Week 191: Mediterranean Meatball Soup
Hello :-)
Since the weather was so cold earlier this week, I was hoping the Ethiopian-Spiced stew would be a great way to warm us up. And while the stew had a warm kick with each bite, it was a bit more than I intended.
When you are 40x a new recipe plus using a spice blend that is unfamiliar, surprising things happen in the kitchen. With the unintended spiciness to the stew, I was able to modify the bread recipe to tone down the black pepper to ensure the bread did not pile on the heat.
Each week is an adventure in the kitchen, not only creating tasty new soups and breads for all of you but also the act of cooking and baking in such crazy quantities keeps me on my toes!! Thank you for joining me on this food-filled adventure ... and we're keeping it simple this week, going with a tried and true delicious meatball soup.
On the menu for TUESDAY, APRIL 5th is MEDITERRANEAN MEATBALL SOUP with ROSEMARY FOCACCIA. These tasty meatballs are filled with fresh mint and garlic and stand out in this Mediterranean-inspired soup, flavored with fresh pomegranate juice, diced tomatoes and fennel.
The soup begins with assembling the meatballs and browning them in the oven. The meatballs are made with lean ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, garlic and fresh mint. Meanwhile, sliced fennel is sautéed in the pot in olive oil. Once softened, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, fresh pomegranate juice and homemade chicken stock are added.
Once the soup begins to boil, the meatballs are dropped in along with chopped fresh kale. The soup is garnished with pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley.
The bread companion this week is my ROSEMARY FOCACCIA. It's crisp on the outside yet soft and chewy on the inside. Extra-virgin olive oil gives the bread texture and flavor while fresh rosemary and flaked sea salt add the finishing touches to make this bread so unbelievably delicious.
Also, a quick housekeeping note about pricing. I'm sure all of you have experienced the increase in food prices at the grocery. In order to maintain quality ingredients in my soups and breads, I need to slightly increase the price of my soups. I've only done two price increases in 5 years, the last one due to Covid forcing us to all use disposable containers. I want to maintain providing a high quality meal at a great price. Thanks for your understanding.