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Tag: broth

Turkish Style Bulgur Pilaf

Healthy and delicious!!

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon Turkish tomato paste (or use regular tomato paste)
  • 1 cup bulgur wheat (I used quick cooking bulgur from Trader Joes)
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Heat a medium saucepan with the olive oil. Add the tomato paste and cook on medium heat for a minute or two. I bought some Turkish tomato paste from Istanbul. I got the spicy kind, which has chilies in it- but regular tomato paste can be substituted. Add the bulgur and stir. Add the broth and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let cook for 10 minutes. Turn heat off, fluff with fork and let sit for another 5 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve.

Turkish Style Lentil Soup

Yummy lentil soup for meatless Monday!!

  • 1 tablespoon butter or extra light olive oil
  • ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint
  • ½ cup red lentils, washed
  • 1 small potato, peeled and cut in half inch squares
  • 2 to 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • Fresh lemon juice

Heat a medium saucepan with the oil. Add the onion, ground cumin and mint. Saute on medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add the lentils, potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil and add the salt and turmeric and simmer on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes adding more broth if necessary. Once the potato chunks are soft, take off the heat and let cool. Transfer to blender and blend till smooth. Pour the liquid back to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Adjust the consistency by either adding more broth or cooking off extra broth. Check for seasonings. Squirt some fresh lemon juice right before serving.

Mushroom Pasta with Marsala Sauce

I’ll start off the New Year with a delicious mushroom pasta- my daughter loves, loves mushrooms- she sneaks away some as I am slicing them to prepare the dish… she loved this one…

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
  • 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ cup Marsala wine
  • 1 cup chicken/mushroom or vegetable broth
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • ½ pound farfalle, cooked al dente with ½ cup pasta water spared
  • ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • ½ cup parsley, chopped

Heat a large frying pan with butter and olive oil. Add the onion and sauté on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shiitake mushrooms and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Cremini mushrooms and sauté on medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes. Add thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute for another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl. Add the Marsala wine and scrape off the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Take off heat and add the cream and mix well. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Add the cooked pasta, cheese, mushrooms and parsley and cook over medium heat until pasta absorbs most of the liquid, about a minute or two. Adjust consistency with spare pasta water. Taste for seasonings and serve.

Roasted Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil

This is a quick, delicious soup to make in this weather. Don’t buy the canned variety- this is much better and yummier… Wait till you see what I served with the soup.. yup, grilled cheese sandwiches- a kicked up version!

  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • 3 garlic cloves, skin on
  • 1 large yellow onion, skin on, cut in half

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the tomatoes, garlic and onion onto a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and salt. Mix well and roast in oven for 40 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool.

  • 1 28 ounces San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup basil
  • ½ cup half and half
  • Salt

Transfer the roasted vegetables, canned tomatoes, broth and basil to a powerful blender. Blend till a smooth consistency is reached. Take out of the blender and transfer to a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer with lid closed for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and check for seasoning and add salt. Turn heat off and add half and half. Check for seasonings and serve warm.