I spent a couple years working in Saudi Arabia, and when you live in an area so remarkable for such a short amount of time, there will always be opportunities missed. One of the things I wish I had been able to fit in while living in the Middle East was a trip to Morocco. For someone like me who thrills at the sight of handmade ceramics and carpets and the aromas of local food, this would have been the trip of a lifetime. Who knows, I may still go someday.

In the meantime, I will satisfy my senses with Moroccan flavors in my food, like this stew (tagine) I make in the slow cooker. The tagine has harissa, a traditional spice mix, and preserved lemons, both staples of Moroccan cuisine. Harissa can be quite spicy, so adjust to your heat tolerance. You can make your own harissa and preserved lemons or purchase them at international grocery stores, specialty stores, or online.

Strictly speaking, traditional tagines don’t normally require browning the meat, though they also don’t use an electric slow cooker, either. I think the difference in flavor from browning the chicken is certainly worth the extra time, and I do it here. I also skipped dried fruits, unsure as to how my guys might react to them, though I’ll throw in prunes next time because I adore them. I made the Marrakech tagine bread (the flatbread in the photo) from Paula Wolfert’s new book The Food of Morocco to go along with it, and that was an instant hit with the family, so much so that I may have to start buying semolina flour in bulk. If you like flatbread, this is one you’ll love, and I will post the recipe soon.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TAGINE WITH CHICKPEAS AND ROOT VEGETABLES

Serves 8.

Equipment

6-quart slow cooker
12-inch skillet

Ingredients

1 pound dry chickpeas, rinsed well and picked over
1 whole chicken, parts separated (or mix of whatever pieces you like), patted dry
4 tablespoons olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 teaspoons harissa sauce or powder (to taste)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 medium to large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 celery root, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
4 large carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound new red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized chunks
1/2 Moroccan preserved lemon
6 cups water

Preparation

1. Soaked the chickpeas overnight in a pot, then drain and rinse well. (Alternate method: Boil beans for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and leave covered for 1 hour, then drain.)

2. In the skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with black pepper and place the pieces in the skillet skin side down and cook just until brown, about 8 to 10 minutes per side. Place the chicken pieces in the bottom of the slow cooker and put the lid on to keep the chicken warm. Drain most of the oil out of the pan, leaving just enough to cover the bottom. Add the onions and sauté until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 2 to 3 more minutes. Pour the onion and garlic mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker and add the chickpeas. Add the harissa paste, salt, and tomato paste.

3. Add the sweet potatoes, celery root, carrots, red potatoes, and the preserved lemon, then pour the water over it all, stirring the vegetables gently to make sure they are all covered. Cover and set the temperature to low and allow to cook for 8 hours.

4. Before serving, remove the lemon and use tongs to fish out the chicken pieces, then remove the bones and skin and put the meat back into the pot. You can also serve the pieces whole on the side for those who prefer it that way. Serve with couscous, quinoa, rice, or flatbread.

More Recipes with Moroccan Flavors

More Tagine Recipes From Around the Blogs

The Perfect Pantry – Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Apricots

Alanabread – Chicken Apricot Ginger and Rosemary Tagine

The Well-Seasoned Cook – Stovetop Eggplant Tagine

Just as Delish – Beef Tagine with Couscous

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

Putting a pot of beans in the slow cooker overnight is a great way to cook a meal and have it ready the next day, and it’s also a good way to get the kids to help make the meal, too. Our son Hockey Guy, 9 years old, helped make a pot of Boston baked beans that cooked in the slow cooker, then we put them in the refrigerator and saved them for another day and reheated them in the slow cooker and they tasted even better after another couple hours of cooking.

Traditional Boston baked beans are cooked on low in the oven while covered for about eight hours, then you remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to brown the bacon and the top of the beans. With the slow cooker method you won’t get the same kind of browning, but you can achieve something similar by removing the lid for the last 30 minutes and allow some of the liquid to cook off. Serve with Boston brown bread or brown rice and a salad and you have a complete meal.

Here’s how to make it, as demonstrated by Hockey Guy.

After soaking and simmering the beans, slice the bacon (or salt pork if you can find it) and chop the onions. We used pork jowl bacon this time.

Put the onions and half the bacon in the bottom of the slow cooker and pour the soaked beans in on top.

Sprinkle the rest of the bacon on top of the beans.

Stir together the molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, and pepper, and pour it all over the beans and bacon, then pour in two cups of boiling water. Put on the lid and cook on low for 8 hours, then remove the lid for the last 30 minutes or so to allow the liquid to cook down some before serving.

