This week, I had the‚ privilege‚ of making dinner for a sick friend and his wife. When someone’s ill, there isn’t much one can do to help (doctors and nurses are excluded from this statement). So being able to provide food is a blessing to those of us who want to do something, but other than praying for healing, can’t make it better.
It’s also the case when a new baby arrives. You can’t fix the sleepless nights, but you can bring dinner over so the exhausted parents can have a break. (Hint hint, Andy and Laura, Geoff and Angie, Sean and Paige… If you’re reading this, please can I make you dinner?! I freely admit that it is mostly just an excuse for me to get to hold your wee child. Oh wait, you’re not reading this, because you’re hanging out with your new small person… Right.)
On Tuesday, after making the Roasted Broccoli and Fried Egg Sandwiches for my show, I made this Minestrone Soup for dinner. It was a kinda last minute idea. I had most of the ingredients, and Husband picked up a few extras on the way home from work. It was a chilly day and soup just seemed essential, plus it seemed like a good meal to bring to friends.
I’ve made Minestrone so many times. I’ve written it down twice. Tim loved this particular version so much that, even though it’s probably not too different from some of the others, I wanted to record what I’d done. When he yells that “it’s so freaking good”, it’s hard not to. 🙂
I had it for lunch again the next day. It was just as good, and maybe even a little better.
1 head broccoli diCicco, chopped (including leaves and stems)
3 carrots, chopped
1 shallot or onion, chopped
1/4 C water
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 C peas
1 C kale (or spinach), chopped
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 t salt
1 1/2 to 2 C diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 1/2 to 2 C garbanzo beans, cooked
1 1/2 to 2 C cannellini beans, cooked
3 C vegetable stock
3 C water
1 T Italian herb mix (or a bit of each: oregano, thyme, and basil)
1 t fresh rosemary
1 T lemon juice
lemon wedges, for serving
parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
Heat soup pot, add olive oil; add broccoli, carrot, shallot, and 1 t salt. Cook covered over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 C water, cook covered for 5 minutes more. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add vinegar, tomato paste, kale/spinach, broccoli greens, and peas; cook 2 minutes.
Add stock, water, and herbs; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 10-20 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Add 1 T lemon juice.
Cook pasta, but do not add to soup. Drain and keep warm.
Add beans to soup, cook 3 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Place a scoop of pasta in a bowl, add soup, and top with parmesan cheese and a squeeze of lemon.
Notes
This could be made in the Crock Pot too. Add the lemon juice and spinach in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Just cook the pasta separately. Leftovers can be frozen, without pasta.
The egg, the broccoli diCicco, the parmesan cheese, the lemon juice, the green onion, the dijon mustard, the crusty sandwich roll… they all need to be together. Need.
Try the sandwich and you will understand why.
For extra goodness add a little extra lemon juice as you eat.
I’m getting happy all over again as I remember this delicious lunch. It could also be perfect for breakfast or dinner.
When you eat it, you could do as I did, hardly stopping to breathe, for fear the sandwich might disappear before you can finish it. Or, you could eat it like a normal human being. Whatever. The choice is yours.
I was going to say that if you don’t like roasted broccoli that you could substitute something else. But, then I realized that I don’t really want to. I created this dish is created around broccoli, so it’s obviously best with it. But, if you don’t like roasted broccoli (I’m sorry – I think you’re missing out), or don’t have broccoli on hand, try cauliflower or Brussels sprouts.
3-4 C broccoli diCicco (stems too!), cut into small pieces (regular broccoli could also work)
1/2 C broccoli diCicco leaves (spinach could also work)
2 t olive oil
to taste garlic sea salt (or regular sea salt)
to taste pepper
1/4 C green onion, chopped
dijon mustard
2 oz. (1/8 C) parmesan cheese, grated
lemon wedges
crusty bread or rolls
eggs (1 per serving)
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Toss broccoli with 1 t olive oil, a bit of salt, and pepper. Pour onto a baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes (or until it's slightly crispy).
Cook egg(s), sprinkled with a pinch of salt, covered, over low heat. Flip, if desired, turn off heat, and let it cook using residual heat from skillet (especially if you're using a cast iron), until yolk is to desired doneness.
Slice roll almost in half (leave one side attached) and scoop out a bit of the middle of the bread (save it to make croutons!). Top with mustard, broccoli, broccoli leaves, a squeeze of lemon, parmesan cheese, egg, and a little more parmesan cheese.
Many years ago I graduated from high school. The following fall I started college. I didn’t really have any idea what I wanted to be. I remember a conversation that I had with my mom where I was trying to pick a program to apply to. I thought that maybe I wanted to help people. So I chose social work.
After one semester I realized it wasn’t for me.
Twelve years later, I finally know.
As I thought about next week’s menu, played around in the kitchen trying out some new recipes, texted with my brother about e3 live (a superfood), I was reminded that I’m doing it.
This is what I want to be.
I feel so blessed to have found it. Even so, it doesn’t end there. I have a lot to learn. It’s exciting and overwhelming. I just want to sit and read about nutrition, food, health, why things work the way they do, why we should and shouldn’t eat things, and on and on…Â But, I’m not a student anymore. It took me a long time to figure out what I’m passionate about. And that’s ok. It means fitting learning and studying into work, dinner preparations, spending time with Husband, and playing with the dog. But, I’m good with that. Because I like what I do.
And now, I have a cracker recipe to work on. Just like college, it didn’t work out the first time and needs some tweaking.
