Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

Dearest Jill, I miss cooking with you. Whenever we eat this delicious thai flavored soup, we all think of you and your lovely family and how much we miss hanging out at your house. You are such a good friend, it is horrible that we are separated by thousands of miles now! Love you bunches!

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

4 cups water

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed

1 package pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)

1 Tbsp oil

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

2 tsp red curry paste

1 1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp coriander

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups chicken broth

1 13.5 oz can coconut milk

3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp  red pepper flakes

7 lime wedges

Bring water to boil. Add spinach and peas, cook for 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon to another large bowl. Return water to a boil and add noodles, cook 3 minutes. Drain, and mix noodles with spinach mixture. Heat oil over medium high heat in separate pan. Add shallots and spices through garlic, saute 1 minute, stirring constantly .Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk and reduce heat. Simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, onions, sugar, and fish sauce, cook 2 minutes more. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Add cilantro and red pepper flakes. Serve with lime wedges.

Split pea soup

Yummy recipe from lady at church

Split Pea Soup
8 black peppercorns
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs parsley
2 Tbs oil
2 med carrots
2 celery stalks
1 large onion
2 Tbs minced garlic
1 ham steak cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 tsp course salt
1 lb split peas
4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
1 Tbs butter

Wrap first 4 ingredients in cheese cloth sachet or put in spice ball.

Saute vegetables until onions are transparent, add liquid, spice sachet, dried peas, ham, heat to boil, lower flame to simmer, cook 1 1/4 hour, add butter and garnish with thyme.

Cabbage Beef Soup

From RS president at church. Yay for a tasty way to eat cabbage! Kind of like a taco soup in taste.



Cabbage Beef Soup
2 tbsp oil
1 lb ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped
5 cups chopped cabbage
16 oz can kidney beans, drained
2 cups beef broth

24 oz tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Brown beef and onion in skillet. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours. Stir occasionally. Or leave on stow on low for about 4 hours. Makes about 10 servings.

Serve with cornbread or biscuits.

Tortilla Soup

My favorite tortilla soup recipe.

Tortilla Soup

4 Tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
2 Tbs parsley
1 4 oz can diced chiles
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
16 oz beef broth
32 oz chicken broth
1 can corn, undrained
1 tsp cumin
1 can kidney beans
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp steak sauce
1 cup water
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
Cooked bratwurst
1 cup rice

Combine in slow cooker and cook for 4-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.

Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, cilantro and sour cream.

Pumpkin Chili

Fabulous quick and easy chili. Pumpkin makes it creamy and rich, taking the place of most of the tomatoes.

 

Pumpkin Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 ounce) can corn

1 (14.5 ounce) can kidney beans

2 cups pumpkin puree (or about 1 14.5 ounce can)

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

shredded Cheddar cheese

sour cream

 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Stir in the ground beef, and cook until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in tomatoes and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream. 

Mock Tom Ka Gai (Coconut Lime Chicken Soup)

I had a friend make this for us while she was visiting and it is amazing. We could not stop eating this soup; it is delicious! Quick and easy if you have cooked chicken on hand.

1 lb chicken meat cut into strips or shredded (she used a roast chicken from the store and pulled the meat off )
2 (14 oz cans) coconut milk
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
4 Tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup rice
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced green onion or lemongrass
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Bring coconut milk and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat, add ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne, rice and chicken meat. Simmer 10-15 minutes until rice is done. Add scallions and cilantro and serve hot. Enjoy!

Pureed Cauliflower Soup

This soup was a big hit in our home. It is creamy, and delicately spiced. My boys all loved it, even though I used turkey broth that was really too strong for such a delicate soup flavor. We had it with the escarole salad, and it was a wonderful soup & salad dinner. Very filling and delicious. Another great reason to love it is how fast it is to put together! Wonderfully simple & delicious. Mmm. :)


Pureed Cauliflower Soup with Coriander
(From Cooks Illustrated)

Either chicken or vegetable broth can be used in this recipe.

