Tara's Soup Recipe From Original BRT

[gildedageinnewyork]

It's cold wintertime, in other words, Soup Weather. I made this a few days ago and it is nothing less than fabulous! The only changes I made were: because I couldn't find sausage w/fennel, I crushed about 2 teaspoonsful of fennel seed and added. Also, squeezed in about a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice at the end. It only got better in subsequent days. Thank you, Tara!!

CommentAuthorTara CommentTimeFeb 22nd 2007 permalink

Sausage, Bean & Broccoli Rabe Soup - yummy + cheap, fast & easy

You can use any dark green if you can't get broccoli rabe. I've done this with collards, kale and swiss chard....all yummy. This makes a huge pot. Six to 8 servings, or 2 PSB servings.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Italian sweet sausage meat
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cans white beans (cannelini), drained
Salt and pepper
1 bunch of broccoli rabe stems and greens
2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 cup small pasta ( ditalini works for me, or orzo)

Heat medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and sausage and brown. Add onions, garlic bay leaf and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Cook mixture 5 minutes till onions are clear. Add rabe and wilt. Add stock and cover pot. Raise heat and bring soup to a boil. Add pasta. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes.

People, please feel free to jump in w/your own!

[Observateur]

My soup recipes begin and end with ramen noodles or Lipton packets.

[Nevar]

Ramin aye, right into a 3/4 gal. pot of good water, meaning not tap, I through in a handful of rice as well. Never forget the olive oil... can of meat, i.e., corned beef, chicken, whatever, can of mixed veggies, can of refried beans, can of pork & beans, sea salt, garlic powder, dehy onion, some type of tomato product - even ketsup. Chili powder, cumin optional.

Now place the lid and let her rip - stir occasionally. When it reaches a rolling boil let stand for a short while with the lid on, i.e., five minutes, and serve.

This has got to be the quickest soup.

[Observateur]

To me that's an ambitious feat. I never get past "heat water, add noodles/soup mix."

[maggies]

I am guessing this wasn't what you were going for Gilded. Made a black bean soup last night. Don't have a written recipe but lots of jalapenos, carrots, onions and garlic, cilantro too. Delicious.

[Meggie1]

Gilded, made Tara's soup about an hour ago. Delicious. I just added one other thing and that is the rind from end of a parmiggiano/romano cheese. Gives great flavor. I usually buy them from the deli dept in Fairway or Wegmnns. Thanks Tara. So good.

[PuffinJ]

Thanks for posting this, gilded. Sounds awesome for a cold day. Sorry I have nothing to contribute, but I don't do soups generally (though I have parmigiano reggiano rinds in my freezer just in case!). I'll have to try a veggie version of this sometime.

Ravensburg, that soup recipe sounds super high in sodium! Lots of canned stuff (though good for using up items in the cupboard).

[c'est Moi!]

Ravensburg, that soup recipe sounds super high in sodium! Lots of canned stuff (though good for using up items in the cupboard).

Are you talking to ghosts now?

[Nevar]

Yes the salt would be of concern but everything in moderation, even a soup of this type. Even so I find it nourishing, very quick to prepare and economical. Another thing I think we're in for is serious inflation at some point, and if need be, soup and bread could become a mainstay like it was during the Great Depression. I'm also using a bread machine and a rough calculation of cost per loaf (basically a whole wheat loaf - 2/3's whole wheat & 1/3rd white flour) is $1.75.

[PuffinJ]

Ravensburg, that soup recipe sounds super high in sodium! Lots of canned stuff (though good for using up items in the cupboard).

Are you talking to ghosts now?

Nope.


Good point about being ready for inflation or other disaster, in addition to bread going well with soup. Is a bread machine really necessary? Is it worth the cost and space you need for an extra appliance?

[Nevar]

Well for me it is... you know exactly what the ingredients are, it's much more economical, even considering the electrical consumption, clean-up is minimal, the loaves make great gifts and the aroma of fresh-baked bread permeates the cave as we're carried into a scent-induced, mouth-watering orgasm.

