I originally had this soup on a special lunch date with a friend. It has become a family staple, and my go-to meal for new mamas. Original recipe from Joy of Cooking Sauté lightly, but do not brown: 1 cup diced onion 6 diced carrots 3 diced ribs celery in: ¼ cup butter Stir in: 3 Tablespoons flour 3 Tablespoons curry powder Stir and cook them about 3 minutes. Pour in and simmer 15 minutes: 6 cups chicken or lamb broth 2 bay leafs Add and simmer 15 minutes longer: 1 cup boiled rice 2 cups diced cooked lamb 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon thyme 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind Immediately before serving, stir in: ½ cup hot cream or coconut milk 1 cup diced tart apples Serve & enjoy! Even better when prepared the day before and reheated.
Recipe of the Week: Potato Soup
It's fall and that means soup season! Hooray! Not long ago, I was searching for something easy to make for dinner. Okay, I admit it, I'm not a good menu planner. My dinners are too often thrown together very last minute. And since I had two napping children and no time for a grocery run, it needed to be something that I could make entirely with household staples. I remembered someone mentioning potato soup earlier that week and thought it might fit the bill.
So I turned to the internet and found The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Potato Soup.
Oh Friends, it is perfect. The best part? It's fast. Really fast.
Basic Info: Prep Time: 10 Minutes / Cook Time: 20 Minutes / Servings: 12
Ingredients 6 slices Thin Bacon, Cut Into 1-inch Pieces - I had some leftover cooked bacon from the day before. Saved a little time and worked a-okay. I've also used chopped up ham from a leftover ham steak instead of bacon. Also delicious.
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 whole Carrots, Scrubbed Clean And Diced - I've snuck broccoli in, too. Hey, I'm a mama of a toddler. Veggies get thrown in EVERYTHING.
3 stalks Celery, Diced
6 whole Small Russet Potatoes, Peeled And Diced - Confession: I don't like Russet Potatoes. I used red-skinned potatoes and didn't peel them, because I never do. Saves a step and doesn't matter one bit in the recipe.
8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Or Vegetable Broth - I make a lot of my own broth and freeze it. I've used chicken, lamb and ham broth. They all work great in this recipe.
3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Heavy Cream - I use half and half because we always have it. And depending on how creamy you like the soup, you may opt to skip this ingredient completely.
1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
1/2 teaspoon Cajun Spice Mix - I used a spicy BBQ seasoning I had on hand. You could try a little chile pepper or cayenne if you like spicy. Or leave this out. It's your soup, after all.
1 teaspoon Minced Fresh Parsley - Yes, dried is fine. Just adjust it to your liking.
1 cup Grated Cheese Of Your Choice - Cheddar is king in this house.
Preparation Instructions Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot. (If you're using leftover bacon or ham, just heat a little olive oil in the pot so that you can start with the next step.)
Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.
Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove half to 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food process until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. **Now this is where I did things differently. I have a stick immersion blender. It is my new favorite kitchen tool. You don't need to transfer any hot liquid and blend in batches. Rather, you just stick it in your pot and blend. Total timesaver and makes a perfectly smooth soup. I find reasons to use it. Ree likes some chunks left in her soup, but I prefer it completely smooth.**
Once you've blended up the soup, taste it and adjust your seasonings. Then, stir in cream (if you want) and parsley. Save some parsley if you want to use it for a garnish.
Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese and crisp bacon pieces.
So, so good. I serve this with some hot crusty bread. Yum!
Recipe of the Week - Chicken Tortilla Soup
I love soup. I came up with this recipe when I was pregnant and made it all the time! It is full of protein, fiber, and all kinds of deliciousness. Make it as mild or spicy as you want. I like it spicy and because my husband and sons are not spicy fans, I make this huge pot just for me and then eat it for lunch every day for a week!
Ingredients:
2 bone in chicken breasts
7 cups water, divided
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbs chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregeno
Red pepper to taste
Salt to taste (I used seasoning salt)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen sweet corn
In a large pot, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. (I added onion, garlic, a tsp of salt, and pepper.) Boil chicken breasts, covered, for 20-25 min or until juices run clear. Let chicken rest/cool. Strain chicken broth and set aside.
In the same pot, saute chopped onion in 2 tbs olive oil until tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add strained chicken broth, Rotel, 2 cups of water, beans, spices (not salt) and rice. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until rice is done.
