Navy Bean and Ham Hock Soup

The beautiful fall leaves have gone away and the naked trees make the weather feel colder, so a hot soup sounded perfect. I even got to learn about ham hocks to make this. Ok, so I did not learn much, but apparently the ham hocks I found were cured and sealed so that they could sit out for weeks at room temperature... kinda scary. Despite the slightly disturbing, long-lasting meat, this soup did not last long at all. I did not even feel the need to add salt to it because of the saltiness of the ham.

Navy Bean and Ham Hock Soup

• Serves 8. Adapted from Food Network
• 1 pound navy beans, picked over, rinsed and drained
• 10 sprigs parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large smoked ham hocks, about 1 1/2 pounds
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 quart of cold water
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes; remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for one hour. Drain and reserve. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven combine the beans, herb bundle, hocks, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic with the water and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and adjust the heat so the soup cooks at a gentle simmer. Cook until the beans and hock are completely tender, about 1-1/2 hours.

Turn off the heat and remove the hocks. Cool slightly. Remove the meat from the hocks, discarding the bones, fat, and skin. Cut the meat into small cubes. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Heat the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.

Pour into heated bowls and serve.

Simple Pumpkin Soup

• It's Fall! The colors are gorgeous, the air is crisp, and the days are perfect for enjoying a game of catch or a nice run at the arboretum. In fact, I actually tried honing my baseball throwing skills while babysitting the other day. It was a wonderful! I forgot how much fun hanging out with kids is and how it reminds me to slow down and not take life for granted. 
• The perfect way to not take life for granted is a bowl of soup with a slice of homemade bread. When I was trying to think of an easy and affordable meal to serve at church last week, I was reminded of pumpkin soup. I had never heard of such a thing as pumpkin soup until this year, but I love pumpkin and had to try it. This recipe is so easy! If you are looking for a good soup appetizer for this Thanksgiving, I highly recommend this one. Next time I make it, I am going to try it with a rind of Parmesan cheese cooking in the pot (I will remove it before I serve the soup).  Feel free to let me know if you get a chance to throw a cheese rind into the mix before I do!
• Pumpkin Soup
  Adapted from All*You
  Makes 4-5 servings
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 (15 oz.) cans solid packed pumpkin
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 cup milk 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and cook, stirring often until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add pumpkin, water, milk, syrup, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, whisking often. (Soup can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool and then cover and chill. Bring to a simmer before serving.)

Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

• Rainy, slightly chilly days just say "it's time for fall foods!" and I definitely listen to those voices when they tell me to make such things as pumpkin mousse with candied pecans (someday I will put that recipe up) and roasted red pepper soup.
• It was the perfect day for such fall treats because I was having a Reading Party. What is a Reading Party? Well, it's when someone like me needs accountability and motivation to read 400 pages about the Cold War, so I invite friends over to sit with me and read while I read. It's really fantastic.
• One of my friends brought over some red peppers that were begging to be used and also mentioned he likes cream scones, so after the soup was done, we put together some scones real quick. Mousse, soup, scones, yay.
• Honestly, the food was the best 3 hour break in a 12 hour day of reading that I could have asked for. It was delicious and I got to be in the kitchen with friends! Perfection =).
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• Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
  Adapted from Cooking Light
• 1 1/2 pounds red bell peppers (3 large), roasted and peeled
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• Dash of ground red pepper
• Pepper to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup cooked long-grain rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream or milk
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

• Chop bell peppers; set aside. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned. Stir in bell peppers, tomato paste, and next 5 ingredients (tomato paste through garlic); cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in rice, water, and broth, scraping skillet to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Place broth mixture in a food processor or blender (you may have to do this in batches); process until smooth. Return puree to pan, and stir in 1/2 cup. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle bisque into bowls; top with cilantro.

A Classic

It seems that many of my friends have been in a state of perpetual sickness since January, so I finally decided to try my hand at a homemade, chicken noodle soup. I am so glad I did. The canned stuff just doesn't compare!

I made a batch of this stuff and ended up with about a quart for myself and 2 quarts for friends. Actually, I ended up eating 1 quart, freezing another, and giving the last one to a good friend who was sick. This is a fairly hearty soup, since I like to be able to eat one bowl and feel fairly full.

So good that all of it was eaten up before I got picture, sorry folks.

Classic, Get-Better-Now, Chicken Noodle Soup

Adapted from USA Weekend

2 quarts chicken broth

1 quart water

1 store-bought roast chicken

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large onions, cut into medium dice

6 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds or half rounds, depending on size

4 large stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

3 cups egg noodles

2 cup frozen green peas

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring broth and water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large soup kettle. Meanwhile, separate chicken meat from skin and bones; reserve meat. Add skin and bones to the simmering broth. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer until bones release their flavor, 20 to 30 minutes.

