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Friday, January 06, 2006

Warm Winter Soups

It's finally winter here in Maine and the snow is piling up. That means it's time for a big pot of soup at dinner time and I have a few that you might like to try. So get out your soup pots and get ready for some great comfort food! Most of them aren't too bad for your New Year's diet either!

Beef Stew
This is my new favorite. It is simple and savory.
1 lb. beef stew meat (or diced roast)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
4 medium potatoes, diced
1 cup diced carrots
2 cans green beans (including the water)
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp. corn starch
salt and pepper
Brown the stew meat in a skillet with the onion and garlic. Season with salt or Lowry's season salt. Drain the beef mixture and pour it all into your crockpot or roasting pan. Add the diced potatoes, carrots and green beans. With a wire wisk, add the corn starch to the beef broth. Mix well and then add it to the pan. The amount of liquid should come up to the top of the meet and vegetables. If it doesn't, add more beef broth or water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium in your crockpot or at 250 in the oven for at least 6 hours. Enjoy!
Creamy Vegetable Soup
I just created this soup to use up leftover broccoli and cauliflower from a recent veggie tray. If you prefer a creamier version like you find in restaurants, puree your soup in a blender or food processor, before serving it. Garnish with cheese. Great for low carb diets!
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 small potatoes, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup whole milk or lite cream
8 oz. sour cream
salt
Place all the vegetables in the pot and cover with water. Place in medium high heat until it comes to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and add the butter. Simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom, until the vegetables are soft and the water level becomes lower than the top of the vegetables. Add the milk/cream, sour cream and salt. Stir well and heat back up to a slow boil or simmer. Once you are satisfied all the vegetables are very soft and the butter has melted, you can puree the soup if desired. Serve it with your favorite cheese as a garnish. (We prefer very sharp cheddar.)
Enjoy, and don't forget to add your favorite recipe or comment on one of ours!

2 comments:

Heather Sutherlin said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Heather Sutherlin said...

Beef and Guinness Stew.
From Angele Rice
Serves 6-8 people.

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups or two 12-ounce bottles of guinness or use another dark beer
3 cups beef broth (canned is fine)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
8 fresh thyme sprigs
1 pound carrots, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps quartered

Step 1: Put the dried porcinis into a small bowl;cover with 1 cup boiling water; let sit 1/2 hour. Strain liquid into a bowl, and reserve. Chop porcinis, and set aside.

Step 2: In a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon until
crisp, stiring frequently (7-10 min). Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Pour off and reserve all but 1 Tbsp of the fat. In the remaining fat, over medium-high heat, brown the beef in batches, adding reserve fat as needed.

Step 3: Return the beef to the pot, add the onions, and sprinkle with the flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the mushroom liquid, bacon, guiness,broth,tomato paste,rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently until the beef is tender (2hours).

Step 4: Add carrots, cover the pot, and simmer until they are tender(about 30 minutes)

Step 5: Meanwhile in a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add the shiitake caps and cook stirring occasionally, until tender (3 minutes) Add the porcinis and shiitakes to the pot and transfer the stew to individual serving bowls. Serve immediately.