Zuppa Bianca (Italian White Soup)

From what I've read, traditionally a zuppa bianca is creamy from the white beans in it, often part of them being blended to thicken the soup.  I didn't want to use that many beans in mine, so I thought I'd try my own spin on the soup and it came out fantastic!
I started with homemade stock that Justin had made the day before.

I'll remind you again - SAVE ALL YOUR VEGGIE ENDS AND BONES!  Every time we cut off broccoli stems, carrot ends, onion ends, herb stems, and leftover bones we throw them into a Ziplock bag and stick 'em in the freezer.  Sooner or later you've got a full bag and you can put it all in a stock pot, add water, and make your own stock!  It's so easy, you're using every bit of the vegetable, and it's worth it to make homemade stock!

I also wanted to add anchovy, pepper, fennel and mushrooms to my zuppa bianca... also not traditional as far as I can tell, but man, they were a killer, tasty addition!  Served it up with some crusty bread and that was all you needed!  It might have been good with a little fresh Parmesan grated onto it, but we didn't have any.

This recipe makes a huge batch... you could probably half the recipe and it'd be fine, but being that I made it in a huge batch, that's the quantities I'm throwing at you.  I say make a huge batch and you can freeze the leftovers to pull out later when you don't feel like cooking.  That's what we do.

I love punk rock.  But there's a lot of old music that I really love too - I think I can sing more songs from the 60s than most people who lived through the 60s... though drugs might have something to do with that for a lot of folks.  So when punk bands cover songs from the 60s, it's no surprise that I usually love them.  (I never even stood a chance with the Gimmes.)  So let's listen to the Adolescents covering Eric Burdon and The Animals' "House of the Rising Sun"... the only song I was ever able to play on the organ, but probably can't now.  Plus... how many punk songs can you name with a harmonica solo?  -jen

ZUPPA BIANCA
Time:  about 1 hour
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes: 

• 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 anchovies packed in oil
• 1 cup diced celery (about 2 large stalks)
• 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium
• 1 cup diced fennel bulb (about 1 medium), reserve 1/4 cup of the fronds, chopped
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper (about 1 large)
• 2.5 cups diced onions (about 1 large)
• 3 cups diced crimini mushrooms
• 1.5 tablespoons minced garlic (about 5 medium cloves)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt plus extra
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 quarts chicken stock
• 2 cups 1/2" cubed potatoes (about 1 large potato), skin on
• 1 can (14oz) white beans, reserve liquid
• 3 cups chopped kale (remember to remove stems)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup chopped basil
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• lemon wedges

In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, brown the Italian sausage.  Remove sausage and set aside.  Leave 2 tablespoons of the sausage fat in the pot, discard the rest.  (That was all I actually got out of my sausage, but some sausage is fattier than others.)  Add olive oil and the anchovies to the sausage fat in the pot and cook 1 minute.  Add celery, carrots, fennel bulb, bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, white pepper and 1 teaspoon salt.  Cook, stirring intermittently, until vegetables begin to soften and onions are just turning translucent.  Add white wine and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add chicken stock, potatoes and the liquid from the beans (don't add the beans yet).  Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.  Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes (fish one out and test it).  Once potatoes are tender, add cooked sausage, beans, kale, heavy cream, basil, parley and the reserved chopped fennel fronds.  Taste the soup and add salt or pepper if necessary.  Serve each bowl with a wedge of lemon to squeeze onto the soup.

Pozole Verde de Puerco (Green Hominy Soup with Pork)

Maiz blanco (white maize/hominy)

Pozole... a Mexican soup with a history of human sacrifice.  If that doesn't make you want to eat it, I don't know what will! 

According to Wiki, "...pozole was made to be consumed on special occasions...on these special occasions, the meat used in the pozole was human.   After the prisoners were killed by having their hearts torn out in a ritual sacrifice, the rest of the body was chopped and cooked with maize. The meal was shared among the whole community as an act of religious communion. After the Conquest, when cannibalism was banned, pork became the staple meat as it 'tasted very similar', according to a Spanish priest."

Pozole garnish

Pozole is made with corn (maiz) that is treated in an alkaline solution, a process called nixtamalization.  Wiki also says, "Maize subjected to the nixtamalization process has several benefits over unprocessed grain: it is more easily ground; its nutritional value is increased; flavor and aroma are improved; and mycotoxins are reduced.

Justin decided to go with pork instead of long pig for this recipe and it was delicious!  Garnishes for pozole vary - we used cabbage, radishes, green onion, cilantro and lime.  I've also had it with salsa and/or sliced avocado.

