Pressure Cooker Beef Stroganoff and Some For Later

We don't eat a lot of red meat but it's fall and getting colder and the leaves are turning.  AND IT'S SUNDAY DINNER.  So I made Beef Stroganoff with egg noodles.  A little bit of an indulgence.

It's comfort food for a cold day.  And it couldn't be easier to make.

I love to cook a roast in chunks in my pressure cooker.  It takes just a portion of the time to cook and I don't have to watch the roast.  If it's hot out, the pressure cooker doesn't heat up my kitchen.

 Here's the link to the original post and recipe that I posted a while back. 

This roast came in a two pack, so after dinner I prepared the second roast for a later meal.
Here's the technique:

Remove all the fat you can from the roast and cut it into large chunks (see the photo above).  Salt and pepper it and put it in the pressure cooker.  Add 10 ounces of canned beef broth, two whole cloves of garlic, 1 sliced yellow onion and one dried bay leaf.
Bring to high pressure and cook for about 60 minutes.  I used a  very lean roast so I cooked it a bit longer than you might for a roast which has more fat.

I let the pressure fall on it's own, then removed the meat and the broth into separate bowls.  Strain the broth and discard the onions, bay leaf and whole garlic cloves.  They were invited to the party to flavor the meat and broth and are tasteless now.
Put the bowls into the refrigerator. As the fat cools it will harden (it takes a few hours).  Remove the fat floating on the top of the broth and discard.  You can see there was still a fair amount even after I trimmed my meat.

Who needs extra fat when the flavor is in the meat and the broth? 
Put the meat into sturdy freezer bags or containers and pour the defatted broth over the meat. Squeeze out the air if using plastic freezer bags.

I add a bit of water if needed to just cover the meat so it won't dry out and taste of "freezer burn".  Be sure to date the container so you use the meat in a timely manner.

Pop the packages into your freezer and you have meat for a quick meal.

Defrost it and use the meat for enchiladas, any type of casserole, even French Dip sandwiches.
My favorite way to use this beef and broth is to make soup with it.  Just add vegetables and simmer.
You'll have soup on the table in fifteen minutes and it tastes like you simmered it all day. Well worth the bit of effort to prepare the meat in advance! 
If I will be using the meat in the next day or so, I pour the broth over the meat just to cover and refrigerate it.

The Saga of the Secret Ingredient.

Once upon a time, our sweet elderly neighbor left some fudge on our porch.  She liked to surprise us with food gifts. Ever hopeful, the girls took a small bite.  You see, Julie was a bit eccentric and had a fascination for recipes with strange ingredients (think tomato soup cake).  What ensued was not a pretty sight.
Surprise (not really)...the fudge was unpalatable.  

I called Julie to thank her.  The gesture was lovely and so was her intent.

"Guess what I put in my fudge", said Julie.
"I can't imagine", said I.
"No really, guess the secret ingredient", she prodded.
Umm....."Marshmallow creme? Cocoa powder?"  "I just don't know", said I.

"VELVEETA CHEESE!", an exuberant Julie exclaimed.  "I knew you'd never guess".

Having related to you this true story, I am now telling you I add a secret ingredient to all of my chili recipes. You will be relieved to now it is not Velveeta Cheese.
Unlike the Velveeta Fudge incident, your quests will be clamoring for more of this dish.
Did you guess a Hershey kiss?

Just one will make your chili sing with flavor.  Pop it in the pot and let the sweet chocolate melt down into the pot.  Stir well to blend.

Unlike chocolate and Velveeta cheese, chocolate and chili are perfect companions. You'll also have a big bag of the chocolate left over to nosh on.  How bad can that be?

I like to top my chili bowl with a dollop of sour cream, some chopped scallions and a sprinkling of grated sharp cheddar cheese (when I don't forget to bring the cheese and scallions home from the Stone House).
You can garnish your bowl however you like.

