MAC AND CHEESE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH (via Buttercup600s Blog)

This recipe (below) from our Awesome in Australia blogger-poet friend, Amanda, at Buttercup600. Recommend her site. It's rich in music, art, poetry, and good food . . . what more could you want?

This recipe is reminiscent of the pumpkin and butternut squash ravioli that old friends in Brooklyn used to make . . . but it's a lot easier to prepare. For my wheat-and-gluten free version I substituted the following:
- Pacific Natural Foods Free-Range Chicken Broth, gluten-free
- Organic Valley Milk, gluten-free
-Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Flour, wheat-and-gluten free
- Mi-Del Gluten-free ginger snaps, wheat-and-gluten free (but not manufactured in a dedicated facility)
- and Trader Joe's brown rice pasta.
Perfectly wonderful. Try it. Thanks, Amanda.

Amanda's Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash follows:

Butternut squash is one of my favorite ingredients to work with during the fall and winter because it just exudes a sweet, hearty, warmth. When it’s roasted, all the sugars caramelize and the flavor of the squash is intensified. Pair it with the other star ingredient in this dish, the aged Gouda, and we have ourselves a sweet-and-savory home run! The technique to making this dish is pretty standard as far as mac and cheese goes. After sautéing th … Read More

LEBANESE LEMON & GARLIC DRESSED Carrot & Zucchini Salad

Petr Kratochvil

Carrot and Zucchini Salad

Serves Four

2 large carrots, cleaned and shredded (use the large side of a hand shredder)

2 small zucchini, cleaned and shredded (use the large side of a hand shredder)

lemon-garlic dressing (see below), to taste

Prepare the salad:

Mix the vegetables and then dress with the lemon and garlic dressing, not so much that the salad is soupy.

Lebanese Lemon-garlic Dressing

Prepare the dressing:

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the best quality you can afford when it's for a dressing

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 lemon juiced

1 fresh garlic clove, crushed well using a mortar and pestle

1/8 cup fresh coriander (cilantro), minced (you can substitute parsley)

Whisk all the ingredients together.  Dress salad to taste.

Actual product ingredients may be other than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read package labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

MINEST, classic Brooklyn-Italian winter soup of greens

Photograph of fresh Greens via Wikipedia under GNU Free Documentation License

* * * * * * * * * *

Minest: It's unlikely that you will find this recipe in a cookbook or even on-line.  It's classic Brooklyn-Italian, great winter comfort food, a soup lush with mixed greens and rich with flavor.  If your kids generally don't like to eat greens, there's a good chance they will eat them this way. 

Serve the minest with warm slices of a quality gluten-free bread that you have made or purchased at Whole Foods.

A salad of fresh herbs, grape tomatoes, and cubes of fresh mozzarella. Dress the salad with a savory vinaigrette. You can substitute extra-firm tofu for mozzarella if you are vegan. Just cube and marinate the tofu for about an hour in some vinaigrette first. 

Follow the soup and salad with a light dessert such as fresh orange sections drizzled with Amaretto and topped with a sprinkle of chopped almonds or shredded coconut. Wind it all up with a cup of smokey, black China tea like Russian Caravan Tea from Peet's.  

Traditionally minest was made by first boiling a prosciutto bone in water for a broth and then adding the other ingredients after several hours.  I always used to make the broth and then refrigerate it so that I could skim the fat and proceed after that. I have not included it here for a few reasons: 1.) Given the times, it just won't be budget-wise for many folks.  It used to be you could get a prosciutto bone from the Italian Pork Store for nothing.  I'm sure they come dear these days.  2.) I don't know if they are gluten-free. 3.) Many of us are cutting back on or forgoing meat for reasons of health, and/or ethics, and/or compassion.  I don't think the recipe suffers from this modification.  I have enriched the veggie broth with a base of sauted minced vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, and the addition of pesto (for those who have no nut or cheese allergies) or pistou for those who do.  Although some folks add cheese to pistou, the traditional version does not include it. 

If you must have meat and can't afford or don't have access to prosciutto, you could substitute smoked turkey legs or a hunk of gluten-free American ham. Whatever you use, check the packages or contact the manufacturer to be sure that whatever you buy is gluten-free.  Other variations:  you could add polpetti (tiny meatballs) or take a page out of the French cookbook and top each serving of minest with a fried egg.

This post includes recipes for minest, pesto, pistou, and vinaigrette salad dressing. 