Sticking with the theme of eating people, let's listen to this cover of a song I knew growing up - The Meteors covering "Little Red Riding Hood" (originally done by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, and I think it was titled "Li'l Red Riding Hood"?)  Anyway, I dig this cover.  Eat pork, not people.  Unless you really want to - I'm not the boss of you.  -jen

POZOLE VERDE DE PUERCO (GREEN HOMINY SOUP WITH PORK)
Prep Time:  30 minutes
Cook Time:  about an hour, including simmering
Difficulty: Medium
Makes: about 2.5 quarts

• 1 pound country-style pork ribs, cubed to bite size
• 1 teaspoon salt 

  

  Pozole ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 3/4 cup onion, diced (half of a large onion)
• 1/2 cup celery, diced (about 2 large ribs)
• 3 large fresh tomatillos, diced
• 1 large jalapeño, seeded, de-veined and diced
• 1 large green onion, diced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tbsp)
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 12 cups (1.5 quarts) pork broth (or chicken broth if pork isn't available)
• 28oz can pozole (hominy), drained
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Garnishes:

• shredded cabbage
• thinly sliced radishes
• green or white onion, chopped
• cilantro, chopped
• lime wedges

Country-style pork ribs

Put cubed pork in a large Ziplock bag and add salt, black pepper, paprika and cinnamon.  Massage bag to distribute seasonings evenly over meat.

In a large stock pot, heat butter over medium-high and add seasoned pork, browning on all sides.  Remove and set aside. 

In the same pan, using the pork drippings, add onion, celery, tomatillos, jalapeños, green onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper.  Saute until vegetables are tender and translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Once vegetables are cooked, add broth and hominy and the browned pork.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer about 40 minutes.  Turn off heat and stir in 1/3 cup cilantro.

Serve hot with cabbage, radishes, green onion, cilantro and lime juice on top of each serving, or serve on the side for folks to add their own.

Cheesy, Creamy Cauliflower Soup

When we go grocery shopping, we always go with a budget and a list which means we generally have the week's meals planned out.  Sometimes, things that weren't on the list sneak into the cart.  This time I grabbed a cauliflower with no ideas for it... if nothing else, I knew it'd get thrown into the roasted veggie mixes (we eat baked chicken and roasted veggies once or twice a week for dinner).

I don't know why, but I decided I wanted cream soup, and I've never actually made a cauliflower soup, so it seemed like the thing to do.  The cheese was a last minute idea since I remembered we had them in the fridge, and I'm glad I did!  This soup came out great... I really liked it.

I can't even tell you why, but I've had Billy Joel running through my brain... which then, instantly makes me think of the Gimmes.  So Me First and the Gimme Gimmes doing "Only The Good Die Young" (because they didn't eat their cauliflower).  -jen

CHEESY, CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP 
Prep Time:  20 minutes
Cook Time:  35 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Makes:  11-12 cups

• 6 tablespoons butter + 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, separated
• 1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 3 medium carrots, diced (about 1.5 cups)
• 2 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 poblano or green pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium head cauliflower, roughly chopped
  
• 3-4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1.5 cups shredded Asiago cheese
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar or Cojack cheese
• 2 teaspoons sherry
• several dashes Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• a few dashes of cayenne pepper or Sriracha sauce (optional)

In a large stockpot, saute onion, carrots, celery and pepper in 6 tablespoons of butter over a medium-high heat until vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in cauliflower, garlic, thyme, marjoram and crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook an additional 2-3 minutes.   Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, then simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes.  (At this point, I like to use a stick blender or regular blender to blend about 2/3 of the soup, smoothing it out a little but I like to leave a few chunks.  You can leave everything whole, or blend the whole thing, whatever you prefer!)

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt remaining 1 stick of butter.  Stir in flour and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to make a roux.  Remove from heat.  When the cauliflower in the broth is tender (and blended, if you're blending any), add the roux and the heavy cream.  Bring back to a boil, then simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Add the cheese, one handful at a time, stir until completely melted before adding next handful.  Add sherry, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste, and cayenne or Sriracha, if desired.

I garnished mine with some of the shredded cojack and some diced scallions I had in the fridge.

Cream of Vegetable Soup

We've been making soup about once a week.  Throughout the week, we often have roasted vegetables several times and will often make a salad of some sort.  So when we're preparing vegetables, we've taken to saving things like the ends of carrots and onions, the stems of herbs, all of our vegetable "scraps", and storing them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer.  Then Justin makes stock out of them and we make a delicious vegetable soup.  Usually they're broth-based soups, but we felt like going with a cream style this week, packed full of vegetables (and bacon, which is totally optional).  Came out so rich and delicious!  We make large batches at a time so that we have lunches for work.  You can cut the recipe in half if you're not looking for quite so much.

The awesome thing about soups like this, is that you can customize the vegetables to whatever you like.  Don't like mushrooms?  Axe 'em and add cauliflower instead.  Don't like bell peppers?  Axe 'em and add potato instead.  I think most of our soups end up created just using whatever we have leftover in the fridge.  