[Tara]

Thanks guys.
Nevar, Maybe a bread machine is worth it, but can't you bake just as easily in the oven? PSB sometimes makes bread bowls - in the oven- when I do a soup or stew.
I try to avoid unitask appliances but one that was definately worth it ( $15) was a rice cooker. Yes, I can do rice on the stove but it does come out better in the rice cooker for me.
And I like the slow cooker too for some things.

[Tara]

One unitasker i never use --- the stupid cappuccino machine i got as a gift at some point. TOO HARD TO CLEAN!
And I gave away my juicer - also too hard to clean and the amount of money you have to spend on veggies, for not so much juice, got out of hand.

[gildedageinnewyork]

Here's something I prepared last night that is easy, fast, and extremely nutritious; even better eaten the next day. The potatoes steam; nutrients are not lost in boiling water. You can substitute hot dogs, any kind of sausage(s) for the pork.

Pork Ribs, Sauerkraut, and Potatoes

2 lb. country-style pork ribs
1 large can or jar sauerkraut
1 medium onion
2 or 3 large thin-skinned potatoes, washed but not peeled
1 T. yellow mustard seeds
1 T. caraway seed
3 or 4 large bay leaves
freshly ground pepper
1 C. water or 1/2 C. dark beer or dry white wine and 1/2 C. water

Chop onion and combine in covered cooking dish or pot along w/sauerkraut, seeds, bay, pepper

Bury ribs in sauerkraut mixture and water/wine/beer. Top w/potatoes. Cover tightly. Bake at 325 for about 2 hours or until meat is cooked and potatoes are fork-tender.
********************************************************************
Who Knew? Health benefits of Sauerkraut

NaturalNews) Sauerkraut combines the health benefits offered by all cruciferous vegetables (a category which includes cauliflowers and brussel sprouts as well as cabbage) with the probiotic advantages derived from the fermentation process.

Cabbage offers a host of health benefits. It is high in vitamins A and C. Studies have shown the cruciferous vegetables can help lower cholesterol levels. Cabbage also provides a rich source of phytonutrient antioxidants. In addition, it has anti-inflammatory properties, and some studies indicate it may help combat some cancers. However, this already helpful vegetable becomes a superfood when it is pickled.

The fermentation process used to make sauerkraut was probably first developed centuries ago simply as a means of preserving vegetables for easy consumption throughout the winter. The health benefits derived from pickling vegetables were already well-known to early civilizations. Historical evidence suggests laborers on the Great Wall of China consumed a version of the pickled cabbage dish 2,000 years ago.

Traditional Chinese has long prescribed sauerkraut juice as a home remedy for many common ailments . The armies of Genghis Khan most likely first brought the dish to Europe. The Roman army traveled with barrels of sauerkraut, using it to prevent intestinal infections among the troops during long excursions.

In periods and cultures when natural healing methods fell into disuse, people consumed fewer fermented foods and were subject to more illness. Scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) killed many British sailors during the 1700s, especially on longer voyages. In the late 1770s, Captain James Cook circumnavigated the world without losing a single sailor to scurvy, thanks to the foods his ship carried, including sixty barrels of sauerkraut.

Mainstream health experts began to pay renewed attention to sauerkraut after a study published in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2002. Finnish researchers reported that in laboratory studies,a substance produced by fermented cabbage, isothiocyanates, helped prevent the growth of cancer.

Even before the laboratory study, however, alternative health experts extolled the healing benefits of sauerkraut because of the lactic acid bacteria produced as a side-effect of the pickling process.

Healthy human colons contain many beneficial bacteria which feed on the waste left over from our digestion, creating lactic acid. Without these beneficial bacteria the human digestive system becomes home to harmful parasites and yeasts, resulting in the condition of candida.

Sauerkraut provides a high density source of a wide range of beneficial live bacteria which assist in the digestive process. Consuming a serving of sauerkraut can give your body as much of a health boost as many of the expensive probiotic drinks and supplements sold in stores. However, most commercially sold sauerkraut have lost most of their beneficial bacterial organisms. To gain the most benefits from sauerkraut, you may want to purchase it freshly made, or learn how to make your own.

If you want to explore recipes for making sauerkraut and other fermented dishes, an excellent place to start is with Sandor Ellis Katz's Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition and Craft of Live Culture Foods.

