Hey Everyone- Welcome to Soupin It Up w/Sped...I have to admit time got away from me this week and I didn't get a chance to search thru my mind for recipes matching last week's poll winner Spicy Soups so today you get the 1st of what may be quarterly "Best of" Soupin It Up w/Sped...
and don't forget if you go to the Netroots Nation Auction you can bid on all kinds of cool things...like Soup in a Box!
Sped's Famous French Onion Soup
Ingredients:
4 vidalia onions, sliced thin
2 purple onions, sliced thin
2 medium leeks, sliced thin
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp thyme, 1 tsp sugar
1 cup dry white cooking wine
5 cups beef stock
Holland Rusk Crouton (optional)
Provolone or Gruyere or both (optional)
Directions:
1. Coat onions and leeks with dry seasonings and olive oil and roast in an oven until you can just smell the onion fragrance in the air.
2. Transfer onions to soup pot and add the cooking wine. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
3. Add beef stock and simmer 2 hours on low.
4. When ready to serve ladle into a bowl and top with a holland rusk and cheese (you can put the bowl under a broiler to melt the cheese like in a restaurant).
Sped's Spaghetti Soup
Prep: 1/2 hour
Cook: 1 hour
Servings: ~8
Ingredients:
1/4 lb of spaghetti, cooked and ready (I recommend breaking the spaghetti into 1/4th size pieces before cooking)
2 tblsp. olive oil
1 medium eggplant, diced small
1 yellow pepper, diced small
3 clove garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced small
1/2 lb of baby spinach, washed, rinsed and chopped
8 roma tomatoes, diced small
5 cups vegetable broth
fresh dried basil, sea salt, oregano, black pepper to taste
Shredded Parmesan Cheese (for garnish)
Instructions:
1. In sautee pan, heat oil and then lightly sautee veggies except tomatoes.
2. Transfer sauteed veggies to a soup pot and add vegetable broth, spices, spaghetti and tomatoes. Simmer 1 hour.
3. Serve garnished with the parmesan cheese.
Three Bean Chili
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 large jalapeno pepper (seeded, de-veined and chopped)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beer
2 16 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 14 oz. can black beans
1 16 oz. can dark red kidney beans
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 can vegetarian refried beans with chiles
Directions
1. In a large pot, add olive oil and warm over medium heat.
2. Add onion, peppers, and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes or until softened.
3. Add beer and stir well.
4. Add tomatoes, black beans and kidney beans, stirring well to combine.
5. Add cumin, chili powder, hot sauce and salt.
6. Stir in refried beans to thicken chili. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Roasted Poblano Vichyssoise
(for that don't know Vichyssoise is usually a potato soup that is served chilled)
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Servings: ~ 8
Ingredients
2 peeled and seeded flame roasted poblano peppers
2 peeled and diced russet potatoes
3 diced leeks (white part only)
1 quart chicken stock
1 pint half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Combine Peppers, Leeks, Potatoes, Stock, Salt and Pepper in a dutch oven, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
2. Blend soup in small batches until smooth.
3. Add Half and Half.
4. Heat through if serving hot, or chill if serving cold.
5. If serving cold, reseason just before service, as cold foods require more seasoning.
Roasted Garlic and Brie Soup
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Servings: ~8
Ingredients:
2 Heads garlic -- unpeeled
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion -- diced
2 celery stalks -- diced
1 carrot -- diced
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with water
6 cups chicken stock
7 ounces brie; remove rind -- cut into pieces
Black pepper, oregano and thyme to taste
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Drizzle garlic in a baking dish with two tablespoons oil. Cover with foil and bake until golden and tender--about 30 minutes. Cool.
2. Cook onions in 4 tablespoons oil until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add celery and carrot and cook about ten minutes.
3. Gradually mix in stock. Bring to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until slightly thickened, stirring from time to time--about 15 minutes.
4. Peel garlic and place in a processor. Add a cup of soup. Puree. Return mixture to pan.
5. Add oregano and thyme. Simmer over low heat, gradually adding Brie, stirring until melted after each addition. Adjust seasonings.
Garlic Shrimp Bisque
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Servings: ~8
Ingredients:
2 lbs of shrimp- 34 count, deveined, deshelled
1/2 stick of butter
1 head of garlic, peeled- 1/2 minced, 1/2 whole clove
2 medium leeks, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups fish stock
2 cups half and half
1/4 cup corn starch, mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
Black pepper and sea salt to taste.
Directions:
1. Using a frying pan or skillet, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic and shrimp, saute until shrimp is cooked thru and you start to smell the garlic aroma.
2. At the same time in stock pot, heat olive oil. Add the sliced leeks and sautee until leeks just start to crisp.
3. Add fish stock and garlic shrimp mixture to stock pot and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat to low and add whole garlic cloves. Simmer 15 minutes.
