Andouille and Red Wine Soup

We've all had those small moments in our lives when we are so proud of ourselves that we can't help but jump up and down and give ourselves a high five. And when these priceless moments happen to us, all we really want to do is share that joy, that pride, that excitement with someone...anyone who will listen.

My moment came last Thursday evening when I decided that I wanted soup for dinner. I didn't have any sort of plan or recipe, I just knew I wanted soup.

So......

When I found one, lonely, red potato, I decided to put him out of his misery and chop him up in little pieces and saute' him in a puddle of olive oil. Then I chopped up 4 stalks of celery, smashed 4 cloves of garlic, and threw them in the puddle as well. I placed a lid on top and let them mingle.

When I opened my fridge again, I noticed a big ol' Granny Smith apple staring me in the face. My first thought was..."Nobody puts apples in soup....that's weird." But before I knew it, I was cutting the apple and adding her to the pot as well. "Weird is good." I thought to myself.

"What do I do for protein? I could use beans, but I don't like beans....unless they're the green, string bean variety." And then I remembered that I had just purchased Cajun Style Andouille Smoked Sausage links, so beans were out and meat was in. Protein....CHECK!

Drinking red wine while cooking is always recommended, and since I already had a bottle in my hand........OOPS......a half a cup of it fell into the pot. I didn't want to use the whole bottle in the soup, so I poured in some beef broth.

I added some thyme for additional flavor, some diced tomatoes for color, and in a moment of mature, grown-up behavior I opened a can of White Northern beans and allowed a few fifty beans to drop into the soup. It felt good and bad all at the same time. It was hard to do, but I've got to learn to like beans....I've GOT TO!

When I couldn't find or think of anything else to add to my "souped up" soup, I placed the lid on top, turned the heat to low, and walked away for a couple of hours.

Tick...tock...tick...tock...

I returned to the kitchen at 8:53 PM wearing a proud smile on my face as the delightful aroma tickled my nose. I had a good feeling about this! I removed the lid, stirred the pot, grabbed a ladle, scooped it up, filled my bowl, found a spoon, loaded it up, took a whiff, took a taste, and....

Shazam!

MY moment.

.....that tiny little moment of accomplishment, of a job WELL done, of beautiful magic performed.

It. Was. Amazing! And even though no one was there to high-five me, I did a little dance, sang a little song, and laughed to myself over my apparent brilliantness. (Yes, it's a word)


Now, as we all know, most soups taste better the second day, but what I'll tell you about this little number is that on the night of it's conception, there were so many flavors bouncing around on the palate that it was like happy food fireworks. I could taste the wine, I could taste the apple, I could taste the Andouille, and I could even taste the beans - the wine-soaked beans, that is. Turns out, I kind of like drunken beans. Who knew?

The next morning, I decided to relive the experience of the night before and heat up the soup for breakfast. Only now, the soup had a different flavor. It was still very good, but as with most soups, all the flavors merged into one and the "wild party" from the evening before had simmered, the pandemonium had subsided, and even though I was enjoying the same flavors, somewhere in the magic of the overnight hours, they had become one brand new flavor.

I recommend eating the soup the night you make it and eating it again the next day and have yourself two different parties....you won't be disappointed!

(Thanks for letting me share this moment with you!)


Andouille and Red Wine Soup

6 Ounces Cajun Style Andouille Smoked Sausage
Olive Oil
One Medium Red Potato, finely chopped
4 Stalk Celery, finely chopped
4 Large Garlic Cloves, smashed
One Granny Smith Apple, finely chopped
14 Ounces Diced Tomatoes
7.5 Ounces White Northern Beans
One Teaspoon Thyme
1/2 Cup Red Wine ( not dry )
2 Cups Beef Broth

In a good size skillet or pot, saute' potato, celery, garlic, and apple. Add thyme, sausage, tomatoes, and red wine. Cook for a little while longer. Then add broth and beans. Let simmer on stovetop for at least 2 hours.

Shazam!

Savory Chicken Soup

Who doesn't think of soup when it's 3 degrees outside?

In my world, traditional chicken soup means carrots, celery, noodles, and of course, chicken. But I didn't want Grandma's chicken soup. (Love ya, Grandma.. ;) I wanted something unique, pasta-free, and pleasantly piquant.

I stumbled upon this recipe and liked it, but it called for fresh ginger root, a touch of turmeric, and bean thread noodles. I had none of these in my kitchen, it was 3 degrees outside, and I wasn't leaving my house, so a little bit of improvisation was now on the menu.