In his book, Katz points out that "Fermentation not only preserves nutrients, it breaks them down into more digestible forms." Katz, who also wrote The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America's Underground Food Movements, recommends not only eating sauerkraut but drinking the juice which he calls "a rare delicacy and unparalleled digestive tonic."

Sources for this article include:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?...

http://www.probiotics-lovethatbug.c...

http://www.wildfermentation.com/abo...

http://www.alive.com/297a1a2.php?su...

http://www.thehealthbank.co.uk/nutr...

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid...

http://www.learningherbs.com/sauerk...

[bklyngirl]

PSB sometimes makes bread bowls - in the oven- when I do a soup or stew.

mmm, a bread bowl for soup, yum! Though I'm guessing time-consuming to make?

[Tara]

Gilded, that sounds like a PSB dream!
Bklyngirl, yeah I guess it is time consuming - waiting for bread dough to rise takes a long time but the making them into bowls not so much.
Blah. i don't want what I am making for dinner now anymore. Roasted Cx and baked potato. BORING.

[gildedageinnewyork]

Thanks, Tara! I hope you and your honey love it.

I forgot to add, this is great for a crowd since you can make an even larger recipe by just increasing ingredients proportionally. I've used breakfast sausages, kielbasa, Italian sausage, bratwurst, hot dogs, or a combination. Judge the size of the potatoes by the amount of meat you use; you almost can't overcook the pork but sausages may require smaller ones so that everything finishes cooking at more or less the same time. Unsalted butter for the steamed potatoes on the plates.

[VirginiaDave]

One unitasker i never use --- the stupid cappuccino machine i got as a gift at some point. TOO HARD TO CLEAN!
And I gave away my juicer - also too hard to clean and the amount of money you have to spend on veggies, for not so much juice, got out of hand.

I had an old roommate give me his cappuccino machine which I then gave to another friend. It just wasn't worth the effort.

[PetShopBoy]

Thanks guys.
Nevar, Maybe a bread machine is worth it, but can't you bake just as easily in the oven? PSB sometimes makes bread bowls - in the oven- when I do a soup or stew.
I try to avoid unitask appliances but one that was definately worth it ( $15) was a rice cooker. Yes, I can do rice on the stove but it does come out better in the rice cooker for me.
And I like the slow cooker too for some things.

I do love to bake bread. I do.

I have a nice potato bread recipe that gets nice and dense...great for hearty stews. But the bread-bowl cannot be baked too big because it won't bake through in the middle. Make 'em small; think of them as stew-sliders...

On the other hand, I have a good milk-bread recipe can be made BIG. And that's just a huge ol' stew for hours while you're wrapped in flannel, flopped on the couch on a cold wintry day, watching the game and hoping that the day will never end...

[Tara]

I made this from a recipe from PBS last night - Mine didn't look as smooth as his, maybe I didn't blend enough but I actually like some texture in my soups. Anyway, this ROCKED!
http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/co ... mpaign=pbs


Vegan Corn Soup
corn-soup640x360

Though corn soup is often served with a cream or chicken stock, you will prefer this vegan version. Marc Matsumoto explains why this vegan soup is better than a chicken or cream stock in a full post on the Fresh Tastes blog.

Ingredients

6 ears sweet corn
10 ounces cherry tomatoes
1 medium leek about 10 ounces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cups soy milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Directions

Strip the corn off the cob with a sharp knife straight into a bowl to catch the juices along with the corn. Run the back of the knife along each stripped cob to extract as much pulp as you can.
Cut each stripped cob in half, and add them to a pot with 6 cups of water. Boil the cobs for 1 hour to make a corn stock. Remove the cobs and measure out 4 cups of liquid, add water if you don't have enough.
I the meantime, drizzle the tomatoes with a generous amount of olive oil, and then salt and pepper. Toss to coat and place them in a 350 degree oven until shriveled and caramelized (about 20-30 minutes)
Add 3/4 of the corn to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Strain the purée through a fine mesh sieve back into the bowl with the rest of the corn and set aside.
Clean the leek and slice it as thinly as possible. There's often grit trapped between the leaves, so I usually drop the sliced leeks into a colander and submerge it in a bowl of water to let the grit settle to the bottom. Drain and dry the leeks with a salad spinner or paper towels, then add them to a pot with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Sauté the leeks until they are a quarter of their original volume and they are starting to brown. Add the 4 cups of corn stock, boil for 10 minutes, and then add to a heatproof food processor or blender and puree. Be very careful when blending hot liquids as the sudden release of steam has a tendency to blow the lid off of blenders. Start it at a low speed with the lid covered with a towel, and then slowly increase the speed.
Add the blended leek mixture back into the pot a long with the corn and corn juice. Add 1-2 cups (depending on how thick you want it) of soy milk and bring to a boil. Add the salt and white pepper and adjust after tasting.
This soup is delicious hot or cold. To serve, just ladle the soup into bowls and use a spoon to carefully place a few roasted tomatoes on top of the soup. Drizzle a little of the olive oil from the roasted tomatoes onto the soup and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

