Tomato Bisque soup

 https://www.laurainthekitchen.com/recipes/ultimate-tomato-bisque/

Ingredients

• 2lb of Ripe Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil, divided
• 2 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter
• 1 Small Onion, chopped
• 3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 2 Stalks of Celery, chopped
• Few Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
• 1 Large Potato
• 5 cups of Chicken or Veggie Stock
• 3/4 cup of Heavy Cream
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Fresh Basil
• Sliced Baguette
• Freshly Grated Parm

Preparation

1) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, in a small roasting pan, add the tomatoes, balsamic, one tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 20-25 minutes or until caramelized and roasted, meanwhile start the base.

2) In a Dutch oven, add the remaining oil, and butter, along with onions, garlic and celery along with a pinch of salt and sauté over medium heat for about 7-10 minutes until softened.

3) Add the stock, potato, thyme and Italian seasoning, cook over medium low for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are ready and potato is tender, add the tomatoes to the soup base, simmer for 10 minutes.

4) Puree the mixture until smooth (discard the sprigs of thyme before you puree) add it back to the same pot, add the cream and some basil,, keep it warm over low heat, adjust the seasoning to taste and in the meantime, make the parm croutons.

5) Add the slices of baguette to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, drizzle both sides with some olive oil then pop in the oven for about 5 minutes or until lightly golden, then take them out, rub each one with a clove of garlic, top them with some parm and pop them back in for a few minutes or until deeply golden brown and cheese is melted.

6) Serve the soup with a few giant "parm croutons" and enjoy!

Lentil Soup

 

 

Lentil Soup

Original recipe yields 8 servings

Ingredient Checklist

    2 tablespoons olive oil

    ½ onion, chopped

    1 carrots, diced

    1 stalks celery, chopped

    1 cloves garlic, minced

    ½ bay leaf

    ½ teaspoon dried oregano

    ½ teaspoon dried basil

    1 cups dry lentils

    4 cups water

    ½ (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

    ¼ cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced

    1 tablespoon vinegar

    salt to taste

    ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Instructions Checklist

    Step 1

    Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.

    Step 2

    Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until lentils are tender, at least 1 hour.

    Step 3

    When ready to serve, stir in spinach and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper; taste and adjust as needed.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13978/lentil-soup/

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Cj Cherryh Meatloaf

It's meatloaf tonight.  (7/5/20)

3 lbs ground beef 80% preferred
tsp each of black pepper
red chili flake
salt
heaping of dry basil
Cup and a half of corn flakes
two raw eggs
generous helping of catsup, mixed
4 small potatoes

Preparation:

put in casserole with 4 small potatoes and a dose of catsup atop at 350 lidded for about 2.5 hours, plus a last 15 minutes to 'finish' unlidded.

Served with dose of Heinz Chili Sauce (mild) atop...tastes like catsup with a little darkness to it.


https://www.facebook.com/cj.cherryh/posts/3183973084992273

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Slow Cooker Honey Pork Roast

Slow Cooker Honey Pork Roast

INGREDIENTS

    3 to 4 pounds pork loin roast
    2 tablespoons dried oregano
    2 tablespoons dried basil
    ½ teaspoon black pepper
    ¾ teaspoon salt
    2 tablespoons garlic, minced
    ½ cup honey
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    ¼ cup soy sauce
    ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

    Place the pork loin roast in the inner pot of a slow cooker.
    In a medium bowl, combine the dried oregano, dried basil, black pepper, salt,
         minced garlic, honey, soy sauce and Parmesan cheese, and mix well.
    Pour the sauce over the pork loin roast into the slow cooker.
    Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
    Remove the cooked pork loin roast from the slow cooker, reserving the liquid. Shred the meat.
    Add the reserved cooking liquid to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
    Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced and thickened.
    Pour the reduced, thickened sauce over the shredded meat and serve.

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skillet lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 2 14 ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 -14 ounce can diced tomato
• 1/2 yellow onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound lasagna noodles (broken)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Toppings

• Mozzarella cheese
• Ricotta cheese
• fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Add the ground sausage to a large skillet and cook over medium heat while stirring. Once the sausage is mostly cooked add the diced onion to cook.
2. When the onion is translucent and soft and sausage is cooked through add the minced garlic. Cook for an additional 30 seconds.
3. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomato to the skillet. Stir to combine.
4. Add seasonings and stir. Break the lasagna noodles over the skillet and add to the sauce. Press the noodles down as much as possible into the sauce. Cover the pan and allow to simmer over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.
5. Once the noodles are softened add in a cup of mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine.
6. Serve and top with additional mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and fresh parsley.

