Category: Soups

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

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This soup is super fast and very delicious. I started with a recipe from Jamie at drivemehungry.com, but made tweaks based on what I had handy. It was the perfect supper for a cold, wintery day.

I used chicken thighs since I was out of chicken stock, and just added a bouillon cube. If you have chicken stock, you can use that instead and skip the bouillon cube. Jamie mentions that this is a flexible recipe and you could add sautéed veggies, too.

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 cups water and 1 chicken bouillon cube or 4 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
½ inch piece of ginger, smashed in one piece
2 stalks green onions, white parts cut off in 1″ pieces and green parts in 1/4″ rings
½ tsp fish sauce
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp chili crisp (use less if you don’t like it too spicy)
salt to taste
½ package of Pho noodles or any really thin noodles, enough for 4 servings
1 Thai red chile, or a red jalapeno, very thinly sliced (also optional)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

In a stock pot, bring water to a boil and add chicken thighs and bouillon cube. If you really love ginger, you could add the ginger, too. Reduce heat and simmer for around 30 minutes.

Remove chicken to a plate and chop into roughly 1″ pieces. Strain chicken stock from pot into a bowl, discarding the yucky stuff, but saving the ginger for the next step if you used it.

Add olive oil to the pot, and add garlic, ginger and the white parts of the green onion. Sauté for a few minutes until the garlic starts to get brown.

Add chicken stock back in and stir well. Simmer for a few minutes and remove the ginger. (You can leave the onions and the garlic, which gets super sweet.)

Add fish sauce, sesame oil, hot chili oil, chicken and noodles. Cook for just a couple of minutes until the chicken is warmed back up and the noodles are softened. If you’re using a different noodle, follow suggested cooking times. Taste broth and add salt if needed.

Place noodles and soup in a wide bowl and garnish with green onion rings, cilantro and a few thin slices of red chili. Yum!

Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew

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Another fast and fabulous recipe from Sue Li in the New York Times. I made it with a few tweaks for supper last night. It was just delicious – with a wonderful, creamy texture from the Cannellini beans, rich flavor from the shrimp, onion, shallots, garlic and paprika and a burst of citrus from the zest and lemon juice.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest and 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, grated
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed (save peels for stock)
4 Tbsp butter (½ stick)
1 yellow onion, cut into large chunks
2 large shallots, cut into large chunks. (Or 2 large leeks, trimmed, halved and sliced)
1 big handful spinach (2 cups?)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shrimp stock, or chicken stock*
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Toasted bread, for serving

PREPARATION

Peel shrimp and remove tails. Add peels to a small saucepan with 2½ cups water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer while you cook. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to get 2 cups shrimp stock.

Combine lemon zest, paprika, garlic, ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and starting to curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside.

Add onions and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium until soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and cook for a minute or two until wilted.

Gently stir in beans and hot stock. Bring to a simmer and let cook 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley if using. Serve with toasted bread.

*Can use chicken stock if your shrimp is already peeled. But the shrimp stock is super tasty! You can also use any white bean. I added spinach and used an onion and shallots because I didn’t have any leeks – and we loved it that way.

Chicken, Kale and Bean Soup

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Even though it’s feeling a little warmer here, a good hearty soup is still a wonderful supper and this was a real keeper! It’s based on Melissa Clark’s Lemony White Bean Soup With Turkey and Greens from the New York Times. She has the best recipes!

It’s a very flexible soup. You can use different beans or greens and Melissa makes it with ground turkey. I used kidney beans, cooked chicken (from a Costco chicken) and kale, because that’s what I had. I also added a leek since I had them.

It was wonderful. Both Kumy and I kept sneaking back for bites!

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 leek, halved and cut into ½” pieces
4 cups shredded kale
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
⅛ tsp red-pepper flakes
2 cups cooked chicken roughly chopped
1½ tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp kosher salt
1 quart chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lemon

Heat oil in a large pot. Once shimmering, reduce heat to medium and add onions, carrots and leeks. Cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until everything looks softened and a little golden.

Add tomato paste, cumin, red-pepper flakes, garlic powder, ginger and salt to the pot. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes, then add chicken. (If using raw chicken add to the pot and cook 5 minutes or so.) Add stock, beans and kale and simmer for 15 to 25 minutes. If your soup is getting thick, you can add a bit more water.

Just before serving, add the juice of one lemon. Check seasoning and serve. Yum!

Classic Chili

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We had a chill and soup cookoff on our block recently and I was thrilled when my Classic Chili won for best Chili. My friend Jane made a fabulous, creamy Asparagus and Crab Soup that won best Soup. I’ll share that recipe if I can get it from Jane.

But I think it was awfully close – every chili and soup I tried was delicious!

This recipe is a blend of two chili recipes: the old Chili Con Carne recipe from the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook my mom used to make, and a Classic Chili recipe from TheWholesomeDish.com. I also added a couple of Poblanos and a jar of Rotel tomatoes and peppers. I made it a few days before the block party and that may have made it even better.

