Author: Sharon

Categories
Soups

Smoky Portobello Soup

1 1/4 cup white roux (equal parts butter and flour; cook slowly over low heat)
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic, chopped
8 cup chicken stock
1 quart heavy cream
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped sweet onions
8   medium portobello mushrooms
Salt and Pepper to taste
Croutons
Sour Cream
Sliced Chives (for garnish)
Combine 1/4 cup of olive oil and 3 drops of liquid smoke.  Toss 4 of the Portobello mushrooms in oil mixture and roast them in 350-degree oven for approx 45 minutes.  Remove the mushroom gills from the 4 remaining Portobello’s (underside of the caps).  Chop mushrooms into cubes.  In a large pot saute the onions.  Once onions are sauteed, add uncooked Portobello mushrooms and garlic.  After mushrooms and garlic are cooked add roasted mushrooms, chardonnay and chicken broth and allow simmering for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and place mixture in blender. Add Roux to pot.  Blend in heavy cream.  Place mixture back in pot on stove and add roux.  Let simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with croutons, sour cream and sliced chives.
Recipe Courtesy of Paula Deen
4  Servings
Categories
Soups

Scottish Harvest Festival Soup

2 ounces unsalted butter
1 lb potato, peeled and finely diced
3 onions, finely chopped
4 leeks, cut into thin rings
1 lb carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 small cabbage, finely shredded
1 small cauliflower, in small florets
6-10 vegetable bouillon cubes (may substitute beef or chicken stock cubes or powdered bouillon)
80 fluid ounces boiling water
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2-2 1/2 lbs lean lamb stew meat (optional) or beef stew meat, cubed and browned
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, place all the prepared vegetables into the pan and stir over a gentle heat to coat with the butter.  Dissolve the stock cubes in the water and pour over the meat and vegetables.
Add the salt and pepper and simmer gently over a low heat for 1½ hours.  Remove the soup from the heat if not needed immediately.
To serve, bring to the boil, check the seasoning and add more salt and/or pepper if desired.
The soup may be liquidized or puréed and then reheated for a smoother texture, if preferred.
12  Servings
Categories
Seafood Soups

Roasted Corn and Pepper Soup

1  16-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1  tablespoon cooking oil
2  cups chopped onions
1-1/2  cups seeded and coarsely chopped red sweet peppers
4  14-ounce cans chicken broth (7-1/4 cups)
1/2  teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/8 to 1/4  teaspoon ground red pepper
1/3  cup all-purpose flour
1/2  cup whipping cream
2/3  cup cooked crabmeat, cut into bite-size pieces, cartilage removed (4 ounces)
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)
Thaw frozen corn and pat dry with paper towels. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil; use a little of the cooking oil to lightly grease the pan. 
Spread corn in prepared pan. Roast, uncovered, in a 450 degree F oven for 10 minutes; stir. Continue to roast about 10 minutes more until golden brown, stirring once or twice. Remove pan from oven and set aside. 
In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook onions and sweet peppers in remaining oil over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until nearly tender. Add the corn, 3 cans of the broth (about 5-1/2 cups), thyme, and ground red pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. 
In a screw-top jar combine remaining 1 can chicken broth and the flour; cover and shake well. Add to soup; cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir whipping cream into soup; heat through. 
To serve, ladle soup into 12 soup bowls. Divide crabmeat among bowls. If desired, garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.
Makes 12 side-dish servings. 
Make-ahead tip: Prepare soup as directed, except after simmering soup for 15 minutes, cool, cover, and refrigerate soup mixture up to 2 days. When ready to serve, reheat mixture, thicken with flour, and add cream. Serve as above.  
Categories
Soups

Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallot Soup

Spicy fresh ginger complements the sweet roasted winter squash and shallots in this easy recipe. Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich for a simple dinner.
4  cups  (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1  tablespoon  olive oil
1/4  teaspoon  salt
4  large shallots, peeled and halved
1  (1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
2 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2  tablespoons  (1-inch) slices fresh chives
Cracked black pepper (optional)
Preheat oven to 375°.  Combine first 5 ingredients in a roasting pan or jelly-roll pan; toss well. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Cool 10 minutes.  Place half of squash mixture and half of broth in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture and broth. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with chives and pepper, if desired.
6 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup soup and 1 teaspoon chives)
Categories
Soups Vegetables Vegetarian

Minestrone

1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup great northern beans, soaked
1 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
4 cups beef stock
2 cups Italian canned tomatoes and their juice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups diced potatoes
2 cups zucchini, diced
2 cups shredded savoy cabbage
1 cup small pasta shells
In a large pot heat olive oil. Add onions and cook until golden, about 5 to 7 minutes. Then add celery and carrots and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add beans, bay leaf, thyme and toss for 1 minute. Then add the plum tomatoes and their juice, and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add potatoes, zucchini, savoy cabbage and cook for 20 minutes more or until the vegetables are tender. Finally, add your pasta and cook, covered for about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls and serve with the pesto and grated parmesean.

*To make this Vegetarian, substitute Vegetable Broth for Beef Broth.

