The Yuca Diaries

I made this for the first time last mother’s day but never blogged it.  I have been thinking of what meals I’ve made recently that would be Paleo friendly and this was one I thought of.   This dish is traditionally eaten on crepes, but since we’re not eating flour I just used lettuce and made a sort of lettuce wrap.  I could have also made a coconut flour crepe, but I was really hungry and didn’t want to mess with it this time.  Anywhoozle, here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups cabbage thinly sliced (Napa cabbage or regular cabbage will work in this recipe)

1 onion thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups shitake mushrooms, sliced (woodear mushrooms would work too)

5 eggs, scrambled

1 bunch scallions,  sliced into long slices

1 cup bean sprouts

2 tbsp. coconut oil

Salt to taste

First slice the chicken breast into thin long strips. Season with salt.    Add 1 tbsp. of coconut oil to a non-stick pan and turn the heat up to high.  Saute the chicken in batches until it is cooked through and browned.  Set aside.  While the chicken is cooking, slice your onion.  The thing I really like about this dish is the charred flavor you get from all of the veggies.  The trick to achieving this flavor is to place your wok over your burner and turn to high.  Add the onions without any oil and let them cook undisturbed for a few minutes.  Take a spatula and stir to saute them evenly, but do not over cook.  Transfer to a holding plate.  Next slice your cabbage and do the same thing with the cabbage that you did with the onions, again remembering not to overcook.  The veggies in this dish should be nice and crunchy.  Transfer the cabbage to your holding plate.  Next add a little coconut oil to your wok and add in the sliced shitake mushrooms.  Cook over high heat until the mushrooms brown.  As your chicken cooks, transfer it to your holding plate.  Next beat the eggs and cook them in a non-stick pan (I used the one I cooked the chicken in).  Once the chicken and eggs are cooked, add all of the contents of your holding plate to the wok.  In addition to this add the eggs, bean sprouts and scallions.  Toss evenly.  Serve immediately.   I served this with some sambal, and typically some hoisin would go well with this, but that isn’t paleo so I opted out.

Here are a few other pictures…

Today was a busy busy Sunday! Time flew today, but we sure got a lot done- I updated my iPod, cleaned, packed lunches and made this simple and spring-inspired meal.  Putting the chicken in a brine made them really juicy and full of flavor without adding extra fat.  Grilling them on our BBQ grill also gave them that nice smokey grill taste. It was a perfect meal for our busy Sunday, but quick and easy enough for any night of the week.

For the brine:

4 cups water

2 tbsp. salt

3 tbsp. sugar

1/4 freshly squeezed lemon juice

Mix all of the ingredients well until the sugar and salt have dissolved.  Place a quart-size freezer bag inside a deep bowl.  Make sure you wash the chicken really well first and then add it to the bag.  Next add the brine liquid and seal the bag, removing as much excess air as possible.  Place the bowl in the fridge for a minimum of four hours, but for best results, leave overnight.

Ingredients for the chicken:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast per person

1 tbsp. freshly chopped rosemary per chicken breast

1 tbsp. olive oil per chicken breast (but do not exceed 4 tbsp. if making 8 or less chicken breasts)

Salt and pepper to taste

Remove the chicken from the brine and place on a cutting board.  Butterfly each breast and score it on either side season with the salt and pepper.  Repeat until you have done this to all the pieces.  Add the chicken to a bowl and then add in the olive oil and rosemary and move around to coat everything evenly.  Turn on your grill  to medium-low and let it heat for about 15 minutes before placing the chicken on it.  Let the chicken cook undisturbed for about 8 minutes before flipping over.  Brush the cooked side with  half of the the balsamic glaze- recipe below. After the chicken is cooked completely, remove from the grill and slice into strips.  Drizzle the glaze over the top of the chicken right before serving.

For the Balsamic Glaze:

1 cup balsamic vinegar

3 large garlic cloves, grated

2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

1/3 cup chicken stock

2 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary

1 tsp. cracked black pepper

salt to taste

Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and let it simmer on low heat until about half of the liquid has reduced.   The consistency should be thick, but not goopy, enough to coat a spoon, but easy enough to spoon over the chicken.

