Souper Sunday - Sopa de Tortilla

This Souper Sunday recipe is a family favorite!  I got the original recipe from an old Martha Stewart show over 15 years ago.  Her guest was Rick Bayless.  He's an expert on Mexican cuisine, has several famous restaurants, and even has his own shows on PBS.  I love his take on Mexican food!  This soup is a great example.

We've made this recipe so many times over the years that we don't even need it to remember what goes the soup.  And, the base of this soup is so good that it works great as a starter for other soups.  It's incredibly flavorful!

This recipe seemed very involved and a lot of work the first time we made it.  But, after that, it seemed to be a lot easier.  It's very forgiving and very flexible.  Feel free to change things up to your liking.  Add more or less ingredients and garnishes.  For example, chunks of chicken are really good as well as finely diced and raw radishes (they add a surprising and delicious crunch and color...you can see some in my photo above).  In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw the radishes being used on the show but it's not in the actual recipe.  Otherwise, I can't imagine that I would have thought to use them.  I'd never heard of putting them in soup.  But, they sure are good!  So, I added it to the list of ingredients.  Here's the recipe!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 large tomato

2 tablespoons corn oil (canola or vegetable oil work fine too)

1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise

1 teaspoon course salt, plus more for seasoning

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

6 cups chicken stock

1 small bunch cilantro, leaves picked and stems reserved

1 small bunch oregano

4 yellow and blue corn tortillas (any color will do)

1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying

1 to 2 dried Pasilla chilies, stemmed, de-veined, and left whole

1 avocado, cut into cubes

4 ounces freshly grated queso fresco (a delicious and unique cheese but we no longer use it to avoid dairy)

4 limes, washed and quartered

1 bunch radishes shredded or finely sliced

1. Heat oven to broil.  Line a small oven-proof skillet with aluminum foil.  Place the tomato in the prepared pan and broil, turning once or twice, until soft and just starting to char, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, peel, and place the tomato in the jar of a blender.  Hint:  If you'd like to add fresh, roasted, green chilies to the soup, this a good time to roast them.  See step 6.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of corn oil in a medium soup pot over medium-low heat.  Add the onion and the garlic.  Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Add onions to jar of the blender.  Puree the tomato-onion mixture until smooth.

3. Return soup pot to medium heat.  Add remaining tablespoon of corn oil and stir in tomato-onion puree, using a rubber spatula to clean out the blender jar.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes.  It should be the consistency of a dark, thick ketchup.

4. Whisk in chicken stock.  Make a bouquet garni of the cilantro stems and oregano (I just tie a bunch of cilantro and oregano together with butcher twine. I don't worry about just using just the stems of the cilantro.).  Add the bouquet garni to the soup, and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer.  Partially cover and simmer until the flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.  Season soup to taste with additional salt and pepper.  Hint:  This base works great to create a veggie or chicken soup...just add what you like.  An easy and delicious soup at this point is to just add some cooked spaghetti or pasta.  Be sure to add a squeeze of lemon to each bowl!  It's delicious!)

5.  Meanwhile, prepare the garnishes.  Crumble the queso fresco cheese.  Cut and slice or grate radishes.  Cut the tortillas into 1/4 inch strips, heat 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed skillet, over medium high heat, until the oil is shimmering and hot.  Carefully add the tortilla strips, standing back as the oil might splatter. Fry until the strips are crisp and brown, 20 to 30 seconds. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Season the hot strips with salt and pepper.  Hint:  We always make a more tortilla chip strips than the recipe calls for because they're super yummy!

6.  In the same hot oil, quickly flash-fry the pasilla chilies, 3 to 4 seconds.  Remove from the oil and place on a paper towels to drain.  Let cool slightly.  Chop the chilies into bits and use as garnish.   The flavor is interesting and unique.  Hint:  Fresh green chilies, like Anaheims, are a delicious alternative.  Roast them in the oven when roasting the tomato.  Roast until they are charred (turning as needed), put them into a covered container or plastic bag for a few minutes....the steam will make it easier to peel off the skin.  Peel, remove stem, seeds, and white ribs, slice and chop into small strips or pieces. 

7.  It's time to serve it up!  We like to set all the garnishes out for everyone to add them as they like to their own bowls.  Then, ladle the hot soup on top, squeeze a wedge or two of lime into the bowl (we even toss the wedge(s) into the bowl for extra flavor), top with tortilla chip strips and enjoy!

A super delicious soup with super possibilities!  Give it a try!  Let me know what you think!  And, I'd love to hear about ways you change it up or use it for other kinds of soups.  Buen Provecho!

