Zen Comfort Vegetable Soup for Winter

 

Zen Comfort Vegetable Soup for Winter 

Imagine a cold winter day or evening where the air is crisp and you crave something soothing, warm and nourishing. This Zen Comfort Vegetable Soup recipe is a bowl of pure warmth—each ingredient thoughtfully chosen by chef Alba to create a harmonious blend of flavors. Delicate slices of shallot, carrot, zucchini, and celery leaves mingle with sweet potato and green apple, infusing the broth with subtle sweetness and earthy undertones. Fresh thyme add a touch of green vitality, while whole ginger and a hint of lemon skin bring a gentle, invigorating heat that warms you from the inside out.

As the soup simmers, the aroma of bay leaves and herbs fills the kitchen, promising comfort and calm. Every spoonful is light yet deeply satisfying, with the ginger and lemon lifting your spirits and the vegetables offering gentle nourishment. Served in a cup or small bowl, this soup is perfect for quiet moments on chilly days.

Zen Comfort Vegetable Soup for Winter 

1 small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

½ small carrot, thinly sliced

¼ small zucchini, thinly sliced

Green leaves of celery with small stalks, thinly sliced 

2–3-inch stalk of broccoli, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/3 white sweet potato, peeled and thinly sliced

½ small green apple, peeled and thinly sliced

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1–2-inch piece of whole ginger, peeled

1 slice of lemon skin, slice vegetable peeler

Salt and black pepper, optional

Directions

In a large soup pan, add 8-12 cups of warm water to the pan.  Add all of the ingredients listed, bring to a boil, then simmer on lowest setting for at least 1 hour. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your taste.    Remove the herbs and serve soup in a cup or small bowl.  Serve with only freshly group black pepper if you like.

 

Carabaccua Tuscan Onion Soup

 

Tuscan Onion Soup

Carabaccia Tuscan Onion Soup

¼ cup ground almonds                                                                 

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Dash ground cinnamon

1 large red onion, very thinly sliced                                    

Extra virgin olive oil                                                  

Salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon honey

3 cups hot vegetable broth or hot water 

Grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese

A slice of toasted bread per person

 

1.     Mix the ground almonds with the vinegar and a dash of cinnamon and set aside to macerate in a small bowl.

2.     In a large pot, braise the onions in a few tablespoons of olive oil with a pinch of salt until they are translucent and falling apart soft. Begin on medium-low then on low heat.

3.     When the onions are done, add the macerated almonds, mix them into the onions. Let the onions and almonds sauté for a few minutes, then add the honey, and black pepper, and sauté for a few minutes more.

4.     When all the flavors have melded, add the broth and simmer gently 10-12 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

5.     To serve, lay a slice of toasted bread in the bottom of each bowl, ladle over the onion soup. Top with grated cheese, a sprinkling of cinnamon, and a drizzle of oil. Serve immediately while the soup is still hot.

Carabaccia is a sweet and savory Tuscan onion soup made with slow-cooked red onions and wine vinegar. The Tuscans claim they created this onion soup; it was added in a 1500s cookbook. This rich tasting soup is easy to make perfect served with a slice of toasted bread!

Apple Celery and Gorgonzola Salad

 

1 large red apple, unpeeled, cored, and thinly sliced                       

1 large green apple, unpeeled, cored, and thinly sliced         

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced                                                           

6 iceberg lettuce leaves, torn                                              

4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled                                        

½ red onion, thinly sliced                                                              

½ cup walnut or pecan halves, chopped and lightly toasted

Dressing:

2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

Salt, and black pepper                          

 

1.     Combine the apples, celery, lettuce, cheese, and onion in a bowl.

2.     Dressing: Whisk oil, lemon juice, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

3.     Taste dressing, adjust as needed. Place the lettuce on a platter, add the apple mixture on top.

4.     Drizzle dressing over salad and lightly toss it to combine.

5.     Serve salad with warm walnuts on top. .

 

Ricotta and Spinach Strudel for the Holidays!

