Split Pea Soup

PAMELA’S SPLIT PEA SOUP

1 ham bone (smoked if possible), preferably with some meat left on it

(or a big end piece of smoked ham which over here costs less than reg. ham in the deli section)

1 lb (450 or 500 g) dried split peas

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped

7 cups water

salt

1/4 t. whole peppercorns

1 bay leaf

2 T. creme fraiche (or thick cream)

Heat the ham, peas, carrots, onion & water to boiling. Place peppercorns & bay leaf in a large tea ball; add to soup mixture; simmer for 1 hour. Discard spices; check salt; cut up ham if needed. Serves 6.

I really like this recipe as is, but one could try pureeing it like Arlin & I had it at a Paris bistro. They actually used lardons fumes, but you would need to brown them before making the soup.

BON  APPETIT !!

Celery soup

This celery soup was a perfect recipe to use leftover celery... and a good variation from asparagus soup.

• 1 teaspoon butter or oil
• 1 large onion
• 6-7 stalks of celery, cleaned and chopped
• About 3 medium potatoes, diced
• 4 cups water/stock
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• Fresh herbs (I used parsley)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion in butter/oil.  Add celery and potatoes and sauté for 5 minutes.  Add other ingredients and simmer covered until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes.  Purée with a blender, food processor, or immersion blender.  Serve topped with cheese.

Zesty Broccoli Soup

This recipe turned out well. We omitted the milk and just stirred a dollop of sour cream into our individual bowls.

	6 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
	1 1/4 pound(s) broccoli, crowns, cut into florets (6 cups)
	3 large uncooked potato(es), all-purpose variety (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed
	1 medium onion(s), chopped
	1 stalk(s) (medium) celery, chopped
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
	1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce, 2 drop

• Bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add the broccoli, potatoes, onion, celery, and salt; return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are soft enough to mash, about 25 minutes.
  
  
• Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly. Transfer the mixture in batches to a food processor or blender and puree. Return the soup to the pan. Stir in the milk, and hot pepper sauce, then return to a simmer. Yields generous 1 1⁄2 cups per serving.

Butternut Cream Soup

This recipe from Pamela was delicious!

BUTTERNUT CREAM SOUP

3 green onions, white portion sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 T. butter

1 butternut squash, peeled & cut up

4 cups chicken broth

1/4 t. ground ginger

ground pepper

1-1/2 t. dried parsley

1/2 to 1 cup creme fraiche or whipping cream

croutons (optional)

Saute onions & garlic in butter in a large pan. Add squash, broth & ginger, some pepper & dried parsley; simmer until squash is done (about 15-20 min). Puree with an immersion blender. Right before serving, reheat until simmering; turn off fire and add cream. Serve with croutons if desired. Serves 8.

Bouf à l'ancienne

This recipe is from Pamela. I made it about 5 years ago and had lost the recipe, but I remember it being very yummy. I just got the recipe from her again and made it last night. Delicious.

2 lbs beef (I used stew beef), cut into smaller chunks, if needed

2 cups WHITE wine

2 tablespoons oil

3 shallots, peeled and cut in 2

6 carrots, cut in rounds

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 can diced tomatoes

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1 small can sliced mushrooms

The night before, combine everything but tomatoes and mushrooms in a large glass bowl. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Turn pieces several times.

The next day, place beef mixture in a Dutch oven, add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar, and simmer for 2 hours. Add the mushrooms and simmer another 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and serve with diced steamed potatoes (steam the potatoes while the mushrooms are simmering).

Sweet Potato Soup

We liked the flavor of this soup, but I think I'll add more sweet potato next time to make it a little thicker.

Serves 6

3/4 cup plain yogurt, divided (could also use sour cream)
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (more for a thicker soup)
3 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or cilantro
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onions and cumin and sauté 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup 20-25 minutes. Puree soup with 1/2 cup yogurt and parsley/cilantro. Serve with a dollop of remaining yogurt and sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.

Easy chicken noodle soup

We made this easy recipe tonight... made a few adjustments based on what we had. It turned out to be very good! And only took about 30 minutes.

6 cups chicken broth

3 carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2" pieces (we used breasts instead)

1 cup pasta (we used farfalle)

salt and pepper

dill weed (optional)

Bring 6 cups chicken broth to a boil. Add vegetables and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes (or until done). Add pasta for remaining 10-12 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and dill weed. Voilà!

Chunky potato soup

This soup is really good. I made it twice in one week. That means it is reeeeeally good. And it is actually healthy, too. Winner.

