Nothing like having a typo in the subject line! That should be STEWS!

This kind of weather makes you want to just stay inside and sew. Making a comforter is a good idea.

Jim

I have a great yen for some of that stuff....but cant' decide just what to make! LOL1
I have a lot of onions, so this might be in the pot soon.
White Note Onion Soup
4 to 5 large onions thinly sliced
6 T. butter
3 T. all purpose flour
3, 10 oz cans of chicken broth
3, 10 oz cans of beef broth
3 T dry sherry

French bread
grated Swiss cheese
grated Parmesan cheese

In a large Dutch oven ( a heavy pot holding at least 4 quarts) melt the butter and cook the onion very slowly until soft but not browned....just a little golden....blend in the flour, tossing the onion to coat evenly, add warm broths slowly stirring all the while ( so you don't get flour lumps), then simmer VERY slowly for about 2 hours. Toast slices of the bread on a cookie sheet in an oven at 350 until brown, turn and toast the other side. Add sherry to soup. Ladle soup into bowls, top with a toast slice and a mixture of grated Swiss and Parmesan cheeses.....serve and enjoy!!

And I also have 2 huge whole bone in chicken breasts....so this might be on the table soon:
Gypsy Stew�..Pink Adobe, Santa Fe
1 large frying chicken cut into pieces
3 yellow onions peeled and quartered
8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved ( I chop!)
2 cups dry sherry
1 cup chicken stock
12 medium hot chilis like poblano, roasted, peeled and seeded (or use canned)
6 large ripe tomatoes�Again I use whole canned plum tomatoes�.cut in 4ths�pull apart using 2 forks)
Salt to taste and � pound grated jack cheese
Put chicken, onions, garlic 1 cup of sherry and the broth in a large heave kettle ( add more broth to cover if needed�..simmer one hour�.cool somewhat and remove skin and bones�.I also cool the pan juices somewhat and skim the fat..
Put chicken tomatoes, chilis and rest of the sherry back in the pot and simmer about 45 minutes.
To serve�place cheese cubes in the bottom of bowl and ladle hot soup over the top.
Good made ahead and reheated.
And I still have a huge yen for chicken pot pie...

I love this recipe, It came on the can of chicken from Costco but you can sub baked chicken or a rotisserie chicken instead
Thick N' Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup
1 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup green onions, sliced (I use a leek cleaned and chopped)
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup AP Flour
2 cups milk
1 can 10 3/4 oz chicken broth (I use homemade)
1 can 12.5 oz chunk breast of chicken, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp pepper
In a med saucepan, cook carrots & onions in hot butter about 10 mins. until tender.
Stir in flour. Slowly add milk, chicken broth, Worcestershire and pepper.
Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Stir in chicken and cheese. Make sure cheese melts and chicken is warmed.
Serve hot.
Make 4 servings

Linda

We love this old family recipe especially when it's cold outside:

Andrea's Beef Goulash Soup

2 lbs. beef chuck, cut in pieces (soup spoon size)
2 soup bones (I like the ones with marrow)
3 tablespoons Crisco (or butter)
Hungarian paprika (enough to matter)
2 teaspoons caraway seeds (to taste)
2 medium onions (diced small)
4 carrots (nice sized "coins" - not diced small)
2 stalks of celery (medium dice)
6 medium potatoes (medium dice)
1 green pepper (or red)(medium dice)
3/4 hot Hungarian banana pepper (to taste)
1 plump clove of garlic (diced)
salt and pepper
1 15 oz can of whole or diced tomatoes
32 ounces beef stock

In about 4" water, boil the meat and soup bones. Skim it well and then add beef stock. In a separate frying pan, melt the 3 tablespoons of fat and fry the paprika and caraway seeds, chopped garlic and one of the onions a little. This mixture should be a pretty red color. Add this to the skimmed soup. Add the other chopped onion to the soup. Add salt and pepper, peppers and canned tomatoes. When meat is almost done, add carrots, celery and potatoes. Cook soup slowly. Don't add carrots and celery until it simmers for at least an hour. Add potatoes at the very end for the last 45 minutes or so of cooking. The beef chuck may take 2 to 3 hours to get tender but it will.

I also add csipetke (pinched noodles) to this when it's done: 1 cup AP flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 egg. Make a real stiff dough (sprinkle a few drops of cold water if necessary). Knead until smooth. Let it rest for 30 minutes, then flatten and pinch off small pieces and drop them in simmering soups and stews. They're done in less than 15 minutes.

