New England Clam Chowder

I don't know about you, but I hate fishy tasting food, even something called Clam Chowder. The reason I enjoy this soup is because the only hint of seafood that you get is when you bite into one of the little clams--just enough for comfort :) Hope you enjoy this.

Ingredients

-2 tbs olive oil
-2 tbs unsalted butter, and another 4 tbs later on
-1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
-1 1/2 cups diced celery
-1 1/2 cups diced carrot
-2 cups diced yukon gold potato, peeled
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-1 tbs fresh thyme
-1 bayleaf
-3 regular size cans chopped clams in clam juice (reserve the juice)
-1 1/2 cups water with chicken bouillon, or 1 1/2 cups prepared chicken broth
-1/4 cup flour
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1 cup milk (nothing under 1%)
-1 tsp Old Bay seasoning (optional)

In a soup pot, melt butter with the olive oil and add the diced onion, stirring well until they begin to sweat and turn translucent, but do not brown. Add the celery, carrot, potatoes, salt and pepper. Add the bayleaf and thyme. Open your cans of clams and, keeping back the clams, pour in the juice from each can. Add your bouillon water or chicken broth and bring the whole thing to a boil. Meanwhile, put your flour in a bowl and, beneath the faucet, slowly whisk in cold water, smoothing out lumps as you go. Pour the flour mixture into the boiling pot and stir well. It will thicken up after you do so. Add in your reserved butter, chopped clams, the heavy cream, milk and the Old Bay. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, till the potatoes are soft.

Hot and Sour Soup alla Jessica

This is a Tyler Florence recipe that I modified to be a bit easier and less time consuming. I'm posting it here at the special request of my hot-and-sour-addicted friend, Jessica! Hope you enjoy it, girly. I haven't had a chance to make it yet, but I trust Tyler Florence--the guy can just flat out cook. I haven't made any changes that will compromise the overall integrity of his recipe. He used wood-ear mushrooms and I replaced them with shitake. I love the flavor of shitake mushrooms and it's not always easy to find mushroom varieties other than white, portobello, cremini, and shitake. If you know where to get some nice wood-ears, by all means use them for this recipe. Also, he has a recipe for "Chinese Chicken broth," which is basically your regular chicken broth with scallions added and carrots, celery and tomato taken out. In the end it may taste better in the recipe, but I am certain that regular chicken broth isn't going to be the end of the hot and sour universe. However, for his recipe and the recipe for Chinese Chicken Broth, go here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hot-and-sour-soup-recipe/index.html

A little piece of info about hot and sour soup: when I was pregnant, I ate it as much as I could. For some reason it tasted so wonderful to me and I'd have to think of other things to order so I could get them to deliver me a pint of the soup! Well, this baby turned out so well I may just eat it constantly the next time I get pregnant as well! Buon appetito, friends.

First of all, maybe a day in advance, you’ll want to put about a ½ lb pork roast into the crock pot with some salt and pepper to season. Let it cook till it’s tender, remove it from the juices and shred it up like you’re doing barbeque.

Ingredients

-1 cup sliced shitake mushrooms (our grocery store sells them fresh, but if you have to buy the dried kind, put them in a bowl, cover them with boiling water and let them sit for 30 minutes to reconstitute)
-2 tablespoons canola oil
-1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
-1 tablespoon red chile paste, 2 if you like some extra spice in your life ;)
-1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, sliced into straws
-1/4 lb shredded pork
-1/4 cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp pepper
-pinch of sugar
-2 quarts chicken broth
-1 square firm tofu, drained and sliced into ¼ inch strips
-3 tbs cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water
-1 large egg, beaten
-chopped scallions and cilantro leaves, for serving

Heat the 2 tablespoons canola/vegetable oil in a soup pot. Add the ginger, chile paste, bamboo shoots, and shredded pork and cook for about a minute. Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar then pour into the pot and stir to coat. Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a boil, then add the tofu. Put the cornstarch into a small bowl and, using a whisk, drizzle cold water from the tap into the cornstarch, stirring constantly to dissolve any lumps. Pour this mixture into the broth and continue to simmer it until it thickens a little bit. Once the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat and stir it quickly in one direction (clockwise) to get the motion going. While the broth is still swirling, drizzle in the beaten egg and watch it spread throughout the soup. It will be cooked almost instantly. Serve with slices of raw scallion and a generous handful of cilantro.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a good detox soup. I will admit that it could be an acquired taste, but Zach and I are both big fans of asian soups and we enjoyed this thoroughly. I realize that the ingredients of cinnamon and all spice are a little odd, but you don't really taste "cinnamon" very strongly. It just adds a little depth of flavor. Buon appetito!

