Tomato Orzo Soup

A Taste of Home Cooking's recipe swap theme was soups and stews for this round, and with perfect timing.  Despite a pretty mild winter so far, we had a little cold snap this past weekend (though none of the snow that was predicted), and soup was exactly right.  My assignment was Tomato Orzo Soup from Melissa at Fried Rice and Donut Holes.

This soup was really good, and really filling despite being basically vegetarian.  I made a few adjustments based on what I had on hand, which meant using carrots to make up for the celery, whole San Marzano tomatoes instead of diced, and chicken broth instead of the vegetable broth called for.  I also used my stick blender to get a smoother texture, since I'm feeding someone who likes "just soup, no chunks."  The tanginess from the sour cream rounds out the flavors nicely, and I think plain Greek yogurt would work equally well.  If you're feeling fancy and have some time on your hands, basil puree and sour cream thinned with a little lemon juice make nice garnishes

Tomato Orzo Soup

What's in it:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 c finely diced onion
1 c finely diced carrot
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 carton (32 oz) chicken broth
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 1/4 c orzo pasta
1/2 c sour cream
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

How to make it:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot.  Add the onions and carrots, and cook on medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 2 more minutes.

Add the whole and crushed tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, break up the whole tomatoes.  Add the stock, blend to desired texture with an immersion blender, and return to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the pasta and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the pasta is firm but tender. Remove from heat, add sour cream, and fold in the basil.

Serve hot, garnished with additional sour cream, basil and parmesan if desired.

French Onion Soup

Just in time for real fall weather, the theme for this week's recipe swap on A Taste of Home Cooking was soups and stews.  I was happy to get Hezzi-D's recipe for French onion soup.  I love it, from the rich caramelized onions in it to the gooey, crusty cheese and bread on top.  But sadly, I'm the only person in the house willing to touch it, so I rarely bother to make it for myself.

Since I am the only person who would eat it, I only made a third of the original recipe, and so simmered it stovetop rather than trying to get it to work in such a small quantity in the slow cooker.  Normally, I'd just use a smaller dish in the insert, but I was going to be home to keep an eye on the soup.  It was delicious, tons of onion flavor, with just a hint of sweetness from the caramelization.  I also really liked the addition of seared steak for a little extra beef flavor.  I used a skirt steak, and then sliced it up for sandwiches and quesadillas later in the week rather than leaving it in the soup.

French Onion Soup
adapted from a Paula Deen recipe via Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks

What's in it:

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp butter, divided
2 tsp sugar
1 steak of your choice, cut into 1/2" dice if you plan to leave it in the soup
¼ c dry white wine
2 c beef broth
1 c. water
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (I used 2 tsp because I love how it brings out the beef flavor)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
baguette slices, for topping and serving
3/4 c Gruyere cheese, grated

How to make it:

In a medium soup pot, melt one tablespoon of the butter. Add the steak, cooking to desired doneness if leaving whole for another purpose.  Remove steak, and set aside or store as desired.

 

Add another tablespoon of butter to the pot.  Once it is melted, add the sliced onions. Sprinkle the sugar on top and sauté over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized, about 20 minutes.  Add wine, and bring to a boil, making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits off the bottom.

 

Add the beef (if including in the soup), broth, water, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot.  Simmer for 2-3 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, butter the baguette slices with the remaining tablespoon of butter, sprinkle with a little extra black pepper, and broil until golden brown, 5-10 minutes depending on your oven and where the rack is.

Turn on the broiler. Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls or mugs. Top with toasted bread and grated Gruyere cheese.  Broil 6 inches from heat for about 3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browned.  Serve immediately.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Well, I guess I shouldn't have complained about our unseasonably warm temperatures, since they were immediately followed by rainstorms and general gloom.  Looking for the silver lining, we've been eating a lot of soup to warm us up a bit.  

This is a little bit lighter take on chowder; lower-fat cream cheese and milk take the place of heavy cream, and a big portion of veggies bulk things up for a more filling meal without adding calories or another pan to wash.  I used a leftover baked potato here, since I like the flavor and texture of them over boiled potatoes, but feel free to just dice a potato and toss it in to simmer before you add the shrimp and cream cheese.

Shrimp & Corn Chowder

What's in it:

4 slices of center-cut bacon, chopped
2 shallots or half of a medium onion, finely diced
1/2 one bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
sprinkle of cayenne pepper
4 c chicken or vegetable stock
1 medium baked potato, skin removed and flesh lightly mashed
1 c frozen or fresh corn kernels
1/2 c milk
1/2 lb shrimp, shells & tails removed, roughly chopped
3 oz cream or neufchatel cheese
3 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)

How to make it:

Fry  the bacon in a Dutch oven or pot until brown, but not yet crispy.  Remove the bacon to some paper towels to drain and pour off all but a tablespoon of the bacon fat.  Add the shallot, bell pepper and carrot, stirring over medium heat, cooking until softened and just barely starting to brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute stirring occasionally.

Stir in the flour and spices, coating the vegetables and allowing the flour to cook for a minute or two.  Add the broth, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pot as you pour.  Add the baked potato and corn, stirring break up potato and combine, then add the milk.  Bring the chowder to a simmer, and let cook for a few minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook just until they turn pink and are cooked through, then stir in the cream cheese.  Season with salt and pepper and serve, sprinkling with scallions if desired.

