Slow-cooker Feijoada (Brazilian Black Bean Stew)

We are blessed to have a vibrant Brazilian community in our area and benefit from the culinary richness that comes with it. From wonderful Portuguese bakeries to the mouth-watering meats that Brazil is known for, chances are you will most likely encounter what some consider to be the national dish of Brazil: feijoada.

I first encountered feijoada at a Brazilian cafe in town and instantly fell in love! To simply call it a black bean stew would be to overlook the beloved place it has in the kitchens–and hearts–in its country of origin. Warm, savory and cooked with love, this is fast becoming one of my favorite comfort foods. Traditionally served with toasted cassava flour (farofa), and kale I would highly recommend serving tapioca rolls (pao de queijo) alongside. Comer com gosto!

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Slow-cooker Feijoada (Brazilian Black Bean Stew)
SERVINGS
8
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
8hours 40 minutes
PREP TIME
40minutes
READY IN

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and crumble. Add to slow-cooker.
  2. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper and brown in the same skillet used for bacon and add to slow cooker.
  3. Add drained beans, ham hock, sausages, onions, garlic, 2 cups chicken broth, salt, coriander, and lime juice to slow cooker, stirring to combine. Cover and cook on LOW 8 for hours or until meat is tender.
  4. Pull out ribs and ham hock bones. Remove any remaining meat from the bones and shred it with two forks. Discard bones. Return meat to slow cooker. Add more broth for a soup-like consistency.
  5. Serve with white rice and garnish with orange slices, fresh cilantro and green onion.

Lockdown Lunch – Potato Soup

It never ceases to amaze me how, no matter what the circumstance, the Holy Spirit is aware and always provides.  A couple of weeks ago, I had driven home from a rehab facility with my sister, who was recovering from surgery. Because of Covid-19 and the possibility of exposure at the Rehab facility, we both went on a 2-week quarantine.  We had all kinds of food options available to enjoy, but my recovering sister basically wanted homemade soups! After having gone through zucchini, butternut squash, vegetable, chicken—I was running out of ideas, until I spotted a few potatoes in a basket. That’s it! And after picking more chives in the back yard for a garnish, we sat down to a delicious lockdown lunch!  

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Lockdown Lunch
SERVINGS
2
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
20
PREP TIME
20
READY IN
40

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Sauté onion and celery until soft and translucent; set aside
  2. Add chopped potatoes to chicken broth in sauce pan, and boil until potatoes are fork tender, about 12 minutes
  3. After cooling for a few minutes, spoon the potatoes into a blender, carefully pouring in some of the hot broth and adding the onion and celery.
  4. When thoroughly blended, pour back into sauce pan. It should be fairly thick at this point. (If it seems a little too thin before adding milk, boil for a few minutes until thickened.) Then add milk or cream to desired consistency.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste
  6. Blend in ¼ cup of sour cream
  7. Garnish with the rest of sour cream, grated cheddar cheese and chopped chives

Carrot Ginger Soup

This year, I am teaching a home school culinary class. It’s a great joy for me to pass on to the younger generation all the tips and skills that I learned. We loved making this Carrot Ginger soup together. When making soup, I always start by sautéing the vegetables. Sautéing caramelizes them and brings out the very best flavor of the vegetable – never start by boiling them in liquid, or you’ll produce a very tasteless soup! Carrot Ginger freezes well, so make a big pot of it, cool and freeze flat in zip lock bags. Once they are frozen, the bags can then stand upright in your freezer or be stacked. This soup can be made completely dairy-free, just substitute olive oil or coconut oil for the butter. Enjoy!

