Ajiaco Bogotano (Colombia)
December 27, 2006 by Andrea 
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Filed under Poultry, Soups & Stews
For me this is the ultimate comfort food, and it’s also my favorite food from my years overseas. It’s a great weekend soup, but it’s also a celebration meal for the Bogotanos who often make very large pots of this soup for festive occasions such as Christmas. They typically serve the soup in black bowls just like the one in the photo, sitting in a basket because the bowls are rounded, not flat, on the bottom. Sides include rice, capers, and avocado. I’ve missed the wonderful ajiacos I enjoyed in Bogotá, so this year I wanted to have it as part of our Christmas celebration.
There are several versions of ajiaco in Hispanic culture. Ajiaco Bogotano has chicken, three different kinds of potatoes, corn on the cob, and the herb guascas. The potatoes are papas criollas, sabaneras, and tocarreñas, or yellow, red, and white potatoes respectively. Of the three, the papas criollas are the most important Read more
Turkey Noodle Soup
November 29, 2006 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Holidays, Poultry, Soups & Stews
Leftovers are as much a part of Thanksgiving day and weekend as the Macy’s parade, football games, and Christmas shopping. The turkey sandwiches taste delicious the first day or two after Thanksgiving, but we start getting tired of them by Sunday. After that, we make soup and pot pie. Read more
Corn Chowder
October 5, 2006 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Soups & Stews
It is officially autumn, and although the weather has not yet turned chilly in our part of the country, I’ve already started thinking about our winter soup kitchen. I love creamy soups, and this corn chowder adapted from The New Basics
You can use either fresh or frozen corn. If you use fresh corn, choose ears with kernels that burst open with milk when you press on them with your fingernail. Avoid ears with wrinkled or dry kernels. Use a sharp knife to remove the kernels from the cob. Stand the ear vertically in a shallow pan and cut straight down allowing the kernels to fall into the pan. Then use the dull side of the knife to scrape Read more
Cream of Baked Potato Soup
February 22, 2006 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Soups & Stews
It’s cold and raining today…perfect for a hot, comforting bowl of cream of potato soup. I must confess that this recipe is always changing. I’ve tried for many years to perfect it, and I have found myself constantly tweaking the ingredients or preparation. But no matter how I make it, we never seem to have a problem making this soup disappear. This takes some time to prepare, but it’s time well spent. Because I have played around with this recipe so much, I’ve kept track of a number of variations that have also worked well, which I have listed below.
[Updated January 15, 2008]
Equipment
microwave
6 to 8 quart pot
sharp knife
potato masher or stick blender Read more
Corn and Crab Soup
February 16, 2006 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Asian, Seafood, Soups & Stews
I used to eat this soup at one of the Chinese restaurants in Saipan—China House or Diamond Chinese, I can’t remember which. I fell in love with the soup and figured out a pretty close version of it. It’s essentially an egg drop soup with corn and chunks of crab. The restaurant always used imitation crab meat, and I don’t think that it detracts from the flavor of the soup. You can find imitation crab mixed with king crab meat in many grocery stores now, and that works great. You can also use lump crab meat, just make sure you clean out any extra bits of shell.
My three year old enjoys this soup and declares it “good eats.” Guess who likes Alton Brown, too? Read more
Black Bean Soup
January 19, 2006 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Soups & Stews
Another regular from our winter soup kitchen. It’s very easy and tasty, great for a quick weeknight meal. Puréed black beans, salsa, and cilantro give this soup a great consistency and flavor. It’s delicious served with tortilla chips and a queso dip.
Equipment
blender
sharp knife
6 quart pot
Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped Read more
