French Onion Soup Recipe

French onion soup is delicious, simple to make and comforting.  You can’t ask for much more in a meal.  The soft, sweet, caramelized onions in a savory beef broth topped with melted gruyere cheese and toast provides your taste buds with numerous textures and flavors.  This is one of my favorite soups.

I made this soup for my husband for Valentine’s Day, hence the heart shaped toast.  :)

French Onion Soup Recipe

Adapted from Ina Garten

2 1/2 pounds yellow onions, halved, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (8 cups)

1/4 pound unsalted butter

1 bay leaf

3/4  cup medium-dry sherry

1 1/2 cups good dry white wine

6 cups beef stock

2 cups vegetable stock

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

6 slices of bread

2 cups shredded gruyere cheese

In a large stockpot on medium-high heat, sauté the onions with the butter and bay leaf for 20 minutes, until the  onions turn a rich golden brown color.  Deglaze the pan with the sherry and brandy and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes.

Add the beef and vegetable stocks plus salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, taste for salt and pepper. 

When ready to serve, preheat oven to 425^o F.  Place bread in a single layer on a cookie sheet and evenly sprinkle gruyere cheese.  Place in the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.  Please one piece of toast on top of each bowl of soup. 

Tips:

1)      This soup freezes great for future meals

2)      This soup can be made vegetarian by using only vegetable stock.

3)      This soup is wonderful topped with the bread and cheese, but if you want to cut that out of the recipe, it will be just as delicious.

4)      If you have soup bowls that are oven safe, you can scope your soup in the bowl, top with the bread and cheese and place under the oven broiler to melt the cheese. 

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup Recipe

With the cooler air settling in, it is time for hearty soups and stews!  When the October edition of Food Network magazine arrived, I knew I had to make the cover recipe; broccoli-cheddar soup!  This is one of my favorite soups.  The thick and creamy base adorned with chucks of crunchy broccoli and undertones of cheddar flavor. 

This soup was so easy to make.  Thank you Food Network chefs!  I made a few minor adjustments to the soup to make it a bit healthier, and the end result was amazing.  This soup made so much that I was able to freeze two containers for future dinners for Bill and myself.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup Recipe
Recipe slightly modified from Food Network magazine
Serves 6-8

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups skim milk

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 cups chopped broccoli florets

1/3 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, milk, both potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl; add 3 tablespoons water and season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes; drain.

When the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf from the soup.  Use immersion blender and puree the soup until smooth.  If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the soup to a blender and make sure to leave the filler cap slightly open to let steam escape. Return the soup to the pot and thin with water, if necessary. Return to a simmer over medium-low heat; stir in the broccoli and season with salt and pepper.

Add the cheese and stir until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons, if desired.

Roasted Vegetable Soup Recipe

Fall is my favorite season.  The air is crisp, the leaves are changing to warm colors, bright orange pumpkins grace front stoops, and soup makes a perfect meal. 

I wanted this vegetable soup to be filling, healthy and full of flavor.  I decided to roast the vegetables first to bring out an additional layer element by caramelizing them in their own natural sugars.  This step is essential to this soup and worth the extra time.  The roasting technique for the soup can be used on any hearty fall vegetables and not just the combination that I used below.  It was just what I had in my house at the time. 

Roasted Vegetable Soup Recipe

Serves 6-8

5 carrots

1 medium eggplant

3 tomatoes

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 can chicken stock

1/2 cup water

Salt

Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425^o. Roughly chop the carrots, tomatoes and eggplant.  Place the vegetables on a roasting sheet and coat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast the vegetables in the oven for 45 minutes.

Once the vegetables are roasted, move them into a food processor and puree.  I pulsed the vegetables a few times to leave some texture in the soup so it wouldn’t resemble baby food. 

In a large soup pot, heat up remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté onion and garlic.  Add in the pureed vegetables and slowly mix in the chicken stock.  Depending on the consistency you prefer in your soup, start adding a 1/2 cup of water to continue to thin out the soup.  Once the soup is at your desired thickness, serve soup topped with garlic croutons.

Tips:

1)      If you want to keep this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock

2)      This would also be delicious with butternut squash, turnip, celery root, etc.  Any hearty vegetable that roasts well.
3)      As I have mentioned before, I love to make larger batches of food and freeze them for later.  This is a huge time saver for those busy evenings, which provides a satisfying and healthy meal. 

Keilbasa Swiss Chard Stew Recipe

We are really enjoying all of the new vegetables we are receiving in our CSA share every week from the farm (in this post).  With all of the vegetables we are receiving now, I wanted to find a way to preserve some of them for the winter months.  I found this soup recipe that I figured would freeze well and give us a few meals out in the future. 

This stew is hearty and delicious with a mashed potato base.  It will be perfect for the cold winter months, not that I am wishing away summer.  Keep this recipe in your back pocket for the future, or make it now on a cooler night with your fresh Swiss Chard and save it for the chilly winter nights. 



Kielbasa Swish Chard Stew

Serves 8

6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/4 cup butter

8 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 ½ pounds Swiss Chard, rinsed, dried and chopped

2/3 pound kielbasa sausage, sliced into ½ inch pieces

Place the potatoes into a large soup pot, over medium heat.  Add butter and water, and bring to a boil.  Cook the potatoes until fork tender.  Reserve the liquid and mash the potatoes in the pan until smooth.  Return the potato water to the pot and stir in the salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer the potato mixture for 20 minutes.

Next, stir in the fresh swish chard and sausage.  Simmer for another 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tips:

1)      If you don’t have Swiss Chard, you could use kale or spinach

2)      For this recipe, I used turkey kielbasa.  It was an excellent, low fat, low calorie alternative with all the flavor you would expect from a regular kielbasa. 

