Fruit Hand Pies

 23 May 2023

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, May 2022

I have been interested in making fruit hand pies for some time, but I have never gotten around to it. The small size is appealing when there are just two of us to eat them as is the convenience of being able to eat them by hand with no need for utensils. So when a recipe appeared in CI last year I made a note of it. It finally made it to the top of the list.

Directions were provided for several fillings using different fruits, though they were very similar. I used the peach filling recipe but substituted frozen mixed berries (blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry) which we had on hand. The only change I made was to omit lemon zest. Sugar, salt, and thawed berries were combined in a sauce pan and one-third of them were mashed with a potato masher. The mixture was cooked to dissolve the sugar. Lemon juice and cornstarch were mixed together in a small bowl then added to the berry mixture and simmered until thickened. The fruit mixture was transferred to a bowl and set aside in the refrigerator.

Creation of the dough had some unique aspects. AP flour, sugar, and salt were placed in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and shaken to combine. Unsalted butter that had been cut into thin planks was added to the bag which was sealed and shaken. (The recipe said cut sticks of butter in half lengthwise. Our butter sticks are shorter and thicker so I cut them into thirds lengthwise.) A rolling pin was used to flatten the butter into large flakes. The bag was shaken and rolled again until most of the flour was incorporated into the flour mixture. This was emptied into a large bowl and ice water was mixed into the dough until combined. This was rolled into a 15x10-inch rectangle then folded into thirds. The dough was again rolled out and folded into thirds. The dough was divided in half and refrigerated for 90 minutes. It was then rolled into a 17x9-inch rectangle and lines were painted on using egg wash. The fruit filling was added to the squares made with the egg wash and the dough was folded over the fruit, like ravioli, using the egg wash as glue to close each of the raw hand pies. These were trimmed with a pizza cutter, coated with egg wash, and baked. Some were sprinkled with turbinado sugar

We enjoyed these little pies. A few times we each ate a whole pie but we eventually decided that sharing one made more sense for us. When they were fresh the crust was very flaky and crispy. The filling was good, my substitutions worked well. These pies have more crust for the amount of filling than a traditional pie. The crust in particular does not keep well as it loses its crispiness and flakiness; this was not a surprise.  I enjoyed making them, partly for their novelty. I don't know if I will make them again instead of a regular pie, time will tell. 

Deluxe Blueberry Pancakes

 2 October 2022

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, July 2022

For us, having breakfast for dinner usually means eggs, bacon or sausage, and hash browns. But once in a while we will have French toast, waffles, or pancakes, also served with bacon or sausage. And a mimosa, a staple when having breakfast for dinner. French toast, waffles, and pancake leftovers can be frozen and had for my breakfast as a break from cereal. It had been a while since we had pancakes (French toast and waffles are both better as leftovers) so the appearance of this recipe provided a good reason to have some pancakes, especially since they incorporated fresh blueberries.

The pancakes were easy to make. The dry ingredients—AP flour, malted milk powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt—were whisked together in a bowl. The liquid ingredients—buttermilk, egg, and melted butter—were whisked together in a separate bowl or measuring cup. The liquid ingredients were next whisked into the dry ingredients until just combined and fresh blueberries were folded into the batter. Pancakes were cooked in a griddle that had been coated with butter. They were portioned using a #16 scoop. The electric griddle was set to 325° as specified in the recipe but this turned out to be too cool and eventually it was set to 425°. Total time to make a dozen pancakes was one hour.

These were very good pancakes, though the best part was the fresh blueberries. They were light and fluffy with good flavor. The leftovers, which were frozen and then reheated for breakfast, were not as light and fluffy as when fresh but they still taste good and still have the sweet pops of flavor provided by the blueberries. Diane suggested adding more berries to the recipe; this would be easy to do as the recipe calls for just under 1 pint, it would be easy to use a whole pint. I can't compare these pancakes with those made from scratch with other recipes. But I can say they are much better than pancakes made from a mix as I had some at a community event within a few days of having some made with this recipe.

Grandma Pizza

 3 October 2022

Recipe from Cook's Country, February 2012

Yet another pizza variety, though in this case it is not named for a city. It is a pan pizza from Long Island which gets its name from its humble, make-at-home origins. The thin dough is cooked on an oiled sheet pan and topped with mozzarella cheese with chunks of tomato on top. 

