Orka and Brussels Sprouts

My dear friend Seda introduced this vegetable called orka to me about 8 years ago! That’s how long our friendship has been too! :) I did not know what it was and I was interested to find out what kind of food we can make out of it. She taught me how to make a Turkish orka stew…mmmmh boy was it yummy. So today I am making an orka soup with some homemade chicken stock I have. Being pregnant I have been having all sorts of cravings, SAVORY foods is definitely on the top of my list. But I have also realized my fingers have gotten a bit swollen and numb. That usually happens during pregnancy, but eating too much salty food will cause hands/feet extra swollen. So I have decided to cut my salt intake and incorporate more vegetables into my diet. That’s when I decided on the orka mixed vegetable soup with roasted brussel sprouts and apricot. Now that combination will not go wrong. Filling yet healthy!

Ingredients:

1 medium size white onion, diced 1 package of fresh orka (you can purchase these at the Asian market, or buy them loose at your local super market), cut into cubes 1 8 oz can diced tomatoes 1 medium size shallot, diced 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 qt of homemade chicken stock (store bought works just fine) 1 carrot, chopped ½ tsp of dried thyme ½ tsp dried parsley

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp extra vigin olive oil (evoo)

Directions:

1. In a dutch oven (or a medium size pot) add in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), and 2 tablespoons of butter (to keep it somewhat healthy, I used half and half, evoo and butter).

2. Add in the onion, shallots and the dried herbs. Let that saute for about 5 – 10 minutes to sweat out the aromas.

3. Add in the celery and carrots, and let that cook for another 5 – 10 minutes.

4. Add in the tomatoes.

5. Put ½ c of water into the empty tomato can to swish the remaining sauces from the inside and pour that into the pot.

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