I served the chicken with jasmine rice, and a trio of raw veggies:  asparagus, thinly sliced red onion, and thinly sliced tomatoes seasoned with lots of cracked black pepper, salt and a little extra virgin olive oil.

Last weekend I made a southern inspired meal which consisted of  sweet tea, buttermilk oven-fried chicken, cornbread, coleslaw, mashed potatoes and home-made pound cake with a citrus cream.  Fried chicken is something we rarely eat, but about once a year we’ll get a hankering for it.   I attempted to make fried chicken for the first time during the memorial day weekend, but it was a complete train wreck.  The recipe I followed looked great in the pictures, but the chicken itself was gross, the breading was not crunchy, in fact it was soggy in parts, and didn’t have much taste.  I decided to create my own recipe this time and I think it was MUCH better. Letting the chicken marinate in buttermilk really yields a super moist texture that is only complemented by the crunchy exterior.

Ingredients:

1  chicken (2-3 lbs but no bigger)

4 cups buttermilk

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. paprika

2 tbsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

canola or peanut oil for frying

Begin by cutting the chicken into pieces.  Make sure you wash each piece really really well.   Get in there and remove all of the gross bits like the veins and excess fat along with that clear goop that the chicken tends to have. Rinse each piece with vinegar and set aside.  In a large gallon ziplock bag, add the buttermilk and then begin adding the chicken.  Store the chicken in the fridge overnight to marinate.

The next day set up your breading station.  In a shallow bowl add the flour and all of the seasonings and combine well.  Begin taking each piece of the chicken and dredging it in the flour.  Set aside until you’re ready to begin frying.

The next steps are crucial if you want to get a nice crispy texture on the outside.  Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line the bottom of a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking. In a large non-stick shallow  pan, add enough oil to come up about one inch from the bottom.   Turn the heat on to medium high, and let the temperature come up to 360 degrees.  Once the oil is hot, begin adding the chicken in.  Do not crowd the pan because you’ll cause the temperature to drop and this will give you an oil texture instead of a nice light crunchy texture.  Allow the chicken to cook until it has a very light golden color on all sides.  Make sure you use tongs to turn the chicken and to remove it from the pan- using a fork will pierce the meat and cause the juices to flow out yielding a dry texture- NOT what you want in fried chicken.  Transfer each piece of chicken to the parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 35-40 minutes, making sure to turn the chicken once through the baking process.   To keep the chicken crispy, place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and then place the chicken pieces on the cooling rack to drain any excess oil.  Season with a light sprinkling of salt all over and serve hot.

If it weren’t for the story attached to this post, I may not have considered this “blog worthy”. You see, pollo a la plancha, or grilled chicken, is a very simple, almost no-brainer of a dish. It’s basically a boneless, skinless chicken breast that is grilled with some onions, and is available in every Cuban restaurant in Miami. It’s healthy and perfect for a weeknight meal. But this dish will forever hold a special place in my heart because of the following story.

When I was very young and growing up, I had a very very dear friend named Dana. Dana and I were inseparable, truly joined at the hip. Dana was, and still is one of the quirkiest people i’ve ever known. She is extremely funny, but the kind of funny that is so without trying to be. One of the best kinds of “funnies” in my opinion. Dana and I were together a lot, and it was not uncommon for her to come to dinner with my family and vice-versa. One day, we went to this very popular restaurant establishment called “Islas Canarias (Canary Islands) for dinner. The waiter comes around and introduces himself, brings the menus and says he’ll be back to take the order shortly. So we’re all looking at the menu and when the waiter comes around everyone starts placing their order. Finally the gentleman gets to Dana and asks, “and what can I get for you, young lady?” Without batting an eyelash, she blurts out “I’d like the “pajaro planchado please”. Needless to say, this started a wave of hysterical laughter in the restaurant that only got louder and louder. I almost choked on my drink, my brothers were cracking up and the poor waiter (whom was an older, serious fellow) had to hold back tears of laughter. Dana was dying of embarrassment which made it all the funnier and the more we tried to stop laughing the harder it was. It was so funny- the kind of funny where your stomach hurts, you can’t breathe, and you’re wiping tears from your eyes. For those who don’t speak Spanish, she had just referred to the grilled chicken breast as an “ironed bird” instead of “chicken on the grill”-and although it doesn’t translate well into English, was one of the funniest things I’d ever heard. It was one of those “you had to be there moments” but suffice it to say that every time I have this dish it is “parajo planchado” and not “pollo a la plancha”.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 lime

