Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
I thought about throwing a couple handfuls of small broccoli trees into this soup (a few minutes before doing the puree), spinach would be great as well. You can use a vegetable stock if you like in place of the water.
Ingredients Serves 4 to 6.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery (diced)
1 carrot (diced)
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 cups dried split green peas, picked over and rinsed
5 cups water (or chicken broth, which I use)
juice of 1/2 lemon (reserve the zest)
a few pinches of smoked paprika
more olive oil to drizzle
Add olive oil to a big pot over med-high heat. Stir in onions and salt and cook until the onions soften, just a minute or two, add carrots & celery saute another two minutes, now add the garlic saute just until garlic is softened. Add the split peas and water. Bring to a boil, dial down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the peas are cooked through. Using a hand blender (or regular blender) puree the soup to your desired consistency. If you need to thin the soup out with more water (or stock) do so a bit at a time. Stir in the lemon juice and taste. If the soup needs more salt, add more a bit at a time until the flavor of the soup really pops.
Ladle into bowls or cups, and serve each drizzled with olive oil and topped with a good pinch of smoked paprika and a touch of lemon zest. THIS REALLY ADDS FLAVOR.
Sweet and Spicy Empanadas
Here's another one from chef Rick Bayless, who uses premade pie dough as a shortcut. You can prep the empanadas ahead of time, put them on baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove the plastic wrap and pop them in the oven when the game's second quarter starts, and they'll be warm and ready at halftime.
Ingredients MAKES ABOUT 20 (3-INCH) TURNOVERS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound coarsely ground beef or pork
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 cup prepared medium tomato salsa
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1/2 cup chopped raisins
2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
Salt
1 15-ounce packages refrigerated ready-made pie dough
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Meanwhile, add oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. Add meat and onion and cook, stirring, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Add salsa, olives, raisins, brown sugar and about 3/4 teaspoon salt; cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Cool.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll pie dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 3-inch circles. Lightly paint the edges of each circle with water. Scoop about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling onto each, fold over and press edges together with a fork. Put on lightly greased baking sheet. Beat egg with milk and brush mixture over tops of empanadas. Bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve warm.
PER SERVING (3 empandas): calories: 288 (59.2 from fat); protein: 7.1 grams; total fat: 19 grams; saturated fat: 5.1 grams; cholesterol: 37.6 mg; sodium: 444 mg; carbohydrate: 22.7 grams; dietary fiber: 1.8 grams
Adapted from Rick Bayless, FronteraFiesta.com