(I forgot to take a photo, but found one that looked remarkably similar by Leanna Myers on Unsplash.)

INGREDIENTS

4 big frozen hamburger patties from Costco or 1 lb. ground beef
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped (I used a yellow bell pepper)
2 Poblano peppers, chopped
2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped (the last from the garden!)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 can regular Rotel Tomatoes
1 large bay leaf
2 Tbsp chili powder
1½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp cumin powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1∕4 tsp smoked paprika
3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups of water
1 (15 ½ oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Cheddar Cheese (optional)
Crackers (optional)

In a large dutch oven, cook the intact hamburger patties until pretty well browned on both sides. Break the patties up into small chunks. Add the onion and cook for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent. Add bell pepper, poblanos and fresh tomatoes and cook another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add canned tomatoes, Rotel, and everything else except the kidney beans. Stir well and simmer for at least 30 minutes, uncovered. Add the kidney beans last and cook another 5 minutes. (The kidney beans won’t get so broken down that way.) Remove bay leaf.

Serve topped with cheddar cheese and with crackers. You could also add a dollop of sour cream.

Mexican Veggie Soup – Caldo de Res (Sorta)

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There is a great Mexican grocery store near us and recently, I noticed a really interesting tray of veggies in the produce section, simply labeled “Mexican Soup Mix.”

Curiosity piqued, I brought them home, along with a ½ lb. of Chorizo. (Not sure if that’s traditional, but I love how Chorizo adds flavor. You could really probably leave it out, too.)

The closest recipe I could find is called Caldo de Res, so that’s what I based my recipe on. Though this is not a classic Caldo de Res, it is an easy and delicious soup, and makes a big batch – perfect for cool fall evenings.

Really almost everything you need is in the package, including about a million extra red chiles. I am not brave enough to use all those chiles, but maybe someday! Here’s all the veggies, in case you can’t find the mix.

The mix includes a Chayote Squash, which is the green veggie on the far left. I used it like any other squash, though I removed the pit, which oddly it has. I chopped all the vegetables in small bite-sizes like for soup, so not too finely.

Ingredients:

½ lb. Chorizo
1 tsp olive oil
½ onion, rough chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 long red chiles, whole
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp cumin
2 carrots, diced
½ small cabbage, rough chopped
1 Chayote squash, pit removed and rough chopped
2 potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled and rough chopped
1 small zucchini, rough chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1 ear of corn, cut into 4-5 sections, or corn kernels removed
4 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
Juice of one lime

Serve with:
Sour Cream
More chopped Cilantro
Grated mild cheese
warm corn tortillas
lime wedges
Jalapeno slices

Add oil to large Dutch oven and add Chorizo. Cook a few minutes until lightly browned. Add onion and cook for a few minutes until onion is softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and chiles and cook for a minute or two.

Add seasonings and all veggies, except for cilantro and lime. Add chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, covered.

When Chayote Squash and potatoes are soft, gently stir in Cilantro and Lime juice.

Serve in a wide bowl, topped with sour cream, chopped cilantro, mild cheese, lime wedges and Jalapeno slices.

Warm corn tortillas are delicious too, especially dipped into the broth. You can easily heat corn tortillas in the microwave.

Just lay 5-6 tortillas on a small plate and cover with another plate. Microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, until nice and warm. Keep covered when you serve.

So good!

Mustafa’s Daal (Lentils)

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After visiting Kumy’s Mom at the beginning of last year, we were reminded how incredibly delicious Pakistani food is!  We were also lucky enough to learn how to make Daal from Mummy’s cook, Mustafa, who is an amazing cook.

It’s a fairly easy recipe, and uses a “bagaar” to add flavor.  It was one of the first things we made when we got back.  I’m happy to say it was just about as good as Mustafa’s and a welcome reminder of our visit back “home”.

Ingredients:

1 cup Masoor Daal (small, round, split red lentils)
1/2 cup Moong Daal (small, oval split yellow lentils)

4 cups water
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (add more if you dare – it was originally 1 1/4 tsp – but that was too hot!)
1/4 tsp turmeric
3/4 cup diced onions
3/4 cup diced tomato  (Can also substitute 1 can of Rotel Tomatoes for the tomato and jalapeno.)
1/2 jalapeno, diced, optional
1/4 cup cilantro, rough-chopped, optional

Bagaar:
2 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/4 tsp whole cumin
3 dry red chilis/peppers (small, round ones, but you can use two long red ones instead.)

Wash both daals well, swirling and rinsing until the water is mostly clear. Add to a large pot. Then add water, garlic, salt, cayenne, turmeric, onions and tomatoes. Cook 30-40 minutes.

Whisk well and add water to get a thick gravy consistency, as needed. You can also use an immersion blender to puree the daal, but be careful not to over do it. Add Jalapeno and Cilantro, and cook 10 minutes more.

In a small frying pan, heat the oil and add the rough-chopped garlic, cook for a minute and then add the dry red chilis/peppers and cumin seeds. Cook 30 seconds more and pour oil mixture right into the daal. Stir to combine and serve with basmati rice or Naan. Can also add a squeeze of lemon when serving if you wish.