To go with our soup, for no particular reason except to rock, is The Marked Men doing "All In Your Head".  -jen

CREAM OF VEGETABLE SOUP
Prep Time:  20 minutes (35 if using bacon)
Cook Time:  20 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes: about 14 cups

• 1 pound bacon, diced (optional), reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat
  
• 5 tablespoons butter (6 tbsp if not using bacon fat)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (4 tbsp if not using bacon fat)
• 2 cups crimini or button mushrooms, diced fine
• 2 cups broccoli florets (about 1 medium crown)
• 1.5 cups yellow onion, diced fine (about 1 medium onion)
• 1.5 cups carrots, diced fine (about 3 medium carrots)
• 1 cup celery, diced fine (about 3 large stalks)
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced fine (about 1/2 medium pepper)
• 1/2 cup poblano pepper, diced fine (about 1 medium poblano)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2/3 cup flour
• 6 cups chicken broth 
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• salt, to taste (bacon adds a lot of salt on its own, as do most chicken stocks, so taste your soup before adding salt!)

Place diced bacon into a cold stock pot.  Turn heat to medium-high, and cook until crisped, about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Using a slotted spoon, spoon out the crisped bacon and drain over paper towels.  Set aside.  Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the stock pot.

Add olive oil and butter to stock pot (still over medium-high heat).  Add all vegetables and saute until tender, 10-12 minutes.  Add the rosemary, thyme and marjoram to the vegetables and cook 1 more minute.  Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until flour absorbs oil and is no longer white.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk in the stock and turn the heat to high.  Whisk continuously until soup begins to thicken a little.  Once it begins to thicken, add heavy cream, white pepper, black pepper and the crisped bacon.  Stir continuously until soup comes to a boil, then remove from heat.  Add salt to taste and serve.

Spicy Mexican Pepper Soup

This soup came out a little like a cross between tortilla soup and a Mexican minestrone... way tasty!  I was pleased with it.  Just enough heat to hit, but not enough that you break a sweat because your tongue is on fire.  I made mine tonight with the beef broth leftover from our Slow Cooker Chile Colorado.  But if you don't want to do two nights of awesomeness, well... I guess you can just add some store-bought beef broth.    I did, however, also use the leftover chile sauce from that recipe... so really, why not just make the Chile Colorado first, freeze your broth, and make this soup when you run out of Colorado!?

I chose a little ska in Spanish for my recipe with Sublime singing "Chica Mi Tipo".  -jen

SPICY MEXICAN PEPPER SOUP
Prep Time:  10-15 minutes
Cook Time:  40 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:  about 2.5 quarts

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 large Anaheim pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 large poblano pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 large jalapeño, seeded and diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup mushrooms, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 can corn (14oz)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14oz)
• 2 quarts (8 cups) beef stock
• 1 can black beans (14oz)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
• juice of 1 lime (about 1-2 tbsp)
• 2 tablespoons chile sauce (either CTDF's chile sauce or look for Herdez' Guajillo or Pasilla sauces)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup masa harina (*optional)
• 3 cups hot water

 *If you're trying to watch carbs, you can totally eliminate the masa harina and the soup will just less like a tortilla soup and more like a minestrone.

In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium-high.  Add diced onion, Anaheim, poblano, jalapeño, carrots, mushrooms and garlic.  Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and onions are translucent.  Add corn and tomatoes and cook another 2 minutes.  Add the beef stock, beans, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, lime juice, chile sauce and cilantro.  Bring to a boil.

While soup is heating to boil, mix masa herina and hot water in a medium-sized mixing bowl with a wire whisk until masa harina is fully incorporated.  With the wire whisk, whisk into soup and bring back to a boil.  Turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

I like my creamy soups real thick... like a gravy!  Justin, however, prefers his a bit thinner, and that's how we usually make them.  This time around, I decided I was in the mood for a thick-ass soup.  Really, this could simply be used as a chicken pot pie filling if you wanted, because that's pretty much what it is.  Ohhhh... but it was so good!  I think I need to heat up some leftovers while I type this up.

You'll note that I used frozen peas & carrots in the recipe, when everything else is fresh.  I purposefully did this simply because the frozen peas and carrots ALWAYS make me think about pot pies... that 1950s retro thing, I dunno.  I also wanted to be really productive and bake some pie crust to sprinkle on top, but I got lazy (and intoxicated) and went with crumbled crackers instead.   And lastly, it seemed like a pain to write this in the recipe, but it calls for 1 cup + 2 tbsp butter.  Well, I actually used the chicken fat from baking chicken for those last 2 tablespoons instead of butter, to help lend a little extra chicken awesomeness to it.

NOFX's "Mattersville" came to mind as I was thinking of how homey this soup was.  I haven't thought about this song in a little while, it makes me laugh.   -jen

CHICKEN POT PIE SOUP
Time:  45 minutes
Difficulty:  Medium
Yields:  About 12 cups

Bonus pic!  Deformed bell pepper with alien pods bursting
open inside of it!