1 tsp. salt

1 small onion, cut into thin rounds

2 tsp. olive oil

The trick to making this dish really flavorful and juicy is to butterfly the breast, and then pound it out so that it’s nice and thin. You also don’t want to cook the chicken any longer than you have to, otherwise it can be as dry as the sole of your shoe. Since the chicken is very thin, it wont take long at all.  About 2-3 minutes on each side. Begin by seasoning the chicken breasts on both sides and setting aside.  In a large non-stick skillet or grill pan, add the olive oil and turn up to high heat.  When the pan get really really hot, add the chicken breasts and let them cook until they get nice and slightly golden.  Flip them over, squeeze a generous amount of lime juice over the chicken and finish cooking on the other side.  Transfer the chicken to a plate.   Next add the onions to the pan, season them with a little salt, and saute them for a few minutes, until they’re nice and translucent and have sweetened.  Place a bed of onions on your serving plate and then place the chicken on top of the onions.  Serve with white rice and black beans, or a large green salad for a healthier option.

I made this soup recently when it was stormy and rainy outside.  Something about rainy weather just makes you reach for something warm and comforting and this fit the bill.  It goes really well with a nice piece of crusty garlic bread.  Also, good to know, this soup freezes really well.  If you’re going to freeze it, just chop the parsley and spinach and add it to the soup when re-heating.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

2 quarts chicken stock

1 large onion

1 bay leaf

1 sprig thyme

5 cloves garlic (grated)

2 carrots

1 tsp. olive oil

2 cups sliced mushrooms

5 cups fresh chopped baby spinach

1 cup fresh chopped parsley

2 tbsp. cream

1/8 tsp. cumin

2 whole lemons

1 cup dried orzo (you could sub this with white beans if you’re trying to watch the carbs or want to make this gluten free)

lots of freshly cracked pepper

salt to taste

First wash the chicken well and cut it into pieces.  Place the chicken into a stock pot along with the chicken stock, bay leaf and thyme.  Allow the chicken to cook on medium high for 25 minutes.  Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board. Strain the stock and put it back into the stock pot.  While the chicken cools, dice the onion, slice the mushrooms and grate the garlic.  Transfer to a non-stick skillet and saute with a tiny little bit of olive oil ( 1 tsp.). Allow the veggies to cook on medium high heat.  Remove the skin off the chicken and begin shredding into large strips.  Add the spinach to the skillet and saute until it slightly wilts.  Transfer the chicken back into the stockpot along with the ingredients in the skillet.  Stir everything well and begin peeling your carrot.  Cut the carrot into cubes and add to the pot.  Bring the soup up to strong simmer and let it cook for 10 minutes before adding the orzo.   Add in the cumin and pepper. Squeeze the juice of the lemons and stir well. Cook until the orzo is al dente.  Finish off by adding the cream and the chopped parsley.  Remove the bay leaf and the thyme stalk before serving and add a little extra lemon to your bowl if desired.  Serve with crusty garlic bread.

My mom has been making this dish for as long as I can remember.  It is definitely one of her specialties.  They’re pretty easy to make and are great for when you’re entertaining.  I made this dish one time recently after I got married and we were hosting a dinner party.  One of the guests referred to them as “footballs” because they’re lined with bacon and after they’re cooked they resemble a little football.  I promise you they don’t taste like a football though.  This is a family favorite that I hope you’ll enjoy too.