For a sewing project, I recommend making napkins and placemats - a comforter will take quite a bit of time. I really love the napkins and placemats that I have made for my house because they give me more control over the colors, the weave, and the fiber content. I use only cotton or linen or cotton/linen blends for napkins, and I prefer a satin weave because it makes them cling better. My black ones are just about worn out, and so I think I need to get some more cotton sateen.

For soups, here is one of my favorites:

Minestrone Soup
Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced white onion (about 1/2 small onion)
1/3 cup minced celery (about 1 stalk)
2 chopped zucchinis, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
2 cups water or vegetable broth
2 tsp vegetable soup base (if broth is not used � dissolve in the 2 cups water)
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (or whole tomatoes pur�ed in can)
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
2-4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 to 1 1/2 cups water or vegetable soup base
1 to 1-1/2 tsp vegetable soup base (dissolved in the water, if broth not used)
2/3 cup small shell pasta (or farfalline, orzo, or similar)
1-3/4 cups cooked red kidney beans, drained*
1-3/4 cups cooked small white beans or great northern beans, drained*
2 cups fresh baby spinach (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
salt, to taste, if soup base is not used

Directions:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.

Saut� onion and celery in the oil for 4-5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent. Add the zucchini and garlic and saut� a couple of minutes more.

Add vegetable broth to pot, plus tomatoes, carrot, and spices. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Add additional 1 cup hot water/vegetable broth (more, if needed), pasta, beans, spinach leaves (if desired), and tomato paste, and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency. Less water will be needed if the spinach is used. Add salt to taste, if you are not using soup base. I use Better Than Bouillon brand vegetable soup base or one that I get from a restaurant supply store. Use more parsley if you are not adding spinach.
*Note: I use 7/8 cup of each dried bean to yield the amount needed and cook the beans earlier in the day or the day before in plain water with a couple of bay leaves. I simmer them in the same pan. Alternatively, canned beans can be used (14 oz can each), drained and rinsed.

I got a version of this recipe here and then made a few adjustments to it. I make huge batches and freeze it in old yogurt containers. I tend to like more bean based soups - as long as they are not sweet.

No recipes here, but my other favotite soups include Vichyssoise, French Onion, Lentil, Posole, and Avgolemono. I also like Barley Mushroom soup, but I don't use a recipe for that.

Here's a recipe for a Vietnamese style soup:

Crab Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:
2 pounds asparagus
6 stalks celery
1 onion
2 serrano peppers
4 cups water
1 tsp crab soup base
1 tsp lobster soup base
1 tsp Thai fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon Chinese chili paste (or to taste)
1/2 pound crab meat
Soy sauce to taste

Remove the tips from the asparagus and reserve. Coarsely chop the asparagus stems, celery, onion, and serrano peppers and put in a stock pan with the water. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Blend the mixture in a food processor or use a hand-held blender to pur�e. Strain the pur�ed mixture through a Chinaman�s cap into another pot or bowl and force as much pur�e through as possible, leaving the stringy pulp to be discarded.

Return the liquid to the heat and add the soup base, fish sauce, and chili paste. You can substitute a dash of cayenne for the chili paste. Add the asparagus tips and simmer for about 3-5 minutes, but do not overcook the tips. Add the crab meat and remove from heat. Adjust seasonings with soy sauce and/or chili paste and serve immediately.

Lars

Man, all I've been cooking lately has been comfort food. Tonight I'm making potato fennel gratin ('cause I have the fennel to use up) with Ina's recipe linked below. (Except I'll cut down on the fat). Another stew that BF and I have been enjoying is dead easy:

Moroccan style stew

Saute a smallish onion in about 1 TBLSP of olive oil. Add a couple cloves fresh garlic if you are into that, or add minced garlic later on. Add a pepper (green or red if you can afford it) and any other vegetables you like. Zuchinni, carrots, and celery are the ones I add most often, but even eggplant or winter squash would go with this dish. After the veggies are soft, add a med. sized can of diced tomatoes and garbanzo beans. Season with 1 tsp. curry powder, a little extra cumin, and a dash of lemon juice or lemon pepper. To make it mellow, add a handful raisins, or other dried fruit such as prunes or apricots, or a tsp. or so of honey. Can add paprika if you like and a dash of cayenne if your curry is mild and you are so inclined. Add some tomato juice, V8 juice or a small can of tomato sauce. You can also use fresh tomatoes in place of the canned ones if you like, just add in with the veggies you are sauteeing. When all this is simmering, add some greens. I have used fresh spinach, frozen spinach, and fresh cabbage. Simmer until flavors are melded. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve this whole thing over brown rice. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve with pita and baba ganoush or tzatsiki.

