Since we are in the middle of the house remodeling prject, this weeks meal had to be a quickie. We have no livingroom or dining room right now while my new floors go in. The kids are loving this. I will love the end result but right now, I am exhausted. Between moving everything around, repainting everything and dealing with the mess, I am going to need a month vacation after this…OK I’ll settle for an afternoon at Barnes and Nobles. By the way, all credit for todays meal goes to Alex who jumped in the kitchen while I painted the downstairs bathroom.
What you will need:
Canellini beans (8 oz bag of dried softened or 2 cans)
Box of pastina pasta or some other small pasta that you would like in your soup
6 tomatoes chopped (I leave the skins on, its easier) or two cans of stewed tomatoes
Can of tomato paste
3 sticks of celery
half a yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt
Chop your onions and celery and sautee in a little olive oil in a stock pot until the onions are opaque. Mince your garlic and add it to the pan. Always watch your garlic carefully, if you burn it, it will be bitter. Add 6-8 cups of water, your beans and everything else except the pastina. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Add your pastina and let it cook until the pasta is soft. Let your soup reduce a bit. I love to add a splash of red wine vinegar, taste and correct your seasonings and serve hot.
Sweet potato rolls
(to be honest, the sweet potato rolls were made another day and frozen so all we had to do was warm them up) These were such a nice break from all the work inside.
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
4 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup canned sweet potato puree
1/2 cup warm water (blood warm, I guess it would be about 110 degrees for those of you who measure)
3 tbsp butter softened
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
First dissolve your yeast in the warm water and add 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a mixing bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Add the remaining sugar, sweet potato, butter, salt and slightly beaten eggs. Stir to mix well. Stir in 3 cups of flour. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 2 to 3 minutes adding more flour in order to prevent it from sticking. Do not over handle the dough. Once it is smooth shape it into a ball. Place it into an oiled bowl and turn to coat the surface with oil. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour or longer.
Punch down and allow the dough to rest for 2 minutes. Divide into 16 to 20 rolls and place on a greased cookie sheet . Allow to rise until double. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
