Category Archives: Soups

CHICKEN AND WHITE BEAN STEW

Posted in Poultry, Soups by

One more example of a recipe in which looks do not do it justice… This was so delicious, it goes into our regular rotation, although the weather for this type of meal is coming to an end. Comfort food without being overly heavy. Please give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

CHICKEN AND WHITE BEAN STEW
(slightly modified from The New York Times)

1 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 sage sprigs
Salt and black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained
1 bunch spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
fresh lemon juice to taste, for serving


In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and olive oil medium. When foaming, add the shallot and sage, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened and golden. Remove the sage sprigs.


Add the chicken, broth and white beans. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat.

Transfer the chicken to a bowl and smash some of the beans on the side of the pot. Stir the greens into the soup. Increase heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, while you shred the chicken. Use two forks to shred the chicken. Stir the chicken back in the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper, squirt the lemon juice right before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I love the way smashing the beans will give this stew a creamy, luscious texture, without any need to add heavy cream. I was pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it, because it is such a simple preparation. You can use kale or other hearty greens instead of spinach, and add more beans, but I lightened it up a bit from the original. Leftovers are superb even after two days in the fridge. When I had the leftovers, I added a bit of harissa to my bowl, and that was a pretty nice touch, consider incorporating it into the recipe if you like some extra spice. Because, yes… some like it hot (wink, wink).


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ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Posted in Seafood, Soups, Veggies by

And a truly amazing idea for leftovers… Read on!

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
(adapted from Naturally Nidhi)

roasting mixture:
1 medium butternut squash , cut in half
2 tbsp walnuts
3 medium Roma tomatoes , cut into halves
1 large yellow onion, halved
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Herbes de Provence

soup base:
1 + 1/2 cups water
1 cup milk
salt , to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala

toppings:
roasted pumpkin seeds
sourdough croutons
grated cheese
heavy cream or thinned yogurt drops

Heat oven to 400°F.

On a large baking tray, arrange the butternut squash halves, walnuts, tomatoes, and onion halves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt, black pepper, and Herbes de Provence. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, depending on your oven, until soft. Scoop out the roasted squash. Add all the roasted ingredients to a blender, Vitamix works best.

Pour in 1½ cups water and blend until smooth. Add more water if needed. Transfer the blended puree into a pot. Add 1 cup milk first, then more as needed to adjust the consistency. Season with Garam masala, adjust salt if needed. Warm gently for a few minutes, but do not let it boil.

Pour the soup into bowls. Add toppings, decorate with drops of heavy cream or thinned yogurt. Serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This is an amazing soup, the taste is complex, warm, absolutely wonderful on a chilly evening. If you protect the walnuts under the little hole of the butternut squash, they won’t burn during the roasting time. If some are left unprotected, check after 25 minutes or so, and remove when nicely roasted but not burned.

And now for leftovers… Full credit for the husband not only for the idea but the execution. Phil grilled lobster tails and used the meat to bring the soup back to center stage. It was absolutely outstanding! I highly recommend this combination, blew my culinary mind. To decorate, I used chili oil drops. Those little tiny drops pack a punch. A nice ingredient to have around. Big thank you to Naturally Nidhi for the recipe.

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FOR THE LOVE OF BROCCOLI

Posted in Soups, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by

Three old recipes, and a new one for you today. We have broccoli at least once weekly, and these are the recipes in rotation because we never get tired of them. Contrary to many people, we are not too wild about simply roasting broccoli because for my taste it gets a little too harsh and bitter. I much rather enjoy it in different ways, although if you invite me over for dinner and serve me roasted broccoli, I will lick my plate clean, no worries. Let’s start with the new recipe, a super simple Broccoli Soup. No cream, no special ingredients, it is simple, light and delicious…

LIGHT BROCCOLI SOUP

LOW-FAT BROCCOLI SOUP
(slightly adapted from The Spruce Eats)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cubed
4 cups broccoli, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup almond or oat milk

Heat oil on medium heat in a large stockpot. Sauté the shallot and celery for 3 to 4 minutes, until fragrant. Add the cubed potato, broccoli, broth, and milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.

Allow the soup to cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth in two batches. Return the blended soup to the pot and heat gently until ready to serve.

Top with croutons or sautéed almonds, whatever your heart desires.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here


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Comments: So far I’ve made this soup three times, and it’s been perfect each time. It has a very creamy texture, maybe it is that small amount of potato speaking. Truly magical. Try it, if you want a light but luscious soup for your dinner. Now moving on to the three oldies but goodies…

SMASHED BROCCOLI WITH CHEESE

This was originally posted last year (check the post here). It was already in the Incredibly Simple files, but I simplified it further by steaming the broccoli in the microwave, using a plastic cover recommended by my friend Marie Louise (click here to see it). I place the florets in a microwave-safe plate, with just enough water clinging to the surface from washing the florets. Place the over on top and steam for 1 minute. If already getting tender, I proceed with the smashing and roasting with cheese as described in the post. If still too tough, hear a few more seconds in the microwave.

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PAN-STEAMED BROCCOLI, ANY WAY YOU LIKE


Basic method described in this post. I usually keep it super simple. In the final 3 minutes of cooking I whisk a little olive oil with lemon juice in a small bowl. Sprinkle some salt. When the broccoli comes out of the pan, into a serving bowl it goes, and my little dressing is poured on top while the broccoli florets are super hot still. How often can you have a flavorful side dish that is ready in…. 8 minutes total? You can season it in the end in countless ways – miso, as in my post, vinaigrettes, sesame oil, anything goes.

