New England Fish,Clam and Corn Chowder

I modified this recipe from one on Epicurious.com. As usual the recipe from Epi included a lot of what I consider to be unnecessary steps to make the recipe sound more fancy and discourage people from actually cooking and it also had less variety in the ingredients. I like a variety of colors and textures in my soup so I added the clam and the corn, which I thought would never be bad in a chowder.
I used frozen/canned goods because I live in Illinois where fresh fish is hard to come by and because this way I can make this soup any time since most of the ingredients are staples in my pantry anyway, but of course it would taste a lot better with fresh ingredients so feel free to substitute.

Ingredients

4 slices of bacon
1 medium onion
1 lb of potatoes
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons of dried thyme
2 cups of fish stock or chicken broth
1 can of small neck clams
1 package of frozen cod fillets ( approx 1 lb)
1.5 cups of frozen corn kernels
1 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of chopped parsley

Preparation

- Cut the bacon slices into little strips
- Wash, peel and finely dice the potatoes ( the dices should be about 0.5 inch small)
- Make sure the cod is thawed or immerse the plastic bag in room temperature water to thaw more quickly
- Get the corn kernels out of the freezer to thaw. You can also put them in a small colander and rinse them with room temperature water to thaw more quickly
- Finely dice the onion
- In a large stockpot cook the bacon so that it renders the fat. Once it is starting to brown remove the bacon bits from the pot with a slotted spoon and place them in a plate with paper towels. Reserve them for later.
- Cook the onion in the bacon fat for a few minutes, until it is soft and translucent but not browned.
- Add the potatoes, the thyme, the bay leaves and mix well to coat the potatoes with the fat.
- Add the fish stock/chicken broth as well as the water from the can of clams ( make sure the liquid is enough to just about cover the potatoes, if it isn't enough add more stock or some water).
- Bring the pot to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are soft but not mushy.
- You can choose to leave the cod fillets whole or chop them before hand. I like chopping them because I like everything to be bite sized, but some people like to leave them whole and then fish them out and cover them with soup, it's up to you.
- Add the cod, the clams and the corn to the soup. Cook for about 5 minutes if you cut the cod in chunks, a little longer if you put the whole fillet but not longer than 10 minutes, to avoid overcooking the fish.
- Add the cream and let get back to a boil for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste
 ( remember you are going to put those bacon bits on top of the soup so don't overdo it!)
- Serve with the bacon bits and the chopped parsley on top. If you can let the soup rest for 15 minutes before serving it, even better.

Mushroom and Barley Soup

As the weather is already getting cooler here in Illinois it is finally time for soup!I love soup for many reasons: the aromas that fill the house, the way it warms your heart and your stomach, you get to use only one pot (less dishwashing later! yay!), you can make soup with pretty much anything you have in the house and they are pretty foolproof. You might make a soup that is a little bland, but it's hard to make an unedible one.
Fall also makes me crave earthy flavor and therefore it is a great moment to have mushrooms. I found this recipe and tried it yesterday and, believe me, you will be surprised by the amount of flavor contained in such a simple recipe. Don't skimp on the herbs and you will be rewarded.

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds of sliced mushrooms ( I used 1 pound of Portabella and 1 pound of white mushrooms, but the more variety the better!)
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
3 large carrots sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1/2 cup of white wine
1 quart of chicken broth ( for a vegetarian version use vegetable broth)
1 cup of barley (not the instant one)
Rosemary (fresh or dry) about 3 sprigs.
Thyme (fresh or dry) about 5 sprigs.
Parsley (fresh) about 1 tablespoon.
Salt and Pepper

PREPARATION

In a large saucepan cook the onion and the garlic in some olive oil until the onion is translucent and the garlic is golden.
Add the sliced mushrooms and the soy sauce and cook until the natural liquid of the mushrooms have been released.
Add the white wine and cook until evaporated.
Add the carrots, the barley, the rosemary, the thyme and the broth and cook covered for about 1 hour.
Add salt and pepper. Add the parsley just before serving.

Minestrone

This is a vegetarian version of minestrone, which traditionally includes some pancetta or bacon. The great trick that makes this minestrone super tasty is the Parmesan rind, and it is one of those grandma's tricks that I love because they were invented at a time when throwing out something that could still be edible was considered a shame and so people found a use for all kinds of leftovers in the kitchen. So, if you have bought a piece of Parmesan cheese and you are left with that dry piece of rind in the fridge, or even if you have a piece of Asiago or Romano that dried out in your cheese box, do not throw it out! Throw it in your soup instead! Then of course discard it before serving the soup, but the rind will add creaminess and flavor and "bring together" your soup so to speak. I used the vegetables that I had at home in that moment but there is a number of variations you can do, according to season and taste. If you want to add pasta, choose the kind called "ditalini" and add at the end of the cooking process.

