Category Archives: Soup/Stew
Healthy Shrimp Bisque
- 12 ounces jumbo shrimp, deveined and shelled
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Heat a large saucepan with the olive oil. Saute the shrimp on high heat for 30 seconds on each side. Sprinkle salt and take out onto a lined platter. Cut each shrimp into three and keep aside.
- ¼ cup pancetta, chopped
- 2 large shallots, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ cup carrots, chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white wine
- 1½ cups seafood or shrimp broth
- 1½ cups low-fat milk
- Salt
- ¼ cup half and half
- Juice of half a lemon
Add the pancetta into the same saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and carrots. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add the thyme and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the white wine and scrape off the brown bits from the bottom. Add the broth and milk. Whisk the liquid on high heat and bring to a boil making sure all the lumps are smoothed away. Lower the heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the shrimp pieces and cook for 2 to 3 minutes making sure the shrimp is cooked. Add the half and half and turn the heat off. Check for seasonings and add salt if necessary. Add the lemon juice and serve hot with crusty bread.
Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, cleaned
- 2 teaspoons bay seasoning
- Salt
- 1 pound andouille sausage, casing taken off
Sprinkle the bay seasoning and salt on the shrimp and keep in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.
- ¼ cup extra light olive oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ large green pepper, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 3 to 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 2 cups fresh or frozen okra
- Salt
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook on medium heat to create a brownish red roux- it should take about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, celery, thyme and bay. Saute on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the white wine, tomato sauce and chicken broth. Add the okra and sausage. Break the sausage with the back of spatula. Bring to a boil and lower the heat. Place the cover and cook for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and cook for another ten minutes. Check for seasonings. Add the shrimp and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with rice.
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
- 1 dried ancho chili pepper
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 14 ounces fire roasted tomatoes with chili
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup hominy, rinsed and drained
- 1 14 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 medium zucchinis, washed, the seeds taken out and diced into ½ inch pieces
- Salt
For Garnish
- Tortilla chips
- 1 avocado, chopped drizzled with lemon juice and sprinkled with salt
- Crumbled queso fresco
- Cilantro
Heat a small cast iron pan and break the chili into pieces and roast in the pan including the seeds on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Keep aside.
Heat a medium heavy pan with olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and ancho chili. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the homini and simmer for 10 minutes. Take off heat and transfer to a blender and in batches, blend the soup until smooth with some chunks. Return to the pan and add the beans. Bring to a boil and add salt to taste.
Serve soup topped with avocado, tortillas chips, queso and cilantro.
Mushroom and Tofu Noodle Soup
I modified this recipe from NYT cooking section.. it is a yummy one. I added a boiled egg as an egg makes everything more yummy!
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 large shallot, sliced
- 2 cups Cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 stalks of bok choy, chopped with the whites and greens separated
- 1 16 ounces pack of fresh Udon noodles, cooked according to package directions
- 2 green onions, sliced
Sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons dashi powder
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
Mix the dashi powder, mirin, soy sauce, chicken broth and corn starch in a small bowl and keep aside.
Heat a wok like pan with the oil and add the shallots. Saute on high heat for a minute. Add the mushrooms and sauté on high heat till golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white parts of the bok choy and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the bok choy greens and the cooked noodles. Saute for a minute and the sauce. Bring to a boil and stir well. Taste for seasonings and garnish with green onions.
Turkish Style Lentil Soup
Yummy lentil soup for meatless Monday!!
- 1 tablespoon butter or extra light olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ½ cup red lentils, washed
- 1 small potato, peeled and cut in half inch squares
- 2 to 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- Fresh lemon juice
Heat a medium saucepan with the oil. Add the onion, ground cumin and mint. Saute on medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add the lentils, potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil and add the salt and turmeric and simmer on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes adding more broth if necessary. Once the potato chunks are soft, take off the heat and let cool. Transfer to blender and blend till smooth. Pour the liquid back to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Adjust the consistency by either adding more broth or cooking off extra broth. Check for seasonings. Squirt some fresh lemon juice right before serving.
Malaysian Style Pork Coconut Curry
If you are in the mood for a really, really yummy dish and don’t mind turning the oven on for a few hours- this recipe is for you… truly one of my favorites…I had a version of this at a yummy Singaporean restaurant in the city and I still dream of the yumminess….
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2-3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces with excess fat taken off
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- Salt
- 1 star anise
- 3 to 4 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
Spice Paste
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup chopped shallots
- 3 to 4 dried red chilies, seeds taken out and soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon shrimp paste (Asian store)
- 2 lemongrass (white part), chopped
Process all spice paste ingredients in a food processor until a paste is formed. Keep aside.
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 3 to 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 to 4 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- Salt
- Sugar
Heat a large, heavy saucepan with the peanut oil. In the meantime, dredge the pork pieces in the flour and then sprinkle them with a bit of salt. Brown the pieces in the hot oil, in batches for at least 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set the pork aside and add the star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick and curry leaves. Saute on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spice paste and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the pork pieces, coconut milk and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer and cook with the lid on for at least 3 to 4 hours. Add the potatoes half an hour before serving. Reduce the gravy according to taste and serve with coconut rice.
Portuguese Style Soup with Garlic Sausage and Kale
Great soup recipe I took from serious eats of course modified it to my taste… yummy!!
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 links chicken garlic sausage, casings removed, crumbled
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 large russet potato, peeled, quartered and cut into ¼ inch slices
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered and cut into ¼ inch slices
- 5 cups homemade or store bought chicken stock
- 6 cups baby kale, chopped
- Salt
- ¼ cup fresh chives, chopped
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté for about 5 minutes or till the sausage is golden brown. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and the stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes a bit to thicken the soup. Add 1 teaspoons of salt. Cook for a about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the chopped kale and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes. Check for seasonings and garnish with chives.