Book Group Soup

I am in a neighborhood book group, and yesterday was my turn to host!  For our group, that means that you choose the book and prepare a light meal at your house for the meeting.  I said a little prayer for fall weather (it had been in the 80's here - blech) and decided to serve soup and salad.  My prayers were answered!  A cool front came in during the afternoon and the temperatures dropped!  Perfect for soup!  Thank goodness, since we were having soup regardless!  I made Italian Sausage and Bean soup.  I found this recipe one day while at my favorite grocery store (HEB, for you Texans out there) with my sister.  They were sampling the soup and we both thought it was WAY too salty but had real potential.  Boy, am I glad we grabbed that recipe because it has become one of my favorites!  I think it may become one of your favorites, too!

In my personal opinion, this soup is even better the next day.  The flavors really come together and the broth thickens a bit.  So, if you are someone who likes leftovers, this is an awesome deal.  OR, if you like to plan ahead, cook up this soup the night before you want to serve it, stopping at the point before you would add the pasta.  Refrigerate overnight and then bring to a boil the next day, throw in the pasta, and VOILA!  Dinner is ready!

Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

Ingredients: 
2 TB olive oil, divided
1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed if in link form (can use turkey Italian sausage here!)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 TB minced garlic (around three medium cloves)
1 TB salt-free Italian seasoning (I recommend Penzey's Tuscan Sunset - YUM)
5-6 cups chicken stock
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup elbow macaroni or dilatini (which looks like small tubes)

Instructions:

Heat 1 TB olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat.  Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up the sausages into small pieces with the edge of a wooden spoon.  Remove to a paper-towel lined shallow bowl and set aside.

Add remaining oil to the same pot, and saute the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and Italian seasoning.  Cook 7-9 minutes, until the veggies are tender.  Return the sausage to the pot.

Stir in the broth, starting with the lower amount.  Add the tomatoes and beans.  Bring soup to a full boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes uncovered.

Before serving, bring soup to a full boil and add pasta.  Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the pasta is al dente.  Check the pasta package for an idea as to how much time this might take, though probably around 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and /or crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
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I think you could call this a minestrone soup, actually.  I am not sure why not. And I like that name better, so I think from now on I'll call this minestrone soup.  You look at the ingredients, do you agree that it is essentially a minestrone? 

Just in case you are wondering, we discussed the book, The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom.  It was my second time reading it, and I enjoyed it just as much this time!  I highly recommend!

I hope you enjoy some hot soup on a nice cool fall day!

Turkey Chili

It has finally gotten cool here in Houston, so I made some Turkey Chili to celebrate the weather.  Seriously, readers, it has been in the 80's lately and it's driving me batty!  I do realize that I live in Texas but can't it just get sort-of wintery in December?  Ugh.  Finally, a cold front has come through and I am ECSTATIC.   The clever girl is, too.  She certainly comes from me, as every day she asks whether she can wear long sleeves and long pants because it is "supposed" to be wintertime, and is so disappointed when the answer is no.  She has repeatedly told me that in the winter there is supposed to be snow and we should be wearing scarves and hats and gloves, and that Houston weather is just "not right".  That's my girl!

Anyway, on to the chili!  This recipe comes from Cooking Light and I change it up a bit sometimes but mostly stick to what the recipe calls suggests.  It is yummy and perfect for a cool day!

Avgolemono - Greek Chicken Soup

I've been a bit under the weather.  Bad allergies with the current Houston air turned into some sort of overall yuck.  When I am sick I want my mom to make me some chicken soup.  Since my mom doesn't live anywhere near me (boo), I just have to make some chicken soup myself!  I'm a mom, so it should still work!    I decided to make Avgolemono, a Greek chicken soup with egg-lemon sauce.  Hello.  I may have found a new favorite soup!

Avgolemono in Greek actually means egg-lemon.  You start off with a fairly basic chicken soup recipe,  but instead of ending with just chicken soup, there is MORE.  You add a sauce made of lemon juice, eggs, and fresh ground pepper to the stock and it takes chicken soup to an entirely new level! 

The chicken stock is made of chicken, water, a leek, a carrot, some salt and bay leaves.   When the chicken is cooked, you remove it and then add a sauteed onion and either rice or orzo.  Shred or dice the chicken, put it back into the broth, and there you have a nice tasty chicken soup. 

But wait!  There is more!  Mix up some lemon juice, eggs and pepper, temper the eggs with some of the hot chicken stock, and then mix it all into the chicken stock. 

Instead of having a simple chicken noodle soup, you have a chicken noodle (if you used orzo) soup with the extra zip and vitamin C benefits of lemon!  The egg-lemon sauce really makes the soup amazing.  It adds a creaminess and vibrancy to the dish.  Often when I am not feeling well, I feel like my taste buds have gone on hiatus, and this soup will encourage them back. 

So whether your mom makes it, you make it, or someone else makes it, get yourself a nice bowl of Avgolemono. 

Avgolemono - Chicken Soup with Egg-Lemon Sauce
Adapted from Food Network, Cat Cora

1 (3 pound) free range chicken
12 cups cold water
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 leek, cleaned and quartered (or 1 inch pieces if you intend to keep it in the soup)
1 carrot, peeled and quartered (or 1 inch pieces if you intend to keep it in the soup)
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups finely diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
2/3 cup arborio rice (I used about 1 cup whole wheat orzo)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a 6 to 8-quart stockpot, combine the chicken, water, and 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a very low simmer, and skim the foam from the surface. Add the leek, carrot and bay leaves and continue to simmer with the chicken until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  The internal temperature of the chicken needs to be 165F.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion until translucent, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.


Remove chicken from the broth and allow meat to cool before dicing or shredding. Strain the broth (optional) and skim the fat.

Return the broth to the stove, bring it back to a boil, and add the onion and rice or orzo.  (I happened to have the orzo on hand and thought it'd be tasty!!)  Reduce the heat and simmer until the rice/orzo is almost cooked through, about 20 minutes for rice, 6-8 for orzo. Add the chicken and reduce the broth to a low simmer.

 
In a medium sized bowl, beat the lemon juice, eggs, and pepper. Ladle 2 cups of hot broth into a measuring cup with a spout. While whisking, slowly pour the 2 cups of broth into the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot with the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt. Stir well to blend. Divide among bowls and serve immediately.
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