[Tara]

Today's soup is a very simple red lentil. ( Shorabat Addas)


Ingredients

1lb package of split red lentils
8 c. water or chicken stock, or broth ( I'm using homemade stock)
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. turmeric or paprika
1 large onion, diced
2 -3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
pepper, to taste
juice of one lemon




Directions
Wash lentils. Sautee garlic and onions, add washed lentils and your cooking liquid - bring to boil.
Cover, reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes to 45minutes, stirring occasionally. When lentils are tender, add dry spices. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice & stir. You can use your blender to smooth it out - but I don't usually bother. Sometimes I add chopped tomatoes in this also, but I don't have any on hand and I don't feel like running out to the store yet.

Number of Servings: 8


*** Edit this was good, but too thin. Reduce to 6 cups of liquid vs. 8 and add more if needed. Otherwise, delicious!

[Nevar]

From my copy of "The Comfrey Report," Lawrence D. Hills & Henry Doubleday Research Association, Essex, England, Copyright 1974.

Lentils contain 24% protein (the same as cheddar chese) + lima beans are 21% & split peas, yellow, contain 19%.

[c'est Moi!]

Roasted Carrot Soup

Recipe
This recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

6 to 8 large carrots (about 1 3/4 pounds)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
6 cups vegetable stock (good quality, not too high in sodium)
1 piece ginger, an inch long, peeled
1 sprig thyme, plus more for garnish
1/2 large sweet onion
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Peel and cut the carrots into 1/2-inch rounds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source and turn on the broiler. Broil the carrots until they brown and soften, turning them over with a spatula every 5 minutes or so; this should take 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil, add the ginger and the sprig of thyme and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

3. Put the onion in a medium stock pot with the remaining olive oil. Brown the onion over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, and then add the carrots.

4. Remove the ginger and thyme from the stock and add the stock to the pot with the onions and carrots. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft enough to puree.

5. Use an immersion or a standard blender to puree the mixture until smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water and reheat gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, garnish with chopped fresh thyme.

[c'est Moi!]

Mushroom Barley Soup


Recipe
This recipe serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms soaked until soft in 1/2 cup hot water (reserve water after soaking)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 ounces pancetta, chopped
1 pound cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup pearl barley
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

1. In a heavy stock pot add olive oil and saute pancetta until lightly browned.

2. Add onions, carrots, celery and shallot and saute until soft (about 10 minutes).

3. Add garlic and mushrooms and saute until mushrooms release some of their moisture.

4. Remove the rehydrated porcini from the liquid (reserving liquid), chop, and then add to the vegetables in the pot along with the barley and mix to combine.

5. Make a little space at the bottom of the pan and add the tomato paste, cooking for a minute or two to caramelize.

6. Add the soy sauce and sherry and simmer vigorously until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Then add the stocks and the reserved liquid from the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Simmer soup, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until barley is soft. Add chopped parsley just before serving.

[c'est Moi!]

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Sherry

Recipe
This recipe serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large leek, white and light green part only, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 3-to-4-pound butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons dry sherry, plus more to finish
2 to 3 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more for serving

1. Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until softened—this should take about 5 minutes (if leek starts to brown, add a tablespoon or so of water).

2. Add the squash, nutmeg, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add the sherry and cook for a couple of minutes to reduce, then add enough chicken stock just to cover the squash (if you have added all of the stock and still need more liquid, add some water).

4. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender.

