I tell you the truth when I say we ate the whole pot to the last drop, and I think I personally ate six bowls, because I have the secret for an easy, delicious soup broth and you won’t believe how easy it is.

Before I list my ingredients, keep in mind you can replace or add in more ingredients as you see fit. There are no hard and fast rules for vegetable soup vegetables, but I do have a few tips on how to make sure the soup has flavor with a good broth.

Making the Best EASY Soup Broth

While the vegetables you add will certainly add flavor to your broth, you want to start with as much flavor as possible. This is why I do this:

• 2 Quarts of organic boxed broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable broth).
• 1 large can of tomatoes. (I squeeze the tomatoes with my hands and add in all the juices). I prefer using San Marzano Tomatoes, but you could also add in a good tomato puree. It’s the mix of the broth with tomato that tastes so good.

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More Hearty Soups from Spinach Tiger

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Homemade Vegetable Soup

Paleo, Low Carb Vegetable Soup, Easy

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword vegetable soup

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 16 oz can San Marzano Whole Tomatoes or tomato puree
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 4 carrots diced
• 1 turnip
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 whole cauliflower head
• 1 cup chopped kale
• 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper more to taste
• 1 cup frozen peas optional
• parsley
• 1/2 cup pecorino romano for serving
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes to add extra heat
• 1 cup frozen peas or white beans optional

Instructions

• Put oil, broth, and tomatoes in dutch oven (or crock pot). Use your hands to break up the tomatoes out of the can and include all the juice.
• Add carrot coins, cauliflower cut into bite-sized pieces, diced celery and diced onion.
• Season with herbs, spices, salt and pepper.
• Cook low and slow for two hours or four hours on low in crock pot.
• Add peeled, cubed turnip in the last hour.
• Add frozen peas or canned white beans. Rinse beans before adding. Add peas in the last 30 minutes. You can add the beans anytime.
• Make sure kale is ripped into bite-sized pieces. If using Tuscan kale, remove the rib.
• Add kale in last hour also.
• Add in red chili flakes if you want to add heat. You can add a dash or up to a teaspoon.
• Serve with grated parmesan cheese or pecorino. If you use pecorino, consider its saltiness before adding more salt.

Notes

Regarding vegetables. You can delete something you don’t have or like and add in other veggies such as broccoli, cabbage, or green beans. Make sure everything is bite-sized.

The post Recipe for Homemade Vegetable Soup appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The basic soup is sausage, potatoes and kale in a creamy chicken broth. In true Tuscan fashion, it often has canellini beans (white beans).

How to Make Zuppa Toscana Low Carb

I simply replaced the potatoes with turnips and by the time they cook in the creamy broth, you actually think you are eating potatoes. I am not opposed to adding some white beans to this soup or pureeing beans to thicken instead of cream, but that would increase the carbs. I love the purple tops. Buy medium sized turnips, peel and do a large dice.

I’ve used turnips in soups and stews many times. This veal stew and this beef stew. 

This is a soup you can make your own, adding in a can of tomatoes, interchanging the greens, and even replacing bacon with crispy pancetta. You get the idea!

How Turnips Replace Potatoes

Honestly, the turnips mellow and you think you are eating potatoes. If you do not overcook them. They have a wonderful texture.

I wasn’t sure I was going to like the bacon in the soup, but I made the bacon very crispy first and it held up greatly and added flavor.

While this is a simple soup, it’s still a balancing act. You must make sure the potatoes and or turnips and the kale are not overcooked, and make sure the bacon and sausage are well-cooked.

Thickening Zuppa Toscana

Here you have many options. You can use heavy cream like I did. I only used about 1/2 cup but I’ve seen recipes use 2 full cups. That’s too much for me, but you can feel free.

You can puree some cauliflower or white beans to serve as the thickener to avoid cream altogether.

I’m fussy when it comes to the Italian sausage and like to buy the Whole Foods house-made. I used the mild, but next time I would use the hot Italian sausage as the heat balances well with the cream.

What are the best greens for Zuppa Toscana?

Kale is my go to green for soups. It has more body, holds up better than spinach. I prefer the lacinato as opposed to the curly kale, but be sure to first remove those thick ribs in the middle. Kale is pretty fibrous, but will still break down and can become mushy if cooked for hours. I would only add it in in the last twenty minutes so it holds some body.