I also noticed that the recipe failed to mention zucchini - clearly an oversight - zucchini goes in everything....duh-uh!

So, as my onions and garlic were bathing, blending, and softening, I peeked into my rack of tantalizing spices and chose some personal favorites.....garam masala, smoked paprika, and powdered ginger. I didn't measure anything....I just sprinkled each flavor until I stopped. How's that for precise?!

I added the zucchini and all the other good stuff and then mixed it in with the chicken and broth and let everyone get to know each other.

When I returned an hour later, I poured myself a bowl, dropped a little cloud of Greek yogurt on top, and indulged in the goodness.

Side Note: When I eat my minestrone soup that has a little kick to it, I like to add a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. It gently diffuses some of the heat and adds another dimension of flavor.

When I had it for lunch the next day, the flavor was much more complex and the heat index had risen a twinkle or two. Even though I feel that I have already achieved perfection with this little medley, next time I'll probably sprinkle even more of the garam, paprika, and ginger and BAM...kick it up a notch!

Savory Chicken Soup

1/2 Medium Onion, chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Sprinkle or two of Ginger Powder
Sprinkle or two of Garam Masala
Sprinkle or two of Smoked Paprika
10-12 Twists of the Black Pepper grinder
One Tablespoon of Soy Sauce
One Quart of Chicken Broth
8-10 Ounces of Cooked Chicken Pieces
One Medium Zucchini, petitely chopped

Drizzle some olive oil in a hot skillet. Add the onion and garlic and saute' until softened. Add chopped zucchini, soy sauce, ginger, garam masala, paprika, and black pepper. Saute' a few minutes more. In a separate pan pour in chicken broth and chicken. Add skillet ingredients to the broth and chicken and let simmer on stove for at least an hour.

As with most soups, this tastes best on the second day.

Southern Potato Soup

There's nothing better on an arctic February day than a warm bowl of potato soup and that is why Karen, our fabulous hostess for this month's Potato Tasting Party, served it as the grand finale. It was soothing and savory and Oh, soooo heavenly! Moans of happiness and complete satisfaction could be heard all around the table as we blissfully slurped our soup.

If you've been looking for a great winter potato soup, congratulations, your search is over! We have for you, the best of the best right here!

Eat with our blessing!


Southern Potato Soup

8 to 10 Slices Bacon, diced
4 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Cup Diced Celery
One Cup Diced Onion
8 Green Onions, thinly sliced
1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
3 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Cups Half-and-Half
4 Large Baking Potatoes, baked, peeled, and diced
One Teaspoon Salt, or to taste
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
8 Ounces Sour Cream
8 Ounces Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Sliced Green Onion for garnish, optional

In a Dutch oven or large kettle over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain and pour the bacon drippings into a cup. Put 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings back into the pan along with the butter, chopped onion, and celery. Cook, stirring until vegetables are tender.

Stir in the sliced green onion and flour until blended. Stir in chicken broth; cover and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thickened and vegetables are very tender.

Stir in half-and-half, diced potatoes, salt, pepper, and cheese. Continue cooking until cheese is melted. Blend about half of the soup in batches until smooth. Add the blended soup back to the pot and add sour cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until soup is hot. Serve the soup garnished with bacon and extra sliced green onion, if desired.

And hey, if you like chunks of potato in your soup, don't blend it all!

Garam Masala Chicken and Mushroom Soup

Yes, we posted this recipe before, but it's so good it's worth repeating AND it's like FIVE degrees outside so soup is definitely in order. And then there's the holidays...we've both been busy having fun and haven't had time to post new recipes, so you get soup! Good soup, that is.....

We have no idea what you’re going to think after reading the list of ingredients below, but we're going to beg you to try this recipe because we can almost guarantee that you have never made or tasted a soup like this one before.

Its flavor is so unique and divine that you will most certainly impress your friends with it. We love to make it for others and watch them take a small soup bite, then another, maybe one more, and then say, “Oh my – that’s good – what’s in there?”

Toot Toot!
(that’s us tooting our own horn)

Let’s start by freaking out over the amount of butter that’s going into the saucepan and get it over with. It is what it is and it will all be worth it in the end! With that said, drop all six tablespoons of butter into the pan over medium heat. As it slowly melts, add the garlic and garam masala (more on this spice down below). Then lower the heat and add the crushed peppercorns, salt, and nutmeg.