 

Ricotta and Spinach Strudel

1.     Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.     Add butter to a skillet, went hot, add the garlic and spinach. Cok over medium- high heat for about 4-5 minutes until the spinach is mostly wilted. Stir occasionally. Place the cooked
 spinach in a colander and drain to remove the excess liquid, if necessary, press it a little with a spoon, then let it cool.

3.     When the spinach is well drained, rough chop it with a knife then transfer to a large bowl, Add the grated cheese, the egg, the ricotta, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Mix well. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of salt if needed.

4.     Roll out the dough on a sheet of parchment paper, pour the filling only on one half of the dough giving it a rectangular shape. Leave about ½ inch edge from the lower and side edge where you have the filling. Fold the lower edge first, then the 2 side flaps. Using the parchment paper, turn the strudel upside down so that the filling is completely wrapped in the pastry, with the closure at the bottom.

5.     In a small bowl, combine an egg yolk, milk, and mix. Brush the surface of the strudel with the milk and egg yolk mixture. Make a few cuts on the surface of the strudel and transfer the strudel to the baking tray. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until evenly golden browned. Remove from the oven, let cool.

This is the classic delicious Italian Strudel, super simple and very appetizing!

Baked Honey Roasted Garlic Potatoes

Baked Honey Roasted Garlic Potatoes 

Baked Honey Roasted Garlic Potatoes

1-pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled 

1 head garlic

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

4 tablespoons honey 

½ - 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika 

1 ½ teaspoons minced rosemary 

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Handful minced fresh parsley, for topping

 

1.     Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.     Cut the potatoes into evenly sized wedges or in half if small, and transfer to a bowl.

3.     Separate the cloves from the head of garlic leaving the skin on. Cut a small slit on each clove and add it into bowl.

4.     Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes and garlic, then add the honey, paprika, rosemary and season with salt and black pepper. Toss and mix well.

5.     Transfer the potatoes to the baking tray. Bake for 20-30 minutes depending on size of potatoes. Turn the potatoes over after 10 minutes. Test doneness by inserted a toothpick in the center of a potato.

6.     Gently mix the potatoes in the baking tray and remove the skins of the garlic before transferring into a serving dish. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve warm.

  

 

Why keep the skin on the garlic?

On a culinary level, cooking garlic with the peel has the advantage of preserving the internal juice and therefore giving a more delicate flavor to the dish. Garlic with skin can withstand higher temperatures much longer without burning. In this recipe you will enjoy the roasted garlic as much as the delicious potatoes.

 

Delicata Squash in Balsamic and Sesame

1/2-pound delicata squash, cut into 2-inch pieces  

1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons lightly toasted sesame seeds

1/2 - 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

Salt and black pepper

 

1.     Place the toasted sesames in a mortar and lightly crush them.

2.     Blanch the pumpkin pieces in hot water for 2 minutes. Strain, cool, and completely dry.

3.     Pour the sugar and balsamic into a pan and melt over low heat. Add the pieces of pumpkin to the pan and let them flavor for a few minutes. Drizzle with oil and a few drops of water and cook for about 10 minutes until the cooking juices are slightly dry.

4.     When the pumpkin is soft and well caramelized, turn off the heat and let it cool. Distribute the pumpkin on individual plates, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Delicata Squash

You can make this recipe with any squash or pumpkin, just remember to peel them first. I used “delicata squash” because the skin is thin and soft, making it completely edible. When cooked, the skin of delicata squash becomes tender and caramelizes. Make sure to use good quality balsamic for this recipe!

Spice It Up Tzatziki

Tzatziki spices and Feta 

Tzatziki is a traditional Greek dish using thick Greek Yogurt and refreshing cucumbers. There are some variants of this recipe depending on the region of Greece. It is usually served as an accompaniment with gyros, kebabs, or pita bread. I created my own version because that’s what I like to do with recipes that interest me.  Since I love hummus so much, I used spices that I thought would go well with my version of Tzatziki. I served it with grilled Italian meatballs and grilled peppers and onions.  Ottimo we say in Italian!