You can add sauteed chicken to this too, add it when you're doing the onions. I've made it with cut up boneless breasts and thighs both.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ina Garten Potato Fennel Gratin

Last night we had miso soup over rice noodles with some grilled salmon. It was super gingery and really hit the spot.

I have often wished I had a sewing machine, but I'm not sure I have the time or space to take on another project!

AM

Posted by jimster "This kind of weather makes you want to just stay inside and sew. Making a comforter is a good idea. Jim"

ROFLMAOLOL!!! Too much!

dcarch

Linda, your Thick N' Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup inspired me to use Wednesday's leftover Georgia Chicken. I had to make some adjustments:
No carrots - substituted cubed potatoes
No green onions - substituted shallots
No cheddar because Georgia chicken has mozzarella cheese and mushrooms
Used white wine instead of Worcestershire
No milk - substituted half & half

Results: Outstanding! I'm going to have to capture this redo of your recipe.

Thanks for helping me Poof tonight's dinner.

"Look, it's snowing!" LOL! That's the joke. It hasn't stopped. Tonight we're having a roast laced with garlic, baked potatoes and brussel sprouts. I'm also making some Peasant rye bread. Hopefully it'll warm us up.

I sort through my gardening seeds to help me think of warmer weather.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dilled Peasant Rye Bread

"ROFLMAOLOL!!! Too much!"

You do realize that sort of reaction only encourages me, don't you?

Jim

Linda, we also had your Thick N' Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup last night with Pepperoncini Beef sandwiches.
Really a hearty soup. Added a few garlic mashed potatoes we had left over. Didnt have chicken stock, so sub. chick boullion, so it wasnt like it would be with the real stock. Gives me a reason to make chicken stock.

Loved the color that the grated carrots gave the soup. As I was adding the cheese I wondered what other cheeses could be sub.

Thanks for sharing recipe :)

Umm, Georgia Chicken? Recipe please!

The weather is cold and snowy here too, but not 90 inches! So far we have had lentil soup, pea soup, onoin soup, chili, goulash and goulash soup(when the meat runs low and the sauce is left over), gumbo, and I am now craving black bean soup.

But there is hope for spring too. Costco has fertilzer and rose care products out and the snow blowers are marked down in price. And my lne garden rabbit now has a "freind". Oy!

Peppi (sitting in the living room with a comforter over her knees)

Becky,
The sun was out at 9 am today. Did you see it? Hopefully it will return. I am so over this constant snow.

I spent the day inside yesterday making a creole lentil soup, pulled pork and rugelach. The sun better show up again soon as my diet can't take much more of this!

Jo

Jim, you weren't that far off because I bought a new sewing machine last week and what do you think I'm making? New aprons!

If you look at the old what's for dinner threads, you'll see that soup or stews are often on our table. Most don't have a recipe but here's one I tried and liked this fall when canned pumpkin was a loss leader at the markets.

PUMPKIN BLACK BEAN SOUP

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth, divided
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. dry sherry

Put oil, onion and garlic into a large pot. Cook on medium low heat until vegetables are soft but not browned.

Puree the beans and tomatoes with two cups of the broth. Add pureed ingredients, pumpkin, spices and other two cups of broth to the pot and stir to mix.

Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until soup is thickened, about 45 minutes. Stir in vinegar and sherry before serving.

Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds or sliced almonds, if desired.

This is a great partner for soups.

CRUNCHY RYE BREAD

1/3 cup softened butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. sesame seed
1/4 tsp. paprika
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 loaf (1 lb.) round unsliced rye or pumpernickel bread

Mix butter, seeds, and paprika until smooth. Stir in cheese. Make 3 lengthwise and 3 crosswise cuts through top of bread, leaving bottom crust intact. Spread mixture on all sides of cuts and over top and sides of bread. Heat on cookie sheet in preheated 375 degree oven, uncovered, until hot and crunchy, about 20 minutes.
Notes: Bread can be prepared with spread earlier in the day. Keep in a plastic bag until time to bake. Swiss cheese can be substituted for the cheddar or a combination of the two cheeses.

While most of our snow is gone, there is still ice in the shady places. I may try to get to my trash can today, but would have better luck if I still had my ice skates.

I'm going to bake the last butternut squash that a friend at work grew this summer. Then I'll be making my favorite butternut squash soup with apples, onions, curry, and chicken broth.

Teresa

"... I bought a new sewing machine last week..."

