Week Five: Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

Alrighty folks! This is one of many versions of chicken tortilla soup that I'll be trying over the weeks.  There are so many good recipes for this type of soup out there, several of which you all have offered up to me already, and because it's so popular, we just must do quite a few.


Over the past couple of years, I've become a fan (some say a fanatic) of America's Test Kitchen.  I love the science they describe and the methods behind the recipe, and find it so helpful to engage that way while I'm putting a dish together. Telling me why we do what we do in a certain recipe helps it make sense, and therefore, the process becomes much more intuitive, which makes one a better cook, I think.  Because I am not one of those cooks, like my friend Precious Page, who can put a little of this, and a little of that, in a dish, and know it's going to come out right. So ATK helps me this way.  And you'll be hearing a lot more about them from me...I have their cookbook volume called Soups and Stews.  


Anyway. (Think Ellen when you read this, and smile.) I found this recipe on Susan's blog, Wildlife in the Woods via the ATK FB page. It is from ATK's cookbook Slow Cooker Revolution.   She gives great tips in her post, and it would have behooved me to read them before cooking!  The called for amount of jalapeno and chipotle in adobo sauce are too much for even my spiciness liking! It didn't ring a bell with me that those amounts would yield such heat.  So be forewarned:  reduce the amount according to your taste.  See. 
I told you I wasn't intuitive in the kitchen.

Ye ol' Crock Pot

I also liked this recipe because it brought out the old crock pot, aka slow cooker.  I own a crock pot, but don't use it often, mainly because Jeffy isn't fond of crock pot meals.  But soup seems like the safe and perfect use for it. Tried the Mission Super Thin tortilla chips for the first time and loved them!

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

Soup + Salad

adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution
Ingredients:
1 T. vegetable oil
2 tomatoes (12 oz.), cored and chopped  (I used @12 oz of cherry tomatoes - full of flavor!)
1 onion, minced
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced (I always wear gloves for this!)
8-10 garlic cloves, depending on size of cloves and your family's preference, minced
1 T. minced canned chipotle chile in adobo
1 T. tomato paste
8 c. chicken broth (I used half store bought, half homemade)
10 cilantro stems, tied together with twine
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
Garnishes:
4 c. crushed tortilla chips
8 oz. crumbled queso fresco (fresh Mexican cheese) or shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 ripe avocado (Mine weren't ripe yet, so I skipped this last night, but I wished I had had it!)
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. minced fresh cilantro
lime wedges, for serving

1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño  and cook until onion is softened and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, chipotles, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 c. broth, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.
2. Stir remaining 7 c. broth and cilantro stems into slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low. (Mine only took 4 hours.)
3. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces. Let soup settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard cilantro stems.
4. Stir in shredded chicken, and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add any additional seasonings (chipotle or jalapeño peppers, or salt and pepper) according to your taste, at this point. Place tortilla chips in serving bowls, ladle soup over top, and serve with cheese, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and lime wedges.

"He is not an honest man who has burned his tongue and does not tell the company that the soup is hot."  

~~Old Proverb

Week Four: Halibut and Sweet Potato Chowder

Halibut Sweet Potato Chowder

You might ask why this soup? Just for the "HAL-I-BUT"!! Get it? Well, a friend of mine named Too Funny Tom told me I should start my post this way:) Haha!  Pictured to the right, the soup is contained in a beautiful piece of handmade pottery, and served in matching soup bowls, all gifted to me by Lovely Linda from Bend, OR. 


This recipe is from Sunset Magazine, February 2006, and was suggested to me by my sister, who is very adventurous in the kitchen!  She even sent me the saffron called for in the recipe, but she didn't tell me how EXPENSIVE halibut is!  I really did not know.  Let me prepare you in advance that this soup is not inexpensive to make!  


I posted last week about the difference between bisque and chowder, so now you know that this is a chunky soup.  It doesn't have much cream in it so it isn't as rich as some chowders I've eaten, but packs a lot of flavor with the other ingredients.  The magazine touts it as a "fresh and satisfying seafood chowder that takes off the winter chill".  I totally agree, except that as I type, the tornado sirens are going off and the temperature is 63 degrees here in Arkansas, so there wasn't a chill to take off!  If you're a wine drinker, the pairing for this is Arneis, a lively Italian white wine, or an aromatic dry Riesling.  


By the way, check out Sunset magazine.  Though born and raised in Arkansas, my sister, aka Tunna, has lived in the west for most of her life and been a subscriber for years.  After my friend Cheryl visited the northwest US last fall, she gave me a subscription to for my birthday in September, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.  It is similar to Southern Living, but is written for life in the western US.  


And now for the recipe!! 


Halibut and Sweet Potato Chowder
Serves 4-6
Notes:  *Choose dark red saffron threads(not orange or yellow)
You may substitute saffron powder, but use only 1/8 teaspoon.
**I used only 1 pound due to cost, and it was plenty!


1. Pour 1 T. olive oil into a 4-6 quart pan over medium-high heat; add 2 andouille sausages, 6-8 oz. total, cut in 1/4 inch slices. Stir often until beginning to brown.  Add 6-8 oz. onion, peeled and chopped, and stir often until limp.  Add 1/4 teaspoon *saffron threads; 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth; and a 1 pound sweet potato cut into 1/2 inch chunks.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sweet potato is barely tender when pierced, about 5 minutes.  Stir in 1/4 cup whipping cream and salt and pepper to taste.
2.  Meanwhile, rinse **2 pounds boned, skinned halibut and pat dry; cut into 1 inch chunks.  Lay chunks on top of soup, cover and cook until halibut is opaque, but still moist looking in the center, about 10 minutes.  Gently stir soup.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with thinly sliced green onion.

