Delicious Stews for Fall

OK I will try to keep up this blog again at least once a week! But I would love to know if anyone reads it. It would be nice. :) Otherwise- I'm not just writing this for myself! ha ha.

Well I have a couple soups/stews to share with you that we've been munchin on. One is veggie and one is not. The first I used my kale from the garden in it the second I needed to use my tomatillos and jalapenos from the garden so it was perfect. Both are delicious, and i was skeptical of the squash soup with the olives but I must tell you it's fabulous(if you have an aversion to bell peppers, just leave them out). I had it with some rosemary bread, yummmmm...

White Bean, Butternut Squash, Kale and Olive Stew

Bon Appétit | January 1996

Yield: Serves 6

1/4 cup olive oil
3 large onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
3 red bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups canned vegetable broth
1 1/2 large bunches kale, thick stems trimmed, leaves cut crosswise into 2-inch strips
1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
5 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, halved
Freshly grated Romano cheese

Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add squash; sauté Add bell peppers and stir to coat with onion mixture. Add broth. Cover and simmer until squash is just tender, about 10 minutes.

Mix kale and sage into stew. Cover and cook until kale wilts, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add beans and olives and stir until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer stew to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle generously with cheese.

Posole (Tomatillo, Chicken, and Hominy Soup)

1 pound tomatillos

6 cups chicken stock

2 cups chopped onion

3 pounds chicken breast halves, skinned

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and quartered

1 (30-ounce) can white hominy, drained

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

8 lime wedges

 Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups soup, 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1 1/2 teaspoons sour cream, and 1 lime wedge)

Discard husks and stems from the tomatillos. Cook whole tomatillos in boiling water 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Place tomatillos in a blender; process until smooth; set aside.
Place stock and the next 5 ingredients (stock through hominy) in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from bones; shred. Stir in pureed tomatillos and salt; cook for 5 minutes or until heated. Stir in chicken, and serve with cilantro, sour cream, and lime wedges.


CALORIES 233 (16% from fat); FAT 4.1g (sat 1.3g,mono 0.7g,poly 0.8g); IRON 1.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 79mg; CALCIUM 46mg; CARBOHYDRATE 19.4g; SODIUM 548mg; PROTEIN 31.8g; FIBER 4g Cooking Light, JANUARY 2003