Winter Vegetable Pureed Soup

First of all, I appologize for falling off the radar this week.  But I promise I have a good excuse - I had two teeth extracted on Wednesday and so have been relegated to eating only very soft or liquid foods for the past three days.  I did, however, make a very comforting smooth soup on Wednesday that might be just the thing to cure those wintertime cooking blues.  It would also be great if you are feeling under the weather.  It is so simple but has a great flavor.

Ingredients:
- 1T butter
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 large sweet potato (or yam)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium parsnip, peeled and chopped
- 1 quart chicken stock

Melt the butter in a soup pot and when melted, add the chopped onion.  Allow to cook slowly over medium low heat for a few minutes, until sweet and fragrant. 

I cooked my sweet potato in the oven at 400 degrees (skin on) until soft.  I think this makes for a slightly smoother/creamier consistency than just cooking the sweet potato in the broth.  After the sweet potato is cooked, just slit the skin lenthwise and peel - it should basically just fall right off. 

Add the sweet potato to the onion mixture and mash up.  Add the broth, carrot and parsnip and cook until everything is soft.  Puree either with an immersion blender or in a conventional blender.  Reheat and serve.

I typically like to make my soups very thick and chunky, but this one was an exception.  You can adjust the amount of chicken stock if you want it thicker.  As outlined here, it is thin enough to drink through a straw!

Thai Chicken and Coconut Rice Soup

One thing that the Irish do surprisingly well is soups.  They are usually smooth, brothy, slightly creamy soups served as a starter.  I am now re-committed to trying to make savory wonderful soups.  This soup from last night is chunkier, but the broth is wonderful and I might try to recreate the flavors just in a smooth broth next time.  It has just a slight kick of spice from the ginger and chili pepper, and would be a great subsitute for the traditional chicken noodle if you were feeling under the weather.

Ingredients:

- 1c rice (I used sushi-style short grain, but any kind is okay)

- 2 pints (or more) chicken stock

- 1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into small pieces

- 2T freshly grated ginger

- 1T freshly grated red chili pepper

- 2t fish oil

- Zest and juice of 2 limes

- 1 can light coconut milk

- 1T lemongrass (I buy the kind in the jar, so there's no messing around with boiling water)

- 2 heads of bok choi, cleaned and thinly sliced

- Cilantro for garnish, if desired 

Combine the rice with 1c of the coconut milk, 1c of the chicken stock, and about 1t salt and cook.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining chicken stock, ginger, chili, fish oil, lime zest and juice, and lemongrass and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  When hot, add the bok choi and chicken.  Allow this to cook for about two minutes until the bok choi is cooked.  Add the cooked coconut rice.  Add the coconut milk a little at a time until it is the desired thickness.  I found I didn't need the whole can, and adding too much can make your soup overly sweet and sticky, so go slow.  Add salt if desired.

Serve with a garnish of cilantro leaves. 

Bon appetite!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Hopefully everyone is staying healthy during the cold season this year.  Just in case you start to feel a little under the weather, here is an easy recipe for homemade chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients:

- 8c homemade chicken stock

- 1T canola oil

- Salt and pepper

- 1t dried oregano

- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced

- 1 small white or yellow onion, diced

- 3 ribs celery, diced

- 1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced

- 1c riso pasta (looks like rice, but is in the pasta aisle)

- 2 chicken legs and thighs, cooked and cut up

Heat your oil in a soup pot.  When it is hot, add your onion, carrots, and celery.  Cook until just starting to soften. 

Add your riso and oregano.  (I use the riso as an alternative to the more traditional larger noodles.  I think it works well with the diced up vegetables, but feel free to substitute any kind of noodles that you like.) 

 

Add the chicken stock, potato, and chicken let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the rice and potato are fully cooked.  You can keep it on the stove longer if needed, just turn the heat down.

Serve hot!

Pumpkin Chili

With fall and winter fast approaching, I decided to make chili over the weekend.  I also was persuaded to try to incorporate pumpking into my chili recipe.  I have to admit the results were mixed.  I will post my standard chili recipe soon, and still have yet to find a better version.

Ingredients:

- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced

- 1 jalapeno, finely minced

- 1 large onion, diced

- 2 green peppers, diced

- 4T chili powder

- 1T cumin

- 2t dried oregano

- 8 cups chicken stock

- 1T worscestershire sauce

- 2T dijon mustard

- Large can diced tomatos, undrained

- 1 package dried great northern beans, cooked

- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Heat 1T vegetable oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  When hot, add garlic, jalapeno, onion, and green pepper.  Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. 

Add chili powder, cumin, and oregano.  Cook an additional 2 minutes.

Add chicken stock, worcestershire, dijon, pumpkin, tomatos, and beans.  Bring to a boil and gently simmer for about 20 minutes.  Add the chicken breasts.  You can keep the chili hot over low heat, covered, as long as needed until you're ready to eat.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and corn bread.

