Tortilla Soup

Somewhere I was introduced to chicken tortilla soup.  I have since been obsessed with finding what I believe is the best tortilla soup.  I still haven't found it because this one is a vegetarian (or easily can be) version.  I think I will have to try it with chicken to see if it approaches what I have in my head as the perfect chicken tortilla.  At any rate, this recipe based off one in Thug Kitchen, is a delicious, hearty soup.  I have been feeling the need for something filling and warm since the days have been rainy and cool.  This satisfies my desires for hearty, healthy and warm.  I love seeing the piles of cut vegetables just waiting to be turned into something else entirely.  Sometimes when I am grocery shopping I wonder how vegetables have gotten so expensive, but when you compare to any single piece of meat, they aren't.  So buying a pile of them and then dicing them and cooking all the colors together is just so satisfying that I do it all over again in a different combination.  So when we are craving a hearty vegetable soup, this one works well and it comes together quickly.  Give it a try!

Tortilla Soup
serves 4-6

1 yellow onion, diced
10 baby carrots or 1 medium carrot, diced
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
2 jalapenos, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 can (about 15 oz.) fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
5 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice from 1/2 a lime
6 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch squares
1 15 oz. can chickpeas
Toppings: cilantro, avocado, sour cream, jalapenos, etc.

In a large soup pot, saute the onion in oil until it is a little see-through, about 3 minutes.  Add the bell pepper and carrot and cook until everything begins to brown (about 3 more minutes).  Add the jalapenos, garlic, spices and salt and cook for another 30 seconds.  Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste.  Stir well so it is evenly distributed.  Add the stock and bring to a simmer.  After simmering for a few minutes, add the lime juice and cut corn tortillas.  Stir and then let simmer for another 10 minutes.  (At this point you can puree until everything is smooth or leave it chunky as I did.)  Taste and add spices as needed.  Remove from heat and serve with chickpeas, cilantro, avocado or whatever toppings you desire.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

This winter I was in the mood for soup, so I tried a few different versions of new soups.  The one I liked best and thought was also very hearty was a mushroom soup.  Then, yesterday, I was talking to a friend of mine who asked if I had ever made Hungarian Mushroom soup.  I did some research and found that I had a recipe for it, but had never made it.  In being me, I have adapted it to my tastes.  And, in case you didn't know, paprika comes from Hungary.  I was accustomed to the sweet paprika which added flavor, but no spice to recipes.  When looking in a spice shop (my favorite is Penzey's), I discovered they have spicy paprika.  I love it!  Adds the depth of regular paprika with additional spice.  With the addition of spicy paprika it added a little bite to the soup, but still retained the traditional flavor.  There are variations around the internet of this Hungarian Mushroom Soup, but this is a version after the Moosewood cookbook's version.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Serves: 4 starter portions

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. cremini mushrooms (chopped, but not finely)
2 tablespoons half-sharp paprika (or half sweet and half sharp if you don;t like as much spice)
2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)
3 tablespoon unsalted butter
2-3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
2 cups vegetable or beef broth
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
Garnish (if desired): extra dill, fresh parsley, dollop of sour cream

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a frying pan.  Saute the onions just until starting to brown.  Add the garlic, saute for another minute.  Add the mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes until the mushroom have release their juices.  Continue over a lower heat for another 5-10 minutes.  Add the lemon juice.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a Dutch oven over medium, add the 3 tablespoon butter.  Once melted add the flour and whisk for several minutes until the flour/butter mixture turn a caramel brown color.  Add the milk, broth, soy sauce and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth.  Whisk in the paprika, dill, salt and black pepper.  Add the mushroom mixture.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes.  Stir often.  Turn off heat and let cool for a couple of minute.  Add the sour cream and stir in gently (if you would like more heat you can turn it on low, but do not boil or the sour cream with curdle).   Serve hot with parsley, dill and/or a dollop of sour cream.  Very good with crusty bread.

Lamb Stew

The first time I remember eating mutton was when I lived in New Zealand.  Since there is an overwhelming number of sheep there, it is pretty certain that people there would be raising and eating them.  Most of the lamb is exported which leaves the less desirable mutton in New Zealand.  However, like most things, you can figure out a way to make it delicious.  While this recipe uses lamb, you can use any kind of stew meat you would like.  That being said this is a simple recipe with a ton of good tasting vegetables which combined with the meat add all the flavor to this stew without much work on the part of the cook other than cutting everything up.  You can increase or decrease the size of this stew easily as well.  Since this was part of my Scandinavian brunch, the idea is from Scandinavian Christmas.