Side note: I make these with turkey ham and turkey bacon because I follow kosher laws, but my mom makes hers with regular ham and bacon.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (or however many you need)

4 slices  Havarti cheese

4 slices Cheddar cheese

4 slices  turkey ham

1 package turkey bacon

2 tsp. creole seasoning (optional- I use the Chef Paul Prudhomme brand, the poultry magic variety)

Salt to taste

First begin by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees.  Rinse the chicken breasts well, pat them dry, and butterfly them.  Once they’re butterflied, season with the creole seasoning and salt.  On one side of the breast, place a slice of ham, a slice of Havarti and a slice of cheddar. Fold the other half of the chicken breast over and begin wrapping the chicken in the bacon.  You may have to secure the bacon with toothpicks if you’re using turkey bacon because it’s not as “elastic” as the pork kind.  The turkey kind is much leaner and doesn’t have nearly as much give.  Repeat this process until the whole breast is covered, and all of the chicken breasts are assembled.  Place the chicken breasts on a baking rack that has some elevation.  There will be a sauce that collects in the bottom pan which is what we’ll use to drizzle over the chicken once it’s done.  Bake for 15 minutes on each side of the chicken and remove once the bacon is slightly crisp.  Let the chicken rest before slicing into rounds.  Serve with white rice and a nice green salad.

While the chicken rests, collect the sauce at the bottom of the pan and transfer to a sauce bowl. Break up any big clumps and drizzle over the chicken.

Every year we celebrate the Days of Unleavened Bread, where we remove any products that contain leavening from our homes and do not consume any leavening for the duration of the festival days which lasts for 7 days.  I made the breading for this chicken using ground up matzos and some other ingredients.  The chicken was beautifully crunchy and golden when it came out of the oven and tasted great too. Just thought i’d share this recipe- even if you’re not celebrating these days, the recipe is delicious nonetheless.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 box matzos

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup flour

4 tbsp. butter, melted

1 garlic clove

salt and pepper to taste

The first thing to do is turn the oven up to 375 degrees.  In a food processor, blend the matzos until you have a fine meal.  Transfer the crushed matzos to a large mixing bowl.  To the matzos, add in the Parmesan cheese, the cornmeal and a pinch of salt.  Butterfly the chicken breasts and season them with a little salt and pepper.   Add the flour to a bowl, and beat the eggs in a separate bowl.  Place the flour, egg, and matzo bowls side by side.  Begin by dredging the chicken breasts in the flour, next in the egg, and finally in the matzo mixture.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and allow them to rest for a few minutes.   While the chicken rests,  grate the garlic clove into a small saucepan and add the butter, and melt(adding the garlic clove to the butter was Patyence’s, (my husband’s step mom) idea, and it gave the chicken a great flavor).  Take out a non-stick baking sheet and lay the chicken on top of it.   You’ll want to make sure that you have a non-stick baking pan, otherwise the breading will stick.  If yours isn’t non-stick, you could line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.  Begin brushing the melted butter lightly on the top of the chicken, then flip them over and brush the other side with the rest of the butter.  Bake for 25 minutes or until nice and golden brown.  The chicken itself shouldn’t take that long because once you butterfly the breasts, they’re much thinner and cook much faster.

I served this with savory spinach pancakes, topped with yogurt sauce, roasted sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, and roasted asparagus.  I’ll blog the spinach pancake recipe soon. They were awesome.

I read an article recently about legumes that really inspired me to try some new beans.  I also realized that i’ve never made enchiladas.  I decided to make this dish not knowing how it’d turn out.  Thankfully they were delicious and even though they’re enchiladas, I tried making them healthier than the traditional recipe by not frying and using reduced-fat ingredients.

For the Beans:

1 package (16 oz.) dry Mayacoba beans (also known as Peruvian beans or Canary beans)

8 cups water

1 garlic clove, grated

2 tsp. salt

The first thing to do, is wash the beans to remove any twigs or debris.  Next transfer the beans to a pressure cooker with the water and salt.  Close the lid and turn up the heat to high.  Once the steam begins to come out of the pressure cooker, lower the heat to medium.  Let the beans cook for 30 minutes before turning off the heat.  I hate waiting for the pressure to release, so what I do is run cold water over the pressure cooker in the sink.  Remove the lid and check to make sure the beans are tender.  If not put the lid back on and cook for another 5-10 minutes, but they should be done within 30 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to a food processor bowl.  Add about 3 tbsp. of the bean water from the pot, a little salt and grate the garlic clove into the bowl.  Blend the beans until you have a smooth consistency.   Set aside until you’re ready to assemble the enchiladas.

