Galbi

 

The Korean grocery store has beef and pork already cut up and ready to  take home and marinate but they also have beef short ribs not only cut up but in a marinade ready to take home and grill.  We had not tired them before today and they were good.  The little BBQ was going to be too small and converting the smoker is a chore. the clean-up is too. I got a cheap charcoal grill at Walmart yesterday and set it up for today. In a couple of weeks, Charlie is having a couple over for some of my smoked meat and wants to include some Korean food, so I knew that I'd need a separate grill then, because I can't use my smoker for smoking and grilling at the same time.

Italian Wedding Soup

Charlie had dental work done yesterday and the dentist put him on a soft food diet for a couple of weeks.  Although hot soup isn't exactly seasonal, the meatballs are soft and small, plus its nutritious and it's pretty darn tasty too.

 Italian Wedding Soup

This classic Italian Wedding Soup recipe has savory meatballs in a flavorful broth with spinach and pasta! It's easy to make on the stove top or in the crock pot!

Prep Time 25 mins Cook Time 25 mins Total Time 50 mins

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Meatballs

• ½ lb. ground beef 85% lean
• ½ lb. ground pork
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Soup

• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 ¼ cups carrots diced
• 2 celery ribs diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ¾ cup acini de pepe pasta uncooked
• 4-5 cups fresh spinach
• salt/pepper to taste

To Garnish

• Parmesan cheese freshly grated

Instructions

Stove Top Method (See notes for Crock Pot & Instant Pot Methods)

• Gently combine the meatball ingredients, don’t overwork the meat. Roll into 3/4-inch balls.
  
• Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
  
• Brown the meatballs in batches for about 2 minutes. The middle of the meatballs will finish cooking in the soup. Remove and set aside.
  
• Add the onions, carrots, and celery and soften over medium heat for 6 minutes, until softened. Add a splash of olive oil during cooking if needed.
  
• Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute.
  
• Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  
• Add the cooked meatballs and simmer gently while you boil the pasta separately until al dente. Drain once cooked through and add the pasta to serving bowls. (Otherwise the pasta tends to absorb the broth during storage. If you don't anticipate leftovers, you can cook the pasta in the soup or add the cooked pasta to the pot of soup.)
  
• Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
  
• Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve!
  

Notes

Pro Tips:

• Flavor Enhancers: 1 tsp of Hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard powder can be used as flavor enhancers in this recipe and they can't be tasted outright. I use Frank's Hot Sauce and it doesn't make this spicy. They can be added when the Italian seasoning is added.
• Be sure to roll the meatballs nice and small for this soup.
• Spinach: 10 oz. frozen spinach may be used instead of fresh. Let it thaw and pat it dry.
• Chicken Meatballs: To make a similar recipe with chicken meatballs, try my Chicken Meatball Soup!
• Acini Di Pepe, Ditalini, and Orzo are all small pasta varieties that work well in this soup.
• Be sure to pair this with a crusty bread.

Storage:

• Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days or freeze for 3-4 months. 
• This soup freezes very well, be sure to store without the pasta and boil fresh pasta for serving.

Crock Pot Method

• Assemble and brown the meatballs as outlined in recipe card above.
• Transfer to the Crock Pot along with the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning and chicken broth.
• Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
• If possible, boil the pasta separately and add it directly to serving bowls. This ensures it doesn't absorb all of the broth if you have leftovers. Alternatively, you can add the pasta to the crock pot of soup and cook on low for 30 minutes. 
• Stir in the Spinach and heat through until wilted, about 3 minutes.
• Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

poulet a ia Marengo

Charlie frequently mentions a program that he enjoys about food history.  He has asked me to look at some of the shows and make some of the recipes.  I intend to do it but always forget.  But the other day he sent me an email containing a program about one of Napoleon's favorite dishes. The program said it remained popular in French cuisine after his death.  We tried the recipe,  and he said it was really good and it reminded him of Chicken Adobo.  The sides we had with it, most probably were not ever eaten with this meal in France..rice and corn. Thomas Jefferson tried to interest the French in corn when he was ambassador to France during George Washington's presidency and they were not interested in eating food meant for animals.

A Napoleon favorite

 Poullet a la Marengo

 about 6 chicken thighs

3.4 oz olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 shallots, peeled but left whole

1 cl. garlic

1 bay leaf

sprig thyme

bunch parsley

1/3 C. flour

2 C. beef broth & some optional mushrooms

Heat oil, add chicken -not overlapping- Add salt, pepper, shallot & garlic, cook 10 minutes covered, turn, cook 10 min, covered, turn cook another 10 minutes. Remove from pan, keep warm. Remove shallots and larger herbs but do not discard. Add flour, make roux to golden brown. Add broth and deglaze pan, stirring constantly for 10 minutes.  Strain through coarse strainer and pour over chicken,  Saute mushrooms and use to garnish dish.