Ingredients

-2 quarts chicken broth
-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
-1 package cellophane or thin rice noodles
-1/4 tsp cinnamon
-1/8 tsp all spice OR anise powder OR clove
-3 tbs soy sauce
-3 jalapenos
-1 onion, sliced thin
-3 scallions, sliced
-1 bunch chopped cilantro

Pour this chicken broth into a medium soup pan. Add the cinnamon, all spice and soy sauce. Take one jalapeno and make an incision down the side and put it whole into the broth. Add the raw chicken breast-I don't bother cutting it because it will be easy to tear apart after it's cooked. Bring to a boil, reduce heat but keep the lid on. Let everything simmer for about an hour. When the chicken is done, take it out, shred it, and put it back in. Finally, turn the heat back up, put in the cellophane noodles and cook for a couple minutes. These noodles cook very fast. Finally, just before serving, add in the sliced onion, 2 scallions, and the chopped cilantro. These are supposed to be practically raw in the soup. Zach also likes adding sliced fresh jalapeno to his soup, but I recommend this only if you can handle excessive spice (I prefer to be able to taste my soup).

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice

This came out so yummy! And it only took less than 30 minutes to make! How nice is that? My baby girl didn't even have time to get fussy by the time I was done. I know most people wouldn't consider this recipe "from scratch" but I like to use certain commodities available to me to make life a little easier. You will see, in the future, that I am particularly fond of dry onion soup mix. It brings a world of flavor to anything from gravy, soup, pot pie, and even sour cream for dip!!!

Ingredients

-2 tbs butter
-1 small/medium yellow onion, diced
-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
-1 large carrot, diced
-1 small celery stalk, diced
-2 medium cloves garlic, minced
-2 cans condenced cream of celery soup
-4 cans water, chicken, or vegetable broth
-1 package Rice-a-Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice original flavor
-1 package dried onion soup mix
-1/2 cup light cream or even milk

Melt butter in a soup pot on high heat. Add the onions and sauté till they become translucent. Add the cubed chicken and some salt and pepper and brown on high heat.



Add the carrot, celery and garlic and stir to coat. Pour in the condensed soup and the four cans of water or broth. Stir to keep the ingredients flowing. Pour in the Rice-a-Roni rice mix and the flavor packet, followed by the dried onion soup mix. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and let the rice cook. The soup should thicken up as the rice cooks. When ready to serve, add the light cream/milk and serve.

Del-easy White Chili

This is a recipe I got from my sister and it is sooo del-easy. Zach loves it and requests it for almost every important football game. I serve it with my favorite cornbread recipe and there are almost never leftovers. It's great saturday food because you can throw it together in the morning and by dinner time the flavors have married so nicely it's just the perfect cap to a nice family day.

Ingredients

-3 tbs olive oil or vegetable oil
-four boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
-2 medium yellow onions, diced
-3-4 cloves garlic, minced
-2 green bell peppers, diced
-1 quart chicken broth, plus water to cover, if necessary
-3 cans great northern beans, including juices
-1 tbs cumin powder
-1 ½ tsp chili powder
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
-salt and pepper to taste, I use about a teaspoon of salt and a half a teaspoon of pepper
-1 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened OR ½ cup heavy whipping cream
-1 handful cilantro, washed and chopped (optional)

In a soup pot, heat up the oil. Add the chicken, salt and pepper and give one good stir, then another good stir in about three minutes. Add in the onions, garlic, and bell peppers. Stir to coat, then add the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and cayenne. Saute for a bit until the onions are starting to become translucent. Finally, dump in each can of beans, mix the ingredients together, and then pour in the chicken broth. If the broth fills the pot to about a ½ inch above the solid ingredients, you’re good to go. If it doesn’t, just fill in the rest with water.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer till everything is heated through and the room is fragrant. I like to simmer for quite a while, if I have the time, but it isn’t necessary. About a ½ hour before you want to serve it, place the block of cream cheese in the pot and let it melt a bit before stirring it through. This step is something I have a problem with, actually. My sister’s recipe calls for the cream cheese, which is absolutely delicious but leaves lumps. I think that adding ½ a cup of heavy whipping cream gives the chili that creamy consistency without the lumps. You can decide for yourself. I like topping the bowl of chili with chopped cilantro.

Buon appetito!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I made this soup last night, and even my resident Broccoli Cheese connaisseur said it was wonderful. Because it didn't look like that much to me, I added a fourth cup of chicken broth to the recipe and it still produced a nice thick soup.

This is an Emeril creation. Usually I avoid Emeril recipes because the ingredients exceed my budget and it's usually a big process. This recipe, however, is exquisitely simply and just delicious. It was great to welcome Autumn with a nice hot bowl. His recipe called for medium cheddar. I, personally, love a strong cheddar flavor so I used New York Extra Sharp. If you are not a cheesy kind of person then simply use a medium.

Also, remember, when working with leeks, always slice them first THEN rinse them in a collander under cold water. More so than almost any vegetable, leeks hide dirt and sand better than a chocoholic hides candy bars. So beware. Buon appetito!

Ingredients

-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
-1 cup yellow onions or sliced leeks (white parts only, well rinsed)
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
-Pinch nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
-1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-3 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
-1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli , thawed and separated
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1 1/4 cups shredded New York Extra Sharp Cheddar

Directions

In a medium pot, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme cook, stirring, until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smells fragrant, 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until tender, for 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender. (Alternatively, in batches, puree in a blender or food processor and return to the pot.)*

Add the cream and bring to bare simmer to heat through. Add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter, stirring to blend.

Remove from the heat and ladle the soup into bowls.