Sunday, September 4, 2011

Grandma's Soup

I apologize for the lag in postings. I had a half-dozen or so recipes ready to post, but then ... well, it's a long story.

On an unrelated note, if anyone happens to find an SD card that includes not only pics of delicious-looking food, but also my family's vacation photos from Florida, please contact the hubby.

My mom stopped by the other day, bearing gifts. (Even though we live only two blocks away now, and we see my mother almost every day, she still prefers to bring gifts when she visits. I'm sure the novelty of our close proxemity will wear off soon.) This time, her gift was a Taste of Home cooking magazine ... with a request. "Can you make me some soup like this?"

The next morning, the little man and I hightailed it up to our local grocery store, where the little man informed everyone we saw that we "got Grandma's soup." ("Got" is his catch-all verb.) We had to make a few ingredient substitutions, and then we added in some other stuff that we thought would be good, and then invited Grandma over for lunch to eat her super-healthy, Italian vegetable soup.

Grandma's Soup
Makes 6 servings

2 ribs celery, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 c. water
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14.5-oz. can chicken broth, plus 1/2 c.
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 c. small pasta (I used mafalda)
4 c. torn baby spinach (I used about 1/2 a package of frozen spinach)


1. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute celery, onion, carrot, zucchini, and garlic until tender.

2. Stir in the water, beans, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings.

And, of course, taste as you go along. Even the ingredients themselves. Jack lets no bean go untasted.

3. Bring to a boil, and then stir in pasta.

4. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 13-15 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Add spinach during the last few minutes of cooking.


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