4. A little at a time, transfer to blender and puree to smooth. Once all is pureed, return to stock pot and add half & half and corn starch mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Simmer another 20 minutes and serve.
You can garnish with minced chives or parsley if you choose.
note: I have also used this same recipe with crab and with lobster so use whatever seafood you want but I can tell you it's best with the shrimp :)
Mushroom Sage Soup
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: ~1 hour
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced thin (i use portabella, cremini and shitake)
6 cups vegetable stock
Dried sage, rosemary, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Bring vegetable stock to a slow boil
2. Add sliced mushrooms, reduce heat and simmer until mushrooms are tender
3. Add 3 pinches of sage and the rest of spices to taste.
Serve drizzled with a touch of balsamic vinegar.
Curried Butternut Squash
Prep: ~ 45 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Servings: ~8
Ingredients:
2 large butternut squash
2 medium leeks, sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup half and half
5 cups veggie stock
Curry powder to taste
1. (You can pre prep the squash however you want but I am the original 500 lb weakling and have always had a hard time chopping the squash without pre cooking it a bit first). Poke a few holes into the squash with a strong fork and put into microwave. Mic on high for about 15 minutes...until squash just starts to feel tender. Remove from microwave, slice away skin and de-seed. Chop into medium size pieces.
2. In dutch oven, heat oil a minute or two and lightly saute leeks and garlic until leeks just begin to turn brown.
3. Add the veggie stock and bring to a boil. Add cubed squash and simmer 20 minutes on low.
4. A little at a time transfer stock and veggies to a blender and puree until smooth. Once all done, put it all back in the pot.
5. Add half and half and curry powder to taste and simmer another 20 minutes.
Sped’s Salmon Chowder
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Servings: ~ 8
Ingredients:
1/8 lb. bacon, chopped, cooked and drained
1 lb salmon OR you can use 1 lb. smoked nova <eg>
8 potatoes, peeled and cubed (1 potato actually diced)
1 medium leek, peeled, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced extra small
6 cups fish stock
1 pint 1/2 & 1/2
Creme fresh
Salt, pepper and Parsley.
1. Boil the potatoes except the diced one until soft to the touch, but not mushy. Set aside. Boil the diced potato to the same consistency and set aside.
2. Bake salmon in oven until just starting to turn pink...you can baste with garlic butter or lemon butter if you want but I cook mine plain for this recipe.
3. Fry bacon until just starting to crisp. Drain and set aside.
3. In sauce pan, heat oil and add leek and garlic. Saute until you can just start to smell the garlic in the air.
4. Add fish stock and bring to a boil. Add fish stock, salmon, cooked bacon and the 7 potatoes. Simmer on low 1/2 hour.
5. A little at a time transfer sauce pot ingredients to a blender and add 1/2 cup of 1/2 and 1/2 at a time. Blend together and put in another pot on stove over medium heat. When all of the mix is blended add the diced potato and simmer on low 1/2 hour. Add spice to taste.
Garnish with the parsley and creme fresh when serving.
Cheddar Apple Soup
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
Servings: Approximately 8
Ingredients:
8-10 Smokehouse Apples, cored and diced (you can peel if you want but I don't)
1 medium leek, sliced thin
1/2 stick butter
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
Thyme, garlic salt, black pepper
Sharp Vermont Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1. In saucepan, melt butter and lightly sautee the leek.
2. Add vegetable and chicken broth.
3. Add diced apples.
4. Simmer on low for about 30 minutes, until apples begin to soften slightly
5. Transfer to blender a little at a time and puree til smooth.
6. Pour mixture back into pot and add spices to taste (a pinch of each is about all I use) and add cider.
7. Simmer on low 45 minutes.
When ready to serve, ladle into cup/bowls and garnish with large serving of Cheddar cheese.
Basic Herbed Tomato Soup
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: Never actually measured sorry
Ingredients:
8 roma tomatoes, diced
4 beefsteak tomatoes, diced
2 medium leeks, sliced and diced and peeled
1/2 stick butter
4 cups vegetable broth
Herbs of choice- for basic I usually use some fresh basil, dried oregano, garlic salt, garlic pepper and if in the mood a few red pepper flakes for a bit of kick
Directions:
1. In sautee pan, melt butter and then lightly sautee leeks until very light brown and just starting to crisp
2. Transfer leeks to stock pot and add 4 cups of vegetable broth...bring to rolling boil and add diced tomatoes. Turn heat to low and let simmer 20 minutes.
3. Transfer from stock pot and puree (I used a food designated blender, but however you want to do this, food processor etc is up to you) and return to stock pot.
4. Add spices to taste. NOTE: I always spice my soups AFTER the puree steps so the flavor of the spices doesn't get diluted
5. Serve with accompanyment of choice.