Make sure to visit The Kids Cook Monday for more recipes to cook with your kids.

How Adults Can Help the Kids

• Demonstrate and assist with any tasks that might be new: measuring, stirring, pouring, chopping.
• Assign the simpler tasks, such as rinsing the beans and measuring the ingredients for the molasses mixture to the younger kids, and save the more challenging tasks for the older kids and adults.

Safety Tips

• Make sure an adult is present at all times.
• Young children should not handle sharp knives alone. Make sure an adult or older child or teenager supervises, or does the chopping.

SLOW COOKER BOSTON BAKED BEANS

Serves 4 to 6.

Equipment

large pot with lid (for soaking beans)
colander
4-quart slow cooker or Crock Pot

Ingredients

16 ounces (454 g) navy beans, rinsed well and picked over
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces (227 g) salt pork or bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup unsulphured molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups boiling water

Preparation

1. In the large pot, cover the navy beans with water and allow to soak 8 hours or overnight. Drain and cover with fresh water and add the baking soda. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the beans. (Quick soak method: Cover the beans with water, add the soda, and boil for 3 minutes. Then set aside tightly covered for 1 hour. Drain and continue to Step 2.)

2. Put half of the diced salt pork or bacon and all of the diced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker pot, then add the drained beans. Sprinkle the rest of the salt pork/bacon around the top of the beans. Stir together the molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, and pepper, and pour it on top of the beans. Pour in 2 cups of boiling water and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours and remove the lid for the last 30 minutes or so to allow the liquid to condense a little before serving.

More Kids Cook Monday Recipes

More Baked Beans Recipes From Around the Blogs

Chez Us – Homemade BBQ Baked Beans

Use Real Butter – Dinosaur-Style Bar-B-Que Beans

Dinner with Julie – Slow Cooker Guinness Baked Beans

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

I was thrilled to be invited to work with Moovision on their new online cooking show, Gourmoo Cooking. The website is a great resource for lactose-free cooking, and the show features Kristy Bernardo of The Wicked Noodle with four guests cooking with her in her home. The guests are Brandi Evans, Michelle Keith, Damaris Santos-Palmer, and me, and each of us created a recipe using lactose-free milk for the show. For my recipe, I created a lactose-free corn chowder with bacon and Yukon Gold potatoes, an easy and tasty soup for autumn.

Doing the video shoot was a lot of fun, which I wrote about in my first post for their What’s Moo? blog. I had a great time working with Kristy and everyone in the crew.

In addition to the video, I will contribute more recipes to the Moovision website, the first of which is lactose-free pumpkin flan, a delicious autumn dessert.

So check out Moovision for the other Gourmoo Cooking videos with recipes and tips on lactose-free cooking. Hope to see you there!

Follow Moovision

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moovision

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/moovision

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

It’s time for another post for The Kids Cook Monday, our chance to show how children can help in the kitchen and make meals more of a family time. For more information on how to start cooking with your whole family, visit The Kids Cook Monday website.

This particular soup is easy, I mean really easy; a perfect soup for the kids to help make. We were very proud that Builder Guy, our 8-year-old son, made this almost completely by himself, and he was proud of his work, too. The ingredients are pretty easy to find in many grocery stores, though we keep a couple small pots of basil growing in our home throughout the winter because some days we just need a little burst of summer flavor. As for the cheese, I specified Grana Padano, which is similar to Parmesan cheese, though it’s aged for a shorter time and costs a little less. We’ve been using it regularly for the last couple of years, and your local stores may carry it, too. If not, Parmesan will work just fine.

Though Monkey Boy only liked the pasta, both Top Gun and Builder Guy gave the soup two thumbs up and asked for seconds, so that’s a winner in our book.

Here’s how to make the soup, as demonstrated by Builder Guy, age 8.

Melt the butter, sauté the garlic, then add the broth and bring to a boil.

Add the tortellini and cook until it’s about half done.

Add the tomatoes and simmer.

Add the spinach and basil.

Stir, and it’s ready in about two more minutes.

How Adults Can Help the Kids

• Demonstrate and assist with any tasks that might be new: measuring, stirring, pouring, chopping, opening cans.
• Assign the simpler tasks, such as pouring and stirring, to the younger kids, and save the more challenging tasks for the older kids and adults.

