Minimalism Rings My Bells!
Mmmm-om-nom. Suh-we-e-e-et………
Oooo yes-s-s-s-s….oh baby, come to mama, do….!
Sound like the opening lines of a hottie movie? These verbal (or mental, if you’re the shy type) emanations are all about gustatory pleasure. The pleasure derived from good, simply prepared food!!
Last week was a killer! Busy days full of work and attending to business needs – no time to sit for a few minutes, quietly planning the weekly home menu or writing a shopping list. The best I could do was eye the leeks (in passing) that were sitting forlornly on my kitchen counter and hope I could get to the fresh turkey breast in the fridge before it reached death row status.
On I went, running and plucking at the arm-longlist of to-do stuff, randomly thinking throughout the day about “what to make for dinner”. Those five dreaded words that can suck the joy out of any time spent in the kitchen!
Finally, it hit me. Soup!! I’ll make soup to warm our innards and kick-start a heart glow! Soup is the perfect food for cool Fall evenings! I can pair the soup pot with quick hit potato latkes, made from the previous evening’s garlic potato masher leftovers. An under 30-minute dinner prep with all ingredients on hand. Exactly the minimal cooking simplicity that I needed!!
The next morning was eighteen minutes of washing, chopping, dicing and spicing, then into the slow cooker, the soup ingredients went….to simmer all day long. Pre-dinner, another fifteen to eighteen minutes of prepping, browning and flipping the latkes. Two small fresh salad bowls, drizzled with quick whipped raspberry vinaigrette/yogurt smooth dressing and dinner was served.
After a full day of soup bubbling in the crock – by dinnertime, the house was filled with the enticing warmth of home cooked/I can hardly wait to eat aroma. Our simple suppe’ dinner did not fail to satisfy. DH is usually not a noisy eater. He literally slurped, glugged and gargled his way through the soup, as well as nom-gnashed his latkes down to the last tiny bits.
Leeks are my favorite from the allium/onion family. Because I adore their smooth, subtle flavor, I intentionally kept the ingredients to a minimum in this recipe, not wanting to not overpower their delicate flavor profile. It’s so much better to take a minimalist ingredients approach and let them shine as the star of the soup bowl!
So-o-o, back to quick and easy nomming…..
When life is busy – you can ring your bells, too with simple, tasty home cooked food!
Minimal is easy!!
| Prep Time | 15 mins |
| Cook Time | 8-9 hours |
| Servings |
|
- 1 Fresh Turkey Breast (half of a breast)
- 2 Fresh Leeks
- 1 large Red Potato
- Water or Chicken Soup Stock
- 3 Chicken Bullion Cubes
- 1 tbs Real Butter
- Salt / Pepper
Ingredients
|
|
- Cut the turkey into bite size pieces
- Cut the leeks into 1/4″ rings
- Peel and cut the potato into 1 1/2″ cubes
- Place the above ingredients in a small crock pot.
- Add the water (or stock) to cover ingr’s, add dab of butter and the bouillon cubes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Slow cook at least 8-9 hours.
This is a great recipe to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey. The roasted turkey and bits of skin add a wonderful layer of flavor to this soup.
You may also add brown or wild rice to this recipe. Add the rice to the crock pot a couple hours before serving time.
| Prep Time | 5 mins |
| Cook Time | 12 mins |
| Servings |
|
- 2-3 cups Mashed Potatoes with previously-roasted garlic bits
- 2 Eggs whisk by hand
- Salt / Pepper
- Cream if neccessary to smooth out potatoes (they can be dry from fridge storage)
Ingredients
|
|
- Mix all of the above ingredients in a small bowl. Drop by tablespoon fulls into a hot non-stick fry pan (I love using my ceramic coated pan for this). Lightly flatten each latke out to a circle and brown over medium stove top heat 5-8 minutes, flic and brown the other side for another 5-8 minutes. Adjust the stove heat as necessary for nice even browning.
- Serve with your choice of snipped herbs and a dollop of sour cream.
The leek is an emblem of pride in Wales. Welshmen wear the leek to commemorate King Cadwallader’s victory on St. David’s Day, March 1st. Leek broth or cawl is the traditional meal for this day.
With only 61 calories per stalk – leeks are a great addition to weight loss menus.
Leeks are a powerhouse of minerals, anti-oxidants and have beneficial lowering effects on cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Leeks have also been found to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal activities.
ITEMS WE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
