Fisherman's Stew

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
4 onions sliced
6 lg. cloves of garlic minced
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 lbs. fish such as haddock, cod, or sea bass cut into bite size pieces
1 lg. can peeled and chopped tomatoes with juice
6 medium potatoes halved then sliced
1 bay leaf
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 cup dry white wine


Directions:

In a deep stove top casserole with a lid, warm the oil over medium heat. Saute the onions, garlic, bell pepper, and parsley until the onions are golden. Stir in the tomatoes, potatoes, bay leaf, salt, pepper, coriander and wine. Add just enough water to cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the fish and simmer 15 minutes more. Serves 6 to 8.

Meal in a Meatball Soup

Serves 6
1 1/2 lbs ground meat (turkey, hamburger, or chicken)
3/4 C uncooked rice
4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp savory
Flour
2 1/2 qts water
1 bunch scallions, sliced (white part only)
1 green pepper, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 16 oz can chopped tomatoes
2 sm yellow chilies, seeded and cut into small strips
(if unavailable use 3/4 tsp Tabasco)
1/2 bunch parsley, minced
3 eggs
juice of 2 lemons
red pepper flakes
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Combine water, scallions, and green pepper, carrots, tomatoes, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper in large kettle. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. 
While you're simmering, combine turkey, rice, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, paprika, and savory. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Form into 1 inch meatballs, then roll in flour.
After 30 minutes add meatballs to soup, cover, bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add chilies, cover, and simmer 40 minutes or until rice in meatballs is cooked. Add parsley during last 5 minutes of cooking. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Beat eggs with lemon juice. Add a little hot liquid to egg mixture, then slowly stir into soup.
Serve immediately in warm soup bowls with red pepper flakes and Parmesan on the side. Great with a good chunk of French bread and a salad.

I have never cooked anything of Dinah's that wasn't wonderful. She was a fabulous cook and a super nice lady. I miss her.

Vicki's Minestrone

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed
1 T olive oil
1 large leek, chopped or 1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 large potato, diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 16 oz. can chopped tomatoes
6 cups of water
6 cups of vegetable broth
2 T Italian herbs
2  tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup of small elbow macaroni
2 cups of shredded cabbage
1 zucchini quartered and sliced thin
shredded mozzarella cheese for garnish

In a large soup pot in medium heat, warm the oil. Sauté the leek and garlic until soft; stir in the carrot, celery, and potato and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, 6 cups of water, veggie broth, herbs, salt, and ground pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Return the soup to a boil, and stir in the pasta. Cook for 10 minutes; then stir in the cabbage and zucchini, and cook until the cabbage is tender (6 minutes). Ladle the soup into heated bowls and garnish with the cheese. Serve hot! Serves 10 to 12.

Martha's Pea or Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 meaty hambones

• 1 pound dried peas or lentils

• 1 leek sliced

• 2 potatoes diced

• 1 tomato diced

• 4 pieces of bacon

• 1 small onion chopped

• salt to taste

• 1 T flour

• 1 pound kielbasa sausage sliced

Directions:

Put the hambones in a pot and fill it with water 3/4 of the way to the top. Add the peas or the lentils ( whichever you prefer). Add the leek, potatoes and tomato and simmer for 3 hours. Remove the hambones. Fry the bacon until crisp and set it aside to drain on paper towels. Sauté the onion in the bacon fat until tender. Mix the flour in with the onions and the bacon fat, whisk until the lumps are gone. Add some of the soup mixture a little at a time and whisk until nice and creamy. Pour all of it back into the soup pot, add any meat from the hambones plus the kielbasa sausage. Add salt to taste. Stir thoroughly.

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs. beef chuck, cut in 1 inch cubes 

• 2 T. shortening           

• 2 t. Worcestershire sauce

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 lg. onion, sliced

• 1-2 bay leaves

• 2 t. sugar

• 1 T. paprika

• 1 T. ground allspice or cloves

• 6 carrots, pared and quartered

• 1 lb. small white onions, peeled 

• 6 stalks celery

• salt and pepper to taste  

• 2 T. flour

Directions:

In Dutch oven, thoroughly brown meat in hot shortening, turning often. Drain off fat. Add 2 cups hot water and next 9 ingredients. Cover; simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves. Add vegetables. Cover and cook 30-45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

 In separate bowl, combine 1/4 C. water and flour until smooth. Stir slowly into stew. Cook and stir until bubbly, about 3 minutes. Serves 6-8

Nana's Greek Avgolemono Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chickens, cleaned and giblets removed 

• 1 1/2 cups of white rice           

• 6 lemons

• 6 eggs

• salt

Directions:

Put both chickens in a large soup kettle, cover completely with water and salt liberally. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for one hour.

Remove the chickens and set aside to cool. Skim off some of the excess chicken fat from the broth ( I like to leave a little for flavor). Bring the broth back to a boil , add the rice and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Turn off the heat.

Beat 6 eggs together until fluffy in a large bowl. Add the juice from the 6 lemons. Slowly ladle hot broth into the egg mixture, stirring constantly so the eggs don't curdle (I ladle at least half of the broth into the eggs). When the egg mixture is sufficiently hot, carefully pour it all back into the kettle. Check to see that you've added enough salt. When the chickens are cool, clean all of the meat off the bones. You can put the chicken in the soup if you wish (like Al does). The Greeks serve it on the side in a separate bowl. Actually, Nana used to give the chicken to her dogs. Yes, Nana was a dog lover too!

White Bean soup with Winter Greens

Ingredients:

• 4 cans cannellini beans , rinsed well and drained

• 1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil           

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 carrots, cut into 1/3 inch dice

• 4 garlic cloves, minced   

• 3 T minced fresh flat leaf parsley

• 2 bay leaves

• 4 C chicken broth

• 2 C water

• 3/4 pound winter greens (kale, chard, collard or turnip); or a bag of cut and cleaned greens

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, parsley, and bay leaves. Sauté until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the beans, broth, and water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Remove bay leaves. In a blender or food processor, purée 4 cups of the beans and vegetables with some of their broth. Return to the pot and stir well.

3. Wash the greens well, removing any tough stems or bruised leaves. Stack the leaves a few at a time, roll into a log, and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch wide ribbons ( if you have a bag of greens, they are ready to go and you can ignore the previous step). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the greens and boil until tender- approximately 5-6 minutes. Drain, reserving about 2 cups of liquid. Stir the greens into the soup. Cover and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Thin the soup, if needed, with the reserved cooking liquid. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

4. Serve in warm bowls, topping each with some Parmesan cheese.