5. Using a blender or a food processor, blend the soup with the milk in several batches, adding more liquid if necessary.

6. Return to the pot and heat until just simmering. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in another splash of sherry and the cream just before serving, adding a drizzle of cream to garnish each bowl if you like.

[c'est Moi!]

Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon Vinaigrette

Recipe
This recipe serves 6

Ingredients
For the Soup

1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion diced
1 large carrot diced
1 rib celery diced
3 cloves garlic diced
1 sprig rosemary chopped
1 teaspoon salt
6 medium Russet potatoes (about 2 lbs.) peeled and diced into 1" cubes
7 cups chicken stock or water
1 cup low fat sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

For vinaigrette

4 pieces thick cut bacon
3 green onions finely sliced
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch salt

1. Add butter to large pot on medium high heat and melt

2. Add carrot, onion, celery, garlic, rosemary and salt. Saute veggies until onions are soft, about 10 minutes.

3. Add potatoes and stock. Cook on medium high until potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes

4. Turn off heat, add sour cream and puree in blender or with immersion blender

5. To make vinaigrette, cook bacon until crispy on medium high heat. Drain fat onto paper town and chop into small pieces.

6. To small bowl stir onions, bacon, vinegar, salt. Add oil and put 1 tbsp of vinaigrette on top of each bowl of soup.

[c'est Moi!]

Ribollita

Recipe
This recipe serves 6

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
28 ounces (1 can) plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 pound cavolo nero, or any other variety of kale, trimmed and chopped into bite sized pieces
15 ounces (1 can) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4-6 thick slices of country bread, torn into pieces
4 cups water

1. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and crushed red chili pepper flakes. Sweat the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Toss in the carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and sweat the vegetables 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, trim the hard stem ends off the tomatoes and discard. Crush the tomatoes with your hands.

4. Pour the tomatoes (and their juices) into the pot with the thyme, potato, and 3 cups water. Bring the soup to a simmer, turn the heat down and partially cover with the lid. Keep the soup at a low simmer for about 20 minutes.

5. Toss in the kale with another cup of water, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Add the canned beans and continue to simmer the soup 5 more minutes.

7. Stir in the bread and serve with a drizzle of spicy Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil. The soup should be thickened by the bread, but not at all dry.

[c'est Moi!]

Paul Bertolli's Cauliflower Soup

Recipe
This recipe serves 8

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion (6 ounces), sliced thin
1 head very fresh cauliflower (about 1-1/2 pounds), broken into florets
Salt, to taste
5 1/2 cups water, divided
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat without letting it brown for 15 minutes.

2. Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. Then add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.

3. Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.

4. Thin the soup with 1/2 cup hot water. Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

[c'est Moi!]

Curried Apple Squash Soup
What a great fall meal or side. This make-ahead recipe keeps in the refrigerator for up to four days and up to two months in the freezer. For a main dish option, add cooked, diced chicken or turkey breast (or extra firm tofu cubes) to the pot in the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large)
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2 pounds sweet apples (4-5 apples)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups good apple cider or juice

Directions

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft.
Puree it coarsely in food processor or immersion blender.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick.

Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.

[Tara]

The immersion blender, ie stick blender is awesome for a lot of these soups. Instead of transferring to a blender and back you can do it right in the pot. Love it.
c'est Moi!, a lot of the recipes you posted here are tempting! I'm definitely going to try!! Today I am just doing white bean and escarole. Tomorrow, doing the vegan corn chowder again, with beer can chicken.


White bean escarole soup
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 large chopped leek
4 large garlic cloves, roasted and smashed ( the rest of it goes on garlic bread)
3 to 4 cups escarole ( 1 large head)
6 cups chicken broth ( 4 cups of homemade stock and 2 cups water)
3 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed, drained
1 14 1/2- to 16-ounce whole peeled tomatoes
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large Dutch over medium-low heat. Add leeks and sauté until onion is golden and tender, about 7 minutes. Add roasted garlic and 1 can of the beans. Add 2 cups stock and tomatoes and bring to boil. Stick blend it. Add the rest of the stock, the escarole, and the other 2 cans of beans. Bring to a boil about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until escarole is tender and flavors blend, about 30 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle into soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired and serve.

