January 25-31,2009

Last week I made a 17 pound bone-in ham so I could use the left overs for soup this week. Wild rice is harvested in northern Minnesota and is one of my favorite dishes. I found a recipe for wild rice soup in the paper but I didn't want to add the cream , sherry or the almonds so I change the recipe almost every time I make it. The wild rice absorbs a lot of the broth even when you add it cooked. This is one of my favorite soups and I usually make it a couple times a year.

Wild Rice Soup

½ cup butter
2 onions, chopped
½ cup flour
8 cups chicken broth
5 carrots diced
Salt to taste
2 cups wild rice
3 cups ham diced

Melt the butter in a stock pot and then add onions, stirring until soft approximately 8-10 minutes on medium high heat. Add flour and stir a few minutes until the flour coats the onions and forms a film on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and when it reaches a boil, turn down the heat and add the diced carrots. After the carrots are cooked through, add the cooked wild rice and ham. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

January 18-24,2009

With two Norwegian parents, you grow up with rather bland food. It wasn't until we moved to Louisiana that I discovered spices. Don't get me wrong, many comfort foods are bland and I have good memories of them. I have renamed this soup of chili "Norwegian Chili" for a reason that you will probably be able to figure out when you read through it or make it. It is pretty quick to throw together.

Norwegian Chili

1 can kidney beans
2 1 pound cans diced tomatoes
2 pounds ground chuck
2 medium onions chopped
1 t garlic powder
1 T chili powder
Salt to taste
8 oz can tomato sauce
2 cans tomato soup
1 soup can water
Brown the ground chuck with the onions. Put all the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Ladle into bowls and serve with shredded cheese or plain

January 11-17,2009

We are having a snow storm in the midwest and it is supposed to get really cold this week with below zero wind chills. Soup is the perfect food for coming in after shoveling the sidewalk. I tried a new recipe that I found but I changed a few ingredients. I love sweet potatoes so this Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup caught my eye.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup

2 T. unsalted butter
1 T. olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2 shallots thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
3 ribs celery, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken broth
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½ inch chunks
1 14 ½ ounce can chopped tomatoes
½ t red pepper flakes
1 t. dried marjoram
3 bay leaves
2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
3 cups baby spinach

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the oil. Add the onion and shallots. Saute for about 15 minutes or until soft. Add the bell pepper and celery and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two. Add the broth, chicken, sweet potatoes , tomatoes, red pepper flakes, dried marjoram, bay leaves, salt and pepper and stir until combined. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add baby spinach and cook until wilted ( about 3- 5 minutes).

January 4-10, 2009

We had this soup at my friends house a couple years ago and my husband asked me to get the recipe. My friend Marianne was more than willing to e-mail it to me. I doubled the recipe so that my husband was able to eat it all week.

Creamy White Chili

1 lb. chicken breast poached and shredded
10 ounces Hillshire Farm Smoked Turkey sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 medium onion, diced
1/ ½ t garlic powder
1 T. vegetable oil
2 cans ( 15 oz) Great Northern Beans, drained
14 ½ ounces chicken broth
2 cans ( 4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 t. salt
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried oregano
½ t. pepper
¼ t. cayenne pepper
1 cup (8oz.) sour cream
½ cup whipping cream
In a large saucepan sauté onions and garlic powder in oil for 10 minutes. Add beans, broth, chilies, sausage and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. You may put in a crock pot on low for several hours. Prior to serving, stir in sour cream, and whipping cream. Serve topped with Monterey jack cheese or salsa

January 1-3, 2009

I am not one for making New Years Resolutions but I decided to try something a little different. My New Years Resolution was to make a different soup each week. I enjoy cooking but I don’t have time during the week. This leaves the weekend to cook for the entire week. I love making a pot of soup on a Saturday or Sunday and reading a good book. In the Midwest, the winter can be cold and blustery so a nice bowl of soup for supper is very welcoming. I am not fond of the canned or packaged soups. Soups are not difficult to make and they are easy to reheat for supper. I have tried making my own chicken and beef broth, but I have found canned broths to be fine substitutes.



Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms

2T vegetable oil
4 pounds beef short ribs
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 ½ cups hot water for 30 minutes
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup tomato paste
4 cups beef stock
3 cups water
1 cup pearl barley
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Brown the short ribs, remove and set aside. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and cook until lightly browned and soft, about 10 minutes. Strain the dried mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Add the mushrooms to the pot. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, stock, water and reserved soaking liquid. Bring to a boil and add the barley and short ribs. Reduce the heat, partially cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 4 hours.
Remove the ribs from the soup, let cool to the touch and cut the meat from the bones. Discard the bones and return the meat to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and cook a few more minutes.