GLUTEN-FREE MINEST

The Recipe

Serves six as a main course

1 large onion, peeled and minced

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 carrot, shredded

1 celery stalk, minced

1/2 green bell pepper, minced

4 mushrooms, minced

Olive Oil (doesn't have to be first press)

1 small head of savoy cabbage, washed, cored and cut into wedges

1 bunch of escarole, washed and torn into small pieces

1 bunch of swiss chard, washed and torn into small pieces

1 - 32 ounce container of  Imagine gluten-free vegetable broth

1 cup of cold, filtered water

1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the best you can afford

Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Saute the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, bell pepper, and mushroom in the olive oil in a pot large enough to accommodate all the greens. When they are lightly browned and beginning to soften, add the both to the pot and follow with the greens.  Simmer until the greens are tender.  Add the extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir.

After you dish out the soup, pass around the pesto or the pistou so that each person can add what they would like to flavor their own bowl of soup.

Pesto: Process the following in your food processor, everything but the basil leaves at first.  Once the rest is processed, add the basil.

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
• 1/2 cup freshly grated sheep's milk pecorino romano
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, best you can afford
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pistou: Process the following in your food processor, everything but the basil leaves at first. Once the rest is processed, add the basil.

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 4 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, best you can afford
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

GLUTEN-FREE VINAIGRETTE, adapted from Charles Virion's French Country Cookbook
The recipe
Makes 1 1/2 cups
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, best you can afford
1 tablespoon Annie's Gluten-free Dijon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh chives, minced or 3/4 teaspoon dried chives
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Place all the ingredients except any fresh herbs into a mixing bowl and beat vigorously with a wire whisk until well mixed.  Add fresh herbs just before dressing the salad.

Actual product ingredients may be other than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read package labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

CILANTRO HAPPINESS, Moroccan Carrot Salad with Cilantro and Cilantro Pisto

We love cilantro.  We find it refreshing and often use it where we once might have used parsley.  Here we've added it to good effect to an otherwise traditional recipe for Moroccan Carrot Salad.  We've also used it for a Cilantro Pistou, a nice change-of-pace from basil and a good alternative for those who don't particularly care for basil.


Moroccan Carrot Salad with Cilantro
This is based on a recipe in Paula Wofert's Couscous and Other Good Foods from Morocco.

Serves four as a side
The recipe

• 1/2 pound fresh carrots, grated large
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from Meyer lemons if you can get them
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, best quality you can afford
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely minced
• Orange Flower Water, to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons organic sugar
• sea salt, to taste

Place all the ingredients in a bowl except the carrots and mix well.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Add carrots and mix them in well.  Chill before serving.
Tip: If you purchase flower waters - Orange and/or Rose - at ethnic groceries, you will find they are considerably less expensive there than the regular grocery or  gourmet food specialty shops.


Gluten-free Cilantro Pistou
Use on sandwiches, pasta, or to flavor soups.
The recipe
Process the following in your food processor, everything but the basil leaves at first. Once the rest is processed, add the cilantro.

• 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves, washed and dried
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 4 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, best you can afford
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Actual product ingredients may be other than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read package labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

CONTE'S MUSHROOM FLORENTINE PIZZA, product review

Conte's Mushroom Lorentine Pizza
with Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil

This is the best and most palatable packaged gluten-free pizza we've yet to taste.  The aroma is heavenly. There is plenty of cheese and veggies in the flavorful topping. Our only complaint - minor - we would have enjoyed a bit more sauce. We are heavy-duty tomato-sauce lovers. If your mouth is set for the taste and texture of a wheat crust, you'll be disappointed. Having said that, as GF crusts go, it is not bad. It's a bit like a doughy cracker and some might object to that doughiness, but we were okay with it. 


If you are allergic to the gluten in potato, this curst is not made with any potato flour. The cheeses are dairy cheeses. 


This pizza bakes nicely in the middle of the oven and takes 10-12 minutes. With preheat that means you can have it on the table in half-an-hour with time to prepare a salad while it's baking. The package says it serves four. We are little (or not so little!) piglets, so it served two.


The downside is that the pizza is not organic and Conte's plant is not a dedicated plant.