Excellent! Enjoy it.

Jim

Jo, I did see sun sporadically yesterday! We're having a nice bright sunny day today. The catch is, it was -2 on my way into work.

Lately King Arthur Flour's website has been my inspiration for bread recipes. I made a harvest grain brain bread and a cinnamon bread yesterday. I think this week I'll be making that Pumpkin black bean soup. Yum! I also think that I'll be making African Peanut Stew. I bet its been a year or two since I made it last.

African Peanut Stew

This is a unique combination of ingredients. I took the best out of 3 or 4 different recipes to come up with this hearty stew. Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients

1 - 3 lb chicken
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 cups commercial chicken stock or broth
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 medium size sweet potatoes, boiled and peeled
1 bag (3/4 lb) spinach, washed and cut into narrow strips
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons lemon juice, preferably fresh
2 tablespoons peanut oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Hot pepper sauce to taste
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

I usually either take a roasted chicken I had made a night or two before (with leftover chicken meat), or take a whole cooked chicken and simmer for a couple of hours (2 hours) until the meat starts to come off the carcass. There should be enough water to just cover the carcass. While simmering, season the water and chicken with some salt and pepper. Do not boil briskly, just simmer. A hard boil will break down the fat globules and make them difficult to skim out. The fat will then make your broth cloudy. Debone the chicken after cooking and discard skin, fat and bones. Chop chicken into bit size pieces. Reserve broth.

Heat oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Stir in the onions. Cook until the onions are translucent.

Take 3 cups commercial chicken broth and pour into a stock pot. Add 4 cups of the reserved homemade broth to the three cups commercial broth in the stock pot. Simmer on low.

In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter and 1 cup of the reserved broth. Stir this into the stock pot of broth. Stir in garlic and cayenne pepper into the stock pot. Add diced chicken. Chop sweet potatoes into bite sized pieces and add to the stock pot. Add diced tomatoes. Stir in spinach and cook, stirring for 2 minutes until the spinach wilts. Season with lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper.

It was 5 degrees here this morning. Brr.... Last night we had 13-15 Bean Soup. Usually I have homemade ham stock or at least a ham bone in the freezer but not this time so I improvised with a ham steak I bought on sale.

Easy 13 Bean Soup

2 1/2 cups dry 13 Bean mix, rinsed
2 1/2 lbs. Ham, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 large stalks of celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup stewed tomatoes, chopped
Salt & pepper

Add all the ingredients to pot. Cover with water by about an inch. Bring to a boil, skim foam and stir. Reduce heat to just a simmer, cover and simmer 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

I put this on the woodstove on a rack and let it simmer for over 4 hours. I smooshed a few beans as I stirred so the soup have a thick broth.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

This makes a good size pot of soup. I would say 8-10 large servings.

'...I made a harvest grain brain bread'...

Booberry, I think I could use some of that and your African Peanut Stew sounds interesting too.

jude

It's "doing stuff" today...snow, sleet etc....
Think I'll make a big pot of soup....now the question is....turkey carcass soup? or should I cut up that giant squash and make a big pot of squash soup?
I have about 1/4 head of cabbage....wonder how that would go in the turkey soup?
Yep.....think I'll boil up the turkey bones!
Linda C

Booberry, you make me feel so ashamed. I've been grouchy and complaining about the lack of sunshine the last week - I am so ready for the sun to come back. More than three days of cloudy weather and I'm not a good person to be around. My week or so of cloudy, cold rainy weather is nothing compared to what a lot of you are going through, but then, that's why I live in Texas!

I did spend a lot of time yesterday curled up on the couch with my cross stitch project.

I don't have a favorite soup - I love them all. I could eat soup almost every day. I love to roast vegetables and make a soup out of them.

Last week I made refrigerator soup, which can be either one of the best soups or the worst, depending on what you have. Last week's fridge soup was good. In the fridge I had a few carrots, some celery, a bell pepper, some left over English peas, around a half cup of uncooked lentils that never made it into a recipe, part of a carton of veggie broth, and part of an onion. I sauteed the onion, celery, and pepper together, then added some chopped up potatoes I had in the pantry, then the veggie broth, plus another carton of veggie broth from the pantry and a can of tomatoes. I added all the other ingredients that were left and wallah, a good supper soup. I made cheese muffins to go with the soup. This was one of the good refrigerator soups. There was enough left over to have some for lunch the next day at work. My boss said he was drooling over the smell of it. Too bad. Can't share one serving that I've been eating out of, lol.

