Black Bean Soup from CI

Black bean soup is one of my favorite soups to make.  I like to puree it until it is nearly smooth but with just a little bean texture.  The smoothness of the soup is really comforting and it fills my stomach and makes me feel satisfied.

There's so many good recipes for black bean soup out there.  I know you have your favorite.  The one I go back to again and again is from Cook's Illustrated No. 72.  It has a little cumin and hot red pepper flakes in it.  You can't specifically taste the spices in the soup but they give it some warmth and depth that I really love.  I've talked about the recipe before but never just plain typed it out.  So here you go.  It is the perfect thing to make in the upcoming months.  BTW, this recipe can be cut in half easily but you can freeze the soup too, if you want to make the whole thing.  You can leave the ham out or use some bacon, just remove before pureeing.

Black Bean Soup

Dried beans tend to cook unevenly, so be sure to taste several beans to determine their doneness in step 1. For efficiency, you can prepare the soup ingredients while the beans simmer and the garnishes while the soup simmers. Though you do not need to offer all of the garnishes listed below, do choose at least a couple; garnishes are essential for this soup as they add not only flavor but texture and color as well. Leftover soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 or 4 days; reheat it in a saucepan over medium heat until hot, stirring in additional chicken broth if it has thickened beyond your liking.

Makes About 9 Cups, Serving 6

Beans
1	pound dried black beans (2 cups), rinsed andpicked over
4	ounces ham steak , trimmed of rind
2	bay leaves
5	cups water
1/8	teaspoon baking soda
1	teaspoon table salt
Soup
3	tablespoons olive oil
2	large onions , chopped fine (about 3 cups)
1	large carrot , chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
3	ribs of celery , chopped fine (about 1cup)
1/2	teaspoon table salt
5 - 6	medium cloves of garlic , minced or pressedthrough garlic press (about 1 1/2 tablespoon)
1/2	teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2	tablespoons ground cumin
6	cups low-sodium chicken broth
2	tablespoons cornstarch
2	tablespoon water
2	tablespoons lime juice , from 1 to 2 limes
Garnishes
	lime wedges
	minced fresh cilantro leaf
	red onion , finely diced
	avocado , diced medium
	sour cream

1. FOR THE BEANS: Place beans, ham, bay, water, and baking soda in large saucepan with tight-fitting lid. Bring to boil over medium-high heat; using large spoon, skim scum as it rises to surface. Stir in salt, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer briskly until beans are tender, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours (if necessary, add another 1 cup water and continue to simmer until beans are tender); do not drain beans. Discard bay. Remove ham steak (ham steak darkens to color of beans), cut into 1/4-inch cubes, and set aside.

2. FOR THE SOUP: Heat oil in 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking; add onions, carrot, celery, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic, pepper flakes, and cumin; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in beans, bean cooking liquid, and chicken broth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 30 minutes.

3. TO FINISH THE SOUP: Ladle 1 1?2 cups beans and 2 cups liquid into food processor or blender, process until smooth, and return to pot. Stir together cornstarch and water in small bowl until combined, then gradually stir about half of cornstarch mixture into soup; bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, to fully thicken. If soup is still thinner than desired once boiling, stir remaining cornstarch mixture to recombine and gradually stir mixture into soup; return to boil to fully thicken. Off heat, stir in lime juice and reserved ham; ladle soup into bowls and serve immediately, passing garnishes separately.

2nd Hand Soup

This soup came from my mom who'd had a delicious bowl called Navajo Vegetable Soup in restaurant and decided to try making it at home. She told me about it on the phone and I thought I'd give it a try as well. It is basically a vegetable soup but with American Indian/southwestern flavors . The soup is made up of squash, beans and corn, the trinity of native american cooking. There is also some jalapeno and Green Tabasco sauce to give it just enough heat to take it from boring to "I need more."

I'm going to simply give you a basic recipe and you can change it how you like. For example, my mom used a green pepper, I chose a red one for mine. It starts like any vegetable soup, sweat some onion and garlic in a large pot.... add your vegetables, seasoning and broth and let everything simmer and cook until the squash is tender. I guarantee all veggies will be done by that time. The only thing somewhat odd is that we add the whole can of corn, not drained. It seems that the little bit of sweet liquid from the can of corn helps round out all the flavors.

There's a lot of chopping to be done but it is worth it! You can use any squash but I find that a butternut is easiest to peel and dice. But you will probably only need half of it. There's tons of stuff you can do with the other half, so don't worry about it. I tried it with an acorn and it was just too much work to peel that sucker. But whatever works for you. You can even buy raw squash that's already prepped for you at Whole Foods, it just costs a million dollars a pound.

