Our Family's Chicken Pastina Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup diced chicken breast (rotisserie is convenient) 

4 large carrots, sliced

1/2 box Pastina Pasta

64 ounces of  prepared Chicken broth (or one large can)

2 tsp minced onions   (optional)

1 TBS Parmesan cheese

2 tsp Parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions: 

In a pot saute the onions (if you are using them) in a tbs of olive oil for a few mins until translucent. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until slightly soft.  

Pour in the Pastina and continue to boil about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, parsley, cheese and salt and pepper to taste, turn the temp down to low to slightly simmer. Put the lid on, wait a few minutes and then, soups on!

**Some ideas**

 When I make soups with any pasta lately I have been cooking the pasta separately and then adding it to each serving. The pasta tends to swell up and make all the leftover soup starchy and also absorbs all of the broth. If this happens, you can just add more water to thin it out and test for flavor with salt and pepper. Even adding a bullion cube if necessary. It's easier to keep the pasta separate unless you don't intend on having leftovers :-)

Lentils with Beef and Vegetables

Ingredients: 

2-3lbs of beef sirloin, cut into small chunks

5 large carrots, sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced 

1 large white onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 bag of lentils

2 quarts of beef stock

4 TBS tomato paste

3 TBS Worshishire sauce

2 Bay leaves

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Rinse and drain the lentils out very well in a colandar.

Put a pot of water on to boil with salt added.  Cook the lentils for 10-15 until they are soft but have a little bite. Drain, put back in the pot, on warm and put the lid on.

In a large heavy bottom pan or dutch oven, brown the meat in olive oil until browned. Remove the meat from pan and add in the vegetables. Add salt and pepper and mix in with the oil/juices. Cook until onions are translucent and veggies begin to brown. Add in the tomato paste. Blend in with the veggies with a wooden spoon. 

Throw in bay leaves and pour in the beef stock and Worshishire sauce.  Bring to a low boil, add the meat back in, simmer with the lid on for a good hour. 

Check the tenderness of the meat and carrots and taste for any needed salt, pepper etc...

Some people will add the lentils right into the pot, but I keep the cooked lentils on warm in a seperate pot and put a few spoonfuls of them in the bowl and top with the hot broth, and put the meat and veggies over them. I do this also with any noodle soups and any other soups with pasta.  

Italian Style Beef Soup

Ingredients: 

1 large steak, cut into small pieces

½ large red onion, chopped

6 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 cans or 1 bag frozen whole green beans

2 cans or 1 bag of frozen sliced carrots

2 48 oz cans beef broth

1 lb mini shells or ditalini pasta

3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Italian seasoning, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

In a large soup pot on high, cook the beef and onions in the olive oil until browned, then add in the garlic. Saute' 5 minutes or so.

Season well, add diced tomatoes, stir to combine. Add in the beef broth, cover and bring to a full boil. Lower temp and and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Check for seasoning again, then bring back to a boil and add in the pasta. Cook as directed on package. Add in the carrots and string beans and lower to simmer.

Serve with grated cheese on top.

This makes a very large pot, cut everything in half to make less. 

Cream of Tomato and Basil Soup

Recipe and pic courtesy of Valerie Alava Ross

Ingredients:

2 large cans of San Marzano Tomatoes 

1 med onion diced

Bunch of fresh chopped basil

Squeeze of agave nectar (or a couple tbsp reg table sugar)

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan (add more to taste)

Salt & pepper to taste

Olive oil

Splash of cream

Directions: 

Sauté onion in a bit of olive oil in a heavy stock pot. Cook till tender, 3 - 4 minutes. 

Add San Marzano tomatoes. Cook on med heat for 5 - 10 minutes. With a stick blender, mix the soup in the pan till the tomatoes are broken down. Can use a reg blender if need be. A potato masher will work in a pinch, but soup will be more chunky. 

Add Parmesan, a big splash of heavy cream and chopped basil. Mix well. Add salt, pepper and more Parmesan to taste. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and fresh basil.