To really get things going, add the chicken, mushrooms, leeks, and corn. Cook these guys for about five to seven minutes or until chicken is cooked through – stirring constantly.

When that’s done, remove from the heat and transfer half the mixture into a food processor or blender. Add the water and process for nearly a minute.

WARNING:
This soup is going to look a little nasty right about now, but you’ve got to hang in there with us. I mean, you can see from the photo above that this soup isn't real pretty when it's all dressed up and posing for a picture, so it shouldn't be a big leap to think it would be super ugly during the prep phase. But trust us, when we say the beauty lies deep, deep below the surface within the flavor and we're almost there.....

Pour the "less than esthetic" puree back into the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

To make the soup look prettier and taste a little bit richer, lower the heat and add one cup of light cream and stir it in. Grab a ladle, a bowl, and a big old spoon and dig in, because this soup tastes best when straight from the stove, piping hot, with a little garlic bread on the side.

Did we tell ya?

Toot Toot!

Garam Masala is an Indian spice that can be found alongside everyday spices in most of your local grocery stores. It is comprised of a variation of black pepper, cloves, cardamon, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This is a spice that definitely steals the show in anything we add it to. It’s what makes the flavor of this soup so unique. We highly recommend adding Garam Masala to your seasoning rack because it won't be the last time you see him...

One day, the leeks in the produce department looked so pitiful that we couldn't bring ourselves to pay good money for them, let alone eat them, so we used scallions instead. Totally doable...



Garam Masala Chicken and Mushroom Soup

6 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Garlic
One Teaspoon Garam Masala
One Teaspoon Crushed Black Peppercorns
One Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg
8 Ounces Chicken, Skinned and Boned
One Medium Leek, sliced
Generous One Cup Sliced Mushrooms
1/3 Cup Whole Corn Kernels
1-1/4 Cups Water
One Cup Light Cream
One Teaspoon Crushed Dried Red Chilies, to garnish (optional)

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Lower the heat slightly and add the garlic and garam masala. Lower the heat even more and add the black pepper, salt, and nutmeg.
Cut the chicken pieces into very fine strips and add to the pan with the leek, mushrooms, and corn. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Transfer half of the mixture into a food processor or blender. Add the water and process for about one minute.
Pour the resulting puree back into the saucepan with the rest of the mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and stir in cream.
Serve Hot.

Minestrone!!!

Minestrone is ALL about "hodgepodge". In fact, there's no specific recipe for minestrone and barely any rules that need to be followed when making it - and that is music to our ears! Minestrone is all about throwing things together - chunky things, like hearty vegetables - and creating a wonderful flavor one might slurp up with a large spoon on a cold, blustery, winter day.

Sometimes though, in our attempt to create the best flavor we can, we may be tempted to use substances, like MSG, that enhance the flavor of certain foods. The jury is still out on exactly how unhealthy MSG is, but we'll let you google the word and decide for yourself.

We personally prefer to avoid it whenever possible because of the controversy surrounding it's effect on one's body, but even more than that, it feels like cheating when you use it in the kitchen. With today's fancy additives you can make food taste like anything...ANY THING! (Don't even get us started on that subject..) but taking vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts, seeds, spices, etc. and combining them to create a delicious cuisine is the best kind of art there is!

We like to create flavors in the kitchen that come from the actual food themselves - after all, there are thousands of different foods and spices just waiting to show off their "talent". Don't deny them their time in the spotlight!

So, when it came time to serve up some Minestrone, we discovered a very tasty recipe, and it's flavor was off the charts, but three of the ingredients suggested contained high levels of MSG. What?! We felt duped. Anybody can create monstrous flavor with flavor enhancers, but can it be done with real food?

And the answer is YES!

Our soup gets much of it's pizazz from the Italian sausage and crushed red pepper, so choose your sausage carefully, or make your own - just make it super flavorful. As far as beans go, I hate beans - I really hate beans - so the first time I made this soup I did add them, but only because I wanted to feel like a grown-up. I do not, however, find them a necessary ingredient in this soup, but if you're a bean lover, go crazy, bean it up! Add pasta if you want more carbs, but we're pretty wild about the idea of meat and vegetables going it alone.

Our favorite way to make this soup is in the crockpot because you can make it in the morning and it will be ready to eat by dinner, but the stovetop works just as well. As with most soups, this minestrone tastes best on day two and three. Make it tonight, and you'll have a hearty bowl of heaven by tomorrow!