Olive oil was added to water in a measuring cup. This was slowly added to a mixture of bread flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer running on low speed. Once the ingredients were combined the speed was increased to medium low and the the dough mixed for about 10 minutes. This was placed on a half sheet pan that had been coated with olive oil and gently stretched into a rectangle approximately 10 by 6 inches. It was covered with plastic wrap and left to rise until doubled at which point it was gently stretched to the edges of the sheet pan. After rising until it was slightly puffed the toppings were added. First, a mixture of grated mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Next a can of diced tomatoes that had been drained and mixed with olive oil, minced garlic, dried oregano, and salt. This was baked at 500° until browned and bubbling. It was sprinkled with chopped fresh basil and served. Total time, including rising, was about 3½ hours.

This was a good pizza. It has a nice, crisp crust with good flavor from the tomato chunks. It was easy to make as the pan helped with the shaping. The crust was a little too thin in places, so thin it had some holes in it, but in the end this wasn't really a problem as these mostly filled in when the dough rose the last time. It was important to spray the plastic wrap that is used during rising with oil to prevent it from sticking to the wet dough. One of the biggest advantages of this recipe is that the pizza that is easy to make in an afternoon. It provided two dinners for the two of us.

Salmon Piccata

 7 November 2022

Recipe from Cook's Country, April 2021

I've had chicken piccata in restaurants and even made it at home. The simple, bright sauce of lemon, capers, wine, and butter goes well with chicken and it seems like it would go well with salmon, too. We are able to buy individual portions of frozen salmon, and other fish, which are convenient to keep on hand.  Thus it is good to have a new recipe for the fish in the freezer. Our fillets aren't as thick as what is in the recipe and this may have an affect on the results.

This was almost two separate recipes: one for cooking the salmon and one for making the sauce. The skin was removed from two salmon fillets which were patted dry with paper towels and seasoned with salt and black pepper. Olive oil was heated in a 10-inch nonstick skillet on medium-high and the salmon was added skin-side down. It was covered and cooked until browned to an internal temperature of 125° without flipping the fish. The fish was transferred to a serving dish while the sauce was prepared in the same skillet. Sliced garlic was added and cooked until fragrant. AP Flour was added and cooked for 15 seconds. White wine, water, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper were whisked into the mixture. (Having these all ready before starting to cook is necessary.) The mixture was brought to a boil and cooked for 30 seconds. Off heat butter was whisked in and chopped parsley was added. (The recipe specifies fresh dill.) Total time was about 35 minutes.

The salmon and the sauce were both good, especially given how quickly this recipe comes together. Since our fillets were thinner than those in the recipe they will either be less brown if cooked to 125° or well browned and over-cooked. Using the no-flip method in this recipe they cook in under 5 minutes. Adding fresh dill sounds appealing but I judged it wasn't worth buying the fresh herb for just one or two meals.

As a side note on a side dish, we had beets which were cooked sous vide. This method produced nicely cooked beets with a minimum effort. The recipe we used included creation of a vinaigrette but because of dirt that came off of the beets during cooking we were not able to try it.

Milk Chocolate Crémeux (Creamy) Tart

 11 September 2022

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, March 2022

I've written about a couple of chocolate tarts in this blog and neither was particularly successful or easy to make. I have also tried several chocolate cream pie recipes and have found them to be easier to make. This recent recipe promises an easier to make, thinner crust: a cookie-like pâte sucrée shell. While I was a little dubious about a milk chocolate filling I gave it a try.

To make the crust, egg and vanilla were whisked together in a measuring cup. AP flour, sugar, and salt were pulsed in a food processor to mix them. Cold butter pieces were scattered over the flour mixture and processed so there were no visible pieces of butter. The egg mixture was added slowly to the flour mixture with the processor running. The soft dough was placed between two sheets of 12x16-inch parchment then pressed and rolled out to the edges of the parchment. (The recipe specified 12x18 which is an odd size that I do not keep around. The half sheet-pan size that I have worked fine.) This was transferred to a baking sheet and placed in the freezer for 30 minutes until firm. When the dough was removed from the freezer a  9-inch metal tart ring was used cut out a circle of dough. The remaining dough was cut into 1-inch strips. The dough circle was pressed into the tart pan to form the bottom and several of the 1-inch strips were used to fashion the sides. (The remaining dough was sprinkled with sugar and baked making a very nice, cookie like,  cook's treat.) The tart shell was frozen, the excess dough was cut from the sides, it was filled with pie weights, and baked at 350°.