I started with this recipe, then I decreased the chipotle chili powder by half.  We don't like our chili too smoky or to have too much "heat" from the chili.  I also left out the beer and I added yellow, orange and a green bell pepper for color.

Perfect for chilly Fall (or winter) evenings.   It's snowing again here.  I might have to dish up another serving for lunch...while wearing my wool socks and a large sweater.

As with most chili, this one gets better after a day's rest in the refrigerator.  I doubled the batch and stashed some in the freezer. 

Saving September...Very Fresh Cream of Tomato Soup

One of my favorite soups is Cream of Tomato.   We grow plenty of tomatoes and soup is a great way to preserve them.

  Look at the beautiful stripes on the Great White Heirloom tomato variety after peeling.  The skin is actually a creamy white but I love the red strip under neath.

As you can see, I had quite a few different varieties of tomatoes on the counter to use up.  The little tomatoes are an heirloom variety called Georgia  Peach that we tried this year.  The funniest thing about them is their fuzzy skin...really it is fuzzy.  The peach tomatoes are quite tasty in spite of their strange skin and a bit off-putting if you are slicing them or eating them raw but soup was the perfect way to use them up.

Here's a real peach on the right of the Peach tomatoes.  You can see the Peach tomatoes are small.  

Cut an X in the blossom end of the tomatoes and put them in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds.  Plunge them into ice water and the skin comes right off.

 I peeled these with my fingers.  Easy!

Even the peels are photogenic.

This is our favorite tomato soup.  I made two batches; one using just green tomatoes and one batch using the red tomatoes.  Both soups taste the same.  I swirled them together with a bit of Creme Fraiche.
The Creme Fraiche design reminds me of fall leaves just a bit.  That was a happy accident.

Update:  The green tomato soup is made with ripe green heirloom tomatoes, not unripened red ones.  I think I failed to make that clear.  

This soup is great without the swirls and different colors.  I usually just throw all colors of tomatoes in the pot and serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches.  I also often thin the soup with milk and leave out the egg.  The egg and cream add richness but the flavor of the tomatoes stands alone and the milk doesn't dilute the tomato flavor or add calories.
This soup freezes well; I add the milk (or egg if using) when I heat it up.  I have bags of it in the freezer for quick suppers.

Its a great way to Save September.

Very Fresh Cream of Tomato Soup

12 ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut up             

1 cup of chicken stock or water                            

1 cup of chopped celery                     

½ cup of onion, diced                       

¼ cup of minced fresh Italian parsley           

3 Tab. of cornstarch

3 Tab. of butter, melted

2 Tab. of brown sugar

2 tsp. of salt

2 cups of light cream

1 egg yolk, beaten

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Simmer tomatoes, water, celery, onion, and parsley for 30 minutes. Puree and strain.

Mix together butter and cornstarch.  Stir into soup and let simmer over medium heat until thickened slightly.

Add brown sugar, salt and pepper. (Freeze, if desired, at this point.) 

When you are ready to serve, stir the cream and egg into the hot soup and warm.

Makes about 2 quarts.

Smitten...with caramelized onions.

One of my daughters gave another daughter the Smitten Kitchen cookbook for Christmas.  It has great photos and the recipes are good.  I wouldn't say really "gourmet" or difficult to make, but that's a good thing.  Not every cookbook has to have difficult recipes.  These are good for quick, easy dinners

We love caramelized onions at our house and the recipe in Deb Perelman's book is easy and good.  Probably not everyone needs a recipe to make these (they are exactly like the ones I make) but they are GOOD!  I have never put them on a grilled cheese sandwich so thanks Deb.

I made up a double recipe and put them in the fridge for later.  They were delicious on this simple grilled cheese sandwich.  I served them with my favorite lentil soup recipe.  You can find it here.  Soup and sandwiches; perfect for our chilly spring weather.

