Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheddar and Gruyere

I want to thank my granddaughter Ava and my favorite daughter-in-law Adrienne for this soup.  I
was asked to make a soup for Ava's "teachers appreciation lunch" and my first thought was to make one of my old reliable recipes.  I didn't think it would be a good idea to try something new (experimental) and risk Ava's entire education on a bad soup.

However, I took the risk.  This recipe is all mine and, in my opinion,  it turned out to be one of my best efforts.  I will be making this one often and it has inspired me to create the perfect grilled cheese sandwich to go with it.  It may take me a while to create that perfect sandwich, but the one I included this week is pretty darn good.  The original sandwich recipe was submitted by Sara Gretzmier to AllRecipies.com.  
---Enjoy

Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheddar and Gruyere

1.   Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in your soup pot
2. Add the shallots and sweat partially covered over a medium/high heat for about 20 minutes.*
3. Stir in the tomatoes, carrots, chicken broth, parsley and thyme.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Puree’ the soup with your immersion blender, or transfer it to a food processor or blender to puree’ and return the soup to the soup pot.
5. Add the cheddar and gruyere and stir until the cheese is completely melted
6. Whisk in the sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves, or cilantro.

*Like onions, don't rush the shallots.  The taste emerges through long gentle cooking.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich 3 oz package cream cheese 1/2 cup lite mayonnaise  8 oz shredded Colby-Monterrey Jack cheese 1/2 medium onion, sliced 1/2 tsp minced garlic 8 slices french bread Butter or margarine                                                                     1.  In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, shredded cheese and garlic salt. Beat until smooth. 2.  In a small skillet, slowly saute" sliced onions until caramelized. 3.  Preheat a large skillet over med heat. Spread cheese mixture on 4 slices of bread, add the caramelized onions, then top with the other 4 slices of bread. 4.  Lightly butter both sides of each  sandwich.  Place sandwiches in the skillet and grill until golden brown on both sides turning once (about 4 minutes).

Soup Ingredients 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth 1 medium shallot, diced 2 lbs tomatoes, peeled and quartered 1 carrot, chopped or shredded (1/2 cup shredded equals 1 med carrot) 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1/2 tsp thyme 1/3 cup sour cream (lite or low fat) 4 oz cheddar cheese, chopped or shredded 4 oz gruyere cheese, chopped or shredded salt and pepper to taste cilantro or thyme to garnish

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Diced Fennel Paired with Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Walnuts

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fennel and Butternut Squash with Apple and Walnut Soup

Bonus this week, two soups for the price of one, my first soup pairing and my first "Guest Chef".  Oliver Delunas spent most of the afternoon with grandpa in the kitchen helping me prepare these two very tasty soups.  Two soups served together in the same bowl make a dramatic presentation.  For these duets to work, both soups should be the same consistency, the flavors should compliment each other, and they should be different colors.

There are two methods to do this.  You can simultaneously pour equal amounts of soup into opposite sides of a soup bowl (it doesn't matter if the line swerves a little bit).  Or, fill a warmed soup bowl with about 3/4 cup of one soup, then pour about 1/4 cup of the second soup in the center of the bowl.  If necessary, thin one soup to match the consistency of the other.  This week I have chosen Roasted Parsnip Soup with Diced Fennel and Butternut squash with Apple and Walnuts for this pairing.
---Enjoy

Butternut Squash Soup with Apple  Walnuts Ingredients 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 1 1/2 cups butternut squash cubed 3 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth 1 apple, finely chopped 1/4 cup toasted walnuts 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup low fat sour cream or yogurt Salt and white pepper to taste 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Roasted Parsnip Soup with Fennel Ingredients 3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil  2 lbs med parsnips, cut in quarters lengthwise and coarsely chopped 6 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth 1/2 cup low fat sour-cream 1/2 cup dry sherry (optional) salt & pepper to taste 2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples &Walnuts Heat the extra virgin olive oil in your soup pot over a medium heat Add the onions, apples and cubed butternut squash Partially cover and sweat for 45 minutes over a medium-low heat stirring ocassionally Add the low sodium vegaetable broth, the roasted walnuts, and the nutmeg. With your immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth (if you do not have an immersion blender, use blender or food processor). Whisk in the low-fat sour cream or yogurt.  Season to taste with salt and pepper Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes Stir in the flat-leaf parsley and serve Broil until the cheese is melted

Directions for Parsnip Soup Heat 2 tbs of olive oil into a soup pot over a med-high heat.   Add the parsnips, turning to coat with oil.  Partially cover the pot and sweat the parsnips over medium-low heat until they are tender and lightly browned, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.   Pour the broth into the soup pot and stir to scrape up any browned bits of the parsnips and add the fennel. With your immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth (if you do not have an immersion blender, use blender or food processor). Heat the soup through and whisk in the low fat sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Broccoli Almond Soup

This is one of Sharon's favorite soups and it is really easy to make.  I also shared this with our friend Vickie, and she serves it at her house on a regular basis.

