Soup 28: Fall Brodo with Acorn Squash

Still a little behind on my soup blogging since I made this months ago, but this soup can be made all winter long.  This recipe was appealing because of the all the awesome garnishes. Bacon. Cheese. Need I say more?
The recipe stressed a high quality broth, so I jazzed up the canned stuff.  I let 6 cups broth simmer with celery, carrots, onion, parsley and thyme for half an hour.

Short-cut chicken broth

While that simmered, I prepared the veggies for the soup.  I halved the acorn squash, cleaned out the seeds and peeled and cubed the squash.  I then chopped the chard, discarding the stalks.  So far, easy!

Acorn squash

And then my favorite part.  I cooked the bacon until crispy, and set aside the bacon for garnish.  I used a bit of the bacon grease to saute the chopped onions until browned.  I then added the stock and squash and pasta and simmered until tender, about 15 minutes.  A note about the pasta, I used mini bow tie pasta, and it worked perfectly.  I wanted the veggies to play a larger part in this soup than the pasta, but the regular size would work fine too if that is what you have in your pantry.  The last step was to add the chard and cook for 1 or 2 minutes more.  Oh, and season with salt and pepper, of course.

Serve immediately with crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese

This soup was a great winter meal.  It was hearty and satisfying and was a great combo of flavors.  Savory bacon and cheese with bitter chard and the sweetness of the squash.  Yummy.  The ingredients were quite affordable, too.   My only complaint is that the soup really should be served and eaten immediately and makes only for so-so left overs.  The pasta and squash really absorbed the liquid and became quite overcooked after reheating.  The taste was still good, albeit a smidge bitter from the chard, so I still had the leftovers for my lunch, but overall, this was much more enjoyable right out of the pot.

1 1/2 pound acorn squash / farmer's market / $3.00
1 bunch Swiss chard / farmer's market / $2.00
6 slices bacon / Safeway / $3.69
1 cups chopped onion / from home
8 cups chicken broth / Smart & Final / $2.49
1 cup bow tie pasts / Safeway / $2.49 (mini bow tie works best)
salt / from home
cayenne pepper / from home
1/2 Parmesan cheese / from home


Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45 min
Servings: 6
Taste: 4 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $13.67 ($2.28 per serving)

Week 20: Summer Minestrone

Usually I'd be a little annoyed by rain in June, but since I need a tan and I am still in the mood for soup, I don't mind it so much. The challenge was to find a hearty, warm summer soup in my cook book, but I found something and added some stuff to make it a satisfying meal on a rainy day. The family loved it, and I'm still eating leftovers even thought the sun finally came out.

Basically this was a minestrone soup with summer veggies but the addition of pesto mixed in really gave it a unique flavor. Also, since I was going for something a little heartier, I added the green beans and wax beans and also the cannelli beans. I also threw in a little extra pasta.

This was my first shot at making a homemade pesto. The recipe actually calls it "pistou" which, I think, the difference is the absence of pine nuts. It was super easy to make; I put the basil, Parmesan and garlic in the food processor and pulsed a few times. I then added the olive oil in a stream and pulsed until the pistou was smooth. I saved it in a small dish to be served in the soup.

The soup was also quick and easy to make. I brought the broth to a boil, added the tomatoes, pasta and onion & cayenne and cooked for 10 minutes. I then added the squash, beans, & green beans and cooked for another 5 minutes. I seasoned with salt and pepper and the soup was good to go!

I served the soup with the pistou on the side and let the family add their own. I added a good couple spoonfuls to mine. The family was a little more reserved, but tried some and really liked it. My only disappointment was that the leftovers soaked up most of the remaining broth in the fridge overnight, so I had to add more broth to eat leftovers the next day.

Looks like the weather is getting more summer-like now, so you will begin to see more cold soups in the upcoming weeks.... stay tuned.

Ingredients
4 medium tomatoes / $2.50 / Farmer's Market
1 pound small yellow and green summer squash / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
1/2 pound green beans & wax beans / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
1 can cannellini beans / $0.89 / Trader Joe's
8 cups vegetable broth / 2 @ $1.99 / 3.98 / Trader Joe's
1 1/2 cup small penne pasta / $0.99 / Trader Joe's
1/2 cup diced red onion / $0.50 / Farmer's Market
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper / from home

Pistou
1/2 cup basil leaves / $1.00 / Farmer's Market
1 teaspoon chopped garlic / from home
3 tablespoons olive oil / from home
6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese / from home

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $13.86

Week 17: Risotto Soup

I've been curious about this soup since the first time I looked over the recipe. But I was a little afraid to make the risotto and it also called for a homemade broth, which takes time but is usually worth it. But since I made some extra broth last week, all that was left was learning how to make risotto...

For the broth, I used "short-cut chicken broth" that I had frozen from last week. I simmered 8 cups canned chicken broth with 1 1/2 cups onions, 2 celery stocks, 2-3 medium carrots, 2 sprigs of Italian parsley and 1/2 teaspoon thyme. After 20 minutes, strain and then it's ready to go, much tastier than the canned stuff.

