Pumpkin Soup

Wait...don't get scared off by the title of this post! You will be amazed by the yumminess and un-pumpkin-ness of this soup! It's yet another recipe from my favorite cookbook of all time (seriously, everyone needs this book! And no, I'm not getting paid to advertise it, although that would be nice). The whole the family will love this one. My husband liked it so much he asked me to make it again the next day!

Pumpkin Soup

1 lb peeled pumpkin cut into 1 inch chunks

1/4 cup butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 14oz cans chicken broth

2 cups milk

pinch of grated nutmeg

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 oz spaghetti, broken 3 times

6 tbsp freshly grated IMPORTED Parmesan cheese (trust me, it makes a difference)

Here's a quick note, I know Parmesan is expensive, but I've found it's like cheddar cheese, I have to keep it stocked in my fridge. I use it all the time and it is so much yummier than American made Parmesan.

In a large soup pot, melt your butter and then add onion and cook over medium heat for 6 minutes stirring occasionally. Add pumpkin, cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the broth and cook for 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to put the pumpkin and onion in a food processor and puree it. Return it to the broth, add milk and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the soup to a boil, remembering to stir occasionally so as not to scald the milk. Add the broken spaghetti and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, add parmesan and serve immediately!

Enjoy!

I'd love to hear if you liked this recipe or any others so please leave comments.

Creamed Corn Soup

This is one of those oral recipes that my grandmother gave me. She said her husband told her how to make it, so I assume it's one his mother use to make (because he certainly doesn't cook!). His family has been in Vermont since the 1800's, so I like to think it's been in the family for generations. It's not a written down recipe, it's one that you keep in your head. When I made it the other day, I did not measure specific amounts, that is part of the beauty of this recipe. It is delicious and my husband and 3 year old loved it.

Read the directions through a couple of times so you get the feel for the rhythm of the cooking process before beginning.

Creamed Corn Soup

6-8 oz bacon or salt pork

about 1/4 cup chopped onion

2-3 celery stalks chopped

3 small potatoes, cut into small cubes

1 can creamed corn

milk

salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon over medium high heat until done but not crisp. Add the onion and celery before the bacon is finished so they cook for 5-7 minutes (add when the bacon is half done). Add the cream corn and potatoes. Gradually add the milk until it is the right consistency. (It should be soupy, not thick) The wonderful thing about the recipe is that you get to keep tasting the soup until it tastes perfect! Add salt and pepper. I gradually added a fare amount of both because I did not want my soup to taste sweet (the cream corn has a sweet flavor). Remember to stir constantly so the milk does not scald. Your arm will be tired by the time you are done but it is SO worth it! When the milk begins to bubble turn off the heat, you do not want it to boil. You can also tell when it's done by the potatoes. When they are soft enough you can turn off the heat and serve.

Sorry, there is no set amount of time to how long this takes. It is one of those recipes that really teaches you to love cooking and you should not worry about how long it is taking you. Pretend you are a colonial woman cooking over an open fire, with no clock and realize that the soup will be done when it is done.

Enjoy!

Minestrone with Pasta and Beans

I made this glorious dish yet again! It is so good it's worth posting twice! I've made it many times since the last time I posted it. Instead of pasta and beans I have been putting in tortellini, but this time we did pasta and beans again, both are delicious! Should you be tempted to add salt or spices while it cooks, DON'T! The last time I made this I added salt, pepper and basil...it was okay...it's much better without any added spices. The only thing I add is Parmesan, to the individual bowls, not the pot.

Minestrone with Pasta and Beans

3 large carrots pealed and sliced into penny's
3 stalks celery diced
1/4 cup diced onion
3 T olive oil
4 oz. bacon (or pancetta) diced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
15 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 14 oz. cans chicken broth
2 cans (chicken broth cans) water
1 or 2 cups small pasta

Cook the veggies and bacon in the olive oil over medium high heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add tomatoes and garlic bring to boil.Add broth, water and beans.

Bring to boil, cover(but not completely) lower to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add pasta cook according to package directions. Add more broth or water if needed. Ladle into individual bowls and add at least 1/8 cup Parmesan to each. Enjoy with your favorite dipping bread!

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this probably about 2 weeks ago. It was so yummy! It's a tad spicy. If you don't like spicy I would substitute tomatoes for the salsa. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves-minced

2 chicken breasts

1 cup frozen corn (or canned)

1 can drained and rinsed black beans

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp Worcester sauce

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp fajita seasoning

1 cup salsa (or you can use a can of diced tomatoes and green chili's)

4 cups chicken broth

Optional-1 T diced jalapenos

Directions: Combine all ingredients in the crock pot. Cook 8 hours on low. Shred chicken. Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro and avacodo slices. A squeeze of lime is good in it too. Also, I usually taste and adjust seasonings a bit about an hour before eating. Add more spices according to your family's preferences.

http://feelingscrappyclasses.blogspot.com/2009/02/chicken-tortilla-soup.html

Adapted Pasta and Bean Minestrone

I made this Minestrone again, it's just so good! But this time I substituted the beans and pasta for refrigerated three cheese Tortellini. It was incredibly yummy! I buy this Tortellini when it's on sale and keep it in the freezer so I have it on hand. (I don't buy the wheat, but I couldn't find the regular online, I'm sure wheat is good too!)