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Carrot Ginger Soup
SERVINGS
8
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
45
PREP TIME
20
READY IN
1hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a 6-quart pan, over medium-high heat, add butter and olive oil. Sauté onions and carrots and cook until the vegetables begin to caramelize and become golden and tender.
  2. Add the ginger and 6 cups of the broth, cover and simmer. Reduce heat and cook until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork. Add the coconut milk.
  3. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender (don’t fill the blender more than halfway). Pulse the blender to start and then purée until smooth.
  4. Return to the pan and add more broth or coconut milk to reach desired consistency. Reheat over medium heat, adding salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Ginger Bisque

The change of season is such a lovely time. The air is crisp, the trees are turning brilliant shades of reds and orange, leaves are piling on the ground, and pumpkins greet us on every doorstep. Walking through our community, and seeing these sights, I am inspired to pull these all into one big pot of wonderfulness. The magic that greets you when a delicious bowl of steaming soup appears in front of you is one of community and love. 

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Rating: 4
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Butternut Squash and Ginger Bisque
SERVINGS
6
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
1hour
PREP TIME
10minutes
READY IN
1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Oil baking sheet. Place squash, cut side down, on baking sheet. Bake until squash is very soft, about 50 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, remove peel from squash; discard peel.
  2. While the squash is cooking, heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Mix in onion, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and cinnamon stick. Cover pot and cook until onion is tender, about 15 minutes, stir occasionally so that your onion does not burn but is slightly golden and caramelized.
  3. Add the cooked squash and 4 cups chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Take out the cinnamon stick but reserve.
  4. Working in batches, purée soup in blender (or use an immersion blender.) Return soup to pot with the cinnamon stick. If desired, add heavy cream and/or half and half to thin it out to your desired consistency or add more chicken broth. Add the maple syrup to taste. If desired, include a bit of ground cinnamon to taste.
  5. Season soup with salt and pepper. Bring to simmer and ladle into bowls and serve. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate.)

Simple Summery Soup

One beautiful June day, our guests wanted to eat lunch on the patio, and something simple and summery seemed appropriate. I decided on a chicken salad plate featuring chilled zucchini soup. With fresh dill and a small dollop of sour cream, it was a real hit!

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Simple Summery Soup
SERVINGS
2-3servings
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
servings
COOK TIME
20mins
PREP TIME
15mins
READY IN
1/2hr (plus chilling time)

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Cut up onion and zucchini into random size chunks and simmer in chicken or vegetable broth, enough to cover, until very soft and tender
  2. Cool for a few minutes, then place in blender with 2 Tablespoons of sour cream and blend until well mixed, adding more sour cream if desired
  3. Add salt and pepper to taste
  4. Refrigerate until well chilled; serve with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with dill

Matzo Ball Soup

Just out of High School I was working in our city’s leading flower shop. The owner of the shop was Jewish and from time to time his mother would surprise all of us employed there with one of her home cooked Jewish dishes. Her chicken Matzo Ball soup with its distinctive flavor was my favorite.

When the sister cooking our convent lunch this week agreed to make this for us I could not have been happier. For many of the sisters this was a brand new taste experience. For me it was a reviving of one of my happiest early life memories.

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Original Streits Matzo Ball Recipe
SERVINGS
4servings (16-20 Matzo Balls)
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
servings (16-20 Matzo Balls)
COOK TIME
1 1/4mins
PREP TIME
10mins
READY IN
1 3/4hrs

Ingredients

Instructions

Matzo Balls
  1. Beat eggs in a bowl. Then add water, margarine/oil, salt and pepper to the beaten eggs. Mix well. Add Matzo meal and stir.
  2. Refrigerate at least one hour.
  3. Form into balls and drop into pot soup or boiling water. Cook 20 minutes.
Soup
  1. Mince the garlic and dice the onion, celery, and carrots.
  2. Sauté the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots with the vegetable oil in a pot
  3. until the onions become transparent.
  4. Add chicken broth, 2 cups water, pepper, and one or two sprigs of dill to the pot.
  5. Place a lid on the pot and let it come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes.
  6. After the soup has simmered, add the shredded chicken breast to soup.
  7. Add matzo balls to the soup and let them simmer for 20 minutes without removing the lid.
  8. Garnish with fresh dill before serving

NOTE: The soup can be done while the matzo balls are chilling in the refrigerator