Chicken and Dumplings

 

Ingredients:

·         2 TBS olive oil

·         4 boneless chicken breasts, 6 thighs or 1 whole rotisserie chicken

(can also substitute with Turkey)

·         5 stalks celery

·         5 carrots

·         1 large white onion

·         2 quarts of Chicken broth or stock

·         3 cups water

·         2 tsp dried thyme or 4 TBS fresh

·         3 bay leaves

·         ½ cup of flour

·         4 TBS butter

Dumplings:(can substitute all ingredients for Bisquick with just mix/milk and Thyme)

·         2 cups flour

·         1 TBS baking powder

·         ½ tsp baking soda

·         6 TBS unsalted butter, melted

·         ¾ cup buttermilk

·         2 TBS chopped fresh parsley, some reserved

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Brown in batches, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If you are using a premade chicken, chop up into large chunks or shred it with a fork and set aside.  Transfer to a plate and in the same pot add the butter, let melt then add the celery, carrots, onions and Thyme, season with salt and pepper, stir and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Shred the chicken with 2 forks or cut into small chunks and return it to the pot. In a separate small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of flour, 2 cups of the cooking liquid, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Slowly whisk the flour mixture back into the pot and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Make the dumplings: Whisk together the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the butter, buttermilk and parsley. Reduce heat to low and drop the mixture into the broth in 8 large spoonful or 16 smaller spoon fuls. Simmer, covered, until the dumplings are firm, 10 mins for larger one and about 5-8 for smaller ones. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Beef Barley and Vegetable Soup

Pictures and recipe contributions shared by Susan Abbey Newman's recipe from her mom Shirley Abbey 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1lb beef (such as ribeye or sirloin) cut up into small pieces 

2 cups (1/2-inch) diced carrots (4 carrots)

1 cup chopped white onion

1 cup (1/2-inch) diced celery (2 stalks)

2 garlic cloves, minced

 a big pinch of dried thyme or 2 sprigs of fresh tied together

2 Bay Leaves

Salt and Pepper

10 cups canned Beef Broth

1 ½  cups pearled Barley

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the beef , 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until browned all over. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon.

Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the fat in the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables start to brown.  Stir in the tomato paste. Throw in the Thyme along with the bay leaves. Return the meat to the pot and add the broth, add 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for a 1/2 hour. Discard the thyme bundle and the bay leaves, and skim off the fat..

Add in the barley and cook the soup for another 30-45 minutes, until the barley is tender. Add in more salt and some pepper to taste. You may also need to add in extra boiling water if the soup gets too thick. Serve hot.

Shrimp, Corn and Potato Chowder

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 Medium Russet potatoes, diced
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery
4 med carrots, diced
1 bag (12oz) frozen corn
15 extra large or 25 large shrimp, chopped
1/2-3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
48 oz can chicken broth
1 quart of whole milk
3 TBS flour
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tsp Paprika
2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

 

Directions:

In a large heavy bottomed pot, on high heat, melt the butter. Add in the corn, onions, celery, carrots and potatoes.  Sprinkle with Paprika, Thyme, Salt and Pepper to taste. Cook about 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. 

 

Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir around for 2-3 minutes to coat and cook out the flour.
Slowly add in the chicken broth.  After all the broth is in, add the shrimp and bring to a boil.
Let simmer for 10-15 mins or until the potatoes and carrots are cooked. Salt and pepper as needed.  

 

Lower burner to low and stir in the milk. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add in the cheddar cheese and bacon. Blend well and return to heat for another 10-15 minutes.

 

Serve with chopped bacon, shrimp and cheddar on top.

Grilled Chicken Fennel Soup

Recipe courtesy of: Kim Forni

Ingredients:

2 butterflied chicken breasts, pounded thin

2 large boneless , skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

2 fennel bulbs (stalks with green included)

1/2 red onion, sliced

8 cloves garlic whole or sliced

1 leek (soft part only)

1/2 c. white wine

1 jalapeno, minced

1 stalk lemon grass

Lemon zest from 1 lemon and 1/2 the juice..

or to taste

1/2 lb gourmet cherry tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)

1/2 of 10-oz package fresh spinach

1/4 cup cilantro4 quarts chicken stock

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Heat some olive oil in a soup pot. Pound thin and marinade chicken breasts while doing the prep work. Then grill till done.Remove stalks from fennels . Then slice the fennel bulbs in about 1″ thick slices. Add fennel, onion and garlic to oil and sautee a couple of minutes. Cut the leek into 2″ long sticks and add in. Grate in lemon zest.