Strain broth through a colander into a large container; reserve broth and discard skin and bones. Return kettle to burner set on medium-high.

Add oil, then onions, carrots and celery. Sauté until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add chicken, broth and thyme. Bring to a simmer.

At this point, you have a chicken soup base that can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance. Return to a simmer before adding the rest of the ingredients, if you choose to make this in advance.

Once at a simmer, add the egg noodles and simmer for 10-20 minutes.

Before removing from heat, stir in frozen green peas and parsley.

Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Gluten-Free Dinner for 20+ Made Easy

This weekend I was given the opportunity to make dinner for a wonderful group of people with whom I attend church (sorry if that's incorrect grammar). Because so many people are trying to be healthy or have dietary restrictions, I tried to think of something yummy, nutritious, gluten-free, and cheap, so of course Black Bean Soup came to mind.

Being that this soup is primarily compromised of my favorite combo, onions+green peppers, this is one of my favorite meals. I like to make it a few days ahead of time to give the flavors time to really come out and to allow it to thicken up. Actually, if you allow it to thicken up over 2 or 3 days, it will become very thick and remind you of your grandma's authentic Cuban black beans and rice (or maybe that's just me). Serve it over brown rice and top with plain yogurt (or sour cream) and shredded cheese. Magnificent.

A double batch of this soup, along with rice, cheese, and sour cream, ran me less than $1.50 per person, when feeding 20 people. Seriously though, it was probably cheaper per person because I probably have enough for leftovers to feed at least 6 people soup with the rice, cheese, and sour cream.

Honestly, if you are looking to cut down on fat, you can halve the bacon in this recipe and still have it turn out well (I did that when I served it for my family's Christmas Eve dinner in 2010). There is a ton of protein from the black beans, then lots of carrots, tomatoes, and green peppers boost your veggie intake. I put plain yogurt and cheese on top for deliciousness and calcium. The brown rice makes for a great, gluten-free complex carbohydrate. All in all, this is one yummy and good-for-you meal, so be sure to finish it off with a big chocolate chip cookie or something, k?

Black Bean Soup

adapted from Food Network

Note: to serve 20+, double the soup recipe and make sure you have a 9 quart stock pot.

5 slices bacon, finely chopped (cut fat: 3 will work too, or just bacon grease)

2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 to 2 large diced green peppers (I use two because I love green peppers)

5 diced carrots

4 garlic cloves, minced very finely (no one wants a huge bite of garlic)

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 bunch cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Plain yogurt or sour cream, for garnish

Grated cheddar, for garnish

Brown rice, to serve with

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions, green pepper, carrots and cook, stirring, until the onions start to turn translucent and carrots soften, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

Seriously guys, don't skip the yogurt/sour cream and the cheese, they make the dish!

Oh, and if you happen to have a ham bone and some ham around, feel free to throw that in too.

The same goes for a bay leaf.

After a few days, everything mushes together and becomes less vibrant, but -in my opinion- more flavorful.

A Good Lunch on a Cold Day

For some reason, soup always seemed to me to be this intimidating mystery dish that only restaurants could properly serve. However, I have recently gotten over my fear and made a few. All of them have turned out well enough that I will be making them again, but the recipes, even when halved, make such a large amount that I end up with enough soup for two or three weeks. Thank goodness soup freezes.

While looking for a soup that would go with my Irish Soda Bread, I came across a recipe for split pea soup and it sounded like the perfect combination with soda bread, since both soda bread and split peas make me think of shoe-string budgets and cold winter days. I just can't bring myself to eat a green soup though, so I found this recipe for a red split pea soup. It looks much prettier than eating green mush.

Rosemary Split Pea Soup (served with Irish Soda Bread and garnished with shredded cheddar cheese)

1 1/2 cups green split peas

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 cups chopped onion (I used 3 T of onion powder)

2-3 stalks of celery, chopped

1 cup diced carrot

1 oz cooked pancetta, with grease

1 large bay leaf

2 teaspoons wet garlic, plus 1

1/3 teaspoon minced rosemary, plus 2/3 teaspoon

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

4 cups water

2 cups chicken stock or 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth

2 teaspoons parsley

1 teaspoon salt (If you use canned broth instead of Vegetable Stock, omit the added salt)

Wash peas; cover with water to 2 inches above peas, and set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, pancetta, and bay leaf; sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 teaspoon rosemary, paprika, and pepper; cook 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and soy sauce; cook until liquid evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

Drain peas. Add peas, 4 cups water, chicken stock, parsley and salt to onion mixture; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 1 hour, stirring often. Discard bay leaf. Place half of soup in blender or food processor; process until smooth. Pour pureéd soup into a bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup. Spoon soup into bowls, or let sit in the fridge for a day to allow flavors to come out (tastes much better the second day, as most soups do).

Adapted (only slightly) from Cooking Light.