Recipes: Green Beans with Bacon; Sausage, Cabbage and Tomato Soup

Hello, friends! 

 

I read a blog post from another website, where the author described his favorite recipe for Green Beans with Bacon.  It looks delicious, but I do it a little differently (using green beans or asparagus stalks, depending on what I have), and wanted to share both recipes with you. 

 

Also, last night, I tried a recipe from Wellness Mama - it was purported to make a grain-free spaghetti dish, but it didn't turn out quite that way for me.  I made some substitutions, and the quantities were a little off.  Still, it ended up being more like a soup, and the flavor distinctively reminded me of globkis (polish stuffed cabbage).  So, in an odd turn of fate, the faux pasta ended up being a soup that was pretty tasty, and I am going to share with you my "oopsie" version of the recipe.

 

Green Beans or Asparagus with Bacon (My Version)

What makes this recipe awesome is that it is grill-appropriate… and who wants to cook inside during the hot summer?

 

Ingredients

1 pound of green beans or skinny asparagus stalks

1 pound of bacon or pancetta

Long wooden skewers (like for kabobs)

Olive oil

Freshly grated nutmeg

Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

 

Steps

1. Trim the ends off of the green beans, or trim the end off the asparagus stalks.
2. Bundle 5-6 of your veggie of choice, and wrap in just enough bacon or pancetta to secure the bundle.  Continue making bundles until you've used up all over your veggies.  Make sure that your bacon/pancetta is wrapped around the center third of the vegetable bundles.  You will probably make about 8 bundles or so.  (You may have bacon left over, depending on how generous you are.) 
3. On a cutting board, lay 4 bundles out in a line.  Using two skewers, impale the 4 bundles through the bacon/pancetta area.  Repeat using another 4 bundles and two skewers.
4. Drizzle your skewered bundles with a little olive oil.  Grate just a bit of nutmeg over the bundles, and sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired. 
5. Take it to the grill – put it in a medium-hot spot on the grill and cook until the bacon is done and crisping on the edges.  If your stalks/beans seem to be getting a little too charred, put them on a cooler part of the grill.
6. Serve immediately, removing bundles from skewers with tongs. Very tasty!

(Note, I just made this recipe over the weekend, while camping, with asparagus and pancetta.  It was so good!  It would maybe be better if drizzled with just a little balsamic and topped with just a touch of crumbled goat cheese.  Ooh... or maybe some warm hollandaise sauce?  Very fancy!!)

 

OOPS… Sausage, Cabbage and Tomato Soup

A mistake that turned out to be pretty tasty, in the end.

 

Ingredients

¼ cup butter

1 pound of Italian sausage (mild or hot is up to you)

2 vidalia onions, sliced thin

1 medium head of cabbage, sliced thin

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp red pepper flakes (more or less depending on taste)

1 tsp fine sea salt

1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes (mush/squish the tomatoes before adding)

Parmesan cheese to taste

 

Steps

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt butter until sizzling.
2. Add sausage and cook until brown.
3. When sausage is thoroughly browned (don't skimp on the browning!), add the onions, the spices, and half of the salt, and cook until onions have softened, about 5-8 minutes.  (If onions seem to be getting too dark too quickly, lower heat to medium and add a couple of tablespoons of water.)
4. Add cabbage and the rest of the salt, stir to combine the mixture, and cook until cabbage softens, about 8-10 minutes.  (It helps to put the cover on and let it steam a bit for the first 4 minutes or so).
5. When the cabbage is softened, add the tomatoes, and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so.  Taste.  You may need to add more salt.  The soup is done when the cabbage reaches the degree of tenderness that you like.  If it is not tender enough, throw the cover on the pot, and let it cook a bit longer.
6. Serve with some parmesan cheese grated on the top.

(Note: this soup was better the next day).