Chorizo and Chicken Stew with Avocado Crema

I downloaded the Williams Sonoma e-book of soups – it features a soup for every day of the year. The soup featured on September 23 sounded interesting to me and here is my adaptation. I used different peppers (Anaheim peppers instead of red bell pepper, but in hindsight I should have roasted the peppers and skinned them rather than chopping them and adding them to the soup). Instead of cooking my own chicken I used a already cooked rotisserie chicken from the local market.

Chorizo and Chicken Stew with Avocado Crema

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Soup Of the Day Cookbook Sept 23

Serves 6

• 2-3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1/2 lb Mexican chorizo, cooked and drained
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Anaheim chilies, roasted and peeled, and chopped
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Avocado Crema

• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and mashed
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, saute for about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant for about one minute longer.  Add the Anaheim chili and cook for another 3 minutes.  Add the shredded chicken, chorizo, broth and seasonings and simmer them for 15 minutes.

To make the Avocado Cream: Combine the avocado, sour cream and lime.

To serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a tablespoon of the avocado cream.  Garnish with a lime wedge.

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Roasted Pumpkin Soup

The site CHOW recently had a series of recipes posted that went with the theme of  Horror movies.  I found it entertaining and you may as well.  (link).  This is where I got the roasted pumpkin soup recipe.  The soup tasted fresh and was easy to follow, but I thought it could have benefited from some cinnamon or other spices to make it more tasty.  You start with roasting a pumpkin in the oven.  I have never done this – and after eating canned pumpkin products all this time (what was I thinking) – this one lacked the canned flavor, but I did not really miss it!

Roasted Pumpkin:

Heat the oven to 375 F, with the baking rack in the middle position.

Cut the (sugar) pumpkins (around 4 lbs in size) in half and remove the strands and seeds by scraping the flesh with a spoon.  Pour a little olive oil into the ‘bowl’ of the pumpkin and use a pastry brush to brush the oil on all edges.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake at 375F for up to 70 minutes.  Mine were tender around 50 minutes.  You can test the tenderness by inserting a fork into the  meat of the pumpkin to test the doneness, if it goes in easily it is ready.  Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 20 minutes.  Use a large spoon to scoop the pumpkin meat from the outer shell.  This is a really easy process.  You need 3 cups of pumpkin for this recipe.  I roasted 2 pumpkins and reserved the rest for pumpkin pie.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Serves 6 adapted from Chow

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of bacon, cut into small strips
• 2 medium shallots, diced finely
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or red wine
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 3 cups roasted pumpkin (see above for preparation)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• cinnamon/curry powder to taste
• croutons/roasted pumpkin seeds/toasted sliced almonds

Instructions:

Cook the bacon in a stock pot over medium high heat until crisp and remove the bacon to a paper towel.  Cook the shallots in the bacon drippings until they are cooked, about 5 minutes.  Add the sherry (red wine) and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.

Add the chicken broth (originally 2 cups broth and 2 cups water) and thyme.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Add the roasted pumpkin and stir into the soup.  Use an immersion blender to blend the soup (or carefully blend in a blender) until smooth.  Add the heavy cream just before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Add salt and pepper if needed and stir in a spice like cinnamon or curry to change the flavors

Top each serving with crisp bacon and croutons (or other) I used seasoned sliced almonds that I found near the salads – they were seasoned with pepper.  It was a nice substitution, but croutons would be great too!

A nice Fall soup!  Thank you CHOW for posting it.

 

 

Chili

In my quest to find a new chili recipe I turned to the Food Network website.  I have to admit, I don’t like watching Guy Fieri- from the way he wears his hair, to his over the top loud obnoxious personality -to the way he pronounces his name “Fi-etti!”  I am sorry, is there a “t” in your name? He just isn’t my cup of tea, but if you love him that’s great.. he needs a fan base– and he is on TV and I am not…