I made a few modifications on the Smitten Kitchen sandwich.  I sliced a hearty multi-grain bread and buttered the outside of the slices.  I spread a good mustard on one slice of bread.  Pile on the onions, top them with a big handful of grated Emmental cheese (or any other cheese that you like) and let the cheese melt and the bread get toasty golden brown in a medium hot skillet.   MMM....

Caramelized Onions

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon of butter

1 large red onion, halved and sliced thinly

2 teaspoons of brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil and butter and add the onion.  Saute for 5 minutes.  Add the brown sugar and salt, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes more on medium heat.  Add the vinegar, and stir and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken.  Season with black pepper and more salt if desired.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  

Add these to sandwiches, hamburgers or egg dishes.

Lentil Soup with Kielbasa

If you read my blog frequently, you already know we like soup;  a lot.

Lentil soup is one of our favorites. If you don't like lentil soup because the texture is mushy, try using green or French du Puy lentils.  They are more solid and firmer than brown lentils with an earthy taste.  

I made a double batch of this soup last week.  While the weather is still cold, there will be a lot more soup making around here.  The nice thing about making a large pot is that you can jar it up and share.  I freeze the some of the jars for future meals as well.  Make sure that you leave at least 2 inches of headroom in your jars when you fill them.  The soup expands when it freezes and you don't want broken jars and contaminated, unsafe soup.  

P.S.  Save your jars from bottled commercial fruit and Mayonnaise (if you can still find it in jars).  You can't safely bottle or home process using these jars but you can freeze in them.  I save them, wash them well, and gift soup in them.  Cover the lid with fabric or Parchment and tie it with a cute string and label.  People don't feel like they need to return the jar to you and that's recycling at it's best!

Lentil Soup

1/2 pound of kielbasa sausage (pre-cooked), sliced

1 pound of French green lentils, picked through

4 cups of chopped yellow onions (about 3 large)

4 cups of chopped leeks, white part only (about 2 large leeks)

1 tablespoon of minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (use only as much as needed for sauteing vegetables)

1 tablespoons of kosher salt

1½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon of minced fresh thyme leaves (or you can use 1 teaspoon of dried)

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

3 cups of medium-diced celery (about 8 stalks)

3 cups of medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)

3 large red or white potatoes (not russets, they break down too much), cubed

3 quarts of chicken stock

1 quart of beef stock

¼ cup of. tomato paste (about ½ of a 6 oz. can)

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes.  Drain.

          In a large pot over medium heat, sweat the onions, leeks, and garlic in the olive oil.   Add the salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin and sweat for 20 minutes until the veggies are tender and translucent.  Add olive oil as needed to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan, being careful not to let the vegetables brown.  Add the celery and carrots, and cook for 10 minutes more.  Add the stocks, tomato paste, kielbasa and lentils.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for one hour, until the lentils are cooked through.  Check the seasonings.  Add half of the red wine vinegar, taste it and add the rest if you want more. Serve hot, sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Serves 12 generously. 

Soup for a winter day.

Guess what We did today.  We took down the Christmas tree and other decorations.  Thankfully, I had a lot of help.  My husband and my daughters worked right along side me until all was stored in the basement closet for another year.

The house always looks a bit bare after the holidays but this year it looked down-right empty.  The tree usually sits behind the leather chair in the corner.  Well....Oops!  I forgot to get the accessories out of the cupboards and back on the mantles and tabletops.    Got to do that.  It is a joy to have willing workers and the fast clean-up left me time to clean out the refrigerator, go grocery shopping, fold the laundry for the girls to take to London and back to University, and now soup is simmering on the stove. 

After the holiday treats that left our kitchen this year, savory food is very appealing.

Split Pea Soup (a favorite at our house) is a great way to use up the leftover Christmas ham shank and there will be plenty to send back to school for busy weeknight suppers.  Now I'm off to get the bread dough made.

If you think you don't like Split Pea Soup, try this recipe.  You won't be sorry.  It's delicious.

