Adventures in the Kitchen» Soups

Giving Thanks (Butternut Squash Apple Soup Recipe)

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:50:32 +0000

I asked the boys where they wanted to go to dinner Friday night. Chase screamed Bruxie’s and excitedly shared how amazing it was. Luke agreed so we made the trek to the new one on Birch Street. There was a line, but it went pretty quickly. The boys were both in rare form, cracking each other up. You know what I mean, that crazy stupid humor only your brother or sister gets. Amazed, I watched my little nephew finish off the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Bruxie. He really loves Bruxie! We talked and laughed and then moved on to our favorite store – Target.

We start making our lists and weighing our options early. I have a lot to be thankful for this year but my time with them is at the top of my list. I know there will be a day that running down the Dollar (with inflation now $2.50) Aisle and playing with all the camera’s won’t be cool but I cherish my time with them now. I want to stop and take in the holiday’s this season. I don’t want to miss the moments. The other night Livi rattled off a list of all the things and people she was thankful for. Remember those days when our hearts were so full they overflowed with thanks?

I want that heart that is gushing and grateful. I want thanks to flow quickly and without hesitation for all that God has done this year. I want to give as generously as I have been given. I want to give more this Thanksgiving season. My friend Sam is also pondering Thanksgiving today, so go over and visit her at Scrappy Sam. I’d love to hear what you are most thankful for this year. Leave a comment and be entered to win a Food for Talk box. Wednesday I will choose a winner. Now to share that recipe with you–it’s a food blog right?

On Thanksgiving I usually serve up Pumpkin Soup but thought I’d try a Butternut Squash Apple Soup. I looked at several recipes and ended up trying Ina’s because I was intrigued that is only called for water and apple cider. I had a spiced apple cider which turned out to be perfect.

I cheated and used a bag of pre-cut butternut squash from Trader Joe’s. Sometimes you need to take the shortcuts that we are lucky enough to have at our disposal. It made making this delicious soup a cinch.

I was thinking these would be cute served in shot glasses as an amuse bouche for Thanksgiving Dinner. It is a warm way to start your meal.

Don’t forget to download your free 8 Steps to Hosting A Cookie Exchange here and get your Christmas Cookie Exchange Printables by signing up for the Adventures In the Kitchen newsletter. If you already subscribe, leave a note in the comments and I will send it to you! Don’t forget to stop by Samantha’s blog and say hi!

Butternut Squash Apple Soup Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

3 1/2 quarts

Serving Size: 1 cup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons mild curry powder
5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups good apple cider or juice

Instructions

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.
Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.
Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.

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2011 Cheri Liefeld

Baked Potato Soup

cheri — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 06:38:32 +0000

I love potatoes. Baked, mashed, gratin, fried, they are all good. Last year I saw a recipe from Cooking Light for a Baked Potato Soup. After a crazy few weeks today seemed like the perfect day for a comforting bowl of soup.

The soup tastes so good you will assume it is rich and bad for you but this is a lightened up version. It tastes like a loaded baked potato. On the website it says the soup is one of their favorite recipes and I can see why. I was surprised how much I liked it and how easy it is.

I improvised the recipe a bit using regular cheddar cheese and sour cream only because that is what I had on hand but I have included the reduced fat version in the recipe. I made the soup a little chunky but you could puree smooth if that is your preference. Serve with a salad and you have a satisfying weeknight meal for your family.

Don’t forget to jump over here and take the Family Meals survey. You will be entered to win a copy of Tyler Florence’s Family Meals cookbook. Thank you for taking the time.

Baked Potato Soup

Adapted from a recipe by Cooking Light

4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
7 ounces reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, set aside 3 tablespoons for topping
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onions, divided
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 400°.

Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. Discard skins(or set aside for baked potato skins.)

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place butter in a large Dutch oven and melt. Slowly add flour and gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Add mashed potatoes, cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream and 1/3cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Sprinkle each serving with cheese, onions, and bacon.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Puff Pastry and a Giveaway

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:03:47 +0000

I’ve been serving up sweet after sweet here and thought it might be time to take a break from Holiday Baking. Today I am serving up a delicious Roasted Pepper Soup with Puff Pastry.

Years ago I visited Domaine Chandon in Napa and had this amazing dinner that started with a Tomato Soup topped with puff pastry. It was one of my most memorable meals. A few months ago at The Bistro Jeanty, their tomato soup tasted familiar to me. Looking up the recipe it turns out the chef that created the soup at Domaine Chandon later opened up Bistro Jeanty. I was so happy.