3)       We froze this soup to have a hearty, healthy meal option for the winter months. 

Shrimp Bisque Recipe

The flavors in this shrimp bisque are defined and bold.  The leeks have a soft onion flavor, the shrimp stands out as the center of attention and the undertones of the sherry complements each spoonful.  This bisque is a favorite in my house and for all of our guests who have it with us. 

The best part about this bisque is that it is simple to make and your guests will think you spent hours layering all of the flavors.  I love to serve this bisque with a flat bread with melted cheese on top.  I made a simple flat bread with my dough recipe and sprinkled some asiago cheese on top before baking. 

Shrimp Bisque Recipe

Inspired by Ina Garden

Serves 6

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved

4 cups vegetable stock

3 tablespoons good olive oil

2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks)

1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup dry sherry

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

1/3 cup tomato paste

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the shrimp shells and vegetable stock in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes.  Strain and reserve the stock.  Add enough water to make 3 3/4 cups.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the leeks and cook them for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the leeks are tender but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the cayenne pepper and shrimp and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then the sherry and cook for 3 minutes longer. Transfer the shrimp and leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until coarsely pureed.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring with a whisk, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pureed shrimp, the stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and heat gently until hot but not boiling.

Season, to taste, and serve hot.

Tips:

      1) The original recipe calls for seafood stock.  I don't typically make my own stocks, so I start with vegetable stock for this recipe.  If you have seafood stock on hand, feel free to use that.

      2)  This soup freezes well. 

Gazpacho Recipe

Gazpacho is a delicious tomato based soup.  It is a "liquid salad" from the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, made of ripe tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and garlic served cold.  I have had this soup at some wonderful restaurants and this weekend I decided it was time to learn how to make it.  It was worth all of the chopping!

 

When I am in the kitchen, I love to learn cooking new techniques.  I have never peeled a tomato before, so this was a fun recipe for me to follow.  It was so easy (directions below).  Above are my beautiful, red, ripe tomatoes ready to begin the peeling process cut with X's. 

Gazpacho Recipe
Recipe by Alton Brown
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

Tomato juice

1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 lime, juiced

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Fill a 6-quart pot halfway full of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil.

Make an X with a paring knife on the bottom of the tomatoes. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool until able to handle, approximately 1 minute. Remove and pat dry. Peel, core and seed the tomatoes. When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl in order to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add enough bottled tomato juice to bring the total to 1 cup.

Place the tomatoes and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, garlic clove, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender and puree for 15 to 20 seconds on high speed. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve with chiffonade of basil.

Tips:
      1)  Instead of using a blender, I was able to use my immersion blender and it worked out perfectly.
      2)  Definitely make this soup ahead of time and allow all the flavors to meld together. 
      3)  I served my gazpacho with some french bread on the side.

Tortellini Soup Recipe

Quick, easy, and delicious! What more can you ask for in a one-pot-wonder dinner?   This hearty soup is full of vegetables and cheese filled tortellini working in harmony.  This recipe was inspired by my mothers tortellini soup, but I added a few new ingredients to enhance the soup.

This is a vegetarian soup, but you could add some chicken, turkey, or ham into this for another layer of flavor if you have some leftovers.  This soup is very versatile. 

Tortellini Soup Recipe
Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 yellow onion, cut
4 carrots, peeled and cut
4 celery stocks, cut
3 cans of vegetable stock
1 13 ounce bag frozen cheese tortellini
1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil turn the burner onto medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add your garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until the garlic start to infuse into the oil.  Next, add your chopped onion, carrots and celery.  Cook on medium heat until the vegetables are tender and starting to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes. 

Next, add the 3 cans of vegetable stock to the soup pot.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Once the liquid is boiling, add the tortellini and cook for 7-8 minutes.  The last minute of the tortellini cooking time, add your block of frozen chopped spinach into the pot. This will quickly defrost and disperse through the soup.  Once the spinach block has broken up, check the tenderness of the tortellini.  Once the tortellini are to your pasta al dente liking, you are ready to serve your soup.

Tips:  
      1. We love to serve this with crusty bread.  It dips so well into the soup picking up all of those yummy small spinach pieces.
     2.  This soup freezes well.  I will make a whole batch of this soup for just my husband and I, then I will fill two tupperware containers for future dinners and place them in the freezer.
     3.  Feel free to add any other vegetables that you have in your house.  Also, any leftover meats you want to use up will work great in here.   

Taco Soup

As promised, here is a recipe that we love to make with our leftover roast chicken, taco soup!  It is simple, fast, and packed full of flavor.  This is such a great way to make a healthy, hearty meal on a weeknight with very little effort.  This recipe has very little preperation and there is no waste with multiple pots and pans used.  I find it so satisfying to be able to throw everything into one pot and have the ingredients meld together on their own and create pure scrumptiousness.

This soup focuses more on the delicious ingredients and has just enough broth to cover everything.  With a kick of heat, it is accompanied by the smooth texture of the beans and crispy corn.  There is a lot going on with this soup and it stimulates your senses.   

Taco Soup Recipe
Serves 5

1 pound roasted chicken
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 packet ranch dressing mix
15 oz. can pinto beans
15 oz. can kidney beans
15 oz. can corn
2 (10 oz.) cans Rotel tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Add all ingredients listed above into a large soup pot.  Mix well so everything is coated with the taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix.  Simmer the soup over medium-low heat until bubbly. 

Serve soup with grated chedder cheese and tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Tips:
      1)  This soup freezes very well if you have leftovers. 
      2)  Rotel tomatoes have different options for heat levels, so you can customize this soup to your own personal heat specifications. 

What are your favorite dishes to make with leftover roast chicken?