When the cool fall sets in, thoughts turn to warm soups. Here are some of my favorite comfort foods.
Pozole blanco.
Start by making some really good bone broth. Traditionally chicken and pork bones, but any poultry plus mammal combination works. My last batch was a turkey carcass and a bunch of lamb soup bones from a recent butcher. And you’re still picking over that turkey from Thanksgiving, right?
Make a big batch and freeze it. For 4 quarts, add in one or two carrots, 2 stalks celery, a quartered onion, and a full bulb of garlic. Season with pepper, thyme, and parsley. Be sure to add some vinegar to extract all the nourishing goodness from those bones. Let it simmer long…….
The veg and meat bits off the bones will be welcomed by the family dog. (well, maybe not the onion and garlic)
Now you’ve got lots of stock, strained and frozen, handy for anything.
To 2 quarts of stock, add ½ lb. diced pork, ½ lb. chicken breast, and a can of hominy. I was so tickled to find organic hominy in my local co-op! Simmer for 30 -45 minutes.
Now you get to garnish it. This is a great family dinner soup, put all the garnishes in bowls on the table and everybody chooses their own. A selection:
sliced radishes, shredded lettuce, shredded cabbage, minced onion (green or mature), lime juice or wedges, cilantro, shredded cheese (e.g. Jack), sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips. The contrast of hot cooked soup with crisp fresh toppings is WONDERFUL.
Cauliflower-Asiago Soup
Saute’ in 2 Tbsp butter:
1 head fresh or one bag frozen cauliflower
½ large onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced.
Add: 5 c. chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Simmer until very tender. Remove bay leaf. Puree.
Add ¼ cup rice flour, 1 cup cream, 2/3 cup Asiago cheese, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp white pepper. Blend and return to pan, stir until thickened.
May garnish with pesto
Chestnut-Parsnip Soup
14 oz peeled roasted chestnuts (I found some vacuum packed at the Co-op) cut twelve chestnuts in half and reserve. Chop the rest.
Melt 1 Tbsp. butter, add 2 lb. peeled chopped parsnips, 1 large finely chopped onion, and the chopped chestnuts, cook for a few minutes. Add 3 cups broth and 4 cups water and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp of honey and 1 tsp of butter in a small saucepan until bubbly. Add the reserved chestnut halves and cook 5-7 minutes until glazed, turning occasionally.
Puree soup, season to taste with salt, pepper, and ginger. Swirl sour cream into each portion. Garnish with glazed chestnut halves and snipped chives.
Squash-Apple Soup
Bake a medium butternut squash and one or two tart apples. Peel and core the apples and scoop out the squash meat. Blend well with a pint of chicken broth and heat. Add ½ cup white wine or a dash of lemon juice and some brown sugar, or any other sweet-tart combo. Season with salt and nutmeg.
Add crushed or powdered red pepper if it pleases you. Garnish with chives.
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Bouillabaise (with no nightshades)
I had fennel bulbs and no idea what to do with them. Daughter said, make bouillabaise. But all recipes I found used tomatoes and some used peppers. This seems like overkill for a seafood recipe but that’s just my arthritis talking, I suppose. Anyway, I studied enough recipes to distill some ideas that were common to them, then made my own. I rather like the more delicate flavors coming through.
Saute’ in olive oil:
½ cup onions
2 Tbsp. shallots or leeks
2 cloves garic
½ cup celery
½ cup chopped fennel bulb
2 bay leaves
Add 12 oz. assorted fish fillets, cut up
2 cups shrimp
20 scallops
10 clams
4 cups fish broth (you can stew the shells of the shellfish into this when making it. I really cannot get into having shells in my soup and having to figure out a neat, polite way to extract the meat. Sorry, so sue me.)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup white wine
½ cup mandarin orange sections or peeled navel orange sections
1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp thyme, 1 tsp orange zest, ¼ tsp. black pepper, 1/8 tsp saffron, dash of cloves.
Simmer just until seafood is done. Do not overcook.
Garbanzo Noodle Soup
1 quart chicken bone broth, salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked or canned garbanzos
1 large carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup frozen green beans
simmer until vegetables are tender, add 2 oz. egg noodles and cook until soft.