In a pinch, pasta is a quick easy meal. Here’s a yummy and simple dinner.
Ingredients
4 T oil (I used olive, but you could try coconut)
1 package penne rice pasta (or whatever pasta you like)
2 carrots, grated
1 bunch kale, stems removed
3 T tomato paste
1 C leeks, chopped in rounds and washed
1 pkg mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg bacon
1/4 to 1/2 C balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 C parmesan cheese (1/2 C reserved for topping)
1 C pasta water
salt
pepper
1 t red pepper flakes
Instructions
Cook bacon. Drain on paper towel. Crumble when cool. Drain fat from pan, but don’t clean pan.
Cook balsamic vinegar and reduce (bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer until thickened and syrupy – keep an eye on it, it can burn quickly!).
Cook pasta. While it cooks: Heat oil in bacon pan. Add leeks and mushrooms. Once mushrooms are partway cooked, add tomato paste, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, carrots. Cook a couple more minutes, then add the kale.
Before draining the pasta, take 1 C pasta water and add to the mushroom mixture. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
Combine pasta with sauce. Mix in parmesan cheese.
Top each serving with bacon, parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar.
First thing’s first. This may not actually be a chowder. I’m not sure what a chowder is supposed to look like. I’ve only ever had the Clam Chowder from Splash Cafe. I did not make something that tastes like that. Second thing, there isn’t ham in it. I just liked the way the name sounded. There’s pork roast. That’s not the same thing as ham (I have recently learned). You may use ham if you’d like. It’s what I was planning to use. This way was great too.
You may not trust me anymore, but let me tell you a few more things. They’re true. Really.
This soup/chowder/stew/dishthatyoueatinabowl is good. Husband had seconds.
I made corn muffins to go with it. I used a recipe from my Joy of Cooking cookbook (not to be confused with Joy the Baker‘s cookbook, which, since I’m talking about it, I’m giving away – to enter: see this post). I followed the directions too… they got a little dark… too long in the oven. Oh well.
We’re still having soup because I like soup. And, because the weather is (occasionally) still cool.
This is a slight variation on the chowder I posted a few weeks ago. It would be good with any kind of meat (clams, salmon, chicken… beef… might make it more like beef stew, but if that’s what you’re going for, then try it).
This recipe features a lot of what came in my Abundant Harvest Organics box today: carrots, rutabaga, spinach, collard greens, potatoes, cauliflower, kale, parsley, chives. The stock that I used was made when I cleaned out the vegetable drawers. I found lots of still ok, but past their prime veggies. Anything from lettuce to carrots, leeks to rutabaga. It all went in to a pot with some water and cooked for about 2 hours.
Last modified on 2012-07-18 23:24:25 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Ham Chowder
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Recipe Type: Soup, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 90 mins
Total time: 1 hour 45 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
4 T olive oil, divided
3 carrots, chopped
1 C cauliflower, chopped
4 potatoes, cubed
1 rutabaga, chopped
2 C greens, rough chop (I used kale, spinach, and collard greens)
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T chives, chopped
1 1/2 C corn (frozen is fine)
1 C cooked pork, chopped (I used leftovers)
1 C cheese, grated (I used cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan)
1 T smoked paprika
1 T sweet paprika
1 T chili powder
pinch all spice
smoked sea salt
pepper
2 T flour
1/4 C apple cider vinegar, or white wine, plus 1 t
1 T dijon mustard
drizzle honey
4 1/2 C veggie stock
3 C milk
2-4 C water (or more if it’s too thick)
Instructions
Chop veggies, greens, and herbs.
Heat soup pot (use a large one!), add oil; heat, then add veggies (all but greens and herbs). Add seasonings. Cook over med heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add vinegar/wine. Stir. Cook 5 minutes more.
In a separate pan, heat remaining 2 T oil. Whisk in flour and cook 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in 1 C stock. Add mustard and let thicken. Add to veggies, along with stock, milk, pork, honey, and corn (you can add water at this point too, if there’s room in the pot – be careful, it will bubble and splash, so not too close to the top!). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook 1 hour.
Add water (optional). Blend a little with immersion blender (optional). Cook an additional 30 minutes, or less if you’re ready to eat sooner.
minutes before serving, add greens and herbs.
minutes before serving, turn off heat and add cheese and 1 t vinegar.
Notes
Would be great with ham, clams, chicken, salmon, even without meat.
Would be yummy topped with bacon, chives, croutons.
Would be excellent served in a bread bowl, or with corn muffins.
2 C greens, rough chop (I used kale, spinach, and collard greens)
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T chives, chopped
1 1/2 C corn (frozen is fine)
1 C cooked pork, chopped (I used leftovers)
1 C cheese, grated (I used cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan)
1 T smoked paprika
1 T sweet paprika
1 T chili powder
pinch all spice
smoked sea salt
pepper
2 T flour
1/4 C apple cider vinegar, or white wine, plus 1 t
1 T dijon mustard
drizzle honey
4 1/2 C veggie stock
3 C milk
2-4 C water (or more if it’s too thick)
Instructions
Chop veggies, greens, and herbs.
Heat soup pot (use a large one!), add oil; heat, then add veggies (all but greens and herbs). Add seasonings. Cook over med heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add vinegar/wine. Stir. Cook 5 minutes more.
In a separate pan, heat remaining 2 T oil. Whisk in flour and cook 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in 1 C stock. Add mustard and let thicken. Add to veggies, along with stock, milk, pork, honey, and corn (you can add water at this point too, if there’s room in the pot – be careful, it will bubble and splash, so not too close to the top!). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook 1 hour.
Add water (optional). Blend a little with immersion blender (optional). Cook an additional 30 minutes, or less if you’re ready to eat sooner.
minutes before serving, add greens and herbs.
minutes before serving, turn off heat and add cheese and 1 t vinegar.
Notes
Would be great with ham, clams, chicken, salmon, even without meat.
Would be yummy topped with bacon, chives, croutons.
Would be excellent served in a bread bowl, or with corn muffins.
