Week 91: Sourdough and Tomato Soup

Today's assignment: make a delicious tomato soup, only make it BETTER by adding delicious carbs.  Dream come true?  Pretty much.

My only complaint with this soup was that the tomato part tasted a little like pasta sauce.  I'm not sure what was needed to make it taste less saucy, and more soupy.  I just imagined that I was using yummy bread to sop up the extra sauce from my pasta, and all was good.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups sourdough bread, without crusts, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup grated ricotta salata
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS
1. Core and quarter plum tomatoes. Place tomatoes in food processor and pulse to chop, but not too fine.


2. Heat oil in 4-quart saucepan. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft, but not browned. Add tomatoes and their juices. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a slow simmer and cook 45 minutes, covered, stirring from time to time.

3. When the soup has simmered for 45 minutes, stir the bread cubes into the soup and simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Check the seasoning.

4. Serve hot or at room temperature, with grated ricotta salata and minced basil strewn on each serving.

Recipe courtesy of The Wednesday Chef

Week 88: Beet Soup

It seems I am in a bit of a predicament. As you might have noticed, I haven't been keeping up with blogging quite as I should have been. Abby and I have still been cooking weekly. I have still been taking pictures of what we have made. I have even used my fancy-schmancy iPhone to start drafts of each recipe as we have made them. I just haven't gone so far as to stick the recipes in there, and publish. Because of that, the recipes I put in here might not be EXACTLY what we made since we get our recipes from ALL over the place, but I'll get as close as I can...

This soup was really interesting. I have been under the impression for years that I simply do NOT like beets. This soup made a pretty good case for beets, but I still prefered the spoonfuls that had a good amount of goat cheese in them. Goat cheese just makes everything better.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
4 red beets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable Stock
Fresh thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 ounces of crumbled goat cheese or 1/4 cup of sour cream

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Clean beets and trim the greens from the bulbs. Slice the beets in half and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Clean the shallot similarly, slicing off the two ends of the onion and removing any papery skin. Slice the onion into fourths and place alongside beets. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the beets are soft and tender when poked with a fork. Remove the beets from the oven and allow to cool slightly before scooping the soft flesh from the skin and placing into a blender. Add the roasted onion, vegetable stock, and fresh thyme. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a small pot, heat until steaming. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with crumbled goat cheese or sour cream. Enjoy.

Week 79: Red Lentil Soup and Oat Soda Bread

I made this soup because:

-The blog I found it on made it sound like it was one of the greatest soups to ever be slurped.
-It's stinkin' cold outside. Can you say Blizzard 2011?
-Red lentils intrigue me. (Even though they were hard to find. Thanks, Whole Foods.)
-It was an excuse to use my immersion blender. What a fun tool that is.

I made the bread because:

-I love carbs.
-Sorry if you thought I had more reasons than that.

The soup was delicious. I ended up pureeing more than the recipe said to simply because I wasn't in the mood for a very chunky soup. I loved how pureeing the beans and veggies gave the soup a creamy, thick texture, but was still so healthy. It inspired me to try playing around my immersion blender with other combinations of beans and veggies. I'll let you know if I find anything great.

The bread was good for what it was. I loved that it was easy since it was a soda bread, and didn't require any yeast. Yeast intimidates me. The seeds on top of the bread were a good addition, and my favorite was the flavor of the caraway seeds. The bread was pretty dense, but was yummy warm with melted butter, or with honey. I may also be a little bitter because of the fact that I sawed into my finger when trying to slice the bread, so I may or may not be holding on to that grudge as I write this review...

SOUP Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS

SOUP INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder, more to taste
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste

SOUP DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Add broth, lentils and carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and season with salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice.

