Chicken Tortilla Soup

Sally sent me this recipe several weeks ago, but I've been waiting to publish it.  I feel like after so much filling food in December, January is always a great time for soups.  This one looks really yummy!  I can't wait to try it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
2 t. chili powder
1 t. oregano
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 (10.5-oz.) can chicken broth
1 & 1/4 C. water
1 C. cooked corn kernels (or canned)
1 C. white hominy (same section as canned corn)
1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chilis
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
2 chicken breasts, cooked & cut into small pieces (or use a rotisserie
chicken, would use 1/2 of the chicken for this serving size, give or
take depending on how much chicken you want)

Garnish: tortilla chips, avocado, Monterrey jack cheese, sour cream, green onions, whatever sounds good!

Preparation:
Sauté onions in olive oil with garlic on low heat for awhile to cook down (I like to cook out onion flavor). Transfer to large pot & stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth & water. Bring to a boil &simmer about 10 minutes. Stir in corn, hominy, chilis, beans, cilantro & chicken. Simmer another 10 minutes. Serve and top with garnish.

French Onion Soup

Several years ago my mom gave me the Williams-Sonoma French cookbook.  The front cover has an amazing picture of French Onion Soup.  I have been a HUGE fan of French Onion Soup for as long as I can remember!  If it's on the menu, I'm probably going to order it!  Since I've been on Christmas break this week, I decided to finally try making the soup recipe from the cookbook.  I am so pleased with how it turned out!  I will definitely be making this again.  The dark broth and rich texture make this is a perfect soup to serve at fancy Christmas brunch or dinner. 

Two-Onion Soup Gratinee
(Serves 8)
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
4 large red onions, thinly sliced
4 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. sugar
7 cups (56 fl oz) beef stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dry white wine
12 slices baguette, each 1/4 inch thick
1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup (3oz) shredded Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
In a large, nonaluminum Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil.  Add the red and yellow onions and saute until wilted, about 15 minutes.  Add the sugar and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onions are richly colored and caramelized, 30-45 minutes longer.  (If the onions start to brown too quickly toward the beginning of the caramelizing process, you may need to reduce the heat slightly.) 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add the stock, garlic, bay leaf, and wine to the pan.  Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, toast the baguette slices: arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden, watching carefully to prevent burning, 5-7 minutes.

Add the thyme to the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Discard the bay leaf.

To serve, preheat the broiler.  Ladle the soup into individual ovenproof soup bowls.  Place 2 or 3 baguette slices on top of each serving and sprinkle evenly with the cheese.  Place the soup bowls on a baking sheet and slide under the broiler about 4 inches from the heat source.  Broil until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, 3-4 minutes.  Sprinkle a little parsley over each soup bowl and serve at once.

Corn Chowder with Potatoes, Poblanos, and Smoked Gouda

I made this soup for the first time earlier this month, and it's great for Fall.  My favorite thing about it is that it can be made in the slow cooker but only takes 3-4 hours to cook.  I will say that the smoked gouda is very apparent in the taste, so if you don't like smoked gouda, you might want to use a different cheese.

Picture by Ben Piper (Foodista)

Corn Chowder with Potatoes, Poblanos, and Smoked Gouda
From:  Foodista and 50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker
Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter or ghee

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound small potatoes, sliced

1 bay leaf

4 sprigs fresh thyme

6 cups water

4 cups fresh or frozen corn

2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, and diced, or 1 (4-ounce) can diced roasted chiles

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup grated smoked cheddar or Gouda cheese, divided

Salt (preferably smoked)

¼ cup grated smoked cheddar or Gouda cheese

Chopped chives, for garnishing

 

Directions:

1.  In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

2.  Transfer the onion to a 7-quart slow cooker and add the potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and water. Cover and cook on LOW for about 4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender.

3.  Mash some of the potatoes against the inside of the cooker or use a handheld immersion blender to puree a small amount of potato and thicken the soup slightly.

4.  Add the corn, chiles, half-and-half, and ¾ cup of the cheddar. Add the salt to taste and continue cooking for 20 to 30 minutes, or just until all the ingredients are hot.