Safety Tips

• Make sure an adult is present at all times.
• Young children should not handle sharp knives or hot pots. Make sure an adult or older child or teenager does the chopping.
• The broth in the pot will be hot, so be careful when adding other ingredients and watch for splatters.

Update: Thanks to Parade and Dash Recipes for featuring this soup!

SPINACH AND TORTELLINI SOUP

Adapted from Fine Cooking.

Makes 3 (adult) servings.

Equipment

4 to 5-quart heavy bottom pot with lid

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 to 8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 quart (1 liter) homemade or low-salt chicken broth
2-inch piece of rind of Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese
6 ounces (170 g) fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
14 ounces (397 g) canned diced tomatoes, with their liquid
10 ounces (284 g) spinach, washed and stemmed; coarsely chopped if larger (thawed if from frozen)
8 to 10 leaves basil, chiffonade
grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Preparation

1. In the pot, melt the butter and sauté the chopped garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and cheese rind and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and bring back to a slow boil, cooking the tortellini until it’s about half done, about 5 minutes for frozen, less for fresh.

2. Add the tomatoes and liquid, reduce the heat and cook at a simmer until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped spinach and basil and cook until the leaves wilt, about 2 more minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese.

More Kids Cook Monday Recipes

More Tortellini Recipes From Around the Blogs

Soup Chick – Tortellini Soup with Escarole and Zucchini

Food Wishes – Salmon, Spring Pea, and Ricotta Tortellini with Lemon

Cookin’ Canuck – Tortellini Soup with Pancetta, White Beans, and Swiss Chard

Chaos in the Kitchen – Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

One of the side benefits of a good summer growing season is preserving the extras to bring out when there are huge mounds of snow on the ground and summer feels very far away. Last summer we lucked out and harvested lots of bell peppers in red, yellow, and green as well as quite a few poblano peppers. We used as many as we could through the autumn, then picked the last right before frost and froze several quart bags of sliced peppers to toss in soups and chili. We also saved leftover turkey during the holidays for the same purpose, so you could technically call this a freezer chili.

The flavor is full, a little smoky from the chipotle powder, and the hearty texture fills you up. If you don’t have leftover roast turkey, you could use cooked ground turkey instead. We prepare the beans in a pressure cooker, or you can soak them overnight and cook on the stove before adding to the chili. And of course canned beans will do in a pinch.

WHITE CHILI WITH TURKEY AND CANNELLINI BEANS

Makes about 4 quarts.

Equipment

6-quart heavy bottom pot

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
2 poblano peppers, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 quarts/liters homemade turkey or chicken broth (or purchased low sodium)
2 pounds (908 g) cooked turkey, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 pound (454 g) cannellini beans, cooked with liquid

Preparation

1. In the 6-quart pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion and peppers until they are soft and glisten, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Add the cumin, chili powder, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper, and cook while stirring until the spices release their fragrance, about 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add the broth, turkey, and cooked beans and liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook at a simmer for about 20 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

More Chili Recipes

More Chili Recipes From Around the Blogs

Homesick Texan – A More Precise Chili Recipe

Kitchen Parade – Crockpot Chili

Herbivoracious – Vegetarian Chili

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Crockpot Black Bean Chili with Lime and Cilantro

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

When I think of ham I’m reminded of how my mother and grandmothers added a leftover ham bone and chunks of ham to a pot of beans for flavor. The saltiness of the meat infuses a simple water broth with a flavor and aroma that reminds me of my grandmothers’ kitchens, and so every time we prepare a ham, I always freeze the bone and larger clumps of meat to go into a pot of soup at some future date.

This is an easy soup because the lentils cook quickly and it doesn’t have a ton of ingredients, so it’s also easy on the budget. I like the flavor of the parsnips in it, a slightly sweet balance to the ham, though you can use yellow potatoes if you prefer. Serve it with real Southern buttermilk cornbread, either on the side or crumbled in the bowl with the soup where it will soak up all the goodness of the broth.

HAM AND LENTIL SOUP

Makes about 6 quarts.

Equipment

8-quart pot with lid
medium bowl

Ingredients

1 pound (454 g) dry brown lentils, rinsed well
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 parsnips, peeled and diced (or 3 yellow potatoes)
1 ham bone
1 pound (454 g) cooked ham, diced
4 quarts water

SERVE WITH
Southern buttermilk cornbread

Preparation

1. In the medium bowl, cover the rinsed lentils with clean water and let them soak for about 10 minutes.

2. In the large pot, sauté the onions and celery in the olive oil until they soften and glisten, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes.