Here's the basic goods:

1 medium onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup, squash, peeled and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, small dice
1 zucchini, small dice (optional)
1 jalapeno, teeny dice
-1 can beans, rinsed and drained. (My mom used red beans, I like black because they are smaller and less mealy)
-1 can corn niblets - you could use fresh, but canned works well here
32 to 48 oz low-sodium chicken broth (Swanson is my fave)
-Cilantro, a few sprigs in to cook with the vegetables and some chopped for garnish
-Seasoning, (I have a Penzey's blend, called Arizona that I like) but what's basically in it is: ground ancho chile, cumin, cayenne, paprika - you can play here, just don't use a heavy hand

*Green Tabasco sauce

Sweat the onion until translucent, add the garlic. Do not allow to brown, you just want soft)

Add your squash dice and saute a little bit Add some seasoning, salt and pepper. Toss in the peppers and zucchini. Add your canned beans, corn and a couple sprigs of cilantro, then the broth. You will need to eyeball the broth. You can always add more. Just make it how you like it.

Let everything come up to a boil and then reduce heat and allow to simmer until the squash is very tender (about 1/2 an hour or longer, depending on the size of the squash dice.) Hit it with a few dashes of Tabasco and taste for seasoning. Besides the kick of heat from the Tabasco, it also gives a spark of acid to the broth that really helps. But don't forget you added a jalapeno!

Of course some diced, cooked chicken could also be added if you like. And it also could be made vegetarian using vegetable broth (but I'm not too crazy about the flavor of that.)

Simple, right? And good and hearty and nutritious. You can't go wrong! And, like most soups, it tastes even better the next day. So all that work chopping one day will pay you back the next by providing another meal, labor-free.

Please try this one! I think you'll be really happy with what you make.

Thai Green Curry with Seafood

My husband and I love any sort of spicy seafood soup . So when I saw this in the May issue of Bon Appetit, it went right in the must try stack. What also appealed to me is that this curry is a one bowl meal. Bok choy and carrots are also included in the mix. I used mussels, shrimp and bay scallops (the little ones.) And I halved the recipe. And since I only needed enough seafood for two, it wasn't very expensive to put together. (The kids got pancakes. I knew there was not a chance they'd eat this) This curry is delicious, warm and spicy, and as a bonus it will clear your sinuses! I served ours with a side of brown rice.

Soup and Salad

I've tried a lot of butternut squash soup recipes in my day and I'll be honest, there hasn't been many I didn't like. If they're pureed and seasoned right, well, I'm a happy girl and I won't complain. But one of the best I've ever tried is a gingery one from Vong's Thai Kitchen (VTK) in Chicago. It is so aromatic and delicious that I have to order it everytime I go. Recently I found the recipe and decided it's high time I had those flavors at home. In the restaurant, they garnish the soup with roasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds.) The recipe link doesn't give you directions for doing that, so I will. Oh, and by the way I used low-fat sour cream in the soup with no noticable difference.

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Spiced Roasted Pepitas (adapted from Bobby Flay, Mesa Grill Cookbook)

Heat oven to 325

Toss 1 c raw pumpkin seeds with 2 T of canola oil (I used less.) Sprinkle on 1/2 t chile powder, some pepper, a little cayenne pepper and a healthy amount of salt. Mix a bit.

Lay on a sheet tray and toast for 10-15 minutes until they just show a tiny bit of golden brown and look a little puffy. Let cool and sprinkle on to your bowl of soup. (Do your damnest to not eat them all before you serve the soup) I also gave my soup a little dollop of plain, unsweetened yogurt and a drizzle of sriracha. (IIRC, in the restaurant, the soup gets a drizzle of coconut milk a dusting of spice and the pepitas served on the side so you can put them on yourself. I need to go have it again to make sure)

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My salad today comes courtesy of Cat Cora and her book Cooking from the Hip. This is the first recipe I've tried from the book but I've made it 4 times already. In fact, everytime I find myself with some leftover chicken or turkey this salad comes to mind. There's no meat in the actual recipe for salad. But the salad is so adaptable, you can just follow the model and make it how you like. Her recipe is for Fuji Apple, Walnut and Dill salad, a take-off on the classic waldorf salad. It also has celery, grapes and some dill that makes it a little different. Leftover diced turkey (or chicken) is a natural add-in and makes for a great hearty salad. The tart dressing is the best part. For the creamy component, she uses plain yogurt, instead of mayo or sour cream. Then there's rice vinegar, orange juice, oil and mustard. Really good.

