Mediterranean Seafood Stew

On a misty, overcast day much like today and many years ago now, I found myself sitting on a ferry headed across part of Lake Erie. We were in Ohio for the week, and since we were a day early for the tournament we were going to, we decided to be a bit touristy. The funny thing about that, however, was that we were visiting the Great Lakes during the off season. Tourists don't usually visit in mid-April, I guess (although I would highly recommend it).

We ended up at a charming little place called Kelly's Island. Old, gigantic houses, boats, a few little shops, and a winding road- it was an ideal place. Many things were closed, so we ended up driving around the island a bit. We saw some really cool things, like the leftover structure of an old house, and an ancient, retired cemetery with stones mostly dating back to before Civil War.  There aren't too many things from around the time of the Civil War in my part of the country.

Before we left, our group stopped at a little diner for lunch. I had a bowl of lobster chowder and remember it being one of the most amazing things I had ever eaten. It still ranks in my top 5.

Even though the stew I made was really nothing like the lobster chowder, I was reminded of our trip and the little island. I know there are probably down sides to living in a place like that, like always having to take the ferry or occasionally having a group of young tourists wandering around taking pictures, but in my mind it seems like a rather ideal place to live. Especially since then I could eat lobster chowder whenever I wanted.

Back to my Mediterranean stew. It was so perfect for the cold, wintry day when I made it. We've had a lot of those lately since Spring has been so slow in coming. This stew is simple to throw together and healthy, yet hardy and very filling. I have a thing for croutons, so while the soup was finishing up on the stove, I quickly made a batch by tossing some bread cubes with olive oil, onion powder, and a little thyme. Just bake them until they are nice and crunchy.

Mediterranean Seafood Stew
Serves 4

1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 large bulbs fennel, thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, whites and greens thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
salt and pepper
1 lb. skinless, boneless firm white fish, cut into bite sized pieces

To garnish:
Croutons
Shredded cheese, such as parmesan or pecorino-romano
Fennel fronds

1. In a bowl, crush the tomatoes then strain the liquid off, reserving until later. Use your hands if you need to or a spoon or potato masher.

2. In a large saucepan, saute the fennel and white scallions in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally and cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic slices and saute for about 1 more minute.

3. Add the strained tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick. Add the potato pieces, the reserved tomato liquid, and about 4 cups water (Use enough water to cover the potatoes). Season well with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium or medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30-40 minutes.

4. When the potatoes are done, gently stir in the fish chunks and the green scallion pieces. Simmer for about 5 more minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Garnish with the croutons, cheese, and fennel fronds. Serve with warm toasted bread. Enjoy!

Recipe from EveryDay with Rachel Ray Magazine.

French Onion Soup

It's funny how so many of the foods that I really love to eat also connect with someone else I know. I think that is one thing that I love about food so much. It brings people together in ways that few other things can, and at least in my life, I tend to remember the people along with the food. Strange, perhaps, but I can't help it! For example, carrot cake makes me think of my Grandma Lillian. There happen to be two people that French Onion Soup makes me think of: my dad and his dad, my Grandpa Dale. Both of these guys really like this soup and the times I ate this soup while growing up, I was always with one of them. I wish so badly that I could be at home making this soup for both of them right now and I know they would love it just as much as I would.

I did have the chance to make it for my parents when they visited a few weeks ago. I made soup and sandwiches for lunch, and by the time they left, the pot was scooped completely clean! Which is fine with me, since this soup doesn't seem to reheat as well as most soups. It is best right when after you make it.

French Onion Soup
Makes 4-5 servings

2 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can beef consomme
3 to 4 cups beef broth
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 to 2 bay leaves
Slices French bread
4 to 5 slices good Swiss cheese

1. In a large stock pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat, until the butter is melted and the pan is hot. Add in the sliced onions and toss to completely cover in the oil and butter mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low and put a lid on the pot. Allow the onions to cook, covered, for ten to fifteen minutes. When this time has passed, remove the lid and gently stir the onions. Add the sugar to the onions and continue to cook until the onions are caramelized and golden, about 30 to 40 minutes.

2. When the onions are caramelized, increase the heat to medium and add the garlic. Cook for a few more minutes, then add the can of beef consomme (still condensed) and the beef broth. Next, add the thyme, and the bay leaf. Cook the soup over medium heat for 30 minutes. If the soup begins to boil, turn down the heat a little to maintain a simmer.

3. To serve the soup, there are two things you can do, depending on the dishes you have. If you have soup crocks, then fill them with the soup and top with one or two pieces of French bread, then a slice of swiss cheese. Put the crocks in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted and toasty. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

If you do not have oven safe bowls, then you can put the slices of bread on a cookie sheet and top the bread with the cheese. Broil in the oven until the cheese is very melted, and then top bowls of the soup with one or two pieces. If you like crispier bread, I would recommend toasting the slices before you top them with cheese. Enjoy!