But I digress!  I did however try his recipe for “Dragon’s Breath Chili” after I read the reviews.  The name (of the chili) is more intimidating than the taste and I made some changes.  I reduced the peppers and cayenne pepper for one thing, because I wanted my kids to have half a chance of eating it!  This is a good recipe with a bit of spice to grab you, but not overpowering.  I may have to change my opinion of Fi-etti yet (Nah, that’s not going to happen!)  But the guy can cook – I give him that much!  It is more involved than my regular chili recipe that I make.  I changed a few things from the cooking too… I first cooked the peppers and onions- removed them from the pot.  Browned the chuck pieces in batches so they would brown properly (if you follow the directions of the original you won’t get nice browned pieces), then cooked the ground beef and sausage together. Once cooked added the spices and then threw it all in the crock pot to cook.  Here is the link to the original recipe. For best flavor, plan ahead and make this a day in advance.  I would place this in the medium+ heat category.  My kids were able to eat it.

Dragon’s Breath Chili

adapted from Food Network (Guy Fieri)

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 Tbsp jalapeno, minced
2 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped
2 yellow onions, diced
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 lbs boneless chuck, trimmed of most fat and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 lb ground beef, coarse grind
1 lb bulk Italian sausage

2 tsp dried minced onion
2 tsp granulated garlic
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
12 ounces lager beer
1 cup chicken stock
2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained, but not rinsed
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained but not rinsed

Topping:
8 oz bacon, cooked and chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Cheddar

Instructions:

Roasting peppers: I don’t think it is completely necessary, but it does add nice flavor.  How? You place the peppers on your gas burner grate above the flame (or over a barbecue) and turn it from time to time after the skin blisters and turns black.  Then while the peppers are still warm, place them in a paper bag and seal the bag to “steam” them. This loosens the skin and makes them easier to peel later.  I did this process the day before I made the chili.

Chop the peppers and onions.  Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat and melt the butter and heat 1 Tbsp canola oil.  Saute the onions and peppers (bell, chilis) until they are tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.  Remove the pepper mixture and set aside.

Add 1 Tbsp of canola oil.  Season the chuck cubes with salt and pepper and brown them in batches in the stock pot.  Remove the browned pieces (set aside), and brown the next batches. (Julia Child was right, for proper browning, don’t crowd the meat).  After the chuck is browned, cook the ground beef and Italian sausage in the same pot.  Remove any drippings.  Add the seasonings (the long list of them- it is worth it).  Stir into the meat and cook for a minute or two. Add the tomato sauce, paste, beer, and chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Carefully pour the contents of your stock pot into your large crock pot.  Add the peppers and browned chuck beef.  Add the beans and stir everything together.   Turn the crock pot on to LOW setting.    Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours, stirring from time to time, or until the chuck beef is tender to the point of falling apart when you try to shred it with a fork.

To serve: top each serving with diced green onions, cheese and crisp bacon, if desired. Serve with cornbread or corn bread pudding.

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Leek and Potato Soup

This is Part 2 of a series of 4 for a 4 course French meal that my daughter had to help prepare.  Our soup course: Leek and Potato Soup.  A recipe from Julia Child (adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking page 37-38).

Potage Parmentier

Leek (or Onion) and Potato Soup

adapted from Julia Child Mastering the Art of French Cooking page 37-38

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 lb peeled potatoes, sliced or diced
• 3 cups thinly sliced leeks, trim away the dark green leaves (or yellow onions)
• 2 quarts water
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 4 Tbsp whipping cream
• 2-3 Tbsp minced parsley or chives

Preparation:

In a large stock pot, combine the leeks and potatoes.  Cover with the water and season with salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer with a lid mostly on, but vented.  Cook for 40-50 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Mash the vegetables, or use an immersion blender to blend the vegetables and broth.  Just before serving stir in the whipping cream to make it a cream soup.  Garnish with parsley or chives.

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Simple Taco Soup

My  high school friend and facebook buddy, Chad posted a recipe last week.  Simple Taco Soup from allrecipes.com.  I made it and improved on it a little. thought I would share.  It is easy to make.  My son, who is 8 years old kept going back for more – I think in the end he had 4 bowls of the soup!  Changes I made: I added chopped garlic to the meat browning process, used chicken broth (and more of it) instead of water, used roasted peppers and a can of green chilies instead of the tomato/green chili combo, and black beans instead of chili beans.. so basically it was nothing like the original in the end, but it was very good!!  I topped the soup at the table with freshly sliced avocado and Monterey Jack cheese.  Thanks for sharing Chad!