Add stock.

Cut off the dark green “grass” part of the lemon grass & leave only the soft stalk. Slit it down the middle and stir in the soup with the minced jalapeno and bring to a boil and lower flame.Season with salt and white pepper. Add white wine.

In the meantime, grill chicken breasts, season with salt and black pepper, and cut into strips.Once the fennel gets soft, slice tomatoes in half and add to pot. Now remove the lemon grass stalk from the soup.Toss in chopped cilantro and spinach cook for about 5 minutes.Place a few pieces of grilled chicken in bottom of serving bowl, pour soup over and serve.

Michael Symon’s Turkey Dumpling Soup

Ingredients

FOR THE DUMPLINGS:

1 cup Flour

2 Eggs

1/4 cup Milk

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4 cup Chopped Chives

FOR THE SOUP:

8-10 pound Turkey (removed from bones)

1 1/2 gallons Turkey Stock (made from Turkey)

2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter

1 large Onion (diced)

2 large Carrots (diced)

1 bunch Celery (diced)

2 Cloves Garlic (minced)

1 cup Tarragon (chopped)

Roasted Turkey Meat pulled and roughly chopped

2 gallons Chicken or Turkey Stock (prepared or a good quality brand)

Directions:

FOR THE DUMPLINGS: Make a well in the flour in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add the eggs and milk mixture to the well, then add the nutmeg and chives and whisk all together until smooth.

FOR THE SOUP: Heat butter over medium heat in a large stockpot. Add the vegetables with a large pinch of salt, and sweat the vegetables until translucent. Add the pulled turkey and stock, cover and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 45 minutes.

Bring soup to a boil and cut in dumplings by placing batter on a damp cutting board and using a bench scraper or knife to cut into bite sized dumplings. Drop the dumplings into the boiling soup, and wait for them all to float to the surface. Let boil another minute, add tarragon, and serve.



Simple Beef Stew

My older daughter recently began making home cooked meals and asked me for a recipe for a "Beef Stew". She complained that the recipe was "much too complicated" for her, so I had to quickly write up a new recipe for a beginner. This is the simplest beef stew recipe I could come up with. The steps are easier than my original stew and not at all complicated. You really can't go wrong with the flavors as long as you taste as you go along. The vegetables that you use are totally versatile and you can add in a variety of other ingredients to increase the depth of flavors such as; a little red wine into the broth mix, some bay leaves or more fresh herbs, even some parm cheese stirred in at the end or sprinkled on top! 
This is enough for about 4 people, I pretty much triple this to serve to my 6 and have left overs for the hubby's lunch for the week.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 lb. stew beef, cubed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup flour
1 tsp each of; salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and parsley
3 cans Beef Broth
3 cups water
4 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced in 1-1/2 inch cubes
1 package frozen carrots
1 packages frozen green beans or peas
1 small onion, finely diced
½ can tomato paste, or 1 cup crushed tomatoes (optional)
2 Tablespoons Worshishire sauce

Directions:
Fill a large stock pot or heavy bottomed cast iron pot with the three cans of beef broth and three cans of water. Bring to a boil.

Cut your beef into 1-inch cubes. In a small bowl add flour, salt and pepper. Mix with a fork. Toss your beef cubes in the flour mix until fully coated, shake off the excess flour.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on low/medium heat. Sauté beef cubes until browned on all sides, making sure not to crowd the meat into the pan.

Meanwhile, to the pot of broth, add the tomato paste or crushed tomatoes, the vegetables, potatoes and Worshishire sauce to the boiling broth. Add in the browned meat, sprinkle in the spices and stir to combine well.

