Tag Archives: soup

Tomato and Pesto Soup With Meatballs

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Care for a warm and fuzzy-feeling inducing soup? I know I did last night. It was cold, rainy, and very windy. But not so inside my tiny kitchen. In there I threw together a few ingredients and in no time I had a fabulous soup thanks to Rachael Ray’s Double Tomato and Pesto Cup-o-Soup from her Cookin’ Round the Clock cookbook. The original recipe uses store-bought basil pesto but a few months back Jay’s mom supplied us with several jars of delicious parsley pesto, which gave the soup a fresh and sweet taste to it. The recipe is also meatless but Rachael suggests adding meatballs, chicken, or bits of seafood to “bump up the protein.” I took her advice and threw in the frozen pork and fennel meatballs I had made a few weeks ago, which were phenomenal and fit perfectly with the tomato soup.

Tomato and Pesto Soup With Meatballs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Approx 2 cups meatballs

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup dry sherry, or white wine

3 cups chicken broth

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup pesto

Heat the oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, carrot, and meatballs and cook about 5 minutes. Season with pepper and salt if you like but I found the soup didn’t need any added salt. Add the sherry and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and crushed tomatoes and cook until bubbly. Stir in the pesto until everything is combined and serve with a few sprinkles of Parmesan.

Repeat: Acorn Squash and Garlic Soup

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Yes, it’s that time of year – squash-eating time!

Jay and I are huge fans of squash soup and we try to make it as often as we can, especially during cold months. We picked up an acorn squash last week that at the time did not seem as huge as I realised when I went to cut it. I only ended up using half the squash. Perhaps I’ll make a curry with the remaining squash…

Just look at the size of that thing!

 

I wanted to play around with the recipe I’ve used in the past but still get a little surprise taste in every other bite haha. The recipe allows for a simple soup in that you taste the sweet squash and the earthy garlic. To give it a little kick, I used fresh ginger and fresh oregano (from our terrace garden! So pleased at how it’s grown), and leftover ham from Thanksgiving, but overall, the stars of the show were the garlic and squash.

Acorn Squash and Garlic Soup

900g/2lbs acorn squash, seeded and cut in half, or quarters in my case

1 head of garlic, unpeeled and separated in half

2 small carrots or 1 large, chopped

1 onion chopped

4 cups water

2 tsp chicken stock like Better Than Bouillon or 2 cubes of broth

approx 1 tsp chopped ginger

approx 1 tbsp fresh oregano

1/4 cup heavy cream *optional

1 cup cooked ham cut into small pieces *optional

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Coat squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place flesh side down in a baking dish. In a piece of foil, place the garlic and drizzle with oil. Wrap the garlic and place in the baking dish as well. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until squash is tender. Scoop out the flesh when ready and peel the garlic, no need to mash it because it’s going in the blender.

Pour some olive oil into a large pot over medium heat and add the carrots, onion, and ginger, stirring often until softened. Add the water and broth and cook, covered, on medium low heat for 20 minutes. Add the oregano leaves, squash, and garlic and continue to cook another 10 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches. You can make it as chunky or as smooth as you like. I kept my soup somewhat smooth with a few bits of garlic and ginger floating around – amazing to bite into!

Return soup to heat and add the cream and ham, if using. Cook uncovered for about 5 minutes just to reheat everything and then serve.

Perfect for a chilly fall afternoon.

Hot Soup Weather

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Luckily the weather here in Vancouver has finally started to warm up and the sun has been making more appearances. But I’m not getting excited just yet – that sun has a tendency to disappear in the blink of an eye.

Anyway, without the warmth and sunlight, last week was all about hot soups and it all started with a hot and spicy tomato soup.

Ingredients:

5 tomatoes, cut into wedges

6 cloves of garlic, yes I love garlic

2 serrano peppers, cut in half –  if you can’t handle the heat use something milder like jalapeno or no hot pepper at all

For this recipe I sort of just threw things together so there are no specific measurements – if you want more tomatoes and less garlic or you want to add something else entirely that’s all up to you.

Next I tossed the tomatoes, garlic, and hot peppers in a large bowl with a bit of olive oil, fresh ground pepper, and oregano.

Then I baked the mixture for about an hour at 350F.

A few minutes before the tomatoes were ready I heated some oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauteed about half a chopped onion. Once the onion was soft I threw in the cooked tomatoes and sauteed them a couple of minutes. Next I added 3 cups of water and a teaspoon of broth paste (it’s called Better Than Bouillon and it’s fantastic). In this soup I used chicken flavour. I’m pretty sure I added a splash of sherry but I don’t remember. It’s a very basic soup so you can add the spices you prefer like curry or paprika.

I let that cook on low heat for 20 minutes or so and then I blended the soup in batches. If you have a food processor that would be ideal but I used a blender.