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large orange bell pepper, minced (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium yellow onion, minced (about 2 cups)
• 3 stalks celery, finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 8 oz package of mushrooms, diced
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup frozen peas & carrots mixed
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon savory (it's an herb, for those of you not familiar - it's optional)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• 4 cups chicken broth (homemade preferable for super chicken flavour!)
• 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
• Add salt to taste (some broths are saltier than others)

In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add bell pepper, onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic, peas & carrots.  Cook until tender (about 10 minutes with that many veggies).  Add thyme, sage, savory, paprika, white pepper, cayenne pepper and lemon juice.  Stir in flour, coating all the veggies, and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.  (It will be paste-like.)  Add the milk and broth all at once and whisk until the roux (flour/butter paste) is fully broken down and there are no flour lumps.  Continue stirring until the soup just begins to boil, then turn heat to low and add chicken.  Taste soup at this point and add more salt if necessary.  Remove from heat and serve with crumbled crackers on top.

Creamy Roasted Garlic Soup

We love garlic in our house even more than we love bacon.  Massive quantities of garlic go into just about everything we cook.  I've been meaning to make some more soup recently because we had several containers of vegetable broth in the freezer as well as bags full of frozen veggies to make more stock, so I knew I had to use some up.  Roasted garlic soup is something neither of us had tried, but we've seen it on a few cooking shows and wanted to try it!  Lots of the recipes I saw online were for a completely smooth, creamy soup, but I wanted a little bit of chunky vegetable bite in mine.  Man, this soup came out great... we'll be making this one again soon, no doubt!

If you're not real familiar with the qualities of roasted garlic, I think it's important to explain that as the garlic roasts, it loses it's sharp, pungent taste and becomes much more mild and sweet.  So if you're not as into garlic as we are, don't let the 4+ heads of garlic in this recipe scare you away!  It's really got a pleasant, smooth flavour to it.

Thought I'd go with some F-Minus for this recipe... we'd just finished watching the movie/documentary "Give 'Em the Boot" again the other night, and I was thinking how I don't have many female singers posted on the blog here.  So F-Minus, performing "Light At the End".  -jen






CREAMY ROASTED GARLIC SOUP

Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Cook Time:  45 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Serves:  4-6 

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup finely diced onion (or 1 small onion)
• 3/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper (or 1 small pepper)
• 3/4 cup finely diced carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
• 1 and 3/4 cup finely diced Yukon Gold potato (or 1 medium potato)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons flour (or 1/4 cup for a thicker soup)
• 1 quart vegetable or chicken broth
• 4 bulbs of roasted garlic (see roasting instructions below, takes an hour to roast)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon sherry
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup heavy cream
• black pepper to taste
• shredded Parmesan cheese and lemon wedges for serving

To Roast Garlic:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Chop the tops of the garlic heads off.  Peel away the outer skins (leaving the clove skins in tact).  Place on aluminum foil.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.  Fold foil up around garlic heads and seal.  Place foil packet in oven, directly on rack, and bake for 1 hour.  Remove from oven, carefully open foil, and allow to cool.  To remove garlic from the garlic paper, just squeeze the whole head and the garlic will deliciously ooze out... just be careful not to mix any of the garlic paper in.
** For this soup recipe, I took about 1/2 a cup of the broth and the roasted garlic and blended it until smooth.  I highly suggest doing this.

In a stock pot, heat butter over medium-high heat.  Add diced onion, bell pepper, carrot, potato and minced garlic.  Cook until onion and pepper are tender, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in flour to coat vegetables and cook another 3-5 minutes.  Add stock and roasted garlic all at once and whisk so that the flour doesn't clump.  Add Worcestershire, sherry and thyme.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes.  Stir in cream and let simmer an additional 10 minutes.

To serve, place Parmesan cheese in bottom of bowl, ladle soup over the cheese, and squeeze the juice of 1-2 lemons into soup.

Red Kuri Squash-Leek Soup

We should have carved our traditional pumpkins last night because it was Halloween, but instead, I ended up carving up a Red Kuri squash.  Actually, I didn't carve it up, because I couldn't get my damn knife through the thing!  So I had to wait for Justin to get home from work to cut it for me.  There was intoxication involved and I figured I should give up while I was ahead and still had all my fingers.  Those suckers are thick (the squash, not my fingers... or maybe my fingers too)!

Thoughts on Red Kuri squash: my favourite squash we've tried so far!  I had to taste it after roasting it for the soup, and with just some olive oil, salt and pepper, it had this rich, delicious, buttery flavour.  Not as sweet as some squash is, and I knew it was going to be perfect in soup. 

