two winter recipes

I am always tearing new recipes out of magazines.  There is always something new I want to try.  And as a result I have a folder full of recipes that I've tried (at least once) and like and another folder full of recipes that I have not gotten around to trying yet.  I need to do something with that folder of recipes that I do like -- organize them and put them in a 3-ring binder.  Also I am trying to work my way through the folder of recipes that I have not yet tried.  So that I can add them to the other folder or recycle them.  And sometimes I think I try new recipes just for the ideas and knowledge and even though I like how the recipe turns out, I may never make that exact recipe again, but will us a little something from it another time.

Last week I tried two new recipes from Real Simple.  They both turned out pretty well, but I did have to make a few modifications to both because of the ingredients that are available to me here in Norway.  So maybe it's my fault the Cuban braised beef didn't turn out better.  But I think the soup was better for the changes I made to it.


Cuban braised beef & peppers  (Real Simple, December, 2009) -- a crock pot recipe
I liked it, but I'm not sure I'll make it again.  It is a recipe that I've learned from though.

What did it need?  Something.  Perhaps just salt and pepper on the beef prior to putting it in the crock pot.

The canned tomatoes that I like best in Norway do not lend themselves to draining.  They're in a rich sauce and I didn't want loose that.  Maybe that's why I felt like it needed more seasoning.  


Kale & white bean soup (Real Simple, January, 2010) -- a good soup for a cold night
I modified it, but it's a keeper.

I did use the optional parmesan rind in the soup while it was cooking.  I especially liked the lemon juice added at the end of cooking.

What was different?

• I can't find canned white beans here.  Had to use dried so there was some planning involved.
• Instead of the 8 cups of water that the recipe calls for, I used 4 cups of veggie broth and 4 cups of water.
• And I cannot find kale here, so I used spinach instead.  But I didn't want the spinach to cook too much so I sautéed it and then just put it in the bowl before serving the soup.  
• And instead of the 30 minutes cooking time, mine cooked for well over an hour.  Perhaps it could have used more as I enjoyed it even more the next day for lunch.