Souper Sunday - Pumpkin, Sausage and Mushroom

Since the weather cooled, I've been back to making soup again.  I've been making some of our favorites and trying new ones.  As I've posted them on Instagram, I've gotten requests for the recipes.  So, I've decided to do a little blog series and post a recipe each week.

This recipe is a new one for us.  I saw it being made on a TV show and it looked so easy and good that I wanted to try it out.  In my usual way, I went for it without an actual recipe.  I just got the ingredients I remembered seeing on the show and made it like I remembered seeing.  I love cooking that way.  It's not so fussy, it's more creative, and it's more fun!  Luckily, things usually turn out good and this did too.  It was hearty, rich, creamy and delicious.

The original recipe called for breakfast sausage (I'm planning to try that version tonight) but I had some ground pork and used that.  I fried it up with some finely chopped onion (drain fat as necessary).  Then, I added some finely chopped garlic and sliced mushrooms and continued cooking until the mushrooms were done.  I seasoned this mixture with salt, pepper, a little cumin, chili powder, paprika, and a dash of cayenne.  Next, I added a can of pumpkin and mixed it in and then a can of coconut milk and stirred until everything was combined and creamy.  I heated it through and served it up with a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds on top.  It's super easy, quick, gluten free, dairy free and Paleo!

Here's the ingredient list:

Breakfast Sausage

Onion

Garlic

Mushrooms

Canned or Fresh Cooked Pumpkin

Coconut Milk

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (optional)

Season as needed with Salt and Pepper

If you use ground pork instead of sausage, you'll need additional spices.  I used what I had but you could add some that are more traditional in sausage...like fennel seeds.  Here's what I used:

Salt

Pepper

Cumin

Chili Powder

Paprika

Cayenne - Just a Dash

It makes at least six nice sized servings.

I'm curious how people cook.  I've met people who only feel comfortable having a recipe with exact measurements and I've met people who like to just get creative and use recipes as inspiration.  I fit more in the second category and will only occasionally use a recipe exactly as written.  I've learned to cook a lot of things by watching TV and just going for it.   How do you cook?  Are you comfortable cooking without recipes and getting creative in the kitchen?  Or, are you more comfortable having exact measurements?  And, do you have a favorite soup recipe?  If so, is it from a recipe...maybe a family recipe?  Or did you come up with it?  I'd love to know!  :-)

Hot Soup on a Cold Day

Mmmmm...hot soup on a cold day is so good!

When it's homemade it's even better!

I love tomato soup and have started making it from scratch.  I'm amazed at how fast and easy it is to make.  And, blown away by how delicious it is...better than any pre-made soup from a can!

Even my husband likes it and he never liked tomato soup before.  

To make it, I finely chop some fresh garlic (a small clove or about 1/4 teaspoon or so) and put it in a pan with a bit of olive oil.  I turn the heat on low to medium...just long enough to let the garlic flavors bloom (smell really good) but not toast and turn brown.  I turn off the fire and carefully (it might splatter) add a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce.  Then, I add a can of milk (I use unsweetened coconut milk), a dash of pepper and some finely chopped basil.  If I don't have fresh basil I use two cubes of frozen basil I get at Trader Joe's.  I love this stuff!  It tastes fresh and it's super convenient...

Sometimes, I add a dash of Cayenne for a little extra yum.
Then, I just leave it over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until it's hot.

I love having tomato soup with a grilled sandwich.  I used to love it with grilled cheese but I no longer eat dairy.  So, two slices of Rudi's gluten free bread, a thin spread of Earth Balance spread (buttery side down in the pan), and some lean turkey or chicken grilled in a skillet until golden brown on both sides is just as good.  I like to put a dollop of mustard on my plate to dip it in.  Yum!
Sometimes I even dip my sandwich into the soup. Double yum!

Since I'm posting about dairy and gluten free food...some people who follow my blog have asked

about health issues my daughter was going through at the beginning of the year and the results of the "Total Elimination Diet".  One blogger even sent me sweet, long email asking about it.  I tried several times to reply and had a hard time getting it to go through.  I'm not sure if she ever got it.  I hope so. If not, please know that I tried.  Since then, my computer completely crashed and I lost that email and all my email addresses.  So, I'm not even sure who sent it.  I'm sorry.

My daughter is doing great.  It turns out that she has a gluten sensitivity.  It's been a tough change because so many foods have gluten in them.  In a lot of ways we've had to almost completely change how we eat.  It's all for the good though because we eat very few pre-made/processed foods now.  We mostly eat things we make from scratch and LOTS of veggies.