2. Add the parsnips, ham bone, diced ham, water, and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at a simmer until the parsnips and lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Remove the ham bone and serve the soup with cornbread.

More Budget Soup Recipes

More Lentil Soup Recipes From Around the Blogs

101 Cookbooks – Coconut Red Lentil Soup

Use Real Butter – Lentil Soup

Herbivoracious – Syrian Vegetarian Red Lentil Soup

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Curried Lentil Soup with Cilantro

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

One of my favorite childhood lunch memories was sitting down to a bowl of hot tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. It was simple, not fussy; canned soup and plain white sandwich bread with American cheese, but I grew up with the notion that this was the perfect lunch on a cold day.

Though the range of soups that I crave has broadened considerably since then, I still pine for a steamy bowl of tomato soup on frigid days like today. We also add other flavors we like: our homegrown slow-roasted tomatoes, some of the seasoned olive oil the tomatoes are stored in, and roasted red peppers. When our stash of summer peppers is gone we buy big jars of Del Destino fire roasted red peppers from Costco, which work great. Sometimes we serve it with sandwiches, sometimes salad, and always with seasoned croutons on top.

And as much as the soup warms the belly, it warms my heart even more to see our boys enjoying the foods I loved as a child.

Update October 17, 2011: Thanks to Dash Recipes for featuring this soup!

TOMATO SOUP WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS

Serves 4.

Equipment

4-quart pot with heavy bottom and lid
immersion blender or regular blender

Ingredients

1 yellow onion, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 (28 ounce/794 g) cans crushed tomatoes (We used 2 quarts of our homegrown crushed frozen tomatoes.)
3 slow-roasted tomatoes in olive oil + 2 tablespoons of the seasoned olive oil
2 whole roasted red peppers, canned or fresh, drain if using canned
1 (6-ounce/170 g) can tomato paste
1 cup (240 ml) vegetable broth or chicken broth
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry red wine, optional
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
seasoned croutons, for garnish

Preparation

1. In the large pot, sauté the onions in the olive oil until they start to glisten, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until it releases its fragrance, about 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Add the kosher salt, crushed tomatoes, slow roasted tomatoes, roasted peppers, tomato paste, and vegetable broth. Cover and bring up to a slow boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Continue cooking until the tomatoes and peppers are fully heated through, about 20 minutes. Stir in the red wine, if desired. Add more salt and black pepper to taste.

3. Use the immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree the soup in a regular blender in 2 or 3 batches.

4. Serve hot with fresh ground black pepper and croutons sprinkled on top.

More Soup Recipes

More Tomato Soup Recipes From Around the Blogs

FatFree Vegan – Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic and Seasonal Herbs

Gluten-Free Goddess – Roasted Tomato Soup

Farmgirl Fare – Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup

Soup Chick – Winter Tomato Soup

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

I was very fortunate to meet Shauna and Daniel Ahern at the International Food Bloggers Conference in August. Shauna was on the Food Blogging For Specialized Diets panel along with Alexandra Jamieson and Daniel provided some beautiful gluten-free dishes for the Sunday lunch. Though I’ve read her blog for some time now, this was my first time to hear her speak, and her passion is immediately evident and inspiring. Like Shauna, my sister was diagnosed with celiac disease in her 30s after years of illness and made a total life change, never looking back. So yes, there is a special place in my heart for gluten-free cooking, though I really haven’t ventured into the baking side yet.

Shauna and Daniel’s new book, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef is both cookbook and love story intertwined. As I read through it, I could feel their passion for food and how much it influences their lives. The combination of the heartfelt writing, earthy humor, and excellent food makes the book a winner for food lovers whether you need to follow a strict gluten-free diet or not.

The second recipe immediately caught my eye, a beautiful creamy potato-leek soup that calls for white truffle honey as an optional ingredient, and I clapped with glee because I just happened to have a jar of truffle honey waiting for the perfect dish.

The truffle honey was a generous gift from Kelly Cline, whom I met for the first time this year at IFBC. I’ve followed her for a couple years because her food styling and photography is beautiful with a dash of sass, a combination that really appeals to me. This soup was our first opportunity to taste the honey in a dish, and it led to a blind taste test with other honeys as Michael and I sampled them eyes closed and tried to identify each. The truffle honey has earthy overtones that balance the sweet, and I just love that the truffles were foraged. It truly was a very special gift. The boys were jumping up and down begging for a taste, and I marveled at how young they are to be enjoying something as decadent as truffle honey. They had no idea how special it was, they just liked the flavor.

