**Recipe Update on Bacon Wrapped Crackers** After a thorough study of these addictive things, I have found a few ways to make them good and bad. One, use a thin cut bacon. The thick cut gets mushy instead of crispy and turns the appetizer to mush. Two, use center cut bacon if possible. Again, the excess fat around the crackers turns the appetizer to mush. The center cut did the best!
I hope everyone had a fabulous and Merry Christmas! Since we bought the new house this year, we didn’t get much for each other. So, no new startling news in regards to presents. I’m sorry we missed services because the kids had a fever the day before. It broke before Christmas Eve…. but they say to keep kids away for 24 hours and we stayed home with the “Muppets’ Christmas Carol.”
Recipe: The hubby wasn’t a big fan of Alton Brown’s “Christmas Eve Soup” aka “Sausage and Bean Soup” that I made a few years ago. This year I tried America’s Test Kitchen’s Recipe and EVERYone loved it. So, here is the recipe! Plus I got to use up all that kale I received in the produce co-op box. Always a plus and handy to have a recipe since kale comes in such large bunches. Kale – as we have been all told – is the king of super foods with a whole host of vitamins and nutrients. Ironically, uncooked is better in cancer studies, but cooked is better in cholesterol studies.
Well, the main thing is eat it how you like it and like many vegetables packed with nutrients don’t use too much water. The water-soluble nutrients will leach out into the water. Since I learned that 7 years ago, I have been steaming or roasting almost everything. Except for soup – because you are drinking the vitamin packed water anyway in the soup, you are getting the nutrients. So, go and make some nutrient packed soup!
Ingredients
- 6 oz. pancetta or bacon, chopped fine
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 2 celery ribs, chopped fine
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 lb. dry cannelini or Great Northern beans, have been soaked overnight for 8-12 hours
- 2 bay leavse
- 1 (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 bunch kale or collard greens, 1" pieces and trimmed of stems (I used a little more than 1/2)
- 2 carrots, 1/2" pieces
- 1 sprig rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Put the rack on low to -middle.
- In a dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat about 8 minutes.
- Add onion and celery and cook 12-15 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add broth, water, beans and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and put into the oven for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Add tomatoes, kale and carrots. Cover with a lid and put into the oven another 30-45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Add the sprig of rosemary. Cover again and just let it sit out. Serve with garlic toast or some beer bread.
- Recipe slightly adapted from America's Test Kitchen "Soups and Stews"
White Bean Soup
serves 8-10
**USES BEANS SOAKED OVERNIGHT**
6 oz. pancetta or bacon, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
8 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 lb. dry cannelini or Great Northern beans, have been soaked overnight for 8-12 hours
2 bay leavse
1 (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
1/2 bunch kale or collard greens, 1″ pieces and trimmed of stems (I used a little more than 1/2)
2 carrots, 1/2″ pieces
1 sprig rosemary
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Put the rack on low to -middle.
In a dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat about 8 minutes.
Add onion and celery and cook 12-15 minutes.
Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds.
Add broth, water, beans and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and put into the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Add tomatoes, kale and carrots. Cover with a lid and put into the oven another 30-45 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Add the sprig of rosemary. Cover again and just let it sit out. Serve with garlic toast or some beer bread.
Recipe slightly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen “Soups and Stews”
