A la carte: Bundle up and stay warm with these easy comfort foods

Winter is knocking on our door, but blowing snow and chilling wind doesn’t mean it’s time to turn up the heat. Instead of looking forward to an extra large electric bill, cook a big pot of soup and bake a fresh loaf of bread to warm up on a cold day.

If cooking for one or two people, the soup recipes can easily be cut in half.

Minestrone
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced pancetta (about 1 ounce)
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks (with leaves), chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium zucchini, chopped
7 drained whole, peeled, canned tomatoes, roughly chopped
9 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
1/3 cup rigatoni or other small pasta
1 can cannelloni beans (about 16 ounces), with liquid
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons minced fresh marjoram
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, until slightly crisp and the fat has rendered, about 1 minute. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are somewhat soft, about 15 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta, lower to a simmer, and cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. In a small bowl, mash half of the beans with a fork. Add the mashed and whole beans to the soup and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the herbs and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among warm soup bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Flaxseed-and-Onion Crackers
¼ cup ground flaxseed
¼ whole flaxseed
1 ½ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon very finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
½ cup non-fat milk
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium, beat flaxseed, flour, baking powder, salt, and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 2 minutes. Stir in onion and parsley. With mixer on low speed, pour in milk. Mix until dough just comes together; do not over mix. Divide dough in half and refrigerate one hour.

Heat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface, to a nine-inch square 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to two baking sheets with a knife; cut each square into about 36 crackers (each 1 ½ inch square). Brush with egg white, season with pepper and salt if desired.

Bake until slightly firm, about 20 minutes. Rotate sheets, flip crackers. Bake until light brown and firm, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling racks. Crackers can be stored at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Baked potato soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup diced celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 ½ cups low fat milk
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 baked potatoes, chopped
16 oz. fat free less sodium chicken broth
¼ thinly sliced green onion
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Sour cream and cheddar cheese, optional

Melt butter in medium pan, over medium heat. Add onions and celery, sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaf, sauté 2 minutes. Add milk, thyme, salt, pepper, potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle soup into four bowls and top with 1 tablespoon of green onion, bacon, cheese and sour cream.

Rapid rise French bread
5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages rapid rising yeast
2 cups hot water
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
Cornmeal

Set aside 1 cup flour. In a large bowl, mix remaining flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Stir hot water into dry mixture. Mix in enough reserved flour to make soft dough. On a lightly floured surface, kneed until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Grease baking sheet, sprinkle with corn meal. Divide dough in half, form into a 10-15 inch log. Place on baking sheet, repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise in warm, draft free place until double in size, about 30 minutes. With a sharp knife, make four diagonal cuts on top of each loaf. Combine egg white and water, brush on loaf. Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until done. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Jan 21 2009. Filed under Recipe, Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com