Did you know you can freeze kale so it’s always ready to throw into soup? Read about that here. 

What broth makes the best soup?

I used two quarts of organic chicken stock from Costco. My other favorite brand is Whole Foods Organic Chicken broth. Homemade chicken stock is always a good choice.

What kind of grated cheese is best for soup?

Parmesan is always a good choice, but we prefer Pecorino Romano. Parmesan comes from cow’s milk; Pecorino comes from sheep’s milk. It is tangier and salty and pairs well with turnips and kale. Whatever you do, grate it fresh, and please don’t buy the green can. I cannot guarantee good taste using that.

More Soups from Spinach Tiger

Italian Sausage Soup

Tomato Bisque Soup

Quick and Easy Minestroni 

Tuscan Ribollita 

Low Carb Italian Wedding Soup

Beef and Cabbage Soup

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Keto Zuppa Toscana

Classic Sausage and Kale Soup made Keto Friendly with Turnips

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword keto brownies, zuppa toscana

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 medium onion small dice
• 3 cloves garlic peeled
• 2 pounds Italian Sausage spicy
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 3 purple top turnips (or potatoes) peeled, large dice
• 1 bunch lacinato kale ribs removed, chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano grated
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Slice bacon crosswise into small lardons (1/2 inch). Fry until crispy. Drain bacon. Set aside
• In separate pot that you will be making soup in, add olive oil.
• Add in chopped onions: sauté for two minutes stirring so onions don't brown, just soften.
• Add garlic. Saute, until almost golden, about one minute.
• If sausage is in links, remove and crumble into hot pan. Cook, stirring with wooden spoon until sausage is cooked through.
• Add broth to sausage. Add bacon back in.
• Add red pepper flakes.
• Add turnips and cook for about 30 minutes until turnips feel soft.
• In meantime, remove ribs from kale and chop. Add to soup for about twenty minutes. You don't want the kale to get mushy. It should still hold some body.
• Add in heavy cream, season with salt and pepper.
• Serve with Pecorino Romano.

Notes

You can use potatoes instead of turnips if you are not concerned with carbs. 

You can add in a cup of white beans, rinsed to add more heft. 

You can substitute heavy cream with pureed beans for a dairy free version.

You can substitute spinach or another green for kale. In that case, I would add baby spinach as you are serving it. 

Lacinato Kale is also known as Tuscan Kale. It's has long leaves with thick ribs. You can also use curly kale. 

The post Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Recipe (Keto) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I use my roasting trick of salting for a day or more in the refrigerator and then baking at a high heat. The green pepper, onions and potato will go in after ten minutes. You can salt the chicken pieces up to three days, but the prep time is no more than ten minutes, making this an elegant fast food, appropriate for any season or occasion.

You can also make Italian Baked Chicken in a Sheet pan

I’ve made this in a sheet pan at times also. Just add either potatoes or turnips and green peppers after about ten minutes.

Even eaten at room temperature it’s a winner, so feel free to take this to the next potluck. (Just cut the breasts in half or make it with thighs only).

To save money, I usually buy a Publix Greenwise whole chicken or a Whole Foods Belle Evans Air Chilled chicken, and have the butcher cut it into 10 pieces. I don’t serve the backs; they are the chef’s private snack.

You can also choose to freeze those and save for chicken stock.  he butcher will ask you how you want your chicken cut. I always get the 10 pieces. When you get home and find the breasts too large, you can cut those in half.

Use a green bell pepper when baking chicken or braising chicken. The green bell pepper sometimes gets a bad rap, because it’s often served too raw, but it is the best pepper for flavoring chicken when roasting, braising or baking.

There is a slightly different flavor than a red bell pepper and when married with onion, and a little garlic, it creates a perfect medley, yet it doesn’t take over the dish and is so good with roasted potatoes.

Baked chicken pieces make for great leftovers.

I will purposely make a lot of chicken in pieces, so I can have a good protein lunch for the next few days, and each piece can be frozen separately.