My thanks go out, as they often do, to Joanna Pruess and Lauren Braun for the original recipe.

---Enjoy

Broccoli Almond Soup

1. Heat 6 tbs of chicken broth in a soup pot and saute' the onions until soft and translucent, about 5-6 minutes.  
2. Reserve 4 small florets of the broccoli for the garnish and add the rest of the broccoli to the onions and gently sweat the broccoli until it is soft.
3. Transfer the mixture to either a blender or food processor and add the almonds. Puree or use your immersion blender in the soup pot and puree until smooth.
4. Stir in the coriander, salt and white pepper to taste, and more broth if the soup is too thick.  Simmer until heated through, ladle, garnish with a dollop of sour cream and broccoli floret and serve.

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TO BLANCH ALMONDS YOU WILL NEED Pot of water Raw unsalted almonds, skin on Paper towels Colander or strainer Bring small pot of water to a boil. Place your raw almonds into the water.Let them boil for exactly one minute. Don't boil for any longer than 60 seconds or your almonds will start to soften. Drain the almonds immediately in a colander or strainer and rinse them with cold water to cool them. Blot the almonds dry with a paper towel.  You'll notice that the skins will be slightly shriveled. Use your fingers to gently squeeze the almonds and loosen the skin from them.  Be careful, if you squeeze too hard they'll shoot across the room. Once you remove the skins, let the almonds dry off completely.  Discard the skins. Now the almonds are blanched and ready to use in your recipe. Thanks to Tori Avey for the blanched almonds.  www.toriavey.co

Ingredients 1 lb broccoli, cut into florets 1 medium onion thinly sliced 2 ounces blanched almonds, toasted         until lightly browned 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander Salt and white pepper to taste 4 tablespoons low fat sour cream or           plain yogurt

Roasted Red Pepper & Paprika Soup with Cilantro Cream

I forgot how good this soup was.  I started with a recipe written by Amelia Hunt in Lyme, Connecticut.  I experimented with some different spices and added the Cilantro Cream (that turned out to be a really good idea).  This soup is good both hot or cold, but this time of year, mine is piping hot.
---Enjoy

Roasted Red Pepper & Paprika Sauce with Cilantro Cream

• Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat.
• Add the onions, celery, garlic and chilies, cover and sweat until soft, but not brown; 10-20 minutes.
• Add the paprika and cook about another minute.
• Add the fire roasted bell peppers, low sodium chicken broth, potatoes, basil, thyme and Italian seasoning and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
• Either transfer the mixture to a blender, food processor  or use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and heat or let cool to room temprature.  
• Ladel into soup bowels and garnish with Cilantro Cream.                                                             

Note; If you are using fresh red bell peppers, halve, seed, and grill the red peppers over a high flame until blackened.  Place in a brown paper bag and close.  When peppers are cool enough to handle, remove as much as the charred skin as possible.  Blot on paper towels, then coarsely chop and set aside.

Ingredients Cilantro Cream 3/4 cup low fat  sour cream 2 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro leaves 2 tablespoon lime juice salt and pepper to taste Soup 4 cups reduced so1/2 sodium chicken broth 1/2 lb red potatoes, diced 1 celery rib 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp basil 1/2 tsp thyme 2 lbs red bell peppers or 2 jars (see note) fire roasted red peppers 1 med onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic (1/2 tsp minced = 1 clove) 1-2 red chilies such as jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, sliced 1/2 tsp hot, sweet or smoked paprika salt and pepper to taste

Triple Mushroom Soup

Mushroom soup is good anyway, but this recipe with the addition of the shiitakes and the baby bellas, in my opinion, makes it exceptionally flavorful.  The original recipe came from "Soup for Every Body" by Joanna Pruess with Lauren Braun RD, LD.  With a few additions to the original recipe, I was able to achieve a subtle, but certainly noticeable surprise for the taste buds.
---Enjoy

Triple Mushroom Soup

1. Pour hot water over the dried shiitakes and soak until softened.  Strain mushrooms in a strainer lined with moistened paper towels reserving the liquid.  
2. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and reduce to 1/2 cup and reserve.  
3. Remove and discard the mushrooms' woody stems and cut the mushrooms into thin slices.
4. Finely chop the white and baby bella mushrooms.  [Note; if you do this in a food processor, pulse until finely chopped.  Do not let the processor run.]
5.  Heat the olive oil in your favorite soup pot over a medium heat.  Cook the shallots until they are wilted and golden, 5-10 minutes. Add the chopped fresh mushrooms and cook until they have given up their liquid, stirring often.
6. Pour in the broth, add the bay leaf, thyme, sliced mushrooms, reserved mushroom liquid, Marsala cooking wine and salt and pepper to taste.  Partially cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the low-fat sour cream and simmer to heat through.
8. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chives or scallions and serve.