Wheat Free/Gluten Free Ingredients: CRUST: Rice flour, Water, Corn Starch, Tapioca Dextrin, Non-Fat Milk, Whole Eggs, Sugar, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Baking Powder, Soybean Oil, Yeast. TOPPING: Chopped Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese (pasteurized part skim milk, culture, salt, enzymes), Asiago Cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Fresh Sliced White Mushrooms, Baby Leaf Spinach, Olive Oil, Romano Cheese (pasteurized sheep's milk, rennet, bacterial culture, salt) Roasted Garlic.  Contains: Milk, Eggs Good manufacturing practices are used to segregate ingredients in a facility that also processes wheat. NUTRITION FACTS Serving Size 1 slice (113g) Servings Per Container 4 Amount per Serving Calories 240  Calories from fat 90 %Daily Value Total Fat 10g - 16%  Saturated Fat 4.5g - 22%  Trans Fat 0g  Polyunsaturated Fat 0g  Monounsaturated Fat 3.5g Cholesterol 40mg - 14% Sodium 610mg - 25% Total Carbohydrates 27g - 9%  Dietary Fiber 1g - 4%  Sugars 3g  Sugar Alcohol 0g Protein 9g Vitamin A 6% Vitamin 4 2% Calcium 25% Iron 2% COOKING DIRECTIONS: DO NOT MICROWAVE. Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Remove pizza from plastic wrapper and place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese begins to brown. Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.

ORANGE & OLIVE SALAD, Portokalia me elies

Naxos Taverna, Wikipedia, license

This classic Greek salad is quickly and easily assembled and services four.

The recipe

2 large oranges, peeled and separated into slices, be sure to remove seeds and pith

20 pitted calamata olives

1/2 small red onion, sliced as thinly as possible

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (the best you can afford)

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

spinach leaves, washed

Assemble the salad by mixing all the ingredients - with the exception of the spinach - in one bowl.  Cover and chill for at least two hours. Serve the salad on individual plates that have been lined with the spinach leaves.

Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

LAMB STEW with orange and thyme

Thyme, Wikipedia.

The recipe

Serves six

• 2 pounds of lamb for stew, cut and trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh, salted butter
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 large yellow onions, cut into large dice
• 4 medium boiling potatoes, cut in fourths
• 3/4 pounds of string beans, tipped and halved
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 cup of dry red wine
• 1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 2-inch pieces of orange rind
• juice of one orange
• 2 cups homemade gluten-free chicken stock or 1 sixteen-ounce package of Imagine Organic Free Range Chicken Broth, gluten-free
• 4 springs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup of calamata olives, pitted
• freshly grated sea salt, to taste
• freshly grated black pepper, to tase

In a pot large enough to accommodate (four quarts) the ingredients, melt the butter with the olive oil.  Brown the meat in the fats and then remove them to a plate and reserve.  Sauté the onions until they are translucent.  Then add the garlic and cook, stirring well for a minute or two. Remove the garlic and onion and set aside for a moment.

Pour the wine into the pan and deglaze, loosening all the sediment from the bottom and sides. Place the lamb back into the pan. Bring to a boil, adding the broth, sautéed onions and garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, olives, orange rind, orange juice, and potatoes and string beans.

Turn down the heat.  Cover and simmer for one hour or until the meat is tender.  You may periodically have to skim the top of the stew.  Remove orange peel. Taste for salt and pepper and add as appropriate.

Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

KAIA FOODS, KALE CHIPS ... GF snacks food

You may have noticed these days that the availability and variety of packaged, dried raw foods at your Whole Foods or health food store continues to increase. Among the newer (to me) items is kaia foods kale chips, which come in a variety of flavors including barbecue. I haven't tasted the barbecue, but I have had the sea salt & vinegar and the "cheesy." I like them both.  The smell of the vinegar is a delightful pungent zap as you open the bag. The "cheesy" is from nutritional yeast. 


The kale chips are gluten-free and 85% raw. Total carbs are nine grams. Total protein is eight grams. The only real downside I see to an otherwise fabulous snack idea is the 200 calories (130 from fat) for just 1 oz. serving, which is the result of using sprouted sesame seeds and sprouted sunflower seeds. Seeds always have a high fat content ... and these would be weighted on the side of omega six and nine, not three.  100 grams of sunflower oil, for example, provides sixty-three grams of omega six. Three is the one we tend not to get enough of in the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) Six is the one we get too much of.  
I'm going to guess that anyone who likes greens - which I do - is going to like these a lot. Will they replace standard chips in everyone's diet? That would be a very individual thing. In spite of the fat, I think in moderation they're a good gluten-free-on-the-run snack, easy, convenient, mostly healthy, and tasty to tote around in briefcase or bag.


