Tasty Taco Soup

I really love cooler weather because to me, it's soup weather. When the weather is hot, I want cool, light meals. But as soon as a chill hits the air, I dig out my crock pot and big soup pots and start cooking.

My husband calls this his favorite soup that I make. But wait. He says that about all of my soups! Ha ha! He likes soup, too. What I love about this one is that it's easy, adaptable, and very satisfying. Pair it with cornbread or tortilla chips. Either way is great! Hominy gives a hearty, authentic flavor to this soup, so even if you're not a big fan of plain hominy, I urge you to give it a try in this soup. You'll be glad you trusted me. :)

Tasty Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef

1 sweet onion, diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

14 oz. can diced tomatoes

14 oz. can yellow hominy

14 oz. can black beans

4 cups low sodium beef broth

4 oz. can diced green chilies

2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

6 corn tortillas

Brown the ground beef, onions, and bell peppers in a large soup pot. Drain any excess fat. Add canned vegetables with their liquids. Add broth and seasonings. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. Cut tortillas into thin strips and add to soup. Cook for 10 more minutes.

To serve, top with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. I also like to add cilantro, but I am currently between crops. Mine will be ready to harvest next week.

You can kick up your cornbread with a few diced jalapenos or a can of diced green chilies. The soup is flexible. Add whatever beans you like and have on hand. Add diced zucchini and carrots if you wish. Trust me and keep the hominy.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine does. I look forward to sharing more hearty soups with you as the temperatures drop!

Bolognese Sauce with Penne

When I even think of this recipe, my knees go weak, my heart starts to race, my salivary glands go into overdrive, and my thighs grow. And I think of my sister. Thanks to me making spaghetti EVERY Wednesday night as we were growing up, that was my night to cook and spaghetti was my favorite, my sister cannot stand spaghetti. She simply ate too much of it. However when I made this for her, she did an about-face and declared it her favorite. My guilt is assuaged.

This recipe is adapted from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian. While Jeff Smith may have been frugal with his ingredients, he was not so conscious of the time factor. It broke my heart! I totally loved the recipe, yet rarely had the time to make it. It also makes a lot of sauce in its original form, so I’ve also scaled it down to a family of 4 sized meal. Now you will have extra tomato sauce, but this is a good thing. You can easily use it to make more Bolognese sauce for the next day, freeze it for future use, serve it as-is over pasta, or dip crusty bread into it as you cook. I won’t tell. I promise!

Step 1: The Tomato Sauce

First, let me say that this makes a really excellent homemade pasta sauce. It’s my go-to recipe during the summer when you can get fresh tomatoes easily. Try searching out your local farmer’s market if you aren’t growing your own tomatoes. They taste SO much better than the cardboard replicas found at most supermarkets. Caution: you’ll be as spoiled and as picky as I am about tomatoes from now on.

Tomato Sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 red onion, diced

4 cups diced fresh tomatoes

2 14 ounce cans whole tomatoes

¼ cup parsley

1 sprig rosemary, minced

3 tablespoons basil, minced

1 sprig oregano, minced

1 cup chicken stock

In a large stock pot, sauté the garlic and onions in olive oil until the onions are translucent.

Add in the remaining ingredients. Slightly crush the canned tomatoes as you add them.

Bring the pot to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

Now that the tomato sauce is bubbling away, prepare the beef. This is the crowning jewel of the dish. Really.

There are two routes you can take to prepare the beef. Both start out with browning the meat for flavor. Then you can either choose to continue in the oven in a regular pot, or you can use a pressure cooker and get it done in a snap. I prefer to use my ancient pressure cooker because not only does it get it done quickly, but the meat is guaranteed to be crazy tender in only 15 minutes. Sounds nuts, right? Don’t even get me started on how much I love my pressure cooker.

Step 2: Prepare the beef

Now Jeff has you use boneless chuck roast for this step. I’ve used it, and it’s great for this dish. This time I happened to have two New York strip steaks in the freezer, so I grabbed those. Lightly season both sides of your beef with salt and pepper.

Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to your pot. Use the same pot you will be cooking it in for the long haul. No sense in losing the flavor of all of those browned bits of deliciousness!

Bolognese Sauce

1 pound boneless beef

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 cup red wine

¾ cup water

2 cups tomato sauce

½ cup parmesan cheese

½ cup heavy cream

 

Heat the oil, and add the beef. Brown all sides of your cut of beef.

When browned, add the garlic cloves, red wine, and water. Cover tightly, and wait until the weight on your pressure cooker starts jumping. Set your timer for 15 minutes.

Is the red wine optional? No. I’m working on writing a blog entry about how different flavor molecules are soluble in different solvents, but suffice it to say here that there are flavors in the beef that you will not taste if you do not use the red wine. I suggest you pick something inexpensive that you would drink. I used a merlot that comes in a tiny bottle because I’m breastfeeding an infant and cannot drink the rest of the bottle. If you’re not a wine drinker, just use a merlot like I did. It’s great. During the cooking process, the alcohol evaporates away so you don’t have to worry about getting anyone tipsy at dinner. Okay? Okay!

If you’re using the top of the stove method, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add the garlic, red wine, and water to the browned meat. Cover tightly and finish in the oven for about 90 minutes.

When the timer buzzes, turn it off. Annoying, isn’t it?

Take your pressure cooker to the sink and run cool water over it to reduce the pressure quickly. After about 4 minutes of cooling, remove the lid. Let the meat cool on a plate until you can handle it. Then use either your fingers or two forks to shred it. Now dump the meat back into the pot with all of the wine and glorious juices.

Add the tomato sauce, parmesan cheese and heavy cream. Stir to combine. Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. That’s enough time to get your pasta done! I usually use a pound of dried penne for this much sauce. Don’t forget to salt the water well when you add the pasta. It’s your only chance to season the pasta!

Step 3: Eat!

Use big bowls for this meal, because you’ll want to eat like a hog!

Top warm pasta with your decadent sauce. Then as if that weren’t enough, sprinkle a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Try to eat slowly and savor the goodness. It’s truly an Italian work of art.

Keep lovin' and keep cookin'.