Macaroni Soup

If you want a hearty soup to go with your fried or grilled fish or meat, try this easy macaroni soup cooked with browned bits of ground pork, carrots, and lots of chopped onion leaves. My husband, who grew up with the idea that no lunch or dinner is complete without soup, was perfectly happy with this easy soup dish.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan or casserole. Heat until frothy. Add the ground pork and cook over medium-high heat until the meat starts to brown. Add the chopped onion and carrot. Continue cooking until the onion is soft. Pour in the meat broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni. Cook, stirring, until the broth boils again. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the macaroni is done. Pour in the milk. Adjust the seasonings. Cook just until the milk is heated through. Transfer to a soup tureen or bowl. Sprinkle the chopped onion leaves on top just before serving.

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

I got the idea for this dish from a recipe on the box of imported cheese. The recipe called for 500 g. of cheese. Right, melt the entire block of cheese to make the sauce. Had I done that, the sauce would have been too thick. I decided to melt half the amount of cheese with a basic white sauce. Using chicken broth instead of water for the white sauce would give it more body and flavor.

Adding pimiento was not in my original plan. I had already added the broccoli and diced chicken meat into the sauce when I realized that the sauce looked flat. I took a small can of skinned sweet pimiento and dumped its contents into the sauce. Within seconds, the aroma wafted from the saucepan. The color looked so much better too. I tasted the sauce and I knew I made the right decision. It was great.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain. Toss with 1 tbsp. of butter or margarine and arrange on a platter. Keep warm. Melt 1/8 c. of butter or margarine in a medium-sized saucepan. Add flour all at once, stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Cook the flour over medium-high heat for 1 minute or until golden. Pour in the chicken broth in a thin stream, stirring. Add the diced chicken meat, broccoli florets, pimiento, and pimiento juice. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a soft boil. Lower the heat and add the cheese cubes. Simmer for 1 minute or until the cheese melts (a minute should be enough to cook the broccoli florets). Pour in the milk and cook just until the sauce is bubbly. Pour over the cooked pasta.