A few more soups to close out the winter!

Mushroom Cheddar Soup, as suggested by my wonderful friend, Marya

Bon Appétit March 1993
Yield: Serves 4
1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed,

sliced 1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 cups canned chicken broth or veggie broth

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups packed grated sharp Tillamook cheddar cheese or other sharp cheddar cheese...I use whatever I have!

Minced fresh parsley

Cover porcini with hot water and soak 30 minutes. Drain.
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and green onions and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually mix in broth and milk. Add porcini. Bring to simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add cheese and stir just until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve.

More soup and sometimes I surprise myself!

I dropped an avacado on the floor tonight while I was making tomato soup; thus, somehow the avacado was going into the soup! This was good stuff!!

Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

I tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 stick celery

2 cans fire roasted tomatoes (16 oz each)
1.5 cups broth...veggie or chicken

1/2 tsp dried dried red chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste

For the avocado cream
1 medium avocado, stones removed
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the chopped onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the remaining vegetables and continue to cook for a further 5-10 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomatoes, seasoning and chili pepper

4. Stir in the stock, half cover the pan with a lid, and let the soup simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

5. Leave to cool slightly and blend until smooth - you can use a regular blender or hand blender.

Gently reheat.

6. Make the avocado cream by simply whizzing all the ingredients together until smooth. I used a food processor.

7. Serve the soup in bowls, with a generous dollop of the avocado cream on top.

"My Friend Jen P Would Love This" Soup

Top Chef Masters, Season 1, Episode 1
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients
2 yellow squash, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 red onion, diced
8 strips of bacon, diced
8 cloves garlic, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 Anaheim Chili, minced
1 quart chicken stock
3 1/2 tablespoons dark chili powder
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
Manchego cheese, shredded or whatever you have
Directions
In a large sauté pan on high heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add bacon, onion, and garlic and stir briefly. Reduce heat and add 2/3 chili powder. Continue to stir for 5 minutes. Add squash, carrot, red onion, jalapeno, Anaheim chili, continue to sauté on medium heat for five minutes. Add chicken stock and remaining chili powder and simmer for an hour. Fold in butter. Season with salt. Garnish with chives and julienned pepper.© 2009 Tim Love

Chef Academy Au Gratin

Now that Top Chef has ended, I need a new food show for inspiration and I have been trying to get into Chef Academy. This au gratin dish intriqued me because they added curry as well as nutmeg. It was yum!!! (They haven't posted their recipe on line but I could tell it was a traditional gratin with the added spices.)

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

3 lb baking potatoes (about 6 large), peeled and sliced in 1/8 inch thick rounds --I use a mandolin.

6 oz. Gruyere or Swiss cheese, finely shredded

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp. of curry

1 tbsp. of nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Layer half the potatoes evenly over bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese, garlic, spices and salt; drizzle with half the cream. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

3. Bake uncovered 1 1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender when pierced and top is brown and crisp. Notes: Notes: Planning Tip: May be baked up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate covered with foil.

Super Easy Soup for a Rainy Fall Night

A good one from Rachael....lots of good flavor!

Chicken Salsa Soup
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 head garlic, cloves finely chopped
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used Rotisserie chicken.)
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Salsa
Salt
1 avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup sour cream
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken thighs and broth, bring to a boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup salsa, cover and remove from the heat. Let stand until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred.
Return the broth to a simmer; season with salt. Divide the chicken among 4 soup bowls and top with the avocado slices. Ladle the broth into the bowls and top each portion with the cilantro, sour cream and remaining salsa.

This one is a fall keeper...Beef Bourguignon

From A Year of Slow Cooking

3 pounds beef roast, or beef stew meat (I used a stew beef)

6 slices bacon--no need to cook

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, sliced in rings1 cup carrots (chopped or baby, your choice)

4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

1 tablespoon herbs de provence

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups cheap red wine

Directions.Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In the bottom of your stoneware, smear around the olive oil. Then lay down 3 slices of bacon. Add sliced onion and garlic. Put the meat into the pot on top of the onion and garlic, and sprinkle on dried spices and herbs. Toss the meat to distribute the spices to all sides. Add tomato paste. Lay the other 3 slices of bacon on top of the meat, and throw in the carrots. Pour wine over the whole thing.Cover and let cook on low for 8-9 hours, high for 4-5, or until meat has reached desired tenderness. If you are using a roast, you may want to flip the meat about an hour before serving so more liquid is absorbed into the meat. You can also cut the meat into chunks and return to the pot, if you would like more moisture to absorb.Serve with whipped mashed potatoes, and a ladle full of crock juices. I made a little gravy with some flour/butter roux and the juices.

It's a potato ricer...NO..it's a lime squeezer

I figured this out the other night as I was making a few cocktails and needed some lime juice. My juicer had called it quits so I used the ricer and it worked like a charm!