Squash Harvest Soup

Right up front I am going to let you know that I am not a fan of winter squash. It doesn't cause my gag reflex to kick in or anything like that. It's just if given a choice I choose no thank you. But I was reading through my favorite foodie blogs and ran across this recipe. [In Praise of Leftovers (you will find the link on the right side of this blog) is a really lovely blog, so go check it out.] When I started reading through the recipe, it actually sounded appetizing. So, I thought, what the heck. I'll give it a whirl. Even if I didn't care for it, I knew my hubby would like it. He loves squash and it's always been a big disappointment to him that I rarely prepared it.

This is not exactly the same version as hers. As we all do with recipes, we tweak them to fit our needs, tastes and personality. This has been tweaked to fit me. You can check out both recipes, and add your own tweaks. So, here we go.

Ingredients

olive oil

1 kabocha squash

2 small butternut squash

2 small delicata squash

1 large apple cut into wedges

1 onion coarsely chopped

2 large whole carrots cut into sticks

6 large cloves garlic peeled

2 tsp. curry

1 tsp. garam masala

1 TBS. sugar

salt

5 cup water

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup cream

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Halve squashes, remove seeds, brush with oil, place cut side down on old cookie sheets. Place the apple, onion, carrots, and garlic in a bowl. Toss with a little olive oil, the spices, sugar and salt. Place this mixture around the squash.

This is a kabocha, and I will explain how I handle it in a sec.

Place baking sheets in oven and roast until veggies are tender and slightly charred, about 1 1/2 hours.

OK, I couldn't halve the kabocha...too tough and big. after I did the first roasting, I threw the whole kabocha in the oven and roasted it until it was extremely soft.

Note. put something under it to catch the juice. I didn't and now have to clean the oven. Silly me.

Once everything has cooled, scrape the meat from the squash, and place it and all of the other roasted fruit and veggies in a large bowl. The kabocha will still have the seeds, so you will have to work around that. You won't need all of the meat from it, about 3-4 cups, so it's pretty easy to scoop around.

In batches puree the mixture in a blender adding part of the 5 cups of water as you go. As I finished pureeing each batch, I pushed it through a sieve to make it even smoother. If you have a chinois, you certainly want to use that.

Once everything is pureed and sieved (is that even a word?) and in a large pot, add the oj and cream, more salt to taste and water to thin to the desired consistency. Heat through, stirring occasionally so it doesn't scorch.

When you serve it you could lightly stir in some more cream.

Notes: This turned out better than I expected. It's a rich hearty soup that just smacks of fall. Be warned, though, this is a fairly labor intensive soup. But is makes a lovely starter for a dinner party, or just a nice supper soup served with biscuits. This made about 10 cups so I was able to share with my daughter's family. Nice way to say I love you. Enjoy!

Caldo Verde (Porteguese Soup)

Last Tuesday I had planned on making this wonderful soup. It was a drizzly, dreary day...perfect for soup. But the fates conspired against me. First, as I reviewed the recipes and began to check my ingredients, I found that I was out of chicken stock. OK, fine, I'll make some and blog how to cut up a chicken and make the stock. I prep the chicken, grab my camera, and...dead battery. At that point I decided to just make the stock Tuesday and the soup on Wednesday and call it good. And that's what I did. And I am just now getting around to posting the recipe. If you don't like it, reduce my pay. But first make the soup.

For this soup, I combined a couple of recipes from the two new soup cookbooks that I recently acquired, and added a few touches of my own. This is a spicy hearty soup that is guaranteed to stick to your ribs. And be sure to have a good crusty bread to soup up the broth with.

Ingredients

1 lb. chorizo

2-3 TBS. oil, butter or mix of the two

1 onion chopped

2 stalks celery chopped

1 large carrot chopped

3-4 cloves garlic minced or grated

6 cups chicken stock

4 medium red potatoes peeled and diced

1 14 1/2 oz. canned diced tomatoes with juice

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 TBS. tomato paste

1 tsp. ground sage

1/2 half small head cabbage shredded

salt/pepper to taste

1/4 cup parsley chopped

If you purchase already cooked chorizo, sliced it and brown it. If you have uncooked, cook according to package directions and slice. I found Johnsonville chorizo, and it worked great. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a large pot heat the oil and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes and add the celery, carrots and garlic. Cook on medium low for about 10 minutes. Add the sausage and heat for about 5 minutes. Add the stock and the next 5 ingredients. Heat to boiling, cover, and reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour. Add cabbage and salt and pepper. Simmer another 1/2 hour. Add the parsley just before serving. Yum, yum, and yum. Remember what I said about crusty bread.

Notes: This really is a perfect soup for a cold nasty day. It will certainly warm you up. I know this is a soup I am going to make frequently. I hope you will, too. Enjoy!

Beefy Mushroom Barley Soup

We are just about into soup weather here in the Pacific Northwest. Soon it will be rain, rain, and more rain..or, as we PNWer's like to refer to it, liquid sunshine. When it's cold and dark and dank out there is nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of goodness. My hubby and I love soup. I try to make it as often as possible. But with only two of us at home these days, it takes us awhile to get through a pot. If, on the days I make soup, you can get here you're welcome to some.