Exploring different types of squash this fall has been a lot of fun, and this Red Kuri's been sitting on our table, waiting to be used.  Squash-leek soup sounded great, but I didn't really want the thickness of traditional squash soup, I wanted a thinner, brothy soup.  I just happened to have the other veggies in the fridge and they needed to get used up, but they were a really great addition, I liked having something to chew instead of a smooth soup and I would definitely recommend them (though you could easily leave them out if you chose).  If you're looking for a thicker soup, you could very easily just cut the chicken broth back by half (or more, depending on the consistency you're looking for).  The soup was quick and basic, but perfect for the cold, wet night we had.  I wanted it to have just a little heat in it, so I used some white pepper and cayenne pepper, but if you're not into heat, you can leave them out.

I've been on an Against Me! kick for the last two weeks, and I had several of their albums thrown on my playlist on repeat while making this... so it was a no brainer for music!  This is one of mine and Justin's all-time favourites, "What We Worked For".  -jen

RED KURI SQUASH-LEEK SOUP
Prep Time:  1 hr, 15 minutes
Cook Time:  5-10 minutes

Difficulty:  Medium

• 1 Red Kuri squash
• olive oil
• salt & black pepper
• 8-oz crimini mushrooms, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup very small broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 large leeks, greens removed and whites diced
• 2 quarts chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you prefer)
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Quarter the squash and remove seeds and membrane.  Rub enough olive oil over the exposed flesh to coat, and then generously salt and pepper them.  Bake at 425 degrees for one hour.  Set aside.  Remove skin when squash has cooled enough to handle.

In a stock pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms, bell pepper, broccoli and minced garlic.  Saute until softened, 5-7 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat 2 more tablespoons of olive oil in same stock pot, over medium-high heat.  Add leeks and saute until tender, 10-12 minutes.  Puree leeks, squash and broth together.  (If you have an immersion blender, you can add squash and broth to pot and blend.  If not, remove leeks from pan and place in a blender with the squash and enough broth to puree, then pour back into stock pot with any remaining broth.)  Add the sauteed mushrooms, pepper and broccoli.  Stir in sage, white pepper and cayenne pepper.  Heat to serve.

Bloody Mary Soup

First thing first - I feel it's important to note with this recipe that 3.5 pounds of heirloom  tomatoes cost us $12 at our Farmers' Market.  If you're on a budget, you can always use plum tomatoes in this recipe instead.  But the heirloom are so very, very awesome.  It makes a ton of soup, so I'd say it's well worth the cost!  And most likely, you're going to have some delicious leftovers.

We make a pretty solid Roasted Tomato & Basil soup, and that was my game plan when I started.  But like most things I cook, I decided to try a few different ingredients.  It really just depends on what we have on hand and what kind of mood I'm in!  As I added the carrots and celery, which don't go in my normal recipe, I started thinking about Bloody Marys and thought, "Why not?!"  We really liked how this soup came out!  I was so bummed we didn't have any vodka on hand!  And we were broke, so we couldn't even run to the corner store for a little bit.  The sherry was quite delicious with it, just the same.

As you may or may not have noticed... we've pretty much always posted punk rock music with our recipes.  But let's be real - our music preferences are way more diverse than just punk.  I suppose I could just choose a random punk song that I like to go with the recipe, but really, I was listening to Glasvegas the entire time I was making this soup, trying to sing along in my best Scottish accent (at least the words I understood, which is only about half of them), so it seems like the thing to post.  Here's "Geraldine", off their first album.  -jen

BLOODY MARY SOUP
Prep Time: 20 minutes  
Cook Time: 2 hours 
Difficulty:  Medium
Serves:  10-12  

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3.5 pounds (7 medium) heirloom tomatoes, quartered
• 1 head garlic
• salt and pepper

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole, peeled tomatoes
• 1 large bunch basil, chopped (2-3 cups packed leaves)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon green Tabasco (or your favourite hot sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon horseradish
• 1 teaspoon Accent/MSG (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup sherry (optional)*

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Chop the top off of the garlic head to expose the cloves.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.  Wrap in aluminum foil.  On a baking sheet, toss the quartered tomatoes with the remaining olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place the garlic foil packet in the oven for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, add the baking sheet of tomatoes to the oven and roast for 45 minutes.  (The garlic will roast for 1 hour total.)  When cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic out of its paper right onto the roasted tomatoes and set aside until ready to use.


In a large stock pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil plus butter over a medium-high heat.  Add red onion, carrot, celery and red pepper flake.  Saute for about 10 minutes, until onion is translucent.  Stir in flour and cook an additional 5 minutes. 

Stir in the chicken stock and milk, using a whisk to break up any flour lumps.  Add the roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic, the canned tomatoes, basil, green onions, minced garlic, dried thyme, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Tabasco, horseradish and Accent.  Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 40 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir in sherry right before serving.

*Note: I think this would probably be delicious and more true to a Bloody Mary is you used vodka instead of sherry... but we were out of vodka!  