The risotto was not so easy. Definitely a dish to make while drinking a glass (or 2) of wine! It's not hard so much as time consuming and requires a ton of attention and pretty much non-stop stirring. Simmer 3 1/2 cups broth in a separate pan. Saute shallots in butter until cooked and translucent. Add rice and cook until opaque (about 3-4 minutes). Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, stirring constantly until all liquid is dissolved. Continue to add broth 1/2 cup at a time, each time ensuring the broth has been absorbed. Stir often so that rice does not stick. The rice was still a little under cooked for me by the time the last of the broth was used up. I used a bit of water to cook the rice longer until the desired texture. Lastly, I added parmesan cheese.

The final step was to bring the rest of the both to a simmer and add the veggies. I used asparagus, mushrooms and green onions. These cooked quickly in the broth.

I served each bowl with a scoop of risotto in the middle and ladled in the broth and veggies. Sooo yummy. The broth was definitely worth the extra time. The risotto kept a nice texture in the broth and the asparagus and mushrooms were awesome too. The original recipe actually called for snap peas cut thinly for this soup, but the snap peas didn't look very good at the store and asparagus was on sale, so i opted for that. Glad I did. This was a hearty meal in itself, but a smaller portion made for a great first course. My girlfriends and I ate it with chicken in a mushroom sauce and the whole meal was delish! Can't wait to make this again, even with the stirring. And making the risotto wasn't too bad, but glad I gad that glass of wine and my girlfriends to keep me company through all the stirring.


Prep time: 10 minutes (not including broth)
Cook time: 40 minutes (not including broth)
Servings: 5-6
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: takes some attention
Cost: $7.49 for broth, $8.58


Ingredients

Chicken Broth:
8 cups chicken broth / $2.49 / Smart & Final
2 onions / from home
2 celery stalks / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
2 medium carrots / 6 for $2.00 / Farmer's Market
2 Italian parsley sprigs $1.00 per bunch / Farmers' market
1/2 tsp Thyme / from home

Risotto Soup:
1/2 cup shallots / @2.99/lb = $1.76 / Whole Foods
1/2 pound asparagus / $3.99/lb = $0.84 / Whole Foods
1 bunch green onions / $0.99 / Whole Foods
4 oz crimini mushrooms /$4.99/lb = $2.30 Whole Foods
Grated parmesan cheese / from home
1 cup Aborio rice / 2.69 / Whole Foods


The girls eating Risotto Soup

Week 16: Penne & Aspargus in Parmesan Broth

Given my love for cheese, I've been looking forward to making this soup for weeks. The only thing stopping me was the fact that I'd have to make the broth and track down what I thought was going to be a hard-to-find ingredient. But all-in-all, this soup wasn't too hard to make and eating it was sooooo worth any trouble.

First off, this soup is all about the broth. Luckily, my awesome cookbook gave me an idea on how to doctor up a store bought broth, and it works amazingly. Basically just simmer regular store bought broth with onions, carrots, celery stalks and Italian parsley and thyme for 20 minutes. I even made and extra batch and froze it for future brothy soups.

This soup broth, though, calls for parmesan cheese rinds to add an incredibly interesting flavor to the broth. Not knowing that I could just purchase the rinds, I almost used the back up plan the cookbook offered and spooned in grated parmesan once the soup was ready to serve. I was worried I'd have to buy several full pieces of cheese with rinds in order to have enough to flavor the broth, and that would have cost a fortune. But I figured, I wanted the full effect, so I called up Whole Foods and they said they did sell Parmesan with the rinds (Nob Hill, Trader Joe's and Safeway did not). Once I got to Whole Foods, after walking around the cheese section looking confused but too stubborn to ask, I caught a glimpse of a huge parmesan display with just rinds for sale in a little container. Jackpot! And this helped keep the cost down too! The rinds simmered in the store-bought broth with the veggies and herbs for 20 minutes. I strained the broth and then it was ready to go! The smell was amazing and the broth was delicious enough to drink on its own. Not sure what the effect of just sprinkling in grated parmesan before serving would have been, but I can't imagine it would have been the same. This came out too good to skimp the next time I make it.

To complete the soup I cooked the pasta for 5 minutes less than the package directions. I then added the asparagus and green onions and cooked for a few minutes more. Finally, I added the peas and cooked for another few minutes. While this was happening, I sliced some prosciutto and crisped it in a fry pan until crispy. This can be added with grated parmesan for a garnish. And that's it. Soup's on! This soup is 5 stars all the way. Even my dad, Mr. Meat & Potatoes loved it. AND my dear friend who is less than experimental with his food was pretty impressed too... AND my foody girlfriend Cat came and took some in a tuperware to heat up for her lunch that day. I appreciate the shout out she gave to me on Facebook, but also kinda wish I had kept that last serving for myself. Hahaha.
I can't wait to make this again. Although the broth is intended to be the star of this dish, I did add more pasta and peas than the recipe called for to make more of a hearty meal. I would also increase the asparagus next time too. I will also try a different kind of pasta too because my penne was a little big and hard to eat with a spoon.