Lower heat to medium/low and let simmer for about 1 ½ -2 hours.
Stir occasionally, checking the vegetables for doneness and add in more salt to your taste.

Matzo Ball Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

3 eggs
6 to 9 cups Chicken broth or stock
1 cup shredded white meat chicken
¼ cup Vegetable Oil
1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp Paprika
1 cup Matzo Meal
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
¼ cup grated onion
Chopped fresh parsley or dill

Directions:

1. Beat together the eggs and 1/2 cup of the broth.

2. Stir in the onion, oil, salt, and pepper. Add the matzo meal; the dough should be very
moist. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for at least ½ hour.

(about the amount of time it takes to do the following.)

3. Dice, then sauté’ the carrot and celery in 1 TBS Olive oil until translucent and set
aside.

4. Place the chicken broth and shredded chicken in a large soup pot on high, add the
paprika and bring to a boil.

5. Using wet hands, shape the matzo mix into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter.

6. Turn the heat down to medium and gently drop the balls in. Cook until expanded and
set, about 20 minutes. To serve, set the matzo balls in soup bowls and ladle the soup
over them, garnish with parsley or dill.

Laksa Singapura (Spicy Singapore Noodle Soup)

Recipe courtesy of Nancy Josland Dalsin

from "Green Mangoes and Lemon Grass" by Wendy Hutton

12-16 fish balls
1 1/2 lb fresh round rice flour (laksa) noodles, blanched in boiling water 30 seconds
2 cups bean sprouts
13 oz cooked prawns, peeled and deveined, tails intact
12 canned or fresh quail eggs, hard boiled and peeled if fresh, hard boil for 3 minutes in salted water for easier peeling
4 large pieces deep fried dried bean curd, blanched in boiling water 1 minute, sliced
sprigs of polygonum (long-stemmed mint) to garnish (you can use cilantro)

Laksa Gravy

10-12 dried chilies, cut in 3/4 in lengths, soaked in hot water to soften
2-3 large red chilies, sliced
16 shallots, minced
2 in galangal, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 in ginger, minced
3 stems lemon grass, tender inner part of bottom 4 in only, sliced
3/4 in fresh turmeric or 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried shrimp paste, toasted
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons coriander, lightly toasted and ground to a powder
1/2 cup dried prawns, soaked to soften them, ground to a powder
3 cups water
4 tablespoons finely minced polygonum leaves (long stemmed mint)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, or more to taste (I used brown sugar)
3 cups coconut milk

To make the Laksa Gravy, process both lots of chilies, shallots, galangal, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, turmeric and shrimp paste to a smooth paste, adding a little oil if needed to keep the mixture turning.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the chili paste and stir fry over low moderate heat until fragrant and the oil starts to separate, about 10 minutes. Add the coriander powder and stir fry 1 minute. Add the dried prawns and stir fry 1 minute. Stir in the water, polygonum leaves, salt, and sugar. Bring to the boil, lower heat, and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add fish balls and simmer another 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and bring almost to the boil then remove from heat.
To serve, divide the noodles and bean sprouts between four large bowls. Fill each with hot gravy, then top with prawns, fish balls, quail eggs and bean curd slices.

Maa Di Dal (Slow-Cooked Creamy Black Lentils With Whole Spices)

Recipe courtesy of Nancy Josland Dalsin

Makes 6 cups

1 cup whole black lentils (sabud urad), picked over for stones
1/2 cup yellow split peas (chana dal), picked over for stones
8 medium size cloves of garlic
2 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 2 inches long, 1 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick)
2 to 4 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed
4 green, white, or black cardamom pods
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks (each 3 inches long)
4 tablespoons Ghee or unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
2 teaspoons coarse kosher sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream (I used plain yogurt)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1. Place the lentils and split peas in a large saucepan. Fill the pan halfway with water and rinse the legumes by rubbing them between your fingertips. The water will become cloudy. Drain this water. Repeat three or four times, until the water remains relatively clear; drain. Now add 6 cups water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium heat. Skim off and discard any foam that forms on the surface.

