AMAZING SOUP

Wow... it's almost time to turn this thing in. Well, THEN LET'S GET STARTED.

Simple Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients(Your choice on amount):

- Black Pepper

- Cheese(Any)

- Chicken Broth or Beef Broth

- Ground nutmeg

- Some kind of bowl

- Pan

- Salt

- Eggs

1.) Pour the broth into the pan and put it on the stove in medium heat.

2.) Combine the eggs, cheese, and nutmeg into a bowl and stir.

4.) After the broth has heated up, put the mixture into the pan with the broth and let it cook for about a minute.

5.) Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Wow! Doesn't that look soooooooo good? As Emeril Lagasse says, it is a "Kind of an Italian version of egg drop soup"(4). WHO DOESN'T LIKE EGG DROP SOUP!? This soup is filled with flavor and can be a very filling meals as it includes the savory chicken with the smooth texture of the cheese. According to Lagasse, this is a simple but savoring and craving soup (6). Man, it has been a study journey with you guys. Till next time guys, till next time...

What kind of soup would you prefer to eat on a daily basis?

Lagasse, Emeril. Emeril 20-40-60: Fresh Food Fast. Comp. Steven Freeman. New York: HarperStudio, 2009. Print. 

Chicken and Rice Soup

As my posts come to an end, I decided to make the classic home style chicken soup everyone loves and adores. I grew up eating a similar recipe throughout my childhood. My family loves this particular dish and we enjoy it constantly. As Carla Snyder mentions in the book, an amazing tip for seasoning your soup is with a little acid, for example, with a lemon. This really heightens the flavors in the soup instead of using the common salt or pepper. Throughout these few months I believe I've really improved my culinary skills, with even more practice I hope to improve even significantly more. If you're looking for an amazing chicken soup recipe, feel free to use Snyder's delicious recipe below.


Recipe (Serves 10)

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
16 cups chicken stock
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalk, roughly chopped
4 chopped potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 sprigs fresh thyme
5 cups cooked white rice
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, bring chicken and stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Partially cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Skim the soup if any scum develops on the surface.
2. Using tongs, transfer chicken to a large plate and let cool slightly. Remove skin and bones and discard. Shred the meat into bite size pieces. Set aside.
3. Skim the fat from the surface of the stock with a large spoon and return to a simmer over medium heat. Add carrots, potatoes, celery, onion and thyme; simmer until vegetables are softened, about 15 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs. Return chicken to the pot and stir in noodles, parsley and lemon juice; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Put 1/2 cup of rice into bowl and ladle soup on top.

Snapshot of my bowl

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.

Pho Bo

For this post I made my all time favorite, Vietnamese Pho Bo (Beef). This my family's all time favorite to the extent that we enjoy this dish almost bi-weekly. Thus I saw it fitting to attempt to recreate this dish at home. Although the result was very good, I would still prefer to dine out for this particular dish. But, Carla's tip of finding most of the ingredients at an Asian market was extremely helpful and certainly did make the process of making the dish more obtainable, the end result can't beat my favorite Pho spot. I still encourage you all to recreate and enjoy this dish, there is always room for modification as ell so that it can suit both you or your family's needs. 

Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

8 oz boneless beef sirloin, trimmed 

3 quarter inch thick slices ginger root

1 onion (unpeeled), halved

8 cups beef stock

2 whole star anise

1 stick cinnamon

4 oz flat rice noodles

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of black pepper

1 serrano or other hot green chile pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

4 lime wedges

Preparation:

1. Place beef in the freezer for 20 minutes.

2. Heat a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and onion; saute until blackened in spots on all sides, about 5 minutes. 

3. In a large pot, bring stock, blackened ginger and onion, star anise and cinnamon stick to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Strain the stock and discard all solids. Return to pot. 

4. With a very sharp knife, cut partially frozen beef across the grain into paper-thin slices. Set aside. 

5. In a large bowl, cover noodles with boiling water; soak until completely softened, about 15 minutes. 

6. Return stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper, if necessary. 

7. Drain noodles and divide among large bowls. Top with slices of raw beef. Pour about 2 cups of stock into each bowl. Garnish with chili pepper, bean sprouts, basil, green onion and lime wedges. 

Snapshot of my bowl

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.

Bean and Rice Chili

For this month, I made Chili. My family rarely eats this dish but we all agreed upon venturing out of our comfort zone and experience something new. With this delicious mixed bean soup we are glad we took the jump. With a thick consistency; thanks to Carla's tip of mashing some of the beans into the broth in order to thicken it; it was amazing. Even if you're not a big Chili fan like myself you should try this dish. It was delicious and very easy to make.