Chef Cora notes that you can play around with this recipe. Use different apples or even pears. Try a different vinegar. Use a different nut. I like it with toasted pecans. Adjust the amounts of things as you please. Like I said, add diced turkey or chicken. Also if you don't like dill, leave it out or use fresh tarragon. The salad is good the next day too. There's enough acid in the dressing to keep the apples from turning brown right away. It is at its best standing in front of the open fridge eaten right out of the rubbermaid container.

Fuji Apple, Walnut and Dill Salad

Dressing

2T rice wine vinegar
2T almond oil, walnut oil, or olive oil
2T plain, low-fat yogurt (greek yogurt will give you a thicker, more coating dressing)
1t dijon mustard
1T finely grated orange zest
2t fresh lemon or orange juice
1/4t kosher salt
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients and sit in fridge until ready to use

Salad

1c walnuts (I used pecans) toasted
2c chopped apples (fuji or other)
2T chopped fresh dill
1/4 c thinly sliced celery
1/2 c seedless grapes (red or green, cut in half or left whole to your liking)

In a medium bowl, combine walnuts, apples, dill, celery and grapes. Pour dressing over the mixture and stir to coat. Arrange over endive leaves or other lettuce greens or not.

Asparagus And Rice Soup With Pancetta And Black Pepper

I haven't given up on my Soup of the Week. I'm just way behind in my postings. But I'm going to jump ahead and share this recipe since asparagus season is fleeting. It is from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. This book is a few years old but it won a few awards when it first came out and the Cooks Talk people regard it highly. That's a pretty critical crowd. Judy Rodgers is the author and chef of the esteemed Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. Her food is very pure and based on quality of ingredients. Call it "artisinal" since that is the new buzz word. I actually don't own the book but it is on my wish list. As I've run across them on the internet I've saved a few recipes that people have shared. And that's how I came to test this one. It is Asparagus and Rice Soup with Pancetta and Black Pepper Soup.

The soup is made by sweating a heap of onions until they're really soft and sweet and then adding broth. Then a bit of rice is cooked in the soup until tender. On the side, thin sliced asparagus is sauteed with pancetta and, once cooked, added to the broth as well. It all comes together really nicely. Nicer than my picture shows - that's for sure. I used canned chicken broth and with all the added sweet onions, you would never have known. I know it would be really fantastic with a good homemade chicken broth. I greatly enjoyed this soup and will make it again. Hopefully once more before the asparagus is gone.

Asparagus And Rice Soup With Pancetta And Black Pepper

Ingredients:

6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 cups diced yellow onions

salt to taste

1/4 cup white rice

3-1/2 cups chicken stock (approximately)

1/2 cup water

8 oz. (approximately) asparagus, woody ends trimmed

3 to 4 oz. (1/2 to 2/3 cup) pancetta (or bacon), finely minced

freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm four tablespoons of the olive oil. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring regularly. Don't let onions color; they should sweat their moisture and then become tender and translucent in about 10 minutes. Add rice, chicken stock and water and bring to a simmer. Cover tightly and cook until rice is nut-tender, probably 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon rice you choose. Broth will be cloudy and should taste sweet from onions. Turn off heat.

While rice is cooking, sliver asparagus, slicing it at an angle and about 1/8 inch thick. Don't worry if slivers vary a little in thickness; irregularity will guarantee uneven cooking and a pleasantly varied texture. You should get about two cups.

In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, warm remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Add pancetta and asparagus and stir once to coat, then spread them out and leave to sizzle until those at the edge of pan begin to color. Toss or stir once, then leave to color again. Repeat a few times until mass has softened and shrunk by about a third.

Scrape pancetta and asparagus into broth and bring to a boil. Add lots of pepper to taste. Boil for about a minute. Soup is best when served while all flavors are still bold and texture is varied.

Book excerpt: "This simple soup is crowded with flavors and textures. The ingredients are dosed to strike a high-pitched balance between the sweet onion and asparagus and the pungent pancetta and pepper; the mild, tender rice mediates. Choose any size spears with neat, tight tips and bright, firm stocks. I use carnaroli or arborio rice for this soup; you can use any type of white rice you like and gauge the cooking time accordingly."