Lamb Stew (for about 6 servings)
1.5 pounds lamb cut into stew sized pieces (about 1.5 x 1.5 inches)  (You can substitute for any other stew meat)
Olive oil (for searing)
1 leek (you can use a small onion if you don't have a leek), well washed and cut into thick pieces
About a pound of potatoes, peeled and cut into similar sized cuts as the carrots and parnips
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 red chiles, roughly chopped
1/3 cup diced dried apricots
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt
black pepper

Heat olive oil in a pan (or into a large stock pot) and sear the lamb until brown on all sides.  Add the vegetables and garlic to the lamb and saute for about 4-5 minutes.  Add the chiles, apricots and tomato paste.  Season with salt and pepper; then pour in 1-2 cups of water.  Cover and simmer for at least an hour.  Taste for seasonings again and adjust as needed.  You can simmer this for several hours, but at least for an hour.  I made mine a day in advance, then cooled and refrigerated it over night.  The next morning I brought simmered it until it was hot throughout and then served.

Farro and Lentil Soup

This past winter I have experimented with lentil recipes.  This was one of them that I tried.  I have mixed feelings about lentils as sometimes I really like them and sometimes they just aren't very good.  This recipe definitely falls into the very good category.  It is one of the reasons I still have lentils in my house.  I want to have more recipes that make me like lentils, so I can make more soups/dishes with them as I find them filling, tasty and healthy.  The other part of this recipe that I like is the farro.  I have been obsessed with farro for more than a year and I am always happy to integrate it into recipes which I didn't have to do for this one.

This soup is based off a recipe in Bough, Borrowed and Stolen by Allegra McEvedy.  This is quite an interesting cookbooks as each chapter focuses on a different part of the world where she traveled to and wanted to replicated in this book.  I like it as it has several recipes for a place and because I like to cook different and interesting recipes from around the world.

Farro and Lentil Soup
5 oz. smoked bacon, cut into pieces (mine were about 1/4 inch thick)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, diced finely
2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped (with leaves)
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 generous pinch (or two) of red pepper flakes
6 oz. lentils (small lentils)
3 oz. farro
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the onions and bacon.  Put on a lid and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  After a minute or two, add the celery, rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes and a pinch or two of salt.  Meanwhile, rinse the lentils and farro and then add them to the saucepan.  After about 2 minutes, add the chicken stock.  Stir everything together and place the lid on (allowing for steam to escape).  Bring the mixture to a simmer.  After about 20-30 minutes your lentils and farro should be cooked.  Remove half the soup and place in a blender (to thicken the soup) and return it to the saucepan.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Let it simmer for another 5 minutes (lid on, but allowing for steam to escape).  Serve with a drizzle of good quality olive oil on top.

New Year, New Food - White Bean Stew with Rosemary, Garlic and Farro

The New Year brings new things to do and try for the upcoming year.  Plans are made, and fresh starts are started.  In December I came across a cookbook that I decided I could not live without, and so I have purchased Cook This Now by Melissa Clark.  Not only have I fallen in love with the recipes in this cookbook, but I have decided like many others, to try and cook every recipe in the cookbook.  I love how it is divided into months.  Each month has a focus on foods which are available at that time of the year.  Not only will this widen my horizons with foods I would not have tried before now, but it is a challenge to see if I can attain the delicious flavors which come together in ways I have not tried.  So in reference to this so far wonderful cookbook, I will not be posting the recipes in this cookbook.  If you like what you see, I encourage you to also get the cookbook.  Happy New Year!  Happy Cooking!

Cook This Now 

White Bean Stew with Rosemary, Garlic and Farro

 

This recipe is a simple stew with tremendous flavors, which you might not think when you read the recipe or even if you taste it while it is cooking.  The key to this is not the stew itself, but the finishing pieces of olive oil, flaky salt, red pepper and parsley.  These finishing ingredients make the stew what it is.

This recipe does take a while to cook, so prepare for it when you have a lot of time at home.  However, it does not require a lot of attention, so you do not have to be in the kitchen the entire time.  Plus, as it is simmering away it send delicious smells of garlic, onion, rosemary and thyme through the kitchen.  I let the stew simmer through the day as I intended to eat it for dinner instead of lunch, though it would have been ready earlier.  The only consequence was that the rosemary and thyme cooked off of their stems, but did not diminish from the flavor.  Also, note make sure if you are going to simmer all day that you will need to remove the onion, celery and garlic before they disappear into a mush that used to resemble what you put in the pot.