Here's another soup I made recently that comes out of a Texas natural gardening/living magazine called "Living Natural First." The lady that has the cooking column calls herself "The Barefoot Cook", which I think is a rip off of the Barefoot Contessa, but nevertheless, this is a very tasty soup. To make it vegetarian, I used vegetable broth. Also, I didn't follow her roasting instructions, because I wanted the soup a little faster, so I cut up the sweet potatoes to roast them a little more quickly.

November 2010 Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potato Ginger Soup
by Amanda Love on OCTOBER 29, 2010
Roasted Sweet Potato Ginger Soup

2 tablespoon of butter, coconut oil or olive oil
1 diced onion (yellow or white)
2-4 tablespoons fresh minced ginger, peeled
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2 cups roasted sweet potato or yams (without skins) (see below for roasting instructions)
2 cups homemade chicken broth (free range, organic)
1 cup coconut milk (full fat) or raw heavy cream or raw milk
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground coriander

Directions:
In medium sized soup pot over medium heat, melt butter, coconut oil or olive oil.
Add 1 diced onion and fresh minced ginger. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Saute for about 15 minute until onion softens and releases its amazing aroma. Add roasted sweet potato or yams (without skins) and homemade chicken broth. Add ground nutmeg and ground coriander.
Stir all ingredients together and bring to a simmer. Puree with an immersion blender. Add coconut milk or raw heavy cream or raw milk. Add more broth if the soup is too thick for your taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of creme fraicshe and minced chives.

How to Roast a Sweet Potato:
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and scrub sweet potatoes until clean. Rub olive oil over their skins.� Poke skins with a few pricks. Place on cookie sheet or baking dish . If you use parchment� paper, your cleaning job will be much easier. Turn halfway through cooking. Roast till tender, about 1 hour.

Here's the Cheese Muffin recipe, in case anyone is interested. They're from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. She recommends serving them with soups made of corn, tomato, or roasted peppers, or with chile beans.

Cheese Muffins
by Deborah Madison
Makes 10 muffins

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup stone-ground cornmeal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons corn oil (I subbed canola oil, since that's what I had)
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 to 2 cups grated Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil or spray muffin tins. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the eggs, milk, oil, and honey in another. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stir them quickly together, then stir in the cheese. Fill the muffin cups about three-quarters full, then bake until the muffins are browned and springy, about 25 minutes.

Options...

Cheese Muffins with herbs: Add 2 tablespoons chopped dill and 1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin seeds or caraway seeds to the batter

Cheese-Corn Muffins: Add 1 cup uncooked corn kernels to the batter with the cheese. If you like it hot, include 1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles.

Sally

Success finally!! I made my favorite Thai soup--Tom Kha Gai (Thai coconut soup). The waitress at my favorite Thai restaurant heard me explaining how to make Tom Kha Gai to another guest. She brought me the kaffir leaves that I haven't been about to find.

It was so easy that I've made 2 pots in 3 days. Of course there are so many recipes on the web; this is just one I grabbed.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

1 quart chicken stock, recipe follows
1 stalk lemon grass, white part only, cracked open with the flat side of a knife
3 kaffir lime leaves, fresh or dried, hand torn
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 small Thai chilies, halved lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 (8-ounce) can straw mushrooms, rinsed
2 limes, juiced
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Bring the stock to the boil over medium heat in a soup pot. Add the lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, ginger, chilies, and garlic. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and gently simmer for 10 minutes to let the spices infuse the broth.

Uncover and stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, mushrooms, lime juice, and chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes to heat the chicken through; season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into a soup tureen or individual serving bowls.

Garnish with cilantro. Be careful to avoid chewing the lemongrass, ginger, or lime leaves.
Yield: 4 servings

Glad you all liked the soup....the changes sound great.

Linda

Cold and snowy here the last couple of weeks too. We did get a nice day of sunshine on Saturday, but those are few and far between this season!

Here are a coiple of my favorites. I am going to have to try Linda's Chicken Cheese soup, too!

Ribollita
Giada DeLaurentis

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling on bread
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (15-ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence
3 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan rind
4 to 6 ciabatta rolls, halved lengthwise or 1 loaf, sliced
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the spinach, beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Drizzle the ciabatta halves with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Tomato Bisque with Tortellini

1-1/2c diced tomatoes
1-1/2c tomato sauce
3/4c bloody mary mix
1-1/2tsp fresh basil
1/4tsp italian seasoning
2c heavy cream
1/4c chicken base
1/4tsp dried thyme
1/4tsp white pepper
1T sugar
1/4c grated parmesan cheese
1/2lb tortellini

Combine all ingredients except tortellini and cheese in stock pot. Bring to
low boil then remove from heat and add parmesan. Blend with stick blender or
in food processor until smooth. Return to pot and simmer. Meanwhile cook
tortellini in boiling water 5-7 minutes or until tender, add to soup and
serve, garnish with parsley flakes.