INGREDIENTS

1 leek (white and light green part, chopped)

2 stalks of celery

2 large carrots scrubbed and chopped

1 parsnip

1 medium yellow onion

2 garlic cloves

4 Roma tomatoes

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch of rainbow chard, stems and leaves separated

1 can of Cannellini beans, drained

2 cups of vegetable broth ( or more)

the rind of a hard cheese (preferably Parmesan Cheese)

1 Turkey bay leaf

salt

pepper

PREPARATION

For this recipe it is important to chop the ingredients quite small and all at about the same size. Chop the first 6 ingredients and the stems of the rainbow chard and toss in a large pot with oil.

Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft, stirring to avoid sticking (about 20 minutes).

Add broth and bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low.

Add beans, chard leaves, cheese rind and bay leaf and simmer over medium heat until leaves are cooked through.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Discard rind and bay leaf before serving. It can be served with a splash of extra virgin olive oil.

Underground Soup with Apple and Gruyere

I forgot to take pictures of this one, but my husband loved it so much that I had to put the recipe online. As the weather is getting colder everyday we really feel like having soup, which is great as there is no end to the number of healthy soups you can make with vegetables, especially in the fall with so many squashes around. This time though I was in the mood for some roots, so I went to the supermarket ( yep, the CSA boxes are over unfortunately!) and bought all the roots I could put my hands on and made soup.

INGREDIENTS

Celery root and parsnips

3 parsnips

3 parsley roots

1/2 celery root

3 turnips

3 potatoes

1 sweet potato

Nutmeg

1 apple

a couple of slices of gruyere cheese

RECIPE FOR THE UNDERGROUND SOUP

It is very easy, just peel the potatoes and the celery root then dice all the roots and put in a stock pot covered with water and salt. Cook until all the roots are soft and then use an immersion blender to create a cream.Add nutmeg. Pour the soup into a mug or one of those tiny soup pots they use for french onion soup and add some of the diced apple to it. Top with the slices of gruyere cheese and put in the microwave for one minute or until the cheese is melted and serve.

I served it with pork chops that I had stuffed with apple and gruyere and with a side of pureed parsnips with apple, so that the dinner was all "apple-themed". I bet cider would have been very good to drink with it. My husband loved it and it really felt very homey and heart-warming, but at the same time it was not as starchy as a potato soup or as sweet as a carrot soup. The celery root, the parsley root and the parsnips have a earthy but fresh taste and they really don't need much more spices or herbs added to them to achieve an awesome taste. I think it could be a good thanksgiving soup. The addition of sweet potatoes is important to have a beautiful orange color, otherwise I think the soup would be whitish and less appealing to the eye.

An Italian Comfort Food: Stracciatella in Brodo

This is a very traditional Italian dish and it is ideal for a cold winter night, when you feel a little under the weather and need something to comfort you and make you feel taken care of, even if you made it yourself. The ideal would be to have a homemade chicken broth, but a good organic low-sodium broth will also work. In Italy this dish is traditionally recommended to nursing mothers as a way of increasing their milk supply, but also to infants for its easy ingestion. Although it is good also with American Parmesan cheese, I definitely prefer it with the Italian one. Whatever cheese you choose, at least take the time to freshly grate it for this recipe as it will taste a whole lot better.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups of organic low sodium chicken broth
4 eggs
4 tablespoons of freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of bread crumbs
a pinch of ground nutmeg
1 lemon ( for peeling)
salt

PREPARATION

In a large pot bring the broth to a simmer on medium heat.
In the meantime, in a bowl mix the other ingredients.
When the broth is hot enough throw the mixture in the broth whisking immeditaely to create little "flakes" of dough.
Cook for about 5 minutes and serve.

Curried Lentil Soup

Today I was looking for a vegetarian recipe, because we have been eating a substantial amount of meat in the last few days, so I decided to go through my old issues of Bonappetit. In the December 2010 issue I found a wonderful recipe for a Curried Lentil Soup, but, as it often happens with Bonappetit, I didn't have all the ingredients they called for and had to adapt it a little bit with what I already had in the pantry. The result was simply amazing! I think this is by far the best lentil soup I have ever had. It has an Asian flavor to it, thanks to the use of curry that is beautifully counterbalanced by the fresh notes of the lemon juice. It is creamy and rich without being too hearty or heavy and with a limited amount of fat added to it. It can easily become a vegan recipe by substituting the butter or even completely eliminating it. It would be great accompanied by warmed triangles of pita bread or even better with that wonderful Indian bread that is called naan.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

extra virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons of curry powder

1 cup of dry lentils

4 and 1/4 cups of water

1 can of  beans ( I have used pinto beans, but cannellini or garbanzo beans would work too), drained and rinsed

the juice of 1 lemon

1/4 stick of butter ( optional )

PREPARATION

Cook the onion and the carrot in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until the onion is translucent.

Add half of the garlic and cook the vegetables until soft.

Add the curry powder and stir until well seasoned.

Add the lentils and the water.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until the water is mostly gone and the lentils are cooked, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking.

In the meantime, puree the beans with the lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the rest of the garlic, the lemon juice and the water.

When the lentils are cooked add the pureed beans and the butter to the soup, mix well.

Serve with a garnish of green onion finely chopped (optional).

To see the original Bonappetit recipe go to

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Curried-Lentil-Soup-362489