3 small Persian cucumbers, divided

1 ½ cups full-fat Greek yogurt, strained

1 large clove garlic, mashed and minced

Pinch Sea salt

Black pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes to taste

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons minced fennel greens (or fresh dill)

1-2 ounces Greek feta, cut in small cubes

Ground coriander for decoration

Ground cumin for decoration

Ground paprika for decoration  

The cucumber: Finely chop 2 cucumbers, no need to remove the skin. Transfer to a sieve, sprinkle with sea salt, and allow to drain about an hour in a bowl.  After an hour push down with a spatula to squeeze out any additional excess liquid.

Note: I used small Persian cucumbers because they have much fewer seeds and are tastier. You can also drink the cucumber juice, no need to throw it away.

The Yogurt: Place the yogurt in a small sieve over another bowl and allow to drain about an hour in the bowl.

Note: I used grass fed full-fat Greek Yogurt, more delicious!

Combine: in a larger bowl, combine the cucumbers, yogurt, minced herb, garlic, a tablespoon of olive oil, tiny pinch of salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes; mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours so the flavors will combine well.

Serve: Transfer the tzatziki to a round bowl, not too deep. Add a few kalamata olive in the center of the dish.  Then thinly slice 1 cucumber and place around the bowl. Add feta pieces on top, and sprinkle the top with paprika, cumin, and coriander. Lastly, adorn with a thread of excellent olive oil to finish the dish. 

Pasta al Forno with Broccoli and Sausage

Pasta al Forno with Broccoli and Sausage

Pasta al Forno with Broccoli and Sausage is a simple and tasty first course. A great idea for Sunday lunch or brunch. Using easy to find ingredient and my simple techniques, the only thing you have left to do is, put it in the oven and wait to taste it.   

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

4 Italian mild or spicy sausages, remove casing

1 pound of broccoli, cut into florets

1 pound of penne or mezze rigatoni pasta

1-pound container whole milk ricotta

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1- 1 ½ cups grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, divided

Kosher Salt

Black pepper

Red pepper flakes

3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 350F.  Butter a baking pan, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle it with a few tablespoons of grated cheese. (I always season the bottom of my pan for best flavor!)

Cooking the onion and sausage: In a large skillet on medium heat, add the olive oil and onion, cook until translucent. Add the ground sausage and cook until golden brown.  Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Cooking the broccoli: In the meantime, boil the florets in a pasta pan with a little salt, and cook until slightly crispy. Do not overcook. Strain with a hand strainer.  Reserve and reuse the broccoli water for the pasta.

When the sausage is cooked to golden, add the partially cook broccoli into the skillet.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If the mixture is too dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 or 2 tablespoons of warm broccoli water.

Cooking the pasta: Add the pasta to the broccoli water and cook according to package direction minus 2 minutes.  The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so do not overcook. When ready, strain. Reserve 1/2  cup of pasta water if needed to mix with ricotta and eggs.

The ricotta and eggs:  place the ricotta in a bowl; whip it slightly.  This helps make the ricotta a little creamier.  Add the beaten eggs and mix.  Season with pepper.  Add the strained pasta in with the ricotta and egg mixture; mix well. if too dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta water as needed.  

Assembly: Layer half of the pasta mixture on the bottom of the baking pan, add a sprinkle of pepper,  and a few tablespoons of grated cheese.  Add all of the sausage and broccoli mixture on top;  add black pepper and a few tablespoons of grated cheese. Lastly, add the remaining pasta on top of the sausage and broccoli. Add more grated cheese on top of the last layer. Scatter small cubes of butter on top of dish to make it golden.  Bake until the top of the pasta is golden, about 25 minutes.

Enjoy and see you next time!

Sweet Potato Pita Bread (Yeast Free)

1 cup 00 or all-purpose flour, extra flour for dusting

Pinch of sea salt

½ - 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cup sweet potato, cooked

1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Flour for dusting  

Boil a large sweet potato with the skin on until tender and soft. Test with a fork or skewer.

Place the flour, salt, and cardamom in a bowl.