Beefy Mushroom Barley Soup is my hubby's favorite, so it gets made often. We prefer it thick with lots of veggies and barley. I am utterly amazed when I read the back of a package of barley, or read some of the barley soup recipes out there and the recommendation is for 1/4 or 1/3 of a cup. I mean, really? What is the point of putting in the barley if you can't even find it in the soup!? So, I am no slouch when it comes to adding the barley...as you will see.

Ingredients

1 lb. stew beef (I had some top round that needed to be used) cut into small cubes

2 TBS. canola or vegetable oil

salt and pepper

1 TBS. butter

1 medium onion chopped

2-3 stalks celery chopped

1 cup sliced baby carrots

1-2 cloves garlic minced or grated

1/2 to 1 lb. cremini mushrooms

1/2 cup red wine

3 qts. beef stock

1 cup barley

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. oregano

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in the bottom of a 6 qt. Dutch oven or soup pot. Season the cubed beef with salt and pepper and c00k in small batches until nicely caramelized. As the beef browns remove to a paper towel and drain.

Add 1 TBS. butter to the drippings. Saute the onion for about 4 or 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots, and garlic. Saute for another 5 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cook until tender. Then add the wine and the beef and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the stock. OK, here's a confession. Although I make my own chicken stock, I have yet to attempt making beef stock. And I don't like to spend the money on the boxed stocks. Happily, one day in Walmart, I happened on this little gem.

It really makes a nice rich broth. It is a little more spendy than bouillon cubes but more economical than the boxed stocks. I've been very pleased with the results using this product. I added 3 quarts of hot water and once the soup was boiling I added 4 1/2 TBS. of the paste. I stirred for a couple of minutes to make sure it dissolved properly. I then turned to heat to low and let simmer for about an hour.

After the soup has simmered add the barley and spices. Let cook on low for about 1/2 hour or until barley is tender. If it becomes thicker than you like just add a couple of cups of water. Serve with some yummy bread and you have a warm comforting meal on a cool fall day.

Notes:I have tinkered with this recipe for awhile, and this is the best I have come up with. It's filling and flavorful and reheats well...which is a good thing since we will be eating it for a few days! Enjoy!

Pasta and Bean Soup

When I was first contemplating on what to title this blog, I didn't realize the economy was going to tank as it did. Luckily, I haven't noticed a mass opening of soup kitchens in the recent months as they did during the great depression...thank goodness. I really entitled this KB's Soup Kitchen because, guess what, I love soup. I love everything about it. I love creating it. I love the aromas wafting through the house on a chilly dismal day. I love making a meal in one pot. I love parking my body on the couch in front of the TV with a big hot mug of fresh made soup. And, let's face it, it's a great way to stretch a buck.

Wednesday was a dark and drizzly day...perfect for soup. So I pulled out one of my Farm Journal cookbooks and started looking for soup recipes. This particular one reminded me of a country version of Pasta Y Fagioli. I made a few tweaks and these are the results. Let's just say it was all gone by the end of the day.

Ingredients

6 slices of bacon

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic minced, grated, or pressed

1 cup baby carrots sliced or chopped

1/2 cup white wine

2 1 lb. cans white beans undrained

1 1 lb. can diced tomatoes undrained

1 cup chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

more chicken broth as needed

1 cup small pasta

Cut the bacon into very small pieces. Fry it up in a large pot (I like to use my Dutch oven for this). Remove to paper towel.

Add the onion, celery, and garlic to the bacon renderings. Saute over medium low heat for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the carrots to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Deglaze the pot with the wine. You can also use chicken broth if you prefer. Add the 1 cup of chicken broth, beans, tomatoes, herbs and spices. Heat to boiling, cover, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove about 2 cups of the soup and puree. Add back to the soup.

Add as much chicken broth as is necessary to cook the pasta. Add the pasta and simmer until the pasta is tender. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Notes: My hubby said this was the best soup I had ever made. My daughter who was here that day hit the pot 3 times. Next time I will double this. And you can certainly use dry beans for this...1 cup for this recipe. If I do say so myself, this was pretty darn good. Enjoy!

Three Bean and Brat Soup

This is just a filling, stick to your ribs, want it in the middle of winter, type of soup. Oh, did you know it was winter? Speaking of which it's SNOWING again! I know winter just got started, but that last go 'round was enough for 10 winters in this area. Sheeesh!

OK, back to soup. This not low carb, but it is full of fiber and protein and flavor. Really great in the dark dead of cold winter. I ate it without any bread or crackers, but my husband indulged in both. He's allowed. Either way, it is delectable.