Kels Minestrone

3 T. olive oil
1 small onion chopped finely
3 celery stalks , diced
3 medium carrots, sliced (penny's)
1 clove garlic, minced or chopped finely
4 oz. pancetta or bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups chicken stock
2 cans tomatoes
1 9 oz package refrigerated Tortellini
salt and pepper to taste (use less salt if you use bacon instead of pancetta)
Real Parmesean, grated (or Grana)

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot.Using the kitchen sheers, cut the pancetta or bacon and add to the pot. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic and chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil(high heat, #10 on my stove), reduce to a simmer (low heat, #2 on my stove) cover (make sure some steam can escape, don't put the lid on tight) and cook for 25-30 minutes. Add the Tortellini and cook according to package directions. Add more broth if needed(some will evaporate, I usually add at least 1 cup more). Remove from heat and let cool slightly before serving. Add 1/4 cup grated parmesean to each bowl-optional, but very yummy!

Enjoy!!!

Variations:

1 can White beans, Great Northern beans, or Cannellini beans with 1/2 cup small pastas or 1 cup larger pastas. (After the soup has simmered for 20 minutes, add the beans bring to boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.)

You can also use 1/4-1/2 cup rice instead of pasta.

Minestrone with Pasta and Beans

I knew that this was one of our family favorites and so I made it for a birthday party on Sunday and again for a luncheon on Thursday. It was a huge success! (no surprise on my part, my husband loves it!) Even my two year old loves this soup! It is from a cookbook my brother-in-law gave us, The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia, the Italian name for this recipe is Minestrone alla milanese and here is what the book has to say about it, "This classic minestrone from Lombardy includes pancetta for a pleasant touch of saltiness. Milanese cooks vary the recipe according to what is at hand, and you can do the same." I love this book! We've liked everything we've tried out of it, it's also all authentic recipes from Italy. My husband lived in Italy for a few years and he's looked up his favorite meals from those years and found them in this cookbook. If you love Italian it is a must have!

(I erased the Copy-righted material, email me if you have questions ksecretsandsuccess@gmail.com and I'll post an adaptation of the recipe at some point)

Pancetta- Is a seasoned bacon, it looks like little circles, also in the specialty section. Sometimes I use plain old hickory smoked bacon and the flavor is just as good. I use my kitchen sheers to cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces because it's easier than trying to slice it.

Garlic- How much? Well, we love garlic so I usually put the equivalent of two large cloves, if you like less garlic only use one. When I say medium sized I mean ruffly 1 inch long, 1 inch wide, 1 inch across. If you've never cooked with fresh garlic before you must remove all the papery outside and the purpley paper inside. The clove is a cream color, it can be a pain to remove the purple part. I usually cut off both ends of the clove and then it is easier to remove the purple part. I use a garlic press and then cut up what isn't push through and add that as well. If you do not have a garlic press chop the garlic up very small. If you do not have fresh garlic at all use garlic powder (1 tsp=1 large clove).

Tomatoes- You can used home canned tomatoes too! Also if you don't like chunks of tomato in your soup process the tomatoes before adding them to your soup.

Chicken Stock- Homemade or canned is best. You can use the dry powder or cubes added to water, but I find it WAY too salty. I would say use the canned stuff and then if you need to add more broth at the end, use the powder and water.

Cannellini beans- I haven't had any success in finding these in the store. I substitute with Great white Northern, or White beans.

Macaroni- We're not huge fans of macaroni, it's just so boring to eat! This week I used mini Penne (probably our favorite for this recipe). Mini farfalle, or wheels would be good, or mini shells. The recipe only calls for 1/2 cup, if you use penne use 1 cup, if you use a smaller pasta put in a little less than 1/2 cup.

Parsley- If you have it fresh go ahead and add it, I don't have the fresh stuff and I don't like it dried so I omit it altogether!

Salt- the soup really doesn't need much salt, the cheese you add to your individual bowl is salty enough. So here is my suggestion. Quickly sprinkle the salt shaker across the soup 2 or 3 times. Don't add any if you used straight water and chicken bouillon.

Freshly Ground Pepper- If you don't have this use black pepper to taste. Use about the same amount of pepper as salt, more if you like a spicier flavor.

Enjoy! You can email me at ksecretsandsuccess@gmail.com if you have any questions! Also be sure to let me know if liked the recipe by leaving a comment after you try it!

Kels