2. While the water is coming to a boil, combine the garlic, ginger, and chiles in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are minced.

3. As soon as the water is boiling and you have discarded the foam, add the minced blend and the cardamom pods, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils swell up and soften and the split peas are fall-apart tender, about 1 hour.

4. While the legumes are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a medium-size skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle in the cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle, turn reddish brown, and smell nutty, 5 to 10 seconds. Add the onion and stir-fry until it is a light brown around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the tomatoes, salt and cayenne. simmer the sauce, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until some of the ghee starts to separate on the surface, 6 to 10 minutes. Set the skillet aside until the legumes are ready.

6. Once the legumes are tender, stir in the sauce, the kidney beans, and the cream. Pour 1 cup water into the skillet and scrape the bottom to deglaze it, releasing any sauce and spices. Add this to the legumes and stir once or twice.

7. Cover the pan and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the flavors mingle, 5 to 10 minutes.

8. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons ghee and the cilantro, and serve. (with Naan, or rice)

Double-Steamed Duck Soup with Pickled Limes (Bpet Dtun Manao Dong)

Recipe courtesy of Nancy Josland Dalsin

This recipe is from "Thai Food by David Thompson" a book on the people, culture and cuisuine of Thailand that was 10 years in the making.
A paragraph in the introduction:
"Thai cooking is at odds with the modern world, where speed and simplicity are paramount. Thai is not an instant cuisine, prepared with the flick of a knife and finished with the toss of a pan. It needs the cook's attention, it expects time and effort to be spent and it requires honed skills, but it rewards with sensational tastes."

Double-Steamed Duck Soup with Pickled Limes (Bpet Dtun Manao Dong)

2 duck legs or 1 whole duck
3-4 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
1 star anise, ground
oil for deep-frying (I use peanut oil)
1-2 cabbage leaves
1 small green gourd, peeled, de-seeded and chopped into 2 in pieces
1 pickled lime, with 1/2 cup of pickling liquid (in Asian grocery store)
2 in piece cassia bark, roasted (cinnamon bark) found in Asian or East Indian stores)
1 piece dried orange peel
6 cups boiling chicken stock
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
small piece yellow rock sugar, crushed
pinch of ground white pepper
1 tablespoon coriander leaves

Chop each of the duck legs into three pieces. If using a whole duck, remove the legs and do the same then cut down the bottom of the rib cage and remove the back bone. Chop the breast in half lengthwise and then cut diagonally into three. Marinate duck in the kecap manis and ground star anise for about 5 minutes.

Deep fry duck until dark brown, to enrich the soup; don't worry if it looks burnt - it's just the kecap manis caramelizing. Drain. (The deep frying is optional, but it helps to prevent the duck looking too anaemic in the finished soup.) Line a large, deep bowl with cabbage leaves and add the duck, gourd, whole pickled lime, cassia and orange peel. Cover with boiling stock and season with soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Cover tightly with foil and steam for 2-3 hours, checking the water level in the steamer at regular intervals. Serve sprinkled with pepper and coriander.

Corn Chowder

Recipe by: Jamie Oliver

Ingredients:

1 celery stalk
1 medium onion
1 ½ tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups 1% milk
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into little cubes
3 scallions
2 cups frozen corn
¼ cup chopped fresh chives and/or parsley (optional)


Method:

1. Pull the leaves from the celery stalks and set them aside. Chop your celery and onion.

2. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the celery (not the leaves), onion, and thyme. Stir until the vegetables start to brown.

3. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir for a few more minutes. Pour in the milk, add the potato and bring to a boil, stirring the whole time so the soup doesn’t stick to the pot. Cook until the potatoes are tender, but not mushy – this will take around 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, chop the celery leaves, trim the ends off the scallions and slice them thinly. When the potatoes are tender, stir in the corn, scallions and celery leaves. Bring the soup back to the boil, then serve.

