Showing posts with label Soups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soups. Show all posts
It got really cold here yesterday (Monday). It was raining and blustery. The perfect soup day. I had been wanting to cook this Cheddar & Corn Chowder for a really long time and I decided it was the perfect day!
Normally I make this Corn Chowder Recipe. It is one that I have been making for years and years and years. It is the recipe my children grew up on. I used to make it every Sunday after church. It was and is a real family favourite!
Another one which we make and really like is this Chicken & Corn Chowder Recipe. I've been making that one for years also. I got the recipe out of one of those little cookbook magazines you used to be able to find buy next to the til's at the Grocery store. Its a real winner!
This Cheddar & Corn Chowder recipe is a bonafide true winning recipe however. I clipped it out of a magazine many years ago. I am afraid I don't know which magazine however as I only clipped the recipe and not the page, so there is no telling for sure . . .
I only know for sure that it was a Canadian magazine because the measurements were in both cup measurements and metric measurements.
I have a strong suspicion that it was Canadian Living. This recipe got a second prize in a Favourite Family Supper Contest. I have had it sitting in my binder for many years, and had never made it.
I made a promise to myself that this year I was going to try to use the recipes that I have collected and then share them (if they are any good) and then get rid of the paper. What is the point of keeping things you are not using? No point, that's what. It is only taking up space.
One day it will all end up in the bin anyways, as it probably only has value to me. I don't want to leave a mess for someone else to clean up and so I am trying to use as many of them as I can! I will only ever be able to touch the tip of the recipe ice-berg however as I have been very prolific and very good at collecting them through the years!
Back to the soup . . . this is a true winner. No wonder . . . its delicious! Simple to make as well.
It also uses ingredients you probably have in your kitchen already . . . onions, potato, frozen corn, butter, flour, milk . . .
It is flavoured with bay leaf and cumin seed. I like to bruise the cumin seed to release their flavours and I also break the bay leaf in two. This also helps to release its flavours. Trust me, you will notice a huge difference in just doing this. It also used fresh chives. I had none, so I used dry and it was still fabulous!
I used a really good cheddar in this . . . an old one, sharp flavoured . . . aged . . . with plenty of calcium crystals in it. You get more taste bang for your buck when you use a good OLD cheddar. You will find a little bit goes a very long way.
Yield: 4 - 6
Cheddar & Corn Chowder
Use extra strong cheddar cheese to give this hearty chowder a special zip! this is a prize winning recipe, so you know it is delicious.
ingredients:
- 3 TBS butter
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 bay leaf, broken in half to release the oils
- 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, bruised
- 1/4 tsp dried sage
- 3 TBS plain flour
- 480ml chicken stock
- 300ml light cream or milk (1 1/4 cups)
- 225g frozen corn niblets (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
- 2 TBS chopped fresh chives
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 60ml dry white wine (1/4 cup)
- 200g grated strong cheddar cheese (2 cups) plus more to sprinkle
- salt and black pepper to taste
instructions:
How to cook Cheddar & Corn Chowder
- Melt the butter in a saucepan with a heavy bottom. Add the onion, potato, broken bay leaf, cumin seed and sage. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened without browning. Stir in the flour. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Don't let it brown.
- Whisk in the stock and the milk. Bring to the boil, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce to medium low and simmer, stirring often for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the corn, parsley, chives, nutmeg and wine. Simmer for a further 5 to 6 minutes until heated through. Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the cheese and heat over low heat, just to melt the cheese. Don't let the soup boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper. Serve hot, ladled into heated bowls with a spoonful of cheddar sprinkled over top of each.
I made Todd some cheesy toasts to enjoy with his. I had the cheese straws . . . I just love something crunchy with my soups. I think it is the Canadian in me! Anyways, you are going to love LOVE this Cheddar & Corn Chowder. Its fabulously tasty! Quick, easy and delicious. YUM!!!
Up Tomorrow: Stacked Turkey Mexi-Melts
London Particular is a delicious Split Pea Soup! The name comes from the famous fogs of London back in Dickensian times, which came to be known as London Particulars or Pea Soup Fogs.
Fogs so thick that you could scarce see your hand in front of your face.
From Wikepedia: Pea soup fog (also known as a pea souper, black fog or killer fog) is a very thick and often yellowish, greenish or blackish fog caused by air pollution that contains soot particulates and the poisonous gas sulphur dioxide.
Not just common in Dickens's day these heavy fogs continued sporadically throughout the ensuing years. In fact there was a particularly bad incident in 1952 which was called "The Great Smog of London," which came to be known as one of the worst air-pollution events in the history of the United Kingdom.
I think actually fogs such as this were quite prevalent throughout Europe, especially in the colder months when people were using their coal fires. My mother had a photograph of me standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1959. You can just barely see me and only the feet of the tower as the fog is so dense and so thick.
I dare say those "Pea Souper" fogs were not as near delicious as this fabulous soup, London Particular, which had its beginnings at the Simpson's in the Strand restaurant in London.
This soup is rib-stickingly thick and very delicious, and really quite simple to make!