Chicken Za’atar with Charred Lemons and Turnips

Grain Free Chicken Parm with Pepperoni

Cast Iron Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes

Roasted Chicken with Peppers, Onions

Low Carb Chicken Picatta

Low Carb Chicken and Cauliflower Rice 

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Italian Healthy Baked Chicken Recipe

Italian style roast chicken with potatoes, peppers, onions, and fresh herbs makes for a very healthy dinner.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 chicken cut into 10 pieces or any combination of pieces you prefer.
• 1 onion cut into slices
• 4 garlic cloves whole
• 1 bell pepper cut into strips
• Two tablespoons fresh herbs rosemary or thyme work well
• 2 medium sized potatoes peeled, cut into large cubes or wedges
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil

Instructions

• Salt chicken pieces, wrap in plastic for 1 to 3 days
• Remove chicken, rinse off in cold water, pat dry with paper towels.
• Season with salt and pepper and allow to sit out for 30 minutes before baking.
• Preheat oven to 425
• Warm pan in oven for 5 minutes before placing chicken in.
• Place chicken in pan, skin side down and bake for 10 minutes
• Toss garlic, onion, potato and pepper strips with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper.
• Add in peppers, onions, potatoes.
• After another 10 to 15 minutes, turn chicken pieces over. Continue to bake for another ten minutes until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear.

Notes

Use any combination of fresh herbs such as sage, rosemary, parsley, thyme. Two tablespoons if fresh, 2 teaspoons if dried.

The post Italian Healthy Baked Chicken Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I got this new Le Creuset in Marine blue for my birthday, and I couldn’t wait to use it. This is a five quart braiser and it’s perfect to first brown meat and then put it in the oven.

Why is this combination of peppers and onions taste so good with Italian roasted chickens thigh

The onions caramelize. The peppers melt and the vegetables make their own sauce. The Italian roasted chicken thighs become so tender, when you eat the chicken as a full bite with some of those veggies, it melts in your mouth.

Roasted Chicken thighs are awesome with a medley of bell peppers, onions and garlic. If you added nothing else, this would still be that dish you will hope has enough for leftovers! I’m not sure why there aren’t more dishes with roasted peppers, but there needs to be.

Once the peppers cook down and the onions caramelize, the flavors will be incredible. I only used three large peppers for this dish, but feel free to use more peppers and lots of onions and garlic. You might think you’re starting with too many peppers, but they will reduce down.

You can feel free to enjoy each tender, juicy bite. Instead of potatoes, I used low-carb, purple-top turnips. If you’re not familiar with turnips, you might be interested in this post. 

I used herbs de provence for the herbs and finished with a bit of fresh Italian parsley. You can use fresh rosemary and thyme.

Sometimes I included Italian sausage, sometimes I didn’t. I threw them in raw and they cooked away, swimming in those great flavors. At any rate, the sausage can be part of tomorrow’s lunch!

We love chicken thighs in this house.

Mediterranean Chicken Thigh with Olives

Tumeric Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes

40 Clove Garlic Chicken

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Italian Chicken Thighs with Peppers, Onions

Chicken thighs roasted in the oven with peppers and onions.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• avocado oil
• 4 chicken thighs
• 2 drumsticks or more thighs
• 2 Italian Sausage links see notes
• 1 large Vidalia onion
• 3 large bell peppers of various colors see notes
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 2 turnips peeled and cut into quarters or smaller (or potatoes)
• 1 teaspoon or more of herbs de provence
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Salt chicken thighs for one hour, leaving out at room temperature if you have time.
• Heat oil in large frying pan. Brown chicken on medium high until the skin is browned. I do this because the skin doesn’t get as crispy in the oven. This will aid in that.
• Clean out pan if this is the pan you are using to roast. A big cast iron braiser, roasting pan, or sheet pan will also work.
• Slice onions, medium thickness about 1/4 inch.
• Seed and slice peppers into strips.
• Peel garlic cloves.
• Layer the onions, peppers, chicken. The juice from the chicken will fall into the vegetables.
• Add garlic cloves whole.
• If adding sausage, add in raw sausage links.
• Add turnips.
• Add olives.
• Bake at 375 degrees F. for 45 -60 minutes until the sausage and onions are caramelized.

Notes

You don’t have to include Italian sausage to make this dish. We don’t always do that, but it’s really awesome if you do.

As far as peppers and onions, you can add more. They will cook down considerably.

