It’s soup time. Time to cozy up and get warm with a delicious bowl of soup.
Here are some of my favorite ones.
CREAMY CORN CHOWDER
4 strips bacon
1/2 medium onion chopped small
3 sticks celery chopped small
2 medium carrots peeled & chopped small
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 c. flour
4 c. chicken broth or stock
1 c. heavy/whipping cream
4 c. frozen or fresh corn
2 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep your bacon (I use kitchen shears to make cutting it up easy) and add it to a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy (about 10 minutes).
Once the bacon is crispy, take it out of the pot and remove it to a paper towel lined plate. Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot.
Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.
Add in the chicken broth and give it a good stir to ensure the flour has dissolved and the brown bits are scraped up from the bottom of the pot.
Add in the cream, corn, potatoes, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, and most of the bacon (I save the rest for garnishing the bowls later on). Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer so it’s gently boiling. Cover the pot so the lid is slightly ajar.
Cook until the potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Stir every so often. The soup will thicken up more the longer you cook it.
Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Garnish bowls with the rest of the bacon.
https://www.saltandlavender.com/corn-chowder
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
This is my adapted recipe. It’s easy. Most of the ingredients you just pour in the pot.
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 c. frozen corn
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
7 c. chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies (if using this, you can eliminate the cayenne pepper if you don’t like really spicy things)
10 oz spaghetti sauce
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add all the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. After about 15 minutes, remove the chicken and shred. Return shredded chicken to the pot and simmer an additional 45 minutes.
Serve topped with crumbled tortilla chips or cut a tortilla into strips. These soften into a noodle like texture.
And finally……
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
1 3 to 4 lb. butternut squash
1 medium onion
1 head garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. fine sea salt
½ tsp. cracked black pepper
1 tsp. fresh chopped sage
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
3 c. vegetable stock (chicken stock or water)
½ c. heavy cream (cashew cream or coconut milk)
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare vegetables: Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds. Remove the skin from the onion and cut it into 4 large pieces. Cut the top off of the head of garlic and sprinkle with olive oil. Wrap the head of garlic in a piece of foil.
Arrange the vegetables on the baking sheet and coat them with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, sage and thyme leaves. Place the wrapped garlic on the baking sheet.
Roast: Bake for 45 minutes or until you can easily pierce the flesh of the squash with a fork. (Allow the vegetables to cool enough to handle.)
Blend and reheat: Remove the flesh of the butternut squash from the skin and the roasted garlic and transfer them, along with the onions and vegetable stock to a stockpot.
Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Cook the soup over low heat until heated through. Stir in the cream and season to taste.
How to roast butternut squash seeds
After removing the seeds from the squash, rinse them in a colander to remove the pulp. Place them on a towel to help remove any moisture. Place them in a bowl and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt.
Spread them out on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through the baking time. (Don’t be surprised if you hear the seeds pop in the oven, this is normal.)
https://littlespoonfarm.com/roasted-butternut-squash-soup-recipe/#recipe