 

Simple Taco Soup

adapted from allrecipes.com

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1 tsp salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

4 cups chicken broth

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (10 ounce) can diced roasted tomatoes

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies

Topping:

shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

sliced Avocado

Preparation:

Heat a large saucepan over high heat.  Brown the ground beef and season with salt and garlic toward the end of he cooking time.  Drain.  Add remaining ingredients.  Heat through over medium high heat.  Serve.  Top individual servings with cheese, avocado or sour cream if desired, but the soup will be tasty without as well.

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Pasta E Fagioli Soup

I love the soups that are offered at Olive Garden.  The cookbook author, Todd Wilbur has a wonderful series of cookbooks that I have in my collection and enjoy browsing through.  His book Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 has the Pasta E Fagioli Soup recipe that mimics the Olive Garden version very closely.  I did not have every single ingredient on hand, but I had similar ones that worked.  I did not have the V-8 juice that the original recipe calls for, so I substituted stewed tomatoes for diced and increased the tomato sauce to make up for it.   The flavors were very good and everyone enjoyed it.

Pasta E Fagioli Soup

adapted from Todd Wilbur (Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 pg 247)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, julienned (cut into matchstick shapes)
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (15 oz) cans stewed tomatoes with juice, cut up
• 1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans (with liquid)
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans (with liquid)
• 1 (32 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups hot water
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 lb elbow pasta (I didn’t have the ditali pasta the original called for)
• Shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

Preparation:

Preheat a large 12 inch skillet over medium high heat.  Brown the ground beef in the skillet and pour off any fat.  I used a lean cut of ground beef, so there was very little fat.  Add the chopped onion, celery and carrots and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the remaining ingredients (except the macaroni).  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.

During the last 20 minutes of cooking the soup, cook the elbow macaroni in 2 1/2 quarts of boiling water according to package directions.  You will want the pasta to be slightly under done.

Drain the pasta and add it to the soup.  Simmer for 10 more minutes.  Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and crusty French bread.

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Tomato-Cheese Ravioli Soup

This comforting soup is from a Cooking Light Cookbook that I own. It is the 5 Ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook (1999) by Cooking Light. I love the simplicity of the recipes in the book.  I whipped this up for lunch for my husband and I.  I changed it up a little, adding yellow squash and a little Parmesan Cheese to serve;  I also nearly doubled the recipe because I like left overs and the kids thought they wanted to have some- then they changed their mind and I had extra extra.  It is an easy recipe to make however and best of all ready in a snap!

Tomato-Cheese Ravioli Soup

Serves 6

adapted from Cooking Light 5 Ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook pg 81

Ingredients:

• 2 (14 1/2 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
• 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 large package refrigerated Buitoni 5 cheese ravioli (family size)
• 1 small zucchini
• 2 small yellow squash
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Combine the stewed tomatoes, chicken broth, basil and oregano.  Bring to a boil and cover, reducing the heat.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add your ravioli, zucchini, yellow squash, and ground pepper.  Bring to a boil again.  Reduce the heat again and cover to simmer for about 8 minutes.  Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a grind of freshly ground pepper.

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Tangled Menu: Part Two – Hazelnut Parsnip Soup

Hazelnut Parsnip Soup — that is what Rapunzel wanted her “mother” to make for her birthday in the movie “Tangled” – believe it or not such a soup exists!

My entire family enjoyed this soup.  It does take a little extra effort to make it, but is worth the work.  Once you hunt down the ingredients the hardest part is done.  Parsnips? What are they? The best way to describe them is yellow carrots.  Hazelnuts are sometimes called Filberts. They are quite common in Europe – you may know of Nutella which is made from Hazelnuts.

Hazelnut Parsnip Soup

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup roasted hazelnuts (and 1/2 cup for garnish- roast all at once)
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 2 medium leeks (whites only), chopped
• 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 5 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• to garnish: 1/2 cup chopped roasted hazelnuts

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350F and roast whole hazelnuts on a sheet pan for 10-15 minutes until toasted.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and saute the vegetables for 10-15 minutes, until softened.

