Summer Evenings: Chilled Asparagus Soup from Mom

My mom is the the master of the "take whatever is in the fridge and make a fantastic meal". Her creations are always creative, unique, and of course delicious. She sent me this recipe last week for a flavorful summer soup that can be served hot or cold, depending on your mood. Enjoy!

Last night I made asparagus soup.  It was delicious hot and very refreshing as a chilled soup garnished with a ring of sweet red pepper, a dollop of sour cream and garnished with lemon zest!

Ingredients
6 cups of water
1 dozen asparagus stalks
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2 tsp of chicken flavored "Better than Bouillon" soup base (Or, substitute chicken broth for the water if you don't have this)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut asparagus in 1-1/2 inch pieces. Chop onion and garlic
Put water Into a 4 quart pot
Add all ingredients
Cook on a medium heat setting for an hour until asparagus is tender.

At this point the soup can be served hot. It will have the asparagus pieces.

To prepare for a chilled soup, reserve some of the cooked asparagus tips to use for a garnish. Use a hand blender to puree the warm soup.  Chill soup for several hours or overnight.

For garnish
Sweet red bell pepper
1 lemon
Sour cream
Asparagus tips 

To serve, ladle soup into a bowl. Top with red pepper sliced in rings or chopped pieces, a teaspoon/ dollop of sour cream. Add lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice onto the soup. 

The chilled soup could also benefit from some chopped fresh basil as a garnish. 

Served hot you could add baked croutons  and top with shredded carrots for a colorful garnish. 

Thanks for dinner Mom!

Farmer's Market Finds: Simple Potato Leek Soup

While my squash pie was baking away in the oven, I took my other farmer's market finds and whipped them up into a simple and delicious soup. The change of the seasons means new veggies to buy at the market. Inspired by Mike I.'s apparent poor cooking of leeks on Top Chef, I decided to pick some up and give them a try. I think I have succeeded in buying a new to me veggie or fruit each week at the market this season!

When I cut them open, I loved the way the layers looked. I also picked up some potatoes and decided to make a potato leek soup. Lately we've been trying to cook dairy-free (well, lactose-free) here at the Good Cook Doris kitchen. This soup was delicious and creamy with only seven ingredients! You won't even miss the cream.

Simple Potato Leek Soup
2 leeks, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
About 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into half inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups of water
1 14-oz. can of low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper
Dash of poultry seasoning (marjoram, sage, thyme)

Melt the butter in a medium soup pot over low heat
Add leeks, cover and cook until soft, about 10 minutes, making sure not to brown the leeks
Add water, broth, and potatoes
Simmer for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender
Puree with an immersion blender (or food processor)
Season with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper

Summary:
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Cutting board, knife, soup pot, immersion blender, serving bowl and ladle

Farmer's Market Finds - Part 3

I know it's supposed to be summer, but the weather around here has been anything but summery. We've had 20+ days of rain and no signs of dry weather in the week ahead. Sunday was especially cool and dreary and chicken soup sounded like just the thing for dinner. I pulled out a recipe that I've had since junior year of college, when I had my first apartment. It's for chicken matzo ball soup and chicken salad. I got it off of the Food Network website and have pulled out the same stained paper every time I feel like making 'real' chicken soup (not to be confused with quick chicken soup that I adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe).

I had some leftover rainbow carrots from the farmer's market and thought they would make a colorful addition to the recipe. Instead of a whole chicken, I used a bone-in chicken breast (with skin). I typically don't buy bone-in chicken (especially with skin), but it really gives the soup a better flavor. The chicken also stays more moist for the chicken salad.

I didn't have the time to make matzo balls for the soup, so I picked up some fresh pasta from the grocery store. If you plan to freeze your soup or keep it in the fridge for more than one day, cook the noodles separately and add them in before you serve the soup. The noodles will absorb all the liquid if you leave them in the soup.

Now, on to the recipe! I've modified it to fit the amount of ingredients and soup that I wanted to make (about 4 big servings). You can add or subtract ingredients as you like. If I have parsnips on hand, I always use those instead of carrots.

Matzo Ball Soup and Chicken Salad

Adapted from a recipe on the Food Network Website by Sandy Whiteman

For the soup:
1 double chicken breast (bone in, skin-on)
3 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used the baby rainbow carrots this time)
4 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces (throw in the tops too)
1 whole yellow onion (cut half into small pieces and leave the other half in one piece)

1/4 cup parsley/ chopped
4 sprigs dill (couple of shakes of dried dill if that's what you have on hand)
Salt and pepper

Cut chicken breast into 2 pieces using a sharp knife

Place the chicken into a stockpot and fill the stockpot with enough water to
cover chicken (I use an 8 quart pot and fill it about 2/3 full)

Bring the water to a boil

Skim the top of the water, removing as much fat as possible

Add the vegetables, herbs, and salt and pepper (don't add too much pepper, you can always add more later but can't take it away)

Turn heat down and let simmer for approximately 1.5 hours or until tender
Strain the soup, reserving the chicken (for the chicken salad) and the carrots, celery, and chopped onion to put back into the soup

If you plan to cook the noodles in the soup, put the soup liquid back into the stockpot and bring to a boil

Add noodles and cook until al dente (follow the instructions on the box)

Add the vegetables into the pot and serve

Chicken Salad
Chicken from the soup, shredded or cut into smaller pieces
Approximately 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise (will vary based on how much chicken you use and how mayonnaise-y you like your chicken salad)
Dash of Garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Let chicken cool before making the salad

Mix chicken, celery, and mayonnaise together

Season with garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste

Summary:

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: Active - 15-20 minutes; Inactive: 1.5 hours

Cutting board, knife, stockpot, colander, ladle, measuring spoons, bowls

Matzo Ball Soup

Sunday afternoons are usually filled with fun and exciting things like laundry, cleaning, and getting ready for the week. Since we had the afternoon at home, I decided to make some matzo ball soup and chicken salad to have for dinner and leftovers. I used a combination of soup recipes and the standard matzo ball recipe. For the chicken salad (sorry, no pictures), I used grapes and celery to add some crunch.