Serves 4 to 6
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , or the same amount of vegetable or olive oil
1 medium onion , 3 medium shallots or 1 medium leek (white and light green parts only), chopped
2 tablespoons dry sherry or white wine (or substitute)
1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), stems discarded and florets cut into bite-sized pieces (about 5 cups)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or low-sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon table salt
ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2–3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons minced fresh chives , or minced parsley


1. Heat butter or oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add sherry and cauliflower; stir-cook until sherry evaporates, about 30 seconds.

2. Add stock, salt, pepper to taste, and coriander to saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 12 minutes.

3. Ladle cauliflower mixture into blender. Add 1/2 cup milk; blend until very smooth. Return soup to saucepan; cook over low heat until warmed through. If soup is too thick, stir in additional milk to thin consistency. Adjust seasonings. (Soup can be refrigerated for 3 days and reheated just before serving.)

4. Ladle soup into individual bowls. Garnish with minced chives and serve immediately.

Hungry?

Potato, Chorizo, Kale Soup

We joined a local organic food co-op and the fun ingredient this past week was several bunches of beautiful purple kale. I went recipe hunting for how best to use it, and we settled on this soup recipe from Cooks Illustrated.

I don't have linguica sausage, but I did find chorizo and we used that. That sausage, potato & kale combo in this very simple soup is extremely delicious and fun.

We didn't roast a turkey first, but had leftover broth in our freezers from our Thanksgiving turkeys - this was an excellent use of that. It also made the soup very easy to make, since the broth was already done. It would be a great reason to make a roast turkey too though. Roast turkey dinner one night, leftover turkey sandwiches the next day, and this awesome soup for dinner another night? Sounds like an excellent plan for turning 1 turkey into 3 nights of dinners to me. Yum.

I know I've been a bit slack on pictures of the food as of late. Dinner pics are hard when all I want to do is eat the food, not photograph it! Everyone in my house liked this soup. It was delicious!

(Time to make after broth is done - about 30 minutes)

Turkey Soup with Potatoes, Linguica, and Kale

Linguiça is a garlicky Portuguese sausage. Chorizo sausage can be used instead.

Makes about 3 quarts, serving 8 to 10

Basic Turkey Stock
1	turkey carcass from 12- to 14-pound turkey, cut into 4 or 5 rough pieces to fit into pot
1	large onion , peeled and halved
1	large carrot , peeled and chopped coarse
1	large rib celery , about 4 ounces, chopped coarse
3	medium cloves garlic , unpeeled and smashed
2	cups dry white wine
1	bay leaf
5	sprigs fresh parsley leaves
3	sprigs fresh thyme
Soup
2	pounds boiling potatoes , unpeeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2	teaspoons minced fresh savory leaves
	Table salt and ground black pepper
12	ounces linguiça sausage , cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1	bunch kale (about 12 ounces), washed, stems removed, and leaves cut into 1/4-inch strips (about 9 cups, packed)

1. For Stock: Bring turkey carcass, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, wine, bay leaf, and 4 1/2 quarts water to boil in 12-quart stockpot over medium-high heat, skimming fat or foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 2 hours, continuing to skim surface as necessary. Add parsley and thyme; continue to simmer until stock is rich and flavorful, about 2 hours longer, continuing to skim surface as necessary.

2. Strain stock through large-mesh strainer into large bowl or container; remove meat from strained solids, shred into bite-sized pieces, and set aside; discard solids in strainer. Cool stock slightly, about 20 minutes; spoon fat from surface. Use stock immediately or cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate up to 2 days.

3. For Soup: Bring turkey stock to simmer in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, savory, and 1 teaspoon salt; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Off heat, mash potatoes in broth with potato masher until no large chunks remain and potatoes thicken soup slightly. Return to medium-high heat, add sausage and reserved shredded turkey meat from stock; bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer to blend flavors, about 15 minutes. Add kale and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes longer. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

Hot & Sour Soup

Nigella Lawson was an unknown sensation to me until this month. I have watched several episodes of Nigella Express & checked out six different cookbooks to try and learn something about this cooking celebrity that I had missed.

Her cookbooks are fun to read. I especially enjoyed Feast, which was all about special occasion foods. There were many interesting and appealing recipes to pick from, however the one that jumped out to me was a hot & sour soup recipe in Nigella Bites. My DH loves hot & sour soup and yet we've never tried making it at home.

