Fragrant Beef/Pork Risotto Soup (One pot)

Fragrant Pork - N - Beef Risotto Soup (One Pot Meal)

                                                                Serves 4 people
Ingredients:

4 - 6 High Quality Sausages
1/2 pound Ground Round
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Butter
1 small Onion sliced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper Sliced
2 Garlic cloves smashed and minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp Cilantro
1/2 Cup Risotto Rice (Rinse under hot water till water runs clear in a wire colander)
900 ML Chicken Stock (Can use Vegetable Stock)
2 cans Chopped Tomatoes
1 cup frozen green beans snapped into small pieces
Coarse Roasted Garlic Herb Seasoning
1 shot glass of Sherry

Directions:

1. Split the sausage skin, squeeze out the meat, mix all of the sausage in with the ground beef. Make small meatballs.

In a sauce pan or a large dutch oven heat the oil and butter.

Brown all the meatballs on all sides and the place in a plate and keep warm. (You will have to do them in batches) I ended up having 2 batches.

While the meatballs are browning, Slice a small onion in thin slices. Slice 1/2 red bell pepper slicing in thin slices, Slice a shallot in thin slices.

Smash and mince 2 garlic cloves.

2. Add onion, shallot, and red bell pepper and saute' till tender and lightly brown. Sprinkle a small amount of coarse roasted garlic her seasoning or a seasoning of choice over the vegetables.

Pour sherry into pan for deglazing the pan.  Cook till all fluid has almost disappeared.

                                    Add in chicken stock, risotto rice, canned tomatoes, and

spices stirring till combined. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5-10 minutes. Then add the meatballs back into the pan and gently stir till all are covered in the sauce. Gently simmer for another thirty or so minutes.

Add the green beans in and allow to cook a few more minutes.  Keep an eye on the fluid, if the risotto starts to absorb some of the chicken stock, add more to compensate.  I ended up adding another 1 1/2 cups of stock to compensate.

In the oven bake two garlic/butter french bread loaves.

Spoon soup into bowl and add thick slices of bread to eat with the dish.

NOTE:  The original recipe came from a magazine called Eatwell 101 healthy recipes. Winter 2015,  I modified the recipe further to fit our dietary taste. :)

Kathy's Photography

Venetian Chicken Ragu

Venetian Chicken Ragu

1 tbsp olive oil
8 chicken legs
2 onions finely chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed and diced
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp plain flour
250ml/9oz red wine
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube made up to 250 ml stock
3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp milk
pasta
parmesan grated

1.Heat the oil in a large pan, add the chicken legs and brown on all sides for about 10 minutes.

Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add the onions to the pan and cook for 5 mins until softened.

Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 min and

then stir in the cinnamon and

flour and

cook for a further minute.

Add the wine, chicken stock, tomatoes, herbs, sugar and seasoning.

Add Chicken back into pot. Bring to a simmer and then lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 2  hours stirring occasionally.






2. Carefully lift the legs out of the sauce and place on a plate - they will be very tender so try not to lose any meat. Pull off and discard the fat, then shred the meat with two forks and discard the bones.  Add the meat back into the sauce with milk and simmer uncovered for a further 20-15mins while cooking the pasta.

3. Cook the pasta following pack instructions, then drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water, add the pasta to the ragu, stir to coat all the pasta in the sauce and cook for 2 min more, adding a splash of cooking liquid if it looks dry. Serve with grated parmesan if you like.



Our thoughts about this recipe.

First off I modified it a bit by adding mushrooms to it. Instead of duck I used chicken.

I think the recipe called for entirely TOO MUCH cinnamon.  The spice overwhelmed the dish.  We did NOT enjoy it at all.  SO this recipe for us was a bomb but worth the effort in testing it as far as cookign skills are concerned.

Kathy's photographs