Recipe Review from 1/7/17

Week in review!  It was cold!  It snowed!  I almost hit a telephone pole sliding down the hill! But I didn't, so all is well.  Whew! 

Two recipes to review this week: one a slow cooker recipe that was a bit different in that it didn't use cream or flour to thicken the broth.  We kinda liked it better that way.  And one homemade pizza that was easy and darn tasty. 

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Leftover lentil soup  (S) instant soup mix
Sun (L) Turkey and Wild Rice Soup  (S) Blacklist for WDSE party
Mon (yoga)  leftover wild rice soup
Tues - leftover instant soup
Wed (yoga) - leftover wild rice soup
Thurs (yoga) - more leftover wild rice soup
Fri - homemade pizza

[Turkey] and Wild Rice Soup  (modified from America's Test Kitchen, Slow Cooker Revolution) gluten free, dairy free

I'm always exploring new versions of wild rice soup and this one has been on my radar for a while.  I did modify this to use a whole chicken from the freezer that was comparable in weight.  I also had most of the ingredients on hand (minus the celery) so I could make this without a grocery run.

What I really liked about this dish is no dairy and no flour thickener that are frequently used in a wild rice soup.  Even with out those two ingredients, this turned out hearty and thick, if not a tich on the bland side (my fault, I forgot to add the salt and pepper).

2 cups onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried thyme
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup + carrots, diced (I use baby carrots, cut into little "coins")
2 celery ribs   (didn't have)
2 bay leaves
2 lbs chicken, quartered (recipe called for 2lbs of bone in turkey thighs, skin removed, I used a quartered chicken, skin on)
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
2 tbsp parsley, chopped

1) In a large pan over medium heat, saute onions, garlic, tomato paste and thyme until onion is just softened.   Add to slow cooker.

2) Add broth, carrots, celery, and bay leaves to slow cooker, season poultry with salt and pepper and nestle into liquid and vegetable mixture.   Cover and cook until poultry is tender, 6-8 hours on low or 5-7 hours on high. 

3) Remove poultry to a plate and cool slightly.  Remove bones and shred into bite sized pieces.  Remove and fat that has settle to the surface of the liquid using a large spoon.  Discard bay leaves.  Stir in rice and turkey, let cook for 30 -45 minutes or until rice has "popped" and is tender.  Season and serve.

Pizza with Olives, Aleppo Pepper and Fresh Mozzarella  (Ckng Lght Jan/Feb 2018) vegetarian
I've been eyeballing the fresh pizza dough at the co-op for a while now, and when I saw this recipe I knew I had to buy some and give it a try.  This was, simply, awesome!  And I will probably be making it again this coming week (I have leftover mozzarella and basil to use up). 

I did make one significant change - I used a can of petite diced tomatoes and drained well instead of a can of whole.  I just don't care for the texture and chunkiness of whole canned tomatoes.  

I can't really comment on how long it took to make this as I was multi-tasking and putting away groceries and doing dishes, but it does come together fairly quickly.  Not a heck of a lot of chopping.

Recommended!

1 (28-oz.) can unsalted whole peeled tomatoes  (I used petitie diced, and drained well)
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon crushed Aleppo pepper, divided
1 tablespoon plain yellow cornmeal
12 ounces fresh or frozen thawed prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
4 ounces small fresh mozzarella cheese balls (bocconcini)
1 ounce coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives

1) Place a pizza stone or baking sheet on center rack in oven; preheat oven to 450°F. (Leave stone in to preheat.)

 

2)  Pour tomatoes into a colander set over a large bowl; squeeze and break into chunks. Reserve liquid for another use. Stir together tomato chunks, salt, 1/4 cup basil, 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper in a bowl.

 

3) Sprinkle cornmeal on a piece of parchment paper. Roll pizza dough on cornmeal into a 14- x 8-inch rectangle or a 12-inch circle. Spread tomato mixture over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with cheese balls and olives. Leaving pizza on parchment paper, place onto hot pizza stone. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes or until crust is done and cheese is bubbly. Brush edges of crust with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil.

 

4) Sprinkle with remaining basil and remaining Aleppo pepper. Cut into 8 slices.