the fat.
Step 2

In a 6-quart (6 L) slow cooker, combine carrots, onions, garlic, thyme, and basil. Stir well. Place browned beef over vegetables. Pour the broth and dry red wine over all.
Step 3

Cover the pot and cook on low-heat setting for 8-10 hours.
Step 4

Open the lid. Stir in quick-cooking rice. Cover the cooker and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Step 5

NOTE:  I made my own yellow rice and made it earlier so I just added right before serving.

To make yellow rice:

I cup white rice
Pinch salt
3 cups water
1tsp. Turmeric
Bring to boil. Lower heat and stir until rice is tender.  Rinse with cold water and drain.

Turn off the slow cooker and open the lid. Stir the soup well before serving. ladle into soup bowls. Serve hot. 

Yellow rice (saffron)

Good Day!  Here’s a little information about Yellow rice.  Just in case you have never heard of it.


DescriptionYellow rice is a traditional yellow-colored rice dish in Spanish, Morocco, Peruvian, Caribbean, Filipino, Afghan, Indian, Sri Lankan, South African and Indonesian cuisines. It is made using white rice made yellow with annatto, saffron or turmeric, ingredients used to give the rice its yellow color. Wikipedia

I noticed no difference in flavor of the rice using tumeric but as you see above other seasonings can be used to flavor and color the rice.

The recipe I plan on baking tomorrow calls for yellow rice so I googled it and saw a video on how to make it.  I had the tumeric so it was easy as tastes good.

I am making a different type of vegetable soup recipe today and I noticed it calls for yellow rice.

Simple to make!  It was a fun learning experience.



1 cup long grain rice
3 cups water
Pinch salt
1 tsp. Turmeric

Add rice to a large pot.  Add salt, water and tumeric.

Bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a slow boil.  Stir frequently until rice is tender.

Nana's Chicken Ravioli Filling

My mom and my grandmother on my Dad's side made traditional Ravioli with beef, pork and veal but my mom's mama(who I call Nana) made her filling with chicken..I can attribute mom making her's like Grandma because she, my Dad and I lived with her for a while when my Dad went to college so I'm thinking that mom got her basic tips from grandma...so that explains the history between meat and chicken Ravioli..I can go on about the differences in the way they cooked but the outcome was all the same...Great Food!!.

These days food processors are available but mom and Nana used a regular food grinder to grind their ingredients.

Here is Nana's Ravioli Filling:

1/2 cup cooked chicken, finely chopped
1/2 cup cooked and drained spinach, finely chopped
2 tbsp. plain bread crumbs
2 tbsp. grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste.
1 egg beaten

I don't know how many chicken ravioli's the above would make but I do remember that everything was so fine(I think Nana used one of those old time grinders because she used to can and I remember lots of things going in and coming out ..and that included relish and her own sausage..

Dough recipe:

Flour,eggs, salt and a little water...No basic recipe for her dough..I'm looking though and if or when I find it I'll edit and post it..Until next time!!! Happy Cooking............

Note:  I was so pleased with the Cappelletti dough that I am going to make the same dough and fill it with Nana's Ravioli filling..Here is the recipe I decided to make adjusting it to my taste. Happy Cooking!

1 lb. chicken breasts (cooked and chopped in food processor) You can either boil the chicken or microwave..I suggest adding a little salt to the water if you boil.
 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4cup chopped spinach (cooked)
1/3 cup Italian cheese
1 egg beaten

In food processor add cooked chicken chicken or chopper, add spinach, egg, breadcrumbs and Italian cheese. Process all the until incorporated.

Dough recipe:

Dough:

4 cups regular flour
5 whole eggs
1 tbsp. oil
1/4 cup water plus a little more
1 tsp. salt

Mom said this recipe makes 140 Ravioli.. 

Oatmeal Apple pie

Even though I made an Italian ricotta cake the other day. (I froze half for another time).
I made an apple pie last night.  I had a few Gala apples I needed to use and my hubby never refuses apple pie.

I made up my recipe while he was peeling and dicing apples in small pieces.

4 medium apples cut and diced
1/2 cup dried oats
1/2 To 3/4 cup sugar
And of course cinnamon approximately 1tsp.
2tsp. Butter
Double crust ( refrigerated pie crust )

I had never thought of adding oats before but thought it was worth a try. Just a idea that came out of my head at that moment!

It’s not a full pie but hubby said best ever!  We ate some warm!  He came back for seconds.

Bake 400 degrees for approximately 40 minutes.  Cover edges after 10 minutes to avoid browning too much.

Yummy!

Beef Enchiladas

It’s Enchiladas for tonight’s dinner.

After ordering online random groceries (Tortillas, Corn and flour)with no menu planned I had to come up with a meal.

I had only cannellin(northern beans) so I had to eliminate black beans from the traditional enchilada recipe.  Fortunately I had a can of tomatoes with Chile’s to use.


Beef filling

I lb. ground beef
I small onion or I tsp. Onion powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup cannellini beans drained (black beans might be better)
1/2 cup Chile’s drained
Shredded cheddar
Shredded pepper jack cheese
Black olives
Chives

Spray pan.  Add ground beef, salt and onion/or onion powder.  On medium heat sauté beef until it is lightly browned.

Add drained beans of choice and drained chiles’

Sauce
4 T vegetable oil
4 T flour
1 cup beef broth
1-14.5 oz. diced tomatoes with chiles ( I used my food processor to blend)
Note: You can use same size tomato sauce and I small can drained chiles if you prefer.
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp. Cumin
Sour cream(optional)

When oil starts to sizzle add flour while whisking.  Continue to whisk while adding beef broth and processed tomatoes /chiles’ while whisking to prevent clumping. Simmer slowly until mixture starts to thicken slightly.

Remove from heat.

Spray large baking dish.  13x9 inch would work well.  I used a round dish and they were crammed.


Note:

Steam corn tortillas in the microwave so they stay pliable and don't split under the weight of enchilada fillings. Wrap a stack of tortillas in damp paper towels or a damp kitchen towel, then wrap in plastic wrap or place in a microwave-safe resealable plastic bag (keep the bag open to vent).

Place a tortilla on cutting board.  Place spoonful of meat mixture toward center of tortilla, fold over and place in dish seam down.  Continue making tortillas and place next to each other until dish is filled.

Cover with sauce and cheese.

Bake 350 degrees uncovered 20 ton30 minutes until sides start to bubble.

Top with olives, chives and sour cream if desired.