soup – Cooking With Kristy

When fall arrives along with football and cold & flu season, there’s nothing better than a cup of hot chowder. I have tried many different potato soup, clam chowder and other hearty recipes, and settled on this combination as my favorite – it has the best of all flavors and it’s easy to spice it up more or less to your personal tastes. I happened to have a fresh crab for the last pot, so I added the meat in at the last minute for a bit of extra seafood flavor.

Autumn Clam Chowder

(2) 6.5 oz. cans of minced clams

3-4 slices of bacon, cut in half

3-4 medium potatoes, cubed

1 med. onion, chopped

1 t. chicken bouillon

2 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. dried, crushed thyme

(1) 15-oz can fire roasted or southwestern style corn, drained

1 fire-roasted red pepper, chopped

2-4 T. jalapeno peppers (jarred), chopped

salt & pepper to taste

2 c. milk

1 c. half-and-half

2 T. all-purpose flour

Strain the clams into a measuring cup, saving the juice. Set the clams aside and add water to the juice until it equals 1 cup, then set aside. In a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. To the bacon drippings, add the onions and cook few minutes until soft. Add the clam juice, potatoes, thyme, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling, then cover, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft. Mash them lightly.

Whisk together the milk, half-and-half, and flour. Add to the potato mixture and increase heat back to medium. Cook and stir often until slightly thickened and near boiling. Stir in the clams, jalapenos, red pepper, clams, crumbled bacon and corn. Bring the mixture back up to boiling and until everything is heated thoroughly. Serve in large mugs or bowls, sprinkled with more chopped peppers or shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

Who doesn’t love a quick and easy soup when cold weather sets in? I found this lentil soup recipe from a now-defunct restaurant in my stash of old newspaper clippings – dated from 2001…ok, so I need to clean things out a little more often! I loved this soup at the restaurant and when I made it last 13 years ago. I thought I’d try it again and give it an update. So I dug out my crockpot to see if I could make it in fewer steps, and I looked around my kitchen for some new ingredients to add (like the nearly overripe tomatoes on the counter). Voila! It turned out perfect! I added my crazy cheese bread and it was a hearty, toasty and tasty supper – plus, the leftovers were perfect for lunch the next day. Maybe if that restaurant had added a few extra garden-fresh ingredients, they would still be around!

Hearty Lentil Soup

1 T. butter

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. Italian sausage links

1 c. shredded carrot

1/2 c. diced onion

1/4 cup finely chopped leeks

1/4 c. finely chopped celery

1-1/2 c. uncooked lentils

4 c. low-sodium chicken broth

8-10 fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes, cubed

1 c. whipping cream

2 T. dijon mustard

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 c. finely chopped fresh spinach

salt & pepper, grated parmesan cheese to taste

In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil until melted over medium heat. Brown the sausage links on all sides, about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove sausages, set aside and cool. Add the carrot, onion, leeks, and celery to the remaining oil and cook until tender.

In the crockpot, mix the lentils, broth, cooked vegetables, tomatoes, chopped sausage pieces, and dijon. Cover and cook on high for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until lentils are cooked thoroughly. Add the vinegar, cream, salt & pepper, and 3/4 of the spinach. Stir, cover and cook 5 more minutes. Serve in soup mugs sprinkled with the remaining spinach and parmesan.

If you’re daring, try this with spicy Italian sausage for some real heat!

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