Monthly Cooking Thread, January 2021 Happy New Year!

[Jamestown1630]

One of our members suggested that for the January cooking thread, we do Soup. So here we go.

One of my favorite soups is a Sausage-Bean-Spinach soup; I can’t recall where I found the recipe, but we first made this on a very cold day after Christmas, for some friends who had attended the local Christmas Bird Count, and it was a hit - it’s a very stick-to-the-ribs dish:

Sausage, Spinach and Bean Soup

8 oz. Hot Italian Sausage, casing removed (or your favorite sausage - I usually use one of the little 'chubs' of hot sausage)

1 tsp. Olive Oil (this doesn't seem right - I think I probably used more)

5 cloves Garlic, minced (Yes, 5; you may want to tone this down to personal taste)

1/2 tsp. dried Red Pepper flakes (or, again, to taste/tolerance)

2 10-oz packages of fresh Spinach, torn (Baby Spinach is good here)

2 15-oz cans of Great Northern Beans, undrained

1/4 cup unsalted Butter

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan Cheese

2 plum Tomatoes, diced (can use canned)

2 T. chopped Parsley

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

3 cups Chicken Broth

Brown sausage in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat for 10 minutes, breaking it up and stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink.

Add garlic and crushed red pepper, and saute 2 minutes. Add spinach and saute 2 minutes, or until wilted. Stir in the beans and cook 1 minute. Add broth, and bring to a boil. Add butter, cheese, tomato and 1 T. parsley.

Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in salt and pepper. Sprinkle each serving evenly with 1 T. parsley.

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We recently purchased some demi-glace from a company called ‘More than Gourmet’, and while perusing their website, we found this recipe for Roasted Cauliflower and Gorgonzola Bisque. Haven’t tried it yet, but it looks good (I think you could use any good stock for this):

http://www.morethangourmet.com/recipe-roasted-cauliflower-and-gorgonzola-bisque

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You always need something to go with soup, and Dale Calder recently demonstrated what looks like a very easy recipe for Scottish ‘Baps’, a sort of roll:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaSZoCHUg3U

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The other night, we happened to hit on this video about Eddie Goldfarb, the toymaker. He’s a great testimony to remaining intensely interested in something that really engages you, if you want to live a long, high-quality life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sKKan_Q9VU

I wish everyone a very good New Year, despite what we've faced in the past one, and no matter what the next one brings. Onward!

(The painting at the top is entitled 'La Soupe', by the French painter Bouguereau):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/_Bouguereau

-JT

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I'll put in a plug for one of my favorite cook books:

Make the St. Basil Soup first, and go from there. So, SO good!

[leaning conservative]

I want a giant basket right now to go with my cocktail.

[Jamestown1630]

I like dumplings, and your Pelmeni soup reminds me of Korean Mandu-guk.

Many years ago, I worked for a while at Gallaudet College (I think that very soon after it was designated a University) and it was very near a kind of market with lots of food vendors.

There was a little hole-in-the-wall Korean place there, where the elderly proprietor lady served me Mandu-guk - a dumpling soup. It was absolutely wonderful, and full of things I couldn’t identify, herbs that looked like little twigs, unusual mushrooms, etc.

Here is Maangchi doing a similar recipe (you don’t have to make your own Mandu to approximate this - there are lots of similar dumplings in supermarkets, now):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZEBKjqzVdI

[boatbums]

I found an “answer to life” regarding broths for soups and sauces: Better Than Bouillon. It comes in flavors of roasted chicken, beef and garlic (I really like this one) and vegetable. They even have a ham version. No more storing the boxes of broths and the requisite room on the pantry shelf. They are GREAT! It's a teaspoon for every cup of water. Stores in fridge after you open it.

[Jamestown1630]

I’ve used those, and like them very much.

(It’s kind of hard to find the veggie one here, though...)

[boatbums]

You can order them from Amazon if your store doesn’t stock them. Our Publix used to only carry the beef and chicken versions but they now have bunch of different varieties.

[leaning conservative]

I first heard about BTB on this monthly thread. Haven’t looked back. It’s the best & I used the last of my chicken tonight.

[Califreak]

That stuff is great. If you can’t find it, Knorr’s makes concentrated broth that looks like a tablespoon of jello. It’s really good too.

[Liz]

Delicious and more filling ladled onto a bed of steamed tice.

Texas-style Roasted-Poblano Soup

PREP Olive oil/spray 1/2 onion, 6 poblano halves on foiled sheetpan; broil skins black/bubbly.
Ziplok to steam. Then rub off peel w/ rubber gloves (bits of blackened skin add flavor).

SOUP BASE Sweat in heated ol/oil stalk diced celery, diced onion 3-4 min. Add diced roasted
onions/peppers. Toss w/ tea oregano/garlic/1/2 tea cumin, heat a min. Add 2-15 oz cans stewed
tomatoes w/ juice. Simmer 15 min.