At the time of this writing, Kaia foods' site doesn't say that theirs is a dedicated facility*, however they don't appear to produce anything with wheat. They have a buckwheat product line, but buckwheat (an herbaceous plant) is not a wheat and is considered a "pseudo-grain." The company does manufacturer products with tree nuts (walnuts). 


* Dedicated facility: one that produces only wheat-and-gluten free products, thus eliminating the potential for cross contamination.


Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

SKORTHALIA, Greek potato sauce/dip with garlic

This is a delicious and simple Greek sauce that is traditionally used to top fried fish or as a dip with bread. It can be used to good effect as a topping for almost any steamed vegetable.  The texture should be creamy, smooth, and somewhat thick.  It is most easily made in a food processor; but, you can mash the potatoes by hand and do the garlic with a mortar and pestle, the old fashioned way.

The recipe:

• 6 large cloves of garlic, mashed or minced
• 1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled, quartered, boiled and mashed
• 1/2 cup half-and-half or unsweetened wheat-and-gluten free soy creamer
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, the best quality you can afford
• salt to taste

Prepare the sauce:

Put the potatoes, garlic, and creamer in the food processor and puree.  Then slowly add the oil and the wine, alternating a little of each until it's all incorporated.

Serve as dip:

Place in a small bowl on a large platter surrounded by crudités and/or gluten-free crackers or toast triangles.

Serve as sauce:

Top your choice of steamed vegetables with the sauce.  Thin if you need to with water or milk.  Or, use as a topping on pan fried or batter fired fish or batter-fried vegetables.

Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

OMELET with Shrimp and Goat Cheese

Courtesy of US Dept.
of Health & Human Services

Shrimp & Goat Cheese Omelet

The recipe

Serves one

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 omega-3 eggs, whisked
• 2 cooked shrimp, large dice
• 2 tablespoons red onion, grated
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 scant handful of baby spinach leaves, washed
• 1/8 cup of cooked mushrooms
• 1/8 cup of tomato, diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
• 2 pinches of Herbes de Provence
• sea salt, to taste
• cracked black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons soft French goat cheese, crumbled

Put one tablespoon olive oil in a small omelet pan.  Sauté the onion and garlic, being careful not to burn the garlic. When they begin to soften, add the spinach, tomato, mushrooms, and parsley and simmer gently until the spinach is cooked and any liquids are almost evaporated. Toss in the shrimp and stir well.  Turn this mixture into a dish and add the second spoonful of oil to the pan.  Warm the oil, and then pour in the eggs.  Keep the heat on medium.  Put the shrimp mixture on top of the eggs and sprink with salt, pepper, and herbs.  Top with the goat cheese.  Cover the pan for a minute or two to help the eggs cook through.  Then, using a large spachula, flip one half of the omelet over onto the other.  Turn the omelet onto a plate.  Brush the top with a bit of oil, butter, or buttery spread.  And voilá.

Bon Appétit!


Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

RED BEANS AND RICE, Vegan

Zojirushi Rice Cooker

 The recipe I share here is easy, healthy, filling, budget-wise, great for potlucks, and adaptable. When I prepared it for a potluck recently, I used a vegan soy chorizo sausage knowing it would change the flavor from New Orleans to old Mexico.  If you want to use meat, use andouille sausage and just make sure it's wheat-and-gluten free.

This is the basic recipe, which I'm happy having vegan. I did the brown rice in my Cadillac of rice cookers, the Zojirushi, which was gifted to me by son. It's a fine appliance. The cooked rice is consistent in texture. There's no burning at the bottom. It doesn't dry out the rice when you set the machine at warm  The Zojirushi is attractive - as machines go - and well-built, easy to clean, and has a convenient handle for toting it to potlucks and church suppers.

And now for the red beans, which starts off with the Louisiana trinity. You can do your beans from scratch if you normally do so, or you can use a good organic canned bean ... Eden Foods is organic so it's always a good choice if want a precooked bean. The quality is excellent.  

RED BEANS AND RICE, Wheat-and-Gluten Free, Vegan

The recipe

Serves 6- 8

• 2 cups minced celery
• 2 cups minced yellow onion
• 2 cups minced green bell pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 28-oz can organic crushed tomatoes
• 1 15-oz cans of organic kidney beans, drain
• 12 oz. vegetable broth, homemade or packaged, wheat-and-gluten free
• 2 dry bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried red pepper (adjust to taste)

Sauté the celery, onion, and green pepper in olive oil until they are tender. Add the garlic and stir, cooking for about one minute. Add the tomatoes and the beans and stir. Add the broth and the seasoning and stir. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat immediately. Simmer on low with the lid slightly ajar on the pot for about 45 minutes or so.  If you then let it rest in the refrigerator overnight, the flavors will be enhanced.