Leek and Potato Soup

Recipe courtesy of: Nancy Josland Dalsin

Ingredients

...2 leeks, chopped
2 sweet onions, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup thinly sliced potatoes
2 1/3 cups chicken stock
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 1/8 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions

Gently sweat the chopped leeks and the chopped onion in butter or margarine until soft, about 8 minutes. Do NOT let them brown.
Add potatoes and stock to the saucepan. Salt and pepper to taste; do not overdo them! Bring to the boil, and simmer very gently for 30 minutes.
Puree in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Gently stir in the cream before serving. Reheat before serving.
*I also boil a separate pot with 3 diced potatoes and 1 diced carrot and add to the soup after pureeing. Optional. Garnish with Chives.

Cheddar Broccoli and Bacon Soup

I suggest doubling this recipe, people will want more and it’s great left over.

Ready in 30 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 -10oz box frozen chopped broccoli
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 crisply cooked slices bacon, crumbled
2 TBS Butter or Margarine
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup hot water
3 TBS flour
3 cups milk
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste
*optional: few shakes of Cayenne Pepper or Hot Sauce to kick it up

Directions:

Sautee’ the onions and butter in large soup pot until tender. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk for a minute or two. Slowly add in the milk, continue whisking on medium/ high until the soup starts to thicken.

Dissolve bouillon in the hot water and add to the pot. Bring to a low simmer, add in the broccoli, mix until it is all heated through. Reduce to medium/low and add in the Cheddar cheese. Do not let the soup come to a boil. When it’s all melted in stir in the crumbled bacon, reserving some for garnishing. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some Cheddar and Bacon on top.

Chicken Soup

Ingredients

For Stock:
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
6 quarts water
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
5 black peppercorns
4 cubes chicken bouillon, crumbled
3 bay leaves
1 pinch dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt

For Soup:
4 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup-1 cup Acini pepe or ditalini pasta

Directions

In a large pot combine chicken, water, large onion, celery with leaves, fresh parsley, peppercorns, bouillon, bay leaf, , thyme and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for a few hours. Strain stock, reserving chicken. Set aside.

In the same pot add 2 TBS EVOO, add in onion, celery and carrots and cook until translucent, stirring frequently.

Skim fat from top of stock. Remove skin and bones from chicken and cut meat into bite-size pieces. Return stock and chicken to pot and stir in parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

*You can add the pasta directly into the pot with the soup but after a while it just swells and takes over the whole pot and you don't have as much broth. I like to boil pasta according to directions on the box and spoon pasta in bowl and then add the soup to it.
 

Italian Style Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients:
½ lbs beef, cut into small pieces
2 cups diced tomatoes
3 cups of small pasta (orzo, ditalini, stars, tiny shells, etc…)
1 large container beef broth
4 large carrots, chopped
4 large celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
½ large head of green cabbage
2 TBS Butter
3 TBS EVOO
Salt and pepper
1 TBS Onion powder
1 TBS Garlic powder
½ tsp Paprika
1 ½ TBS Parsley
1 TBS Oregano

Directions:
Brown the steak with the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Set aside.

In a large soup pot over high heat, add the EVOO, the chopped vegetables, salt, pepper, paprika, onion and garlic powder. Stir frequently until the veggies are just starting to brown and are caramelized. Pour in the beef broth and diced tomatoes. Drain the oil out of the pan of beef and add to the pot. Combine and bring to a boil. Add in 4 cups of water, bring back to the boil, reduce and let simmer for at least an hour.

When you are ½ hour away from serving add in your pasta of choice, stirring until cooked. Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Italian Style Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

1 quart chicken stock
1 12oz box bowtie pasta
35-40 cooked italian style mini meatballs
3 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 TBS minced Garlic
½ cup cooked and drained spinach
2 TBS Pecorino Romano cheese
Parsley, salt and pepper
3 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

In a soup pot add, the EVOO, carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper and sauté until caramelized. Add in Chicken broth and let come to a boil. After it comes to a boil reduce to a bubbling simmer for 15 minutes or so, enough to soften the veggies. Add in the Meatballs and spinach, let cook for about 10 minutes later, then add the pasta. Keep on low boil until the pasta is cooked. Serve with fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese on top.