For the filling half-and-half, egg yolks, cocoa, and salt were whisked together in a sauce pan and cooked over medium-low heat to 170°. Off heat, chopped chocolate (Hershey bars) and vanilla were whisked into the mixture followed by melted butter. The custard was strained and poured into the cooled tart shell. After the filling had cooled the tart was placed in the refrigerator.  Total time was about 4 hours but much of that was waiting for ingredients to freeze, cool, and chill.   

We both enjoyed the crust. It is both crisp and tender with a pleasant touch of sweetness. The cook's treats were a big hit with us, too. (I've made this twice, now, and overcooked the crust the first time so this is something to watch out for.) The filling, however, was too sweet and lacked chocolate flavor even with the addition of the optional cocoa powder. The crust is worth making again but with a different filling, perhaps one of the fillings from the chocolate cream pies that we like.                                                                                                                   

Ground Beef Stroganoff

16 September 2022

 Recipe from Cook's Country, December 2017

I have eaten stroganoff only a few times. I made it some years ago and I did enjoy it. When I learned of this simpler recipe that is based on ground beef I decided to gave it a try.

Thinly sliced button mushrooms were browned in oil in a Dutch oven then removed and set aside. More oil was added to the pot to cook diced onion and garlic until the onion started to soften. Ground beef was added and cooked until no longer pink. Flour was sprinkled over the beef, then stirred and cooked for 1 minute. Chicken broth and white wine were added and brought to a simmer and cooked for several minutes until slightly thickened. Wide egg noodles were added and cooked until tender. Off heat, sour cream and the browned mushrooms were stirred in. Total preparation time was just under 1 hour.

We enjoyed this stroganoff and have had it several times since first trying it. It is flavorful even though there are no herbs or spices, and by using ground beef you are ensured that it will be tender. It is very easy to make with only a few ingredients and I suspect we will be having it again.

Swedish Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar)

 22 January 2023

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, January 2022

Cinnamon buns are a Christmas morning tradition but that is not to say they are only eaten during the holidays. I usually eat cereal for breakfast but I like to mix it up by having something like a cinnamon bun instead. This CI recipe thus caught my attention, not only because of its Scandinavian origins but also because of the interesting shape of the rolls.

The dough started with tangzhong, a paste made from bread flour and hot water. This was whisked with cold milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Bread flour and yeast were added and mixed with the dough hook to moisten the flour. After a 15-minute rest, sugar and salt were added and kneaded for 5 minutes. Unsalted butter and cardamon seeds, coarsely ground using a mortar and pestle, were added and the dough kneaded for another 5 minutes. The dough was pressed into the bottom of a greased 13x9-inch baking pan, covered, and refrigerated for 1 hour. The filling was made by mixing sugar, unsalted butter, ground cinnamon, bread flour, and salt then set aside. When the dough was removed from the refrigerator it was rolled into an 18x10 inch rectangle. The filling was spread over two-thirds of the dough which was then folded twice then rolled into a square. The dough was cut into 1-inch strips which were cut in half, almost, lengthwise. The long strips were then loosely wrapped around my fingers with the last wrap looped around bundle. The 12 buns were placed on a sheet pan, covered, and given one hour to rise. They were brushed with an egg mixture, sprinkled with Swedish pearl sugar, and baked at 425°. Total time to make 12 buns was just over four hours including the resting time.

The freshly baked rolls were light and buttery with a subdued taste of cardamon. As leftovers they had a  somewhat heavier texture, stronger cardamon flavor, and the pearl sugar was harder. These are good buns and fun to make with the unique shaping. Because of the cardamon they have a distinctive flavor which is different than the flavor for the cinnamon rolls that we are used to. I don't know if I'll make them again but they were worth making at least this one time.

Lemonade Concentrate

 4 October 2022

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, July 2021

Lemonade is my beverage of choice for lunch and dinner. I used to drink "Newman's Own" which I could purchase in a 1.8 quart container. Currently I use "Simply Lemonade" which I buy in a 2.7 quart container. Both are good and buying them at the store in a ready-to-drink form is convenient. A fairly recent edition of Cook's Illustrated had an intriguing recipe to make lemonade concentrate which you would mix with water to make lemonade. Would it be good and how convenient would it be?