To make this dish a little easier, you could just mash the beans with a potato masher, but that will yield a more chunky consistency.   If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you could soak the beans overnight and then just boil them in a pot with the same amount of water for about one hour.

For the Chicken:

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 medium onions, preferably white or yellow

1 green bell pepper

2 tbsp. minced green chili of your choice (like jalapeno or pasilla)- I omitted this because I didn’t have any on hand, but for those of you who like it hot, go ahead and add these for some kick.

6 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp. cumin

2 tbsp.  olive oil

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

First boil the chicken breasts in a large pot of water.seasoned liberally with salt.  Once the chicken breasts are cooked through, transfer them to a cutting board and allow them to cool.   While the chicken is cooking, begin mincing your green pepper, garlic and green chilies.  Dice the onion finely and add the olive oil into a large non-stick skillet.  Turn the heat up to medium high and add in the chilies, onions and garlic to the pan.  Saute for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  While the veggies cook, take two forks and begin shredding the chicken breasts.  Transfer the chicken to the skillet and season with the cumin, salt and pepper.  Allow the chicken and veggies to cook together for about 3-4 minutes before turning off the heat.  In a separate mixing bowl, combine the sour cream and cheese and add it into the skillet, making sure to combine everything really well.

For the enchilada sauce:

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup light sour cream

1/2 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese

First add the butter to a non-stick sauce pan.  Next add in the flour and make a roux.  To that, add the chicken stock and whisk vigorously, breaking any clumps of flour that may have formed.  Next add in the sour cream and the cheese and blend well.  Season with a little salt.  Set the sauce aside until assembling the enchiladas.

For the assembly:

8 flour tortillas

cooking spray or melted butter

1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

1/2 cup fresh cilantro to garnish.

First pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Next take a scoop of the beans and spread if evenly over one side of the tortilla.  Next add in a scoop of the chicken mixture and roll the tortillas.  Spray a 9×13 baking dish with a little cooking spray and place the enchiladas, seam down in the pan.  Repeat this step until you have filled the entire pan with the enchiladas.  Next spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray, or brush with melted butter.   Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the tortillas are slightly crisp.  Remove the tray from the oven and pour the sauce over the top of the enchiladas.  Next sprinkle the cheese over the top and place the pan back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.  Garnish with some freshly chopped cilantro and serve.

Satay is one of my favorite Thai appetizers.  When we lived in Miami, our favorite Thai restaurant was called Tani Thai, and had the best chicken satay.  They brought the skewers on these mini hibachi grills where you’d place the skewers to keep them warm while you ate. Fast froward a few years later and we still haven’t had satay as good as that one.  I tried making satay last night for dinner with a spicy peanut sauce.  This dish was easy and a great way to use up boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Serve with some refreshing cucumber salad and some Thai fried rice and you’ll have a great meal.

Ingredients for the Satay:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 shallots

5 garlic cloves

3 tbsp. palm sugar (you can use dark brown sugar as a substitute)

2 tsp.ground coriander seed

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cumin powder

2 tbsp. canola oil

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp. freshly grated ginger

2 kaffir lime leaves (If you can’t find this, use some lime zest- about 1 tsp. You can also use lemongrass.  Just the tender stalk, minced)

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 bird chilies (if you can’t find this, you can substitute with your favorite red chili, just use about 1 tsp and remove the seeds.  You can also use chili paste)

2 tsp. salt

Add the shallots, ginger, garlic, chilies, kaffir lime leaves, and lemon juice to a mini food processor.  Transfer to a mixing bowl and then add in the turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, lime juice and sugar.  Whisk well and then add the oil and salt.  You should have a thick paste at this point.  Slice the chicken breasts horizontally to think out the slices.  You could also pound out the breast to make it thinner.  Begin cutting the chicken into long strips and adding it to a zip-lock bag with the marinade.  Refrigerate for one hour.  Skewer the chicken onto bamboo sticks.  Spray your grill with a little non-stick spray and turn the heat up to medium high.  Place the skewers down on the grill and let it cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes on each side, baste the chicken with any remaining marinade about halfway through the cooking process.