Ham and Split Pea Soup

2 cups of chopped yellow onions (about 2 onions)

1 Tablespoon of minced garlic (4 cloves)

¼ cup of good olive oil

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 Tablespoon of kosher salt
2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

2 cups of red boiling potatoes (6 small), unpeeled and diced

2 lbs. dried split green peas (picked for stones and washed)

¼ lb. smoked ham, diced (or use bacon or kielbasa)

1 leftover ham bone
1 cup of celery, diced

4 cups of carrots (6 to 8 carrots), diced

16 cups of water

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the ham, carrots, potatoes, the leftover ham bone, 1 ½ pounds of split peas, and the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from burning on the bottom. Remove the ham bone. Pick off any remaining meat and return it to the pot. Discard the bone.
Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if necessary.
Serve hot.

Serves 10 to 12 and may be frozen.

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

Do you have these in your pantry?  If not, you should.  They are red lentils and they are packed with nutrients. 

My friend Alta showed me a red lentil  soup recipe from Melissa Clark.  It sounded good to her and as she knew how much I liked lentils, she thought I might like to try it.  She was right.  It's delicious!  It's also fast and easy, and with the exception of the red lentils, I had all of the ingredients in the pantry.   I made a few changes to the original recipe, including using a beef /chicken broth blend. This hearty soup has with a bit of a kick.  It also freezes well and will be just the thing to pull out of the freezer some busy cold winter day in December.  My version of Melissas' recipe is below. 

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne

2 quarts chicken or 1 ½ quarts chicken and ½ quart beef broth

2 cups water

2 cups red lentils

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat until oil shimmers. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until golden, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes more.

Add the broth, water, lentils, and the carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

If you wish to, you may blend or mash ½ of the soup. (I like mine chunky and opted not to blend it).

Reheat the soup; then stir in the lemon juice and herbs. Serve the soup drizzled with a good finishing olive oil and dust lightly with chili powder if desired.

Fall Harvest Beef Soup

I should be making something "Halloween-ish".  But I didn't.  I made this instead.
Just a few weeks ago the landscape looked like this...

Last weekend it looked like this...

And

today it is raining and the high daytime temperature is 48 degrees F. 

So I made soup.

Not just any soup but Harvest Soup.  It's full of root vegetables, beef, tomatoes, squash, and the secret ingredient...wait for it...an apple.  You heard me right; an apple.  Don't be tempted to leave it out because it lends just a bit of tartness.  You can't see it or isolate the flavor in the soup but it's so good.

You can use leftover beef or use one of the preparations for it below.  This sou[ is even better the next day, which is a good thing for us because the forecast is for even colder weather tomorrow.

Fall Harvest Beef Soup

3 medium potatoes, cubed

3 carrots, sliced

1 sweet pepper, cubed

1 medium yellow, onion cubed

2 stalks of celery, sliced

1 small sweet potato, cubed

¼ lb. of brown mushrooms (porcini), sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

¼ head of green cabbage, sliced

1 small apple, cubed

1 ½ cups of green peas (or 1-14 oz. can, drained)

1 ½ cups of corn kernels (or 1-14 oz. can, drained)

64 oz. of tomato juice or vegetable juice

4 cups of water or 4 cups of beef broth (in addition to the meat drippings)

1 ½ lbs. of chuck roast, cut into 2 inch cubes with fat removed (*May use leftover roast beef as well.     Just increase the beef broth in the soup by 1 cup.)

1 Tablespoon of dried basil

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon of kosher salt (may add more of less to taste)

Cook roast with the onion and 1 cup of beef broth either in the oven for a few hours or in a pressure cooker. If using a pressure cooker, follow instructions on the cooker. For roast, braise at 350º F. for 2 hours. Save broth from either method to add to the soup. Remove any fat still on the meat after cooking and discard. Set the beef aside.

Put all ingredients except the beef and drippings into a stock pot and simmer for 1 hour. Add the beef/drippings and simmer for 30 minutes more. Adjust the seasoning.

Serves 14-16 people.