Return to heat for another 10 or 15 minutes and serve.

Now, a word of caution: using 2 serrano peppers may have been a bit much but boy did it have a nice kick! I didn’t need to wear a sweater while eating this soup :)

 

The next day we had more rain and gloom so it was only natural that I should make more soup.

This time I made a Chickpea and Mushroom soup.

I probably should have written down what I did but I might have been too hungry to do that…I also didn’t take any  pictures.

This is another basic soup that you can alter to suit your taste. From what I can remember here are the ingredients I used:

1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms

1 1/2 cups chickpeas, we used dried chickpeas that we soaked over night and then boiled before making the soup

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 serrano pepper, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

And I can’t remember which spices I used but most likely oregano, thyme, and fresh ground pepper.

2 cups chopped spinach

In a large pot over medium heat, sautee the mushrooms, chickpeas, onion, and hot pepper. Add the bay leaves and the spices you like and then add about 3 or 4 cups of water and a teaspoon of broth (again I used chicken flavour Better Than Bouillon). Let that cook on low heat for about a half hour and then use your blender or food processor again (make sure you remove the bay leaves!) to make a thick and comforting soup. Return the soup to heat and add the chopped spinach and cook for another 5 minutes and then serve with some crusty fresh baked bread. Yum yum!!

 

 

 

 

Pesto chicken noodle soup

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Whenever my mom made chicken soup she didn’t cut the chicken into little itty bitty pieces – she’d throw in whole chicken legs and then she’d separate the drumstick and thigh, keeping them both in tact. That is how I like my chicken soups, with an entire drumstick poking out of the broth.

The smell of carrots and onion boiling in a pot of chicken broth is probably the most comforting aroma ever. It takes me back to cold nights as a kid snuggling with my mom, playing games or listening to her stories.

Speaking of moms, Jay’s mom lovingly made us a nice batch of home made pesto, which we’ve been gorging on because it’s so good. I’d previously purchased a bottle of pesto but last night there was no question as to which one I’d be using. Mom’s pesto is way better, in our opinion.

This recipe comes, again, from Jean Pare’s 30 Minute Pantry. Seriously, if you can find that book, get it.

Here’s what I used:

1 carrot, sliced

1 onion, chopped (original recipe says to use celery)

4 cups ready made chicken broth

1 cup water

about 3 handfuls of egg noodles

four chicken drumsticks

another onion, chopped

2 tbsp pesto

Into a pot on medium-high heat put the chicken broth and water. Add the carrot and onion and bring to a boil then add the noodles and cook until carrot is tender. While that’s happening, cook the chicken in a pan with some oil and the other chopped onion. The original recipe says to use boneless chicken thigh cut into small pieces so it will cook faster but because I used drumsticks it took a lot longer. Basically, just cook until it’s not pink inside. The onions started to burn a little so I added a bit of water, which sort of caramelized everything. Once the chicken is cooked through, add the pesto and mix to coat everything. Add to the pot of soup and stir. I let it simmer for a few minutes more to combine flavours.

Home made pesto from Jay’s mom.

Spicy Coconut Chicken Soup with Rice

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It’s been one of those days today.

It’s been pretty gloomy weather here in Vancouver with grey stormy clouds and off and on rain. Over Thanksgiving weekend I caught a very bad cold from my future sister-in-law, which I am fully battling at this moment. I went with Jay to buy an antenna for our TV so I could watch something other than reruns on Netflix but unfortunately I couldn’t get it to work after an hour of walking around with the antenna, pointing it this way and holding it that way. To top it all off I think during my sleep last night I must have rubbed my right eye too forcefully because now it feels as though I got a black eye. Or maybe Jay elbowed me in the face.

Anyway, it’s been a shitty day. My solution to easing the discomfort? Chicken soup…with a few exotic extras added to the mix.

This recipe is a very altered version from my Indian cookbook, which originally is meant to be shrimp soup but as Jay doesn’t eat seafood anymore I had to improvise. Also, this was supposed to be pureed but we still haven’t replaced our food processor so everything had to be diced.

Here’s what I used:

approx a pound of chicken breast

two small onions or one large onion

two small tomatoes or one large tomato

two cloves of garlic

fresh cilantro – I think I was supposed to use 1/4 cup but over the weekend my cilantro went bad and I was only able to salvage a tablespoon

1 tbsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp turmeric

approx 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 small can coconut milk

Place chicken and finely chopped garlic in a pot with 5 cups of water and salt to taste. Cook until chicken is done then remove the chicken and let it cool. Reserve the liquid as this will be the soup base. While the chicken is cooking dice the onions very finely. Finely dice the tomatoes with the cilantro and put aside. In a saucepan cook the onion in a tbsp of oil until golden then add the turmeric and coriander.  Add the tomato and cilantro mixture and cayenne pepper and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. While that’s happening shred or cut the cooked chicken into small bits and put back into the soup pot. When the tomato and onion mixture is done add it to the soup pot then add the coconut milk and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes.  Simmer for another 5 minutes and then serve with some basmati rice.

