Lentil Soup

LENTIL SOUP

A friend of mine asked if I had a family recipe for lentil soup that he wanted to try for Lent.  The closest thing to a family recipe for lentils was my mom’s PASTA LENDDICHIA.  I never liked it, never ate it and subsequently never made it.  I am not sure where she got that recipe.  She just told me that this was one of the depression dishes her family ate mainly because it was inexpensive.  I vaguely recall that the three main ingredients were tomato paste, lentils and wide egg noodles.  What I do remember about the preparation of this dish was that she poured the lentils on the table a little at a time and painstakingly went through them separating the “good” lentils from the “bad”.  Lentils are usually flatten, smooth round disks and grey/green in color. These are the good ones.  The “bad” ones were more often darker and misshaped and somewhat shriveled and bumpy.  There were also small stones mixed in there too.  It is still a mystery how they got there.  The good ones were then rinsed thoroughly, placed in a pot with water and cooked till tender.  After that, I don’t recall what else my mom did.  I am guessing that after the lentils were cooked, she added the tomato paste and whatever seasonings she used and cooked it a bit longer. I remember the ‘sauce’ was thick.  The noodles were cooked separately and added to this thick mixture and served.  I never ate this dish.  But I remember my cousins Dan and Pasquale loved it.  And whenever she made it, she would always save some for them.

I am afraid that her recipe is lost, like so many things from that generation.  My mom was the ‘old soul’ of the family.  She was the family historian and was able to trace back our family to her grandmother’s mother and father as well as her father’s grandmother and grandfather. She also remembered the stories her grandmother told her about the towns from which the family immigrated. One piece of history that I recall was the story her grandmother told her about when she was a young girl and Garibaldi, the unifier of Italy, came through the region and the crowds greeted him along the way. I wish I could remember half of the stories she told.

If anyone out there has a recipe for the PASTA LENDICCHIA, please post here or let me know and I will post on this blog.

In any case, I did a little research for my friend and found a recipe for lentil soup that I am putting here.

Enjoy!! 

LENTIL AND ESCAROLE SOUP

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium carrot, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium celery rib, diced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (repeat hint about parsley)

1 14ounce can of diced tomatoes (if tomatoes are in season, dice two medium size ripe tomatoes)

8 ounces of brown lentils, sorted and rinsed (see above narrative for the reasoning behind this)

2 cups of water

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

(Here are a couple of questions for you strict Lenten observers.  Do you consider chicken broth meat?  Would you use it in your Lenten dishes?.  If you consider it meat, then use the vegetable broth.  It will, however,  affect the taste.)

2 bay leaves

A 2 by 4 piece of a Parmesan cheese rind - Optional  or substitute ¼ grated cup.

(This is not going be easy to find if you don’t buy your cheeses in bulk.  On Randolph near Halsted there was an Italian cheese shop where I would go and buy whole rounds of Asiago cheese. My mom and my uncle Jerry and Aunt Lu would then split the wheel and have whole chunks of it.  I know Uncle Jerry and  Aunt Lu shared it with their kids.

8 ounces of escarole cut and chopped.

Salt and Pepper to taste – If your broth is salted there is no need to add additional salt

Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

1.       Over medium heat and in heavy pot or Dutch oven, combine olive oil and all the fresh vegetables and cook, stirring often.  Cook until all the vegetables soften and very lightly browned.  Do not get ahead of yourself by raising the heat yet.  Let the vegetables slowly release their flavors.

2.       Add the tomatoes, lentils, water, broth, bay leaves and Parmesan rind and bring to a rolling boil.

3.       Once it has started to boil, lower heat and simmer until lentils have softened.  Length of time varies on the lentils but should be about  an hour or so.

4.       Add the escarole and cook an additional 5 minutes, until escarole had wilted

5.       Season to taste and serve immediately in soup bowls sprinkling with Parmesan cheese

PARMESAN BAKED TILAPIA

Here’s another Lenten dish for you!!!  One of the courses I taught at the College of DuPage was Basic Cooking.  I tried to tie in some cooking techniques along with introducing the class to new ingredients, food groups and terms as well as some interesting yet easy recipes.    Here is one of the recipes I researched.   It’s easy enough, so enjoy!!

PARMESAN BAKED TILAPIA

4 tilapia filets (orange roughy, cod, white fish can be substituted)

2 tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup parmesan cheese

4 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 green onions

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1.     Place the filets in a greased or non-stick baking dish.