Cream of Mushroom Soup, Mark II

My favourite soup is Cream of Mushroom, and I made one not too long ago.  It was good... but it really wasn't what I was craving.  The first cream of mushroom soup was with Crimini and White Button mushrooms.  It was a little on the thin side.  While it was great, I was wanting something that was a little thicker like a chowder, and I knew I wanted some more hearty, flavourful mushrooms.  Since our local Farmer's Market has started up, we headed to it.  Tons of mushrooms grow in the redwood forests here, so we get an awesome variety to choose from.  I grabbed some Lion's Mane, which the vendor said had a lobster-like flavour, and that's not a bad comparison!  And we also got some Maitakis, which are also real earthy and crunchy.  The Knorr's Vegetable packet that I used threw me off.  I had a few sitting in the pantry for quick dips, but I wondered how it would be as a seasoning?  Using such great mushrooms, I was a little hesitant to use a pre-packaged mix in the soup... afraid it'd ruin the whole thing.  But I took a gamble, used it, and actually love the way it came out.

Consistency came out so perfect.  It's not too thick that it's like gravy, but it's also not got that coat-your-tongue thing like heavy cream based soups.  The mushrooms were all al dente and meaty.  So if you like thick, rich chowdery soups, this recipe is for you.  And we can't stop talking about what kind of other things we can add to it that would be awesome - adding crab or lobster would be delicious, bacon would be great, some roasted poblano pepper would give it a southwest taste.  It'd be perfect for a clam chowder, just add potatoes and clams and maybe some celery.  And if you like the thinner soups, our Cream of Mushroom Soup, Mark I would be the one for you!

We've had a Swingin' Utters album playing in the car all week, and Justin's been digging on this song a lot, so it's been running through both of our heads - "Next In Line".  -jen

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP, MARK II

 Top Left - Maitaki, Top Right - Lion's Mane, Bottom - Crimini

• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 pound Crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 pound Lion's Mane mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 pound Maitaki mushrooms, chopped
• 2 medium shallots, diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 teaspoons wet chicken base
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup Half & Half
• 1 packet Knorr Vegetable Recipe Mix, 1.4oz  
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon Accent/msg (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

 In a stock pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and shallots.  Saute until tender, 5-7 minutes.  Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir until incorporated.  Cook for 5 minutes.

Add chicken base to mixture, then whisk in water, Half & Half, and Knorr Vegetable packet.  Turn heat to high and stir constantly until soup has thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in sherry, cayenne, and Accent.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cream of Asparagus and Gruyere Soup

So it's spring, supposedly, in NorCal and that means a lot of asparagus in general all over California.  Most of it's grown in the central, or San Juaquin valley near Monterrey and Salinas.  It becomes quite cheap and plentiful and makes for great soups and sautes and whatnot so here's a soup of it with some delicious Gruyere.

I have to apologize for not getting a pic of this recipe but it was too good to wait until the next making to get a pic and post.

And then there's the Buzzcocks, some classic British punk that I dig every so often, today being one of those days.   - justin

Cream of Asparagus and Gruyere Soup
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Serves: 6-8

• 1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 lbs asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces (cut ends where stem becomes woody or tough)
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 oz sherry
• 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt (room temp)
• 2 oz grated Fontina cheese
• 4 oz grated Gruyere cheese

Melt butter in large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, and saute for 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Add salt and pepper.  Add asparagus and saute another 4 to 5 minutes.  Add stock, sherry, and paprika and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes or until asparagus is tender.  Puree until smooth or until you reach the desired consistency. 

Return to pot and stir in sour cream or yogurt and bring back up to a simmer.  Slowly add Fontina and Gruyere and stir until fully melted into the soup.  Serve hot with some chopped scallion as garnish.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

I guess we've been in a soup mood lately.  Cream of Mushroom is one of my favourites and I'd been wanting to make a batch for a while.  This batch I decided to do thinner than usual because I wasn't feeling like a gravy-esque soup, just something brothy and a little creamy.

I don't know why this song got stuck in my head when I was thinking of what to play.  And so... with no connection whatsoever to Cream of Mushroom soup, here's Camper Van Beethoven with "Take the Skinheads Bowling".  I could only find one link to the original video!  They didn't even have it on Youtube, very odd!  -jen

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 ounces crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 6 ounces button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream

In large sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Saute crimini and button mushrooms, shallot, bell pepper and garlic until tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook another 3 minutes.  Add chicken broth and whisk until flour is dissolved.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Soup should thicken.  Then add sherry, Worcestershire, thyme, sage, and cream.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for another 5 minutes and serve. 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

It's been a bit chilly up here in Nor Cal and as such I've been making soups and stews more frequently.  The latest was a delicious roasted tomato basil soup that we'd perfected a few years back and posted on our old blog (now defunct).  So, I decided that I would post it here for reasons of sharing and for posterity.  It is a delicious soup, assuming you like tomatoes and basil, and is awesome with a nice crusty grilled cheese or any sandwich really.