I looked at the recipe and caught my breath. It called for 4 cups of heavy cream. 4 cups. No wonder if was so amazing. I just couldn’t do it though – make a dish with 4 cups of heavy cream. So, I created a plan to combine my favorite Roasted Red Pepper Soup with the Puff Pastry dome. It is from Mozza’s Nancy Silverton and I never tire of this recipe. I have made it several times leaving out the cream completely for a low calorie meal.

I wish my pastry had puffed into a beautiful dome but alas that did not happen. Overall I have to say that the outcome was successful. With only 1/4 – 1/2 cup of cream I achieved a very satisfying dish.

To celebrate I am hosting a giveaway by Tate’s Bakeshop. They sent me a lovely cookbook and a sampling of their cookies for review. The chocolate chip cookies were outstanding. I can’t wait to whip up a batch of them using the recipe from the cookbook. I loved how crispy they cookies were. The sampler includes Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Macademia Nut and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

Best of all they are giving one reader the the same gift pack and the Tate’s Bakeshop Cookbook. Here is how you enter:

1. Comment below sharing what your favorite holiday cookie is.
2. For additional entries like Adventures In The Kitchen and Tate’s Bakeshop Facebook Pages and leave a comment below.
3. For a final entry follow me on Twitter.

In addition they are offering Adventures In The Kitchen readers a 15% discount off any tatesbakeshop.com purchase. Enter “cookie” when they ask for a discount code. The offer is good through December 31, 2010.

The contest will end Friday at 5 pm Pacific Standard Time.Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Puff Pastry

Adapted from Mark and Nancy Silverton’s At Home Cookbook

Serves 6

4 large red bell peppers
1 large onion, coarsey chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream

2 puff pastry sheets
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place two 24 inch long sheets of aluminum foil one lengthwise and one across the side. Place the peppers and onion on the foil, sprinkle with garlic, crushed pepper, fresh chili, salt, and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap securely so that no juices will escape and place the cookie sheet in the upper third of the oven. Bake for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and let cool without opening the foil. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the peppers, cut them in half, and scrape the seeds and core from the inside.

Place the roasted peppers and vegetables, along with any liquid that has accumulated in the oil, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Puree until smooth. Add the chicken broth, water and cream. Pulse until combined. Pour into a nonreactive bowl, cover, and refrigerate for several hours or as long as overnight.

When ready to serve heat the oven to 450 degrees. Ladle the soup into 6 oven safe bowls.

Roll out the puff pastry to 1/4 inch. Cut into 6 rounds slightly larger than your cups. Paint the dough with the egg wash and turn the circles, egg wash side down, over the tops of the cups, pulling lightly on the sides to make the dough somewhat tight like a drum. Try not to allow the dough to touch the soup. These may be made up to 24 hours in advance and covered with plastic in the refrigerator.

Lightly paint the top of the dough rounds with egg wash with out pushing the dough down. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. Do not open the oven in the first several minutes of cooking as the dough may fall. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Apple Soup with Cran Apple Relish, Plus A Winner

cheri — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:11:28 +0000

Today is Thanksgiving and is always a time to reflect on what we are most grateful for. I remember as a little girl being so excited and the anticipation leading up to going to my grandparents. Both my great grandmothers or Nana’s as I called them and my Papa Wells were around through my junior high years.

Up until I was 7 years old I was an only child and only grandchild so let’s just assume I was well doted on. I loved the big meal and sitting around the table talking. The pretty china that would have been laid out and the food so lovingly prepared.

Today I will go to my aunts and share a meal we have all contributed to. I look forward to hearing my niece and nephews as their simple thoughts of thankfulness.

I am bringing a Cranberry Caramel Tart and Pumpkin Soup. Pumpkin Soup seems like the perfect way to start the meal. It is warm and comforting to the soul.

I am so thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful for a job in a year where many have struggled to find work. I am thankful my new little dog Max and the laughter he brings me. I am thankful for each of you taking the time to visit my blog and let me share my love of food and cooking.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Oh, and I almost forgot Sharon won the cookbook! Thank you to everyone who participated. I wish each of you a blessed day!

