Field Peas & Greens Soup
If you prefer a meatless version of this soup then leave the bacon out and add 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika to the onion mixture and swap out the chicken stock with vegetable stock. The weather is beginning to turn a bit and I’m all about soups.
INGREDIENTS
5 Ounces Smoked Bacon (Cut Crosswise Into 1/4 Inch Strips)
1 1/2 Cups Chopped Onion
1 Cup Thinly Slice Celery
1 Cup Thinly Sliced Carrots
5 Thinly Sliced Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Small Bay Leaf
2 Teaspoons Chopped Fresh Thyme
2 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Rosemary
6 Cups Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock
3 Cups Shelled Field Peas
3 Cups Lightly Packed Stemmed & Thinly Shredded Leafy Greens (Spinach, Chard, Kale or Escarole)
1/4 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar
Cook bacon in large-size soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir often. You will want it browned and almost crisp. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Spoon off the fat. Stir in onion, celery, carrots, and kosher salt. Cook for 9 minutes until vegetables are softened. Stir often. Add garlic, bay leave, thyme and rosemary. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and field peas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Stir in greens (I used kale) and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, for 7 minutes. You will want greens to be wilted. Add bacon and vinegar. Give a good stir. Remove from heat and serve hot. Serves 4
Beer & Cheddar Soup
A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I had a good beer and cheese soup. On a cold day, this soup will definitely stick to your ribs and bring a big fat smile to your face. Feel free to garnish with whatever you like. Smoked sausage, sliced green onions or crumbled bacon make great garnishes.
INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Whole Milk
2 Cups Chicken Broth
5 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4 Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Cup Ale or Beer of Your Choice
1 Cup Crumbled Cooked Bacon or Garnish of Your Choice
Melt butter in a large-size soup pot and add flour as butter begins to bubble. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking constantly to prevent burning. Stir frequently. Whisk in milk 1/2 cup at a time. Adding more milk when it becomes absorbed into the roux. When roux reaches a thick sauce consistency, start adding chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time. Whisk frequently. Add cheese to soup one handful at a time. Stir until cheese is combined and fully melted before adding more cheese. Reduce heat to low. Add garlic and beer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir frequently. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with crumbled bacon or garnish of your choice. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad. Serves 6
Chickpea Soup
Pale, golden, chickpeas, sometimes called garbanzo beans, are an excellent, low-cost source of protein, and are rich in fiber, protective plant chemicals, and vitamin E. Chickpeas need to be soaked for several hours, then boiled for at least 1 1/2 hours. Chickpeas bought prepared in cans are excellent and still contain the important nutrients. Chickpeas are often eaten in the form of hummus, a Middle Eastern dip, but they can be used to replace meat or poultry in soups, stews, and casseroles. Cooked chickpeas are also ground into flour, which is used widely in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking. It is an alternative to wheat flour in many recipes, including batters, breads, and soups. The weather is beginning to turn a bit cooler so I thought that a nice soup was in order.
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 Cups Dried Chickpeas (Soaked in Cold Water Overnight)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Chopped Onion
3 Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Pound Trimmed and Sliced Swiss Chard
3 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
2 Cups Canned Tomatoes (With Juice)
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Slices of Crusty Italian Bread To Serve With Soup
Drain chickpeas and place in large-size saucepan. Cover with fresh cold water and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours, until tender, topping off with water if necessary. Drain chickpeas, reserving the cooking water. Season chickpeas with kosher salt and pepper. Place 2/3 chickpeas in a food processor or blender with some of the reserved cooking water and process until smooth. Add more of the cooking water if necessary, to achieve a soup consistency. Return to saucepan. Heat olive oil in a medium-size saucepan. Add onions and garlic. Cook over a medium heat. Stir a few times and cook until onion is soft. Add Swiss chard and rosemary. Cook for 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and remaining chickpeas. Cook for another 7 minutes until tomatoes have broken down to an almost smooth sauce. Remove the rosemary sprigs. Add Swiss chard and tomato mixture to the chickpea puree. Simmer for 4 minutes. Ladle into warmed soup bowls and serve with crusty Italian bread. Serves 6
Honeydew Melon Gazpacho
This cold soup is extremely refreshing. The sweet honeydew mixes well with garden fresh cucumbers and onions for a sweetened spin on the traditional tomato gazpacho. Oh and by the way, it’s super easy to make too!
INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons Minced Red Onions
3 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
1 Large Honeydew Melon (About 8 Cups)
1 Large Peeled & Seeded Cucumber
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Put the minced onions into a small size bowl and add the sherry vinegar. Let the onions soak for 20 minutes. Peel and seed the honeydew. Cut the honeydew into 1 inch cubes and place into a medium size bowl. Chop the cucumber and place into the honeydew bowl. Put the onions with the vinegar, honeydew, cucumber and kosher salt into a food processor or a blender. Pulse until pureed. Pour into a large size bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours until the gazpacho is completely chilled. Remove from the fridge when ready to serve and ladle into individual bowls. Serves 4
Okra Tomato Soup
This soup is super fresh and super yummy! If you don’t want to use beef stock then use a vegetable stock.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Peeled & Chopped Ripe Tomatoes
1 Cup Water
1 Pound Trimmed Fresh Okra
4 Cups Beef Stock or Vegetable Stock
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
In a heavy pot place the tomatoes and water and bring to a boil. Add the trimmed okra. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the okra is nice and tender. Add the beef stock, kosher salt, pepper, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large serving bowl. Serves 4
Tomato Bisque
Juicy red tomatoes, butter, cream, salt & pepper are all one needs to make this understated soup. Serve as a starter or as a main course for lunch or dinner.
INGREDIENTS
4 Medium Tomatoes
3 Tablespoons Butter
6 Tablespoons Cream
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil and briefly blanch the tomatoes. Do NOT remove the skins however. Cut them in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice their backs two or three times each with a sharp knife. Season the halves on each side with the kosher salt and pepper. In a large size cast iron pot get the butter sizzling, but don’t let the butter get brown. Place the tomatoes, flesh side down, in the pot. And cook over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Turn the tomatoes onto their backs and turn up the heat slightly. Continue to cook for 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 seconds. Add the cream and stir quickly with a wooden spoon. You will not want the cream to boil, but you will want it to come close to boiling. After everything is off the bottom of the pan then consider yourself done. Pour into two bowls and garnish with basil leaves if you wish. Serve with crusty Italian bread. Serves 2
Sopa Avocado
This is beautiful green soup that is terrific served hot or cold. Make sure that you have good quality avocados for this soup. Garnish with sour cream, diced tomatoes and green onions.
INGREDIENTS
2 Large Avocados
6 Cups Chicken Broth
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Diced Tomato
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
2 Diced Green Onions
Cut the avocados into halves and remove the pits. Scoop out the flesh into a small size bowl. In a medium size sauce pan add 4 cups of the chicken broth and turn the heat to medium low. Pour the remaining 2 cups chicken broth into either a blender or food processor. Add the avocado flesh, kosher salt, pepper and pulse to a smooth puree. Pour the avocado mixture to the saucepan and stir to combine with the heated chicken broth. Cook for 10 minutes on medium low. Do not let this soup boil. Remove from the heat and pour into individual bowls. Garnish with diced tomatoes, diced green onions and sour cream. Serves 4
Sausage Stew
This recipe is great for the slow cooker. If you have a busy week or busy weekend then let your slow cooker make this delicious Sausage Stew!
INGREDIENTS
1 Diced Yellow Pepper
1 Diced Red Onion
4 Cloves Minced Garlic
2 Cups Cooked Kidney Beans
2 Cups Diced Tomatoes
4 Chopped Andouille Sausages
1 Cup Uncooked White Rice
8 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Thyme
2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce
Place the diced yellow and red onions into the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the minced garlic and the kidney beans. Stir. Add the diced tomatoes, chopped sausages, white rice, chicken broth, kosher salt, thyme and hot sauce. Mix well and cover. Cook on high for 5 hours. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread. Serves 4
Southern Italian Pasta Fagioli
I love this lovely Italian soup because it’s hearty, but not too heavy.
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Chopped Carrot
1/2 Cup Chopped Celery
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
4 Minced Garlic Cloves
5 Cups Water
4 Beef Bouillon Cubes
15 Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes With Juice
3 Teaspoons Basil
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Cup Uncooked Ditalini Pasta
20 Ounce Can Undrained Kidney Beans
Extra Olive Oil For Garnish
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Add the olive oil to a large size soup pot and heat over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Cook for 12 minutes making sure to stir occasionally. Add the water, beef bouillon, tomatoes (with juice), basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and turn the heat up to a medium high. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir frequently to ensure that your soup doesn’t stick. Add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and ladle into individual bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 6
Rustic Potato Cheddar Soup
Spring is on its way, but in the meantime let’s warm ourselves up with delicious Rustic Potato Cheddar Soup. Comfort food in its truest form.
INGREDIENTS
4 Bacon Slices
1 Large Onion
1 Pound Boiling Potatoes
1/4 Cup Unbleached Flour
1 3/4 Cups Water
1 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
1/2 Cup Stout Beer
2 Cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 Tablespoons Chopped Chives
Chop the bacon. Place in a large saucepan and cook over a medium heat for 8 minutes until crisp. Stir occasionally. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve the fat in the pan. Chop the onion and peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into half inch cubes. Cook the onion in the reserved fat for 10 minutes over a medium heat. Stir occasionally. In a measuring cup stir together the flour and water. Add the flour mixture to the onions. Add the potatoes and the chicken broth. Stir together and cook on low for 14 minutes. You will want the potatoes to be soft. Add the beer and cook for 10 minutes. Gradually stir in the cheddar cheese, but do not let it boil. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and sprinkle with bacon. Serves 4