Makes about 4 cups

Notes from my kitchen: You can definitely cut back on the olive oil here. I did my onions in 3T of olive oil and I still think that was too much. You can see in the picture the soup is shimmering from all that oil. I'll cut back even more next time. Also, while the recipe only calls for 1/4 c of rice, it is plenty in the finished soup. Resist any temptation to add more. I used regular long grain white rice with good results. Black pepper plays an important role here, don't be shy.

Soup of the Week: Tomato

The soup of the week is a Classic Tomato Soup. This is the second soup I've made from the Fine Cooking (issue 91) article on tomato soups using canned tomatoes. The first was a Southwestern Tomato soup using peppers and some spice. That one turned out really well and had a little twist of flavor to make you want more. This one was also really good. It tastes just like you expect a good tomato soup to taste, smooth and warm like a red velvet blanket. I like that it uses one 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, something I always have in my cupboard. In my opinion, tomato soup and marinara sauce always turn out better when they're made using canned tomatoes. The canning process gives the tomatoes a deeper, concentrated, more consistent flavor than you can get even with the ripest of summer tomatoes. I do like pastas with fresh tomato sauces. But if I'm going for a classic red sauce, it is canned tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen, all the way.

And like a homemade marinara sauce, tomato soup tastes better the next day. It seems tomatoes seem to need a little time to wrap themselves around the other ingredients with whom they've been thrown into the pot. After a night in the fridge, they mellow, lose some of their acidic bite and sort of gel with the oil, garlic, onions and herbs.

Classic Tomato Soup

by Perla Meyers

To learn more, read the article:The Best Tomato Soups

Serves eight. Yields about 8 cups.

ingredients

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, smashed and peeled
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
3 cups lower-salt chicken broth
28-oz. can whole peeled plum tomatoes, puréed (include the juice)
1-1/2 tsp. sugar
1 sprig fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh basil, chives, or dill, or a mixture of all three (omit if using one of the garnishes below)

how to make

tip:

Be sure to purée in small batches and crack the blender lid slightly (or remove the center cap from the lid). Steam can build up once you start blending, and if the lid is on tight or the blender is overfilled, it will spray hot soup all over you and your kitchen. For protection, cover the top with a dishtowel while puréeing.

In a nonreactive 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the onion and garlic.

Add the broth, tomatoes, sugar, thyme, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat while stirring the mixture to make sure that the flour is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.
Discard the thyme sprig. Let cool briefly and then purée in two or three batches in a blender or food processor. Rinse the pot and return the soup to the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat if necessary. Serve warm but not hot, garnished with the herbs or dolloped with one of the garnishes below.

Make Ahead Tips

This soup stores beautifully and tastes better the second day. You can keep it in the refrigerator as long as you bring it to a boil every two days. Or you can stash it in the freezer for up to three months.

serving suggestions:
To add a creamy touch, try one of these garnishes:

Sour cream, goat cheese & Parmesan garnish: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese. Add 1 Tbs. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 Tbs. thinly sliced chives, and 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil. Mix thoroughly and season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a dollop to each serving.

Crème fraîche, herb & horseradish garnish: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup crème fraîche with 1 Tbs. minced fresh dill and 1 Tbs. minced scallion. Add 1/2 Tbs. well-drained prepared white horseradish and mix well. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a dollop to each serving.

From Fine Cooking 91, pp. 55

Soup of the Week: Crema de Elote

Uh, I'm a little late in posting this one. Here's the soup from last week. I made Rick Bayless' Crema de Elote (Cream of Corn) for our Wednesday soup. I didn't want to repeat a soup that I've posted about before so soon , but I couldn't resist because Jewel (of all places!) had some really fresh sweet corn. It was so bright green and moist; and the silt was very yellow and not dried out at all. I'm guessing it came from Florida (on a very fast truck.) We had corn on the cob one night and then I used the last three ears for this soup. You need really good corn for this soup because it is all about the corn. The recipe can be found here, but it is embedded in the text. This corn soup recipe was originally printed in Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican, which has just been republished as a Authentic Mexican: 20th Anniversary Edition. An adaptation of the recipe can also be found in Rick's recent book Mexican Everyday, a book that has many of his older recipes updated for a more current, health-minded lifestyle. I use the Authentic Mexican recipe because it I only need 3 ears of corn and that makes enough for us. But I had already adapted the recipe for myself (I've been making it for years.) I never add the 1 cup of heavy cream at the end. It is just too rich and it makes it too heavy for me. While finishing the soup, I do add a little more milk and about a shot of half and half just to enrich it a bit. It really doesn't even need it. The corn gets so creamy and smooth by being blended and put through a strainer. We like to dust it with cayenne pepper at the end.