The post Italian Roasted Chicken Thighs with Peppers, Onions appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Cold weather drives us to comfort food dishes like homemade Italian beef stew, paleo friendly, grain free. This is what healthy comfort food looks like. It’s NOT diet food. It’s not fat free. It’s not stuck in some frozen wrapper in the lean watcher section. It’s on top of the stove, wafting deep, flavorful beef, tomatoes and vegetables, telling our brain hearty food is at hand.

If I could only choose to cook one way, it would like this. Rustic, healthy, hearty, one pot dishes, adding in enough fat and wine to make a simple dish seem special. This is food for the home cook. If this were in one of the trendy restaurants, it would be short ribs and complicated sauces with a heaping of grains like barley or polenta. Nothing wrong with that kind of cooking, but at home, we need simple, approachable food that we can pop on top of the stove on a day the kids are home on a snow day, and time is short, but appetites are big.

This is the dish that a woman will love (cause it’s nutrition packed, grain free). This is the dish a man would marry her for, because comfort food and beef usually make a man happy. (Please don’t write me if I hurt anyone’s feelings or stereotypes; I’m making a point).

The Key to a good Italian Beef Stew is San Marzano Tomatoes.

I call this Italian style stew, because I added in a lot of San Marzano tomatoes, herbs, and wine to give it that Italian taste. I started out with olive oil, onions and garlic. I ended with a garnish of red chili pepper and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

Record temperatures in Nashville, snow on the deck (which I love, made us grateful for a hearty, healthy, Italian beef stew.

You may also be interested in my Paleo Friendly Vegetable Beef Soup.

You may also be interested in these amazing roast turnips.

More Paleo Recipes

More Soups and Stews from Spinach Tiger

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Homemade Italian Beef Stew with Wine, Paleo Friendly, Grain Free

A Paleo Friendly, gluten free, grain free Italian stew with turnips instead of potatoes.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean beef cubes
• 6 carrots
• 2 celery sticks chopped
• 2 onions chopped
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 large cans San Marzano Tomatoes order here
• 1 quart beef broth or 1 tablespoon organic bouillon paste (or can use water)
• 1 cup white wine can use red
• 2 handfuls parsley divided
• fresh thyme
• oregano
• 6 small turnips large diced
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale ribs removed, torn into pieces
• 1 cup frozen peas optional
• parmigiano reggiano cheese
• cracked red pepper to taste

Instructions

• Season meat with salt and pepper.
• Brown meat in large dutch oven or frying pan.
• Remove meat, set aside on a plate.
• Add in onions, two carrots, finely chopped, celery. Cook for five minutes or until onions are softened, on medium low heat. Add in minced garlic and cook for about one minute. You don't want that garlic to go past pale golden.
• Deglaze pan by adding in 1/2 cup of white wine. You can use a red wine if you choose.
• Cook down for about ten minutes. Add in tomatoes. Just smoosh up with your hands, adding all tomato and juices.
• Add beef back in. Add in handful parsley, reserving some for garnish, bay leaves, fresh thyme.
• Add in 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper.
• Cook on top of the stove on very low simmer for three hours, stirring frequently. Add beef broth or water a little at a time.
• This stew is a soupy stew, not very thick and you can choose not to add in the beef broth. The tomatoes with the beef and herbs will yield plenty of flavor.
• Remove bay leaves, and any parsley, or thyme stems.
• An hour before serving, roast carrots and turnips in oven for twenty minutes, tossed in olive oil and salt.
• Put into the stew, add in kale and frozen peas.
• Season again with salt and pepper, fresh chopped parsley.
• Serve with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano and red chili pepper.

The post Homemade Italian Beef Stew with Wine, Paleo Friendly, Grain Free appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Grain free vegetable beef soup just might be the quintessential one pot Spinach Tiger dish. It’s full of all the super foods including my ever loving kale, and it has plenty of beef.

I will never ever be a vegetarian because I love meat and meat loves me. It fills me up, makes me feel better,  is so much in harmony with my metabolism and  it keeps me away from sugar. At the same time, I eat more vegetables than most people, because I love them.

