So I had this post slated for Dec. 13th, but I got a teensy bit distracted by the whole omg-i'm-getting-engaged thing ;) And then it was pre-holiday craziness on the 20th, and December clothes budget posting on the 27th, and here we are. But I guess that's okay, because it is freaking COLD outside throughout most of the U.S. (and Canada, I can only assume). So you should probably make this to warm yoself up, like, now. When you do make this recipe, you will understand my need to deeply and profusely apologize for the delay. I'm not even kidding. This is one of the best--and easiest--soups I've made, probably ever.
I honestly just started drooling.
With a lot of potato-based soups, you have to puree the potatoes after you cook them to create a smooth, starchy base. Not so with this one; it's chunky and delicious. Which is good because my blender is crap, I don't have an immersion blender, and my food processor is most definitely not liquid-tight. Why yes, I have splattered my walls during an ambitious attempt at another potato-based soup.
Now normally, I adapt recipes a bit and post the adapted version in full here. But with this dish, I pretty much followed it to a T. I think I omitted the carrot and celery, because we didn't have any, and sprinkled a little dried celery seed over the potatoes as they cooked.
The one thing I didn't really like about the recipe linked above is that it just called for any "light-colored ale." Now, I'm not a big beer drinker and was about to just use good ol' Budweiser or something. But guess what. That's a lager. And apparently, that makes a difference. So I sent Matt out to find something, and he came back with the beauty pictured above: an Agave Wheat ale from Breckenridge Brewery. Wheat beers are one of the few styles I enjoy, so I had one with dinner and it was delicious. If you can't find this exact brew, any non-flavored wheat beer (i.e., no fruit flavors) or even a more bitter IPA would do just fine.
Oh, and one last tip: Make sure you get a good, crusty bread or baguette to go with this. I am not exaggerating when I say you will want to soak up every last drop from the bottom of your bowl! Matt and I literally collapsed onto the couch after dinner; it took several minutes to muster up the energy to clean up afterwards. Food coma for the win!
It's no secret that I have a long-standing and intense love affair with mac and cheese. Baked, creamy, from-a-box or made from scratch...as long as it has noodles and cheese, I'm in. So when I saw this recipe for mac and cheese soup in Cuisine at Home magazine, I knew I had to put my own spin on it. Blue cheese and some other unusual flavorings give this soup an unexpected kick, so it's far from your average bowl of mac.
Ingredients:
- 1 /12 cups dry macaroni (for this, I used some spiral-shaped cavatappi instead)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or cooking sherry
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 4 cups shredded Cheddar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt
- 1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese
- 2 tbsp minced fresh chives
Start by cooking your tubular pasta of choice in a pot of salted water according to package directions. When it's ready, drain and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then stir in flour and cook (stirring constantly) for about one minute to make a roux. Pour in the wine/sherry to deglaze and simmer until the wine is nearly evaporated.
Stir in the chicken broth, nutmeg and cayenne. Simmer until it thickens a little (about five minutes or so), then whisk in the milk and let it slowly warm up. Whatever you do, don't let it boil. It gets grainy and gross, and no one wants that.
Stir in the cheddar cheese, about a cup at a time, letting it melt completely before adding the next batch. Then stir in the lemon juice, a dash of salt (taste it to make sure it's enough) and the pasta.
Remove your saucepan from heat and top with bleu cheese and chives. YUM. Matt and I both loved this soup, but next time I think I'm gonna try making some homemade pretzels (from a recipe on Pinterest, no doubt) to go with it. DOUBLE YUM.
Before I get into today's actual post, a quick question: Would any of my bloggy friends out there be interested in doing a clothes swap? Joanne of Fabulously Average mentioned it on Twitter on Friday, and I thought it sounded like fun. Leave a comment or just email me if you think you'd be interested!Now. On to the main event. It's been a looooong time since I posted a recipe, and I friend of mine recently mentioned on Twitter that she was missing a certain soup from our alma mater, so I decided to give it a whirl. Here's my attempt at recreating the creamy tomato tortellini soup that the student center at OU sometimes served!
Ingredients:
(Note that since I kind of just made this up as I went along, not all the measurements are precise. I tried. I promise.)
- about half (maybe a little more) of a 20 oz bag of frozen tortellini
- 14 oz can of chicken stock or broth
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 1 bay leaf
- about 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup milk (for a thicker soup, use heavy cream instead)
- dash each of onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and basil
- fresh basil and shredded mozzarella for garnish (optional)Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. While that's heating, set another medium pot over medium-high heat and add the chicken broth, tomato juice and bay leaf, bringing it to a low simmer. Once your pot of water hits a hard boil, add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. Drain when done and set aside.After the broth/juice mixture has simmered for a few minutes (again, no exact science here), add the Parmesan and milk (or cream). Return to a low simmer and add the dried seasonings. Simmer for a few minutes more, then add the tortellini back in and simmer until the pasta is heated through.Spoon into two bowls and top with the mozzarella and basil. Serve with French bread or enjoy all by itself!So what do you think, OU folks? Pretty close to the student union's version? Something missing? Let me know! And don't forget to contact me Joanne if you're interested in the clothes swap :)
It looks like that nasty flu bug has finally decided to shove off. I'm still pretty exhausted (not eating for two days will do that to you, I suppose), but I'm going back to work to tackle the huge to-do list I have. I'm almost sad that I only have a three-day work week in which to try to do everything...but then I remember it's Friday in two days and somehow that makes me feel better ;)
Matt made this dish last week or the week before, and I think I might make it again tonight. Nothing is as comforting as a chicken soup when you've been ill, right?
Creamy Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 leeks
- 2 small celery stalks
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- a bay leaf
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 pound chicken breast, diced
- 1 12-ounce package gnocchi
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp dry sherry
- fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
I love leeks, but I hate prepping them. They always have dirt and sand inside, so you have to soak them really well. For this recipe, chop off the roots and the top 3 or 4 inches of the leaf. Cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/2 inch half-moon shapes. Fill a large bowl with cold water and drop the leeks in, swirling around to release all that dirt. Drain in a colander and dry off a bit with paper towels. (If you're using the same cutting board for other veggies, wipe it off well to remove any dirt!)
Thinly slice the celery. Heat about a tablespoon of the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and add the leeks, celery, bay leaf and a dash of salt and pepper, cooking for about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the stock and raise the heat to bring it to a boil. Stir in the cream, reducing the heat to keep the soup simmering. Add the chicken and gnocchi and cook for another 5 or 6 minutes (note that the chicken should be diced pretty small so it cooks through).
The soup will get pretty thick, almost stew-like. Season again with salt and pepper, if needed, and stir in the paprika, sherry and parsley if using. Toss the bay leaf and serve! We ate ours in bread bowls from Panera. Soooo delicious.
A word on gnocchi: You're supposed to use the refrigerated fresh kind, but we used the dry kind found in a box in the pasta aisle. It's just as good as fresh, but the soup does NOT reheat well at all, partially because of the gnocchi. This recipe is enough for two though, so leftovers shouldn't be a problem!