Serve over rice ... Yum!

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

GREEK TEA AND A GREEK SPINACH PILAF

Chamomile Flowers via Wikipedia
under GNU Free Documentation License

Camomile Tea
Preparation:
Bring hot water to a roiling boil. Water should be at 183 degrees fahrenheit for tea. Pour some of the water into your teapot and swirl to warm the pot. Place one heaping teaspoon of  dried camomile per cup into your teapot. Add boiling water.  Put the cover on the pot and allow to steep for about five minutes.  Sweeten with Greek Honey.






Gluten-free Spinach Pilaf, Spanakorizo
The recipe:
Serves two as a main dish
1 pound of spinach
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh, sweet butter
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup of Lundberg Brown Jasmine Rice
1 tablespoon tomato paste (in a pinch use a quality, gluten-free ketchup*
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 cup feta cheese

Put the spinach in a drainer and rinse it thoroughly several times with cold water.
Put the olive oil and butter in a pan that is large enough to hold the spinach.  Over a low heat slowly brown the onions. When they begin to get golden, add the spinach. Cover the pan and cook until the spinach wilts, which will take about five minutes. Add the rice, tomato paste, the seasonings, and 3/4 cup of water. Stir well, bring to a boil, cover the pan and lower the heat.  Simmer for about one-half hour or until the rice is tender.  Serve hot with crumbled feta on top.

*"Organicville's Ketchup is USDA certified organic, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and contains no added sugar. With less sodium than other brands, our ketchup is fat and cholesterol free, and is also an excellent source of lycopene. Organic ketchups have higher levels of lycopene and anti-oxidant activities than other brands tested." OrganicVille A definate thumbs-up on this one.

Whole Foods' brand ketchup is also a good gluten-free ketchup. However, it is not produced in a dedicated plant.

Dedicated facility: one that produces only wheat-and-gluten free products, thus eliminating the potential for cross contamination.

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

ROMAN EGG DROP SOUP, La Straciatella

Yet another luxurious farmers’ market haul with a few veggies from a friend’s garden, providing a wealth of vegetables to flavor the soup and nourish the body.

Picture it:  Brooklyn, New York, early 50s and my first intro to Roman Egg Drop Soup (La Stracciatella, i.e., torn or ragged, which is the way the eggs look) came courtesy of my Aunt Mildred, a world-class cook and a world-class lady.  Though she made all the usual Brooklyn Italian dishes from scratch and the best-ever meat sauce, for this particular recipe she actually used Lipton soup. It made an ersatz but quick and kid-friendly version.  The recipe that follows, though, is the real deal.

Note: If the broth is purchased not homemade, be sure that it’s gluten free.

Roman Egg  Drop Soup

Serves six

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 cups of rich wheat-and-gluten free broth, vegetable or chicken, homemade or packaged
• 2 celery stalks including leaves, minced
• 2 small hot (mince) or sweet peppers (rough chop)
• 2 green squash, shredded
• 6 cups of baby spinach
• 1 cup of fresh parsley, minced
• 2 omega-3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, best quality you can find and afford
• Sea salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste

Put the oil into the stock pot and then sauté the onion.  When it begins to get golden add the garlic.  Sauté both to golden brown, being careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter.  Add broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and add the celery, simmering for two or three minutes. Add the rest of vegetables, except the spinach and parsley. They can be added after about five minutes. Continue to simmer until the vegetables are almost tender, about ten minutes. Meanwhile, whip the two eggs with the tablespoon of water, the nutmeg, and the Parmesan cheese. When the vegetables are almost tender, bring the soup to a boil and slowly poor in the egg mixture while stirring the soup with a fork.  This will break up the egg mixture so that it cooks in pieces (i.e., little rags).

The finished product, La Stracciatella (Roman Egg Drop Soup), wheat-and-gluten free and chock full of vegetables.

This is a very free-form, very forgiving soup.  You can be quite creative with it.  You can use any combination of vegetables that appeals to you or added cooked diced, chicken or turkey or tofu. You can top each serving with a basil chiffonade or some pesto or pistou or even a dollop of top-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.