Summer Minestrone

I know soup and summer don't exactly make sense, but sometimes I just need something light and easy to eat no matter what the temp. So it's logical to moi.

This soup highlights zucchini, leeks and baby spinach so it gave me a springy summer vibe. I finish it off with lemon juice and fresh herbs for a nice refreshing touch.

The thyme, parsley and basil in my herb garden are really thriving as we speak so this soup puts them to good use.

Cleaning the leeks is a bit of a process. I listed my advice on that below.

I hope you enjoy making this. It's really delish.

Summer Minestrone

Makes 6 servings

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

1 leek, thinly sliced into moons (see below on how to clean and slice)

1 large carrot, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced

1 cup uncooked ditalini pasta

4 cups low-salt vegetable or chicken stock

2 cups water

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. chopped  fresh basil.

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

To serve: Parmigiano cheese, grated

To clean leaks: Peel off outer layers of leaks. Trim off stem. Cut leeks into three portions across the width to make three logs. Slice each log in half. Slice halves into moons. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Place leek slices into water. Set aside for a few minutes. Drain in colander running cold water over leeks. Separate the leek layers while rinsing. Repeat filling the bowl with water, adding the leeks and draining and rinsing until the leek slices are clear of sand. 

To make the soup:

In a large soup pot, melt olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add leeks, carrots and zucchini. Cook about 10 minutes to soften vegetables. Add thyme and salt and pepper. 

Add broth and water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Partially cover and cook for about 20 minutes so that vegetables soften.

Add ditalini. Stir frequently so that pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Make sure soup is continuously simmering.

Lower heat. Add spinach. Add salt and pepper if desired. Turn off heat. Stir in lemon juice, basil and parsley.

Serve with grated Parmigiano cheese, if desired

Chicken Take 99

It’s safe to say my kid is an eater.

Put some deliciousness on Baby Evan’s tray and he shovels it in, wolfs it down and I’m pretty sure he says, “Please sir, may I have some more?” in between gulping a chilly sippy of ice water and cleansing his palette with 5, 6.… er, 12 blueberries.

Breathe, Baby Evan, breathe!!!

Baby Evan eats often. I’m confident he consumes something every two hours. Not that I’m counting.

Basically, my kid breaks into fits of laughing/crying because he’s THAT excited for yum yums. 

So, if you  need to find me, look in the kitchen. I’m most likely mopping up the remnants of Evan’s meals from my once-shiny floor, wiping down his greasy paw prints from my countertops and scrubbing the high chair - again! -  while sorting out what he’s going to eat next.

It is now clear to the Jersey Girl why my Mom always had enough meals to feed an army in the house at all times. I can not fathom how much food this kid will eat during his teenage years.

And I completely understand why my Mom was so OCD about housekeeping. And why she drinks heavily. KIDDING!!

Word on the street – aka unsolicited pointers from moms my age – is that once Evan turns 2, he will no longer eat anything ever again. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Seriously, Mom. Ummm. Stop taking my picture and feed me.

These days, I am so over-the-moon thrilled when Evan eats something new and totally digs it, especially if the foodie item came from a good place - like a farm - rather than a package. (Yeah, Mr. Animal Cracker and Pepperidge Farm Goldfishie, I’m talking to yous.)

Chicken with Leeks. Yes, it’s good stuff! Sure, cleaning leeks is a pain in the bootie, but the final product is worth the effort. Make sure you soak those suckers, drain, rinse and repeat – maybe twice.

The fact that Evan eats leeks fills my heart with joy because it’s a not-so-obvious vegetable choice. This is food that grownups can eat as well, natch. And really, we all could use a good new way to cook up boring old chicken breasts every now and again. The green leeks taste so yummy with the simple chicken. And leeks just make me long for springtime, right?

 Leeks cooking up. Smells fab.

Chicken with Leeks

6 good size chicken breasts

¼ cup flour

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

2 medium leeks, sliced into discs and rinsed really really well, drained

½ cup white wine

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a shallow dish, combine flour with ¼ tsp. salt and pepper. Mix together.

Dredge each chicken breast in the flour mixture. Set aside.

In a large, deep pan, heat 1 Tbsp. butter with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Once bubbling, cook chicken breasts, about five minutes per side. Repeat with remaining butter, olive oil and chicken breasts.

Remove chicken to a covered dish to keep warm. Return pan to heat. Add leeks to pan. Cook until glistening, about five to 10 minutes. Add white wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits off the pan. Add chicken broth. Simmer leeks for about 10 more minutes. Return chicken to pan. Cook for about five minutes more. Make sure your chicken is cooked through and leeks are tender!