Three Bean and Brat Soup

1 lb. dry navy beans
1 cup dry baby lima beans
1 cup dry red kidney beans
2 TBS. olive oil
2 TBS. butter
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium red and 1 medium green bell peppers chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 quart chicken broth
3 TBS. brown sugar (I use the Splenda blend)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 29 oz. can or 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 6 oz. cans tomato paste
1 package brats (I use Johnsonville uncooked)
salt and pepper taste

In a large, at least 6 quart, pot prepare the beans either by an overnight soak or a quick soak. I prefer the quick soak, then rinsing the beans really well. It seems to reduce the gassiness. After the beans are soaked and rinsed, add enough liquid to cover the beans well. I use about half chicken broth and half water. Heat to boiling and reduce to simmer. While the beans are simmering, cook the brats and then cool while sauteing the onions, peppers and garlic in the the oil and butter. You can also substitute precooked brats, smoked sausage, kielbasa, or any turkey type sausage. The cooking police will not be there to check. After the sausage is cooled chop it into bite size pieces. Add the sausage, onions, peppers, garlic, brown sugar, and cloves to the beans. Heat to boiling, cover and simmer for an hour. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper, cover again and simmer for another 30 minutes or until the beans are tender. And there, you have a seriously yummy soup. I put all self control aside and had two bowls. Oh, and if you are like my hubby and I, this is way to much soup to eat at one time. So we freeze part of it for later. Great time saver for crazy days! Enjoy!

Black Bean Chicken Soup with Rice

November

In November's gusty gale
I will flop my flippy tail
And spout hot soup-I'll be a whale!
Spouting once, spouting twice
Spouting chicken soup with rice

Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak

I loved reading this poem to my kids when they were little. A fabulous way to teach children the months of the year. And since today was such a blustery day, I thought of chicken soup with rice, but, of course, with a twist. Maurice, I hope I did you proud.

Black Bean Chicken Soup with Rice

oil olive or canola

1 lb. large dice raw chicken (I used 1 package of boneless skinless chicken breasts from Costco.)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup chopped green or red pepper
3 cloves minced, grated or pressed garlic
4 cups chicken broth
2 cans black beans
1 cup whole kernel corn canned or frozen
1 cup brown rice
1 16 0z. jar salsa or 2 cups homemade salsa
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
2 TBS. white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat about 3 TBS. oil in a large soup pot. Brown the chunks of chicken. Remove from pot. Add the onion, garlic and peppers and cook until very tender. If needed add some more oil. Using about a quarter cup of the broth, deglaze the pot. Then dump back in the chicken, beans, corn, salsa, rice, the rest of the broth, the cumin, oregano, vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat to low and cook for about an hour. Add in the sour cream before serving. Top with some grated cheese and serve with either cornbread or fresh fried tortilla chips. This really is yummy on a cold blustery day.

I told you once, I told you twice
All seasons of the year are nice
For eating chicken soup with rice.

Enjoy!

Dreamy Creamy Turkey Soup

You know how after turkey day you have a ton of leftover turkey, and after making a bazillion sandwiches you throw the rest of it into the freezer and then forget about it? Well, I’ve done that more times than I care to count. Several months after the last Thanksgiving I was rummaging around in the freezer when I came across a couple of ziploc bags with leftover turkey. I was trying to figure out what to do with it, because I was afraid it might have that freezer burn disease and wouldn’t be very suitable for casseroles or sandwiches. Then I thought of soup! Soup can hide a multitude of sins. So I took the bags out of the freezer to thaw and searched the fridge for other handy ingredients that might make a palatable concoction. What resulted was truly yummy! My hubby said, "Grab a pencil and write down how you made that puppy. That one is truly a keeper. And, of course, being a dutiful wife (not) I did exactly that. And you lucky people are the first to view and try this dreamy creamy soup. Let me know what you think. And Enjoy!!

Dreamy Creamy Turkey Soup

Here are the ingredients to this lovely soup.
In case you can't figure out all the ingredients from the picture I'll list them for you in the order of their appearance.

3 Tbs. butter

3 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup onion chopped

2 stalks celery chopped

3 large cloves garlic grated minced or pressed

8 oz. sliced mushrooms button or crimini

2 qts. chicken broth

4 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken

1 cubed zucchini

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. dried thyme sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

8 oz. small type pasta

1 1/2 cups cream

4 cups chopped or baby spinach

Don't let the long list intimidate you. It is totally worth the effort.

The first thing you need is a big soup pot or kettle. I like to use an eight quart pot because I get less spatter that way. Melt the butter and the olive oil (I always use EVOO) in the bottom of the pot. Add the onions, celery and garlic and saute until tender. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute. I like to slice the mushrooms directly into the pot so I can stand there and take in the aroma as it cooks. But I have to be careful not to take to long or else I will drool into the pot.

Can't you just smell it!!

After the veggies are tender add the broth, chicken, zucchini, spices, and wine. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Then add the pasta and continue to simmer until just a smidge past al dente. Then add the cream, heat through and then the spinach and cook until just wilted

My goodness, talk about your comfort food. The cream really is the secret ingredient. A couple of tips. Use sea salt for the health benefits. When I get more of this blog thing worked out I will put on links to the sites that discuss that. I like to use baby spinach in to save on the chopping and washing. And finally, I use Dreamfields Pasta exclusively. Again, I will tell you all about that in another post. That stuff is fantastic and I will sing their praises to the roofs.

When you finish cooking this serve it up in big bowls with a crusty bread. And there are so many veggies it in that it is a one dish meal. What could be better!!!

As a side note...I am still figuring out the whole camera thing and how to post. Hopefully with time they will improve. Any suggestions to that end will be helpful.