BREAD Year of Yum Rating: 3 STARS

BREAD INGREDIENTS

2 cups (minus about 2 tablespoons) oat flour
~2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and kneading
1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk, plus more if needed, and 2T. for brushing
mixed seeds - sesame, caraway, poppy

BREAD DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Sift the flours, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the flour and pour in the buttermilk. Stir just until everything comes together into a dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead for 30 seconds or so, just long enough for the dough to come together into a cohesive, slightly flattened ball without many cracks or fissures. If your dough is on the dry side, add more buttermilk a small splash at a time. Now ease the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan.

Brush all over the top and sides with buttermilk and sprinkle generously with mixed seeds or flour, 2 tablespoons or so. Slice a few deep slashes across the top of the dough. Bake for about 30 minutes, then quickly (without letting all the hot air out of the oven), move the rack and the bread up a level, so the top of the bread gets nice and toasted. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until a hard crust forms and the bread is baked through. It will feel very solid and sound hollow when you knock on it.

Carefully lift it out of the pan, in a timely fashion, and allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy with a good slathering of salted butter.

Slow-Cooker Recipe: Lone Star Sirloin Chili

I recently checked out from the library a ridiculous number of cookbooks with soup and slow-cooker recipes. With all of the snowy, cold weather, I have been craving these things like nobody's business. This Tex-Mex spin on chili was only made better by the fact that it contained a bottle of beer. I loved the fact that I could taste the flavor of the beer after it was cooked. I was also worried about the steak, and whether it would turn out to be tender enough. It absolutely was, my friends.

Even though this recipe required more preparation on the front end than I am used to with slow cooker recipes, the smell I woke up to the following morning after it cooking all night made it worth it.

I WILL be making this again. Maybe tomorrow since we have another snow day...

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (This was the most time-consuming part of the process. I think I will ask the meat counter next time if they have a machine that might make this easier. Also, the dude behind the counter asked if I wanted the top (read: good) sirloin, or if I wanted the less expensive one. We decinded on the cheaper one since it would have 8-10 hours to get tender in the slow-cooker.)
2 teaspoons salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large sweet onions, coursely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno (I used the whole thing...seeds and all. Don't be scared!)
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 cups beef broth
one 12-ounce bottle Lone Star beer (I didn't have this, so I used Dos Equis Amber. Totally worked.)
one 15-ounce can tomato puree
two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS
Sprinkle the beef evenly with te salt and cayenne. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef in batches and brown on all sides.

Transfer the meat to the insert of a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker.

Lower the heat to medium-low and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeno, chile powder, cumin, and oregano and saute until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes, being careful to stir the mixture so the chile powder doesn't burn. Add the cornmeal and stir until blended with the other ingredients, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, whisking, and bring to a boil.

Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the beer, tomato puree, and beans. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened.

Skim off any fat from the top of the chili. Serve the chili with yummy toppings like tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, and chopped pickled jalapenos.

Week 74: Lemon, Chicken, and Rice Soup

First of all, let me officially acknowledge the fact that I'm a slacker. I realize that. I sometimes have little lapses in keeping up with blogging the recipes that I've been trying. I could make excuses. I could. OR I could just make it up to you with an explosion of recipes RIGHT NOW. No guarantees that they will be in order.

First off, I'm-Sick-For-the-Beginning-of-Winter-Break soup. That's not actually what it's called, but it might as well be. Why does this nasty cold wait until I have a BREAK to make its appearance? Oh well, this soup is helping me make my recovery. This soup AND expensive decongestants, AND a whole lot of Kleenex.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

I really liked this soup, and loved what the lemon had to add to the flavor. I did think that it was a little thinner than I had hoped for, and if I made it again (WHEN I make it again) I will add more "stuff" such as additional veggies and more rice, or maybe even noodles.

INGREDIENTS
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oilve oil
1 onion, minced
6 cups chicken stock
1 medium carrot, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup long grain brown rice, cooked
4 large egg yolks
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS
Prep the chicken by patting dry and dicing into bite sized pieces. Season as desired and set aside.

In a large pot over medium high heat add oil. Add the onions and cook until the onions are translucent. Then add the chicken to the pot and cook until lightly browned. Add the stock to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.