*You may add any vegetables that you have in your garden or refrigerator. This is a great recipe for odds and ends. You may add fresh tomatoes in with the tomato juice.

Linked to Turning the Table Thursday

Ina's Cheddar Corn Chowder

It all started with this....

Fresh sweet white corn on the cob from Sunflower Market.  I bought the cobs and then decided on soup. 
I love Ina Garten's recipes, especially her soups...and this cheddar corn chowder was no exception.  I was expecting it to be a little cheesier, and I wasn't sure about that, but the cheese flavor was very understated.  I might call this potatoe corn chowder if I had written the recipe.  The potatoes were more prominent than the cheese.  I used fresh corn from the cob but for the money, I think frozen would work just as well.  Erin liked the firm texture of the fresh corn and she could tell it was fresh.  This soup was very thin as the recipe was written,  so I doubled the roux and it was perfect for us; morelike what we have come to expect from a chowder.

It's still cold here, we were 20 degrees below normal for this time of year today.  Where is spring?????  We counted 9 golden eagles migrating home on our way home this weekend so we know it's here.  Now if only the temperature would cooperate and warm up.

I needed a meal to take in to friends so the soup turned out to be just the ticket with a small loaf of sunflower whole wheat bread.  Maybe I should be glad we still get to enjoy soup for a little longer.

Pumpkin Soup

I had this beautiful large Moschetta (also called Buckskin) pumpkin from this fall.  I love the tan color.  I cut it, seeded it and baked it in my oven for about 1 hour at 350 degrees F.  After scraping the flesh from the skin, I set it in a colander to let some of the water drain because this is one WET squash.  I got about 4 cups of water total from this pumpkin and about 4 lbs. of cooked pumpkin flesh.  This was not very flavorful from my fork but I had read that it is often used for baking and soups.  So I added it to my favorite squash soup recipe and it was Delicious!!!!  In fact, Erin said she liked it better than the butternut in this recipe. 

I had enough pumpkin left over for a double batch of soup, so it's in the freezer, ready to go on a busy night when I need it.  I freeze some of the puree for later, thinning it when I heat it up.  I usually forgo the 1/2 and 1/2 and thin it with skim milk.  If you are like me, and love the undiluted flavor of the veggies, add the cream or milk slowly, tasting as you add it so you don't lose the pumpkin flavor. 

Pumpkin/Squash Soup

1 lb. fresh baked squash (peeled, and cubed) or one 29-oz. can of pumpkin

3 Tab. butter

½ C. scallions

½ C. chopped celery

½ C. carrots

1 garlic clove, chopped

3 C. chicken stock

1 C. canned Italian tomatoes, chopped with juice

1/8 tsp. dried red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. freshly ground  pepper

1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Up to 2 C. half & half or skim milk

Green onion tops, sliced very thin (save for garnish)

Melt butter in saucepan. Sauté gently onions, celery, and carrots. Add garlic, stir briefly and add chicken stock, tomatoes and pumpkin. Season with red pepper flakes, pepper and nutmeg.

Cook slowly for 1 hr. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and puree until mixture is very smooth.

To Serve:

Reheat very gently with the half & half. Garnish with thinly sliced green tops of onions.

Makes 2 quarts.

Linked to Hearth 'n Soul

Today We are Making Soup

Which soup do you make when you have a limited amount of time?  I make this one.  The ingredients are pantry staples so I won't need to run to the store.  I bet you have a pound of frozen hamburger in your freezer; (doesn't everyone)?  And don't leave out the secret ingredient (shhh....it's the ketchup), but you'd never guess it's in there.  It's important and adds a depth of tomato flavor.  And don't be tempted to leave out the barley, either.  It adds texture, fiber and makes this soup even more substantial.  It really can be a main dish.  I threw in some mushrooms and zucchini this time because I had them in the fridge.  Add whatever veggies your family likes.  When my girls were little they hated school lunch and always packed their own.  I would freeze individual servings of this soup in sandwich baggies and they would microwave them in the morning and put them into a thermos to take to school.  Your kids will love this soup.  It's filling, comforting, and has a great flavor.  It tastes like you slaved over the stove all day but you didn't.  I still freeze some in quart-size freezer bags for a later meal.  The most time consuming thing about this soup is the chopping.  If you know you will be pressed for time, just prep the veggies and the hamburger the day before and keep them in the fridge.  It will go together in no time at all.
Serve this with a chunk of homemade bread or a salad.  It's the perfect supper for a snowy night or a quick bite after you've spent all day Christmas shopping.