Brazilian Seafood Stew (Moqueca)

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I made this remarkably delicious stew last night and it’s a keeper. With a coconutty, fresh lime and cilantro focus, it’s light and the fish and shrimp taste wonderful with it. I’ve tweaked a recipe originally from the New York Times, and everything is very easily available except Dende oil. It may be worth ordering some – since I will definitely make this again.

Ingredients

12 oz peeled, deveined shrimp
12 oz cod fillet, cut into 1″ pieces
kosher salt
2 limes (juice of one and the other cut into wedges)
2 Tbsp olive oil (Or Dende oil – traditional but less easily available)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 large bell peppers, cut into 1/4″ slices, and halved
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes, drained and juice reserved (Or 1 lb. tomatoes, cut in 1″ wedges, and 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper, whole and pricked all over with a a knife.)
1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
steamed rice for serving

Directions

In a bowl, squeeze the juice of one lime and add 1 tsp salt. Place fish chunks in bowl and let marinate.

In a large, deep frying pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook for a minute, then add onions and cook another few minutes. Turn heat up a bit and add the peppers and drained Ro-tel tomatoes. (Save the juice!) Saute for 5 minutes or so, until the peppers are starting to soften.

Reduce heat and add the coconut milk, the Ro-tel juice and simmer about 10 minutes. Add half the chopped cilantro, and the shrimp and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gently place fish and marinade into the pan, and cook 2-3 more minutes until fish is cooked through. Taste and add salt if needed.

To serve, place some steamed rice in the bottom of the bowl and ladle stew over. Top with a squeeze of fresh lime and more chopped cilantro. Delish!

The best Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

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Kumy’s Mom loves soup, so I was anxious to try this hearty, creamy soup that came from the New York Times, and I must say it did not disappoint!

It was rich, delicious and so satisfying – one worth repeating. I did add a bit more Sage, since I have recently fallen in love with Sage.

It comes together very quickly, so it’s perfect for a weeknight supper. Leave out the chicken and use veggie stock for a delicious vegetarian version.

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp butter
1 cup each carrots, leeks and celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or 1 heaping tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp rubbed Sage
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 (16-ounce) package fresh or shelf-stable store-bought gnocchi
½ small rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat torn into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups shredded meat)
Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

In a large pot, melt butter over medium. Add carrots, leek, celery, garlic, and spices. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are slightly softened, about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with the flour, then cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the stock and cream, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Once the mixture boils, stir in the gnocchi, reduce heat to medium and cook until gnocchi and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the chicken in the last couple of minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into serving bowls and top with fresh parsley if desired.

Cream of Spinach Soup

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Recipe from Elise Bauer, with a few tweaks. This soup is super easy, really delicious and so satisfying on a cold winter’s night.  Comes together in about 40 minutes.

INGREDIENTS
1 chopped onion (About 1 1/2 cups)
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
3 cups chicken broth
4-5 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
3/4 cup sour cream
pinch of ground allspice

In a medium-sized saucepan, sauté onion in butter for 5-6 minutes, until translucent.  Add potatoes, chicken broth, salt and pepper and cook 20 minutes, until potatoes are soft  Add spinach and cook 2-3 more minutes. Buzz all in a food processor or blender until quite smooth.  (Don’t need to completely obliterate the spinach.)

Put back in pan, and whisk in half and half, then sour cream and allspice.  Bring heat back up to just a simmer.

Serve with home-made croutons: cut bread in 1″ cubes and toss in olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper on a small sheet pan.  Bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes or more, until bread is golden and crisp.  I used a small baguette, but really any hearty bread will do.

Fast and good!

Brodo with Chicken and Spinach

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brodo-3Another great recipe from Johanne Killeen in the Slow Food Fast recipes in the WSJ – with some changes.  Brodo is a simple soup that comes together fast and is incredibly satisfying.  It’s also quite flexible and can use different pastas and different greens

It’s been ridiculously cold and windy here!  We needed something to warm us up – and this sure fit the bill.  This makes enough for two people, roughly.

Ingredients:

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups rich chicken stock
2 eggs
1 cup chopped cooked chicken, optional
2 cups chopped fresh spinach or thinly sliced kale
1/3 lb capellini, spaghetti or linguine
fresh grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente and drain water. Keep warm.

At the same time, add the chicken stock to another pot and bring to the boil, then reduce heat and gently drop eggs in to poach. After 3 minutes or so, scoop eggs out onto a plate.

Add spinach to chicken stock and cook for a few moments. (You may need to cook a little longer with Kale.) Add chicken meat if using and stir. Add a pinch of salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper.

Place some pasta on one side of each bowl. (It’s going to slip around a bit, but that’s okay.) Ladle the chicken and spinach with broth on the open side of the bowl, and top with the poached egg.

Grate cheese over, sprinkle once more with black pepper and serve. The egg yolks will help thicken the broth and add incredible richness.

So fast and so delish!