Remove potato from pan and allow to cool slightly. Peel while still hot: mash quickly with a fork. Add 1 cup of mashed potato into the bowl with flour while still warm. Add the olive oil; mix quickly with a fork. When a dough has formed, remove from bowl and transfer to a floured surface. Knead to combine. Do not overwork the dough.

Roll the dough into a log, then cut into 6-8 portions. Dust your hands with flour and press each piece of dough to flatten as round as possible. Flour and place all portions aside and cover for 10-15 minutes.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll out each dough rotating to keep its round shape. Do not put too much flour on the dough or the result will be tough bread. Roll to about 1/16 of an inch thickness.

Heat a crepe pan or large skillet on medium heat. When hot, place the bread on it. Cook 20-30 seconds on one side, then flip at 30 second intervals until the bread starts to bubble. When it starts to bubble, allow to cook about 45 seconds, then flip again. The bubbles mean that it is cooking from the inside as well. The entire process of flipping and cooking should take about 2 minutes.

When ready, transfer the cooked bread to a kitchen towel in a basket to keep warm. Continue cooking the other portions repeating the same process. Brush off any pieces of leftover flour or bread before cooking the other portions and check the heat, if too hot lower slightly.

This recipe can be made with any spice you such as ground ginger, cumin, coriander and even fennel seeds. If you come up with other options, please send me a comment, I would love to learn what other options are available.

Moroccan Meatballs with Poached Eggs

Moroccan Meatballs with Poached eggs 

Grass Fed Beef Meatballs 

Sauce

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste

1 1/2 tablespoon Raz el hanout spice (or mix: cumin/coriander/Turmeric/Paprika equal parts)

Sea salt

red pepper flakes 

3 cans walter (use tomato paste can)

Meatballs:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (80-85%)

1 cloves garlic, minced

1 small sweet onion, minced

sea salt

1 beat egg

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon Raz el Hanout spice + 1 tablespoon paprika

Red pepper flakes 

2-3 tablespoons fresh Parsley or Cilantro

Topping:

3-4 whole organic eggs 

Organic eggs 

The Sauce: In a large saucepan; add the oil and onion; saute until soft and barely golden.  Add the minced garlic and saute another minute.  Move the onions and garlic to one side of the pan; add the tomato paste and saute with a few drops of olive oil until slightly golden flipping once. Season and add spices.  Mix well and add the cans of water.  Bring to a boil, stir and lower heat to simmer for 5 minutes.

The Meatballs:  In a bowl mix all ingredients well to blend.  When mixed began to form meatballs and place on a platter. In a large skillet or in the oven on a baking sheet,  cook the meatballs until just golden on all sides. When all meatballs have been cooked; transfer to the pan with the sauce. Cook about 15 minutes until the meatballs are done.  Taste for seasoning.  Lastly make a few space (indentations) to add the whole eggs to poach with the meatballs and sauce.  Cover, and cook on simmer until the white is firm, but the yolk is still soft.   When the eggs are done, serve each egg with meatballs and sauce on a serving dish and dip with arabic bread or pita bread.

If you do not have or like to add the eggs, just omit them.  This makes a very satisfying meal.  

Chickpea Dates Cake (With alternatives)

3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (organic if available)

3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey  

1/4 cup + 2 TBSPs aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpea or 

               Cannellini beans, or 2 eggs)

2 tablespoons avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil (or Canola if not available)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chickpea flour (almond or regular flour if not available)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom, optional

Pinch sea salt

6-8 large pitted chopped dates (or chopped walnuts, other nuts, or dried fruit)

1.    Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Butter a standard loaf pan. Set aside. 

2.    Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas until smooth. Add in maple syrup or honey, oil, and vanilla; stir well.

3.    Dry ingredients: in a bowl add the chickpea flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom; combine.

4.    Fold in the chopped dates or nuts. Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

5.    Allow the bread to cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing it.  Slice and enjoy! 

Chickpea flour is also called besan flour, garbanzo bean flour. If you are gluten-free chickpea, almond, and gluten-free flour can be used. I made 2 and froze then into thick slices.  When they thaw out you could heat a few minutes in skillet… Moist and Delicious.