My mother always made us lovely pots of pea soup after we had enjoyed a baked ham either for New Years or Easter.
We always had a ham on those special occasions and the bone was always used to make a delicious soup.
Hers was done in the French Canadian style however, using whole yellow dried peas. They are not so easy to get these days, and I have never seen them over here.
We did so love her soup. She used to make a huge pot of it and we would enjoy it once on the night, with the remainder being frozen for future use.
Always whenever any of us (after we had grown up and left home) made the trip home, she would be certain to feed us a supper of this soup and another of her home baked beans at least once during our stay.
I can't speak for anyone else, but for myself I can say that this was something I always looked forward to and enjoyed very much.
This is not that soup, but it is just as delicious in a different sort of a way. Its thick and flavourful . . . and as I said, very simple to make.
You do need to begin by soaking the peas over night, so be prepared, you will need to do this in advance of making the soup, but once you have done that, the soup comes together very quickly.
If you are lucky enough to have homemade ham stock in the freezer, use that. I have never seen a ham over here sold on the bone and so I have never had a ham bone over here to make stock.
Instead I relied on ham stock cubes to make my stock. You can also use chicken stock if you wish.
Other than the split peas and stock, there is bacon, carrots, celery and onions. Simple.
As an homage to my dear sweet mother I chose to add a bay leaf and some Nova Scotia Summer Savory. You can leave those out and the soup will still be delicious, but if you have them to hand, I do recommend.
You could in also use a bit of dried thyme instead of the savory, if you find that impossible to procure. I bring mine back with me from Nova Scotia and keep it in my freezer. It is that precious to me.
It takes about an hour and a bit to cook, so not that long really. Once the peas are nice and tender, you then puree half of the soup.
I used my immersion blender to do this. (Don't know what I would do without it!) You can also use a food processor or a regular blender.
You then stir the pureed portion of soup back into the pot and reheat the soup gently, seasoning it to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper . . . ready to be serve ladled into heated bowls . . .
Garnished with clippings of crispy bacon and chopped fresh parsley . . .
As always Todd enjoys his soups with a piece or two of buttered bread or a crusty roll . . .
The North American in me prefers mine with crisp crackers and I always crumble some of them into the soup. A "common" practice I know . . . but a leftover from my childhood. The heart wants what the heart wants . . .
Yield: 6
London Particular
So named because of the thick "pea soup" fogs that used to plague the city of London for years and years! This recipe is adapted from a book I have entitled "Mom's Favourite Recipes," published by Octopus Books.
ingredients:
- 300g dried green split peas, soaked overnight in cold water (1 1/3 cups)
- 25g butter (2 TBS)
- 4 rashers/slices streaky bacon, diced
- 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 sticks celery, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 litres of ham or chicken stock (6 cups)
- 1 bay leaf, broken (optional and my inclusion)
- 1/2 tsp summer savoury (optional and my inclusion)
- salt and black pepper to taste
To garnish:
- a handful of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 4 rashers/strips of streaky bacon, grilled until crisp and snipped
instructions:
How to cook London Particular
- Drain the peas in a colander and rinse. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to foam add the bacon and onion. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened and the bacon has begun to release it's fat. Add the carrot and celery. Continue to cook for a further 5 minutes or so until golden.
- Add the peas and the stock, along with the bay leaf and savoury, if using. Bring to the boil, stirring. Boil rapidly for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce to low, cover and then cook for about a hour, until the peas are very tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
- Cool the soup slightly and then puree half of the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth, or use an immersion blender. Return to the saucepan and reheat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.
- Ladle the hot soup into heated bowls, garnishing with parley and bacon. Serve immediately. Crusty rolls or crackers (my preference) are lovely with this.
When I was a child I would crumble so many crackers into my soup that it became almost pudding-like . . . I so enjoyed that. Tomato soup was especially good this way, with a knob of butter melted on top. Oh boy, now I am drowning in happy foodie memories. Yum!
I would pick one of the warmest days this week to make us soup for our dinner wouldn't I? Never mind, it was enjoyed no matter the temperature and I just know you will enjoy this Cheddar Chowder Recipe also, if not now, then in the coming months, so you might want to pin or bookmark it for later on.
It won't be the last, I guarantee. Isn't it funny how you save things for years and years and years, and never get around to using or making them.
Losing my mom this past year taught me one thing and that was that life is too short not to use the things you have. There is no point in saving things for a rainy day or for better times . . . use them now and get all the joy that you can get from them for as long as you can!
And that includes old recipe cards, filled with recipes that once upon a time you thought were good enough, and tasty enough to want to record them down by hand and tuck into your recipe box with the idea in mind to make them.
This is a fabulous soup . . . rich and creamy. Cheddar Chowder . . . meant to be hearty. You will want to make sure you have a really good cheddar cheese to use in this. A farmhouse cheddar, an old strong or sharp cheddar, I guess it is called in North America . . . well aged.