Pumpkin Apple Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
2 McIntosh apples, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
3 cups chicken broth
1 can (15oz) pumpkin
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup heavy cream

Chili Cran-Apple Relish
adapted from Rachael Ray

1 crisp apple, McIntosh or Granny Smith, finely chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons hazelnuts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup died sweetened cranberries, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a 4 to 5 quart pan, melt butter and olive oil over high heat. Add onion, apples garlic, pumpkin pie spice, and cayenne and stir frequently until pan is dry and onions are soft.

In a blender or food processor puree onion mixture until smooth.

Return puree to pan; add chicken broth, pumpkin, honey and cream. Bring to a boil, stirring over high heat.

Ladle soup into shallow bowls.

For the topping mix the ingredients in a small bowl.

Pumpkin Spice Mix

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Stir all the spices together in a bowl to make 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie mix.

Tortilla Soup and a Food Styling Workshop

cheri — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:47:12 +0000

Adolescent Medicine Rockwall

This weekend I went to the Food Styling and Photography Class put on by Food Fanatics. Denise Vivaldo and Cindie Flannigan taught the food styling portion and Matt Armendariz of MattBites.com taught the food photography.

I had a blast. Denise, Cindy and Matt were so cool. If I didn’t have to make a living I’d be following them around. They all love what they do and it shines through.

The first day we had several demonstrations on preparing food for the camera. So many tools and secrets to making the food photograph well. I am going to write a post about the class.

Sunday was the photo shoot day. We each picked a dish to photograph and had the luxury of selecting props from Matt’s amazing prop collection. It inspired me to go home, clean the garage and organize all my kitchen and linen items so they can be more accessible. Of course, I also want a new camera, a photo studio and a better knowledge of how to work my camera!

I have been struggling with how to photograph soup so I brought my Tortilla Soup to photograph. Thanks to their tips and trade secrets I have a beautiful photo of one of my favorite soups.
Tortilla Soup

Adapted from The Pastry Queen Cookbook

8 plum tomatoes
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
4 cups chicken stock
1 dried ancho chile pepper
1 (28-ounce) can peeled tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne, for heat (optional)
3-4 cooked, shredded chicken breasts
8-10 oz corn, fresh or frozen (thawed)

For garnish:
1 Avocado, peeled and sliced
Tortilla chips or strips
1 plum tomatoes, diced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Sour cream

To make the soup:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the plum tomatoes in half. Spread 1 Tbsp of the olive oil on a baking sheet or pizza pan and arrange the tomatoes on top, skin side up. Drizzle the tomatoes with another 1 Tbsp of the olive oil. Roast the tomatoes for 35 minutes, until the skins wrinkle and the tomatoes are slightly brown around the edges.

Business Government Grants

Heat the remaining olive oil in a heavy-bottomed, 4-qt soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and saute about 5 minutes, until the vegetables become soft. Stir in the chili powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, 1 cup water, and ancho chile. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover, decrease the heat and simmer about 15 minutes, until the ancho chile softens.

Remove the chile from the soup and pull off and discard the stem. Cut the chile in half and discard the seeds, if desired. (Leaving the seeds in makes for a spicier soup, I left them in.) Place the softened chile, the canned tomatoes with their juices and the roasted tomatoes (included as much as possible of the juices and browned tomato bits) in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Puree the chile-tomato mixture about 1 minute. Transfer the chile-tomato mixture to the soup and continue simmering, covered, about 1 hour.

Add salt and pepper to taste and ground red pepper (if using) along with the cooked chicken. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels from the cobs, add the corn to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes. If using frozen corn, add it to the soup and gently heat until corn is hot. (If freezing, stop here and allow the soup to cool before transferring to “leftover” containers and freezing. It keeps for at least two months).

Ladle the soup into medium bowls. Lean 3 to 4 slices of avocado against the edge of each bowl, partially sticking out of the soup. Arrange the tortilla chips or strips in a similar way. Sprinkle each bowl with a handful of diced tomatoes, some cilantro, and shredded cheese. Top with a spoonful of sour cream. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature.

For more heat – add 1 chipotle pepper to the food processor with the tomatoes and chile.

Grilled Spicy Corn Soup

cheri — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:15:27 +0000

Autumn makes me think of soup on the stove. My favorites are Roasted Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper. A creature of habit, I make those several times a season. In the process of checking out several new blogs I found a corn soup that had chipotle chilies in it. I just couldn’t get past the 4 cups of half and half so I researched other recipes and put this one together. This one utilizes more broth and less half and half. While I am sure it is less creamy I hope you find it a lighter alternative.