Recipe (Serves 8)


Ingredients:
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 cups Chopped Onion
2 Carrots, chopped
4 Cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Dry red wine
1 can Diced tomatoes, with juice
4 slices Chopped Bacon
1 can Whole black beans
1 can Whole pinto beans
5 cups Chicken stock
2 cups Water
1 tsp Dried oregano
1/2 tsp Hot pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp Chili powder
2 tsp Salt and ground black pepper
4 cups Cooked white rice
1/4 cup Fresh cilantro, minced
1 Lime cut into 8 wedges

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until softened. Add carrots and celery, saute until starting to soften. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add wine, tomatoes with juice; cook until liquid is reduced by half.
2. Add bacon, beans, stock, water, spices; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until beans are tender and bacon has flavored the soup; about 1 hour and 30 mins. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Divide rice among bowls and top with soup. Garnish with cilantro and lime.

Snapshot of my bowl.

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.

Noodle Soup!

Today you're going to learn how to make a delicious dish of noodle soup. The only thing I changed up in this recipe was the type of bean because I don't have a trader joes near me that might have it. But according to this substitute website pinto beans should've worked fine. This recipe takes a while to make but most of the time it's on the stove simmering; so make sure you have something to do for 2 hours. This is on page 90 of  Domenica Marchetti's book 'The glorious PASTA of Italy.'

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of canned pinto bean (or cranberry/borlotti beans if you can find them)
• 3 ounces of Bacon
• 1 celery rib finely chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 large cloves of garlic passed through a garlic press
• 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cups of water
• Fine sea salt
• generous pinch of red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces of dried fettuccine

Time for the Fun!

Step 1: Wash your hands and prepare the food by mincing the bacon and onion, chopping up the celery, and pouring a half cup of olive oil. Also in a small bowl mix the minced garlic and rosemary to make a paste.

     

Step 2: Drain the canned pinto beans and pour them into either a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot with lid. Then add bacon, onion, celery, and garlic and rosemary mixture. drizzle olive oil over it and stir. Pour in water and place over medium high heat bringing it to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 2 hours.

   



Step 3: Once that's done let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then season the soup with salt and red pepper flakes and bring the soup to a boil on medium-high heat. once it's boiling stir in the pasta  and cook it at a gentle boil for 15-20 minutes. (avoid the noodles sticking together by stirring it enough) (also avoid the sauce looking gross by not keeping them in the sauce too long)

 

Step 4: serve and Enjoy!

This pasta was easy but it just took a while to prepare everything and then a lot of waiting around. But in this recipe the only thing I'd recommend not putting the noodles in with the soup because that's what made the soup all mushy and what made me cringe. Although I didn't "appreciate the warmth and comfort that a bowl of this substantial soup can deliver," (Marchetti 90) I bet if you do it right it's delicious. Good luck!

Question: What's your favorite kind of pasta and why?


Marchetti, Domenica. The Glorious Pasta of Italy. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2011. Print.

Dumplin' Soup

Today you're going to learn how to make Fluffy Semolina Dumpling Soup. But if you aren't Italian and don't know where to get Semolina flour, you can substitute it for all purpose flour. This will just make the dumplings thinner so you might need to add a little more flour than asked. You can also substitute it for Kamut flour or Durham wheat flour. This is found on page 76 of Domenica Marchetti's book 'The glorious PASTA of Italy.'

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Cups of Half-and-Half
• 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 3/4 Tsp fine sea salt
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2/3 cup of semolina flour (1 and a little bit more cups of all purpose flour)
• 1/2 cup plus a little freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Large eggs, light Beaten
• 6 cups of canned chicken broth, the chicken broth recipe at the bottom of the page (which should be made in advance), or your own recipe
• If you are using canned broth  add 1 teaspoon of Chicken Granules instant Bouillon for flavor



Time for the Fun!

Step 1: Wash your hands and prepare all of your ingredients for the dumplings by grinding your salt, beating your eggs, cutting 2 tbsp. of butter, mincing your parsley and having your cheese, nutmeg, milk, and flour ready.

 

Step 2: Grab a large sauce pan that can hold 6 cups or a large pot and place over medium heat. Pour in your chicken broth (and the Chicken Bouillon if it's canned broth) place the lid over it until it starts to boil. When it starts boiling anytime during the rest of the procedures just take off the lid and turn the heat down slightly.

Step 3: Pour the milk, butter, salt, and nutmeg in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and place over medium heat. Bring it to a boil and gradually pour in the flour while whisking it into the mix. When it has thickened and is starting to pull away from the pan, pour it into a bowl using a spatula to scrape the sides

 

If your mixture looks too wet add more flour or make sure you have all the ingredients

Step 4: Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese and parsley, stirring slowly and easy. Carefully pour in the 2 eggs

Step 5: In this step you want to make sure that your chicken broth is boiling. The book says to grab 2 small spoons or  dessert spoons and scoop up about 1 tbsp. of the mix and to form it into an oval and gently drop it into the broth, but I did it a little differently. I just used 1 spoon and my finger to plop the dumpling in the broth because I attempted shaping it and I couldn't quite get it. You should have about 20-24 dumplings. Reduce the heat and let the dumplings simmer. Once they float to the top and puffed up considerably they are ready. If you wait too long yours will become mushy and fog up the broth and it'll look like mine. You don't want this.