Week Three: Tomato Bisque

Tomato Bisque Soup & Grilled Cheese

I was hungry for a tomato soup, and will do another version of this in summer when the basil is flourishing in my garden, but this recipe was pretty easy and pretty tasty. It comes from the Food Network website.

Bisques are made by pureeing the soup mixture after cooking, and then adding cream to the mixture.  This yields a rich, thick, creamy texture.  Bisques are traditionally made with a seafood base, but these days aren't limited to that.  Bisque soups are closely related to chowders, another creamy soup, but chowders have chunks of ingredients whereas the bisque is a creamy, smooth soup.  Served with grilled cheese, using a chipotle gouda cheese that was yummy!

• Tomato Bisque Soup 
• Food Network Kitchens
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced bacon (about 1/2 ounce)
• 1 Spanish onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid), roughly chopped
• 3 parsley sprigs
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Tie the parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

When the soup base is cool, remove and discard the herb bundle. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Using a sieve over a large bowl, strain the tomato puree. Return the puree to the pot and reheat over medium heat.

Whisk the heavy cream and salt into the soup and season with pepper to taste. Divide among warm soup bowls and serve immediately.

• Copyright 2000 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

Week Two: Baked Potato Soup

“There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other’s cooking & say it was good.”      ~ Brian Andreas of StoryPeople

(If you don't already know StoryPeople, please check out their website here.)  


This week's soup is a perfect winter soup, although it's not that cold here yet in Arkansas. It's one of my favorites, and is found in Apron Strings, published by the Junior League of Little Rock.  But if you've put losing weight as one of your New Year Resolutions, you probably won't want to make this one!  Loaded with calories, but oh so good!  Serve it with salad like I did, and make yourself feel a little better about it! 


You really should treat yourself to a LeCreuset Dutch Oven to use as the *heavy saucepan* mentioned in the recipe!  The decision to buy one should not be entered into lightly, however, as they are quite pricey.  But after lots of research, I bit the bullet about 3 or 4 years ago and bought the one you see in the photo.  My only regret is that I didn't purchase one sooner.  I cook on an electric stove, and enameled cast iron cookware does wonders to distribute the heat evenly--which can be an impossiblity in other types of cookware.  Sometimes you can score LeCreuset at TJMaxx or Home Goods, so keep a lookout when you're shopping there.

Here's the recipe:
4 large baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter (11 Tablespoons)
2/3 cup flour
6 cups milk
3/4 t. salt (optional)
freshly ground pepper to taste
4 green onions, chopped
12 slices bacon, crisp fried, crumbled
1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Wash the potatoes and pierce several times with a fork. Bake for 1 hour or until tender; cool.
• Cut the potatoes in halves and scoop the pulp into a small bowl, discarding the skins.
• Melt the butter in a *heavy saucepan* over low heat. Stir in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the milk gradually, stirring well after each addition.  Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the potato pulp, 2 T. of the green onions, 1/2 of the bacon, and 1 cup of cheese.  Cook until heated through.
• Stir in the sour cream.  Add additonal milk if needed for the desired consistency.  
• Sprinkle each serving with the remaining green onions, bacon, and cheese.
• NOTE: Skim milk and low fat sour cream and cheese may be used to reduce fat in this way.  The recipe can be increased and freezes well.

So love each other & eat each other's cooking & say it is good!  Bon appetit! 

Week One: Black-Eyed Pea Soup

What else? Of course for Week One we'll start off with the traditional New Year's Day food! Usually I go strictly by the recipe, but here I combined a couple of recipes: this one at Epicurious, and this one at Food Network.  I used dried peas vs. canned peas, cooking them with some Petit Jean ham pieces to add flavor.  After they were cooked, I drained and added them to the broth mixture as directed in the recipe. Cornbread was the perfect accompaniment to round out our meal!  


Black Eyed Pea Soup
Serves 8

Black Eyed Pea Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 3/4 cups finely chopped onions 1 c. green pepper, chopped 1 c. celery, chopped 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas, drained  OR 1 pound dried peas, cooked and drained 2 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth 1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained 2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 3/4 tsp. Cajun seasoning 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar Freshly grated Parmesan cheese Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are golden and tender, about 8 minutes. Add black-eyed peas, chicken broth, Rotel, oregano and cayenne pepper and bring to simmer. Simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors. Mix in vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)  Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. Notice the soup and sandwich tray in the photo?  This set of two was a Christmas gift from my sister who lives in Oregon--love them!  So great for serving soup with sandwiches or salad or any other side.  And the green pot in the background is my favorite kitchen item, a LeCreuset dutch oven.  More later on the perfect soup pot--- I'll be raving about it from time to time!  Hope you enjoyed your black-eyed peas today, however you prepared them!

Happy 2012! & Welcome!

Welcome to 52 Weeks of Soup!  This is a blog for the love of soup, because I wholeheartedly agree with Master Chef Louis P. DeGouy in his quote above.  Soup is, shall we say, comfort food at its finest.


First of all, a disclaimer:  I am not trained in the culinary arts, and do not profess prowess in the kitchen! All of my recipes come from somewhere else, for which I will assign credit where credit is due.


I'll be posting a soup each week, and also adding some little tidbits here and there.  I look forward to your comments and suggestions, especially from those of you who love soup as much as I do!


Now get out your soup pot and join me! Soup's on!