5.  Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each bowl with the remaining cheddar and chopped chives.

Irish Beef Stew with Dumplings - from Emma

Emma of 30by30 invited Kate of Bookworm to Bombshell and me over for lunch today.  Emma and Kate are fun friends from grad school.  We celebrated St. Patrick's Day a day early with Emma's amazing Irish Stew.  It's a very hearty stew - definitely a meal all on its own.  She just sent me the recipe, and I couldn't wait to share!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Beef Stew with Dumplings
Ingredients:
4 cups of vegetable broth

7 small russet potatoes peeled and chopped
5 carrots peeled and chopped
1/2 stalk of celery chopped
1.5 pounds of beef for stew
Salt and pepper
7 large cloves of garlic, chopped coarsely
LOTS of rosemary

Directions:
Put the broth, potatoes, carrots, and garlic in the pot and let them begin to soften.  (If the top of the veggies is not covered add water to cover.)  Brown the meat in a sauce pan and pour into pot with veggies.  Add celery, salt, pepper and rosemary.

Dumplings
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons butter
3/4 cup milk
Chopped rosemary
Directions:
Combine all ingredients and spoon into boiling stew, cover to steam. 
Emma says, "the recipe for the dumplings said 12 minutes for steaming but I left them in for more like 30 while boiling."

Hot and Sour Soup

I decided that it would be fun to have a Asian inspired theme week! So, I'll start by posting a new recipe that I tried this weekend. I will say that it was very time consuming, but also very tasty! It takes a while to make the chicken stock - so I might suggest using a store-bought stock and then heating it on the stove with the ingredients listed in "Chinese Chicken Stock" recipe that follows. Whole chickens are sometimes expensive, so if you do make your own stock look for sales in the poultry section and buy whatever is least expensive - I ended up buying a cut chicken. I also didn't have the BBQ pork, so I took out some of the chicken from the stock as soon as it was cooked through and used it in place of the pork. But if you happen to have leftover BBQ - this would be a great way to use it! This soup is very spicy and flavorful. Even though some of these ingredients are different, they are easy to find (Asian specialty section of the grocery store) and can be used in other Asian dishes.

Hot and Sour Soup
(Recipe by Tyler Florence)
4 dried Chinese fungi (about 1 ounce), such as wood ears or cloud ears (*I used shitake mushrooms)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon red chile paste, such as sambal oelek
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, sliced
1/4 pound barbecued pork, shredded
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch sugar
2 quarts Chinese Chicken Stock, recipe follows
1 square firm tofu, drained and sliced in 1/4-inch strips
3 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Chopped green onions and cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions
Put the wood ears in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes to reconstitute. Drain and rinse the wood ears; discard any hard clusters in the centers.
Heat the oil in a wok or large pot over medium-high flame. Add the ginger, chili paste, wood ears, bamboo shoots, and pork; cook and stir for 1 minute to infuse the flavor. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar in a small bowl, pour it into the wok and toss everything together - it should smell really fragrant. Pour in the Chinese Chicken Stock, bring the soup to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tofu and cook for 3 minutes.
Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir until smooth. Mix the slurry into the soup and continue to simmer until the soup thickens. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in 1 direction to get a current going, then stop stirring. Slowly pour in the beaten eggs in a steady stream and watch it spin around and feather in the broth (it should be cooked almost immediately.) Garnish the hot and sour soup with chopped green onions and cilantro before serving.

Chinese Chicken Stock:
1 (4-pound) whole chicken
1 bunch green onions, halved
4 garlic cloves, smashed
3-inch piece fresh ginger, whacked open with the flat side of a knife
1 onion, halved
1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
About 3 quarts cold water

Directions:
Put the chicken in a large stockpot and place over medium heat. Toss in the green onions, garlic, ginger, onion, and peppercorns. Pour about 3 quarts of cold water into the pot to cover the chicken by 1-inch. Simmer gently for 1 hour, uncovered, skimming off the foam on the surface periodically.
Carefully remove the chicken from the pot and pass the stock through a strainer lined with cheesecloth to remove the solids and excess fat. Cool the chicken stock to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator, or chill it down over ice first.
Yield: About 2 quarts

White Bean and Chicken Chili - from Melissa

I have not been very good about cooking new recipes and updating the blog amidst our move this month! But luckily, I've had several friends send some great recipes for me to post. I'm finally trying some new things this week - so I'll let you know how they go! But please keep sending recipes!!