My note: original recipe calls for 2T sugar, I reduced it because I don�t like much sweetness. You can add more if you like

This one is more of stew, but you could increase the liquids if you prefer more of a soup. The flavor is phenomenal!

Beef Daube Provencal

2 teaspoons olive oil
12 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup red wine
2 cups chopped carrot
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup less-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Dash of ground cloves
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bay leaf
3 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)
Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Preheat oven to 300�.
Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; bring to a boil.

Cover and bake at 300� for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme, if desired.

Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours.

Yield 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup stew and 1/2 cup noodles)

Linda

Here is a good soup for hard economical times:

Hodgepodge Soup in the Crock Pot

pork leftovers, chopped (ham bone, ham, salami, bologna, hot dogs, sausage, pork chops/roast, barbecued pork)
2 carrots, grated
2 medium potatoes, grated
1 large onion, chopped
4-8 outer cabbage leaves, shredded
1/2 cup white wine or beer (or apple juice or white grape juice)
2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 t. dried parsley or 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
pinch of thyme
4 cups water or ham bone broth or chicken broth

Layer meats and vegetables in the crock pot in the order listed. Add rest of ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

To serve: place one or two slices of French bread in a large soup bowl; sprinkle on 1 TB grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese, then ladle the soup over. Serves 8-10.

SEagrass, I'm glad to see you posting, we were looking for you on the "hurricane" thread.

So you are OK, and have power, because you are posting. Did you get hit really hard by the storm?

Annie

Thanks for asking Annie. We got our power back on Tuesday evening. Our part of the hurricane was a wind event. No rain for us (we need some desperately). Lost a few trees, and lots of debris in the yard and garden. We were lucky.

I made AnnT's Greek stew with zucchini, green beans and potatoes to keep us fueled during the storm. Actually the beans were yellow wax beans from our garden, along with some of our zuchs and tomatoes. I have to confess to throwing in a package of hamburger that needed to be used. But overall it was somewhat close to the original! My husband really liked it, so I wrote down what I did. We're going to call it Hurricane Stew.

seagrass

Well winter has come this year to the Northeast. We got 6" of snow friday and had single digit temps most of the weekend. A good weekend for making soup. I made Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup, French Onion Soup, and Potato and Leek Soup. All the recipes are from Simply Recipes. If you haven't looked at her blog yet, I highly recommend it - not just soup either.

Here is a link that might be useful: Simply Recipes - Soups & Stews

Boo, I was halfway through this thread when I had a "deja vu" moment and realized it is from last year! LOL

Here in MN we have but a slight dusting of snow and have been experiencing record highs. It's been weird! More like spring than winter here, but I am sure we'll get socked before the season is over!

PS...I have tried several recipes from Simply Recipes site and they have all been good!

Linda

DH and I both love soups and stews and I have picked up some excellent recipes at this forum. DH does the weeknight cooking and he really likes to use the crockpot. I found a beef barley soup recipe at Taste of Home that has become one of our new favorites. I generally cook on the weekends and found another recipe at Taste of Home that we both love. Strange thing is that I detest tomato soup (seems like I'm just eating ketchup), but Tomato Tortellini Soup transforms it perfectly for me. And the best part is that this soup takes less than 30 minutes to make. I always buy a half-pound of broken jumbo shrimp and cut them into nice size chunks and add them when I add the tortellini and 2 or 3 minutes in the hot soup is enough to cook the shrimp. Excellent!

SLOW-COOKER BEEF BARLEY SOUP

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds beef stew meat
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced fresh carrots
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 cup spaghetti sauce
2/3 cup medium pearl barley
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
3/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown meat in oil over medium heat; drain. Meanwhile, in a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the vegetables, broth, water, spaghetti sauce, barley and seasonings. Stir in beef. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or until meat is tender. Skim fat from cooking juices. Yield: 8 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

TOMATO TORTELLINI SOUP

Ingredients:
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup, undiluted
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Additional shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:
Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

We have a program at church called Comfort Foods in which we bring food to others in need. Just a couple weeks ago I made a freezer Chicken Stew taken from the Knorr recipe site.
It did seem a little to salty for us, so if you can find the low sodium cubes. This stew does freeze nicely as I made two and gave one away and froze the other to see how the texture would be after frozen. We served this stew over mashed potatoes....nice comfort food!

MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN STEW

SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 15 Minute(s)
COOK TIME: 21 Minute(s)
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
**** I used the 6-in-One...awsome flavor
1 cup water
2 cups baby carrots
*** I added 1 can of Veg-all but you could add any veggies you have on hand
2 Knorr� Chicken flavored Bouillon Cubes, crumbled
PREPARATION

Heat olive oil in deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and brown chicken and onion, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve, if desired, over hot cooked noodles or mashed potatoes.

FREEZING/MAKE-AHEAD DIRECTIONS: Prepare recipe as above. Let cool, then turn into 13 x 9-inch baking dish or casserole. Wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze. To Bake, Preheat oven to 375�. Remove from freezer. Bake covered 1 hour. Remove foil, then stir and bake an additional 20 minutes or until bubbling. Serve as above.

Here is a link that might be useful: MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN STEW

Snow and cold and soup here too!
We have 2-3" on the ground which, to those of you that GET snow every year, doesn't sound like much....but we normally only get 6" for an entire season!
Consequently, there are a lot of people who don't know how to drive in it!! It's a big deal here.

That said, I was inspired to make a Veggie Beef stew from what was on hand. Beef stew meat, potatoes, corn, carrots, tomatoes, kale, onion, etc. That along with a slab of homemade sourdough slathered with butter made a very nice dinner last night. Comfort food! Yum!

Deanna

Crockpot beef stew at our place tonight... yum

taters, turnip, a leek, 2 onions, carrots, half a red pepper for the helubit, a can of Rotel mild for some zing. Can't make it too zingy cause the other one doesn't like it overly zingy. Oh yeah, the stewing beef and spices.

Actually it's not going to be done till about 1 a.m. because I've had a nasty head cold all weekend and just feeling better this afternoon and needed something to do..

LOL...I didn't notice this thread started last year. We've had 'spring', too. Snow in November and then rain and now ice, but it's cold and windy now, and we're in for several days of snow.

We've been on a soup binge (damp, cold, dark weather and I'm trying to clean out my freezers). Last week I POOFed the Christmas ham bone and broth and made black and white bean soup, and today I made turkey (meat and broth left from TDay) and noodles for our staff mtg.

We had Sticky Chicken the other night. The leftover meat and broth from the carcass are in the fridge and later in the week I'll pull out some frozen creamed corn for this chowder. The seasoning on the chicken really makes it, but I've used plain roasted chicken and Penzey's Northwoods Fire seasoning.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Cheesy Sticky Chicken Chowder

Recipe By :Katie, April, 2001
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soups

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 Sticky Chicken carcass
3 potatoes
1 small onion
2 stalks celery
2 cups creamed corn
1 can diced green chiles (at least)
1 8 oz. brick cream cheese
1/2 - 3/4 cup cream -- or evaporated milk

Pick meat off chicken and dice. Cover carcass with water and simmer. Strain and cool broth. Skim off fat.

Cook potatoes, onion, and celery in broth until tender. Add diced chicken, corn and chiles. Heat through and stir in cheese and cream. Makes about 1 1/2 qt.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And this one is next, since I have a couple of sweet potatoes that need to be used. Found this on pinterest:

African Sweet Potato Soup with Peanut Butter and Black Beans
Serves 4-5, adapted from Gluten-Free Goddess

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 medium red onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced very finely
1/2 lb dried black beans, soaked overnight and cooked until tender
1 quart veggie broth
1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter (or sunbutter for those allergic!)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime
3 tsp brown sugar
salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the curry paste and cinnamon. Stir for a minute so that the olive oil gets infused with spice. Add the onion, garlic, sweet potato, bell pepper, and jalapeno. Stir and cook the veggies for 5-7 minutes, until softened.

2. Add the beans and broth. Melt the peanut butter by mixing it with 1/2 cup boiling water. Add that to the mix. Add the red pepper flakes and cilantro.

3. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and simmer. Cook until veggies are tender, about 25 minutes.