4-6 red potatoes

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1 1/4 cups fat free/ low sodium chicken broth

3 Tbsp flour

2 cups low-fat milk, divided

1/4 cup sour cream

salt, pepper

and for toppings:

bacon, cooked and crumbled

cheddar cheese, grated

scallions, sliced

Cook the potatoes until soft (in the microwave for 13 minutes, or in boiling water for about 20 minutes). Discard peel (you might want to do this before hand so you don't have to peel a hot potato). Meanwhile, cook onion in olive oil in a Dutch oven or pot. Add chicken broth. In a bowl, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup milk. Add to pot, along with 1 1/2 cups milk. Let cook several minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Add potatoes to pot and mash coarsely.

Sweet roasted pumpkin seeds

Doug carved a pumpkin on Saturday and we made this with the seeds:

seeds from 1 medium pumpkin

4 cups water mixed with 1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar.

Rinse seeds in water, separating stringy fiber. Boil seeds for 20 minutes in salted water. Drain seeds and place on paper towel, patting dry. Mix dried seeds with olive oil and spices. Spread out in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Roast at 250 for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Let cool- seeds will become more crisp as they cool.

Serve as appetizer, dessert, or topping for salad or chili.

Cream of Asparagus soup

This recipe was easy and good. I will add at least 2 potatoes next time to make it thicker.

2 lbs asparagus (2 bunches)
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp low fat sour cream
salt and fresh pepper to taste
In a large pot, melt better on low heat. Add onion and sauté on low for about 2-3 minutes. Add potato to the pot with the onions. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard. Chop the asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Saute onion, potato, and asparagus in butter. Add chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cover and cook about 20-25 minutes or until asparagus is very tender. Remove from heat, add sour cream and transfer in batches to blender, puree until smooth.

Spinach Soup

Spinach Soup

recipe from Pamela

serves 8

20 oz frozen chopped spinach

1 onion, sliced

1/2 cup water

3 1/2 - 4 cups chicken stock

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

pinch pepper

1 cup light cream (or several dollops creme fraiche)

dash nutmeg

Cook spinach with onion and water until tender. When cooled a little, pour into blender, add one cup broth, puree. Melt butter in pan, add flour, salt and pepper, and add remaining broth, bring to a boil. Add spinach mixture, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add cream and nutmeg. Serve garnished with lemon slices.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Pamela's Boef Bourguignon... which was delicious!

Boeuf Bourguinon

(serves 8)

1/2 lb bacon, cut up

1 3/4 lbs stew meat, cut up

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup beef bouillon

2 cups red wine

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

pepper

thyme

1 bay leaf

4 carrots, sliced

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon butter

10 oz frozen peas

egg noodles, rice, or steamed potatoes

Fry bacon, remove from pan. Brown meat, add onion, flour, bacon, bouillon, wine, garlic, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, carrots, and tomatoes. Simmer, covered for 2 hours. Add peas, simmer until peas are done al dente. Serve very hot over noodles/rice/potatoes.

***This recipe is best when served next day, so you could cook 1 hour, stop cooking, and cook 1 hour next day. Don't thicken sauce until last minute.

Potage de Cresson (Watercress soup)

Pamela made this for lunch today- it was very good, light, and versatile. It was also VERY easy.

Potage de Cresson

(about 3 servings)

4 large potatoes, peeled, and cut into small chunks

6 oz fresh watercress

1 quart water

salt and pepper (or you could add a bouillon cube for flavor)

creme fraiche

Cook the potatoes and watercress in the seasoned water. When the potatoes are tender, put soup into a blender (or use immersion blender) to puree and blend. Return to the pot and add a dollop of creme fraiche or more until desired consistency. Serve with croutons.

Sweet Cornbread Croutons

Last week I made a salad with these croutons on top. They were a great alternative to regular croutons. They would be good on soup also.

Sweet Cornbread Croutons

-1 batch of cornbread, Jiffy or Jiffy-like, for example, prepared the day before or a few hours earlier and cooled

-melted butter

Cut the prepared cornbread into 1" cubes. Arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until beginning to brown, turning the cubes over halfway through. Serve over salad or soup. Store extra croutons in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze.

French Onion Soup

This was DELICIOUS!!

I cut the recipe in half since it was just two of us... you could also make the whole recipe (as follows, 8 servings) and then freeze what you don't eat.

French Onion Soup

6 tablespoons butter

4 pounds onions (about 6), thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups beef broth (or 2 cups water mixed with 2 beef bouillon cubes)

8 slices country bread or 16 slices baguette

2 cups Gruyere or Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or a little dried thyme)

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt (less if you are using salted butter), 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium/low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until onions are golden brown, 45 minutes to one hour.

Return heat to medium and add wine and cook about 2 minutes. Increase heat, add beef broth and 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast bread, place on a baking sheet, and top with cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted, 1 or 2 minutes.

Place bread into each bowl and pour soup on top. Top with thyme.

Creamy Potato Soup

I had a little extra evaporated milk after making pumpkin pie, so I found this recipe on Carnation's website. It was so simple, and Doug loved it!