Hearty Hamburger Soup

1 lb. of ground beef

2-14 oz. cans of beef consomme soup

3 cups of water

1-16 oz. can of tomatoes, cut up

2 medium yellow onions, chopped (about 1 cup)

4 carrots, sliced (about 2 cups)

2 stalks of celery, sliced (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup of pearl barley, not instant

¼ cup of ketchup

1 teaspoons of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of dried basil

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef in a large pan, stirring to break up the large pieces. Drain off the fat and rinse. Wipe pan clean of beef fat. To the pan, add the water, undrained tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, barley, ketchup, salt, canned soup and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender. Season to taste and remove the bay leaf and discard.

Makes about 4 quarts of soup.

This soup freezes well.

Don't forget to enter the CSN give-away.

Linked to Hearth n' Soul.

Minestrone Soup Time

Joni commented that I am a "Soupie", and she's right.  If you are a regular follower of my blog you know that I love soup.  To me, it's the ultimate comfort food and I must admit that I make it often (maybe "too often" for some of my family).  Weekends are a great time to make soup, because there is time to let it simmer and develop the flavors that make good soup...A GREAT SOUP.  I have a huge arsenal of soup recipes, and they have to be quite wonderful to make it into my recipe box.  This Minestrone soup is a crowd pleaser.  It's almost a meal by itself.  You could add meat but I never do.  Bacon fat contributes to the rich flavor and beans add protein; this soup is filling and satisfying even without meat.  If you want to make it totally vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken stock and leave out the bacon fat.  Add a warm crusty piece of bread and top with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.  It really doesn't get any better than this; the perfect meal for a crisp fall or snowy winter day. 

I made a huge pot of this minestrone...some for us, some to share, and some to freeze for that day
when I need to get a warm meal on the table in a hurry.  I know it's coming and I'm ready.

Country Style Minestrone

Makes about 3 quarts of soup

1 Tab. of olive oil

¼ lb. of bacon, diced (for it's rendered fat)

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 rib of celery, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 Tab. of minced garlic

½ head Savoy cabbage, sliced (or you can use plain green cabbage)

1 large russet potato, peeled and diced

2 C. canned chopped Italian tomatoes

2 C. (one 15-ounce can) of cannellini or great white northern beans

2 C. (one 15-ounce can) of garbanzo beans

4 C. of chicken stock or broth

½ Tab. of salt

½ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. of dried basil

½ tsp. of dried oregano

½ C. of dry, small pasta, such as ditali, orzo, or elbow

2 C. of water

1 bunch of Swiss chard, cleaned of stems, chopped, or 1 bunch of fresh chopped spinach

6 slices of Italian bread, roasted (optional)

¼ C. of freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

*Cook's Note:  Chop all ingredients ahead of time and place them together in order of addition to the recipes. I often do this the night before.  This is the time consuming part of the recipe, but the soup goes together quickly if you do the prep in advance.

In a large heavy pan, heat the oil.  Add the diced bacon and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until crunchy.  Remove the bacon bits and reserve for another use.  (I don't like to leave the bacon in the pot with the vegetables because it turns "rubbery".  I save it for another use or to garnish the soup at service). To the pan, add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook for1 minute. Add the cabbage, potato, tomatoes, beans, broth, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the pasta and water. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Stir often to make sure the pasta is cooking evenly. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.  Add the Swiss chard; cook another 2 minutes just until chard is wilted. Serve in large bowls.  Place a thick slice of bread on the bottom of the bowl and top with minestrone and cheese.  Sprinkle the bacon bits on top if you wish.

