Posted on 01/23/2011 4:36:58 AM PST by rickmichaels
Do you know what's the perfect antidote to all this wild and wacky weather? A soothing, comforting bowl of soup.
Soup's a clean slate when you think about it -- you just add and subtract your favourite ingredients. And there are no hard or fast rules to creating a delicious bowl of warmth, just leave it up to your imagination.
An extra dash of hot sauce? A splash of port? A turnip instead of a potato?
All you really need for soup is your taste buds and sense of adventure.
Enjoy the following recipes courtesy of Foodland Ontario (Foodland.gov.on.ca).
ASIAN CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Colourful and oh so healthy, this chicken noodle soup is perfect for when someone is feeling a little under the weather or needs an immune-enhancing boost. Provide garnishes of green onions, coriander and kick-it-up chili garlic sauce to put in the bottom of deep soup bowls before adding soup. Serve with both a spoon and fork (or chopsticks if you're dexterous).
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat removed and thinly sliced
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) minced fresh gingerroot
1 sweet red pepper, seeded, cored and julienned
2 medium carrots, julienned
2 cups (500 ml) thinly sliced stemmed shiitake or thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
3 oz (90 g) spaghetti, broken into quarters (about 1 cup/250 ml) or other thin noodle
8 cups (2 L) chicken broth, preferably sodium reduced
2 Tbsp. (30ml) soy sauce
Garnishes:
6 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal
Fresh coriander leaves, about 1/2 cup (125 ml)
Asian chili garlic sauce, about 1/3 cup (75 ml)
In large saucepan, combine chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, red pepper, carrots, mushrooms, spaghetti and chicken broth. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken, vegetables and noodles are tender, removing any foam with rubber spatula. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce.
Garnish: Place green onions, coriander and chili garlic sauce in separate bowls. Let guests put their choice in soup bowl. Ladle soup over top.
Serves 4 to 6.
CORN, POTATO AND ONION CHOWDER
Fresh corn on the cob gives this hearty soup a delicate sweet flavour. Frozen corn works just as well. If you plan to purée the soup for a smooth texture, don't worry about dicing and chopping the vegetables too finely.
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) pieces
2 onions, finely chopped (about 3 cups/750 ml)
1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded and finely diced
4 cups (1 L) sodium-reduced chicken broth
5 cups (1.25 L) corn kernels (about 4 cobs) (if using frozen, rinse thoroughly)
3 Ontario Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-in (1cm) cubes (about 3 cups/750 mL)
1-1/2 tsp (7 ml) chopped fresh thyme
1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup (50 ml) sour cream (optional)
In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tbsp (15 ml) of bacon fat.
Add onions and jalapeño pepper to pan; cook, stirring, until onions are very tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth, corn, potatoes and thyme; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
For smooth texture if desired, purée with immersion blender or in food processor.
Garnish each serving with bacon, tomato and sour cream (if using).
Serves 4 to 6.
EASY PIZZA SOUP
A reader favourite, I'm bringing it back as it's a great soup to create when there's a lull in home activities for kids. Set out shredded cheddar cheese, bacon and chopped tomatoes and everyone can customize with add-ins of his or her choice. It's so good for you, yummy and fun!
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) vegetable oil
2 cups (500 ml) sliced white mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. (5 ml) dried Italian herb seasoning
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) pizza sauce
2-1/4 cups (550 ml) water
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) diced ham
3/4 cup (175 ml) croutons
3/4 cup (175 ml) shredded Mozzarella cheese
Preparation Instructions:
In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in mushrooms, garlic, onion and seasoning; cook for 5 minutes or until softened.
Stir in red pepper, pizza sauce and water; bring to boil. Stir in tomatoes and ham; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until flavours have blended. (Make-ahead: Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.)
Divide croutons among bowls; spoon soup over top. Sprinkle with cheese.
Serves 4 to 6.
MADEIRA TOMATO AND ONION SOUP
There are few ingredients and very little work to this rich-tasting soup. In Madeira, almost every restaurant features it in the winter, sometimes puréeing it but always serving it with a poached egg on top. It's fun to offer it in this traditional way or serve it as we do here with just a few croutons and parsley on top.
1/4 cup (50 ml) butter
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil
4 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) granulated sugar
1 tsp ( 5 ml) paprika
1/4 tsp. (1 ml) each of salt and pepper
1 can (28 oz/796 ml) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) tomato paste
7 cups (1.75 L) beef broth, preferably sodium-reduced
Croutons (recipe follows)
1/4 cup (50 ml) finely chopped fresh parsley
Croutons:
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
6 slices white bread, crusts removed and finely cubed
In large saucepan, melt half of butter and olive oil over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring often, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes.
Add garlic, sugar, paprika, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Stir in broth and remaining butter; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. If desired, purée part or all of the soup in batches in blender or with immersion blender. Top each serving with a few croutons; garnish with parsley.
Croutons:
In large skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add garlic, then bread cubes, stirring to coat. Cook until golden and crunchy, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes about 1-1/2 cups (375 ml).
