roberto!

This is the best soup! Helen Rosner is a soup queen! Go read her original recipe. The condensed version here is to make shopping easier for me.

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 big onion
2-4 cloves garlic
Salt
1 pound hot or sweet italian sausage

1 28oz can tomatoes, diced or crushed or whole (crushed)
1 14oz can of beans of any type
4 cups of broth (chicken, beef, veggie, or honestly just a mix of water and wine is great)
1 bunch of kale
Pepper
1 lemon

Put the olive oil and onions in a soup pot over medium heat, with a pinch of salt (a pinch is about a quarter teaspoon) and stir them all together. Slowly cook them all until the onions are soft and translucent, about 4 minutes, but sometimes as many as 7. Add the garlic and wooden-spoon it around in the onion until you get hit with that nostalgic garlic-and-onion smell, about 1 minute. 

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the sausage squeezed out of its casing. Stir it into the onion and garlic, breaking it up in the pot into small pieces that could comfortably fit on a spoon. It's better to overcook than undercook the sausage: For the best flavor, you want the pieces to start to brown on the outside. It should look speckled with dark spots.

When the sausage is starting to brown dump in the tomatoes (including all the liquid), the beans (it's okay if there's a little liquid left in the can, add that too), and 4 cups of the broth/whatever and bring the whole thing to a simmer. If you'd used canned whole tomatoes, use your wooden spoon to break them up against the side of the pot.

Once it's at a simmer, add the kale. Get the greens in there and put the lid on and turn the heat down back to medium and let the whole thing simmer for about 5 minutes more, or even longer if you want to. Taste the soup (use the wooden spoon, you're less likely to burn your mouth) and decide how much salt and black pepper you think it needs. Then add half as much salt as you want to, and twice as much pepper. Add a little more pepper. 

Serve the soup, which is very hot, in bowls and squeeze a wedge of lemon juice into each bowl. Add parsley if you want.

little chefs calamari

The best calamari recipe I've ever had.

Calamari Marinade

1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1.5 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
zest of one lemon
3 smashed and chopped garlic cloves
1 handful chopped basil
1 handful chopped parsley
1 handful chopped Cuban oregano
1/4 cup olive oil (enough to have a wet marinade)
squid tubes and tentacles

Calamari Dressing

5 olives
1 handful parsley
juice of 1-2 lemons
zest of half a lemon
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons crisp white wine

Combine all ingredients in the marinade and then marinate the squid for 20 minutes. Add as much olive oil as necessary to make it saucy.

Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more wine if needed to loosen the dressing.

Grill calamari until cooked and plate with arugula and dress both the calamari and the arugula with the dressing.

the green kind of steak sauce

A chimichurri-style sauce has a brightness that makes any steak taste even better.

• 4-6 large garlic cloves, minced
• a handful of coarsely chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons basil
• Maldon salt
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• splash of red wine vinegar

Finely chop the garlic, parsley and basil. Add to a bowl and add enough olive oil to cover. Add salt to taste and a splash or two of red wine vinegar and mix well.

Spoon over steak and enjoy.

lebanese shrimp with garlic and cilantro

Turns out that putting cinnamon in savory dishes is maybe the best thing ever (see also the Armenian dish in the next post below).

1 pound of medium-sized shrimp

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

8 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of cilantro or parsley

1 small red onion

2 teaspoon of ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric or jamaican curry

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne or hot paprika (optional)

Salt, to taste

1 lemon, quartered

Peel the shrimp and lay out on a plate. Slice the onions and put in a bowl.

Mash the garlic in a mortar with a pinch of salt until pasty. Set aside.

Wash and dry the cilantro or parsley and chop finely the cilantro leaves, discarding the stems.

Mix all the spices in a small bowl and sprinkle them on the shrimp and onions.

Heat the olive oil for 3 minutes and place the shrimp and onions in the skillet, stir-frying them for a couple of minutes.

Remove the shrimp and onions from the skillet with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet if necessary and place the mashed garlic and cilantro in the skillet, stirring for one minute until they are mixed and fragrant.

Place the shrimp and onions in the skillet and stir-fry for a minute or so until everything is coated evenly with the garlic and cilantro paste.

Serve with lemon quarters on the side.

Adapted from Taste of Beirut

veggie bouillon

I had an abundant parsley harvest this year, and just about everything else needed for this and it has so far been a nice addition to have on hand to spice up plainer dishes.

2-3 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped and washed
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
2-3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, and thin stems
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1⁄2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Process everything, except tomato paste and soy sauce, in food processor, scraping down sides of bowl frequently, until paste is as fine as possible, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add tomato paste and process for one minute, scraping down sides of bowl every 20 seconds.

Add soy sauce and continue to process one minute longer.

Transfer mixture to airtight container and tap firmly on counter to remove any air bubbles. Press small piece of parchment paper against surface of mixture and cover.

Freeze up to 6 months.

Use 1 tbsp to one cup boiling water to make broth.

Adapted from Food.com