Chicken Vegetable Soup

This is a recipe for Chicken Vegetable Soup that I got from my grandmother. I have no idea if she invented it herself or if it is an adaptation of a recipe that she found on the internet (yes, my grandmother gets on the internet).

Whole chicken or a few chicken legs or a few chicken breasts (This times I used 2- 1lb chicken breasts)
2 cans of chicken broth
3-4 ribs of celery
3-4 large carrots
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
1 can dices tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
Any other vegetables you have around and want to add

Boil chicken in large pot until cooked. (note: if using chicken breast instead of whole chicken, chicken broth can be used in place of water). Remove from water and chop into small pieces. Reserve water (now broth) and add canned broth.
Add chopped celery, carrots, onions, garlic cloves to boiling water and canned chicken broth. Add salt, pepper and garlic or herbs (to taste) to the boiling water.
Boil until vegetables are cooked. Add frozen peas and cooked quinoa 15 minutes before serving.
Serve hot.

Pumpkin Soup

I didn't follow a recipe for this one. I just made it up as I went along, tasting it every now and then and guessing what it needed.

1.5 cans pumpkin (total of 45oz of pumpkin)
2 cups water
1 can chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter

I boiled together the water, pumpkin, and chicken broth, then added the spices, cream, milk, and butter bit by bit as I tasted it. I thought it was great in the end.

Leek Soup

Leeks are like onions, but much more mild and a little sweeter. This soup was fairly straightforward: chop everything (peeling and washing where necessary), lightly cook just the leeks in butter, add other ingredients (starting with liquids), simmer, and partially blend the soup. Many soups seem to follow the same pattern, with the most onion-like ingredient being the one cooked first, or the ingredient that carries the flavor being the one cooked first.

Leek Soup:
3 large leeks
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
2 pounds potato
1/4 cup parsley
dash of marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper

Cut leeks lengthwise, separate, and clean, using only the white and pale green parts. Chop leeks and cook in butter in a sauce pan, cover and cook on low 10 minutes. Do not brown leeks (they will taste burnt).
Add water, broth, and potatoes, and simmer for 20 minutes. Puree part of the soup, either with an immersion blender or scoop out part into a food processor or blender. Add seasonings and salt, to taste. Serve with ground pepper.

I thought the soup tasted alright, but not great because I do not like leeks very much. Minus the leeks, the soup tasted very much like Potato Soup.

Clam Chowder

More soup! This one was more complicated, but still easy. My mother guided me through this one by explaining how she would make it, and different variations I could try. I ended up with something like this:

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon oil

4 cups golden potatoes

1/2 cup cream

3 tablespoons of flour

2.5 lbs. can of chopped sea clams undrained  (the can I used had 3lb. 3 oz and I didn't use it all)

Cook the chopped onion in the oil on medium low heat until the onions are translucent. Add 1 cup of water and potatoes. Add more water if needed to completely cover the potatoes. Boil the potatoes until cooked and add 1/2 cup cream mixed with the flour. Bring the liquid up to a slight boil to allow the flour to thicken. Add clams and juice. Serve immediately.

Tomato Soup

I made Tomato Soup today. It surprised me how easy it is. I had the recipe memorized after making it once.

1/3C onion
olive oil
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can water
1-2 tsp sugar
basil or Italian seasoning, to taste
cream, to taste

Start by sauteing the onions in enough oil to make a thin layer on the bottom of the pot. Here's a tip from my brother (which he picked up from the cooking shows): let your pan heat just a little bit before you put the oil in. Not rocket science, I know, but I wouldn't have thought of it on my own.
 Once the onions are translucent, add all remaining ingredients except cream. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for several minutes.
Add cream, if desired. Serve hot.
And that's it!

Super simple, but delicious.

Cream of Carrot Soup

In the winter, there is nothing better than a hot bowl of soup. It chases away the cold in your mind and your body. So, on one particularly cold day, I made my first recipe for this project: Carrot Soup. I was hesitant to start, because I knew that there was a lot a didn't know (and don't know) about cooking, and I didn't want to mess up. I know, that's the point, to mess up and learn by trial and error, but the little voice told me I had to get it all perfect the first time. My little voice tells me that a lot. It's not very helpful.

I read the recipe about 10 times. Maybe if I just memorized it, I wouldn't make any mistakes. I noticed I had the wrong kind of onion, no cilantro, black pepper instead of white pepper, and chicken broth instead of chicken stock (there is a difference). Not the greatest start.

I was pretty clumsy chopping the onions and the carrots, but it made me laugh. I. Love. Cooking. I love browning butter and sifting flour and stirring in ingredients. I love chopping and dicing and baking and boiling and almost everything cooking related. It gives me a peaceful energy. The only things that stop me are not having enough time, only having so much stomach to fill, and fear of messing up.

The soup turned out great. No cilantro, but I'm not very fond of cilantro, so it wasn't missed. I added extra pepper to my own bowl. I also didn't puree all of the carrots. I wanted a little substance in the soup, and if I make this soup again, I think I will try adding other vegetables at the end. Maybe cauliflower and peas? I think it would be delicious.

 

Life is full of delicious things.