The zest of two lemons was removed with a vegetable peeler and put into a bowl with sugar and salt. These were mashed together using a potato masher forming a damp, clumpy, fragrant mixture. Hot water was added and stirred to dissolve the sugar and salt. Thus was set aside until cool. Five lemons were juiced to get ¾ cup of juice. (I had to augment the lemons with a little bottled juice to get the desired volume.) The juice was stirred into the cooled zest mixture then strained to remove the zest. The resulting concentrate was refrigerated. It took about 50 minutes to make the concentrate. A few weeks later the concentrate was mixed with water to make a pitcher of lemonade.

The lemonade was good. It had a good balance of sweet and sour and the lemon flavor was not too strong. Despite this I don't expect to be using this recipe on a regular basis. The quality of the beverage made with fresh fruit is better than the bottled lemonades that I drink, but the difference is not enough to justify the investment in time to make the concentrate. I would have hoped that almost an hour's labor would make more than the 1 quart of lemonade that this recipe provides. Nonetheless it was a fun and useful exercise and I don't regret testing it for myself.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

 16 September 2022

Recipe from Cook's Country, December 2020

I have tried several different recipes that aim to replicate the test and texture of brownies in a cookie. The best of these is the recipe for chocolate chubbies which I have made many times. But having found a very good recipe has not deterred from trying another when it came out in Cook's Country a few years ago.

There was nothing particularly challenging or out of the ordinary in this recipe. The dry ingredients—flour, Dutch-processed cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt—were whisked together in a bowl. Chocolate, oil, and butter were (carefully) heated in the microwave until the chocolate was melted then some milk was whisked into the chocolate mixture. Eggs and sugar were whipped on a stand mixer. The melted chocolate was then whisked into the egg mixture by hand and the flour mixture was folded in. An additional 4 ounces of chopped chocolate was then folded into the batter. A #30 portioning scoop was used to make 20 cookies on two rimmed baking sheets and the cookies were baked for about 16 minutes. The total time to make the cookies was one hour.

These are very good cookies. They are chewy and chocolatey and the chunks of chocolate provide some nice extra, chocolatey bites that provide a pleasant surprise when you bite into one. There is enough dough to make more than 20 cookies, so instead of 10 cookies per sheet (arranged 3-4-3) I should try 11 per sheet (4-3-4). Some espresso powder might be a good addition to punch up the chocolate flavor even more. Rather than using chocolate chunks it might be preferable to use chocolate chips which cost a little less and keep their shape while baking.

Ham and Bean Soup

 10 November 2022

Recipe from Cook's Country, December 2007

My search for a good bean soup continues. I have tried various recipes over the course of many years but I have yet to hit upon one that I liked well enough to make on a regular basis. I don't recall how I found this old recipe from Cook's Country but it looks promising. It is a simple recipe with just a few ingredients and simple directions. Will this be the one?

One pound of dried small white beans (in lieu of dried navy beans as I cannot find them in local stores) was soaked in cold water over night. Vegetable oil was heated in a Dutch oven and used to brown diced ham. Diced onion, carrots, and celery were added and cooked until softened. Minced garlic was added and cooked briefly followed by the addition of water, chicken stock, ham hocks, and the beans. The mixture was brought to a boil then simmered until the beans were tender. The hocks were removed then minced fresh thyme, black pepper, red wine vinegar, and salt were added. Total time, excluding soaking of the beans, was 3 hours.

We liked this soup when it was freshly made and even better, as is expected for soups, as a leftover. The beans are nice and tender without being mushy and the broth has a nice, smoky flavor. Meat from the ham hocks was tough and so can be omitted. The prep time was about half an hour. The ham took longer than predicted to brown because it gave off a lot of liquid. The initial boiling generated foam which dissipated as the soup simmered. I think this is the best bean soup I have made and unless I find something better it will become the go-to recipe!

Chicken Francese

21 October 2022 

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen

Chicken cutlet recipes are attractive. When done well the chicken comes out tender and juicy, it cooks quickly, and is enhanced by a savory coating which lends either crunch or flavor or both. I don't remember where I learned about this recipe, an Italian-American version of a French dish, but it seemed as if it would make for a good chicken-cutlet dinner. Fortunately I found a "for two" version of the recipe. As usual, the ATK "for two" recipe made enough for the two of us to get two dinners. 

