Soups
Cream of Tomato Soup Elevated
2 14 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes pureed in a blender or food processor
1 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz plain yogurt (we use goat yogurt due to milk allergies)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 or 5 basil leaves; chiffonade (rolled and cut into ribbons)
2 TBSP sautéed pancetta crumbles
2 TBSP goat cheese crumbles
In a sauce pan bring olive oil and garlic to a sizzle. Carefully add tomatos, yogurt, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat stirring constantly. Spoon into bowls and top with basil, pancetta, and goat cheese.
Tangy Chorizo and Tomatillo Soup
1 pound chorizo sausage (if you can find authentic smoked chorizo sausage, cut into bite sized pieces and set aside. If not, remove from casings and brown in a fry pan and set aside)
8 fresh tomatillos; husks removed and roasted (directions to follow)
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion; diced
3 cloves garlic; minced
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 14 oz cans roasted diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
2 14 oz cans black beans; drained and rinsed
Juice from one lime
1 cup chopped cilantro
Oven roast the tomatillos by placing on a foil lined cookie sheet and broiling 6 inches from the heat source for 5 minutes on one side. Remove from oven and turn to other side and broil another 5 minutes, or until soft and slightly charred. Puree in a blender and set aside for the soup.
In a large dutch oven or stock pot, sauté onions in olive oil until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and cumin and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add pureed tomatillos, tomatoes, and chicken broth bring to a simmer and reduce heat allowing to simmer about 30 minutes. Add beans, chorizo, lime and cilantro and heat through for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with additional lime wedges and cilantro and a dash of smokey Tabasco.
Italian Sausage Meatball Soup
Meatballs
1 lb italian sausage
1 lb ground pork
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated peccorino romano
1 egg; beaten
Salt
Soup Base
2 carrots; chopped
2 sticks celery; chopped
1 medium yellow onion; chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt
3 cloves garlic; minced
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 14 oz can roasted, diced tomatoes
4 cups baby spinach; roughly chopped
8 oz ditalini pasta; prepared according to package directions
several basil leaves chiffonade
grated peccorino romano
In a large bowl combine all the meatball ingredients and mix with your hands until completely homogeneous. Line a sheet pan with foil and set a cooling rack on top. Spray rack with cooking spray. Using a medium sized disher, scoop meatball mixture and roll into balls--about the size of a walnut. Place formed meatball on the cooling rack and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, turning once to brown evenly.
While meatballs bake, heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add carrots, celery and onions, salt and saute until soft and beginning to brown around edges, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 30 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook another 10 minutes. Add prepared diatlini and spinach and cook until spinach just begins to wilt, about 30 seconds. Serve and garnish with a few drizzles of olive oil, chiffonade basil and grated peccorino.
Black Bean Soup
1 lb dried black beans
8 to 10 ounce ham steak
8 cups water
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces diced pancetta
2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
1 onion diced
2 clove garlic minced
1 tsp chipotle pepper
4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
1/2 lime
Garnishes:
diced red onion
diced avocado
lime wedges
sour cream
chopped cilantro
Queso fresca or Queso blanco
Tabasco
Rinse and pick over dried beans. Place in a large Dutch oven with the whole ham steak and cover with water. Add baking soda, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1/2 hour. Remove ham steak from the pot. Remove the rind and bone, dice into bite sized pieces, and refrigerate. Cover pot with a lid and let beans sit off heat for two hours. Pour beans and liquid into a large container, reserving all. Wipe out Dutch oven and return to stove. Add diced pancetta and saute over medium heat until fat renders and pancetta is browned, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon remove the pancetta and set aside, leaving rendered fat in the pot. Add diced carrots, celery, onion, and minced garlic to the pancetta fat, add a little salt to help draw out any moisture, and saute until softened and just beginning to take on color, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle sauteed veggies with chipotle pepper and saute until fragrant. Return beans and reserved liquid to the pot with the vegetables. Add broth and bring soup to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the beans are soft, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Test several beans to check for doneness. Return reserved ham and pancetta to the soup and heat through. Squeeze 1/2 lime into soup. Serve with desired garnishes.
Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
Stock:
Approximately 2 pounds of turkey pieces (breasts and legs are good, but I prefer thighs if I can get them)
1 tablespoon oil
8 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
2 cups dry white wine (optional)
8 whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 stalk celery cut into 3 inch pieces with leaves intact
1 onion quartered and peeled
Heat oil in very large heavy pot or dutch oven. Salt and pepper turkey pieces on all sides and brown on all sides in oil. Add rest of ingredients to pot and bring to a boil, skimming foam off top as it rises. Reduce to low, cover pot and simmer for two hours, until turkey pieces are cooked through. Strain solids reserving stock/broth and turkey. Allow turkey to cool until you can shred the meat from the bones with your fingers. Shred into bite sized pieces and reserve.
Soup:
2 teaspoons oil
3 stalks of celery, diced small
3 peeled carrots, diced small
1 onion or two shallots, diced small
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp baking soda (this aids in softening the rice especially if you used wine in the stock)
2 cups wild rice
reserved stock
reserved turkey pieces
In very large, heavy pot or dutch oven saute celery, carrots, and onions in oil until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, basil, and rosemary and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wild rice and toss, coating with oil, vegetables and aromatics. Add reserved stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 45-60 minutes until rice is tender. Add reserved turkey meat and heat through before serving.
Shrimp in Thai Red Curry
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons lemon zest (a substitute for lemon grass)
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (found in the Asian foods section of your local grocery store)
4 bottles clam juice (chicken broth would be better, but it was a Lenten Friday for us)
2 14 ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water
1 can bamboo shoots drained and julienned
1 carrot julienned
1 red bell pepper julienned
10-15 cherry tomatoes
1/2 pineapple cut in to chunks
1 pound large frozen shrimp; defrost, peel, and clean
Salt to taste
Sticky white rice cooked according to package directions
Toss thawed shrimp with 2 teaspoons salt and set aside. In a large soup pot saute garlic and ginger in oil over medium heat until fragrant, about 30-45 seconds. Add lemon zest and red curry paste and saute another 30 seconds. Pour in clam juice and coconut milk and bring to a soft boil. Add cornstarch mixture. Reduce heat to med low and simmer about 15 minutes. Add bamboo, carrot, bell pepper, tomatoes, and pineapple and cook 5-7 minutes to soften just a touch. Add seasoned shrimp and stir, cooking gently until it is just cooked through 1 1/2 to 3 minutes. Taste curry and season as needed with more salt.
Using large soup bowls place a nice mound of sticky rice in the center of each bowl. Gently ladle curry around the rice and serve. Wingnut likes his curry on the spicy side so we serve an Asian spicy chili sauce on the side so he can spice it up to his liking.
2 14 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes pureed in a blender or food processor
1 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz plain yogurt (we use goat yogurt due to milk allergies)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 or 5 basil leaves; chiffonade (rolled and cut into ribbons)
2 TBSP sautéed pancetta crumbles
2 TBSP goat cheese crumbles
In a sauce pan bring olive oil and garlic to a sizzle. Carefully add tomatos, yogurt, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat stirring constantly. Spoon into bowls and top with basil, pancetta, and goat cheese.
Cream of Tomato Soup Elevated
2 14 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes pureed in a blender or food processor
1 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz plain yogurt (we use goat yogurt due to milk allergies)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 or 5 basil leaves; chiffonade (rolled and cut into ribbons)
2 TBSP sautéed pancetta crumbles
2 TBSP goat cheese crumbles
In a sauce pan bring olive oil and garlic to a sizzle. Carefully add tomatos, yogurt, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat stirring constantly. Spoon into bowls and top with basil, pancetta, and goat cheese.