While Nigella assured us that the ingredients were easily obtained at regular supermarkets, it took 3 stores for me to find everything, the tom yam paste being the most difficult. I finally found it at a Chinese supermarket.

Once the ingredients are obtained, the recipe is very quick and simple to assemble and quite delicious. It really qualifies as an express meal that sounds fancy, but is quick and simple, with wonderful flavor.

My apologies for the bad picture! I did use the kaffir lime leaves & lemongrass, obtained at the fancy store here, though all the greenery has sunk to the bottom in my photo, not to mention the way the bowl is all splashy. Sorry! It really looks more appealing in real life!

See the rest of the Weekend cookbook challenge entries this month at this link: http://foodiechickie.blogspot.com/2008/03/thank-you-to-everyone-who-participated.html

6 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 heaping tablespoon tom yam hot & sour paste
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped, optional
1 stick lemongrass, tender inner part only, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lime
4 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
2-3 small jalapenos or fresh red or green chilies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons straw or button mushrooms, halved or quartered according to size
1 pound 2 ounces peeled raw shrimp, thawed if frozen
5 small scallions, cut into short lengths and then into strips
small bunch cilantro, chopped

Heat stock and tom yam paste in large saucepan with lime leaves, lemongrass, lime juice, fish sauce, chilies and sugar. Bring to a boil, add the mushrooms and simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the shrimp and scallions and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked but still tender. Sprinkle with a little cilantro and put more on the table for people to add themselves as they want.

Apple Chestnut Soup

From "The Flexitarian Table" comes this wonderful soup that is to be paired with the penne with beets. It was delicious, once I was finally able to obtain chestnuts and do the whole roasting thing. I will be making it again, or some variation of it, like this one.

Trying this soup was reminiscent of the first time I had a good butternut squash soup. It was an eye opening experience. The seasonings and flavors of this apple chestnut soup really make it an experience not to be forgotten. Yum.

Apple Chestnut Soup

1 lb chestnuts in shell (3 cups), scored and soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
4 Tblsp unsalted butter
2 c. finely chopped onions
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
2 tsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
Sea salt
2 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled & chopped
2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 large apple, such as mutsu, winesap, gala, or golden delicious, peeled, cored & chopped
4.5-5 cups stock or water
2/3 c half-n-half or heavy cream
freshly ground black pepper
maple syrup for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread soaked chestnuts on rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the shells crack open and you can easily peel away the skins, 45-60 minutes. Wrap in a clean towel and steam until cool enough to handle, 5-10 minutes. Pull away the shells, then the skins, briefly return to the oven any that are difficult.

In 4-5 quart dutch oven or other heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat and let it cook until it has turned golden and ceased to sputter, about 5 minutes. Add onions, sage, ginger and 1/2 tsp salt, cover, and cook, stirring frequently, and adjusting the heat as necessary to keep the onions from browning, until the onions are golden and meltingly tender, about 15 minutes.

Add potatoes, parsnips, apple, chestnuts, and stock or water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, simmer until vegetables are tender enough to crush against side of pot, 25-30 minutes.

Using immersion blender, or working in batches with regular blender, puree soup until smooth. Blend in cream if using and thin with more stock or water if desired. Transfer to saucepan and reheat, seasoning with salt & pepper and serve with a drizzle of maple syrup.

Slow Cooker Corn Chowder

This is a family favorite/standard for me. Simple soup I can make in the slow cooker and finish up right before dinner with great flavor. The coriander really gives it something I think.

I forgot to take a picture, probably because I was so hungry and its a standard recipe to cook. Ooops!

Easy Corn Chowder

2 cans (14 ½ ounces each) chicken or veggie broth or equivalent

1 bag (16 ounces) frozen corn kernels

3 small potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 rib celery, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

½ cup heavy cream (optional)

Bacon or bacon bits for topping (optional)

1. Place broth, corn, potatoes, bell pepper, onion, celery, salt, black pepper and coriander into slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours.

2. Partially mash soup mixture with potato masher to thicken. (Or use immersion blender in parts). Stir in cream if desired, cook on HIGH, uncovered, until hot. Adjust seasonings, if desired, Garnish with bacon if desired