Each of two boneless, skinless chicken breasts was cut into three pieces of about the same size. These were pounded to approximately ¼-inch thickness, tossed with salt and pepper, and set aside for 15 minutes. The cutlets were then dredged in flour and placed on a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. A mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil was heated in a skillet. Three of the cutlets were coated with a mixture of beaten egg and water and fried until golden brown on both sides. This was repeated with the other three cutlets. The skillet was emptied and wiped clean to be used to make the sauce. Lemon slices and butter were placed in the skillet and the lemons were lightly browned then set aside. Minced garlic was added and cooked briefly then white wine was added and cooked until most of the liquid was evaporated. Chicken broth was added and cooked to reduce it. Lemon zest and juice were stirred in followed by butter cubes that had been coated with flour. The sauce was cooked until thickened then, off heat, minced fresh parsley was stirred in. The browned lemon slices were scatted over the cutlets which were then bathed in the sauce. Total time was 70 minutes.

These were very good chicken cutlets. They were very juicy and tender with an interesting flavor from the egg coating. I thought they might taste too eggy but they did not. The sauce might have been reduced too much, I should have been more careful measuring the volume while reducing it as the target volume was in the recipe. The sauce was too lemony, perhaps from too much zest, and the lemon flavor overpowered the other components of the sauce. The cutlets were good leftover with gentle heating in a skillet. The browned lemon slices were not attractive or useful. Making this dish was a lot of effort, especially for a weeknight, and it produced a tall pile of dirty dishes, so I doubt this recipe will be used regulalry.

New England Bar Pizza

 20 March 2023

Recipe from Cook's Country, August 2014 (updated in February 2023)

From the "United State of Pizza" comes this speciality from the south shore of New England. I don't think I've ever made a pizza that I really disliked, so I viewed this a low-risk recipe to try after seeing it made on the Cook's Country TV show. It is amazing how many regional variations of pizza there are across the country. 

This was a relatively convenient pizza to make as both the dough and sauce was made in a food processor and the pizza was cooked in round cake pans. AP flour, sugar, and yeast were combined in a food processor. With the processor running, water was added until no dry flour remained. The nascent dough rested for 10 minutes then olive oil and salt were added and processed until a ball forms and clears the sides of the bowl. This was placed in a covered bowl and rested until it had doubled (actually, more than doubled) in volume. The processor bowl was cleaned and dried and the no-cook sauce was made by processing the ingredients: a can of diced tomatoes, olive oil, dried oregano, sugar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. After the dough had risen it was divided in half. Each half was flattened into a 6-inch disk then rolled into a 10-inch disk. It was sticky but easy to work with the addition of a little flour. Because it was springy it was difficult to make a nice neat circle of dough and I ended up with some excess dough clumped at the edges of the pans. The dough was placed into a 9-inch round cake pan that had been coated with olive oil. Sauce was added followed by grated mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheeses. It was baked in a 450° oven, removed from the pans, and served after cooling for 5 minutes. For the two of us each pizza provided one dinner. The total time was 3½ hours, much of it hands off.

We enjoyed this pizza and will have it again soon as there is leftover sauce waiting in the freezer. The crust has a real nice chew but could have been a little crispier, suggesting it could have baked for another 5 minutes. The sharp cheddar cheese gives it a great tangy flavor and there is a nice lacy edge from cheese that was placed on the side of the pan. I used store-brand cheeses and it would be interesting to try a better quality cheddar. There is a variation of this pizza that adds baked beans and salami as toppings. We probably won't try that but we might add some toppings the next time we make it. 

Make Way-Ahead Dinner Rolls

 7 January 2023

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, November 2022

I like having dinner rolls available as an alternative to potatoes for dinner. I have tried various recipes and learned that often the rolls can be frozen and saved for later. But nothing is like a freshly baked roll. Given that I only need a few for dinner, and they take all afternoon to prepare, something like a homemade brown-and-serve roll would seem to be ideal. Finally, in the edition of Cook's Illustrated focussing on Thanksgiving last year, a modern recipe that might just fill the bill.

The procedure was pretty standard except for the baking. A flour paste (tangzhong) was made by heating a mixture of bread flour and water in the microwave. This was mixed with cold milk to which was then added bread flour, yeast, and an egg. This was mixed on a stand mixer until the flour was moistened. After a 15 minute rest for the flour to hydrate, sugar and salt were added and mixed for 5 minutes. Softened butter was added and mixed for 5 minutes longer. The dough was placed into a bowl to rise until doubled. It was then deflated, portioned, and shaped into 16 balls (each about 53 grams) that were placed on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. The dough was a little sticky but this was remedied with a little flour, but you don't want to use too much as the stickiness aids in shaping. After rising until almost doubled they were baked at 300° until reaching an internal temperature of 170°. At this point they are still quite pale. After cooling they were placed into the freezer before being placed into a zipper bag for storage in the freezer. To reheat they are placed in a 425° oven until deep golden brown, 7-10 minutes, and served warm with butter. Total time was 3 hours 45 minutes. 