I should take a moment to discuss Rick Bayless and my, ahem, somewhat overzealous adoration of him. I have loved this man since Authentic Mexican (20 yrs ago!) and before he had a TV show or a gazillion books. I love his restaurants, his recipes and his writing. When he was more obscure, I used to clip every article about him. Dear husband would joke that I had some creepy closet in our house where I kept all of the clippings and pictures tacked up "stalker-style." I have all his books and I know his recipes so well that I have watched them evolve through the years from the purist Authentic Mexican to the more user-friendly recipe adaptions in his later books. The recipes that appeal to me most are from his book, Mexican Kitchen. In this book, the dishes have deep, complex flavors and the preparations that are somewhat demanding for authenticity's sake but they stop short of instructions like "start by grinding your own corn in a molajete." or "milk one goat." I'm also fond of Mexico: One Plate at a Time, there's some really good dishes in that book. Further on down the line, the more simplified recipes in his later books are also still very tasty and reliable and much more realistic time-wise, especially now that I'm a mom.

Soup: The Series

I thought it might be fun to do a weekly installment on soup. Planning to make a soup each week will give me the opportunity to try some new recipes that are piling up and revisit some favorites too. It all started with this yoga class I signed up for. Dinner is tough on yoga night (Wed.) I want to eat early so I don't have to come home and eat late after class. Dear husband doesn't like to eat the minute he gets home from work. Soup proved to be the solution. I can make the soup in the daytime and eat when I want. Dear husband can reheat the soup when he's ready for dinner (and supplement with cheese as he is known to do.)

This is a great one to start with. It's a little different tasting than regular chicken soup, but still comforting and familiar. I like that it uses leftover chicken because we regularly have that around our house. Saffron is the only unusual ingredient and I really think you could leave it out. The lemon and thyme flavors are what stand out in this soup. The lemon is the best part. It gives it sort of a Meditteranean taste. And I think it would be wonderful if you weren't feeling so good. I halved this entire recipe because I only had a cup of leftover chicken and because I was trying it for the first time. Also I used fresh corn, cut from the cob, and I simmered it in the broth for the last 10 minutes with the vegetables. I will definitely make this one again and I might consider adding another veg, like spinach toward the end. I highly recommend this one. It's even better the next day.

Golden Chicken, Corn & Orzo Soup

by Jennifer Armentrout

To learn more, read the article:Quick & Delicious: Weeknight Comfort Food
Serves five to six as a main course.

ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 large ribs celery, finely diced

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 pinch saffron threads

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

2 qt. homemade or low-salt chicken broth

2 cups finely diced or shredded cooked chicken (such as leftover roast chicken)

1/2 cup orzo

1 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice; more to taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

how to make

tip: You might wonder why the orzo is cooked separately. There are two reasons. If you boiled the orzo directly in the soup, the starch from the pasta would cloud the soup broth, and the orzo would also suck up too much of the soup broth as it cooked. Boiling the pasta separately solves both of these problems.

Bring a medium saucepan of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, saffron, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the chicken and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. While the soup simmers, cook the orzo in the boiling salted water until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

Add the drained orzo, corn, and parsley to the soup and cook just until the corn is heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if needed.

From Fine Cooking 74, pp. 90c

Tortilla Soup

This recipe for tortilla soup is from Fine Cooking (#50) and I'm going to include it here. But you'll notice that my picture which accompanies the post has shrimp and scallops in it and not the chicken that the recipe calls for. That is precisely what I love about the recipe. It is completely adaptable. The soup consists mainly of a simple, flavorful broth studded with beans, corn and tomatoes. This a thin, chile-flavored tortilla soup broth. Some tortilla soups are thickened with masa (the dough used to make tortillas) and they have a thicker, corny texture. I don't know which type is more authentic; I just want you to know what you can expect if you decide to make it.

To this spicy broth, you can add the cooked chicken as the recipe describes. Or you can buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that up, or you can cook shrimp and/or scallops in the broth to make a spicy seafood soup. You can even try the rib-eye version which is included in the original recipe. I have never made it with beef, so I can't say what that would be like.

