Baked Potato Soup

I knew after waking up for work this past week, I was going to eat soup for dinner because I've been blowing my nose and sneezing for a few days. What really surprised me was the energy I had when I got home from work. Usually when I felt like this, I would make some ramen and call it a night. However, I decided to take advantage of it.

Sooo...how DO you make brown soup look appealing?

My first plan was kohlrabi soup. However, my kohlrabi was moldy!! Blahhhh. Almost grabbed the ramen, but then the bacon stopped me. Bacon and potatoes. How time consuming would baked potato soup be? I looked up some recipes real quick online. Most call for an already-baked potato. Nah, don't have time for that. What if I just cooked the potatoes right in the soup?



Normally, I peel my potatoes because by the time I use them, eyes are growing everywhere. Since these were still fresh, I left the skins on. I didn't cook the bacon until crispy, mainly because I LOVE when it's still slightly chewy.

Baked Potato Soup



3 strips bacon
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp dried chives
Salt and pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 large baking potatoes, cubed (peeling optional)
1/2 cup milk or cream
Chives for garnish (fresh or dried)

In a large pot, sauté bacon until crisp. Drain but leave the bacon
drippings. Sauté onion for a few minutes in the drippings then sauté garlic
for another minute. Add flour, chives, salt, and pepper; mix well.
Gradually add broth and scrape up the brown bits (keep them – they add
flavor). Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes (broth should
thicken). Add potatoes. Cover and boil for 15-20 minutes. Stir every few
minutes because the potatoes may stick to the bottom. When potatoes are
done, add milk or cream; heat but do not boil. Garnish with chives on top.

Makes 4 servings

Source: Adapted by me

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Hungarian Kohlrabi Soup (Kalarabeleves)

Kohlrabi - a vegetable I bet most of you have never heard of, let alone eaten. It first started with me when I was reading my always-reliable vegetable cookbook - Greene on Greens. One of the chapters is dedicated to kohlrabi, which I skipped because I've never heard of it.

Then one day, I was shopping at my local farm when I spotted some kohlrabi for sale. I have a habit of buying new things and figuring out what to do with them later. Remembering the chapter I skipped, I grabbed a bunch and made them for dinner.

That was probably a few years. I really don't remember what I made with it. Probably just sauted some in a pan with seasoning. Fast forward to last month, I was down in Pittsburgh's Strip District for the first time. Being a foodie, I was in love (and overwhelmed!) with all of the stores. My main reason for going was to check out Penzey's Spices, where I spent $25 in spices that I've never used (or even heard of). One of the stores was this produce place. I'm sure it had a name but never saw a sign anywhere inside. That's when I spotted the kohlrabi. All I could remember was I enjoyed eating it, so I bought another bunch.



Kohlrabi translates into "cabbage turnip," which is the best way to describe this vegetable. Eating it raw reminds me of a radish without such a strong bite. And although it looks rather blah, it turns into a yummy dish. I was going to just saute it as a side when I opened my book and found a soup recipe. Not only are the bulbs edible, so are the leaves, and this soup incorporated both.

The soup originally called for boned-in chicken to be cooked in the broth, but I wasn't feeling it. Plus I had a sweet potato ready to go rotten, so I added that instead. I also omitted the bacon because I was afraid it would overpower the kohlrabi. To prepare kohlrabi, you break off all the stems until all you have left is a sad, green bulb. Then you peel the bulb until you see its flesh.

Hungarian Kohlrabi Soup (Kalarabeleves)



1 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or veg broth to make it vegetarian)
1 cup water
1 pound kohlrabi with leaves
1 sweet potato
1 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1. Saute the onion in large skillet with 1 Tbsp butter for 1 minute. Add garlic and carrots. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth and continue to cook covered for 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a big saucepan.

2. Meanwhile, boil a small pan of water. Trim, peel, and dice the kohlrabi. Peel and dice the sweet potato. Wash the kohlrabi leaves then boil for 1 minute. Drain, cool, and chop. Set aside.

3. Once the broth is pureed, add the remaining 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, water, kohlrabi, and sweet potato. Cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes.

4. In a small saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in some hot soup. Whisk mixture together then pour back into the rest of the soup. Cook until slightly thickened, 10 minutes. Add kohlrabi leaves. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Serves 6-8.

