Italian Sub Stoup with Garlic Toast Floaters

ITALIAN SUB STOUP with GARLIC TOAST FLOATERS

Stoup Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (twice around the pan)
3/4 pound (3 links) hot or sweet Italian sausage, split and meat removed from casing
1/4 pound pepperoni, diced
1 ham steak, diced (about 1/2 to 3/4 pound)
1 green bell pepper, seeded, quartered and sliced
1 medium yellow onion, peeled, quartered and sliced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups gemelli pasta or other short-cut pasta

Crouton Ingredients:
1/4 cup for croutons
5 cups cubed crusty bread
3 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 bunches arugula, trimmed and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)

Directions:
1.  Place a large soup pot or dutch oven on the stove top and preheat to medium high heat. Add olive oil, 2 turns of the pan and the sausage. Brown and crumble the sausage, drain off excess fat if necessary then add the ham and pepperoni. Cook meats together 2 minutes then add peppers and onions and cook 2 or 3 minutes more. Add diced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and bring stoup to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook for 8 minutes. Make croutons while pasta cooks.
2.  In a large skillet heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil, 4 turns of the pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add bread to garlic oil, toss and toast the cubes 5 or 6 minutes. Season the toasty cubes with red pepper flakes, oregano and lots of grated cheese.
3.  Stir arugula into soup just before you serve it up. Ladle up the stoup and float several toasty garlic bread cubes in each bowl. 

NOTES:
We've made this meal dozens of times and love it each time. It is just the taste of fall for Ben and me. I measured out the stoup tonight and found that it yields nine 1.5 cup servings, approx 375 calories per serving before croutons.  I set aside two servings and froze the rest. 

The crouton recipe above is how we usually make them. Tonight I wanted to just make only enough croutons for this meal.  I got a mini boule of sourdough bread and cut enough to give us each a half serving. I lined a toaster oven pan with foil, sprayed it generously with olive oil cooking spray. After adding the cubed bread, I sprayed the bread with the oil and broiled until crispy, turning once. I tossed the crispy bread with 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, 1/8 dried oregano, and 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan. The calorie count was definitely lower since I didn't try to saute the croutons in oil. 

I'm sure that in the past we have each eaten a good two cups of stoup and at least a full serving of croutons each. At the end of the meal, Ben and I were feeling full and pleased to have a few more calories left in our day for wine.  

Katie has lived more than 4 years without trying soup. Just wasn't interested. Tonight I pulled out the good old Campbell's chicken noodle soup and she agreed to try. She probably ate one noodle an inch long and gagged. She psyched herself into thinking that it would be awful. I drained the broth for her, but she still wouldn't give it another try.  So, she went to bed without dinner tonight. She wasn't in trouble, but noodles and chicken were her only dinner option. Thankfully for Katie, we have PEPS tomorrow night so she doesn't have to try it again tomorrow. Kyle spit out a mouthful of noodles, but was willing to eat them one or two at a time. He pounded two squeeze pouches of veggies and fruit.

Spicy Peanut Chicken with Rice

I was supposed to have made this dish on Thursday, but a moldy bell pepper and a preschool ice cream social got in my way.  My plan was to take the kids with me to the store this afternoon to get another pepper, but I just didn't want to in the downpour.  It wasn't worth it for one ingredient.  I was ready to figure out another dinner option when Ben suggested making the dish without the bell pepper.  Although I prefer it with the pepper, it was still delicious.  I got the skillet really hot tonight and was worried that the garlic, ginger and chicken were going to burn.  Thankfully, they didn't, and the dish was better than ever! 

SPICY PEANUT CHICKEN

½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
½ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2 teaspoons grated gingerroot
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1/3 cup unsalted cocktail peanuts

1. Mix broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and red pepper.
2. Heat 12-inch skillet (or if you’re advanced, a wok) over high heat. Add oil, and stir-fry chicken, garlic, and gingerroot until chicken is done (about 3 minutes).
3. Add bell pepper to chicken and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
4. Add cornstarch mixture to chicken. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Stir in peanuts.
5. Serve over garlic rice. (see recipe below)

GARLIC RICE

Heat a little vegetable oil to your rice pan. Add a clove of minced garlic to the oil once it is heated. Add the rice to the pan and let it get a little opaque. Add chicken stock instead of water and bring to a boil. (Use the ratio of 1 part rice to 2 parts liquid.) Cover and simmer on low for 20-25 minutes.

Grilled Pork Loin Chop

It's time to start this blog back up again. I'm pretty sure that I can't commit to the daily posts like I used to be able to manage, but blogging seems like a better use of my time than checking out People.com multiple times a day. I am going to try hard to post photos of the dishes that I make, although I don't have one for today's post.

Sunday night, I followed a recipe from the Weber's Real Grilling cookbook. Ben got the book several years ago, and we've not used it much. We grilled the Pork Loin Chop with the Mephis Dry Rub and Sassy Barbecue Sauce. Oh...My...Goodness....delicious! While the pork was moist and tasted great, it was the barbecue sauce that really made the whole dish. The sauce, appropriately named "sassy", was served warm. I don't think I would have ever thought to do that on my own, but I will be heating up my barbecue sauces frequenly now. Here's the recipe:

PORK LOIN CHOP with MEMPHIS DRY RUB and SASSY BARBECUE SAUCE

Ingredients:
Sauce:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tbs molasses
• 1 tbs white wine vinegar
• 1 tbs Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbs light brown
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Rub:

• 1 1/2 Tsp whole black pepper corns
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard seed
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp granulated onion
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 6 bone in pork rib chops, 10 to 12 ounces each and about 1 inch thick
• Canola Oil

Directions:

1. To make the sauce: In a small heavy bottom saucepan, whisk the sauce ingredients with 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil over med heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. To make the rub: In a spice grinder, pulse the peppercorns and mustard seed until coarsely ground. Place in a small bowl and add the remaining rub ingredients, mixing well.
3. Allow the chops to stand at room temp for 20 to 30 min. before grilling. Lightly brush or spray the chops on both sides with oil and season with the rub, pressing the spices into the meat. Grill over Direct Med Heat until barely pink in the center of the meat, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 min. Serve with warm sauce on the side.

While I would love to report that my kids ate the pork chops too, they did not. Kyle doesn't eat meat very often. It seems crazy that Ben and I could have a child who doesn't like meat, but that is our reality. Katie had meatballs and peas. Kyle ate bread and peas.