My last post on Tuesday featured Hi-Rise's Cornbread. Little did I know that I would spend the following two days eating that infernal bread in as many ways as possible. I ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,
along with as many snacks as possible. I had tomato sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, toad in the hole, and lots and lots of toast, lavishly buttered. I told myself to stop. I couldn't. I gained 3 pounds. Meanwhile, as I was engaged in this orgy of eating, Tanna, who also made the very same bread, was fighting her own battle with the cornbread. Please go to her site and see pictures of what she made with the bread. It's remarkably similar to my own path of destruction, but she possesses more self control than me, since pausing to take a picture while I was in the process of inhaling a tomato sandwich never occurred to me.
Finally, the bread was gone, and I immediately thought of making more. But, I pulled myself together (after weighing myself), and decided it was time to get serious. I needed to make something filling, but low calorie. And since Presto Pasta Night was looming, it should have a modest amount of pasta.
This is a simple soup, quickly made, which is very important. When you're hanging onto self-control with your fingernails, you don't want to wait a long time until you can eat something. So, it was a blessing that this soup took about 8 minutes to make. I ate it and my desire for cornbread was cured. That's a lie, of course. As I was eating the soup, I couldn't help but think how marvelous a tomato sandwich would taste. Or a grilled cheese sandwich. Damn cornbread
Please go to Ruth's site, Once Upon A Feast, to see the Roundup of pasta recipes from around the world, starting tomorrow.
Recovery Soup With Farfalline
I'm sure many people have made this soup. It all depends on what you have available. I didn't measure my ingredients, I just eyeballed everything and threw it into the soup pot. However, here is my approximation of what I did.
Stock (I used 4 cups)
about 1 cup of a mixture of chopped vegetables of your choice ( I used carrots, red onion, and red and yellow bell pepper)
about 2/3 cup of chopped cooked chicken
about 1/3 cup very small dried pasta. I used farfalline
garlic to taste
shredded spinach
a small sprinkle of parmesan cheese for garnish
Bring the stock to boil and add the vegetables, chicken, and pasta. Cook for 2 minutes shy of when the pasta would be done according to pacakage direction. My pasta was supposed to cook for 6 minutes, so cooked it for only 4 minutes. The pasta will continue to cook after the heat is turned off. Scater the spinach on the top and grate a little parmesan on top and serve.
Serves 2 or 1 very hungry person.
Oh, sweetie, I would have eaten that bread in a maniac way, too - it looked so good!
This soup is delicious and I'm sure it was good for you!
Posted by: Patricia Scarpin | October 19, 2007 at 03:28 AM
Oh, sweetie, I would have eaten that bread in a maniac way, too - it looked so good!
This soup is delicious and I'm sure it was good for you!
Posted by: Patricia Scarpin | October 19, 2007 at 03:31 AM
We did have fun with that one didn't we. Give me a day or two and maybe I'll have another temptation for you . . .
(you will bake bread again . . . you will bake corn bread again . . . soon) ;) :)
Posted by: MyKitchenInHalfCups | October 19, 2007 at 04:08 AM
No way I have the self-control to make that corn bread! But this soup, yes, I love throwing together soups like this. It's often a way to get a lot of spinach into a meal, as I'll toss in handfuls of it.
Posted by: Lydia | October 19, 2007 at 04:44 AM
A wonderful soup...just have a grilled cheese sandwich on the side and you're set.
Posted by: Peter | October 19, 2007 at 04:56 AM
The bread sounds divine and the soup, even better. I wonder if eating soup WITH the bread cancels out the calories.
Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.
Posted by: Ruth | October 19, 2007 at 07:07 AM
What a wonderful sounding soup!! I would be tempted to make more bread and eat it with the soup!
Posted by: Deborah | October 19, 2007 at 07:54 AM
Your soup looks lovely, low-cal, delicious... but, can't you hear it's cry? It needs bread, wait...corn bread, toasted, slathered in butter. That's exactly what it needs, trust me!
Posted by: Katie | October 19, 2007 at 12:48 PM
Ha ha too funny! That soup does look delicious, but it is hard not to fantasize about having it with a grilled cornbread sandwich. I think you show admirable restraint!
Posted by: Callipygia | October 19, 2007 at 02:57 PM
Comfort food indeed! I would love a bowl immediately, too!
Posted by: Anh | October 19, 2007 at 11:02 PM
This looks delicious. I think some of that corn bread would go quite well with it, don't you? ;)
Posted by: kristi | October 20, 2007 at 05:13 AM
Your soup looks so fresh and lovely. I think my son would even try it - he can do chicken noodle; but of course, I have to omit the green things (poison!)
I have the Artisan Bread cookbook too, but haven't tried the cornbread, even though it's always caught my eye.
I'd love to visit the bakery next time I'm in Boston!
Posted by: Karen | October 20, 2007 at 10:03 AM
You are too funny, Sher. I would have done the same thing given the same loaf of delicious bread that both you and Tanna made. As it is, I ate the bread that I made for 5 days straight, much to the dismay of both my stomach and my scale! We're all in good company. Plus, your soup looks divine!
xoxo
Posted by: Christine | October 20, 2007 at 06:18 PM
You've got me dying to make that bread now!!
Posted by: Nabeela | October 21, 2007 at 12:13 AM
Now that is my kind of soup. It looks wonderful.
Posted by: Lisa | October 21, 2007 at 05:42 AM
toad in the hole, tomato sandwiches, will you marry me? sweet sweet heaven on earth. yeah the sop looks good too. your the shizz plain and simple.
Posted by: aria | October 21, 2007 at 07:34 PM
Okay..I gained 3 lbs just reading your post. My DH made cornbread this morning..with chipped beef and a poached egg on top. Tomorrow night I'll make a roast chicken with cornbread stuffing.
Damn you and your great recipes!! :)
Posted by: Melly | October 21, 2007 at 07:53 PM
HA SHER, HA!
You've set the carbaholic wheels in motion.
Time to make those ground turkey/feta/spinach burgers. Follow them up with ground turkey/kalamata olives/blue cheese burgers, if you like.
Pair them with low glycemic roasted veggies and some sort of herby/garlicy/mayo spread thing. Or do what I do and just throw them over a bag of organic lettuces with a good dressing, tomatoes, and some decent feta or goat cheese crumbles.
YUM.
You'll drop those carb pounds in two days.
Let me know when you decide to do that Low Carb blog I dream you'll one day do.
Posted by: mosaic cats | October 22, 2007 at 04:31 PM
Hee hee! I'm a habitual and frequent abuser of freshly baked breads, too! This soup looks like a good way of clearing the palate.
Posted by: s'kat | October 23, 2007 at 06:09 AM
This is one of the most beautiful pasta dishes I've seen. So dainty and pretty!
Posted by: Truffle | October 23, 2007 at 06:57 AM
Posted by: Truffle | October 23, 2007 at 06:58 AM
What a great soup! Perfect for cold swason!
Posted by: Tartelette | October 24, 2007 at 10:25 PM
...I meant season!
Posted by: Tartelette | October 24, 2007 at 10:25 PM