Hello, Dopers! This thread was inspired by Una’s genius hijacking of a thread in the Pit, where she posted an great-sounding soup recipe, which you can find here.
Contrapuntal would like a good Mulligatawney recipe, and I’d like a good recipe for Brunswick stew. So I thought, heck, it’s fall, great soup/stew weather, and I’d love to start cooking some new soups to try, so why not start a thread?
So Dopers, please post your best soup and/or stew recipes, or your requests for the same.
And if you have a great recipe for Mulligatawney or Brunswick stew, bring it on!
I make Brunswick stew about 5 times/yr. I’m from Virginia and think I know the good thing when I taste/make it.
I use the recipe found in the Williamsburg cookbook, and that recipe is what they use at Chowning’s Tavern there.
This is the basic recipe–I usually wait until I can get a stewing hen on sale for .89/pound. And I also try to use fresh corn cut off the cob when available. Also, I tend to use a tablespoon of sugar rather than a teaspoon. Also, I prefer using canned limas rather than frozen and I omit the okra(just personal preference). I echo serving it the next day rather than the day you make it.
I’ve not been lucky enough to find a local to supply squirrels here in Ohio.
2 pounds excellent quality chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2" chunks
flour
canola oil
1 each carrot, onion, celery, diced
1 clove garlic
1 cheesecloth package containing 2 bay leaves, coarse parsley stems, several thyme strands, and half a dozen peppercorns
2 cups dark red, dry wine
1/2 cup pitted oil-cured black olives
finely grated rind of one scrubbed naval orange
salt to taste
Turn the oven on to 320.
Toss beef chunks in flour and sear in high heat in a large skillet until they are browned all over. Remove to a big casserole dish. Wipe the oil and any burnt bits out of the skillet, add a bit more canola oil, and add the vegies. Saute them over medium heat until they are browned, then add the wine to the skillet, scraping around to get up any brown bits, and add wine and vegies to the casserole. Toss the cheesecloth package in, too, and a little salt. If the liquid looks sparse, you can add a little beef or chicken broth to bring the level up to halfway up the meat.
Cover the casserole and place in the oven. Let it simmer slowly for two hours, stirring once, and then use a slotted spoon to scoop out the soggy, spent cooking vegies. Now add the black olives and return the casserole to the oven for another hour or until the meat is quite tender. Just before serving, stir in the orange peel, and more salt, if necessary. Good with plain white rice or mashed potatoes.
Here are two more for you, the first an old family favorite and the second a new one my husband and I have recently become enamored of.
Italian Sausage Soup
1-1/2 lbs. Mild Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, chopped
l lg. Can (28-oz.) Italian-style crushed tomatoes
3 cans beef broth
1-1/2 C. dry red wine
1/2 tsp. Dry basil
3Tb. Chopped parsley (or approp. Dry)
1 med. Green pepper, seeded & chopped
3 med. Zucchini in 1/2-in. slices (you want these bite-sized; halve or quarter the zucchini lengthwise before slicing, if necessary)
3 C. med. Bow-shaped noodles
Grated Parmesan cheese
In 6 qt. Dutch oven over med-hi heat, cook sausage until no longer pink (take sausage out of casing, break into pieces in pan). Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 Tb. Drippings. Add onion & garlic and cook until soft (about 5 mins.). Stir in tomatoes & liquid, breaking up tomatoes with spoon. Add sausage, broth, wine, and basil. Bring to fully rolling boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer 20 mins.
Stir in parsley, green pepper, zucchini, and noodles. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until noodles are al dente (about 25 mins.). Skim off & discard fat.
Pass cheese to spoon over soup when serving. Tuscan White Bean Soup
From Cook’s Illustrated’s 30-Minute Recipes
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 (15.5 oz) cans small white beans, rinsed (may substitute cannelloni beans)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Balsamic vinegar
Heat broth mixture: bring broth, beans, rosemary, bay leaves, and ½ teaspoon salt to boil, covered, in large saucepan and set aside.
