Soup and...

Well, since the Arctic Blast slapped most of the Eastern US over the past few days (even here on the Gulf Coast we got “winter” temps down in the 40s) I figured this would be the perfect week to talk about winter comfort food – soup. The Mock Turtle got it right, when he sang:

Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!

Beau--ootiful Soo--oop!
Beau--ootiful Soo--oop!
Soo--oop of the e—e--evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!

--Mock Turtle, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Soups

Soups are so easy to make, and make well. All it takes for a flavor-filled soup is good ingredients (and plen ty of them) and a liberal application of herbs and spices. My soup of the week is a version of my ever-changing

Chicken Vegetable Soup

This time I started with a bag of frozen “European Vegetable Mix” to which I added:

1 large stick of Celery

1 bunch Green Onions

3 stems of Broccoli (we eat the florettes and freeze the raw stems for soup additions)

½ Tomato left over from lunch

¼ cup frozen Peas (leftover in the freezer)

½ cup dried Toor Dal (Pigeon Peas)

4 Chicken Thighs

Herbs & Spices: smoked paprika, Cavender's blend, Everglades blend, and a dash of cinnamon.

Slice the celery, green onions, and raw broccoli stems. I dusted the thighs with Cavender's on one side and started sauteeing them spiced side down. As they sat there in the skillet I dusted the top side with Everglades.

After 10-12 minutes of browning on both sides, I added the celery, broccoli coins, green onion and other uncooked ingredients, along with about 6 cups of water and the additional spices. Put the lid on and let it cook for 30-45 minutes. Then I removed the chicken, cut it away from the bone, then added it back to the pot along with the frozen vegetables. After another 20 minutes or so it was ready to serve along with slices of garlic bread.

Pozole

My personal all-time favorite soup is the pre-Columbian Mexican soup called Pozole. Basic ingredients are hominy, pork and green chiles.

1-1/2 lbs cubed Pork (I prefer sirloin)

2 cans Hominy (white or yellow)

12-14 Whole Tomatillos (or two cans of canned tomatillos)

1 large White Onion, diced

2-3 Poblano Chiles (or other green chiles to taste)

1 tbsp ground Cumin

1 tbsp Sazon Complet, Latin seasoning

Peel the papery skins off the tomatillos and then quarter the fruit. Brown the pork cubes dusted with Sazon Complet, then add the tomatillos, peppers and onions and cook until they soften. Add about 6 cups of water or pork broth and simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Sandwich

To accompany a nice bowl of soup, lots of folks like a sandwich. Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup is a classic. For my sandwich, this week I made

Black Bean, Tomato and Chorizo Stuffed Pitas

1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 can Rotel(tm) Tomatoes with Green Chiles, drained

6 oz real Mexican Chorizo (or Tofurkey(tm) brand faux Chorizo)

Add the chorizon to a hot skillet and shuffle it around until it starts to break up. Then add the drained beans and tomatos and cook together for about 15 minutes to marry the flavors and reduce the liquid content as much as you can. Spoon the goodness into pita halves and serve.

Side Dish

Some people (those who don't make 'hearty' soups, I think) insist on serving a substantial side dish with soup (other than a sandwich). If you have a rice cooker, this dish is simple and flavorful

Masoor Dal and Rice

Masoor Dal is split orange lentils, fast and easy to cook either in a rice cooker or in a pot on the stove. Available from many megamarts and Indian markets. For rice, I prefer Jasmine for its perfume and flavor, although Basmati also works well.

1 cup uncooked Rice

1 cup uncooked Masoor Dal

1-2 tbsp Aji Amarillo (Peruvian yellow pepper paste) or Romesco sauce (Catalonian red pepper and almond paste) to taste

Cook the rice and lentils separately, then toss them together in a large bowl. Fold in your sauce of choice and serve.