Black Bean and Chorizo Soup

Today's recipe was inspired by a trip to the local Mexican Grocery store. I was in search for some basic exotic ingredients. I needed some fresh chorizo, cilantro, guajillo powder, some dried powdered shrimp, some achiote paste, tamarind paste, cumin seeds, and dried peppers. It got me thinking about reworking some of my favorite recipes.

I love black bean soup, but many recipes I have used leave you feeling very heavy. I decided to play a bit and came up with the following recipe. It is a flavorful, hearty but light soup. The taste balances the savory richness of the beans, corn chips and chorizo, with the heat of the peppers, the tartness of the limes and the freshness of the herbs, lettuce and tomatoes. The soup has many textures and colors making it appealing to the mouth and the eye.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups canned Black beans
• 1 cup Red Onion chopped
• 1 cup Green Peppers, Raw, Chopped
• 1 cup Jalapeno Peppers seeded, finely chopped
• 6 oz Chorizo
• 4 cups fat free Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Tomatoes diced
• 4 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 tbs fresh Thyme Leaves
• 1 tbs fresh Marjoram
• 1 tbs Cumin ground
• 1 tsp fresh Oregano
• 1 Bay Leaf dry
• 1 tbs Guajilo Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Garnish

• ½ cup Tomatoes diced
• 1 cup Lettuce finely shredded
• 1 cup Tortilla Chips crumbled
• ½ cup Cilantro chopped
• Lime wedges

Preparation

• Heat a heavy 4 quart pan, add the olive oil to the pan.
• Add the onions and peppers to the oil.
• Sweat them until the onions begin to become translucent.
• Add the garlic to the onions and peppers.
• Season with salt and black pepper.
• Add the chorizo and cook until the chorizo begins to release it's fat.
• Add the drained beans and stir well.
• Add the guajillo powder and cumin, cook a couple minutes.
• Add the bay leaf, oregano, thyme and marjoram, cook a couple minutes.
• Add the diced tomatoes, cook a couple minutes.
• Add the chicken broth, simmer 10 minutes
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Remove the bay leaf.
• Ladle into bowls and begin garnishing.
• Add some cilantro onto the soup.
• Add some lettuce onto the cilantro.
• Add some corn chips onto the lettuce,
• Add the fresh diced tomato onto the lettuce
• Squeeze some lime juice onto the soup
• Place a lime wedge on top for a garnish.

Yield: 6 servings

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup is Italian comfort food. It is a garden in a bowl, filled with colorful fresh vegetables and herbs. It makes a great as a summer meal served with crusty bread, a salad and a good bottle of Merlot.You can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth if you are cooking for vegans.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped fennel
• 5 carrots, sliced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 cans diced tomatoes not drained
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 can white beans, drained
• 1 pound fresh or frozen green beans
• 2 cups baby spinach, rinsed
• 2 green zucchinis, diced
• 2 yellow zucchinis, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup dry mini farfalle pasta
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation

1. Place a large stock pot or enamaled dutch oven, over medium-low heat.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil heat until it shimmers.
3. Saute garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, do not burn the garlic.
4. Add the onions and saute for 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Add celery, fennel and carrots to the onions.
6. Saute the vegetables for 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Add the red wine to deglaze the pan.
8. Add chicken broth, and the diced tomatoes.
9. Bring to boil, stirring frequently.
10. Reduce the heat to low.
11. Add the beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, oregano, basil
12. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes
13. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
14. Fill a 4 quart pan with water, salt and bring it to a boil.
15. Add pasta and cook until it is al dente.
16. Drain the pasta and shock in cold water to stop the cooking.
17. Drain the shocked pasta and set it aside.
18. Place 4 tablespoons cooked pasta into individual serving bowls.
19. Ladle soup on top of pasta .
20. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of the soup.
21. Garnish with finely chopped flat leaf parsley
22. Drizzle with a good extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Home made cream of mushroom soup is a favorite around my household. I especially like it when wild mushrooms are in season. The flavors of Maitake and Chantalle mushrooms can take the soup over the top.

But if you don't hunt mushrooms, or are lucky enough to have friends who do, here is a recipe for you. The ingredients for today's recipe are easier to find. If you can't get Crimini mushrooms at the store use the standard white button mushroom. It is a quick recipe that makes a wonderful satisfying soup that is ideal for a chilly Autumn day. The recipe makes enough for a large family, or you can share some with a friend or two.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound Crimini Mushrooms, chopped
• 1 pound White Mushroons, chopped
• 1 medium size Leek cleaned and chopped
• 1 stalk Celery, finely chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/4 pound butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• !/2 cup White Wine
• 6 cups Chicken Broth
• 2 cups Heavy Cream