4. Stir in the lime juice and brown sugar. Season with salt and black pepper.

Here is a link that might be useful: African Sweet Potato Soup

Yum there's plenty here that would appeal to us. I just need to plan ahead! :P

But in keeping with this thread, I made my first stew of the winter (ya, i know it's late) but I had bought some veal stew meat back in Oct and just found it in the freezer yesterday. Our temps have been cold and in between crises today, I managed to throw together a delicious stew. Thanks to another thread, I dried the meat before browning it in my Mario Batalli (like LeCreuset) dutch oven. I then browned onions, granulated garlic and some shallots. Added back the meat, 1/2 carton of TJ's beef broth, carrots about 1T of tomato paste, and a bit of pinot noir that was taking up room in the fridge. I simmered, first on the stove and then in a low oven. Held for later and then added a chunked and peeled russet potato, more carrots and sliced some baby portabello mushrooms. Added 1/2 cube beef bouillon and more pinot. I had DH taste it for flavor and he pronounced it, "Perfect". I didn't enjoy the stew since it had onions etc, but will admit to snitching pieces of the veal. I took some of the leftovers to Mom and DH will enjoy the rest for lunch later in the week.
Thanks to all for the inspiration!

First day of waking up to frost on the car. Here in coastal Northern CA our area gets 7-10 frost days a year. A week ago it was 71 midday just to taunt us; but the mornings and nights are very cold (well, for us wimps in the SF Bay Area, LOL).

We've been sick and so I stocked up on soup-making ingredients on my last shopping trip. I don't use recipes for most of my soups and stews, though.

- A batch of chile verde pork, and DH was sweet about finishing up days' worth of leftovers because it tasted awful to me (I was a lot sicker than he was).

- Pot of broth made from turkey necks. We're dark meat lovers, so last night it was de-fatted broth, fresh linguine, Italian sausage ravioli (ready-to-cook refrigerated kind), chopped turkey meat, and greens wilted in the broth.

- I have some beef chuck marinating to make beef barley soup too. Donna's recipe sounds wonderful, although I'll have to use a slow oven, don't have a slow cooker any longer.

- Made a spicy corn-coconut milk chowder that I've posted before, and shared it with a friend. Had to have DH taste it, I can't taste anything right now!

I'm really trying to keep myself from making a big pot of mac'n'cheese. I always yearn for it when I'm sick, but since I have celiac disease it's a no-no. Haven't found a non-gluten pasta yet that we like.

Hot turkey sandwiches.

Roast a turkey and make turkey gravy.

Use big slices of soft (but not too soft) white sandwich bread sliced kind of thickly. We're not talking tea sandwiches here. Pepperidge Farm's Farmhouse White is ideal. Stack a slice of bread with slices of white meat, top with another slice of bread and cover with gravy, making sure to cover the top, bottom and inside of the sandwich with gravy.

This is comforting food.

Jim

It is soup season in Maine, and shrimp season, too. I love this soup with delicate small Maine shrimp -- but I'm sure it would work with other species, too.

Tortilla Soup with Shrimp

2 T olive oil
1 c finely diced onion
1 c finely diced carrot
1/2 c finely chopped celery
3 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t cumin
7 c water or broth
2 15 oz. cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed I prefer black beans)
1/3 c canned crushed tomatoes with added puree
2 t minced canned chipotle chiles

1 lb uncooked small shrimp
1/4 c minced fresh cilantro

Lime wedges
Avocado wedges

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Saut� until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, beans, crushed tomatoes and chipotle chilies; bring to simmer. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add shrimp and cook until opaque in center, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Stir in chopped fresh cilantro. Serve soup, garnishing with avocado. Pass lime wedges and tortilla chips separately.

Here's one we like in the Winter:

Smoked Sausage and Kale

Ingredients:
2 pkgs. smoked sausage or Kielbasa, sliced into 2-inch pieces
6 large potatoes, cubed into large pieces, approx. 1/1/2 inches
1 large onion, sliced
2 cups baby carrots, whole
1 bunch kale or collards, washed and trimmed, or one small cabbage, cut into wedges
1 cup chicken stock
1 stick butter or olive oil
salt, pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Directions:
In dutch oven, on medium-high, heat butter or oil, add sausage and brown on all sides. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, stir about 1 minute. Add kale or cabbage, salt, pepper, red pepper, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, stir until kale has wilted, then turn down heat to simmer, covered, cook about 2 hours. Or put in a 300 degree oven for about 2 hours. Don't forget to make cornbread!

Ooooh, mabeldingeldine's Tortilla Soup somehow reminded me of Pozole. Now I want some. Immediately! Except it's 68 degrees here and I have to go yank up more weeds.

We did have a cold day last week and ate corned beef and cabbage. Now I have to go buy some more potatoes so I can make hash with the leftovers. Corned beef hash is my real love, I could eat it three times a week for breakfast and never get tired of it.