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BROCCOLI PUREE A LA JACQUES PEPIN

Not the best picture I’ve ever taken, but this is truly delicious and I make it often. The original post is from 2014, so yes, I’ve been making it for 10 years (click here for full recipe). I now omit the brown butter and after cooking the broccoli florets until tender in salted water, I process them with full-fat yogurt, salt, pepper, and if needed a bit of the cooking water. I rarely need the water, usually I just adjust the consistency with yogurt. The spinach goes into the processor raw. I eye-ball everything, taste as I go. Once the consistency is right and the seasoning to my liking, it goes into a serving dish. If I want a little more richness, I sprinkle cheese on top and bake it until the cheese melts a bit.

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THAI CARROT AND SWEET POTATO SOUP

Posted in Soups, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by

It is not that common for me to rave about a soup, but this one leaves me no other option. Absolutely delicious, super simple to prepare, just a few ingredients give it a lift from the humble to extraordinary. I modified it quite a bit to accommodate food sensitivities, but whatever you do, do not change the almond topping. Tamari-Roasted Almonds. Superb!


THAI CARROT AND SWEET POTATO SOUP WITH TAMARI-ROASTED ALMONDS
(adapted from cookieandkate)

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ribs celery, diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon red curry paste
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
¼ cup raw almond butter
3 cups diced peeled carrots
3 cups diced peeled sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup raw almonds, finely chopped
1 heaping tablespoon tamari
Fresh lime juice

Make the roasted almonds. Heat oven to 325F. Mix almonds with tamari, spread over a small baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, until fragrant and starting to get some color. Reserve.

To make the soup: In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the celery and ginger and sauté for a couple of minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the curry paste. In a small bowl, whisk together some of the broth with the almond butter until smooth. Add the mixture to the pot, along with the carrots, sweet potatoes, salt, and remaining vegetable broth. Stir until combined.

Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on how small you cut your pieces), until the vegetables are fork-tender. Transfer the soup to a blender (a Vitamix would be awesome here), and blend in batches until super smooth. If too thick, add more vegetable broth or water. Transfer the soup back to the pot and reheat if necessary.

Serve the soup with some almonds on top and squeeze a little fresh lime.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here


Comments: This is a vegan soup, so if you need to entertain someone who follows this type of nutrition, this would be an excellent choice. Hearty, flavorful, satisfying, perfect in taste and texture. As the weather cools down, soup becomes more and more attractive. We enjoyed it with sourdough bread, a little ham and a fried egg, so let’s say it was not even close to vegan by the time we were done… I highly recommend that you incorporate the tamari-roasted almonds in your cooking, it would go well with many different soups, salads, and even pasta.

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CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Posted in Poultry, Soups by

I use the pressure cooker a lot, pretty much the whole year. I wanted to make chicken soup under pressure (the soup, not the cook), so I started by checking a few cookbooks and websites. I shall name no names, but a very very reputable source gave me a recipe that disappointed on many levels. I used it as a very loose starting point. My version got two thumbs up from me and the man I’ve been happily married with for 21 years, 11 months and 3.5 weeks. Yes, almost anniversary time for us!

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, halved
6 medium carrots, 3 halved crosswise and 3 peeled and cut into half-moons
4 stalks celery, 2 halved crosswise and 2 cut into half-moons
10 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 large chicken, cut into 8 to 10 pieces, with the skin removed, wings left with skin on
2 quarts water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 piece ginger (about 1 inch)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste, optional
Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
noodles of your choice, amount to taste

Heat the oil in your pressure cooker, add the shallots, and the large pieces of carrots and celery, season lightly with salt and pepper. Sautee until fragrant.

Add the chicken pieces, but do not include the breast. Add water, peppercorns, soy sauce and ginger. Make sure the water covers all the pieces of meat. Close the pressure cooker, and cook under pressure for 30 minutes. Release the pressure by running cold water over the lid, or if using the Instant Pot, use the rapid release method.

Strain the liquid passing it through a fine sieve. Discard all solids. You should have at least 8 cups of stock, if you have less, add water to complete the volume. Place the liquid back in the pressure cooker, or use another large stockpot. Add the breasts to the stock, then the pieces of carrots and celery reserved earlier. Simmer very gently until the breast is cooked through – it might take 20 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts.

Cook the noodles al dente and rinse them in cold water. Reserve. You’ll need about 2 cups cooked noodles for the full amount of soup.

When the breast meat is cooked, remove to a plate and shred the meat with a fork. Add it back to the stock, and add the cooked noodles. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and squirt a little lemon juice right before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I made this soup three times during this winter. First time I was worried that the noodles would get too mushy if left in the broth for a day or two, so I was trying to add them to just the amount of soup we would consume in that meal. But, there’s really no need to do that. It turns out they hold pretty well in the fridge. I just try to cook them JUST to the al dente stage.

The pressure cooker does a beautiful job intensifying flavors, so the soup is very satisfying and has a bright flavor due to the ginger and lemon. I hope you give it a try, either with a pressure cooker or the Instant Pot.

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