To accompany the soup I'm throwing in some SNFU as they take me back to a time when I ate soup and sandwiches far more often than I seem to of late.  Some classic DIY punk with some DIY homemade soup.  Plus, the song Painful Reminder is off of their album "Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes".  Green, leafy...basil?  Get it?- justin

Tomato Basil Soup
Time: 1 1/2 hrs
Difficulty: easy
Serves: 6-8

• 3 lbs ripe plumb tomatoes cut in half (also called Roma tomatoes)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flake (omit this if you don't like heat)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (substitute red wine vinegar if you don't have balsamic)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 28 oz can plum tomatoes
• 3 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the ripe plumb tomatoes with the 1/4 cup olive oil, the salt and the pepper.  Spread the tomatoes out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8qt stock pot over medium low heat, saute the onions and garlic in the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, the butter, the red pepper flakes, and the vinegar for about 10 minutes.  Add the brown sugar, canned tomatoes (liquid and all), the basil, thyme and chicken stock.  Add the oven roasted tomatoes, including any liquid that may have accumulated on the baking sheet.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.

Using a blender (immersion or standing will work), blend until the desire consistency is reached.  Add the heavy cream and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

This recipe can also be made without the cream if you want a "lighter" soup or is you wish to serve it chilled like a gazpacho.

Ribollita

We've been having a lot of soup weather here in Humboldt lately so I decided to make some delicious Italian soup, ribollita, that I'd first tried a few months back.  The ingredients are cheap, it's simple to prepare, it makes a good amount, and it tastes heavenly.  If you like minestrone, then you'll love ribollita, as ribollita simply means "re-boiled" and is a classic Italian "day after minestrone" leftover soup.  It's a way to stretch another meal out of the leftover minestrone in a way that tastes very similar.  The bulk of the soup is veggies and almost any veggies you want can be used.  It really is a "toss whatever you have in the fridge that you need to use up" dish.

For tunes with this recipe I decided to go with some old school, New York Dolls, Chatterbox.  It's dirty, grungy, dissonant, and it's the very early 70's garage rock that would eventually become punk rock as it was known in the late 70's and early 80's.  -justin

Ribollita
Time: 3 hrs
Serves: 8
Difficulty: Easy

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sea salt (or 2 tbsp kosher salt)
• 1/4 lb bacon, diced
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery 
• 1 tbsp capers
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 can (28 oz) whole pealed tomatoes in puree, chopped
• 4 cups roughly chopped cabbage
• 3 cups roughly chopped kale
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 can white beans
• 3 cups bread cubes
• freshly grated asiago cheese

In an 8qt dutch oven, or similarly large soup pot, heat the oil. Add the diced bacon and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.  Add the carrots, celery, capers, garlic, salt, ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.  Continue cooking over medium-low heat for an additional 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.  Add the tomatoes with their puree, cabbage, kale and basil and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.

Drain the beans, reserving the liquid, and add half of the whole beans to the veggies.  Puree the other half of the beans in their liquid and add to the stock pot along with the 6 cups chicken broth.  Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to a low simmer for 1.5 hrs.  Add the bread to the soup and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Taste for seasoning and serve hot with a little drizzle of olive oil and the grated asiago.

Cream of Asparagus & Broccoli Soup

This is basically a "we're broke and gotta do something with leftovers" soup that came out fantastic!  Very rich, creamy soup and surprisingly, neither the asparagus nor the broccoli are overwhelming.  As Justin just said, it's a stick-to-your-ribs soup.  Now, I actually made this soup with some of Justin's homemade pork broth which gave it this great, smokey, ham or bacon flavour.  However, since I know most people don't have pork broth hanging around in their freezer, I'm going to post the recipe with chicken broth, which is perfectly acceptable.

I'm going to be honest here with the music - I was in a retro mood and listening to my Rosemary Clooney Pandora station (even my garnish got retro!), but this is a rock'n'roll blog and I just can't bring myself to post one of her songs.  So I'm going with a song that came across my ears yesterday that I hadn't heard in years!  T.S.O.L.'s "Black Magic"!  I remember loving this song the first time I heard it and then playing it over, and over, and over, and then over again!   Hard to find a video of this song at all!  -jen

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS & BROCCOLI SOUP
Time: 45-60 minutes total
Serves: 6-8
Difficulty: Easy 

• 1.5 pounds of asparagus
• 1 pound of broccoli
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 10 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup flour
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on taste)
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove woody ends of asparagus and discard; chop the asparagus into 2" pieces.  Chop broccoli into about 2" pieces, including the stems.  Lay out on a baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil, then toss to coat all vegetables.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes.  Set aside.