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Corn salad

Adapted by Betty Theis

Ingredients

• 4 ears fresh corn on the cob, cleaned and washed
• 1 (10.5 ounce) package grape tomatoes, halved
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into bite size pieces
• 10 basil leaves, chiffonade (roll leaves and slice thinly)
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground coarse black pepper

Instructions

1. Cut corn off the cob, place into a medium mixing bowl.  Add tomatoes and mozzarella. Sprinkle with basil.  Set aside.
2. Add fresh lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to a pint size canning jar.  
3. Shake to combine.  
4. Pour dressing over salad.  Toss to combine.

Betty's Notes:
Yes, I subbed with bottled dressing...squeezed a lime to the corn for increased flavor. A little sea salt too. Cooking fresh corn on the cob is optional.... I cut the corn off the cob first. Steamed it for about four minutes in microwave, cooled it. Then, assemble as indicated on recipe.

Marzetti Roasted Garlic Italian sub.

Betty Theis Chicken in wine sauce over Angel Hair

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The sauce is merely low sodium chicken broth and white wine. A reduction sauce is simmered to reduce and concentrate the flavors. My favorite sauce over heavier gravies or red sauces.

First, salt & pepper chicken pieces, brown in a Teaspoon of oil. 
Remove chicken from pan, keep warm. 
In reserved drippings soften & lightly brown Sweet onion, red, yellow sweet peppers. 
Grate in lemon peel and minced garlic. 
Next, add chicken broth & wine. 
Low simmer until reduced by half, add more of both as necessary to have adequate sauce to pour over pasta. 
In the last five minutes of cooking, add 
quartered canned artichokes, 
chopped tomatoes, 
capers, 
chopped fresh basil and
juice of a half of lemon
Lemon is essential to the final flavor but don't add too much... 
You don't want to taste the lemon only compliment the wine reduction sauce. 
Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

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Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf

Ingredients

    1 pound ground beef (85%)
    1 cup bread crumbs
    1 tsp dried basil
    1 tsp dried oregano
    1 tsp dried parsley
    1 tsp salt
    ½ tsp black pepper
    ½ cup milk
    2 TB worcestershire sauce
    8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
    1 cup ketchup
    ¼ cup brown sugar, tightly packed
    1 TB worcestershire sauce
    1 TB red wine vinegar
    2 cloves garlic, crushed
    ? tsp salt
    pinch cayenne pepper 

 Instructions 

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a glass baking pan (9x13) with nonstick cooking spray.
    In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, bread crumbs, basil, oregano, parsley, salt, 

        pepper, milk, and worcestershire sauce. Knead until combined.
    Divide meat in half. Shape one half of the meat into the bottom half of the loaf and 

        place in prepared pan. 

    Place mozzarella slices down the center, leaving ½ inch around the ends and sides. 

    Shape remaining half of meat as the top half of the loaf, sealing the edges. This is a free-form loaf so

        it doesn't need to be perfect.
    In a small mixing bowl whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, red wine 

       vinegar, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper. 

    Pour half of this mixture over the meatloaf, reserving the remaining half for later.
    Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
    After 45 minutes, remove from oven and pour the remaining sauce over the loaf.

    Increase temperature to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
    Let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Passata

Passata, Italian salsa.  yummy stuff

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/817646/tomato-passata

Ingredients

• 15 Fully ripened medium to large tomatoes, halved.
• 1 Large, finely chopped red onion.
• 2 tbls Olive oil.
• 4 Pealed and chopped cloves of garlic.
• 1 tbls Finely chopped basil.
• 1 Desert sp Sundried tomato paste.
• 1 Desert sp Tomato puree.
• 1 tsp Course ground black pepper.
• Salt to taste.
• Makes approximately 1 ltr.

Method

1. Place the tomatoes, garlic, basil and black pepper into a blender and liquefy.
2. Using a large frying pan gently fry the red onion in the olive oil until just golden. Add to blender and liquefy.
3. Pour the blender contents into your large pan and bring to the boil. Add the sun dried tomato paste and tomato puree and thoroughly mix. Now gently simmer, stirring frequently for 10 - 15 minutes and reduce until you have the perfect passata.

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