No Use Crying Over Spilled Oil

Olive Oil (Photo credit: ReneS)

This afternoon, while making dinner I dropped and broke an entire bottle of olive oil on my kitchen counter. I realized why it is great not to have anything on the counter top as I went through a bunch of towels to clean it up. I was relieved that it didn't break into the dinner I was making.

It made me think about how the littlest thing can be an interruption of our day or even our lives. And, also how our lives change over time. When we were first married that would have represented a big chunk of our food budget and I would have been really upset. Today I was more ticked that I had to clean broken glass and oil off the counter.

But, even a tiny piece of gravel in a shoe can really change our path, throw us off course.

My friend's son was skateboarding and fell, hit his head and, well, he finally woke up and is doing really well. But, I know it wasn't what he planned to be doing with the Spring semester, nor what his parents planned either. Now they are all living 100 miles from home at a hospital in Boston and have been for a month. They are lucky they all have each other and so much support to deal with this tough recalibration. Who knows why he fell this one time and hit his head.   But it happened and his path is now different; as it is for millions everyday, to some degree or another. Some changes make a harder path. Some make it smoother and some just make it different. Sometimes it is chance and sometimes it is choice. But the one thing we know is that where we think we are going is often not where we end up.

By the way, my friend's son is doing really well. I'm grateful that he is on the mend.

Minestrone Soup

(Photo credit: diekatrin)

I love soup, actually most one dish dinners are a big favorite for me. But, I soup it up when I want to feel full without packing on calories.  I rarely eat creamy stuff so my soups are broth based and very low fat. If one of us is under the weather soup is automatically made. If Chicken Soup is Jewish Penicillin then a hearty Minestrone is the Italian equivalent. Both nourish without adding too many calories and are very digestible.

This weekend I made a minestrone. All measurements are approximate and can be adjusted.

Il Mio Minestrone

1 pound chicken breasts (boneless skinless) or thighs   if that's your preference.

2 onions diced

1 Poblano pepper (or green or red; you could use a very mild large hot pepper as well like cubanelle)

1 small winter squash, acorn or butternut peeled and diced

2 celery ribs chopped

4 carrots chopped

1 tsp olive oil (I use evoo) divided

1 good spray of a quality olive oil spray

1 box of chicken or veg broth

1 32 ounce can of diced tomatoes and

1 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes

fresh, frozen or dried basil to taste

fresh or dried rosemary to taste, chopped up or ground

1 - 2 Tbsp parsley fresh finely chopped

2 - 3 cloves freshly pressed or minced garli. Do not use dried or preserved garlic.

32 oz and more of water

1/2 frozen green peas or lima beans

1 or two small zucchini quartered and chopped

11/2 frozen spinach or kale (or fresh) or other not too spicy or bitter green. I like kale because it has a slightly lemony sour taste.

1 c. green beans fresh or frozen. 

optional 1 15 ounce can of fava or other firm bean like kidney beans

salt, pepper, optional hot sauce to taste.

optional fresh shaved Parmesan for garnish

Some people like to add a sauteed and chopped pod or two of okra as a thickening veg and interesting texture.

Get all your vegetables chopped up before you start. 

In a soup pot over medium, saute the onions, celery, carrots and pepper in 1/2 tsp. oil and a quick spray of the oil spray until softening

Move the vegetables to one side and add the other half teaspoon of oil to the pan in the cleared area. 

Add about an inch of Broth to the pot.

Put in the chicken to brown and mostly cook through.
Add the winter squash on top of the sauteed veg. 
Remove the chicken and chop it all up into small bite-sized pieces.
Return chopped chicken  to the pan.  

Add tomatoes, water and broth, basil,  rosemary, parsley and bring to a boil, then add the zucchini and remaining fresh and frozen veg and the garlic. (If you want a less pronounced garlic taste add the garlic with the winter squash - but either way you won't have a raw garlic taste)

Wait to add canned beans until the other vegetables are soft.

Simmer for at least an hour or longer at very low heat, slightly covered. Add water or broth as needed

Season to taste 

As you plate the soup you can stir in a teaspoon of finely grated Parmesan

The grated parm will make the soup creamy but also a few calories and salt-- cut back on the salt if you add the cheese into the bowl to make it creamy.  

Serve with shaved or Parmesan strips on top for garnish.

Serve with bread or garlic bread or add some hot, cooked, small pasta in each bowl.

You can also eliminate the chicken.  When I was a vegetarian, I used to add in chopped black oil cured olives toward the end of my saute, to get a smokey, meaty taste. Without meat you can increase the canned beans and use two kinds like fava and kidney or chick peas.

 ☙❧

Seriously, soup is a great dish to experiment on. I think you could easily use some pre cooked chicken or substitute beef (use beef or vegetable broth).  You can also add in some dry wine. If you think you don't like garlic leave it out.  I think when people don't like garlic but like other Mediterranean food then what they have had that put them off was too much raw garlic or garlic powder. Both have too much sulfur taste for me, and I find raw garlic is harder to digest. I prefer spiciness to come from chilli peppers or mustards.