Ingredients 2 cups hot water 2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms 1/2 lb white mushrooms, wiped and trimmed 1/2lb baby bella mushrooms, wipped and trimmed 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil 2 tbs shallots, minced 2 cups reuced sodium beef, chicken or vegatable broth  1 bay leaf 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme leaves Freshly ground sea salt and pepper 1/2 pint low-fat sour cream or plain greek yogurt Fresh chives are thinnly sliced scallions to garnish 1/4 cup Marsala cooking wine

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of our favorite soups.  Sharon found it in the "WIL 92 FM Working Women's Survival Show 2000 Cookbook" and I make it several times a year. The recipe was submitted by Bobbie Ann Mason from WIL.   The only addition that I made to this recipe was to add a can of Rotel.  Either way, I think that you will really enjoy this soup.

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1. Heat the olive oil in your favorite soup pot over a med-low heat and add the onions and garlic.  cook for 5-10 minutes or until the onion is softened.
2. Add the chilies, tomatoes with their juice, broth, Rotel, Worcestershire, spices and hot sauce and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes.
3. In a small bowl,  combine the flour and water and whisk into the soup.  Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the sour cream and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Garnish each portion with the tortilla chips.

Ingredients 1 med yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons) 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 4 oz can of chili peppers, chopped, reserving the juice 10 oz can Rotel 15 oz can Italian style stewed tomatoes, chopped reserving the juice 1 32 oz reduced sodium shicken broth 1 tsp lemmon pepper 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp hot sauce or to taste 4 tbsp whole wheat flour 1/2 cup water 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast cut into small cubes 1/3 cup nonfat or low-fat sour cream Salt and pepper to taste Tortilla chips

Hearty French Onion Soup with Fire Roasted Bell Peppers and Gruyere Baguettes

I like to cook, especially when the weather turns cold.  Cooking is therapeutic for me.  You can probably make this soup in much less time than it took me.  I spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing this dish.  Most of that time was spent hovering over two pans of onions making sure that they cooked slow enough to release the flavors.  Slower is always better when cooking onions.

I reviewed Onion Soup recipes from three different cook books and I listed those book at the end of this post**.  As usual, I changed things up, made some additions and made it my own.  One point of interest is that I used no butter or oil in this soup.  To saute the onions, I substituted no fat reduced sodium beef broth for olive oil and butter.  If you haven't yet, please sign up for this blog and let me know what you think.

Hearty French Onion Soup Fire Roasted Bell Peppers with Gruyere Baguettes

1. Heat 6 tbs of beef broth in a large skillet and gently sweat the 2 1/2 lbs of onions for about 60 minutes* over low heat until soft.  
2. While the onions are cooking, heat 4 tbs of beef broth in a skillet and slowly saute the remaining 1/2 lbs of onion stirring often.  Add broth as needed to keep the onions moist. Once the onions are soft and translucent, add 1 tbs of Marsala cooking wine and sprinkle the Splenda brown sugar blend and garlic over them and continue to cook until the onions are golden brown and set aside.
3. Add the Riesling and 1/2 cup of the beef broth and bring to a boil.
4. Transfer the mixture to either a blender to  puree or a heated soup pot and use an immersion blender to puree until smooth.
5. With the mixture back in the soup pot, add the remaining beef broth, sliced fire roasted red peppers, sherry, brandy, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in the sauteed onions and keep warm over medium-low heat.
6. Prepare the baguette, ladle the soup into a bowl and float the toasted bred on top.  Serve immediately.

*Don't rush the onions.  Their sweetness emerges through long gentle cooking.