I know how good they are for me, but it’s never been a “eat your veggies, please” situation for me. I honestly love them, all of them, even turnips. My love for meat and vegetables has drawn me closer to the Paleo lifestyle. I’m not 100%, because I don’t want to permanently give up anything, but if I can keep it to about 90%, I feel better.

There is always a stock of greens in the fridge waiting to be used for smoothies, salads or side dishes, but at this time of year, the one pot meal, soup is what we all love around here. Soup gives you the most bang for the buck in so many ways. Everything is in one bowl; it feeds a crowd; and it gives us the most amazing left overs. Notice how soup always tastes better the next day.

This version of vegetable beef soup is without any macaroni or barley. However, I had cooked small macaroni in a separate pot and spooned it in for those who wanted it. I kept my own bowl completely grain free, and Paleo friendly, as that’s how I eat on most days.

I went a bit crazy with the veggies, using kale, cabbage, celery, onions, green beans, carrots and turnips instead of potatoes. Turnips are so much better, don’t get mushy and add flavor. The cabbage and kale were added in during the last thirty minutes so they would remain bright and a bit crunchy.

I used stew meat for the beef. It became fall apart tender and there wasn’t a ton of fat to skim off, not that I’m against fat. I’m clearly not. There are two choices for the broth. You can make my meat broth which is posted here, using roasted bones which is another layer of healthy. Or, you can use a store bought broth.

Everyone loved this soup, as demonstrated by large second helpings, so even if you are a family of two, make the whole batch. Left overs can be stored in mason jars, (with an inch to spare at the top) and refrigerated for three days or frozen.

Homemade vegetable beef soup is one way to use up all of your winter CSA veggies and to fill yourself full of nutrition to fight off those cold weather illnesses that come our way.

You may be interested in my Homemade Italian Beef Stew that is also paleo friendly and take a peak at the Paleo friendly soups below.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Vegan

Carrot Ginger Soup, Vegan

Broccoli Basil Soup, Vegan

More Soups/Stews from Spinach Tiger

More Paleo Recipes

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Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup - Grain Free, Paleo Friendly

Homemade vegetable beef soup, a pot of superfoods, grain free, low carb, with option of adding in grains.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef cubes
• 1 can whole tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• 3 celery stick divided
• 6 carrots divided
• 4 quarts beef broth or homemade beef stock
• 1 turnip peeled, cubed
• 4 cups green beans
• 1/2 head cabbage cut into two inch pieces
• 1 bunch kale torn into pieces, ribs removed
• 2 bay leaves
• few sprigs fresh thyme
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Put olive oil in large cast iron dutch oven or heavy bottom pot. Season beef cubes with salt and pepper and place in hot oil. Brown meat on all sides.
• Prepare vegetables for braising meat. 1/2 onion, 1 carrot, 1 piece celery all cut into large chunks (to removed later). Add these to meat along with the beef broth.
• Cook low heat for one hour. Remove stock vegetables, discard.
• Add in can of tomatoes, cutting up tomatoes first, but be sure to include the juice.
• Add in bay leaves, thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook for 30 minutes on low.
• Prepare vegetables for soup.
• Cut carrots into bite sized pieces.
• Cut cabbage into two inch pieces.
• Peel turnip and dice.
• Peel onion and dice.
• Slice celery.
• Trim green beans and slice in half.
• Remove ribs from kale and cut into bite size pieces.
• Add in turnips, carrots, celery. Cook for twenty minutes.
• Add in cabbage, kale. Cook for thirty more minutes.
• Serve.

The post Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup – Grain Free, Paleo Friendly appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

What do you do when someone gives you a bushel of turnips? You thank them and turn on the oven.

I  just happen to be lucky enough to be connected with a local farmer, and a bushel of turnips ended up in my kitchen.  Nice firm, purple topped turnips, still rugged with the dirt they grew in.

I’m not one to push away vegetables especially when they were in the ground yesterday in on my counter today.

I must admit, though, I had the same trepidation most people have with turnips. They are a bit pungent because they are related to arugula and the radish. I told you my radish story here and how I learned to love them once I understood them. Turnips are not bland, but flavorful and have a distinguished taste. I found that even the pickiest eater will eat a turnip if it’s prepared properly.

Roasted Turnips only need olive oil and salt to be amazing.