Note:  For my standard recipe, omit the pumpkin and add 1 jar chili sauce, found in near the katchup in the grocery.

Grandma's Stew

This is perhaps the easiest homestyle comfort food recipe you will ever make.  It really couldn't be easier, and the result is so comforting and perfect for a crisp fall or cold winter day.  I love this time of year when we can start transitioning into all the fall food we had to abandon in the heat of the summer!  Last night I made this very simple stew, based on my grandmother's recipe.  We took the dogs on a walk while it was cooking and came home to a great smelling very homey home!  It made me nostalgic for those cold Minnesota winters when I'd get home from after-school activities and the house would be warm and cozy with the great smell of dinner cooking.

Ingredients:
-  1lb stew meet (either buy it pre-cut or buy a brisket and cut it yourself)
- About 6 large carrots
- About 2lbs potatos (you can use less, I live with an Irishman and so have to add more potatos to every recipe!)
- Medium yellow onion, cut into bite-sized chunks
- Oil
- Flour
- Salt & Pepper
- Beef boulion
- Bisquick
- Milk

Take the stew meat out of its package and make sure the pieces are about the same size.  Cut them down if needed.  I usually like my pieces to be between one- and two-inch cubes. 

Start heating about 3T vegetable/canola oil in the pan.  I like to use a heavy cast iron enamel pot for stew.  You can get the oil very hot at the beginning to sear your meat, and then reduce the flame to the lowest possible level and the pot will retain that heat and evenly cook the stew.  When the stew is done, you can leave the pot on the stove and it will retain its heat so that your second and third helpings are still hot!

Season generously with salt and pepper, and then toss in flour to coat.  You can save the left-over flour from this step to make your tickening agent for the gravy.

Add the meat to the hot oil, just searing on each side.  Do not cook the meat through at this point.  As soon as the meat is seared on each side, add enough water to almost cover the meat.

Once the water starts to bubble, reduce the heat to very low, cover, and let simmer ever so gently.  My recipe says to let simmer for 3 hours, but I rarely have this kind of time.  Try to let it cook at least one hour.  The longer it cooks, the more tender the meat will be.

When the meat is cooked and tender, add the vegetables.  You will need to add more water at this point.  You want the water to almost cover everything. 

At this point you are also going to add a flour/water thickening paste and your beef boulion to complete the gravy.  Mix water into your left-over flour from the first step to create a paste.  Add this to your stew pot.  You can start with a small amount and keep adding until it is thick enough.  Remember that the gravy will thicken quite a bit when it cools.  I usually add about a quarter cup of flour (mixed with about a half cup water) at this point. 

Next add your beef boulion.  I use the kind that comes in individual packets, and two packets is usually sufficient. 

Taste your gravy and season if necessary. 

Cover and let cook at a gentle simmer until your vegetables are nearly cooked through (probably 30 minutes). 

Mix together bisquick and milk according to the directions on the box for dumplings (I think it is 2 cups bisquick and 2/3 cup milk).  Drop the dumplings into the stew.

Cook uncovered 10 minutes and then covered 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Sweet Corn Soup

Dinner tonight was a simple sweet corn soup.  This is a great easy weeknight meal, particularly if you make your chicken stock over the weekend.  You could even pre-dice your onions and cut the corn of the cob on Sunday to cut down on the prep time.  If you are lucky enough to live in an area that still has sweet corn, we definitely recommend that you try this before fall sets in.  This recipe really showcases the sweet summery flavor of fresh corn, so start with corn on the cob as fresh and local as you can find.  There are few other ingredients, so the corn will shine through.



Ingredients:
- 5T butter, divided
- 2T olive oil
- 1 large or two small yellow onions, diced
- Kernels from 8 ears of corn
- 4 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock may be used)
- Day-old bread for crutons
- Salt and pepper

Cruton Recipe:
- To make the crutons, melt 2T butter.  Cut the bread into half-inch cubes and toss in the melted butter.
- Toast on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees until golden, about 10-15 minutes.

Soup Recipe:
- Melt the remaining 3T butter and 2T olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven.
- Add the diced onions and reduce the heat to low.  Sweat the onions until translucent and very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add 4 cups chicken stock and corn kernels, bring up to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until hot throughout.
- Remove from heat and pure, either in a cuisinart or with an immersion blender.  I prefer to use a cuisinart for this as you will get a more even texture and consistency, but an immersion blender is fine too.

Serve with crutons and sour cream or creme fraiche if desired. 

My soup is slightly more green than yours may turn out.  This is because I used leeks in my most recent batch of chicken stock, and, while this makes a great tasting stock, it can take on a slightly disturbing greenish color.  More on stock making soon....

Bon appetite!