 

(I should've turned down the heat long before it was boiling)

Step 6: Once you've turned down the heat, scoop a couple dumplings in a bowl and with a ladle, scoop some broth over the dumplings. Sprinkle some cheese on top and Enjoy! 

 vs. 

The pun of the post:

This recipe was fairly simple, but this was the recipe I messed up the most. This was probably because I rushed through the easiest part thinking I wouldn't need to worry about it. Always read the procedures thoroughly before starting the recipe to know exactly what you are going to be doing. So while I rushed I forgot the eggs, but strange enough the dumplings still tasted decent. That shows that if I actually made them correctly this soup must be pretty good. I also think that my dumplings would've benefited greatly with an extra large sauté pan rather than a pot. As always have fun with it. As she says in the book , "this is a soul- warming soup, just the thing to chase away the chill on frigid winter night," (Marchetti 76)

 

Question: When do I realize I've made a mistake in the recipe?

***To make your own broth follow the following steps from the book on Page 62

I didn't type it up myself because I didn't actually make it and get a chance to change it up a bit. Have fun, this is all you!
Marchetti, Domenica. The Glorious Pasta of Italy. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 2011. Print.

Hot-and-Sour Soup

This time I decided to make my Mom's favorite soup, hot-and-sour. The dish is "a wonderful thing, with the perfect balance of spicy and tart." The dish is a mushroom and chicken based stock that is extremely delicious. I advise you all to make an attempt at preparing this soup and enjoy it with your family,.

Recipe (Serves 6)

1/4 oz Dried Shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup boiling water
8 cups Chicken Stock
1 can bamboo shoots, drained and chopped
8 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 cups diced firm tofu
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 tsp Chinese garlic chili sauce
freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 tbsp water
2 eggs, beaten
2 green onions, minced

1. In a small bowl, soak mushrooms in boiling water until softened, about 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently lift mushrooms from liquid and swish in a bowl of cold water to remove any clinging sand or dirt. Remove and discard tough stems, squeeze mushrooms dry and thinly slice. Pour mushroom liquid through a sieve lined with a coffee filter into a small bowl.
2. In a large pot, bring stock, mushroom liquid, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and chicken to simmer over medium heat. Add tofu, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili sauce. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with soy sauce and pepper, if necessary. Stir cornstarch mixture and gradually add to the soup. Cook, stirring, until soup thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and gradually drizzle in eggs, stirring gently. Do not let boil, or the egg strands will break up into egg curds.
3. Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with green onions.

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.

Tortilla Soup

Over Thanksgiving break I put my culinary skills to the test by making a Mexican dish known as Tortilla Soup. I grew up eating this authentic meal thus I wanted to make sure that it would taste as authentic as possible. I looked over the recipe found in my IRQ book and saw that it was highly similar to the recipe my family knows and loves. Thus, I followed the recipe step by step and was highly pleased once we all sat down to eat and everyone was pleased and satisfied with the recipe. I encourage you all to take over dinner once in your household and wow your family members with this dish at home.

Recipe (Serves 8)

5 dried Ancho Chile peppers, stems and seeds removed

Hot Water

3 tbsp Olive Oil

2 packs of fried tortilla strips

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1 can (28 oz) tomatoes with juice

8 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

1 avocado, diced

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat a dry large skillet over medium heat. Open up dried chiles so they are as flat as possible and place them in the skillet, Using a spatula to press down on them, toast the chiles for about 30 seconds on each side, or until pliable. Be careful not to burn them. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water and soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain,discarding soaking liquid, and roughly chop chiles.

2. Add onion to the pot and saute until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and salt; saute for 1 minute. Add chiles, 1 pack of tortilla strips, tomatoes with juice and stock; reduce heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes to blend the flavors.

3. Using a food processor or blender in batches, puree soup until smooth. Return to the pot, and bring to a simmer. Stir in lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with lime juice and salt, if necessary. 

4. Divide chicken, cheese and avocado among heated bowls and top with soup. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, tortilla strips and lime wedges.

The author, Snyder, suggests that you buy your avocados a couple days in advance and let them ripen on your counter-top as grocery store bought avocados are not the ripest.

Unlike Snyder proposed in the book, I boiled my own chicken breasts (3 breasts) in a separate pot instead of using rotisserie chicken.

Hope you take on the challenge and prepare this at home,
Thank you for reading.

Snapshot of my bowl.

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.