Source: Greene on Greens, page 213

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Wild Mushroom Soup

I cannot express into words how much I love Marx Foods. For starters, how exotic and gourmet their ingredients are. Boar sausage? Who knew! But what really gets me is their staff. They tend to give away little samplers - spices, dried mushrooms, dried chiles - and when they do, I always receive a nice, hand-written note from whoever sent it. Even the emails seem personal because they would comment on one of my blog posts, letting me know that they actually visited and read my blog. Many kudos! Once I get a real job and pay off my loans (ha yea right), I will splurge on your products. It just might take five years XP

ANYWAY

Marx Foods was offering samples of dried mushrooms. You got to pick four types (except for dried morels because they were out when I read the post), so I chose porcini, oyster, black trumpet, and maitake. I knew immediately I wanted to make cream of mushroom soup. After searching, I finally decided on a recipe from Closet Cooking. For the herbs, I used fresh parsley because that's what I had. I have no idea if I used a pound of mushrooms or not. Doubtful, but eh it looked like enough. Also, I didn't have time to roast the mushrooms because I didn't plan ahead :X

The nice thing about dried mushrooms is you can rehydrate them and use in any mushroom recipe. You let them soak for about 30 minutes. Then you strain the liquid through a coffee strainer to remove the dirt particles (I guess it was dirt??). Tada! Now you have mushroom stock for soup.

There are some arguments as to whether this is cream of mushroom soup. Yes, there is cream but it's not thick like the kind from the can. I tried not to blend the soup too much because I wanted chunky mushroom soup.

Wild Mushroom Soup




1 pound mushrooms, any combination, cut into slices/chunks
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon parsley, thyme, or sage, chopped
4 cups soup stock (chicken or veggie)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream

1. If using dried mushrooms, place into bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain liquid into a coffee strainer. Measure the amount, subtract from 4 cups, and use chicken stock for the remaining amount. For example, I had 2 cups mushroom stock, so I needed 2 more cups of chicken stock. Chop mushrooms if needed.

2. In a large skillet, saute onion in oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and parsley and saute for 1 minute. Pour in soup stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour small amount of soup into a blender. Blend until desired consistency is reached (I let mine be a little chunky). Pour into a clean saucepan. Repeat until all of the soup is blended. Please be careful because hot liquid will expand and make a mess of your kitchen if you try to blend too much at once.

4. Reheat soup until hot again. Turn off heat. Mix in cream. Serve.

Makes: 6-8 servings

Source: Adapted from Closet Cooking

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A Soup To Battle Winter

Snow is starting to hit good ol' Slippery Rock. Although not a lot of stayed on the ground, right now there is a thick flurry in the air. What better way to battle the cold than with a nice bowl of taco soup? And it's budget friendly and versatile. If you don't want meat, put in more veggies. If you love beans, put in a variety.

The one thing I may change next time is use beef (or vegetable) stock instead of plain water. Also, make sure you use a big enough skillet because I didn't have room to put in all the water. Oops haha

Taco Soup



1 lb. ground beef (I used maybe 1/4 lb.)
1 onion chopped (I just chopped until I had enough)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cans (15 1/2 oz each) chili beans, undrained (I used 1 can black beans and rinsed them)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) corn, undrained (I used frozen)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Brown beef, garlic, and onion. Drain grease.

2. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce, spices, and water. Bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into bowls and top with cheese.

Makes six servings.

Source: Kraft Food and Family, Holiday 08/Winter 09 p. 15

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Wonton Soup

My mom is very hard to please when it comes to dinner, so I know this soup is a winner when she keeps asking for it. I remember the first time I planned on making it, I could not find wonton wrappers. First, I checked the Asian food aisle. After running around the store, I asked the front desk. Turns out they are in the produce section by the tofu since the wrappers are made of soy. Wonton wrappers are very versatile because you can fill them with anything, whether it's an appetizer, dinner, or dessert. We serve this soup along with eggrolls.

Wonton Soup




6 oz pork, chopped into tiny pieces
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp scallions, chopped
1/4 tsp ground ginger
24 wonton wrappers
4 cups chicken broth
Extra scallions for garnish

1. Mix together pork, brown sugar, orange juice, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp scallions in a small bowl. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.

2. After 30 minutes, place 1 tsp filling in center of each wrapper. Wet edges with a little water and press two opposite corners together to seal. Fold another two opposite corners together.

3. Bring stock to a rolling boil in a wok. Add wontons and cook 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 Tbsp soy sauce and scallions. Serve in soup bowls.

Source: Book from the library (forgot to write the title down)

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When It Comes To Dinner, I Am Not Your Average College Student

I think my roommates have accepted that I am not normal. While they are eating mac and cheese or hot dogs, I am making something hearty. "You're making curry again?" "Butternut squash?! EWWW!" I even had the maintenance guy ask me while he was fixing our sink what smelled so good. I bought three winter squash at the store awhile ago when they were on sale - sweet dumpling, acorn, and butternut. This is what I made out of them.

Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash




I bought three random winter squashes on sale because I've never had them before. I love summer squash, so why not winter squash? The first one I tried was a sweet dumpling squash. Very similar to an acorn squash, so if you're having trouble locating a sweet dumpling squash recipe, just substitute it for acorn squash. Now, I must admit this wasn't a scratch meal; I used a box of premade stuffing because I had it and needed to use it. It was an ok meal. I think the squash needed some sort of sauce. If you enjoy squash plain, then this would be a good recipe. The plus side was it smelled good when it was first cut opened. Save the seeds and toast them like you would for pumpkin seeds. After all, they are all part of the squash family.