Baguette Lightly toast the sliced baguette on          one side under the broiler Flip the slices over, spread with         mustard and cover with grated           Gruyere    cheese Broil until the cheese is melted

Ingredients 2 1/2 lbs + 1/2 lbs yellow onions              peeled and thinly sliced; 2 32 oz containers of fat free reduced                sodium beef broth; 1 tbs Marsala cooking wine 1/2 cup Riesling wine 1/2 cup cooking sherry 4 tbsp Brandy 16 oz jar of fire roasted red peppers,        sliced into narrow strips 1 tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend 2 cloves garlic Salt and pepper to taste; 8-12 thin slices French baguette lightly    toasted 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard; 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese

 

**"A Treasury of Great Recipes" by Mary and Vincent Price (my all time favorite cook book)

Page 46; Soupe 'A L'Oignon (Onion Soup)

"The Complete Book of 400 Soups" Consultant Editor: Anne Sheasby

Page 501; French Onion Soup with Cognac

"Soup for Every Body" by Joanna Pruess with Lauren Braun RD, LD

Page 34: Hearty Onion Soup

Malaysian Crab Laksa

This is my first attempt at making a Peranakan or Nonya  dish.  Peranakan cuisine combines Chinese,  Malay and other influences into a unique blend.  According to Wikipedia (so it must be true), Peranakans are descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang,  Malacca,Indonesia and Singapore, inter-marrying with local Malays.  Who knew?

I found the original recipe in "Best-Ever Recipes; Every Day Soup".  As usual, I made several changes to make it my own.  This was a lot of fun to make and Sharon and I were quite surprised at how good this soup taste.  I want to give a special thanks to Ming Chang who, from his home in Ohio, talked me through my shopping list at the Chinese Grocery.

1. Cook the angel hair in a large pan of boiling salted water for 4 minutes.  Transfer to a large colander or sieve and rinse with cold water, drain and set aside.
2. To make the spicy paste, place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until a smooth paste is formed.
3. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a soup pot; add the spicy paste and sauté stirring constantly for a few minutes to release all of the flavors.  Be careful not to let it burn.
4. Add the vegetable stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Stir in the fish sauce and kale, and then simmer gently for 5 minutes.  Season with salt and cayenne to taste and add a squeeze of ½ a lime.
5. Add the crab meat and simmer until it is heated through.
6. Divide the noodles among your soup bowls and pour the soup.  Garnish with fresh coriander and serve. 

Ingredients 4 oz Angel Hair pasta 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil  4 ¼ cups low sodium low fat vegetable stock  1 2/3 cups coconut milk  2 tbsp Thai fish sauce  1 lb lump crab meat  2 handfuls fresh kale  1/2 a lime Salt and cayenne pepper to taste  Fresh coriander sprigs and leaves, chopped to garnish

Spicy Paste  2 Lemon grass stalks, finely chopped 1 Jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped 1” piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced ½ tsp shrimp paste 2 garlic cloves, chopped ¼ tsp turmeric ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tbsp chopped apricot ½ tsp chopped dates ½ tbsp. chopped prunes ½ tbsp. lemon juice

Old Crow & Philly Chili

I found the original recipie for "Kevin's Jack & Philly Chili" in a booklet titled "Marlboro Chili Roundup; 50 winning recipies.  It was submitted by Kevin Janiak in Brookfield, IL.  I made several suble changes, one being the substitution of Old Crow for the Jack Daniels.  That was done in honor of President Hary Truman who had a glass of Old Crow every night before he went to bed.  Huh, sometimes I act more presidential than you know.

Old Crow & Philly Chili
INGREDIENTS:

4 cups medium red onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 lbs lean ground turkey
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 28 oz can of diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 15.5 oz. can of chili hot beans

1 15.5 oz can black beans (rinsed)
1 14.5 can of no fat reduced sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons of chili powder
1/3 cup sliced Pepperoncini peppers
1 tablespoons Splenda brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Crystal Louisiana Pure Hot Sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons Old Crow Tennessee Whiskey
4 oz. Cream Cheese
1 16 oz. bag of tortilla chips


DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop up 4 medium onions and 1 large green pepper and set aside.
2. In your favorite chili or soup pot, brown 2 lbs. of ground turkey, and drain excess fat in a strainer sitting in a bowel to catch the grease. 

3. Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil into the pot and sauté 2 cups of chopped onion and entire chopped green pepper for 5 minutes over medium heat.
4. Add the ground turkey to the sautéed onions and green pepper. Over medium heat, stir in fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, chili beans, black beans, chicken broth, chili powder, dark brown sugar, cocoa, black pepper and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.

5. Add Cream cheese and Old Crow Tennessee Whiskey and stir until Cream cheese is melted completely. About 15 minutes over medium heat 

*SPECIAL NOTE; if you plan on sharing your chili with anyone with a delicate system and they can not handle “hot and spicy” food, take their portion out before the next step.

5.Add the Crystal Louisiana Pure Hot Sauce and the  pepperoncini peppers.
7. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.

Ladle Chili into serving bowl and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Add 5 tortilla chips on edge of bowl.