Two Soup Fails?

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Wednesday was a cloudy, dark, and gloomy day. Soft, light snow fell followed by heavy, wet snow – perfect day for hot steamy dishes like soup. For lunch I wanted something simple and comforting. On top of the fridge we have a bag of alphabet pasta Jay and I purchased on a whim several months ago and at last I felt inclined to make use of it. In a small pot I put a cup of previously made chicken stock and a cup of water and while it heated on the stove I looked around in the fridge for something else to throw in besides alphabet pasta. I added two small pieces of cassava (yucca), about 2 oz each, 3 oz of skinless, boneless chicken breast, and 2 garlic cloves broken in half. I left the pot cooking on medium heat, thinking that maybe I should have added more water. 20 minutes later the cassava was cooked – it had swelled and absorbed a large amount of water so I added a little more to make it soup-y. The chicken was cooked and the garlic made everything smell like a cozy cottage during a snowstorm. This is when I added the alphabet pasta. 10 minutes later I checked back and what I found was a pot of gooey slop. It was not the soup I had looked forward to but it smelled amazing. I topped it with a bit of sour cream and paprika. Jay, who said it didn’t look very appetizing, tried a bite and then another and another. “Damn, that’s pretty good,” he said. So simple in taste and so easy to make. I will call it Alphabet Cassava Slop.

For dinner, still in the mood for soup, I brought out the Cooking Light magazine my friend gave me and I flipped over to the potato soup recipe featured on the cover. In hindsight I should have realized that potatoes would make for a very thick and heavy soup – turned out to be more like super tasty mashed potatoes. Jay said, “Potato stew.” But I think he was being nice. I’d probably make this again but next time I’ll use less flour and add more stock or milk.

Here is my version of the potato soup recipe, serves 2-3

2 baking potatoes

1/3 whole wheat flour

3 cups 2% milk

2 oz cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

2 green onions, chopped

3 bacon slices, crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. Bake the potatoes for an hour or until tender. Let them cool and peel then coarsely mash them. The magazine says to lightly spoon flour (all purpose flour) into a dry measuring cup and then level it with a knife but I scooped whole wheat flour with the measuring cup so maybe that affected the portion. Who knows. Place the flour in a pot and gradually add the milk and whisk until blended and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes until thick and bubbly. Now, I’m not sure but I think what I did wrong was to heat the flour and milk as I whisked, making the mixture thicker than it should have been so just keep that in mind in case you decide to try this. Next, add the potatoes, a little more than half the cheese, salt and pepper and cook until cheese melts. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and 3/4 of the onions. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes but don’t let it boil. Serve with cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and green onions.

Hungarian Chorizo and Lentil “Stoup”

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November was a crazy month what with working on my school assignments and writing my NaNoWriMo novel. But the fun hasn’t stopped yet. My story isn’t finished and next comes the revision part. I bet if it were summer I wouldn’t feel as inclined to spend a month indoors to write a novel but because the days are cooler now, I have no complaints. The past couple of days I’ve been in a warm, comfortable soup mode to counter the cold breeze that filters through my badly insulated windows. But because I’m still writing I’ve been using recipes that are quick and easy to make. Enter Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals: Cooking ‘Round the Clock. I hadn’t used this book in a while but over the past week it has come in handy. Over the weekend I made her carbonara which was very simple with pancetta (I used bacon), wine, egg, and lots of cheese. It was comfort food at its best.

Next I made her Hungarian Hot Sausage and Lentil “Stoup.” Here is my slightly adapted version:

Hungarian Chorizo and Lentil “Stoup”

Makes 4 servings

About 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil – evoo (I kept saying this in my best impersonation of Ms Ray to Jay’s confused face, “What’s evoo?”)

150g Spanish style chorizo, sliced (unfortunately I mixed up the chorizo and the sausage when I brought out my ingredients)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 portobello mushrooms, gills scraped out, chopped

1 cup shredded carrots (one large carrot was enough)

1 cup canned lentils

1 large starchy potato, peeled and chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp cumin (but I would advise using less than this)

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp rosemary

14oz canned diced tomatoes

3 cups chicken broth

Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chorizo 2-3 minutes and then add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté for a bit then add the carrots, lentils, potatoes, bay leaf, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, and rosemary. Next add the tomatoes and broth. Cover the pot, raise heat to high to bring to a fast boil then remove lid and boil for about 15 minutes. Serve with some toasted bread and butter. This spicy soup will warm you up on the coldest of days.