Tomato Soup

Whenever we had tomato soup growing up, it did not come out of a can but a mason jar. At the end of summer, right when the garden started producing the most tomatoes, Grandma would start canning tomato soup. Instead of taking a whole day to can everything she could, Grandma would do one batch at a time- which was only a few jars a day. By the time the first frost came around, Grandma's basement pantry would be full of pint sized jars filled with deliciously smooth real soup, layered with flavor. There is still nothing like it. I no longer live right next to my Grandparents. I occasionally crave her homemade soup so badly that I almost jump in the car and drive the 6 hours immediately. And no matter what, I refuse to eat tomato soup from a can.

So I decided to come up with a remedy for my tomato soup cravings- my own homemade tomato soup. In my mind, I called it "semi homemade" because even though it is not directly from a can, several of the ingredient are, which makes it simple, but it's still not Grandma's. I was very happy with how this soup turned out. It is simple to make, and really has a lot of flavor. I used an immersion blender to make the soup smooth, but if you don't have one, you can use a food processor or leave tomato chunks. In that case, you might want to use diced tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes. Grandpa always added a little Tabasco sauce to his soup, and the red pepper flakes added a nice subtle spiciness to the soup, which you can certainly leave out if you like. And of course, nothing complements tomato soup like grilled cheese sandwiches!

Tomato Soup
Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flake (optional)
salt and black ground pepper
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup cream or half and half

While heating a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the butter and the oil. When the butter has melted, add the onion and the garlic to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the onions are beginning to soften.

Add the tomato paste, the stewed tomatoes, and the chicken broth. Stir the ingredients together and add the oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes so that all of the ingredients have a chance to blend together.

After the soup has cooked, use an immersion blender or a food processor to puree the soup and make it smooth. Reheat the soup on medium low. Add the 1 tbsp butter and the cream. When the soup is heated through, serve garnished with shredded cheese or basil.

Creamy Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

I love soup. In my opinion, it is the crown of comfort foods. I just got an immersion blender this past summer, and I'm glad it's fall so I can actually put it to use! Fall is the perfect time for soup, after all. I first saw this recipe on Annie's Eats, and couldn't resist trying it, mostly because I have never made anything like this before and it was very simple. We made it this past weekend since people were coming over for the game. Just to be safe, I made some other things to eat as well so none of our guests would feel obligated to eat such an unconventional soup. I was pleasantly surprised, however. Most of our guest loved the soup, and we ended up with only enough leftovers for my husband and I to have a small bowl the next day. I tweaked the recipe just a little to make it a little more cheesy and smooth, but it is basically the same as the original.

The croutons may seem like an extra, unwanted step but they are so worth it. So don't skip it! The soup doesn't take very much time at all to make, and I would definitely recommend taking the time to make this delightfully crisp garnish.

Creamy Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

For the croutons:

About 6 oz. whole grain bread, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

Kosher or sea salt

For the soup:

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 shallots, minced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

Kosher or sea salt

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes

2 cloves garlic, minced

3½ cups vegetable broth

1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 cream or half and half

Directions:

To make the croutons, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Add the bread cubes to a medium bowl and toss with the melted butter, olive oil, and mustard until evenly coated.  Spread the bread cubes out in an even layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crunchy.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the shallots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes.  Season with salt, then mix in the potato, garlic and vegetable broth.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer, keep covered, and let cook for about 8 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Add the cauliflower and cook about 7-8 minutes more, until the cauliflower is tender.  Stir in the cheese, mustard, and cream.

Puree with an immersion blender (or a food processor, vented to allow the steam to escape).  Mix in additional water or broth if the soup is too thick.  Season with additional salt to taste.  Serve warm topped with additional shredded cheese and the croutons.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

Pumpkin Soup

Nothing launches me into the realization that it's finally fall like seeing pumpkins at the grocery store. I decided that this was the year to use real pumpkin more than canned pumpkin in random fall favorites. Pumpkin is one of my older sister's favorite things, and since she and my nephew came for a visit last weekend, I figured it was a perfect time to pull out my Pumpkin Soup recipe. I got this recipe from a cookbook I've had for as long as I can remember called French. 

Serves 6 to 8

1 large onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 cups cubed pumpkin
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp ground cumin
pinch of ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
parsley or chives to garnish (optional)

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and the shallots to the pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until just softened.

2. Add the potatoes, pumpkin, broth, and spices to the pan, and season with a little salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered, for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked vegetables to a food processor and process until smooth, adding a little of the cooking liquid if needed. You can also use an immersion blender, if you have one! Return the puree to the pan and stir into the cooking liquid. Adjust the seasonings and reheat gently. Garnish with the fresh herbs.