10  Servings
Categories
Seafood Soups

Lobster Bisque

1/2 pound lobster meat, cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4cup white wine
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Tabasco pepper sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup hot water 
1 teaspoon lobster base
4 ounces tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 cups whipping cream
4 tablespoons butter
In a saute pan heat a little oil over med-high heat and saute shallots, onions, and garlic for one minute.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the Worcestershire, tabasco, and thyme and saute for another minute. Deglaze the pan with the sherry. Add the paprika, hot water and lobster base and combine well.
Stir in tomato paste and add the bay leaves.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Whisk in heavy cream and the butter and bring to a boil.  Add the lobster and simmer until cooked through.
Serve with crusty garlic bread. 
Categories
Italian Soups

Lighter Tastes Like Lasagna Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 ounces broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4 noodles)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
8 Whole-wheat breadsticks or grissini (optional)
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick saucepot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, 8 – 10 minutes.
Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add the noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the noodles are tender, 10 – 12 minutes. Serve with the breadsticks, if using. (whole-wheat lasagna noodles take a little longer to cook.)
Recipe Courtesy of Bobby Deen and the Paula Deen Test Kitchen
Categories
Soups Turkey

Homemade Turkey Stock

3 pounds turkey wings
Turkey neck and giblets, but not the liver (optional)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium celery rib, with leaves, chopped
6 parsley sprigs
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp whole black peppercorn
1 dried bay leaf
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Using a heavy cleaver or large knife, chop the wings between the joints. If using the neck, chop it up, too. (If necessary, ask the butcher to do this for you.) Using a sharp knife, trim away any membranes from the giblets.
Spread the turkey pieces in a very large roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the turkey pieces are deeply browned, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in 10 cups of cold water, bring to a boil and let simmer, covered, while the turkey roasts.
Add the turkey pieces to the vegetables and water, increase the heat to high and bring stock to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Meanwhile, place the roasting pan over two burners on high heat and add 2 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits in the pan. Pour into the pot.
Add the parsley, thyme, peppercorns and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours.
Strain the stock through a colander into a large bowl; discard the solids. Place the bowl in a larger bowl or roasting pan of iced water and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight. Scrape off the solidified fat on the surface before using the stock. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat as needed.
Small-Batch Turkey Stock
 A smaller amount of stock can be prepared with just the turkey neck and giblets, and boosted with canned poultry broth. Look for turkey stock at your market, as it is often seasonally available. In a large stockpot, brown the neck and giblets from 1 turkey in 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, about 10 minutes. Add 1 small onion, 1 small carrot and 1 small celery rib, all chopped, cover, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add 1 quart water and four 13 3/4-ounce cans turkey broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add 4 parsley sprigs, 1/4 tsp thyme, 6 peppercorns and 1 small bay leaf. Simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Makes about 2 1/2 quarts.

Categories
Chicken Soups

Grandma’s Chicken Noodle Soup

Stock:
1 lb dark chicken meat, skin on
1/2 lb chicken breast, skin on
5 cups water
1 small onion, quartered
1 carrot, peeled,cut in 5 pieces
1 stalk celery, cut in 5 pieces
1/8 cup parsley stems, reserve sprigs
2 whole peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Noodles:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons water
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Soup:
2 cups canned best quality low sodium chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
1 carrot, peeled,sliced very thinly
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon parsley sprig, minced
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
generous grinding pepper
salt
Stock: Cut away any obvious fat from chicken and place only dark meat chicken parts in Dutch oven or stockpot; add water, onion, carrot, celery, parsley stems, peppercorns and cloves.  Bring to boil, skim off foam at top and then add thyme; reduce heat to simmer; simmer 20 minutes and then add chicken breast; simmer another 25 minutes until chicken is tender.
Remove the chicken but continue to simmer broth; as soon as chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and return bones to broth; simmer another 20 minutes.
Noodles: While the chicken and stock are simmering, make the noodles; in a food processor, process flour, eggs, oil, water, oregano, cheese and salt 45-60 seconds to mix and knead the pasta; (if making the pasta by hand, place flour on work surface and make a well in the center; add the other ingredients to the well and mix with hands to form dough; knead on floured surface for 10 minutes); cover dough and let rest 10-20 minutes.
Divide dough in half and roll each as thinly as possible to a 14″ square; trim the edges to make somewhat straight; lightly flour the surface of the dough; roll each square loosely, as for a jelly roll; cut each roll with sharp knife into 1/4″ slices; shake slices open.
Lay half of the noodles flat in a loose, overlapping mound; cut into 2″ lengths and spread them out to dry for about 15 minutes; lay the other half of the noodles out flat to dry or drape on pasta dryer; when noodles are somewhat dry and do not stick together, roll in several loose circles of a few noodles each and seal in platic bag in a single layer; use in another dish of your choice within 2-3 days.
Soup: Strain broth and return to pot; add stock and bring to a boil; add carrots and cook 2 minutes; add peas and noodles and cook another 2 minutes; add chicken, parsley, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.
Categories
Asian Soups

Egg Drop Soup

4 cups chicken stock, plus 2 tablespoons 
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 green onions, chopped, including ends
salt and pepper, to taste
Bring stock, ginger and soy sauce to a boil. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of chicken stock and stir. Slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring the stock, until thickened. Reduce heat to a simmer. Pour in the eggs slowly while stirring the soup in the same direction. Take off heat. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with green onion. Serve immediately.
4  Servings