2.     Brush the tops with lemon juice

3.     Bake fish in oven for 10-15 minutes or until the fish just starts to flake.

4.     Combine cheese, butter, mayonnaise, onions and seasonings in bowl and mix well.

5.     Spread cheese mixture over filets and bake in oven until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. (You can put under broiler for about 2 minutes, but check often to make sure it does not burn

CRAB CAKES

CRAB CAKES

I am sure my mom is looking down at me (could she be looking up instead?) and giving me a dirty look.  I really gave her a hard time eating. I was such a fussy eater, refusing anything that looked or smell funny. She would beg me to try something. But I always had a predetermined mind to any new food dish. Unlike my father and sister who would eat anything put in front of them, I wouldn’t.  Fortunately, that has changed a lot. 

As Lent continues, I will be adding additional meatless recipes.  I taught a vegetarian cooking class at the College of DuPage.  Here is one of the recipes I came across.  It can be used as an appetizer or a main course.  Feel free to double the recipe. It still works.

CRAB CAKE

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 pound cooked crab meat, flaked

1/4 cup bread crumbs, more as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

Additional breadcrumbs for dredging

Butter and oil for frying

1. Mix together the parsley, mustard, Worcestershire, eggs and mayonnaise.

2. Add the crab meat and crumbs. Season with salt and pepper and combine well but gently, so you don't        break up the crab meat.

3. Divide the mixture into 6 to 8 portions; flatten gently into thick patties.

4. Coat each patty lightly with crumbs. If possible, refrigerate for 30 minutes before sautéing.

5. Heat butter and a little oil, enough to generously cover the bottom, in a large fry pan over medium-high heat.

6. Add the crab patties and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.

7. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately or keep in warm oven till ready to serve.

Here’s a little hint about chopped herbs.   Many recipes call for small amounts of chopped herbs, such as parsley, basil, cilantro, etc.  Well you just can’t buy small amounts.  They come in bunches. I found an easy solution to having fresh herbs available.  When I buy a bunch,  I rinse it out thoroughly, dry it as much as I can.  Cut all the stems off and place the remaining leaves in a food processor and PROCESS.

You are left with more than you leave.  Use what the recipes call for and then place the rest in a tight container and freeze it.   The next time you need just a little bit, it’s right there.

ENJOY.

PEPPERS AND EGGS

It has been a long time since I have posted anything on here and have heard from a few people asking me to submit some new recipes. Since it is lent, I am going to post some meatless recipes.

Meatless Fridays!! How I hated them. I grew with EVERY Friday being meatless as well as Christmas Eve. I drove my mom nuts every Friday because I just hated fish of all kinds. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were the only thing I would bring to lunch. Friday evening meals were worse. I can remember actually eating mustard sandwiches because I wouldn’t eat anything else except maybe a bowl of cereal. Bless my mom, she catered to me. I was such a brat!!! She would even prepare pancakes on a Friday just to accommodate my fussy eating habits

I don’t think Peppers and Eggs necessarily means that this is a favorite Lenten dish, but I believe it is the most identifiable. If you should ask an ‘ole’ Catholic what is the first thing that comes up in his/her mind when asked to name a Lenten dish, Peppers and Eggs would be it. Even now, on Hot Dogs stands have their Marquees signs featuring LENTEN SPECIAL PEPPERS AND EGGS.

I can still picture my mom making this Frittata in the cast iron skillet which I still have. It’s not necessary but it surely makes preparing this dish easier in a “seasoned” skillet. An important ingredient in this recipe is the Italian Bread. It’s worth your time and effort to find a bakery or store  that sells a great loaf of Italian crusty bread. In Chicago, the best place for Italian bread that I know is D'Amatos on Grand Avenue near Racine.

This recipe is good for at two healthy sandwiches.

1 green pepper, seeds and veins removed and cut into ½” strips

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

4 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

salt and pepper to taste

1. Over medium heat in the skillet (or non-stick skillet, saute garlic and oil until the garlic begins to sizzle. 
2. Add the green pepper  and cook until pepper strips are tender, about 15 minutes
3. In a medium size bowl, beat eggs and milk adding salt and pepper
4. Pour egg mixture over peppers and let them set briefly
5. With a wooden spatula, turn the eggs to allow the uncooked to reach the bottom. Be careful not to turn too much or you will have scrabbled eggs.
6. After the eggs are pretty well set, take a platter slightly larger than the skillet.  Place the platter face down over the skillet and carefully and quickly turn the skillet upside down to allow the eggs to fall on the platter
7. Place the skillet back over medium heat and slide the Frittata back in the skillet.
8. Continue to cook for just a minute or two remove from skillet and cut.
9. Slice the Italian bread in slice and place Frittata between two slices

ENJOY