Soup, soup, soup!

I finally have found the inspiration to post another blog -- the perfect recipe!  While I've been making some new dishes since living in Dallas, I haven't found anything that I've particularly fallen in love with.  That all changed tonight. 

About two weeks ago I decided to try a new soup recipe.  The ingredients sat in my kitchen for weeks while I neglected the stove, this blog, and my own joy and satisfaction from cooking was a fond but distant memory.  As I drove home from work tonight, I chose to cook instead going for a run.... and boy, I'm glad I did!

I assume the butternut squash I used was still fresh even though it had been untouched since coming home from the grocery store weeks ago.  (oops).  This soup is EASY-PEASY.  I wasn't even sure I would like butternut squash, but since I know I enjoy eating other squash, I thought this recipe was something worth trying. 

Next time I make this, I'm going to try roasting the squash in the oven for 40 minutes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.  And I might add an extra 1/2 cup or so of chicken stock.  After adding in the cream cheese, it thickens up a bit, so the extra liquid might help it out.  I'm excited to try this soup tomorrow after the flavors have blended together overnight.  Yum!

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

6 cups peeled and cooked butternut squash (about a 2 lb squash)
3/4 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups chicken stock
8 ounces philadelphia cream cheese

1. Cut butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds.  Place cut side down on plate and microwave 8-10 minutes.

2. Let squash cool to touch and then peel away skin and cube.

3. In a large pot over medium heat, sautee onions with butter until tender.

4. Add in cubed squash, dried marjoram, cayenne, paprika, black pepper, and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes.  Squash should be fully cooked and tender by now.

5. Puree squash soup and cream cheese in a blender or food processor. 

6. Return to pot to slightly warm again.  Do not let boil.

Bon appetit!!!!

Everything in the pot before I stirred it up.  Such pretty fall colors.

Butternut squash soup!

Ode to Idaho

Shea is from Idaho.  He loves potatoes.  I am from Indiana.  I love corn.  Shea does not love corn and I do not love potatoes.  That's just the way it is.

Shea and I have taught each other the joys of each food through our family visits.  At my parents house in Indiana he was introduced to sweet corn -- both on the cob and also fried (with lots of sugar!).  During the summer, corn is a staple at my parents house and is usually cooked each night of the week.  You can find a corn stand on just about all the main intersections of the city.  Everybody sells the local corn for pretty cheap and it tastes great!  I have grown up with the highest quality of corn and love it.  I sneak canned corn into many of the meals that Shea and I enjoy together, with Shea never knowing that corn was not one of the original ingredients from the recipe.  (Well, I guess Shea will be clued into this fact once he reads this post.... future usage of corn might dwindle rapidly in this kitchen....).  Ah, the love affair with corn but we must now look at Shea's love of potatoes.  On the very first visit I took to Idaho, the first homecooked meal included 3 different types of potato, each cooked a little differently.  His family insisted that each had its unique flavor which was why all 3 were necessary for the meal to be complete.  I have been taught the proper way to cook a baked potato in the oven (no aluminom foil, people) and also the correct way to split open a baked potato. 

While living in Mexico, we deal with a mildly unfair situation.  The corn is not what I'm used to from Indiana so I use a lot of Del Monte canned corn.  And there is only one type of potato.  And it's not an Idaho, Russet (Idaho grown or not), Red, or Yukon -- we can only buy the standard white potato.  We don't usually have a lot of potatoes because the taste doesn't measure up to Shea's standard.  While I can add canned corn into recipes and get a corn-fix for myself, there isn't much we can do for Shea.  Here is one recipe that I know Shea will LOVE and one that I can't wait to try with some good old Idaho potatoes.

Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 medium-large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can corn, drained
4 cups chicken stock, or enough to cover potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
pepper

1. In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat.  Remove bacon when done cooking and set aside.  Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the grease.

2. In the bacon grease remaining in the pan, sautee the celery and onion until the onion begins to turn clear.  Add the minced garlic and cook additional 2-3 minutes.  Add cubed potatoes to pan and cook 3-4 minutes.

3. Return bacon to pan and add corn.  Toss well to mix.  Add in enough chicken stock to fully cover potatoes.  Let simmer until potatoes are tender (a good 10-15 minutes, maybe longer). 

4. In a separate pan, melt butter.  Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly.  Once flour is fully integrated whisk in the cream and cilantro.  Stir constantly while bringing to a boil.  Let the cream thicken. 

5. Stir cream mixture into potato soup.  Add pepper according to taste (one could also add salt here, but I didn't because I thought there was enough with the bacon grease and chicken stock).

Bon appetit!

The recipe this was taken from suggests blending half of the soup into a puree, but I felt that the potatoes easily broke apart when stirring the soup.  I enjoyed the larger chunks of potato and am glad that I chose not to puree some of it. 

