New Years Soup, Creamy Mushroom-Chestnut Soup, Zoodles, Stuffed Globe

 New Year's Soup
Some folks eat blackeyed-peas for New Years.  Others have Collard Greens.  This recipe combines thosee two with carrots, celery and zucchini as well as some Mediterranean spices for a healthy start to the New Year (or any time).

2 Leeks, trimmed, sliced and rinsed.  Freeze the tops to add to other soups!
1 cup chopped Celery
1 cup chopped Carrots
3 cloves Garlic, minced
6 cups Vegetable Broth or water with 2-3 Tbsp assorted herbs
3 cups Black-eyed Peas
1 medium Zucchini cut lengthwise then cut into 1/2" slices
2-3 tsp Italian Seasoning (I like Old Thompson Everything Italiantm)
3/4 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Red Pepper flakes
1-2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar to finish

Cook the mirepoix (celery, leeks and carrots) in a splash of oil for 5 minutes or so.
Add the next 7 ingredients (through Red Pepper), bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so, until things are tender.

Add the vinegar and stir to combine.   Serve with crusty bread and butter.


Creamy Mushroom-Chestnut Soup
I had some packaged, peeled/cooked Chestnuts, and this Turkish-influenced soup sounded like the perfect place to use them...

1 large Sweet Onion, diced
1-2 tsp Baharat or Ottoman Spice blend
1 tsp Za'Atar spice blend
8-12 oz peeled, cooked chestnuts, sliced
10-12 oz assorted sliced Mushrooms
5 cup Vegetable Broth or water with 1-2 Tbsp mixed herbs (my personal choice)
3/4-1 cup plain Skyr or Greek yoghurt

In a large skillet saute the mushrooms in a splash of oil and if you like, a few drops of Liquid Smoketm or toasted sesame oil.  Reserve.

In your soup pot, saute the onion in a splash of oil until they start to soften.  Add the Baharat or other Turkish spice blend and cook another minute or three.

Add half the broth/water and the Chestnuts.  Cook for 5 minutes, then add the rest of the liquid and the mushrooms.   Cook for 10 minutes.

Add the dairy and stir well to combine.  Cook another 10 minutes.  If desired, you can add some bread crumbs to thicken a bit.   Serve with a nice crusty bread.


Zoodles
Here's a bit of a blast from the past -- zucchini spiralized into noodles!  With a rustic yellow tomato sauce with onion, bell pepper, and even more zucchini.  I only have a manual spiralizer that Sally got me a few years back to see whether the veggies-turned-noodles was a good idea.  Haven't needed one with a hand crank even.  I use it a few times a year, and I did have this big, firm zuccini from the Farmer's Market...

Spiralize the zucchini and reserve.  Then start the sauce with chopped tomatoes, celery, onion and carrots saute-ing in a splash of oil along with any other veg.  As the tomatoes and onion soften, add a cup or so of water, Italian seasoning of your choice, and the zoodles.  Gently stir everything together and cook another few minutes until the zoodles are tender.  Then plate with some nice bread on the side:

Stuffed Globe
Globe eggplant/aubergine are a more or less standard offering at the Farmer's Market this time of year. and I chose a nice big one to stuff  -- about 9" in diameter.

Slice the globe from pole to pole, and using a sharp knife and spoon, remove the 'guts' of the eggplant, leaving about a 1/4" of 'meat' on the shell.

Chop of the removed meat and start to saute it with some onion, mushrooms, bell peppers, celery -- whatever veg you like. Add some seasoning to taste too -- Italian/Mediterranean or Taco seasoning work well here.

Add a can of tuna, or some peeled and chopped shrimp or faux meat  -- or not-- and some water, and keep cooking until the eggplant is soft and the vegetables/meat tender.  Add a cup or so of Panko and some grated Parmesan to soak up the juices and help bind things together.

Mound the filling into the half-globes and pack in down.   Top with shredded cheese and bake for about 30 minutes at 375F until the cheese on top is nicely melted.   This huge globe actually made two meals for the two of us!