So, there's the broth (see recipe), there's the protein of your choice, there's the vegetables (corn, beans and tomatoes) which are a snap to prepare and then there's the garnishes. You can pick a couple or do all of them. I like to do all because they aren't a big deal and you get a great, luscious bowl of soup at the end. I do think the avocado, tortilla strips and lime are essential. The tortilla strips, of course, because it is tortilla soup and the avocado because it is really neat to have a bite of dense cool creaminess in your bowl of hot, spicy soup. And the lime really brightens everything.

And for the drama. You stack up all your ingredients in the bottom of an empty bowl so you literally have a tower of beans, corn and tomatoes. You could even heap on some tortilla strips for flair. Then you ladle the hot, aromatic broth into the bowl around all the ingredients right in front of your guest (read: husband) and serve the garnishes (queso fresco, avocado, chopped cilantro, sour cream, more tortilla strips...) on the side. Dear husband thinks you've made this gourmet soup, which you have; but he thinks you've gone to a lot of trouble, which you haven't. That's the magic of it... Feign exhaustion, and let him tend to the dishes.

Chicken & Tortilla Soup
by Martha Holmberg

Be sure the broth is very hot so that it heats up the ingredients in the bowl and offers a strong contrast with the cool, smooth chunks of avocado. The spice level is very low—just a slight chile warmth—so if you prefer more of a kick, add more chili powder or use a hotter powder. This recipe is easily doubled.Serves two as a light main course or substantial first course.
ingredients

1 Tbs. vegetable or olive oil, plus another 1/2 to 1 cup for frying the tortillas
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (from about 1/2 small onion)
1 Tbs. chili powder; more to taste
1 Tbs. tomato paste
2 skinless chicken thighs (bone-in or boneless)
Salt to taste
4 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth (I use Pacific brand)
Fresh cilantro: six 2-inch stems for the broth, plus 1/4 cup roughly chopped leaves for the garnish
4 fresh corn tortillas, 6 inches across, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1/2 cup corn kernels (canned is fine)
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup diced fresh tomato

For the garnish:
1 ripe avocado, diced and tossed with a squeeze of lime juice
1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco, feta, or ricotta salata
2 dollops sour cream
Lime wedges for serving

how to make

Put 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large saucepan or small soup pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat until the onion has softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the chili powder and tomato paste and stir with a wooden spoon to mix and cook briefly; take care not to let the chili powder scorch.

Season the chicken thighs lightly with salt and nestle them in the chile paste, turning them once so they’re entirely coated. Pour in about 1/2 cup of the broth and adjust the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook the chicken, turning once, until it’s extremely tender when pierced with a knife, 30 to 40 minutes (add a little more broth if the pan is drying out). When the chicken’s done, remove it from the pan, let it cool a bit, and cut or shred it into bite-size pieces, discarding any bones and bits of fat or gristle; set aside.

If there’s any visible grease in the pan, spoon it off, add the remaining broth and the cilantro stems and simmer, uncovered, until the broth has reduced by about one-third and is quite flavorful, 20 to 30 minutes.

While the broth is reducing, fry the tortillas: Linke a plate with two layers of paper towels. Fill a small, high-sided saucepan with enough oil to come to about a 1-inch depth. Heat the oil over medium heat; when it reaches 375°F or when a strip of tortilla sizzles immediately when dipped in the oil, add six to eight strips of tortilla. With tongs or a long fork, "scrunch" them for a second or two so they take on a wavy shape. Fry until the strips aren't bubbling much and have become golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to the paper towels. Repeat with the remaining strips.

Divide the shredded chicken, the corn, black beans, tomato, and tortilla strips between two large soup or pasta bowls. Reheat the broth if necessary so it’s piping hot and pour it over the ingredients in the bowls. Serve immediately, and let each diner add the avocado, cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, and a big squeeze of lime juice at the table.

Variations

Rib-eye version: Instead of the chicken thighs, use an 8-oz. rib-eye or other tender cut of beef. Trim all the fat and silverskin and cut the meat into bite-size strips, slightly more than 1/4-inch thick. Toss the steak with a little salt. Start the recipe by heating the 1-Tbs. oil until quite hot, add the steak, and stir-fry it to brown the outside. The meat will cook more in the broth, but if you like your meat medium or well done, continue cooking it a few more minutes at this point. Remove the meat from the pan and reserve. Continue with the recipe above, skipping the chicken, of course.

From Fine Cooking 50, pp. 58
photo: Scott Phillips

Kitchen Notes:

I have gone to the trouble of frying tortilla strips for this, but you can just use broken, store-bought chips or homemade baked chips. If you fry them, make extra for leftovers, snacking and salads. They're irrestistible.