Preparations

1. Prepare the Mushrooms.
   • Clean the mushrooms and remove the tough ends of the stems
   • Slice them, I use an egg slicer which is fast and gives me uniform pieces .
2. Prepare the Leeks
   • Trim away the tough green portions of the leek .
   • Cut the white part of the leek in half lengthwise.
   • Rinse the leeks well under cold running water to remove any sand.
   • Lay the halves flat side down, slice thinly crosswise and set aside.
3. Prepare the Celery
   • Clean and trim off the tough ends of the celery.
   • Slice the stalk lengthwise into long thin strips.
   • Dice the celery strips and set aside
4. Prepare the Garlic
   • Smash the cloves of garlic with the flat side of the knife.
   • Remove the husks from the cloves.
   • Finely mince the garlic, set aside.
5. Creating your Soup base
   • Place a heavy 6 quart pot or dutch oven on a medium flame.
   • Add the olive oil and wait till you see movement in the oil.
   • Add the butter waiting for it to melt and stop sizzling from the water cooking off.
   • Add the celery and leeks to the pot, season with some salt and pepper, and stir.
   • Add the garlic and mushrooms, stir frequently till the mushrooms begin to go limp.
6. Create a quick light Roux
   • Add the flour to the sautéed vegetables.
   • Stir continuously till the flour has absorbed the butter and oil
   • Cook till the flour starts to turn color.
7. Bringing the liquids into the mix.
   • Pour in the wine and stir.
   • Pour in the chicken broth and add the thyme leaves. Stir frequently.
   • Bring the mix to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or till it thickens.
   • Add the cream and stir well, heat the mixture, test for seasoning and correct .
8. Serve immediately.

Lentil Soup

Autumn is here and I am in a soup making frame of mind. Today's recipe is an old family favorite of mine. Classic lentil soup is quick and easy to make. It is tasty, nutritious and a healthy, low fat dish. Lentils are a great source of protein and fiber. They also cook faster than any other legume.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 smoked Turkey wings or 1 smoked Turkey leg
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 large Onion peeled diced
• 2 large Carrots peeled and diced
• 2 stalks Celery thin sliced
• 3 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 pound Lentils
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 3 cups Chicken broth
• 3 cups Vegetable broth
• Sea Salt and fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Preparations

1. Simmer the smoked turkey and bay leaves in the chicken, vegetable broth mix in a covered 6 quart pot.
2. Cook till tender and the broth has become infused with the smokey flavor.
3. Inspect the lentils while waiting, remove any foreign matter, and wash thoroughly.
4. Remove the turkey and bay leaves from the broth, and add the lentils to the pot.
5. Cool the Turkey and then pick the meat off the bone.
6. Reserve the meat for later. Discard the bay leaves.
7. Heat a large sauté pan over a medium flame, add the olive oil .
8. Add the onions, celery, garlic and carrots, season with some salt to draw out the moisture.
9. Sweat the vegetables in the pan until the onions are transparent.
10. Add the Vegetables to the pot with the lentils.
11. Simmer till the Lentils are tender but not mushy.
12. Add the reserved turkey till warm.
13. Season with Salt and Pepper.
14. Serve hot.

Leek Potato Soup

The world turns and seasons change again. Harvest time is here and with it all the bounty of the summer season fill the pantry. The cool weather of Autumn is arriving, bringing with it thoughts of bowls of hot soup to take the chill off my bones.

When I think about leek and potato soup, hearty, healthy, flavorful are a few words that come to mind when I think about this classic soup. I have always loved leeks. They are the most mild mannered member of the onion family. This soup is serious comfort food, and I think it will become one of your family favorites.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large leeks, about 1 1/2 pound
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 strips bacon, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons snipped chives

Preparations

1. Trim away the tough green portions of the leek .
2. Cut the white part of the leek in half lengthwise.
3. Rinse the leeks well under cold running water to remove any sand.
4. Lay the halves flat side down, slice thinly crosswise and set aside.
5. In a 6 quart pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the bacon.
6. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is very soft and has rendered most of its fat.
7. Add the chopped leeks and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.
8. Add the, chicken stock, potatoes, salt and white pepper, and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 30 minutes.
10. When the potatoes begin falling apart, turn off the heat.
11. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender. in batches. (or if you own an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot.)
12. Stir in the cream and adjust the seasoning, as needed.
13. Ladle the soup into serving bowls.
14. Garnish the top of each bowl with some of the snipped chives
15. Serve immediately .

Zucchini Soup

I had always thought of zucchini as a cylindrical vegetable until one of my nieces gave me some of her home-grown globe zucchini. You can find them more often at the market these days. They are very good and I wanted to use them in a playful manner. Using them as bowls for a soup seemed to be a good idea to me. It keeps the focus on the ingredients in the soup, and makes cleanup a snap.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 round globe zucchini squash, 1 per person
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 pound zucchini squash, roughly chopped
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• fresh thyme sprigs, garnish

Preparations

1. Cut tops off squash; set them aside for garnish.
2. Scoop out squash , and chop the zucchini.
3. Finely slice the shallots.
4. Heat the butter in a saucepan.
5. Sauté the zucchini and shallots over medium high heat.
6. When they begin to soften, add the chicken broth.
7. Cook the zucchini and shallots until tender.
8. Puree in a blender until smooth.
9. Add cream, dill, nutmeg, sugar, cayenne, salt and pepper.
10. Return soup to saucepan to heat, stir often till well blended.
11. Fill the hollowed out zucchini bowls.
12. Lean squash tops against soup.
13. Garnish with thyme and serve.