A good scrub and a potato peeler and the turnip is ready to jump into stew, get roasted with olive oil and sea salt, get smashed up with a nob of butter, or join forces with other root vegetables, especially doing well with carrots and or white potatoes.

Roasted turnips are a lower carb, lower calorie alternative to the potato and can be cooked in many of the same ways a potato is cooked. Turnips are a good addition to any roasted vegetable, but look especially nice alongside the carrot.

I must mention the health benefits aside from being a lower calorie, lower carb food. Turnips are high in anti-oxidants which fight cancer, high in fiber, are heart healthy possessing anti-inflammatory properties and are high in calcium and potassium.

When sliced thinly, the roast up quickly and I can see an egg plopped right on top.

My favorite way to thinly slice turnips is using this mandolin (amazon). You don’t want extreme thin though, as they will burn. These will not be crispy, but more like fried potatoes. We love them with ketchup.

One day I made them hasselback style. Funny, I’ve yet to do this to a potato.

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I made them very prominent in this veal stew with turnips and white wine and now I doubt I can ever make a stew without turnips. This was one of my favorite stews and now I’m thinking I must go back to my famous lamb stew and add in turnips.

So tell me, do you eat turnips and what is your favorite way to make them?

More Healthy Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Roasted Turnips, a Lower Carb, Lower Calorie Alternative to the Potato

Roasted turnips, a great and healthy alternative to the potato.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 medium turnips
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Scrub turnips well, peel with potato peeler. Cut into wedges.
• Put olive oil on hands and toss turnips, caring not to put too much olive oil on turnips.
• Roast for ten minutes, turn, roast 10 minutes more. All ovens are different as are wedge sizes. You may need to experiment with timing.
• Eat immediately.

Video

The post Roasted Rosemary Turnips with Video appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Veal and turnip stew with white wine ended up in a pot today because I was given two bags of freshly picked purple top turnips.

A veal and turnip stew with white wine is a classic dish that brings an elegant comfort and much winter happiness. I think if kitchens could talk, they would want more slow cooked, braised stews sitting on the stove in December.

I know some people don’t eat veal, but it goes with my Italian heritage. I remember my grandmother baking a calf’s head in the oven. I was not shocked. I was not in awe. I was mortified for a minute or two, but as I watched my uncle chew eye balls, I thought this must be gourmet food.

We were not exactly poor and I didn’t think that they were eating this because it was all that was left to eat. I knew this was a clear choice. After googling baked calf’s head, I discovered it’s a vintage dish, eaten frequently back in the 1800’s and  I found a few recipes, but no pictures.

Old recipes are so interesting. There is more refinement than one might expect and a deep appreciation for all the parts of the animal. I’m not as adventurous as my grandmother, but I have always been more willing to make food that is not Italian.

This veal stew is just simple veal shoulder, cut into cubes and quite lean. Nothing exotic, but it’s veal, and it has flavor. I usually approach veal more delicately than beef, choosing a white wine for braising instead of red. The only thing I would change the next time is to use pearl onions instead of regular onions. Veal, even in a simple stew,  is a classy dish.

Tell me, what’s your favorite pot of happiness on the stove in the winter?

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Veal and Turnip Stew with White Wine

Veal and turnip stew, an elegant, healthy, perfect winter dish.

Course Entree

Cuisine French

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds veal cubes
• salt black pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 onion sliced or 24 pear onions
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 carrots cut into large chunky pieces
• 2 turnips cut into size suitable for stew larger than cubes
• generous sprigs of thyme saving some for garnish
• handful of parsley saving some for garnish
• black peppercorns
• 4 cups chicken stock or stock of choice

Instructions

• Dry veal cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss in bag with the flour.
• Add the whole bag into the olive oil and brown on all sides, making sure to scrape bottom of pan for all the bits.
• Remove veal cubes to another dish.
• In same pot (remove any big pieces of flour that cooked), add garlic, onions, and cook just until softened.
• Add in white wine and cook for ten minutes. Add in butter, stir.
• Add in stock or water as needed.
• Add thyme and parsley (you can wrap in cheesecloth for later removal)
• Add in veal. Cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.
• Add carrots and turnips. Cook for another hour or until carrots are softened.
• You may need to add more stock, broth or water.

The post Veal and Turnip Stew with White Wine appeared first on Spinach Tiger.