CEIMB – Delicious Tuscan Vegetable Soup – Ellie Krieger

I am not sure I see anything astonishing about this recipe, except the taste.  The taste was out of this world.  It was hard, for me to believe, I was eating vegetable soup, a mundane, nourishing food.  I am so glad that I have Ellie Krieger’s first book.  I want her second book.

Thanks to Craving Ellie In My Belly and our Hostess, Lobster and Fishsticks.  This week, I feel even more gratitude than usual.  This is a soup that I am already craving for. 

Tuscan Vegetable SoupIngredients

• 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves

Directions

In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside. (I used my potato masher.)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

My husband I discussed, after dinner, what could be unhealthy about this meal.  Honestly, there is nothing.  We use a brand of beans that has almost no salt in it and the canned tomatoes were no salt.  There was only one tablespoon of oil in the entire recipe.  Then there were all those nutritious vegetables.  This is a meal, I anticipate making again and again.

 

Spaetzle TFF

My mother used to make spaetzle (we called it spaetzen) quite often.  I  loved it and claimed it as one of my favorites.  I could not get enough of it.   Granted, it was different than Tylers.  Mom did not make little ones with chives.  Hers were more like regular sized dumplings without the “pretty”.  I still loved them.  We had them with pot roast so I would smother them in gravy.

Not Tyler’s.  I ate them, as soon as they came out of the pan, with a bit of additional salt.  This was fun to make. I loved watching the dough drop from the slotted spoon and make these little cuties.  Then, into the frying pan to be coated with margarine and then chives.  How delicious!  This is another recipe to cut back on the butter or margarine.  The spaetzle will still turn out fine.

I stuck to Tyler’s recipe.  What was not to follow?  I did use margarine instead of butter and Rice Dream instead of milk.  I did not want this to be a dairy meal.  (If one is kosher, we do not mix meat and milk, even in the same meal.)

Spaetzle

Ingredients

Boiling the spaetzle dough

• 1 cup gluten free flour mix
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
•  3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg-milk mixture. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides and combine well; the dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

  Draining spaetzle below

Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot, then reduce to a simmer. To form the spaetzle, hold a large holed colander or slotted spoon over the simmeringwater and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon. Do this in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spaetzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Dump the spaetzle into a colander and give it a quick rinse with cool water.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spaetzle; tossing to coat. Cook the spaetzle for 1 to 2 minutes to give the noodles some color, and then sprinkle with the chopped chives and season with salt and pepper before serving.  Above – margarine melting.

 

This is an easy recipe but it is a little time consuming, having to make batches of spaetzle and then again waiting for them to be coated with margarine.  In the big picture, though, those were small patches of time.  You just have to be on top of it all the time so you don’t overcook.

I loved this.  It did bring back childhood memories. I sat down and ate two plates.  That is not like me.  My Mom is no longer alive but I think she would be happy to see one of her favorites re-created.  This is my submission for Tyler Florence Fridays.

 Eat and Enjoy.