Loaded Potato Soup

As fall has set in here we've been getting a lot more cool, rainy grey days and I've been craving warm, comforting soups.  The evening this potato soup came together was no exception, and it was wonderful to watch the drizzle outside from a warm kitchen with a big pot of soup simmering on the stove.

This soup actually comes together quickly enough for a weeknight while still being flavorful and hearty.  I used a potato masher because I like my soup a little on the chunky side, but a regular or immersion blender would give you a smoother texture.  Anything you would put on a baked potato would be a nice topping- I'm looking forward to a ladle of chili stirred in the next time we're using up the odds and ends from the freezer.

Loaded Potato Soup

What's in it:

6 slices of bacon, chopped*
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" dice
1 tsp dried thyme
4 c chicken stock or broth*
2 oz cream or neufchatel cheese
1/4 c heavy cream or half & half
1 c shredded cheddar, jack or colby cheese, divided
2 c steamed broccoli
3 scallions, thinly sliced

How to make it:

Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.  Add the bacon and cook until crispy.  Remove bacon from pan to paper towels to drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot.

Add olive oil if necessary for 2 tablespoons total, and add the onions and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until soft, then add carrots and garlic.  Allow the vegetables to cook until they start to develop some color.

Add the potatoes and thyme, stirring to combine, and season with salt and pepper again.  Add the chicken broth and bring the soup to a simmer.  Cook until potatoes begin to fall apart, about 10-15 minutes.  Break up potatoes with a potato masher to desired texture.  Over low heat, add the cream cheese and cream, if using, and stir until cream cheese melts.  Stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese.

Serve topped with the reserved bacon, remaining cheese, steamed broccoli and scallions.

*This is just as good as a meatless meal.  Skip the bacon, use all olive oil, and sub vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Chorizo, White Bean and Kale Soup

I realize that this is the second soup recipe on a blog that currently has just six posts including this one.  It's just that I love soup.  It's like a really good friend, comforting and forgiving.  Yes, forgiving.  You see, it's really hard to mess up soup.  Don't have the right vegetable, meat or liquid?  Toss in another.  Staring at a veggie drawer full of odds and ends?  Go ahead and put those in there too.  It'll still be warm, comforting goodness in your bowl.

I had seen similar soups in many places: Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Je Mange La Ville, and probably some others that I can't remember.  This isn't exactly an unusual combination of ingredients.  But of course my netbook battery was dead, I couldn't find hard copies of any of them, and the desktop and printer were all the way upstairs.  So I winged it.  Since I made this on a weeknight about half an hour before dinner time, it's a little simpler than some of the other recipes that inspired this one.  But the result was a filling, substantial soup that didn't taste like I had tossed it together at the last minute.

Chorizo, White Bean and Kale Soup

What's in it:

2 links fresh chorizo sausage, removed from casing and broken into small chunks
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3-4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch of kale, thick stems removed and chopped (about 3 cups)

How to make it:

Heat your favorite soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add chorizo, and cook until browned and almost cooked through, stirring frequently.  Add onions and garlic, cook until the onions start to soften.

Add tomatoes, beans and broth, and bring to a simmer.  Stir in kale, continuing to simmer until the kale wilts in the soup.

At this point, I used an immersion blender to puree about half the soup to give it a creamier, thicker texture.

Check soup for seasoning; add salt and pepper if desired.  Between the canned beans and the chorizo, I didn't find it necessary to add any other salt to the soup.

Roasted Eggplant Soup

My husband is out of town this week.  I miss him a lot, of course, and the day to day grind is a little trickier without him around to help out.  An active and curious toddler, a full-time job, and a household to run can make life pretty hectic at times.  But on the bright side, it means I can make whatever I want for dinner.  Now, don't get me wrong, he's not picky, and happily eats pretty much anything I cook.  But there are definitely things that just aren't his style, like this soup.

Adapted a bit from the original Bon Appetit recipe by Smitten Kitchen, I followed Deb's suggestion to add more spice, and I am so glad I did.  Smoky and filling, but still on the light side, this was a great meal for a chilly Sunday evening, paired with some freshly grilled garlic naan.

I've also submitted this to Branny Boils Over for her Charity Souper Bowl for the ASPCA.  We don't have any pets ourselves, since we're not sure we have the time these wonderful animals deserve, but friends have adopted through the ASPCA and it's a great organization!

Roasted Eggplant Soup

What's in it:

 3 medium tomatoes, halved
2 medium eggplant
1 small onion, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp cumin, divided
6 cloves roasted garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup feta cheese


How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange tomatoes, eggplant and onion on a large baking sheet. Brush or drizzle vegetables with oil, sprinkle with 1 tsp cumin, S&P, then roast them for about 40 minutes, until the
vegetables are tender and brown in spots. Remove from oven and scoop eggplant from skin into a heavy, large saucepan or soup pot. Add the rest of the vegetables, the rest of the cumin, the garlic, the thyme
the smoked paprika and the chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until onion is very tender, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly.


Puree soup in the pot with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender. I left mine a little chunky.  In the pot, add the cream and bring the soup back to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in four bowls, sprinkled with feta.