If you don't cook chicken in the broth, you don't have to worry about degreasing.

You can really make this hotter and give it a stronger chile flavor by reconstituting a dry chile (ancho or guajillo,) pureeing it and frying it with the onion before you add the broth. If you want to try this, I can e-mail you more exact instructions.

For the scallops, I cut large sea scallops in half, lengthwise, to make two thin coins. Shrimp could also be cut in half lengthwise, cut in bite size pieces, or left whole.

For the corn. Usually, I'll buy a cob, cut the kernels off and microwave them in a bowl with a tablespoon of water. I cover the bowl with plastic wrap and nuke for a minute and the corn is done enough for the soup. You can use canned corn too. Frozen tends to be limp.

In the mood for super healthy? Add some baby spinach leaves to your stack of ingredients. They will wilt immediately as they are flooded with the hot broth.

I don't use Pacific brand canned broth, that's the recipe author's choice. I use Swanson, low-sodium chicken broth.

Southwestern Tomato Soup

This soup is from the current issue of Fine Cooking. It is Southwestern Tomato and Roasted Pepper Soup. I don't particularly like tomato soup, but I'm kind of a sucker for anything that starts out with the word "southwestern." So naturally this was the first thing I had to make from the issue. I can describe it best as the love child of tomato soup and chili. It has the flavor of peppers and spices (chili powder and cumin) to give it that chili taste, but it is smooth and creamy like a blended soup. I liked it the first night but really I wasn't all that excited about it. But the following day, it was fantastic! After a night in the fridge, the acidity had toned down a bit and the flavors had melded and it was just great. You make a lime sour cream for a garnish and that was good. But I crumbled queso fresco on the leftover soup and I enjoyed that more. I would imagine some crispy tortilla strips would be quite lovely too. This soup, as well as the other tomato soups in the article, uses canned tomatoes (since it is February!) So that makes it nice for anytime you want a quick warming soup using basically pantry ingredients. I can't post the recipe because it is in the current issue but the issue itself has a lot of great things so you should pick it up. BTW, I served it with quesadillas, for a tex-mex tomato soup and "grilled cheese" combo.

About a girl and a recipe

I clipped this recipe for Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Soup out of a newspaper a long time ago. And while looking through my files, it struck me as something that sounded good at the moment. Instead of making a shopping list, I decided to bring the clipping with me to the grocery to purchase all the ingredients. So what do you know? Between the store and home, the small clipping somehow disappeared and I was left with ingredients but no direction. A quick google gave me nothing. Then I realized that you spell caramelized like this and not carmelized. And that realization gifted me with Marthdex, a site that indexes the recipes and articles of Martha Stewart Living magazine. I found that a recipe with that name could be found in the Dec. 2000 issue of MSL. And here's where is gets really amazing, I promptly went down to my basement and found Dec. 2000. Yes, me, of 2 trillion magazines, put my hand on a 7-yr old issue without cursing, sweating or ripping down stacks of magazines. It was a zen moment that I will savor and I took it as a sign that my luck had changed. The recipe ingredients, including the amounts, looked similar to the clipped recipe, but not exact. But surely the author of my clipped recipe had adapted it from the Martha recipe or vice versa. Anyway, I knew I could follow the bones of this recipe and make my soup. All turned out well. The soup has dried porcinis and fresh creminis, 3 onions caramelized for an hour until they are so so sweet, toasted orzo pasta and some chicken broth. It is savory delicious, expecially coming in from the cold in Chicago in December. Warms you right to the bone. A goat cheese crouton was served alongside to substantiate our dinner.

Portuguese Kale Soup

I was in the mood for healthy and hearty when I stopped in to see what Lisa at Champaign Taste has been up to. She had just made a kale soup that looked delicious, so I decided to give it a try. I'm kind of a newbie when it comes to kale. I've eaten it a few times before but never prepared it at home. But because I'm always trying to improve our diet nutritionally, my husband has this silly running joke where, when he sees spinach or chard on his plate, he always calls it kale. "What is this you're making me eat? Kale?" (because I'm such a mean wife, you see) Well, this time the joke was on him because I really did serve him kale. Ha! All that aside, the kale holds up well in soup, better than spinach, especially after a day or two. With the greens, some potatoes and sausage, this is a substantial meal in a delicious broth. I used Amy's smoked andouille chicken sausage for this. It is a little more figure-friendly than pork sausage and it packs a punch in flavor. I also went with a reader's comment and used chickpeas instead of kidney beans. You can visit Champaign Taste (link above) for the recipe. Thanks Lisa!

