Meatball Soup

You will need the meatballs from the recipe below. Make sure to make them into bit-sized balls.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 & ½ cup cups dried pasta (something small)
1-pound washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Bring chicken stock to a boil, and then add the meatballs. Bring back to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer adding the remainder of the ingredients, excluding the spinach. Let cook for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the veggies are tender, and then add the spinach and pasta. Cook until the pasta in al dente, which is about 7-10 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Couscous is a coarsely ground semolina pasta. The grain is a staple in many North African countries. Recently, it’s popped up on American menus and dinner tables like wild fire. Easy prep couscous is available in any grocery store. It’s a great alternative to rice, which can get pretty boring.

I prefer to cook my couscous in chicken stock.  It gives it a greater depth of flavor.  Below is a recipe for couscous as a main dish:

1 box of plain couscous.  (Make desired amount of couscous.  Follow recipe on box, be sure to use chicken stock or vegetable stock instead of water)

½-cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and garlic, slowly add the olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

1 green zucchini, quartered lengthwise
1 yellow zucchini, quartered lengthwise
6 spears asparagus, trimmed
10 cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded

10 white button mushrooms, halved

You can substitute any of the above vegetables with any other vegetable you like.  You are going to take half of your marinade and cover the vegetable with it.  Let sit for about 10 minutes, then grill or George Foreman them. 

¼-cup basil chiffonade (stack leaves, roll in a cigar shape and cut crosswise into thin strips)
¼- cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Toss these herbs into the couscous and place into large bowl.  Stack grilled vegetable on top of couscous, drizzle a small amount of olive oil over vegetables, along with salt and pepper.  Use the remainder of the marinade to drizzle on top of the complete dish.  This can be served warm or at room temperature.

You can add grilled shrimp, scallops, chicken or tofu to this and make it a manlier dish!