Spicy Corn Soup
inspired by Use Real Butter and Food Network.com

6 medium ears of sweet corn, grilled and cut off the cob?1 chipolte pepper, seeded & chopped
1 clove garlic, minced?1 large yellow onion, minced?4 cups low sodium chicken broth?1 1/2 cups half and half
Salt and pepper to taste?cumin, to taste
relish?by Use Real Butter
reserved grilled corn?1 tbsp red bell pepper, diced?1/8 tsp jalapeno pepper, minced?1 tbsp honey?3 tbsps white vinegar?salt to taste
Divide the corn in half.
Saute the onion and garlic until softened. Combine half the corn with the onion, garlic, chilis, spices, and half of the broth in a food processor and pulse until it forms a coarse paste. Add more broth as needed. Leave it a little chunky or process until smooth depending on what you like. Empty the contents into a saucepan and stir in the half and half. Heat to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. If you want the fullest flavor, reduce the volume of the soup by half.
Mix the relish ingredients together in a bowl and cover for at least an hour. Serve the soup with the relish.

Tortilla Soup

admin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:03:20 +0000

Don’t forget, today is the last day to enter the BBQ giveaway contest.

The picture does not do this soup justice. I had found that soup is just a great standby, even once the chill thaws a bit. I kept seeing recipes for tortilla soup and finally decided to give it a try. I have a chicken tortilla soup that is one of my favorites but I found myself tempted each time I saw one of these recipes.

This soup is healthy, spicy and full of flavor. If you make the baked chips you get the low cal version but still the crunch factor. The great thing about soup is that you can freeze part of it for later.

I created my own recipe after looking over several others. Most called for jalapeno peppers but I substituted it for a chipotle pepper. If you want to you could add some fresh corn to the soup at the very end.

Tortilla Soup

2 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
/4 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 chipotle pepper finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 28 ounce can plum tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush both sides of each tortilla with oil, using 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cut the tortillas in half, then cut each half into 1/4-inch wide strips. Arrange the strips on a baking sheet, sprinkle with the salt, and bake until crisp and golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoons of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Add the broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice.

Remove the pan from the heat and puree with an immersion blender or in 2 batches in a regular blender until the soup lightens in color but chunks of tomato remain, about 30 seconds. Serve the soup topped with the tortilla strips, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkle of cilantro.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

admin — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:27:00 +0000

This week we were teased by cool fall weather here in Southern California. Teased in between 90 degree days. Fall is my favorite time of year.

I might have mentioned that I was a picky eater growing up. Soups were not on my menu. Boy, did I miss out. Cooking has opened up the door for foods I never would have tried. This was one of the first soups I made at home. It is from Mark and Nancy Silverton’s At Home cookbook.

The recipe is fairly easy. You put everything in foil, seal it all up and roast. The only time consuming part is when you have to peel and clean the peppers.

The soup has so much flavor and is pretty healty, minus the cream. This makes for a great meal hot served with a salad or serve it cold during the summer as a starter.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Adapted from Mark and Nancy Silverton’s At Home Cookbook

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Place two 24 inch long sheets of aluminum foil one lengthwise and one across the side. Place the peppers and onion on the foil, sprinkle with garlic, crushed pepper, fresh chili, salt, and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap securely so that no juices will escape and place the cookie sheet in the upper third of the oven. Bake for 1 hour.

3. Remove from the oven and let cool without opening the foil. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the peppers, cut them in half, and scrape the seeds and core from the inside.

4. Place the roasted peppers and vegetables, along with any liquid that has accumulated in the oil, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Puree until smooth. Add the chicken broth and water and pulse until combined. Pour into a nonreactive bowl, cover, and refrigerate for several hours or as long as overnight.

5. When ready to serve, whisk the cream in a medium bowl just until airy and light. Ladle the soup into 6 bowls and carefully float 2 tablespoons of cream in the center of each. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Serves 6

Roasted Tomato Soup

admin — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:53:55 +0000

Today I made my favorite soup. It is Ina Garten’s Roasted Tomato Soup. I love it because it is bursting with flavor and is earthy and very rustic. The Goat Cheese Biscuits I talked about earlier would be a great side to this soup.

While it might take a while, most of it waiting for the tomatoes to roast, it is worth the effort.