There are few things I find more intimidating than making a broth from scratch. If a broth is too thin, it's like eating the watered down last sips of a glass of iced tomato juice. If the broth is too thick, you've unintentionally entered the dreaded Rachel Ray "stoup" zone and puns deserve more than that. But, I tried. Because even if we're intimidated we try right?
Okay, there are more than a few things I find intimidating. On the list before broth are:
Attending work functions without the comfortable cushion of cabernet.
Changing my hair gel on vacation because its the only trial size.
Wearing a bathing suit in the company of skinnier girls. aka. everyone else.
Following more successful college classmates on twitter. and facebook. and blogs. and tv.
Volunteering to watch people's pets.
Rock climbing.
..........and last but not least: writing.
But some days you have to make broth, be sober, feed a cat and give credit where credit is due. Otherwise, how can you keep growing? Can you feel the subtext slithering through this post?
Which brings me to this soup. Um, this soup is better than if your grandma from Italy made a soup, then San Francisco soup company bought the recipe and Mario Batali cooked it himself. Okay, maybe I am over selling this soup but bare with me its been a tough week and I need you to lift me up via loving this soup you've never tasted.
Kale & Roasted Red Pepper Meatball Vegetable Soup
1 lb of ground beef
4 roasted red peppers
1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 yellow squash, peeled and sliced
1 onion, diced
1 cup cooked pasta (of your choice!)
1 cup of fire roasted diced tomato
1/2 can of cannellini beans
3 garlic heads, 1 for meatballs/2 for soup
2 large beef broth containers
2 tomato bullion cubes
dash of dried basil
dash of herbs de provence
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Use your dutch oven, fool.
Over medium heat saute the onions, garlic until soft. Toss in the carrot and squash then mix in the herbs de provence and the dried basil. Salt and pepper to taste! Once cooked for 6 minutes - add in tomato and beans then broth and the bullion cubes. Cover on low to cook.
Then, steam your kale with lemon juice for 8 minutes until soft. In a food processor add the kale, garlic and roasted red peppers until mixed.
Take the ground beef and fold in the above kale & pepper mixture. salt/pepper. Heat a separate saute pan with olive oil and brown and cook the meatballs until crispy. See pic above.
Dry the meatballs on a paper towel for a bit so the oil drains. Then toss in the meatballs and the cooked pasta into the soup and let it cook 15 minutes, covered.
Serve with grated cheese on top if you remember. Which I didnt, but I imagine its fucking epic.