Changes Pho Sure

I remember quite well my first experience with ethnic foods.  Sure, I had been to some college town Chinese restaurants whose food was dumbed down to American styles, but I had never been to restaurants of authentic Thai, Indian, or Vietnamese.  Born and raised in the midwest, I was very much a meat and potatoes type of gal.  When my horn professor wanted to meet over lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant, I tried to be polite and agreed to the restaurant choice.  Once I stepped into the restaurant I realized that I had no idea what any of the menu items were or even what I might possibly find pleasing to my (then very restricted) palette.  Turns out that I hated it.  I got a soup and tried to stomach as much as possible.  I left the restaurant with a very judgemental view of not only Vietnamese foods, but also of all other ethnic foods - even though I had never tried foods such as Indian or Thai. 

Over the years I have grown to LOVE all types of food.  My food palette has matured.  I recently went through one of the earliest cookbooks that I received.  In that cookbook I had placed sticky notes on pages that contained a recipe of interest and I always rated the recipes once I did try them.  All the old sticky notes were still in place.  I found it very interesting how many different recipes sounded simply fantastic but did not have sticky notes!

This recipe is one that reminds me so so so very much of my first experience with Vietnamese food.  Everytime I make this, I think of my lunch meeting with my horn professor and always smile to myself.  I really hope you enjoy this Vietnamese style pho soup!!!

Hot 'N Sour Chicken Soup

Ingredients

tagliatelle noodles
5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt, pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 package button mushrooms, sliced
grated ginger root, about one inch
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup tamari soy sauce
6 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 bunch green onions
1 cup bean sprouts
fresh cilantro, chopped
Sriracha hot sauce

1. Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and coriander.  Cook about 5 minutes on each side and set aside.

2. Bring large pot of water to a boil for tagliatelle pasta.  If the pasta is in little balls of noodles, I usually do about 4 balls per person.  Only make enough for that current meal.  When making leftovers, I always do the noodles fresh.  Cook tagliatelle according to package directions (usually a fairly short amount of time).

3. In a large, deep skillet, stirfry mushrooms in vegetable oil.  Add fresh ginger and garlic.  Stir until fragrant.  Be careful not to let the garlic burn. 

4. Add in rice vinegar.  Stir.  Add tamari soy sauce and chicken stock.  Stir.  Bring to a boil.

5. Slice cooked chicken thighs into bitsize pieces and add to soup. 

6. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl.  Mix well.  Add to soup and let thicken for a few minutes.

7. Add chopped green onion and beansprouts to the soup just before serving.

8. Place one serving of cooked noodles in a bowl.  Add desired amount of sriracha hot sauce.  Then place ladles of soup into bowl.  Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Bon appetit!

I tried to be sneaky and stretch a buck and make this a bit healthier by using only 4 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water, but Shea immediately knew something was different.  He insists that only chicken stock should be used in this recipe.  And, as stated above, I always boil the tagliatelle the day of eating, never pre-cook and store.

Be careful with your amount of Sriracha!  The first time I used WAY too much and learned to scale back.  My bowl is on the right, Shea's bowl on the left.

The finished soup

Secret Ingredients

I love discovering new flavor combinations.  As I learn more about spices and fresh herbs I am fascinated with how the addition of one ingredient can draw out flavors of others.  I searched for a black bean soup, per request of Shea, and eventually settled on this recipe.  I wasn't too sure of some of the ingredients but after the soup was finished, I was amazed at the wonderful flavor of black beans and cumin.  I was so crazy about this soup that I made up a second batch the very same week and probably had black bean soup 7 days in a row for lunch.  And I never grew tired of the flavors.  Every time you make a black bean soup, you MUST include a few teaspoons of cumin!  It is the secret ingredient in this recipe that makes it a five star recipe.  Enjoy!

Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (to be used separately)
1 small can of corn, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups salsa**
2 teaspoons fresh cumin, more if desired

For garnishes:
sour cream
avocado
green onions

**I make my own fresh salsa with mixing these ingredients:
2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
fresh cilantro, chopped
pinch of salt, paprika, garlic powder

1. If using your own fresh salsa, prepare it first.  This will give a little extra time for the juices of the tomatoes and onions to combine with the seasonings. 

2. In a food processor or blender, combine 2 of the cans of black beans, corn, chicken broth, salsa, and cumin.  Blend until creamy smooth. 

3. In a large pot add the remaining can of black beans, leaving the beans whole to add texture to the soup.  Add in the black bean mixture from the blender.  Heat until just starting to bubble at the edges, but do not bring to a boil. 

4. Serve immediately with desired garnishes. 

Bon appetit!