The soup is pure autumn and winter comfort food, the kind that warms the belly and makes you want to snuggle up with a good book by the fire afterward. It’s also a good grow your own recipe, and all the herbs and garlic came from our garden, though we actually used more of each of the herbs because we love the flavors and aromas. We also couldn’t resist using some sweet and blue potato chips for the garnish, which added a satisfying salty crunch and beautiful color.

Everything about the book, from the jacket colors to the the beautiful photography by Lara Ferroni, is warm and inviting, making the reader feel like you’ve been asked into their home for an unforgettable meal. While you won’t find a stash of superfast food in here, the book has both everyday recipes as well as a good selection of recipes one might reserve for special occasions. There’s even a few recipes for hunters, such as the Rabbit with Mustard, Braised Balsamic Rabbit, and the Venison Osso Bucco with Blackberry-Port sauce, which has me longing for some venison when my father is done with his autumn hunting. The book is truly for food lovers; people who want to spend time in the kitchen and enjoy the thrill of making delicious food, and those who want to learn the love of cooking.

[Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.]

POTATO-LEEK SOUP WITH WHITE TRUFFLE HONEY

Adapted from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, by Shauna James Ahern and Daniel Ahern.

Serves 6 to 8.

Equipment

large mixing bowl
8-quart stock pot
blender or immersion blender

Ingredients

4 leeks, white part only, cut in half lengthwise and chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and medium diced
5 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
3 pounds (1.36 k) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
kosher salt to taste
cracked black pepper
white truffle honey (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
homemade potato chips, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Place the chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water and allow them to sit for 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly, pat them dry, and chop roughly.

2. Set the stockpot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic to the hot oil and cook, stirring to ensure they do not burn, for 1 minute. Add the leeks and cook, stirring. When the onion and leeks are softened, toss in the rosemary, sage, and thyme. Cook until the herbs release their fragrance into the room, about 2 minutes. Tumble in the potatoes. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch.

3. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Cook until your pairing knife slides right through one of the potatoes, about 15 minutes. Do not overcook the potatoes or you will have watery soup. When the potatoes are done, stop whatever you are doing and puree the soup.

4. Puree the soup in the blender or with an immersion blender. Work in batches as necessary, pouring the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the blender while it is running. Press each batch through a fine-mesh sieve back into a large bowl. Repeat until all the soup is pureed and pour it back in the pot. (We used an immersion blender and blended right in the pot because I like to have a few chunks of potato in my soup.)

5. Add the cream to the soup and stir to blend. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the cold butter. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

6. Ladle the soup into bowl and garnish each bowl with 1 teaspoon of the truffle honey (if using), the chives, and crushed potato chips (optional).

More Gluten-Free Recipes

More Gluten-Free Soup Recipes From Around the Blogs

Gluten-Free Goddess – Butternut Squash Chili

Elana’s Pantry – Matzo Ball Soup

The W.H.O.L.E. Gang – Mexican Seafood Soup

Book of YUM – Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

“I don’t like that.”

Those words popped out of Monkey Boy’s mouth when I said we were having creamy asparagus soup for dinner, before he had even seen it. This is his new favorite thing to do at every meal. Anything he doesn’t recognize is automatically assigned to the “don’t like” category, which is growing longer than my arm.

I wish I could say that my children eat everything we prepare for dinner, and I think most parents wish for that day when the family sits down to dinner and everyone digs in happily, even asking for seconds. No one pouts or complains that this isn’t their favorite or refuses to try something new. Dinner ends with all the children asking when we can have that meal again. The only thing that would make it better is if the children offer to sweep the floor and wash the dishes afterwards.

We all have our pipe dreams, this is mine.

And though the story doesn’t have a fairy tale ending—Monkey Boy refused to taste even a little of the soup, and Top Gun tried but turned up his nose—Michael and Builder Guy adored this creamy asparagus soup and asked for seconds, and I enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast.

Though there is heavy cream in the ingredients, we only use it as an optional garnish, and the creamy texture comes from pureeing the cooked vegetables in the chicken stock. This is a great way to use the thick, tougher stalks of asparagus because they cook until very soft before blending, just remember to discard the woody ends before cooking. Though the soup can be made with vegetable broth, I prefer the flavor of the soup with chicken stock.

[Updated January 6, 2011.]

CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP

Serves 4 to 6.