This is a recipe that my wonderful sister-in-law, Melissa, sent me last week. It looks so good!! It seems like it will be a perfect comfort food during all of this cold weather we're having and is a great alternative to a more traditional beef chili.

White Bean and Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground chicken
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 tablespoons flour
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Beef Stew

I first tried this recipe about a month ago. It is a great meal to have during all of this cold weather! I'm planning on cooking it again this week! I made it in a stock pot the first time. It was good, but better when we had it the next day because it was able to cook longer so the meat was more tender. This time I may try it in the crock pot so I don't have to watch it, and it will have enough time to simmer.

Beef Stew
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds stew beef
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
1 to 2 medium carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups beef broth
1 cup dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary, or a dash of crumbled dried rosemary

Method:
Trim stew beef and cut in small bite-size pieces. Put in a food storage bag with the flour, onion powder, and seasoned salt; toss to coat well.

Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat; add beef to hot oil and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Add the onion and celery; continue cooking, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add carrots, garlic, broth, wine, and rosemary; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for about an hour*, or until beef is tender. Serve with biscuits or hot cooked noodles. Serves 6.

*I would suggest letting it simmer for about 3 hours. It will be good after an hour, but the beef may not be tender enough to eat without a knife yet. If you have time, let it cook for several hours until the beef starts to fall apart easily - the flavors will also be better. This is a really rich stew - so yummy! And it's a meal all on its own. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

My parents sent us home with a ham after Christmas. I was so good! But we wanted to do something with the ham bone when we finished with the ham. We found this recipe and tried it last week. It has so much flavor!

Notes: This recipe does require some preparation since the beans need to soak overnight. If you don't like spicy foods, leave out the anaheim pepper. If you don't have a ham bone, you can substitute vegetable stock for the water.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
16 ounces dry black beans
2 quarts water
bone from a large ham
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 anaheim pepper, minced
2 chipotle peppers, minced
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, cut into chunks (or a 15-ounce/434 g can of diced tomatoes with the juice)
1 teaspoon chili powder
6 cloves garlic, minced
water, enough to just cover the other ingredients
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Method:
*The night before you make the soup, pick through the beans and remove any bad ones. Put the beans into the pot and add 2 quarts of water. Remove the beans that float. Allow to soak overnight. Drain.

Place the ham bone in the bottom of the slow cooker pot. Add the soaked beans, all the peppers, onion, tomatoes, chili powder, and garlic. Add water, just enough to cover everything. Put on the lid and cook on high for about 6 to 7 hours or on low for 9 to 10 hours, until the beans are tender.
About 1 hour before serving, add the salt and fresh ground pepper. Stir and put the lid back on. Immediately before serving, take out the ham bone and use an immersion blender to stir the ingredients together and break some of the beans. It is very creamy and can be served with sour cream, cheese, and corn chips.

Black Bean Soup - by Katie Groves

This recipe was submitted to the blog by my college friend, Katie. I'm sure it will be great! I can't wait to try it!

Katie says...
"If you like red beans and rice ... this is a much healthier version with black beans and turkey sausage. Only about 150 calories per serving (not including rice)."

Nancy's Black Bean Soup
1 bag black beans
2-3 ham hocks
1 can chicken broth
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp groun cumin
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 diced poblano peper
1 diced jalapeno
1 ring turkey sausage, sliced into rounds
Tobasco Sauce

Soak beans with ham hocks as per package (can be done by boiling or soaking overnight). About an hour before you're ready to eat the soup, remove ham hocks and discard. Turn stove heat on high and add remaining ingredients to beans and stir. Bring to a gentle boil for 2 minutes, than let simmer on low-med/low heat for approx. 45min-1hr. Serve over white rice and garnish with sour cream and scallions or cilantro. Yields: about 10 servings.

Can be frozen and is great left over!