Meanwhile, heat butter in stock pot over medium-high heat and saute onions until soft and transluscent, 5-10 minutes.  Add minced garlic and cook an additional 3 minutes.  Add flour and stir until combined, cook another 5 minutes.  Whisk in chicken broth and milk until all clumps have disappeared and sauce begins to thicken.  Add roasted asparagus and broccoli, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, and cayenne pepper.  Taste soup to see if it needs additional salt and pepper.  Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.  (If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or food processor, but do it in batches and be careful because the soup is hot!)  Stir in sherry and serve.

Smokey Squash Soup

So we have all of these autumnal veggies sitting around the house and in an effort to use them before they start to go bad, I decided to make some squash soup.  I'd already been on a mission one day to make soup stock out of a chicken carcass and ended up going the extra mile to make a pork stock as well.  It seemed like the perfect base for a squash soup.  I went the smokey pork rout for the stock and tossed in a smoked pork femur, some trimmings off of a ham steak, and a healthy dose of bacon.  The result was awesome.  Some crumbled bacon and fresh chopped scallions made this an amazing comfort dish, perfect for a cold day or for the morning after a long night of debauchery when your body needs nutrients other than hard drugs and alcohol.  Hearty and filling, healthy veggies, smooth and silky texture.  Warms you from the inside!


Since it's a healthy and hearty soup it would naturally pair with some Supersuckers which is more like country/punk with a side order of "kick me in the teeth".  A little "Born With a Tail" makes this good soup seem a little more edgy so here ya go.  You can feel a little more rock-n-roll-devil-child while you eat your healthy squash soup. - justin

Smokey Squash Soup

Time: 1 hr
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Easy

• 2 cups butternut squash
• 2 cups sweet baking pumpkin
• 1 lb bacon, chopped
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves)
• 1/4 cup dry vermouth or dry sherry
• 6 cups pork or chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups scallions, chopped
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, grated 

I was working with a whole squash and a whole pumpkin so I simply cut them in half, seeded them, and roasted half of each, cut side down, on an cookie sheet covered in oiled aluminum foil in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes.  They came out perfectly.  If you are working with diced veggies, use the 4 cups and toss them in a little olive oil and roast in a 425 degree oven and check them after 25 minutes.  Pull when they are fork tender.

Brown the bacon in a large stock pot over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp.  Remove bacon and dump all but 3 tbsp of the bacon fat.  Add the chopped onion and sweat until translucent and starting to brown.  Add the salt, black and white peppers, paprika, chili powder, ginger and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the vermouth or sherry and cook for 2 minutes or so to deglaze.  Don't forget to scrape the pot with a wooden spoon or silicon whisk get all those yummy bits off the bottom.  Those are called flavor.

Add the stock to the pot along with the squash and pumpkin and add 1/2 of the crisped bacon.  Didn't think I'd forgotten that did you?  Puree with whatever method you have available.  We have a stick blender and that makes it easy but a food processor or blender would work as well.  Just work in batches.  After a smooth consistency has been achieved, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or so.  When the desired consistency has been achieved (continue simmering if you like a thicker soup) stir in the cream and butter.  Once they have been fully incorporated, serve with rest of the crumbled bacon, chopped scallions, and Pecorino Romano as a topping.

I also thought that a dollop of sour cream would be good on this.  Or maybe some roasted apples or something.

Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

So we've just started getting some fall weather up here on the North Coast and Jen and I decided that on a cold, rainy day we had to have some cheese soup for dinner.  There's not much better than a hot bowl of some stick-to-your-ribs soup in the winter.  And since the wife spent part of her childhood in Wisconsin we had some comparisons and adaptations to make for the Humboldt version.  Some California cheese, a little chopped, fresh hot pepper, and some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale make this a Nor Cal soup all the way.

What better to accompany a Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup than some original Wisconsin tunes from an iconic 80's alternative rock group, The Violent Femmes?  Here they celebrate this crazy whacked out country of ours, in a way that only they can, with their hit "American Music"! - justin

Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

• 1/2lb Smoked Polish Sausage (Kielbasa)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh pobalano (or other mild pepper), deseeded and chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 12oz beer (I used Sierra Nevada Pale Ale)
• 2 cups whole milk
• 8oz extra sharp Cheddar, shredded
• 8oz Colby Jack, shredded
• 1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Dice the Polish Sausage and cook in a skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes, or until cooked through.  Drain off excess fat and set aside.

Melt butter in stock pot over medium heat and add yellow onion, carrot, celery, green onion, fresh pepper, salt and ground black pepper.  Sweat until translucent, approx 5-7 minutes, and add the flour.  Stir in the flour until all the butter is absorbed and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring to avoid burning.  Add the chicken broth and beer and stir to incorporate flour until liquid returns to a boil.  Add the milk to thin out the thickening soup base and then slowly add the cheese in small increments, making sure it melts before adding more.  After the cheese is incorporated, add the yellow mustard and the Worcestershire sauce and stir in the cooked sausage.  Voila!  Serve hot as the soup will thicken further upon cooling.