FINAL Remove/hold aside 2 c veg; rest into processor; cool slightly; then puree.
Heat 15 oz veg broth; add veg puree; combine w/ reserved whole veg; heat thru 5 min.

SERVE warm w/ scatter of corn kernels, squeeze of lime, cilantro leaves, crema drizzle.

VARY: Add 15 oz can black beans, 1/4 c bean stock (but good without the beans, too).

[Liz]

Vary using 11 oz can refrigerated thin pizza dough for crescent dough,
and green peppers, mushrooms, ripe olives. Nice w/ vegetable soup.

Pepperoni Pizza Bread

Ing 8 oz tube crescent dough sheet, cup shredded mozzarella, 40 slices pepperoni egg tbl Parm 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning

METHOD spread out 8 oz crescent dough sheet w/ fingertips on parchmented sheetpan. Sprinkle w/ shredded mozzarella, leaving 1/2" border at edges. Drizzle w/evo. Line-up rows of pepperoni over cheese. Fold in short ends of dough. Starting at long end, roll dough, pinch-seal. Place seam side down on sheetpan. Brush w/ combined 1 egg/tbl water (you will have leftover). Sprinkle w/ combined Parm/Italian seasoning. Bake golden 350 deg 14-18 min. Cut 2" pieces.

[MomwithHope]

I love Better than Boullion! Use it all the time. I recently started making Pho. I like it because you can just make enough broth for 2 and have the noodles and meat, etc right in the bowl. Sometimes big pots of soup are just too much to dal with for 2 people. Up early for church but I have recipes ready to post today.

[pugmama]

This has been popular at our house. I add some smoked bacon to sauté with the vegetables.

https://thebrookcook.wordpress.com/2015/11/21/red-lentil-butternut-squash-soup-shorabit-jarjir/

[Liz]

[MomwithHope]

Love homemade cream of mushroom soup. I use beef broth for mine and sautee in half butter half olive oil, always use heavy cream. A similar soup I make is when I have leftover chicken, add to the broth, stock, cream etc like for cream of mushroom, but no mushrooms. I add some cooked white rice in with the chicken and lots of garlic.

[Liz]

Recipe amps up your amino acids.........just in case.
Has many ING but goes together quickly. Nicely seasoned.

Slow Cooker Steak Chili

ING ¼ cup chili powder 2 tbl whole cumin seeds
¼ tsp cayenne, ½ tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp oregano, 3 bay leaves 2 teaspoons brown sugar,
4 lbs steak (in 1" cubes), tsp fresh-ground black pepper, 2 ½ tbl k/salt, 3 tbl veg oil, 4 cups chp onions
1½ cups chp celery, 6 chp garlic cloves, 2 jalapenos (seeded and chopped) 1 ½ cups beef stock
2 tbl tomato paste, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, oz semisweet choc/chips
3 tbl masa harina (corn flour) 2 c water. ½ cup chp cilantro ½ cup chp parsley

PREP Mix/combine chili powder, cumin seeds, cayenne, cinnamon, oregano, bay leaves, br/sugar; set aside.

METHOD Heat oil over high heat. Add about 1/3 cup s/p beef, cook til browned;
transfer to slow cooker. (Repeat with rest beef in batches, if needed). Can add more oil between batches.
Once beef is cooked, add onion, celery, tbl salt; cook/stir to soften veg (about 2 min).
Add garlic, jalapeños, spice mixture; cook a minute. Stir in the beef stock, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes;
simmer 3 min. Stir in chocolate chips, masa harina, 2 pinches salt; cook a min.

Transfer in slow cooker w/ beef; stir in water.
Cover; cook/stir on high 6 hours, til beef is tender. Toss out bay leaves; stir in cilantro and parsley.

SERVE Topped w/ grated Cheddar, sour cream and chp scallions.

HEALTHY ADD-ON Add an iron-rich kale or spinach salad, and drink lots of orange juice. OJ helps your body absorb iron.

[MomwithHope]

Thanks for the link that looks good. My secret reason to have a thread about soups, could always use new recipes. :)

[Liz]

Mmmmmmm....your version is outstanding.

[MomwithHope]

chocolate chips in chili - that is different but it sounds good and looks good.

[Liz]

Chocolate in main dishes is an authentic Mexican conceit......usually done as a mole (mowlay).

[MomwithHope]

OK here are 4. The first Yucatan Chicken Soup is my original,from 1981 or 82. I even had a magazine print it. -

the garllic soup is a large quantity because I freeze smallwer containers. Great in the winter -

this is the best ever soup recipe I found in a magazine -

and of course this is old too. But I never use low fat milk. It's either full milk or cream.

Others I will have to type tomorrow. One from this past summer our daughter from Belarus taught me to make authentic borscht. It's amazing. Happy New Year to all!