FoodB

What's up party people. 2 weeks ago I had 4 posts and last week none. The reason. Got busy at work and started school. Those two things have pretty much blanked my brain when it comes to this here site.

So for the price of one posting I am putting up two recipes today. Both are soup recipes and both are really easy to make. The first, Moroccan-Style Chickpea Soup, I found in a book my mother gave us from America's Test Kitchen and it has all of their meals that can be made in 30 minutes or less. I trust them more than that big mouthed lady on Food Network so I went to this book before hers. Glad I did because the flavor of this soup was awesome. We did have to buy saffron for it though and if you don't know about saffron, it is pretty expensive. It comes from a flower grown in Europe and Asia and they can only harvest 3 threads of it per flower grown. Hence the price is pretty high because of the limited supply of it.

The other soup was one that Jenn found in an Italian book that she has. I was really surprised to find that she didn't use any stock for this recipe because the broth had a lot of flavor. I guess the pureed beans can substitute as stock in soups. Who knew. Good stuff as well and if you're on a budget, this is more for you.

Moroccan-Style Chickpea Soup

3 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
2 (15.5 oz) cans of Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans)
1 (14.5 oz) can Diced Tomatoes
1/4 tsp. Saffron threads, crumbled
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. unsalted Butter
1 Red Onion, minced
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Tbsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
2 Zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. minced fresh Cilantro
2 Lemons (for serving)

1. Heat Broth Mixture – Bring broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, saffron and 1/2 tablespoon of salt to boil, covered in large saucepan and set aside.
2. Sauté Onion – Meanwhile melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook until softened and slightly browned, 3-5 minutes.
3. Sauté Aromatics: Add Broth Mixture and Zucchini – Stir garlic, ginger and cumin into pan and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. Add to the broth mixture, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Season – Stir in cilantro. Off heat, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lemon wedges.

White Bean Soup

1 1/2 cups Cannellini beans (or other white beans)
5 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
1 Carrot, finely chopped or julienned
1 rib Celery, finely chopped
3 medium Tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh Thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp. dried Thyme
3 1/2 cups boiling Water
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

1. Drain and rinse the canned cannellini beans. Puree about 1/4 of the beans in a food processor adding a little olive oil if necessary.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Stir in onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are soft. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 5 more minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes more, stirring often.
4. Pour in boiling water. Stir in the beans and the bean puree. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve in individual soup bowls, sprinkled with a little extra-virgin olive oil.