Recipe Review from 9/15/08

Urk. I have two recipes for review and I left my notes at home. I’ve had limited access to a computer this past week and weekend so I’m going to try and do this from memory (ha!). Sorry, no pics this week.

Black Bean and Tomato Soup with Lime Cream (Ckng Lght, Sept 08) 4.0
This was so easy and convenient to make that I would flag this one to make again. Bits of chopped bacon are fried, and just a teaspoon of bacon drippings are left in the pan. Onion and, in this case, swiss chard stalks as a sub for celery, are sauteed until softened. Cumin, chipolte chile powder and minced garlic are added and briefly toasted. A can of diced tomatoes, a can of black beans and a can of vegetable broth are added and everything is brought to a simmer. Then with the help of my FAVORITE kitchen tool (my immersion blender!) I blended until just a tich chunky but mostly smooth. I sprinkled the leftover bacon crumbles on top.

The lime cream was sour cream mixed with lime rind and lime juice. Reminded me of a margarita on the rocks. Yum! The Husband thought it was a bit to lime-y, but I loved it. The whole of dinner was ready in about half and hour.

Potato Gnocchi with Swiss Chard and Ricotta (Culinary in the Country) 4.0
I had some potato gnocchi languishing away in the freezer and some beautiful Swiss chard out in the garden and this dish called to me. I used Barilla marinara for the sauce and added some fresh zucchini and Swiss chard stems. So simple to assemble - mix ricotta cheese with an egg, thin sliced basil, mozzarella, asiago, and crushed red pepper. Layer sauce, potato gnocchi, zucchini, thinly sliced chard, ricotta mixture and top everything with some mozzarella. Bake till bubbly and cheese is nicely browned.

I wasn’t sure if the Husband was going to like this. When he first saw the picture he made the comment that it didn’t look very good. I waited a while before added it to the menu rotation and much to my delight, he really liked the dish. It’s definitely a cheesy gooey mixture, but with a side of bread, very good for a fall meal. This made enough for two meals.


I’ve got two more new recipes planned for this week:
Broccoli, Pine Nuts and Campanelle Pasta (c/o Culinary in the Country)
Slow-cooker Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans (Ckng Lght BB)

And, next week will include a review of the Mother’s 60th Birthday and the parent’s 40th Wedding Anniversary Party. It’s just immediate family, but there might be 12 of us if all the siblings can make it. I’ve got a fun menu planned (at least I think it’s fun). Stay tuned!