Serves 6 to 8.
What! No Texas Red on this list?! And, where’s the Chicken and Dumplings?! Unbelieveable.... :)
bump for later
Heres mine.....Open “Cup O Soup”...bring water to boil and pour water into cup...Enjoy...
Next...Emergency Bacon Sandwhich using Baco Bit.
What! No Texas Red on this list?! And, where’s the Chicken and Dumplings?! Unbelieveable.... :)
Fall and winter are soup/stew season at our house. We grow lots of winter squash and root vegetables specificall for that purpose. Add some venison or other game and it’s fantasic. Great on the budget too.
Green Chile Stew
Cooking oil (1 or 2 tbsp.)
1/2 lbs. beef (beef tips, fondue meat, lean stew meat, or round steak), cut in
bite size pieces
Flour
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
3 c. chickens stock
3 med. potatoes
6 or 8 mild green chiles, diced
Lightly coat meat with flour. Put cooking oil in Dutch oven or similar container. Add meat and cook on medium heat until browned. Add chopped onion, stock, oregano, cumin, and garlic to meat. Cook on low heat until meat is tender (45 minutes to 1 hour).
Peel and dice potatoes. Add potatoes and green chiles to mixture of meat and spices. Cook on low until potatoes are done. Add garlic salt to taste. Simmer until you’re ready to serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
visualize global warming.
IMO, it is the pepper and chili powder that brings the soup alive. Not only does it add its own flavor and spice, but the spice heat opens up the taste buds to flavors of the original ingredients.
I have been thinking of trying a seafood rendition of this soup with shrimp and clams.
Because it is one of those dishes that is irresistible (I find it difficult to stop eating it...even had some for breakfast the next day), it might be served over rice (I recommend Jasmine rice for flavor and crunchy texture) to reduce its richness.
Totally agree with this being ‘soup time’.
Last week I made a Hungarian potato soup that came out very well.
Yummy bump! That corn, potato, and onion chowder sounds excellent—especially since I had a bumper crop of jalapenos over the summer ;)
Sounds great, you wouldn’t happen to have a recipe
for Oxtail soup, would you?
“I had one of the best soups of my life a few weekends ago when my brother brought over some Del Marva Chicken Corn Chowder.”
I opened your link and read the receipe. Does sound tasty for sure. It’s somewhat akin with variation to Mexican Green Chili Stew. If you like your Del Marva Chicken Corn Chowder, try Green Chili Stew, there’s lots of receipes for it on the internet.
Will do...sounds tasty!
A memorable soup I had, made by a Mayan chef, really had one of the best soup broths I’d ever tasted. It was a Mayan Tortilla Soup, with crispy shreds of tortilla in it.(we had it while bone fishng in the Yucatan) I was able to get the recipe from him and bought the special chilis he used. I’m not a big fan of cilantro, but do use it if called for, altho in lesser amounts. Well -— the soup was good, but not great.
The next time we were in the Yucatan, we had the soup again and the missing link WAS all that cilantro! You didn’t really taste cilantro, but it did add to the total broth experience.
Other than that — my fav is New England Corn Chowder.
This is a re-post of a soup recipe I posted back during the Christmas season. I’ve made a couple minor modifications to that recipe, but it’s basically the same. It’s good for any cold, nasty winter day...or even for the not-so-nasty ones.
BAKED POTATO SOUP
2/3 C. Flour
2/3 C. Butter (You can also substitute bacon grease for the butter. The last few times I’ve made this, that’s what I did and it seems to add something to the soup’s flavor.If you don’t have enough bacon grease, add butter until you get the right amount.)
7 C. Milk (I prefer whole…yeah, I know about the fat, but as my Culinary instructor said, “Fat equals Flavor”!)
4 large baking potatoes (Idaho or Washington Russets preferred) baked, cooled, peled and cubed, about 4 cups (You can also substitute a package of Southern-style hash browns [the cubed kind] if you’re pressed for time.)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 to 12 strips of bacon-cooked, drained, & crumbled (The drippings from this can be used as the base for the roux, as described above.)
1 1/4 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese (My preference: Tillamook)
1 C (8 oz) sour cream (Do NOT use a sour cream substitute)
3/4 TB salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
In a large Dutch oven or stockpot over low heat, melt the butter, stir in the flour until smooth and bubbly. (Do not brown the butter/flour mixture or it’ll darken the soup). Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened (This’ll take a while, but not too long. Have patience…it’s worth it.) Add the potatoes and onions.
Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the soup begins to bubble. Reduce heat and let simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the bacon and spices, then stir. Let it simmer about 10-20 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, add the cheese & sour cream and stir until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
You can garnish with extra crumbled bacon, chives, or even a dollop of sour cream. This tastes like a liquid baked potato!
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Two of my favorites!! Gotta love some Chicken and Dumplings...I like mine over Rice. (As you can guess I wach my Carbs..LOL)
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