My daughter is feeling a lot better.  Hubby and I eat mostly gluten free and like how we feel.  My daughter and I even noticed that eliminating gluten improves our overall mood and sense of well being.  I've lost weight and dropped to my goal and holding.  I think that's due to reducing carbs and that healthy, gluten free eating makes us feel more satisfied with what we eat and we don't have the urge to snack as much.  I can't believe we're coming up on one year since we started this.

Thank you for thinking of us and asking how it's going.  :-)

Fun with Food

As I started taking photos and loading them onto my computer to do some more blogging I realized I had some photos on my cell phone of some yummy fun foods we had last week.  We had one of our new favorites...a delicious Thai Noodle Soup recipe that I found in the "Forks Over Knives" cookbook (page 106, if you have the book).  The flavor of this soup is unique and delicious.  The colors and textures of all the veggies are wonderful.  And, it's healthy too!  

This is a recipe we may never stop making.  It's that good!

Some of the wonderful ingredients in it are onions, garlic, bok choy, shitake mushrooms, carrots, lime zest and juice, cilantro, bean sprouts, tamari, vegetable broth (I used chicken broth this time that I'd just made by cooking up some chicken for another meal and I added spices), and rice noodles (I used those flat white ones this time).  We ate every drop!  Just blogging about it makes me want more!

Another fun food we had last weekend were these colorful carrots I found at Trader Joe's.

Aren't they pretty?!  I wondered if there was any difference in flavor but couldn't detect any.

They were even prettier cut up and in the steamer/pan...

I made a salad with mini heirloom tomatoes that I found at Trader Joe's too.  Yum!

I love finding fun, new-to-me, colorful veggies and great recipes!

Have you found any new and interesting foods lately?

Best Chicken Soup...Ever!

I'm always playing around with recipes and inventing my own. Chicken soup is one of the things I like to experiment with. Last year, I discovered that a squeeze of fresh lemon juice in a bowl of chicken soup really kicks it up to a new level of yumm! Last night, I found a way to make chicken soup that was the best ever!

A couple of nights ago, I made a recipe for Chicken Cacciatore that I found on line. I followed the recipe pretty closely. The only changes I made were that, instead of boneless/skinless chicken, I used thighs with the bone in and I removed the skin. I also used fresh rosemary instead of dried. It was really good. I stored the remaining sauce in the fridge overnight. Then...last night, I put that remaining sauce in a large pan with a large can (49 ounces, I think) of chicken broth. I heated it to boiling and added half a package of spaghetti that I broke into thirds. I continued cooking it until the pasta was done. Super easy! I served it up with a fresh lemon wedge squeezed into each bowl and dropped in for even more flavor. It was out of this world delicious!

My daughter commented that I need to make a huge pot of the chicken Cacciatore just so I can freeze containers of the sauce to make soup whenever we want. I just might do that!

Souper Soup

I made some soup last night that was super flavorful and delicious and surprisingly easy to make. I definitely want to make it again. So, I need to note what I used and how I did it. I'll do that here so I can share the recipe and easily pull it up whenever I want to use it. The inspiration came from a recipe my husband found online. I wrote down the ingredients I didn't have and went shopping. I found some of the ingredients but had to substitute others. When it came time to make it, I couldn't find where he'd saved the recipe. So, I winged it. Here's what I used and how I made it...

Ingredients

1-2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1/2 small to medium onion finely chopped
olive oil
1 49 1/2 ounce can of chicken stock
1 28 ounce can of stewed tomatoes broken up (don't use the juice)
1 15 ounce can of kidney beans drained and rinsed (the original recipe called for canellini but I couldn't find any)
2 medium zucchini quartered lengthwise and sliced into pieces
1 bunch of Swiss chard sliced lengthwise and then into strips (the recipe called for
collards but I couldn't find these either)
Fresh Basil finely chopped (I used a frozen cube of it I had made from my summer basil plants)
Parmesan Cheese finely grated
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a large pan on medium high, add few tablespoons of olive oil and the onion and cook until almost caramelized, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for a minute or so for the flavors to bloom and mellow but don't let it brown. Stir in the chicken stock. Add and stir in the tomatoes, kidney beans, zucchini, Swiss chard, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle and stir in some Parmesan cheese, a little at a time so it doesn't clump, maybe a quarter cup or more. Serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

I'm not sure if I used all the ingredients that were in the original recipe, how many things I changed or how different my amounts were. I know the original called for prosciutto but I left that out. We were amazed at how flavorful and delicious this soup was. I wanted to just keep eating and eating but it was very filling. I'll definitely make it again and probably soon. If you try it, let me know what you think or what changes you make. Enjoy!