Equipment

5-quart heavy bottom pot with lid
blender with glass jar (or food mill)

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large leeks, green portions removed, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped
2 quarts (~2 liters) chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
2 pounds (908 g) thick asparagus, tips reserved, woody ends removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
fresh ground pepper
sea salt
heavy cream

Preparation

1. In the pot, melt the butter then add the sliced leeks and the chopped onions. Cook over medium heat until they are soft and glistening.

2. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus pieces (not the tips) and bring back to a boil, then cook at a simmer until the asparagus is soft, about 45 minutes.

3. Puree the soup in batches in the blender, then return to the pot and warm it up. Add the asparagus tips and cook over medium for five more minutes, until the tips are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve warm with a drizzle of heavy cream.

Variation

Cold: Chill the cooked soup in the refrigerator overnight. Stir in 1 cup of heavy cream, then serve.

Other Asparagus Recipes

More Asparagus Recipes From Around the Blogs

The Perfect Pantry – Roasted Asparagus with Manchego Cheese

Rasa Malaysia – Sambal Asparagus

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Pan’-Fried Asparagus Tips with Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest

FatFree Vegan Kitchen – Polenta with Lemony Asparagus and Chickpeas

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

We had one last bag of green tomatillos in the freezer, but I didn’t want to use them because it meant there would be no more tomatillos until late summer. After our final harvest, we froze about 12 pounds of tomatillos last fall then over the winter I experimented with soups using those frozen tomatillos, and this was our hands down favorite. Of course you can also make this with fresh tomatillos.

Tomatillos freeze best when whole, though their cell structure breaks down like other high-water content vegetables and they tend to lose liquid, so some of them were a little mushy but still edible. I drained off that liquid before roasting because the tomatillos tend to swim in it while in the oven, not really roasting. The base of the soup is simply roasted salsa verde, then I added the chicken stock, roasted chicken, and spices to make it a meal. Michael was a little skeptical at first, then after a few bites he became a hard core fan and we decided we must plant even more tomatillos this summer so we’ll have enough to make this soup during the winter months.

This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, a blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we’ve grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. Nate and Annie of House of Annie have graciously volunteered to help out with Grow Your Own while we tend to some family matters this winter, and they are our hosts for this round, so be sure to visit their blog for more information about submitting your post. If you are new to the event, you can read more about the rules for participating at the Grow Your Own page.

[Updated January 18, 2011.]

ROASTED TOMATILLO SOUP WITH CHICKEN (SOPA VERDE CON POLLO)

Makes about 5 quarts, serves 10 to 12.

Equipment

6 quart heavy bottom pot with lid
half sheet baking pan, lined with foil
9×13 baking pan, lined with foil
blender
cast iron skillet or other heavy skillet

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
chili powder
4 pounds tomatillos, paper husks removed and rinsed (thawed and drained if from frozen)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 anaheim chilies
1 jalapeno pepper
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
10 stems cilantro
2 quarts (1.89 liters) homemade chicken stock or reduced sodium broth
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, Tabasco or Frank’s (optional, for extra heat)

GARNISH
avocado, chopped
cilantro, snipped from the stem
lime wedges
crushed tortilla chips

Preparation

1. CHICKEN: Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C. Pat the chicken breasts dry and sprinkle on chili powder until well coated. Place chicken in the prepared 9×13 pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, then shred with a fork.

2. TOMATILLOS: Change the oven to broil. Spread the tomatillos out on the lined baking sheet stem side down. If you use frozen tomatillos, slice each in half and allow some of the juice to drain off, then place face down on the lined baking sheet. Place under broiler until charred, about 8 to 10 minutes. If using whole fresh tomatillos, some will crack and release juice, and that’s ok. Add half of the roasted tomatillos and juice to the blender jar.

3. PAN ROAST: On a dry cast iron skillet, toast the onion, anaheim and jalapeno chilies, and garlic, turning until charred on all sides. Remove the stems from the anaheim and jalapenos, then cut into chunks. (Note: Remove the seeds of the chiles if you prefer mild heat.) Add half the onions, chilies, and garlic to the blender jar. Blend until there are no chunks left, then pour it into the 6-quart pot. Repeat with the remaining tomatillos, onions, chilies, and garlic.

4. Add the chicken stock to the pot and stir, then add the shredded chicken along with the cumin, chipotle powder, pepper, and salt. Cook over medium heat about 20 to 30 minutes. Taste it after 10 minutes and decide if you want to add the optional hot pepper sauce. Serve hot with the garnishes.

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