Falling Into You

Falling Leaves, falling temperatures no wonder we call this the fall season quite aptly named I would say. While things are falling steadily outside the inside temperatures are on the rise. We slowly raise our thermostats and once again begin to turn up the burners for some cold weather cooking. For me it is an automatic reflex on our very first cold, dark damp day that my soul longs for a big bowl of homemade soup. I never know which one to make first, I have so many favorites but since it is that time of year filled with crisp aromatic apples and rich velvety squash in such great abundance I believe my soup journey should begin here.

Apple Harvest Soup

4 slices day old bread

3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1 lg. butternut squash, peeled and sliced

2 med. onions, sliced

4 c. chicken stock, canned or homemade

3/4 tsp. dried tarragon

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. apple wine, may substitute with apple cider

1/2 c. heavy cream

Sour cream

Make bread crumbs of the bread. Place in stockpot with all ingredients up to apple wine. Simmer 30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Puree the mixture and reheat to simmer. Add the apple wine and cream - do not boil. To serve, garnish with dabs of sour cream.

Sometimes Nasty Is Good

I love the nasty bits, which is why I am such a huge Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern fan. I absolutely love tripe, I grew up eating it Italian style in tomato sauce and over the years have had the pleasure of enjoying tripe in a variety of preparations. During the cold winter months I tend to eat more soup than usual, it just seems to warm me from the inside out which is quite welcoming when you are cold to the bone 90 percent of the time. It is the perfect food any time but even more so when the thermometer dips below freezing.There is a traditional Mexican soup that incorporates some of my favorite nasty bits; tripe and pigs feet. If you're lucky there are some restaurants that make their menudo with all assorted types of nasty bits which might gross most people out but for me it is pure taste bud heaven. Another traditional ingredient in this soup is hominy, which is dried corn that has been soaked in lye-water to remove the hull. The soaking causes it to swell and it is about three times the size of a normal corn kernel. Hominy comes in white or yellow depending on the corn they used, it has a strong unique flavor that is hard to describe but quite delicious and hearty.

This recipe I have used is very open to variation feel free to add more meats, chili's, herbs whatever you would like but it must have the tripe, pigs feet and hominy to keep it traditional....but there are no food police here so do with it what you will.

Menudo cooks long and slow in order to tenderize the tripe and soften the pig's feet, this slow cooking also intensifies all the flavors. Whenever possible make your menudo a day or two ahead of time for all the flavors to truly marry for the ultimate experience.

Easy To Make Menudo

3 lbs. honeycomb tripe
2 pig's feet
2 lg. cans hominy
1 can enchilada sauce
48 oz. can chicken broth
6 large cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
1/4 c. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. of crushed red pepper or cayenne (may also chop up a jalapeno or one of your favorite hot peppers for added spice).
Chopped white onion
Salt to taste
1 Lime, cut into wedges
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish as well as flavor
1 package of flour tortillas steam to soften or quickly run them over a hot flame. Tortillas are traditionally served with this soup instead of the usual crackers or bread used with other types of soup.

Wash and cut honeycomb tripe into bite size pieces. Put in large soup kettle along with pig's feet. Cover with water and boil with garlic for about 30 minutes. Add all other ingredients except onion. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer for about 3 to 4 hours. When cooked, serve in soup bowls, spooning fresh, chopped onion on top and a squeeze of fresh lime and a generous sprinkling of cilantro.

This soup freezes very well so make extra to have on hand.

Basking In The Bisque

A tried and true companion to a grilled cheese sandwich has got to be a nice hot steamy bowl of tomato bisque soup. My mother would sometimes take the grilled cheese sandwich, cut it into cubes and scatter them upon the soup to be scooped up one comforting spoonful at a time. No need to do it this way, you may also just dunk your sandwich into the soup or go with the method of alternating bites of sandwich with spoonfuls of the soup. Whatever your individual plan of attack may be you will feel warm and content in the doing.

Tomato Bisque

4 tbsp. butter
2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup of red wine or sherry, optional
3 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 c. half and half or to your preference
1 c. heavy cream or to your preference
(Using less of the half and half and heavy cream will give the soup a stronger tomato flavor and richer color).

Melt butter then add onion, sauté onions covered for about 10 minutes. Add tomato, salt and pepper.
Simmer for one hour then add the half and half and the cream, leave on heat for five more minutes then serve.

The Seven Wonders of Soup

There is an old Italian saying that states; La Zuppa fa sette cose which in English translates to Soup does seven things". It is said to; quench your thirst, satisfy your hunger, fill your stomach, aid in your digestion, make your teeth sparkle, color your cheeks, and help you sleep. I cannot honestly say that soup has managed to do all those things for me but I can say, that soup truly is one of the most comforting and without a doubt most satisfying foods that I have always taken great pleasure in eating.

Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup

2-3 lg. cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 c. or less olive oil

2 c. or less diced Italian sausage (sweet or hot, or mixed), sautéed & fat removed

1 med. onion, chopped

1 carrot, diced
3 c. chicken stock

3 c. water

2 c. lentils (dry), picked over & rinsed to remove any stones (almost 1 lb.)
Salt and pepper to taste

In large, heavy saucepan, sauté the garlic in the oil, over medium heat, for few minutes, careful not to let it brown. Add sausages, stock and water, onions and lentils. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, cover the pan and simmer the soup for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until lentils are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Little Pasta, Big Meal

As with many Italian American children I often enjoyed pasta for breakfast. The breakfast consisted of Pastina (little Pasta), butter, sugar and an egg stirred in. It had to be one of my favorite breakfast treats growing up. Over the years I still use Pastina mainly in soups but here is a recipe that can be used as a comforting dinner or altered a little to become a delicious breakfast that any child or adult would greatly enjoy.



Pastina with Egg and Cheese

1/2 cup Pastina (any brand of tiny soup pasta)
2 eggs
1 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Boil water and cook pastina according to directions. Drain and add butter. Beat eggs and pour in. Slowly cook over low heat to cook egg add cheese, stir and serve warm (Can also use egg substitute) makes a great dinner dish.
For breakfast, omit cheese and add milk, may use sugar if you would like to add a little sweetness to your day.

Photo/kendiala/flickr

Italian Penicillan

Vermilionink/flickr

I have eaten very little since I came down with this thing, it wasn’t bad the first few days but by day three my stomach rumblings were beginning to scare those around me. I really don’t have much of an appetite but I know that you can never go wrong with soup. I was just going to do plain old egg drop soup but decided to kick it up a bit and make it Italian style. Let’s hope it helps, I am still feeling pretty lousy.

Italian Egg Drop Soup

1 qt. rich chicken stock

2 eggs

1/4 c. freshly shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese

I always like greens in mine so I always add a couple good handfuls of kale, spinach or escarole to the broth.

Heat broth to boiling, beat eggs and cheese together, pour mixture into boiling broth and remove pan from heat; do not stir