*This is a thick, hearty soup. It can easily be doubled. I usually make a double batch and freeze half.

This is linked to Presto Pasta Nights and Friday Potluck.

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

When the maples and cottonwoods turn fiery red and gold, and the air turns crisp, I start to think about warm comfort food.

Early November snow on Mt. Nebo

Family and friends start to inquire as to when I will be making this soup and I must admit that I also anticipate it as the squash ripens on my vines.  I love the sweet flavor of butternut and apple soup, but my favorite all-time fall soup is this one...savory butternut soup.  The inspiration for this soup was a pumpkin recipe given to me many years ago by a friend.  We have made and eaten this adaptation countless times since.  I love the soup's bright orange color and savory notes with just a hint of nutmeg. You can add as little or as much light cream (or even milk) as you want, but I am judicious with the cream for two reasons; one.. I don't like to dilute the flavor too much and two...why add calories when you don't need too?  It's creamy and delicious with or without the cream.  Squash soup just doesn't get any better than this!

This soup is easily made in stages or made completely ahead of time and frozen.  I try to make a few batches and freeze them in jars (don't forget to leave a few inches of headroom in your jars to allow for expansion as the soup freezes.  If you forget you will end up with cracked glass jars). 

You might want to consider making this soup now for your holiday table. Just don't add the cream until service as un-whipped cream does not freeze well and your thawed soup will separate. 

As for my family, we will be eating this all fall, and into the winter; in mugs or fine china, right up until the squash is gone.

Butternut Squash Soup

1 1/2 lbs. of fresh baked squash (peeled, and cubed) or one 29-oz. can of pumpkin

3 Tab. of butter

½ C. of chopped scallions
½ C. of chopped celery

½ C. of choppedcarrots

1 garlic clove, chopped

3 C. of chicken stock

1 C. of canned Italian tomatoes, chopped with juice

1/8 tsp. of dried red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. of freshly grated nutmeg

1 to 1/2  C. of half and half

Green onion tops, sliced very thin (save for garnish)

Melt butter in saucepan. Sauté gently onions, celery, and carrots. Add garlic, stir briefly and add chicken stock, tomatoes and squash. Season with red pepper flakes, pepper and nutmeg.

Cook slowly for 1 hr. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and puree until mixture is very smooth. May be frozen at this point.

To Serve:  Reheat very gently with the half and half. Garnish with thinly sliced green tops of onions.

Makes 2 1/2 quarts.

This is my entry for Hearth 'n Soul , Friday Pot luck, Healthy Mom's Kitchen, and Amanda's Cookin' Thanksgiving Blog Hop.

Choosing and cutting a Butternut Squash-101

Today's post is a lesson.  It's for all my friends who pay A LOT more money than they need to pay when buying butternut squash.  You know who you are...Yes, you!  There is no need to buy pre-cut bags of squash at Costco.  I have been promising a few people a post with the recipe for a wonderful butternut squash soup that I make in the fall.  I've heard several times this week that it's OK that I've not yet posted my long-promised recipe for that special squash soup.  Apparently some of you are under the impression that you can not make it until Costco gets in the bagged/cut squash.  Not so my friends.  Choosing and cutting a butternut squash is easy. 

To get the best value for your dollar, choose a squash that is long and thick in the neck and shorter at the rounded bottom.  It may not look as pretty as it's curvy bottom-heavy neighbor, but trust me; this is the squash you want.  The round bottom cavity holds the seeds so you want it to be much smaller than the neck, which is solid meat.  Choose one that is blemish free with the skin intact (no holes or spoilage), and you can store it for months (unlike the bagged cut squash) should you decide to not use it right away. 

