What's for Dinner

Hearty Greens Soup with Pasta, Tomatoes and Spiral Ham

This is a recipe originally from Whole Foods, that I modified to suit our taste :) We love these hearty southern-type dishes. I made some of Pamela's Gluten-Free Cornbread to go with this. And of course, I served my Ravenwood 2007 Chardonnay (for myself!).

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

5 cloves garlic

1 med yellow onion chopped

2 bay leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

4 carrots, chopped

1 can mild Rotel Tomatoes

1 28-oz. can of fire roasted whole tomatoes

8 cups Gluten Free Chicken Stock

1 bunch Swiss Chard (1/2 pound) stemmed and roughly chopped

1/2 pound dried gluten-free bowtie pasta (or any other small variety)

1 (3-inch) Parmegiano Reggiano rind, plus grated Parmesan Reggiano for garnish

1/2 lb. baby spinach

1 c. chopped spiral ham slices

Method:

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often until lightly browned. Add Rotel and canned tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add carrots and chicken stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the chard, escarole and Parmegiano Reggiano rind. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until greens and pasta are tender -- about 15 minutes. Then add in the ham and spinach. I turn the flame down to extra low and let this concoction simmer for about 30 minutes to one hour to let the flavors develop. Remove cheese rind and bay leaves and serve, garnished with parmesan cheese.