Stir in the flour, salt and pepper and stir to cook. Add water, chicken broth, and 1 cup of roasted hazelnuts (skins removed- once they are toasted put them in a clean kitchen towel and “rough them up” to remove the skins).  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to blend the soup into a smooth soup, then strain the soup through a sieve (the texture of the ground nuts is not pleasant, but adds a beautiful flavor- straining is necessary for a smooth textured soup).

Return the soup (strained liquid) to the stove in a clean pot and add the heavy whipping cream, heat through and adjust the flavor with additional salt and pepper if desired.  Serve in  soup bowls and garnish with chopped toasted hazelnuts.

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Parsnips:

 

 

 

 

Hazelnuts:

 

 

 

 

 

Leeks:

Meatball Soup

The April 2010 Issue of Cuisine at Home had a series of recipes that caught my eye: Mini-Bacon Meatballs (which are used in this soup- Separate entry to follow with Meatball recipe)  The name of the soup is actually Albondigas Soup, but I won’t do it justice pronouncing it properly, so for this purpose it is Meatball Soup.  My husband at first thought it was an interesting (not always a good thing) soup, but it grew on him as he ate it.  The flavors are really good in this soup.  The only change was that I used Chicken broth instead of beef – only because I grabbed the wrong box of broth and I did not add any water but used chicken broth instead for extra flavor I also increased the liquid from 4 cups to 5-6 because my family is larger than 4 servings.

It is a quick soup to put together once you have your prep work done -30 minutes.  We will make it again.

Albondigas Soup (Meatball Soup)

adapted from Cuisine at Home April 2010 Issue page 49

Serves 4 (7 cups)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 5-6 cups beef broth (chicken will work in a pinch- can also use 2 cups of water)
• 2 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (divided use)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 2 cups (8 oz package) sliced white mushrooms
• 1 recipe Mini-bacon Meatballs, thawed
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• juice of one lime
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• sour cream (optional)

Preparation:

Cook chopped onion in olive oil over medium high heat for about 5 minutes until softened.  Add garlic and chili powder and stir and cook for another minute.  Add broth (and water if using) tortillas and 1/2 cup grape tomatoes. Simmer soup for 5 minutes.  Use a blender to blend the soup and return it to the soup pot. (I used my hand immersion blender – it truly is my favorite kitchen tool)  Skim off any tomato skins that float to the top of the soup.

Add remaining grape tomatoes, corn, mushrooms, and meatballs.  Simmer over medium heat for another 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, cilantro and lime juice.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with extra cilantro, and sour cream if desired.

 

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Cream of Broccoli Soup

I love this recipe because you can make any cream soup you want from it.  It has a wonderful base. It is adapted from Bob Pastorio’s Cream of Anything Soup.  I found it through A Cook’s Book Food Forum (mac cooking software forum) which I have been part of for a few years now.

Here is my adaptation:

Cream of Broccoli Soup

inspired by Bob Pastorio’s Cream of Anything Soup

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1 (4 oz) package diced pancetta
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 6 oz butter
• 6 Tbsp flour
• 2 (48 oz) boxes Swanson’s Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 lb broccoli (or other ingredient)
• 1 cup cut up leftover ham
• cut up left over cooked baby potatoes
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt (optional to taste)

Preparation:

Cook the pancetta until crisp and set bacon aside.  I drained the fat to reduce some calories (there are plenty to follow!).  Next, melt the butter in a pan and cook the onions and diced carrots until the onions are translucent but not browned.  Add flour and stir to cook.  Whisk in the chicken broth slowly, stirring briskly to break up any lumps.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes.  Add in the broccoli (or whatever you choose), diced ham, baby potatoes and cook for another 20-30 minutes over low (do not put the lid on it fully, keep it off center a little to vent so it does not boil over.  Stirring occasionally.  Just before serving add in the heavy cream and add the cooked bacon.  Season with salt if needed and serve with biscuits or fresh crusty bread.

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