Posts Tagged ‘soup’

I made this last week. Even my husband you can’t stand spicy couldn’t tell there was a jalapeno in it. The beer flavor is rich and the jalapeno mellows when you cook it. Homemade stock is best, but you can always substitute store bought.

Brown Ale and Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

 
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 large jalapeño, ribbed, seeded and chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
One 12-ounce bottle brown or pale ale
1 cup heavy cream
1 12-ounce package of thick-cut bacon, diced
About 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 pound sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
Additional sliced jalapeño, bacon, thyme, and/or diced tomato, to garnish

Directions:
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders
and the bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes.

 
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to drain on a paper towel. Crumble any overly large
pieces between your fingers, or chop quickly with a knife.

 
Add the celery, onion, jalapeño, garlic and thyme to the rendered fat in the saucepan.
Cook over moderate heat, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, stirring
often, until vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.

 
Add half of the beer and cook until reduced by half, 5 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups of chicken broth
and return to a simmer.

 
In a small skillet, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until
lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

 
Whisk the roux into the soup until combined, and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened,
about 8 minutes.

 
Add the heavy cream, cheddar cheeses and the remaining beer and simmer, stirring
occasionally, until thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bacon and season with salt and
pepper. Serve immediately

I paired this last night with grilled cheese sandwiches. Yum! This can be done all in the same pot.

Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbs olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
3 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth, or homemade broth
1 tsp dried thyme

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook,
stirring often, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes (with their juices), broth, thyme,
and ½ tsp each salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 15-20
minutes. Working in batches, in a blender, puree the mixture until smooth. You can also use an
immersion blender instead.

This was so fast to make. The original recipe did not have bacon in it. I added bacon as my husband said it makes everything better. Of course it does! This is a thick and rich soup, something to enjoy on a cold day.

Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter
1 onion, finely diced
3 slice of bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
1/3 c. flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. paprika
1 t. pepper
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
3 c. milk or heavy cream
2 c. chicken stock
2 c. shredded colby-monterey jack blend cheese
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and seasonings and cook for one minute.

Slowly pour in the milk or cream and chicken stock. Bring to a slow boil and simmer until
thickened enough to cover the back of a spoon, stirring frequently. Add the cheese, reserving a little for the garnish if desired. Stir constantly until melted.

Remove from heat and season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed. Add bacon and some chives (optional).

I’ve never been so proud of how something turned out than today. This soup is something you’d get at a restaurant. This was perfect for dinner with all the rain we had today. We were soaked from running errands and doing our monthly grocery trip. This was just the thing we needed. I served this along with my Bacon Cheddar Muffins. This is easy to make so give it a try! I found this at one of my favorite cooking sites Cooking During Stolen Moments.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

• 1 lb. bacon, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 c. chicken stock
• 3 T. butter
• 3 T. flour
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• Sour cream for garnish, optional

1. In a large stock pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain and set aside. Drain all but 2 T. of bacon grease from the pot. Cook the onions in the remaining bacon grease for about 5 minutes, until tender.

2. Add potatoes, cooked onion and chicken stock to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer about 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. With a slotted spoon, remove a few scoops of potatoes. Place in a bowl and mash with a fork. Set aside.

3. In a small sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Slowly stir in to stock pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer. Stir mashed potatoes back into pot.

4. Add 1/2 c. shredded cheese, three-fourths of the bacon and half the sliced green onions to pot. Add pepper. Stir to combine. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

5. To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls and top with some shredded cheese, bacon, green onions and optional sour cream.

This is a dry mix base to turn into cream of chicken, or other cream of, soup bases. This will not only save you money, but is healthier as it has much less salt and fillers than the cans of cream of soups. This powder base will keep for a year. I put mine in a ziplock bag and stuck it in the pantry.

This turned out creamy and had more flavor than the canned version.

Cream of Anything Soup Base