These are very good rolls! They have a thin crust and soft, warm interior with the yeasty flavor that you would expect in a dinner roll. It will be great to have these in the freezer, always available as a replacement for potatoes or other starch course at dinner, whether for two people or more for guests. The only downside is the need to heat the oven to 425° just to have a few rolls.

Shokupan (Japanese White Bread)

 24 October 2023

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, May 2022

I alluded to this recipe in my post about Pain de Mie which is made using a Pullman Loaf Pan. This loaf pan has a cover leading to a square loaf with four straight sides. The Pain de Mie was disappointing so I was looking forward to trying this other recipe using the Pullman Loaf Pan, doubly so because of some similarities to the recipe for Japanese Milk Bread which had been my favorite white sandwich bread for several years. 

The first step was creating yudane by mixing flour with boiling water, similar to the tangzhong used when making Japanese Milk Bread or Fluffy Dinner Rolls. This was mixed with cold milk after which flour and yeast were mixed in and the mixture rested for 15 minutes. Sugar and salt were then added to the dough which was kneaded on the stand mixer for 10 minutes. Softened unsalted butter was then mixed into the dough which was kneaded for an additional 5-10 minutes. After rising until doubled in volume, the sticky dough was divided into four portions each of which then rested for another 15 minutes. Using oil to offset the stickiness of the dough, each portion was patted into a square. This was folded in thirds and rolled to form a rectangle. The rectangle of dough was then rolled into a cylinder and placed into the Pullman Loaf Pan. After rising in the Pullman Loaf Pan, the dough was baked in a 375° oven. It takes a long time to make this bread: the total time, excluding the long cooling period, was almost 5½ hours, much of which was hands off.

This is a very good white sandwich bread. It features a pillowy interior with a uniform, fine crumb and a tender crust. It rises to nicely fill the Pullman Loaf Pan and retains its shape while cooling. It keeps well, staying tender and moist for days at room temperature and it stands up well to freezing. This is my new favorite white sandwich bread!

Italian Wedding Soup

 11 March 2023

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated All Time Best Soups, America's Test Kitchen, 2016, p. 63; also available online as Pittsburgh Wedding Soup.

I had heard of Italian Wedding Soup but I don't recall ever having it. Diane has had it and asked that I make it. I looked in my ATK soup book and found a recipe that didn't include a lot of ingredients and looked as if it would not take a lot of time. I assumed that it is a soup served at Italian weddings, but a little internet sleuthing proved this wrong. The name in Italian, minestra maritata, is perhaps better translated as "married soup" referring to the marriage of the flavors in the soup.

The preparation can be divided into two parts: making the meatballs and then making the soup. For the meatballs, bread and milk are mashed together into a panade to tenderize the meatballs. Egg yolk, Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and dried oregano were stirred into the panade and a pound of ground beef was then mixed into the mixture by hand. (The recipe specifies meatloaf mix but that is not available in our supermarkets.) To form 1-inch meatballs I used a #60 disher which made 44 meatballs just a tad larger than 1-inch. While the meatballs chilled on a baking sheet in the refrigerator, the rest of the soup was made. Garlic and red pepper flakes (as usual, I used half the specified amount) were cooked in hot olive oil in a Dutch oven. Three quarts of chicken broth were added followed by chopped kale leaves. This was brought to a simmer and cooked until the kale was softened. The firmed meatballs were added along with orzo and cooked until the pasta was tender. Chopped fresh parsley was added. Total time was 100 minutes.

The soup is good, both freshly made and after a few days in the refrigerator. We should get about 5 meals from this recipe. I suspect it would freeze well, too. Diane compared the soup to chicken noodle but with meatballs and orzo instead of chicken bits and noodles. The meatballs are very tender. The soup was not at all spicy, except when I bit into a red pepper flake. The broth, made using Better Than Bouillon concentrate, is a key component of the soup. It's quality is a major factor determining the quality of the final product. This soup is certainly worth making again and there are many opportunities for variations,