The scary part about peeling a hard skinned squash is that the squash rolls and there is opportunity to cut yourself (or worse to cut off one of your fingers).  To safely peel and cut your squash, trim the stem and the bottom straight across and discard those pieces.  Then cut the neck away from the round bottom.  Now you have two separate shapes that have a solid base to stand on; "Feet", so to speak, and now your squash pieces are stable and won't wobble when you peel them.  You'll be less apt to lose a finger this way.  Have I confused you with "squashy" anatomical terms?  I hope not. I'll demonstrate.

Stand the rounded bottom upright.  Choose a long sharp knife and start to cut the skin in strips from the top down to the cutting surface.  Rotate your squash and peel all the way around.  Repeat with the tall portion of the squash.  Cut through the seed cavity and scoop out the seeds and discard.

*Author's note...the reason you do not see my fingers in the photo above is not because I am afraid I will cut them off, but because they are holding the camera.  You will want to hold onto the squash with one hand while you hold the knife with the other; your fingers tucked safely under of course.

Peeled and ready to be cut into uniform cubes.

See...it was easy.  Now store the peeled squash in the refrigerator until you need it.  Just like Costco, only you have twice as much squash for the same amount of money.

If you want to roast your squash with the skin on, just cut the squash in half between the neck and bottom and scoop out the seeds.  Then cut both the neck and the bottom in half lengthwise to roast.

Next post....the long awaited Butternut Squash Soup.  Believe me, it will be worth the wait.

Cream of Chicken Noodle Soup

There was a grand old hotel called the Hotel Utah that was built in 1909.  It was in the second Renaissance style and is on the historic register.  In the basement there was a wonderful restaurant that was quite upscale for the area at the time.  We used to go there with our toddler and eat lunch every few weeks.  Our favorite starter was a delicious, creamy chicken noodle soup.  While we waited for our starters, my husband would take our daughter to look at the fish in the giant carved marble fish pond on the floor against the far wall. 

The hotel and restaurant are no longer there although the building still stands.  The fish pond has resurfaced in a local antique store.  We mourned loss of the soup much more than the hotel.  I tried for some time to replicate that wonderful soup, and I finally feel that I have come close.  Every time I make this for our family, I have wonderful memories of my little children and of times gone by in that elegant restaurant in the basement of that grand hotel.

I give you, Hotel Utah Cream of Chicken Noodle Soup.  You will note that it uses canned Cream of Chicken soup.  I use the can with the red label (you know the one I mean).  I was told by a former employee of the restaurant that this was the secret ingredient.  Now I don't usually use canned soup in my home-made soups but this is the exception, because as soon as I added it the flavor was just right. To make a quick meal, I also used a warm market rotisserie chicken.  I took the meat off and saved the carcass for broth; two meals from one chicken. Try the soup, it's wonderful, quick and filling.  Add a salad or soft, warm piece of bread and you have a meal.  Like most soups, it's even better the second day.

Hotel Utah-Style Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Makes about 2 ½ quarts

2 teaspoons of chicken soup base

3 cups of chicken soup stock

2 Tablespoons of butter or olive oil (or combination of both)

2 cups of chopped carrots

2 cups of chopped celery

¾ cup of chopped onion

2-10 oz. cans of cream of chicken soup

½ cup of whole milk or half-and-half (light cream)

3 Tablespoons of butter

3 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour

2 cups of cooked diced chicken

4 cups of cooked noodles

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the 2 tablespoons of butter in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Add the carrots, celery, and onions; simmer until the vegetables are translucent.

Pour in the stock and soup base and bring to a boil. Add the canned soup and milk.

In a small sauce pan, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter. Stir the flour into the butter, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not let the flour mixture brown. Add the roux to the Dutch oven and stir to thicken the soup. Let it come to a low boil and cook for 3 minutes more.

Add the cooked chicken and noodles. Stir well to distribute.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

This is linked to the Hearth 'n Soul blog hop and Friday Pot luck.  Check out the other contributors posts this week.