Creamy Potato Soup

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 lbs potatoes (about 2 large potatoes), peeled and chopped into 1/4" pieces

3 1/2 cups water

1 chicken bouillon cube

3 tablespoons flour, mixed with 1/4 cup water

1 can evaporated milk

Heat oil in a large saucepan and saute onions for 1 or 2 minutes. Add potatoes, water, and bouillon, and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add flour mixed with water and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in milk and bring to a simmer. Serve with cheddar cheese, green onions, or bacon bits

Roasted Garlic Beef Stew

My sweet friend Anna Rose got me a Bon Appétit magazine daily calendar for Christmas... last night I made one of the recipes and it turned out great! I made a few variations...

Roasted Garlic Beef Stew

(4 servings)

15 garlic cloves (unpeeled)

6 tablespoons butter, divided

2 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 large or 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces

1/3-1/2 lb beef tenderloin, cut into 1" pieces

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons flour, divided

2 beef bouillon cubes stirred into 2 cups hot water

1 cup red wine

Herbes de Provence

Preheat oven to 350. Place garlic in a small baking dish and top with 2 tablespoons butter. Bake for about 15-20 minutes (butter melts, garlic is tender and beginning to brown). Remove from oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile, peel and dice vegetables and set aside. Next, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy large pot over high heat. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper and dust with 1 tablespoon flour. Add beef to pot and saute until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Transfer beef to a bowl. Add vegetables, broth, wine, and herbes de Provence to pot. Peel garlic and add to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 25 minutes. Return beef and juices to pot. Mix remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl. Whisk flour paste into stew. Simmer uncovered until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.

Coq au vin

When I was in college, Dr. Prill, the main French teacher, and her husband would have the French students over once a semester for a huge French feast. We would walk in and breathe in the wonderful aroma of the traditional French stew, Coq au Vin. Traditionally this was rooster slow-cooked in wine to make the meat more tender... I have always had it with regular chicken. This recipe can be adjusted based on the time you have to prepare it... for a crockpot: cut the liquid in half and cook on low for 6 hours. For a dutch oven, use 2/3 of the liquid and cook on the stove on low for 3-4 hours. If you only have an hour or 2, follow this recipe using a stock pot(adapted from this Whole Foods recipe and this Emeril recipe and another recipe I did at a Salud class that I cannot currently locate) :

Coq au Vin

serves about 6

(adjust ingredients and quantities based on your preferences... you really can't go wrong!)

-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

-a pie plate filled with flour (about a half cup), seasoned with salt and pepper

-1/2 lb thick bacon, diced

-a couple of tablespoons of olive oil

-2 cups chopped yellow onion (if you are slow-cooking, just cut into quarters or sixths... you can also use pearl onions)

-1 lb white, button, or baby bella mushrooms, quartered

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1 shallot, diced

-2 or 3 carrots, cut into chunks

-2 cups chicken broth

-3 cups red wine

-2 sprigs thyme

Coat chicken on both sides with seasoned flour and set aside. Fry bacon until crispy, and move to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Brown the floured chicken in the bacon grease, about 2 minutes per side. Set chicken aside. Adding olive oil when necessary, sautee the onions until tender, and place in a stock pot. Brown the mushrooms, add to pot. Sautee shallots and garlic, add to pot. Sautee the carrots, add to pot. Cover the vegetables with broth and turn burner on medium-high. Add chicken, bacon, wine, and thyme and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour (or turn burner lower and simmer longer). Remove thyme before serving.

You have several options for serving... serve in a bowl as a stew, serve on a plate over couscous, mashed potatoes, or beside a crusty baguette.

Mmmm Tomato Soup!

This is my friend Lisa's amazing tomato soup... it is so delicious! Great with a grilled cheese or salad! Can be made ahead of time and frozen!

Lisa’s Light Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 quart canned tomatoes (or 3 lbs ripe)

3 cloves chopped garlic

7 leaves fresh basil

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

Cook tomatoes, garlic, and basil in a large saucepan 10-15 minutes or until tomatoes liquefy. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Remove basil. Puree tomatoes and garlic in a food processor or blender. Return mixture to pot, season with brown sugar, salt, and pepper, heat thoroughly.

Chunky Chili

This recipe is a good starting point... add more tomatoes, pepper, onions, or beans as you prefer. Eliminate beef and add more beans for a vegetarian meal.

Chunky Chili

1 lb lean ground beef (or omit for a veggie meal)

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

2 16oz cans diced tomatoes, un-drained

1 15oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup salsa

Toppings:

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup diced onions

4 teaspoons sliced black olives

sour cream

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add beef, onion, and pepper; cook until beef is browned. Drain fat. Place beef mixture, chili powder, tomatoes, beans, and salsa in slow cooker; stir. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until flavors are blended and chili is bubbly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cheese, onions, olives, and sour cream. OR, let chili cool and place in freezer bags for later!