Stuffed Acorn Squash



Round two of cooking with winter squash. Not my favorite squash either. I think it needed more sauce because the squash itself was plain. The filling was amazing - sweet potatoes mixed with orange juice and ginger. The original recipe is very confusing, so I rewrote it.

1 small acorn or sweet dumpling squash
1/8 cup brown sugar
2/3 tsp orange zest
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 small sweet potatoes
3 Tbsp butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 oz. orange juice
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/16 tsp nutmeg
1/16 tsp ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Cut squash in half; remove seeds and pulp. You can toast the seeds later.

2. Coat the inside of each squash half with 1/8 cup brown sugar, orange zest, and 1/8 tsp ginger. Place in deep pan and fill with enough water so the halves (cut side up) are sitting in water. Bake for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, peel and boil the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes. Drain and let cool until able to handle. Cut into cubes and mash. Add butter, 1/8 cup brown sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/16 tsp ginger.

4. When squash halves are done, remove from oven. Fill cavities with sweet potato mash; return to oven. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Source: Melissa's (rewritten by me)


Butternut Squash Curry



This is the curry I made when the maintenance man was fixing our sink. He said it smelled good, but I have the worst sense of smell. It can be a gift because that means I don't cry when I cut onions (mwahahaha). It also means if I can smell it, it has a super strong odor, and that can be good (such as baking brownies) or bad (such as chlorine). My one roommate just made a face when I told her it was squash. I'm starting to cook curry a lot now because the ingredients are so versatile.

3 Tbsp oil
1/2 lb. stewing beef, cubed
1/4 cup onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 small jalapeno, chopped
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp honey
1 cup cooked white rice

1. In a skillet, brown beef in 2 Tbsp oil. Remove from heat and pat off as much grease as possible.

2. In another skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil and saute onion and garlic until onions are soft and brown. Add cooked beef and tomatoes. Add curry powder, ginger, and jalapeno. Add beef stock and squash. Simmer for 30 min. or until squash is soft.

3. Add in jam and honey. Serve on top of cooked rice.

Source: Recipe Zaar


Butternut Squash Soup



I was hesitant on making this soup because our blender is so loud, but I needed to use up my remaining squash. If you love butternut, you'll love this soup. I left out the milk because I don't like my soups very creamy.

1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/16 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 cup milk (optional)

1. Saute onion in butter until tender. Add broth, squash, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cover and simmer until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to pan. Stir in milk, if desired.

Source: Recipe Zaar

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The End of Zucchini Season

As we progress into the autumn weather, we are coming to the end of summer squash season. This saddens me because I never realized how much I love zucchini. I bought some zucchini and yellow squash at my home town's farmer market when I was home for fall break. I'm just getting around to posting about them now.

I've never made homemade soup before. Ever. Sure, I help my parents make homemade chicken noodle soup, but they did most of the work. I always see pictures and recipes of delicious soup, but I never had a reason to make them. I used to eat ramen noodle all the time, even in the summer. I knew they were high in sodium, but I didn't care. Then for whatever reason when I was studying abroad in Ireland, I became more health-conscious. I never had to worry about buying groceries or cooking for myself. I had the dining halls on campus. Although buying canned soup and ramen noodles are cheaper and more convenient, I think spending the extra money on produce and making fresh soup is worth the health benefits. Plus I know what goes into my soup versus whatever the manufactuer puts in. I'm glad my family never uses our blender because I took it with me to my apartment. So far, I've used it twice and I don't think my roommates have touched it. I hate using it because it's so loud LOL I don't know what encouraged me to make this soup. I think it was because I was searching for zucchini recipes on Recipe Zaar and I came across Zuke Soup. I am not a huge fan of super creamy stuff (which is probably why I don't use milk in my coffee, just sugar), so I thought it tasted better before I added the milk (yes I taste test as I go along). Other than that, I thought it was amazing. I didn't realize until afterwards I was supposed to peel the zucchini haha I apologize for the low quality picture, but I was eating leftovers the next day when I realized I didn't take a picture. It was just that good.

Zuke Soup




I didn't change anything except made it into two servings. I would advise tasting before adding the milk to see if you should add it. Recipe from Recipe Zaar.


Zucchini Curry




I just want to show off one my favorite cookbooks. Ever. I think it's because I absolutely adore squash, and this book dedicates 140 pages to it. I wanted a dinner using my summer squashes. Since I bought curry powder, I decided to make zucchini curry. I added in carrots, yellow pepper, and broccoli. You can use my chicken curry recipe and sub in the vegetables and vegetable broth.

I found a copy of the cookbook on Ebay. It's called "Garden Way's Zucchini Cookbook and Other Squash" by Nancy C. Ralston and Marynor Jordan.

Since the end of summer squash for the year is near, I bought some winter squash. I bought a butternut, an acorn, and a sweet dumpling squash. I'll keep you updated with that.

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