Tomato Cabbage Soup

Last days of March, with Winter still kicking at our door. . . Makes a hot soup seem all the more inviting. This Tomato Cabbage soup is the perfect antidote.  The cabbage naturally sweetens the turkey tomato broth as it simmers.  Add some white beans, rosemary, bay leaves and Parmesan and/or Romano cheese rinds, and you have yourself a winner!

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey, 93% lean

1 onions, peeled and diced

4-5 carrots, peeled and diced

1 head of cabbage, 1" slices in length, 1/2 " in width

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of white wine

4 cups of low salt chicken broth

2 (26-28 oz) chopped, strained or crushed tomatoes

1 28 oz. can of cannellini beans, strained and rinsed

1 tbsp of chopped rosemary

3-4 very large bay leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp of unsalted butter

optional:  1-2 Cheese rinds of hard Italian cheese such as Parmesan and/or Romano
                1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
                1 tbsp of lemon juice
                1-2 tbsp of sugar in the raw

Salt and pepper to taste

For serving:  Grated/shaved Parmesan/Romano
                     Remove bay leaves & cheese rinds
                     Crumbled croutons

Servings per recipe:  Easy eight

Directions

Brown turkey over medium heat in a dutch oven with 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Season meat with salt and pepper as it browns.  Remove from heat once browned.  Place turkey in a bowl, and set aside.

Prepare onion while dutch onion is warming with 1 tbsp of butter and additional tbsp of olive oil.  Add to dutch onion, stirring occasionally over medium heat.  Prepare cabbage and carrots, and add to pot with an additional tbsp. of butter.  Cover and let cook for 8-10 minutes.

Mince garlic and rosemary.  Add to pot. Stir.  Heat for one minute and add wine.  Turn heat to medium high. Cook to burn off alcohol for a few minutes.

Add Turkey back to pot with bay leaves, tomatoes and chicken broth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  If you have a cheese rind, add it now.  Rinse off cannellini beans and add to soup.

Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low.  Cook for two hours on low, with lid ajar. Stir occasionally.

Optional Ingredients to heighten the soups flavors.

All that you need to round out the meal is warm crusty bread and a green leafy salad.

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana is rich with tangy tomato sauce, bubbling mozzarella and crunchy breadcrumbs.  This dish is a clear favorite.  Easy to prepare, and baked to perfection.  

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

Ingredients for Sauce

2 28 oz cans of Whole Plum Tomatoes

1 onion, diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

Six whole leaves of fresh Basil

2 Tbsp of olive oil

1 Tbsp of unsalted butter

1 Tbsp. of light brown sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground oregano

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. or more red pepper flakes

Directions:

Begin your sauce.  In a large dutch oven, saute your diced onion in 2 Tbsp. of olive oil with Basil leaves over medium high heat for five minutes.  Lower your heat to medium, add 1 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, and minced garlic, stir frequently for 30 seconds.  Now, add your two cans of tomatoes and seasonings. While waiting for the sauce to come to a easy boil, crush your tomatoes in the pot with the back of a spoon or a potato masher.  Once the sauce boils, lower heat to simmer.  Keep covered and simmer for thirty minutes.  There will be leftover sauce for pasta, to serve as a side.

Ingredients for Baked Eggplant:

1 large Eggplant
Wondra flour or all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
8 oz. of smoked mozzarella or regular mozzarella, grated
1/2 cup grated Romano and/or Parmesan 
salt/ground black pepper to taste
seasoned breadcrumbs
sprinkle of oregano
few sprigs of fresh basil

Sauce, as prepared above


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees or 350 degrees, if using convection bake.

Wash and Peel eggplant in alternating strips.  You should have three or four strips when finished, discard.  Slice eggplant crosswise.  Slices slightly bigger than 1/4 of an inch.  Prepare three bowls:  one with flour, salt and pepper and oregano added.  Bowl two:  2 beaten eggs with 1 tbsp of water and bowl three with seasoned breadcrumbs with 1/4 cup grated cheese added.  

Prepare two nine inch, pyrex pie dishes with 1/4 cup of sauce.  Dredge each eggplant slice in flour, shaking off excess.  Then dip slice in the beaten egg, letting excess egg drip off.  Finally, dredge in breadcrumbs.  Arrange slices  in a slightly overlapping pattern in each baking dish.  Add more sauce on top of each dish concentrating the sauce in the center of the slices. You can scatter some fresh basil leaves atop.  Drizzle with olive oil, and place in oven for thirty minutes.

Remove from oven, drop temperature twenty five degrees. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with mozzarella, grated cheese, oregano and black pepper.  Tent with foil, sprayed with Pam or rubbed with olive oil to prevent sticking.  Bake for an additional twenty minutes.  When removed, it should be bubbly, and the eggplant should be knife tender.  Garnish with fresh basil.

Serving Suggestions:  Steamed Lemon Broccoli with Olive Oil, Romano Cheese, grated Salt/Pepper
                                    Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and grated Cheese