Add the carrots, thyme, and rice. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice and yolks together in a bowl. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle 1 cup of the hot soup into the egg mixture, then stir the egg mixture back into the soup. Reheat over low heat for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with a garnish of fresh parsley.

Easy + Cozy = DELICIOUS

My favorite thing about crockpot recipes is that you can put the ingredients in before work, and you can come home to a completed home-cooked meal. Sometimes I don't try slow-cooker recipes because I am going to be gone longer than I am supposed to cook it for. So until I get a crockpot with a timer, I will be looking for recipes that cook for 8-10 hours.

This minestrone soup had a lot of things going for it:

Healthy? Check! (Seriously...look at all those veggies!)

Easy? Check! (It just required a little bit of veggie-chopping the night before, and then I was able to throw it all in the crockpot that morning.)

Long cook-time? Check! (I was able to not worry about it all day.)

I also liked that I got to add in uncooked pasta about 30 minutes before I wanted to eat the soup.

INGREDIENTS
8 cups beef broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (whole can, Italian-seasoned)
1 cup dry beans: I used mixed soup beans, --- rinsed in hot water
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 tablespoon dried minced onion (or 1 small onion, finely diced)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup uncooked pasta

DIRECTIONS
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour broth into your cooker, and add tomatoes and the beans.

Add vegetables, seasoning, and thawed spinach. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the beans are soft. Add dry pasta, and cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until pasta is bite tender. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Week 69: Dried Mushroom Soup

I've been wanting to make a mushroom soup for a while, and a lot of the recipes that I have run across have called for re-hydrated/dried mushrooms. My mom had a huge vat of dried mushrooms from Costco, so I went ahead and tried the recipe on the side of the container. I considered trying to make it healthier, but decided I didn't' want to change it TOO much the first time I made it. The only thing I changed was to use half and half instead of heavy cream.

Year of Yum Rating: 2 STARS

Here's the deal. The flavor was good-ish. The problem was that the mushrooms (especially the larger ones) were incredibly rubbery, and I just couldn't get over it. It's possible that I just prepared them incorrectly, but I still think I am going to find a recipe using fresh mushrooms next time. I think I also prefer soups that I don't have to chew. Does that make me lazy...?

INGREDIENTS
3 cups re-hydrated Gourmet Mushroom Blend
2 large onions, finely chopped
8 large cloves of garlic, crushed
2-3 Tablespoons freshly chopped thyme
3 cups half and half
6 cups chicken broth
2-3 Tablespoons sea salt
1 stick whole butter
1/2-1 cup flour (more flour = thicker soup)
1 cups sherry

DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot, melt the butter on medium low heat. Cook the garlic and onion until translucent. Add the re-hydrated mushrooms and cook until the moisture is mostly gone. Add the flour. Stirring often, cook for 5-7 minutes or until the flour looks and/or smells slightly toasted. Add the wine, and cook for two minutes. Add the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for fifteen minutes. Add the fresh thyme and cream and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve with crunchy croutons or toast.

Week 49: Grilled Cheese with Apples and Broccoli Soup

I already love grilled cheese, but adding the tartness of Granny Smith apples to the sandwich made it that much yummier! I originally had wanted to make parsnip soup to go with our sandwiches, but I had a little parsnip drama, so I found a broccoli soup recipe instead. I wanted a soup recipe that was a little lighter, and less creamy. It got its creaminess from a potato.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS for the Sandwich, and 3 1/2 STARS for the soup

INGREDIENTS

Sandwich:
bread of your choice
cheddar cheese
Granny Smith apple
butter

Soup:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cubed
4 cups fresh broccoli, including stems, chopped
2 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil on medium heat in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Gently sauté onion and celery for 3-4 minutes, until onion is softened. Add potato and chopped broccoli, followed by the broth and milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Allow soup to cool slightly, then transfer to a blender in 2-3 batches, and blend until smooth. Return soup to pot and heat gently until ready to serve. In the meantime, make your delicious sandwiches.