The Grunt Work

Bacon, Leek, Potato and Tomato Soup is totally worth the effort.

It’s not all sunshine and roses and rainbows for yours truly in the cucina.
We’re all friends here, so you should know: There are a handful of culinary tasks the Jersey Girl loathes.

1. Cleaning a pan with a Brillo pad. I just skeeve the thought of it. The greasiness, the blue soap embedded in the Brillo, the ick nast factor of it all.

2. Emptying the dishwasher. Hate it. I will put this off for days. And procrastinating goes against all I stand for. But I wait and hope and wait some more for The Husband to do it.

3. Preparing leeks for cookery. Which, brings us to today’s post.

Leeks taste like divinity. But getting them to that point. Oy, vay. It’s a process, dear readers.

So, here’s the dilly-o on leeks. This veg, which is amazing in soups but can also stand on its own as a side, is part of the onion fam. So, the actual part you eat comes from underground. And, when it travels from the farm to your store to your home, there’s still dirt involved.

Like, a ton of dirt. All up in the leeks and it’s many oniony layers. It's like the Pig Pen of veg.

As a result, you must wash, rinse, drain and repeat like a bazillion times.

OK. Maybe not a bazillion. But three. Three is my lucky number. I clean my leeks three times.

Because one speck of dirt will ruin your food. And I’m so not havin’ that.

Behold, my tutorial on leek cleaning:

1. Cut off the bottom and a bit of the rough, dried-out top. Peel off the first layer if it looks dodgy.

2. Slice the leeks into thin discs, about an 1/8-1/4 inch wide.

3. Fill a large bowl with cold water.

4. Place all your leeks into the bold of cold water. Swish around and separate the layers.

5. Drain.

6. Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 at least one more time. If the leeks are really gritty, repeat two times.

And onto, a way delish soup featuring Le Leek: BLT and P (Bacon, Leek, Tomato and Potato) Soup.

The recipe comes by way of Rachael Ray.

You didn't think I would give one of my own recipes that hokie name, did ya?

I know, I know, she is a divisive character. But I don’t hate on Rachael Ray. I do own several of her cookbooks, and girlfriend does come up with some yum yum recipes.

However, I do dispute her claims that her recipes take 30 minutes. For instance, the one I’m sharing with you took me about an hour. And, I think there are instances where Ray’s recipes have just way too much going on.

But this soup. This soup is awesome. It’s full of veg, and it’s not heavy. The flavors meld together beautifully. Me and The Husband love it.

So, I hope you dig it, too.

BLT and P (Bacon, Leek, Tomato and Potato) Soup
From “2, 4, 6, 8, Great Meals for Couples or Crowds”
By Rachael Ray

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
6 slices lean, smoky bacon, chopped into ½-inch pieces
3 small celery ribs from the heart, finely chopped
2small or medium carrots
3 leeks, trimmed of rough tops and root ends
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper
3 medium-size starchy potatoes, such as Idaho, peeled
2 quarts chicken stock
1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, drained
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
Crusty bread, for dunking and mopping

Heat a medium soup pot or deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the bacon to the hot pan. Cook the bacon until it is brown and crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate and reserve. Drain off all but 2 Tablespoons of the remaining fat and return to the heat. Add the chopped celery and cook over medium heat. As the celery cooks, use the vegetable peeler to make long, thin strips of the carrots. Chop the thin strips into small bits or carrot chips, ½ inch wide. Add the chips to the celery and stir. Halve the leeks lengthwise and then cut into ½-inch half moons. Place the slices into a colander and run them under cold water, separating all the layers to wash away the trapped grit. When the leeks are clean, shake off the water and add them to the celery and carrots. Stir the veggies together, add the bay leaf, and season them with salt and pepper. While the leeks cook to wilt, 3 to 4 minutes, slice the potatoes.

Cut each potato crosswise into thirds. Stand each potato third upright and thinly slice it. The pieces will look like raw potato chips.

Add the stock to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the potatoes and tomatoes. Cook them for 8 to 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and start to break up a bit. Add the bacon and parsley and stir. Discard the bay leaf and adjust the seasonings. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

4 Servings.

Please note: The Jersey Girl cleans her leeks in the step-by-step process listed above well before starting to cook. She also does not drain her diced tomatoes. She uses low-sodium bacon and low-sodium chicken broth.