Passatelli • Straciattella • Minestrone • Pasta Fagioli • Chicken Noodle
PassatelliINGREDIENTS
• 2 cups plain bread crumbs • 2 cups Parmesan cheese • 4-5 tablespoons flour • 1 lemon rind, grated fine • Nutmeg (to taste) • Salt (to taste) • Pepper (to taste) • 5 or 6 eggs DIRECTIONS Combine all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add 5 eggs and mix well. Dough should not be too hard. If too hard, then add one more egg. If too soft, add equal parts bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. The dough should be soft enough to squeeze through the Passatelli press/utensil. Boil in chicken broth until the noodles come to the top. |
StraciattellaINGREDIENTS
• Chicken broth • Soup noodles or rice • 2 eggs • ½ cup Parmesan cheese • 2 tablespoons of chopped spinach (optional) DIRECTIONS Prepare chicken broth (see my recipe.) Cook noodles or rice in broth. My family prefers rice in this recipe, however noodles are good also. In a small bowl, add eggs and Parmesan cheese. Whisk until creamy. Once noodles or rice are completely cooked, turn off heat. Scoop in egg mixture, stir immediately or it will clump. If you use spinach stir it in at this point. Let soup sit for 5 minutes. Serve with sprinkles of Parmesan cheese. |
MinestroneINGREDIENTS
• 1/2 stick butter • Chopped onions • 2 or 3 bouillon cubes • Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste • 1 small can of petite chopped tomatoes • 1 can of peas • 1 can of kidney beans • 1 can of great northern beans • Elbow noodles (2 cups cooked) I used, carrots, celery, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, kidney beans, great northern beans spinach, cabbage, peas...really any veggie you have in the house will work. You can also use frozen vegetables or dry beans. DIRECTIONS Sauté the onions, butter and bouillon cubes. Add all your chopped vegetables and can, frozen or dry vegetables. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Fill your pan 3/4 way up with water. Cover and simmer on low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Add the cooked noodles at the end. Heat through. ENJOY! |
Pasta Fagioli (Bean Soup)INGREDIENTS
• 1 bag of dry beans of your choice • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped • 2 stalks of celery • 2 large carrots • 1 medium onion • Salt, pepper to taste • You can add chunks of smoked ham (optional) • 2 tablespoons of oil • Water • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste • Dry soup noodles (your choice, elbow macaroni are great in this soup) DIRECTIONS
Wash and soak the dry beans. Chop all your veggies in a processor, not to fine. In a soup pan, add oil and all the vegetables. Mix together. Drain the beans (and ham if your using), and add to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add water to fill pan ¾ way up. Add tomato paste. Slightly cover and allow to boil 2 ½ to 3 hours on a low simmer. Prior to adding your noodles, taste the soup for enough salt and make sure beans are soft. As far as the noodles, I'll leave that up to you. My family likes it soupy, however most like it thick, so for thicker soup, add more noodles. Enjoy! NOTE* For a thicker consistency, add two small potatoes to your vegetables. |
Chicken Noodle SoupINGREDIENTS
• ½ chicken or chicken breast • Beef (¼ of an eye of the round, or 3 beef shanks) • 3 large carrots or a handful of small carrots • 2 or 3 celery stalks • 2 large or 4 small tomatoes • 1 large onion • 2 chicken bouillon cubes (optional) • Salt to taste DIRECTIONS Fill a large soup pot ¾ of the way full with water. Wash all vegetables and add to pot. Rinse chicken and beef and add to pot. The salt can be tricky. If using chicken bouillon cubes, you may need less salt. Start with pouring a small mound into the palm of your hand. Add it to the pot. Cover and cook at a low boil. After the broth has been boiling an hour, taste it. If more salt is needed, add more salt to taste. If it's too salty, peel a couple potatoes and drop into the pot. Potatoes can be used even if the broth is not salty - these can be eaten after the broth is cooked as a side dish. The broth should cook at a low boil for a total of 2 to 2 ½ hours. Use a fine strainer to strain the broth. If you don't have a fine-netted strainer, use a cheese cloth to line your strainer to collect any fats. Put your strained broth in another clean pot, bring it to a boil and add your favorite pasta. Cook according to package directions. For homemade pastas, taste it after it's been boiling for a few minutes, you will have to determine if it's cooked. The vegetables can be chopped and put into your soup, as well as the chicken breast and beef. |
Alternative Meal Ideas! The cooked chicken and beef can also be used in other recipes. Here are some Examples: • Chunk the chicken meat, add celery-chopped fine, 1/2 small onion-chopped fine, and add mayonnaise. Mix well and you have a chicken salad. • The beef can be sliced when cool, add thinly sliced onions, salt, pepper to taste, olive oil, and I also like to add red wine vinegar....you have a beef dish! Goes great on my Piada! • You can also chunk the chicken and beef together, add onion, dress it with salt, pepper, olive oil or mayonnaise. • If you add potatoes, let them cool. Then cut them into chunks, add salt, pepper to taste, chopped garlic... sprinkle with some parsley, add olive oil and now you have an Italian potato salad! |