I used a cheddar that I picked up in Costco . . . aged enough that it is crumbly and there are little crunchy bits of calcification in it . . . a cheese you want to flake off and eat with a nice piece of apple pie if you had some, or enjoy with a nice glass of wine if you were a wine drinking person.
We have no apple pies . . . nor are we wine drinkers, but I do confess I enjoyed a few flakes while I was preparing this tasty recipe.
Served hot, ladled into bowls and topped with homemade croutons, it went down a real treat. There's enough leftover for Todd to enjoy some more tomorrow. He's really looking forward to that!
Yield: 4
Cheddar Chowder
This is a fabulously tasty chowder. I adore chowders, which are milk based soups. This one boasts the rich and creamy taste of a good farmhouse cheddar. Make sure you pick a good one. Your choice will make all the difference in the world.
ingredients:
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 large onion, peeled, cut in half and then sliced into thin half moons
- 2 TBS flour
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 240ml chicken stock
- 2 pints whole milk (4 cups)
- 1/4 tsp celery seed
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp hot paprika
- 180g of a well flavoured old cheddar cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- buttered croutons to serve
instructions:
How to cook Cheddar Chowder
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally over low heat until softened without browning. Stir in the flour. Cook for a minute or so to cook the taste of the flour out. Stir in the stock, milk, potatoes and celery seed. Heat just to the boil. Don't allow it to boil. Reduce to a slow simmer, cover and simmer over very low heat for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are knife tender. Stir in the mustard powder and paprika. Cook, uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Ladle into heated soup bowls, sprinkle with croutons and serve immediately.
I make my own croutons for soups. They are so easy to make. I just preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter some slices of stale white bread (or any bread really) and cut the bread into shapes with a cookie cutter (s). Today I sprinkled them with Everything But Bagel seasoning I bought on Amazon. It was Trader Joes. I paid a bomb, but I wanted to try the best so that then I can make my own. Watch this space!
Up Tomorrow: Crispy Sheet Pan Chicken Milanese
I am really excited to show you this delicious store cupboard recipe today for a Hearty Tomato & Bean Soup. This makes a lovely, quick supper for those nights when you are rushed off your feet and yet your family is nipping at your heels wanting supper NOW!
Sorry to disappoint you if you came here looking for lentil soup today. I was gifted with a bag of parsnips from someones garden and I need to use them pronto, so today you are getting Spiced Parsnip & Carrot Soup. I hope you don't mind too much!
Parsnips are a root vegetable which greatly resemble really pale, ghost-like carrots! They actually belong to the same family as carrots and parsley. Left in the ground to mature until the first frost, they get really sweet. They are a delicious vegetable. At least I think they are! Even pre-frost!
My mother hated parsnips. I can remember her cooking them for us once.
She had hated them since she was a child. She fried them in butter. I
thought they were gorgeous. She still did not like them so that was the
end of that! I, however, had fallen in love and it is a love affair which I carry on right up to this day.
Parsnips make wonderful additions to soups or stews and are unbelievably delicious when roasted with some honey and butter along side of your Sunday lunch. Christmas dinner would not be half as special were it not for the inclusion of honey butter roasted parsnips!
This soup recipe I am sharing today is an adaptation of a carrot soup that I used to make when I worked down South at the manor. The original recipe uses all carrots, but I really love the taste that comes from the inclusion of parsnips.
In fact I like it even better when parsnips are used in addition to carrots.
It is flavoured as well with onion and celery . . . delicious aromatics . . .
Garlic and grated fresh ginger root . . . mmmm . . .
Curry powder for a bit of a bite. I use a medium curry powder. Todd longs for me to use a stronger curry powder . . . but alas, I don't think my insides could take anything much spicier than this!
This is also lovely with a spoonful of sour cream swirled in the top. Simple, delicious and easy to make. What more could a person want?
Spiced Parsnip & Carrot Soup
Yield: 4
Sweet and nutty with a bit of a bite! Very nice.
ingredients:
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 3 sticks celery, washed, trimmed and chopped
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 TBS finely grated fresh ginger root
- 1/2 to 1 TBS curry powder (depending on your taste)
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 500g parsnips, peeled and chopped (a generous pound)
- 250g carrots, peeled and chopped (1/2 pound, generous)
- 1 litre of vegetable stock (abut 4 1/2 cups)
- Additional hot stock as needed
instructions:
How to cook Spiced Parsnip & Carrot Soup
- Heat the oil in a large deep saucepan. Add the chopped onion and celery, garlic, and grated ginger root. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, without allowing to brown. Stir in the curry powder and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the chopped parsnips and carrots. Stir to coat well in the aromatics. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook over low heat for a further 30 to 35 minutes, or until very soft. Remove from the heat and puree, using an immersion blender, until smooth. Return to the stove and add additional stock as needed to give you the right consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper and a pinch of cayenne if desired. Serve immediately in heated bowls. Alternately you can pour this soup into sealable freezer containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
No worries, I will do the lentil soup next week. Up tomorrow is a Back to the 60's Prawn/Shrimp Cocktail. They call large shrimps prawns over here in the UK! Go figure!
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