Garlicky Tortellini, Spinach & Tomato Soup

I can't say enough about this simple soup (from Fine Cooking #47) made with stuff you can buy at a regular grocery store (like bagged washed spinach, frozen tortellini, canned tomatoes and broth.) There's a good amount of garlic in here and it just transforms store-bought chicken broth into something fresh tasting. This soup has become a staple in our household. I've talked about it before but never given the recipe. So here it is. Please buy good tortellini for this. If you are in Chicago, the ones from Dominick's, the Safeway brand, are just awful. They're gummy and you won't be happy with your soup. The Contadina brand (from supermarkets, (here in Chicago)) are somewhat better and Whole Foods carries a Perfect Pasta label (in the frozen case) that is great.
You could do mushroom tortellini here, or of course, some sort of chicken tortellini would be good. Pretty much anything that sounds good to you would work. We always just do cheese tortellini though. This recipe is easily made vegetarian with veg. broth. If you're going to buy broth, you'll need one of those big box cartons. I recommend Swanson, low-sodium, Healthy choice chicken broth.

Black Bean Soup

This is from Cook's Illustrated, issue 72. It is my go-to recipe for black bean soup. It is basic and hearty and good, seasoned with cumin. I'll type the recipe in later. Steve likes it a lot.

Also, here are 3 good reasons to sort through dried beans carefully. I threw away a few more little stone nuggets before I decided to start saving them for a photo.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated's current issue, no. 84. Like the classic Tom Kha Gai , it's a spicy, creamy broth with bits of chicken and mushrooms, served with fresh garnishes (scallions, red chile strips, cilantro.) Here we've drizzled some thai hot chile sauce over the top too. It turned out very nice and wasn't too much work to put together. I'll make it again for sure.

Its broth, however, doesn't come close to the depth of flavor of the broth of Spicy Noodle with Shrimp and Coconut Milk from Fine Cooking Issue 56. That is the most amazing soup ever, but a great deal of work (curry paste from scratch, shrimp stock, a mountain of fresh garnishes.)

This one is much easier and you get a great pay off. It has the combination bonus of being soothing (from the cold) and tropical so that it transports your mind to warmer climes.

Sweet corn soup

I've never tasted a corn soup that I like more than Rick Bayless' Crema de Elote. There are chowders with corn and potatoes that are definitely good. But this soup is the essence of sweet corn. The ingredients are only: half an onion, some garlic, fresh corn, scraped from the cob, and milk. Only the occasional bite of diced, roasted poblano chiles breaks up the creaminess. It is the perfect contrast of tastes.

By the way, there is very little cream in this bowl of soup. The recipe calls for a whole cup of heavy cream added at the end; but I add only a shot of half and half.

Today, I've made this soup with white corn, so it is hard to tell what kind of soup it is.

There are a great many garnishing possibilities, like grilled shrimp fried tortilla strips or simply chopped cilantro. This time I used one of Rick Bayless' suggestions and topped it with queso fresco, a fresh mexican crumbling cheese. Steve likes a dusting of cayenne pepper on the top of his. This recipe is from Bayless' first book, Authentic Mexican.

This soup would make a great dinner paired with a salad of greens, tomatoes and avocado.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

This is from the current issue of Fine Cooking #78. This soup tasted like asparagus, sans the crunchiness. It was only OK and I doubt I'll be rushing to make it again.

Minestrone Soup

By far the best vegetable soup I have ever made. It it chock-full of goodness and has a great taste. Rinds from Parmaggiano-reggiano are simmered in the soup. The broth is chicken stock and the juices from the veggies which include, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, tomatoes, potato, green beans, swiss chard and white beans. Herbs are parsely and basil. A tiny pasta is added at the end. This recipe is from Williams-Sonoma series: Mastering Soups and Stews. While the baby would not eat the veggies, he slurped up the broth.

A great soup

Friday, December 9, 2005
Garlicky Tortellini, Spinach & Tomato Soup from Fine Cooking issue #47


This soup comes together in minutes. It is healthy and it tastes just great, liked you've worked on it all day. I could think of the zillion things to add to it, like white beans, or shrimp, or cooked sausage. But really it is a great meal, just as the recipe is written. You must put parmesan on top, it really makes a difference.

Squash Soup with Apple and Bacon

It is cool in Chicago today. So I decided to try the Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Bacon, also from Fine Cooking #74. It was OK, but not my favorite squash soup.