Meanwhile, shred chicken. Add corn and chicken to soup and simmer, covered, for another 5-10 minutes. Taste and season with salt.
Serves 8.
Serve with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips and sour cream (or any other toppings you like!)
YUM!
Like many soups, this one is better the next day. Make it on a Monday and enjoy it for lunch for the next week!
Recipe of the Week - Lasagna Soup
I first made this soup last winter and it was such a hit with the family that it's become a regular rotation. The soup really tastes like lasagna! My husband wasn't sure about it when he tried the soup alone but when you combine it with the "cheesy yum" it really pulls together and tastes like its namesake. The soup easily adapts to changes, and I've included some of my previous alterations in {} based on what I had on hand and what I could find locally at the time. I have a hard time getting my daughter to eat most meat, but have recently learned that she loves spaghetti, so this is a great way to get a little extra protein in her diet.
Serve with some crusty bread for dipping, and enjoy!
For the Soup: 2 tsp. olive oil 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage {I used ground beef and ground pork with no ill affects on flavor} 3 c. chopped onions 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp. dried oregano 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 2 T. tomato paste 1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes {I've used basil, oregano, garlic tomatoes; or home canned tomatoes with extra herbs} 2 bay leaves 6 c. chicken stock 8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta {I've used a variety of spiral and medium shells, we actually prefer the shells because they "cup" the liquid} 1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the cheesy yum: 8 oz. ricotta 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese {Asiago works well too!} 1/4 tsp. salt pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese {even without mozzarella, it's delicious}
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.
Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.
Servings: 8
Recipe source: http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2011/03/24/lasagna-soup/
Recipe of the Week - Savory Homemade Brunswick Stew
Autumn beckons, and for me that's soup season. This recipe is a winner for us because it's very flavorful, reasonably healthy, and makes a HUGE amount for delicious leftovers which somehow taste even better when reheated!
Our version is based on a recipe from Southern Living magazine years ago, but with lots of tweaks over the time we've been making it. Feel free to customize it yourself and call it your own. This makes anywhere from 8 to 16 servings depending on how hungry everyone is!
1 whole chicken (small to medium size is good, say 3-4 lbs) 1 large onion, diced 2 green bell peppers, chopped 1.5 Tbs olive oil 1 large (28 oz) can and 1 small (15 oz) can of whole peeled tomatoes, undrained, coarsely chopped (I use kitchen shears to snip them up while still in the can to save some mess) 1 small (8 oz.) can tomato sauce 1/4 cup sugar 3 Tbs white vinegar 2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbs all-purpose flour 1.5 lb. white or red potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 tablespoon Cholula or similar hot sauce (if you like it spicy, add more!) 1.5 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (Don't skip this! And watch out because it'll dye your wooden spoons yellow.) 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 16 oz. frozen or canned corn, drained 16 oz. frozen or canned lima beans, drained
Instructions:
- Rinse the chicken and remove any giblets, etc. Place in a deep pot and cover with water. Boil for 45 minutes or until done.
- Remove chicken from broth and place on a plate to cool. Allow the broth to return to a boil over medium to low heat, and let it cook down until it is quite concentrated, boiled down to about two cups.
- Skin, bone, and chop chicken. Don't chop it up too small or it will all disintegrate later when reheated. One inch cubes are good.
- Cook the onion and bell pepper in the oil in the bottom of a large soup pot (this is a great recipe for a big enameled cast-iron pot if you have one, but any large pot will do, really, even the one you boiled the chicken in). When softened, add the chopped cooked chicken, both undrained cans of tomatoes, the tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.
- Carefully scoop about 1/2 a cup of your reduced chicken broth from the pot it's been simmering in, into a glass measuring cup. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Stir into the chicken mixture. If there are a few lumps, don't worry, just stir things around and it will incorporate.
- Add the rest of the reduced chicken broth, as well as the potatoes, hot sauce, salt, turmeric, and pepper.
- Cover and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are fork-tender. This can take anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on your potatoes. When this is done and you are about 10 minutes away from serving, add the drained corn and lima beans, and continue to cook for the remaining 10 minutes or so. This is fairly forgiving if you need to leave it on the stove on low for a bit.
Serve over rice or with warm crusty bread.
Again, this reheats beautifully. We have frozen single servings of it to have as a quick go-to meal for later, and it's one of my favorite things to see a stack of these in the freezer!
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