All about SOUP!!!

There is nothing better than having some soup on a rainy cold day. Or even if you are having a bad day. Soup is great when you are sick and it can be comfort. Hope you enjoy these the next time you have a bad rainy day!

French Onion Soup

INGREDIENTS

4 cups thinly sliced large yellow onions (I like Spanish)

2 teaspoons sugar

2 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) beef consomme (with gelatin added)

2 cups water

2 tablespoons dry sherry (can substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + 2 tablespoons orange or pineapple juice)

Pinch of dry thyme (optional)

8 slices French bread (if using very small baguette, you may need extra)

8 ounces low-fat or fat-free Swiss or Provolone cheese.

 

PREPARATION

1. Place onions and sugar in large saucepan along with 1/4 cup of the broth. Saute for 5-10 minutes, or until onions begin to soften, stirring every minute or so. Add remaining stock and other ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cover.
2. Simmer for 15-20 more minutes, or until onions are very soft.
3. While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
4. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1/8th of the soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with low fat or fat-free cheese. 
5. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. If you don’t have oven-proof bowls, place soup in regular bowls as explained above, and either serve as is or heat in microwave until cheese melts.

A creamy soup featuring butternut squash, cream cheese and spices. Serves 6.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons onion (diced) 

4 tablespoons butter 

6 cups butternut squash (peeled and cubed) 

3 cups water 

4 bouillon cubes (chicken) 

1/2 teaspoon marjoram (dried) 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

1/8 teaspoon cayenne 

16 ounces packaged cream cheese

 

Instructions:

1. Saute the onions in the butter until tender. Mix in the squash, water, bouillon, and spices. Boil and cook for twenty minutes. 
2. Puree the squash together with the cream cheese in a blender until smooth. Pour into a saucepan, and heat; don’t boil. 

Creamy potato soup with lots of herbs. Serves 5.

Ingredients:

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed 

2 cups water 

1 large onion, diced 

1/4 cup butter, cut 

1/4 cup all purpose flour 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried and crushed 

1/4 teaspoon rosemary, dried and crushed 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

1 1/2 cups milk

 

Instructions:

1. Bring the two cups of water to a boil, cook cubed potatoes until soft. 
2. In another saucepan, grill diced onion in butter. Then add the flour, salt, herbs and spices. Slowly stir in the milk. Bring to a boil; cook while stirring for 3 minutes. Add in the cooked potatoes with this mixture; heat all together. 

 

Creamy shrimp chowder soup with cheese and potatoes. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup celery (chopped) 

1/3 cup onion (diced) 

2 tablespoons butter 

8 ounces cream cheese 

1 cup milk 

1 1/2 cups potatoes (cubed) 

1/2 pound prepared cooked shrimp (thaw and drain) 

2 tablespoons dry white wine 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Instructions:

1. Saute celery and onions in butter in a large pot. 
2. Mix in cheese and milk, stirring over low heat until the cheese melts. 
3. Mix in the potatoes, shrimp, wine and salt. Heat, stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy!

This split pea and ham recipe is a new version of an old favorite. This warm soup is perfect for the winter when you need comfort food. Serves 4.

Ingredients

8 cups of chicken broth 

1 cup of milk 

1 lb of dried split peas, rinsed 

1-2 lb of smoked ham, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

1 medium onion, thinly chopped 

2-3 carrots, chopped 

2-3 celery stalks, thinly chopped 

1 tablespoon of olive oil 

1 garlic clove, thinly chopped 

1 bay leaf

 

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot and saute onions, carrot, and celery over a medium heat. Add salt and pepper and saute for 2 minutes.
2. Add garlic, bay leaf, and the dried split peas, cook and stirring for 1 minute.
3. Add the chicken broth and smoked ham which has been cut into small pieces into the rest of the ingredients.
4. Bring to a boil, cover the soup pout, and allow it to simmer for about 1 hour, until peas are tender.
5. Remove from the heat, allow for the soup to cool, and get red of the bay leaf.
6. When you have sufficiently allowed the coup to cool down, add milk, and using a hand held blender process until you get a smooth consistency.

 The secret to making a good tomato recipe is using quality ingredients. Use the best ripe red tomatoes you can find. For a richer version of this recipe, you can add a little cream or sour cream. Serves 4.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil 

1 onion, chopped 

1 carrot, chopped 

1 celery stick, chopped 

2 garlic cloves, chopped 

1 1/2 lb of ripe tomatoes, quartered 

13 oz of canned tomatoes 

4 cups of chicken stock 

salt and pepper to taste 

1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped 

olive oil 

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the tomato has broken down.
2. Add the canned tomatoes, chicken stock and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and allow the soup to cool down a little. Puree the soup in batches in a blender.
4. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be generous with the pepper, tomato soup tastes great with a lot of pepper.
5. Serve immediately while hot and garnish with chopped basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Wonton soup is a traditional chinese recipe which is very popular. The word “won ton” actually means swallowing a cloud, and the wonton dumplings which are used for this soup are thought to resemble clouds.

Ingredients

2 dried chinese mushrooms 

5 oz of pork mince 

1 tablespoon of fresh coriander, chopped 

1 tablespoon of soy sauce 

2 teaspoons of fresh ginger, grated 

18 wonton wrappers

 

SOUP

6 1/4 cups of chicken stock 

2 dried chinese mushrooms 

1 garlic clove, halved 

fresh ginger, sliced 

1 tablespoon of soy sauce 

6 1/2 oz of thin egg noodles 

3 1/2 oz of mushrooms 

2 spring onions, sliced 

Cooking Instructions

1. Combine the chopped mushrooms, pork, coriander, soy sauce and ginger in a bowl, and mix together well.
2. Brush the edge of each wonton paper with water and place the spoonful of the pork mixture into the center of each wonton. Stick the edges together.
3. Combine stock, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer the broth for 15 minutes. Strain the soup and remove the ginger and garlic. Slice the mushrooms and return to the soup.
4. Cook the egg noodles in boiling water for a 2 minutes until tender. Drain well.
5. Add the wontons to the soup and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the noodles, mushrooms and spring onions and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender.

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