For the peanut sauce:

5 shallots

3 garlic cloves

2 bird chilies (red chilies)

1 tbsp. canola oil

2 tsp. freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 tsp. ground coriander

3 tbsp. palm sugar (or brown sugar)

1/4 cup boiling water

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/4 cup coconut milk

First roughly chop the garlic, shallots and chilies and saute them in a non-stick pan on medium heat with the canola oil.  Add in the grated ginger and cook for about 2 minutes before adding in the peanut butter.  Using a spatula, begin stirring the peanut butter as it melts into the sauce. Next add in the coriander, lime juice, soy sauce , coconut milk and sugar.  Cook everything until the sugar dissolves. Transfer this sauce into a blender or food processor and add in the water.  Blend until you have a smooth and creamy consistency.  Serve with the satay.

Spring is just around the corner, but winter seems to be lingering still.  I thought I’d bid the cold weather farewell with a hearty comforting soup.  This is reminiscent of a Pasta e Fagiole soup, but I created a white version using white beans, chicken sausage and herbs.  It was topped with a little shredded Parmesan cheese and a garlicky- parsley aioli. Serve with a crusty baguette and a crisp green salad and you’ve got a great and satisfying meal.

Ingredients for the Chicken Sausage:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 1.5 lbs. ground chicken)

2 eggs

3 cloves garlic

1 1/2 tbsp. ground sage

1 tsp. ground marjoram

1 tsp. herbs de Provence

3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

zest of one lemon

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. fresh ground pepper.

If you’re using the chicken breasts, grind them up in a food processor until you have a ground consistency.  Dump the ground chicken into a bowl and crack in the eggs and blend.  Grate the garlic and add it to the bowl.  If you’re using the boneless, skinless chicken breasts add in one tbsp. of olive oil to avoid having dry sausage. Next add in the herbs, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.  Blend everything well and begin browning the sausage in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil.

Ingredients for the soup:

1 package dry white beans  ( I used navy beans but Cannelini or great northern would work well too. I’d use any except Garbanzo beans.)

8 cups water or chicken stock (if using stock make sure to adjust salt to account for the salt already in the stock)

1.5 lbs  chicken sausage (recipe listed above)

1 large onion

6 garlic cloves

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 (1lb.) box of short pasta like tubetti, elbow or shells.  ( I used shells)

1 lemon (juice)

1 Parmesan rind- optional (I save the rinds of cheese blocks for soups like this, but you can omit this and it won’t make that big a difference, it just adds a little depth)

1/4 cup fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley, plus one tbsp. for garnish

2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

First add your dry beans to a pressure cooker with the water or stock.  If you don’t have a pressure cooker or are running low on time, go ahead and use the canned variety.  Just add in 2 cans of  the beans with their liquid into a stock pot,  plus another 3 cups of water or stock.   While the beans cook, begin dicing your onion and grating 4 of the garlic cloves.  Add the olive oil to a non-stick pan and turn the heat up to medium high.  Add in the onions and garlic and cook until they become tender, about 5 minutes.  Next add in the sausage and blend with the onions and garlic.  Once the beans are cooked, add in the sausage, Parmesan rind, garlic and onions to the stock pot.  If the liquid had reduced too much, add more to have more of a soupy consistency, bearing in mind that the liquid will thicken at the end of cooking a bit. Taste for salt and pepper and season to your liking.  Squeeze in the lemon juice, and add in the pasta shells.  Allow the pasta to cook until it’s al dente. Grate the last two garlic cloves and give the soup a good stir.  Lastly add in the parsley and top with the garlic and parsley aioli.

For the Aioli:

4 tbsp. light mayo

2 tbsp. water

1 garlic clove grated

1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Add the mayo and water into a bowl and whisk well.  Next grate in the garlic clove and add the lemon juice.  Add in the parsley and whisk everything well, making sure to remove any lumps.