[Tara]

I am so doing that Cauliflower Soup. I LOVE Cauliflower. :-)

[c'est Moi!]

I am so doing that Cauliflower Soup. I LOVE Cauliflower. :-)

If I make this I would certainly let the onion and cauliflower brown a bit to add flavor so less salt could be used, especially since I don't cook with salt anyway and even less particular about the colour.

[observ]

I'm salivating. This thread could lead me to actually cook something.

[PetShopBoy]

I'm salivating. This thread could lead me to actually cook something.

I agree. Tara crafts some bad-ass soups.

I take the chicken and beef stuffs and turn it into stock...she then takes the stock and turns it into wonderful.

Personally, I've always been a stew man. But I've come around to the artistry that is soup.

[c'est Moi!]

Butternut Squash Soup II



Original recipe makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed

1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

[Tara]

Yummy!

[gildedageinnewyork]

(Not Your Traditional Campbell's) PORK AND BEANS


This was inspired by a dish on Jacques Pepin's cooking program and is Puerto Rican-inspired.

1 lb. dried pinto beans>, soaked for 4 to 8 hours, drained and rinsed

2 T. olive oil
4 thick slices bacon, diced, fat rendered, bacon bits set aside
1 large yellow onion, peeled, sliced
6 large cloves garlic, or to taste, smashed, & peeled
1/2 tsp. salt
Sprinkle with salt and saute, stirring every now and then, onion over medium heat until slices are soft and browned. Add crushed garlic and saute over low heat til soft.

Stir in spices:

1 rounded T. ground cumin>
2 " tsp. " coriander
1 " " dried oregano

and heat until fragrant.

3 ancho chilies, dried
2 guarjillo chilies,dried
1 or 2 dried chipotle chilies, depending on degree of heat desired

Cover with boiling water and let soften for about 10 minutes. Drain water, cut peppers open, remove seeds and ribs, also stems. Tear into pieces and add to blender along with onion mixture,

Place onion/spice mixture, reconstituted peppers, in blender and add

2 C. grape tomatoes
2 C. chicken broth

Cover and blend until pureed.

In large, heavy pot (I use a cast-iron dutch oven), place beans, bacon bits, sauce mixture, stir, bury

2 lb. (more or less) country-style pork ribs

in bean & sauce mixture.

Tuck

2 bay leaves

into mixture. Cover pot, place in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes (just enough to bring contents to temp), lower heat to 250, simmer/bake for 4 or 5 hours or until meat is cooked and beans are soft. About every hour or so, stir contents adding more water if needed, replace cover tightly and resume baking.

What's the deal with the > marks?

In the case of the beans, Jacques suggested something new to me and that was brining the dry beans. Normally, cooks are warned away from adding salt to a dried bean recipe until near the end of the cooking time in order to allow the beans to soften. Imagine my surprise when Mr. Pepin said this is all wrong, that the best way to cook dried beans was to add salt to the water used to soak the beans overnight, drain soaking brine and rinse well, then proceed with the recipe. He explained the scientific application involving the surface of the beans, etc. and lost me not too long after the explanation began. But, this method worked resulting in the most tender. un'"exploded", best beans ever.

The brining measurements I used were 3 T. Kosher Salt dissolved in 8 C water

Another > indicates an alternate method of using dried spicess. When I have the time and inclination to use whole spices, **I toast them in a dry frying pan until fragrant, then grind to a powder in a spice grinder. These extra steps make a noticeable difference in the finished dish, believe me. When time-restricted and/or lazy, I use the bottled, ground spices.

Finally, the > re grape tomatoes. I happened to have them on hand, otherwise would use canned.

Of course, you may adjust amount and kind of chili peppers you use, even adding habenero or scotch bonnet if you happen to be a hard-core chili-head.

[gildedageinnewyork]

Re-reading this thread is providing me with recipes for the entire winter. This year I'm planning on soups and nothing but soups with c'est moi's cauliflower soup next on the agenda.....especiallly since spotting, at one of the 5th Ave. green grocers "cauliflowers 2 for $3.00", nice fresh, generously-sized ones at that.

The Pork and Bean recipe I just submitted can easily be converted into a soup simply by adding additional water or broth.