Cook bacon and onion: Meanwhile, cook bacon and oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until fat starts to render, about 2 minutes. Stir in onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 8 minutes.
Add garlic and broth mixture: Stir garlic into Dutch oven and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth mixture, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook until beans are fully tender and flavors have melded, 15 minutes.
Add parsley, season, and finish: Stir in parsley. Off heat, remove bay leaves and rosemary sprig and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve soup drizzled with olive oil and vinegar.
This is my favorite no-brainer “I-want-soup-but-don’t-have-time-to-cook-something-that-takes-all-day” recipe.
Corn Cheddar Chowder
A bag of frozen, chopped onions
A bag of frozen hash browns (the cubes, not the shreds) – get the kind that are just potatoes, no added fat
A can of cream-style corn
Flour
Milk
Chicken broth
Bay leaf
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 T. butter or cooking oil
Heat butter or oil in a deep sauce pan or small stock pot. Add a cup or so of the frozen onions and cook until the onions are softened. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add about half a bag of the frozen potatoes, and then add the bay leaf and enough chicken broth to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked through (5-10 minutes). Add the creamed corn and enough milk to make it whatever consistency you like for soup. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted. Let simmer for another 5 minutes or so to blend the flavors.
You can make it pretty low-fat by using cooking spray instead of butter or oil, fat-free half-and-half or nonfat evaporated milk, and reduced-fat or fat-free cheese.
Easy and tasty (bacon!). Good for dipping toasted crusty buttered bread into, too.
CREAM OF SPINACH SOUP
3/4 to 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach
1 clove minced garlic
1 sm. onion, 1/2 c. chopped
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. all purpose flour
4 c. chicken broth
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 c. cream or 1/2 and 1/2
Salt and pepper
Saute bacon and butter over medium heat in soup pot until somewhat cooked; add onion. Saute until onion is soft and beginning to brown, add garlic.
Add flour and stir until blended. Cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add a little chicken broth and stir like mad until well blended. Continue to gradually add broth, stirring vigorously after each addition.
Turn heat to high and bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Immediately reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add chopped spinach and nutmeg to mixture. Stir well and simmer 15 minutes. Stir cream into mixture, salt and pepper to taste. Heat
I’m not sure what to call this one. I started making it last year, and it usually stays the same. Very low calorie, and everyone who has tried it has really enjoyed it. I usually just eyeball the measurements, so I’ll try to make them as close as possible here, it’s extremely easy to make. Really healthy and great for the cold days!
Tomato and Miso Vegetable Soup…Thingy.
2 Tablespoons of miso paste (I think any is fine really, I usually use the seaweedless, dashi-added paste)
5 chicken boullon cubes (optional)
4 cups water
(2) 16 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
6 scallions, chopped
1 large package fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 (or so, depending on your preference) garlic, grated
In a large pot, disolve miso and boullon cubes in 2 cups water medium to high heat. Add undrained tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add carrots, and cook until carrots become soft. Add garlic and onions and cook for a little longer. Add mushrooms and cabbage until all of the vegetables are of desired tenderness. Add last two cups of water.
Just be sure to stir once in a while. Water can be added or lessened; it just depends on the desired strength of the broth.
A couple weeks ago I made a basic split pea soup in my crockpot and put in some leftover pork tenderloin and precooked cut-up bratwurst… oh man, it was good for all three days that I ate it. A teaspoon of red pepper flakes makes it nice and spicy, too.
Here is a recipe for the no-knead bread I made to go with it. That was good, too.
I just made a huge pot of my African Pineapple Peanut Stew, which is generally a crowd pleaser. I make it different every time, but here’s the guidelines:
2 onions
2 red peppers
4 cloves garlic, diced or pressed
28 oz can diced tomatoes
Other vegetables you have lying around - I like to throw in a chopped up sweet potato, and I had some kale this time, this soup can absorb a lot of greens, and I threw in some shredded carrots
Two boxes chicken stock, or your own
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste
Salt to taste
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
Up to 1 cup extra chunky peanut butter (natural is better in this)
1/2 cup rice, optional
Cook the onions and peppers until they’re, you know, done. Throw in the spices and garlic and move them around for a minute or so and then throw in everything else except the peanut butter and rice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or so. Then if you’re using rice, throw that in and simmer for another 15 minutes or until it’s done. Put the peanut butter in at the end, although it won’t hurt it if you reheat it or anything. You can add crushed peanuts to the top, or drop some sour cream on. It’s a really versatile recipe that tastes unusual but everybody likes it.