Minestrone!!!

One Pound Italian Sausage
4-5 Strips Bacon, cooked (Oink or Gobble)
One Medium Onion, Diced
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
4 Cups Water
One Medium-Large Zucchini, chopped
2 Stalks Celery, diced
2 Large Carrots, diced
2 Cups Beef Broth
One Can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed (OPTIONAL)
One 28-Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes
One Tablespoon Sugar
One Teaspoon Oregano
One Teaspoon Italian Seasonings
One Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

In a skillet cook sausage with garlic and onion. Drain if necessary, then place in crockpot. Add all other ingredients and let the crockpot do it's thing.

Return hours and hours later to taste your new favorite Minestrone!

~~~~~

As you can see in the photo above, we like to eat our Minestrone with blue corn chips - soooo good together!

Note: In case you were wondering what the 3 ingredients were that contained the unwanted MSG, it was Campbells Bean and Bacon Soup, Bob Evans Italian Sausage, and Swanson's Beef Broth. You can find organic beef broth in the health food section at your local grocery store.

Italian Tortellini Soup

If you haven't noticed, we've jumped right into comfort foods around here. The weather has been unseasonably gray, rainy, and a bit on the chilly side for the past two weeks or so, so all of the warm and nourishing foods we love most are being whipped up in our kitchens lately.

It's no wonder then, that this little number came to mind. This soup is fabulously flavored as you would imagine from scanning the ingredient list. It was an award winner in a local cookbook years ago, but it will always be a winner in our book!

Beware!

This is no broth-sipping soup, this is a nice hearty meal swimming in the broth.

If you're Italian, you'll feel right at home with this soup. If you're not, but you're a wanna-be-Italian like me, then this soup just might make you feel like an Italian for a day - maybe two!

Ciao!


Italian Tortellini Soup

3 Slices Bacon (optional) (we like Oscar Meyer turkey)
One Pound Mild Italian Sausage (seasoned hamburger works too!)
One Medium Onion
3 Cloves Minced Garlic
8 Ounces Thinly Sliced Mushrooms (we love Baby Bellas)
2 Quarts Chicken Stock
10 Ounces Cheese-filled Tortellini
2 - 15 Ounce Cans Diced Tomatoes
2 Teaspoons Italian Herbs
or one teaspoon thyme, one teaspoon oregano
One 10-Ounce Package Spinach, chopped
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan

Fry bacon, reserve drippings. Fry sausage, drain. Saute onion, garlic, and mushrooms; set aside. In large pot, bring stock to a boil, add tortellini and cook 5-7 minutes. Add tomatoes and herbs; reduce heat to low. Add spinach, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic mixture to pot. Simmer 5 minutes. Add sausage, bacon, and Parmesan.

As with most soups, it tastes best the second day!

Summer Tomato Soup

I know we've had quite a few recipes on here lately featuring the almighty tomato, but you know what? There's just not a large span of time where tomatoes are good, so you have to do as much with them as you can when they're in season! And to be honest, we like to strike while the iron's hot, so to speak. This particular recipe is a wonderful way to use up all of those "not so pretty" tomatoes that pop up in your garden. You know, the ones you don't slice up when company pops in for lunch? Well, you just cut them all up for the soup, so it doesn't matter what they look like! Perfect!

We LOVE this summer soup, and whether it's served hot or cold, it's always very fresh tasting and delicious! I also freeze it in loaf pans, then put two "loaves" in each gallon-sized ziploc. That way, when you're craving a little taste of summer, you can just throw a "loaf" into a saucepan, heat it up, and voila...summer in a bowl!

Summer Tomato Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes, quartered
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp. creme fraiche, sour cream, or plain yogurt
salt & freshly ground pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and carrot and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until just soft, stirring occasionally. Add the quartered tomatoes, chopped garlic and herbs. Lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Now, the original recipe calls for straining the soup, but I like mine chunky...so I skip that part. But feel free to do whatever floats your boat, including adjusting all of the ingredients to your liking! I always add extra garlic, and sometimes extra tomatoes too. Just taste as you go along! Stir in the cream or yogurt and season with salt and pepper. I highly suggest using freshly ground pepper in this recipe...it makes all the difference!

Also of note:The recipe calls for serving this soup chilled, but my family likes it warm with a scoop of sour cream and a few chives on top. Try it both ways...it's very versatile!