Two fantastic soups

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These days, when I think of Weight Watchers I don’t think about the points – I’m not really counting points or following the diet, I just like to think I’m eating a little healthier. Instead I think about how yummy my dinner is going to be. Of course, there are some Weight Watchers meals that leave a lot to be desired but for the most part they are tasty and quick and easy to make. This past week, from the Turn Around Program Cookbook I’ve made two incredible, filling, delicious soups. When I was flipping through the book I first saw the Beef and Potatoes soup and I bookmarked the page right away because how could I say no to beef? And the fact that the meat is cooked in a mild spicy tomato mixture makes it even better. The next soup that caught my eye was Shrimp Bisque. I have heard of fish soup before but I’d never imagined eating pureed shrimp. I was dubious about this one but the end result was delicious and smile-inducing.

I’ve made a few modifications to the soups:

Shrimp Bisque

serves 4, 3 points per 1 cup serving

3/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined (reserve the shells)

1 bouillon cube dissolved in 3 cups of water (chicken or vegetable would work, I used mushroom flavour) or 3 cups of broth

2 1/2 cups water

2 tsp unsalted butter

2 shallots, chopped

1/4 cup long grain rice

1 tbsp tomato paste

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Place the shrimp shells in a large pot and cover with the broth and water. Cook and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to blend. Strain the broth and discard the shells. Set aside the broth. Melt the butter over medium heat and then add the shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth, the rice, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in the shrimp, salt, and cayenne pepper and cook until shrimp are ready, about 3 minutes. Scoop out 8 shrimp or so from the pot and place on a cutting board, chop and set aside. Let the soup cool about 5 minutes and then puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Return to heat and simmer until heated through. Serve with chopped shrimp on top and a dollop of home made salsa for an added kick.
Check out this other recipe too:
Shrimp Bisque on Foodista

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Shredded Beef and Potato Soup with Chimichurri

serves 6, 5 points per 1 cup serving

1 pound boneless bottom round steak, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Salt

3 cups beef broth or 1 beef flavoured bouillon cube dissolved in 3 cups water

14oz diced canned tomatoes

3 or 4 pickled jalapeño peppers, chopped.

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of half a lime

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cups diced potato

Heat a bit of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add the beef and salt. Cook and turn the beef until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, and jalapeño peppers. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for one hour. Scoop out the beef to a cutting board and let it cool. Set aside the broth and tomato liquid. Shred the beef with two forks or do what I did and use your fingers. To make the chimichurri, combine the cilantro, lime juice, garlic, a dash of salt, and the crushed red pepper and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onions, stirring until softened. Add the potatoes and the broth-tomato liquid and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add the beef and simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve with chimichurri on top.

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Acorn Squash and Roasted Garlic Soup

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I know I’m not the only one when I say that fall is the perfect season for baking and filling our tummies with lovely heavy food. I suppose we do this in preparation for winter. I simply love to eat a big bowl of thick and creamy soup, the kind of soup that warms and satisfies. I know I made this soup at the beginning of this month for Thanksgiving, but it’s so delicious I had to make it again. Well, this time I showed Jay how to make it and he took over in the kitchen. We adapted the recipe a bit but the original recipe can be found here at Epicurious.

Acorn Squash and Roasted Garlic Bisque, makes about 4 servings
1 acorn squash
1 head of garlic
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 tbsp butter
3 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the squash in half and remove seeds. Spray a bit of oil over each half and place face down in a baking pan. Do not peel the head of garlic but cut it in quarters, then wrap tightly in foil and place on the baking pan with the squash. Bake for approx 40 minutes. Once cooked, let the garlic and squash cool a bit. Scoop out the softened flesh from the squash and set aside. Unwrap the garlic and mash with a fork.
Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until soft. Next, add the broth (we used 3 cups of water and a chicken flavoured bouillon cube) and squash and cook on low for about 15 minutes. Add the garlic to the soup. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor until nice and smooth. Return to heat and stir in the cream. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve. It has such a lovely colour and Mm! So warm and yummy.

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Spicy Chicken Soup

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The best way to thaw after a chilly walk in the park is to eat a big bowl of spicy chicken soup. This soup will definitely make you sweat!

1 chicken leg, cut into pieces, keep bones

1 cup rice, uncooked

Approx 6 cups of water

2 or 3 bay leaves

2 large carrots, cut into small chunks

2 potatoes, cubed

half a leek, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3 pickled jalapeno peppers

Salt and pepper to taste

Oregano and dried mint to taste

Put the chicken pieces and bones along with the rice in a large pot and fill with the water. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and let it gently bubble for about 40-45 minutes. Near the end, I added two pieces of cooked corn I had in the fridge. “That’s a big garnish, don’t you think,” Jay the smart ass said. For a tangy flavour you can also add fresh cilantro and lime juice.

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