6 medium sized potatoes, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
A stick of butter
1/2 c. flour
6 cups of milk (I use powdered milk)
8 oz. grated cheddar
Salt, pepper, dried minced onion, garlic powder to taste.
Spread the potato cubes on a well-greased cookie sheet, spray them with some non-stick cooking spray, salt and pepper them, and stick them in a 375 degree oven until they start to brown around the edges.
Meanwhile, make a roux with the butter and flour, stir in the milk, and stir until it thickens. Add your salt and pepper and dried onions and garlic powder at the same time. Once it thickens, start adding the cheese, stirring after every handful until it’s melted. Save some to sprinkle on top of each serving. Stir in the potatoes. Serve with cheese and crumbled bacon bits on top.
I’ve posted this before, but it’s worth posting again. Anyone I’ve ever served it to has raved about it. I call it “cassoulet” to be pretentious, but it’s more a camp stew.
Four ounces per serving of each of the following:
Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage
Chicken breast (skinless)
Canned white beans (undrained)
Canned diced tomatoes (undrained)
One bunch of fresh rosemary, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
Garlic, if desired
Salt and ground pepper to taste
olive oil
Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and brown in a bit of olive oil. Remove. Coarsely crumble the sausage into the pan and brown well. Remove to drain. Pour off all excess fat. Return meats to the pan, dump in the beans and tomatoes, rosemary and seasonings. Bring to near boil, cover and simmer for about a half hour or so. Serve and add ground pepper to taste. Like most dishes of this nature, it’s even better the next day.
I usually serve this with crostini: bias cut a loaf of French bread into 1/2" slices, brush with olive oil and put briefly under the broiler to toast. Salt lightly.
Stargazer, I made your Italian Sausage Soup tonight for dinner. AWESOME! (And the recipe made a metric ton of soup, so I have lots to freeze for later.)
lorene, I’ve made that epicurious white chicken chili recipe before, and it is indeed wonderful.
I love the Rockfish Grill’s cream of jalapeno soup. This recipe supposedly duplicates it (I’ll admit I haven’t tried it yet).
12 large jalapenos
1 small onion
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken broth
Salt to taste
Roast the peppers under a broiler. Turn them periodicially until they’ve turned black. Peel off the skins and cut off the stems, seeds, and any white parts.
Chop up the onion. Put the peppers, onion, and cream into a blender and blend until smooth.
Melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the flour and stir until smooth. Add the pepper puree and keep stirring. Add in the chicken broth and salt. Simmer and keep stirring until it thickens.
Great recipes all - I am going to eat liquid dinner for a forthnight…
Here is one that I have developed over the past year or so:
Put all of the following into a tray and bake at high heat until tender - no need to peel anything, it will all be filtered out later on:
1 head of garlic (is that what it is called in English? - I mean not just one clove, but a whole one)
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger (shredded)
2-3 red bell peppers
2-3 leeks
2-3 carrots
1 onion
olive oil, salt, pepper and whatever dried spices you fancy…
and whatever you feel like of the following - I have tried them all, and they are all good
broccoli
pumpkin
squash
potatoes
well - pretty much any vegetable you feel like, I guess.
Bake until tender; blend (and don’t forget the oil in the bottom of the tray!) with a tin of tomatoes or two; pass through a strainer (sieve); re-heat;season; eat!
This soup is very easy to make and requires no stock/broth (not that I mind, but still…), but it still has a very aromatic, spicy flavour.
Best thing: you can use any vegetables you have left over (parsnips anyone?) and make an excellent, tasty meal without too much effort.
ETA: and it’s really healthy, too. Sorry about that.
