Italian Easter Soup
Homemade chicken stock poured over egg and Parmesan–dipped toasts makes a lovely, delicate dish.
Homemade chicken stock poured over egg and Parmesan–dipped toasts makes a lovely, delicate dish.
Good homemade stock is the key to this rich, clear broth. Be sure to reserve 2 tbsp (25 mL) of the chicken fat from making the stock. A little garnish goes a long way in eye appeal, so see Consomme garnishes, below. Serve with sherry.
An elegant, rich and dark consommé is perfect for holiday entertaining. For a dairy-free version, replace the mini puff garnish with sliced chives.
This creamy pasta fools you into thinking it's sinfully rich. The evaporated milk is the culprit: it is much lower in fat than cream. Plus, it has 80 per cent more calcium than regular milk. Chicken provides protein in combination with pasta, a carbohydrate. Did we mention that it tastes good, too?
Some weeks you need a big-batch soup to use up a ton of in-season veggies. This tangy-sweet soup fills the bill – it's great hot or cold, and freezes beautifully. This borscht is vegan on its own, but it's even tastier topped with a dollop of sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) and a sprinkle of chopped fresh dill.
Meat loaf is a popular comfort food not only because it's quick and easy to toss together but also because it's hearty and always delicious – especially this one with its glossy vegetable topping.
Richly flavoured stews develop flavour as they sit in the refrigerator, making them perfect to reheat later in the week. Serve with boiled potatoes, or steamed rice and vegetable medley.
Since slow-cookers were invented as appliances for making baked beans, chili is a natural fit. Slow-cooking really tenderizes shoulder cuts, creating a rich, beefy broth. We recommend cutting a pot roast into chunks for this chili because the meat will be juicier. Stewing beef is a reasonable shortcut but, because it is lean, can be dry after slow-cooking. Enjoy with corn bread and a mixed green salad.
Risotto is generally a labour of love. Our shortcut version eliminates most of the stove-top stirring, but produces equally silky results and turns ho-hum turkey leftovers into a special meal. Make sure to serve the risotto as soon as it's done cooking; as it stands, it thickens quickly and loses some of its creamy texture.
A rich and flavourful homemade stock such as this is essential for consommé because its deep flavour and colour need little embellishing.