The soup was a little pricier per serving than the last few, but considering this was a meal in itself, $26 for 6 servings is a pretty economic meal. Also, I was out of parmesan and ended up not even needing it since the broth was flavorful enough without it, so that can be skipped to cut cost if you don't have it on hand. I served it with a yummy ciabatta bread too!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: Easy
Cost: $25.84
Nutritionals: calories 242, fat 2 grams (per serving)


Ingredients
8 cups chicken broth / $2.49 / Smart & Final
2 onions / from home
2 celery stalks / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
2 medium carrots / 6 for $2.00 / Farmer's Market
2 Italian parsley sprigs $1.00 per bunch / Farmers' market
6-8 ounces parmesan cheese rinds /$3.96 / Whole Food's
2-3 cups uncoooked penne pasta / $0.99 / Trader Joe's
1 pound asparagus / $5 / Farmer's Market
1 bunch green onions / $1 / Farmer's Market
1-2 cups frozen peas (defrosted) / From home
5 ounces prosciutto (for garnish) / $3.99/ Trader Joe's
Grated parmesan cheese (for garnish) / $3.41.Trader Joe's



Feeding the troops soup!
A-bay loves his soup!

Week 4: Cauliflower & Parmesan Soup

Mmmmmmmm.... My favorite soup so far.
I think I'm going to have to add a star to the Souper Challenge rating system.

I have to say, I chose this recipe because it seemed really easy to make, and this is a busy week for me. But I do love cauliflower and I'm all about prosciutto & parmesan, so this had to be good. Also, I think the true secret to soup is to make it the night before and reheat, finish & enjoy the next day because the soup transformed over night into pure, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness--- and yes, I'm still talking about cauliflower. I did tweak the recipe a tad, adding extra parmesan and a bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice and glad I did. Can't wait to finish the leftovers.

As for the cost of the soup, everything came out to a little over $20. If you want to cut costs, I'm not sold on the creme fraiche, so that could have been substituted for plain sour cream or a heavy cream, or maybe even cream cheese. Also, I did not get the chance to stop by the farmer's market this week where leaks are $1 a bunch, so instead I purchased them at Safeway where I paid almost $5... Ouch! But with better planning, I could have saved a few bucks and kept the cost down. A cost saving tip: I froze the remainder of the broth I did not use, so I still have 4 cups of broth for next week, so technically, I could cut the cost of the broth in half, and that eases my conscience for over paying for leeks.

To make this soup, saute leeks in a bit of butter til softened. Then add cauliflower florets, chicken stock, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is very soft. Puree soup in batches and return to pot. Whisk in Parmesan cheese to taste, the recipe calls for 1/2 cup, but I'm pretty sure I put in at least twice that amount. Also whisk in the creme fraiche. You can purchase creme fraiche in the cheese section of the grocery store (I found mine at Safeway); or you can make your own using heavy cream & sour cream. I figured that by the time I purchase both ingredients I may as well buy it all ready made and save myself some time. Also, it has a pretty long shelf life, so I will be able to use it again. If you do choose to make this, whisk 1 cup cream with 1/2 cup sour cream and let stand at room temperature for 6 HOURS, then refrigerate it. Still, I'm not sure this really added much in terms of taste, so if you don't have any and don't want to buy any, I'm sure there is a substitute you could use. After the creme, season with salt. Keep in mind the Parmesan and prosciutto add saltiness too, so don't over do it. At this point, the soup was pretty good, but I felt it needed a little something. At first I added a touch more of cayenne, but quickly decided I wasn't feeling a spicy soup this week. Then I remembered about the awesome lemons my aunt brought over from her tree, so I added the juice from half of a really big, juicy lemon. The citrus gave it a little tang without being overpowering. I'll definitely keep the lemon in the recipe.

This was the point I refrigerated the soup overnight. It was pretty good when it went in the refrigerator, but, OMG, soooooo good reheated the next day. Reheat over medium heat. Sautee prosciutto strips until crisp and browned. The prosciutto was totaly completed the soup by adding a more savory taste. Although this soup was amazing, it's definitly more of a starter and not so much a meal. Just like you wouldn't eat a head of cauliflower for dinner, this soup is pretty much pureed cauliflower & cheese but SOOOO yummy! I think Parmesan is one of the least fatty cheeses (though I'm afraid to really check and confirm this), and the amount of creme in the large bowl of soup is minimal, but the flavor is very strong, so a small bowl of soup before our entree was perfect. The girls agreed and even said they would make this on their own. Yay for soup and a great week for the Souper Challenge!

Prep time:
Cook time: 20 min
Servings: 6
Taste: 5 stars!!!!
Prep: super easy
Cost: $20.66
Stores: many, but could have been just 1

Ingredients4 tablespoons butter / from home
3 cups chopped leaks (4 leaks) / $2.99 / lb = $4.81
12 cups cauliflowe florets (2 large heads) / 2 @ $1.79 = $3.58 / Real Produce8 cups chicken broth / $2.49 / Smart & Final
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper / from home
1 cup + Parmesan / from home
1/2 cup creme fraiche / $5.79 / Safeway
juice from 1 lemon / from home
salt / from home
4 ounces sliced prosciutto (more if desired) / $3.99 / Trader Joe's