My Soup Kitchen.

So, since living in the VERY cold Midwest, I have added lots of soup recipes to my collection...it's sort of becoming a soup kitchen. Since I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and have rarely blogged about my favorite recipes, here are a few of my all-time fav soup recipes. Most of these came from Epicurious - my favorite recipe website. Enjoy!

Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Cheddar Chowder

1 small head broccoli (1/2 lb)
1 large boiling potato (1/2 lb)
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
l large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 oz sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)

Discard tough lower third of broccoli stem. Peel remaining stem and finely chop. Cut remaining broccoli into very small (1-inch) florets. Cook florets in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then drain. Reserve 3 cups cooking water for chowder. (Reserving the water helps to retain the nutrients.)

Peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Cook potato, onion, bell pepper, broccoli stems, and garlic in butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add cumin, salt, pepper, and mustard and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add reserved cooking water and simmer (partially covered), stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream and cheese and cook, stirring, until cheese is melted, then season with salt and pepper.

Purée about 2 cups of chowder in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Add florets and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Serves: 6

Tomato Basil Cream Soup - as good as La Madeleine!

4 tomatoes - seeded & diced
4 c. of tomato juice
14 leaves fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 c. cream
2 tblsp. butter

Put tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Put the tomato mixture in a blender and puree with the basil (remember to remove the center piece from the lid and cover with a towel - to allow the steam to escape). Return puree to stock pot.

Place the pot over medium heat and stir in the cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. DO NOT boil.
Serves: 4


Chicken Vegetable Noodle Soup

8 c. chicken broth (6 15.5 oz cans or 4 chicken bouillon cubes plus water)
1 c. chopped onion
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken tenders, cubed
2 c. yolk-free noodles (No Yolks Brand), uncooked
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Lightly spray a large soup pot with cooking spray. Pour 2 tablespoons of chicken broth into pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and red pepper and cook 3-5 minutes, just until tender-crisp. Pour remaining chicken broth into pot; increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Add chicken pieces, noodles, pepper, and garlic powder to pot; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 25-30 minutes, until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through. Serves: 6