The World is Ending in an Explosion of Deliciousness!

...by world, I mean year.

Daria and I are together again! We've been hard at work the last few days making delicious creations of epic proportions. So far we've had a waffle feast with whipped cream and strawberry compote, hummus, Greek salad and fresh pita meal, and mouthwatering breakfast burritos.

We hit up this global grocery store and stocked up on all the essentials for my visit.

Between the food, wine, vintage shops, lovely weather and movie marathons, I may not want to go home.

supă de găluşte

We got a crap-ton of snow today. Everything is covered and slushy and cold. Luckily, I've got yet another soup recipe in my arsenal to beat the Chicago winter. This one is all the way from my mom's kitchen. She taught me to make this as a kid. It is truly one of my favorite soups ever. It's light, yet filling and I loooove pronouncing it. Supă de găluşte is a dumpling soup similar to matzo ball soup, but instead of matzo crackers, we use farina (cream of wheat).

supă de găluşte

4 cups of water
3-4 carrots, sliced lengthwise
2-3 parsnips, sliced lengthwise
1 veggie bullion cube or tablespoon of Vegeta
1 small onion, quartered
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
approx 2/3 cup of farina
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the carrots, parsnips, onions. Add the vegeta or bullion cube. Let simmer about 5 minutes. Taste the broth to see if it needs salt. The carrots add a sweetness to the soup that might be overwhelming, so be sure to add plenty of salt and pepper.

In a non metallic mixing bowl, beat the egg (about 75 strokes) or so with a fork or wire wisk. Add the baking soda, beat for another 30 strokes. Slowly add the farina to the egg mixture, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick. generally, you want it thick enough so it sticks to the spoon without dripping. These will be your găluşte.

While the soup stock is boiling, take a metal cutlery style spoon and hold it in the boiling stock for 30 seconds. This allows the metal to get hot. Spoon small amounts of the farina mixture into the boiling stock. When you drop the găluşte in, they should not break apart. If they do, you need to add more farina to your mixture. After each spoonful, dip the empty spoon in the stock to clean it of any farina residue. This makes taking the next spoon full easier.

Once all of the farina mixture is in the stock, cover the pot, turn off the heat and let it sit for about 5-7 minutes. The little găluşte will have blossomed into hearty dumplings.

Important notes to remember:

This soup does not store well. The găluşte will continue to soak up soup stock, so if you stick it in the fridge, it's likely that you will not have any soup the next day, just giant găluşte.

Do not use quick cook farina. The regular kind works best.

You do not need to serve this soup with bread. The găluşte will give you your carb fix.





Yield: 4 Servings

Spinach, Lemon & Lentil Soup

This recipe has been in my repertoire of winter favorites for a couple years now. I got the idea when I wandered into a Whole Foods in search of vitamins and supplements to battle a particularly nasty contagious illness. No, not pig flu, since this was years before the H1N1. Whole foods was the only place that carried the specific supplement the doctor at the free clinic recommended. I like the idea of sharing germs, especially with those who regularly frequent Whole Foods.

1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 cups of veggie stock*
1 cup of lentils, rinsed
5 oz. of frozen spinach (you can use fresh if you have it available)
2 tablesppons of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

* if you buy the veggie stock or use bullion cubes, you won't need to add salt. If you're using homemade stock or unsalted stock, you'll want to add about 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.

Saute onions and carrots in olive oil over medium heat in a large pot, until soft. Add the veggie stock and lentils. Let simmer for about 30-40 minutes until the lentils are thoroughly cooked. Add the spinach. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Take a potato masher, preferably one with fine holes, mash the lentils until the soup gets creamier, about 5 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and the lemon juice. Let simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve with pumpernickel rye bread or a marbled rye.