Pumpkin Bisque



Fall in Maine


Ingredients

2 stalks celery, chopped very fine
2 carrots, chopped very fine
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
6 cups chicken broth
( I use organic free-range chicken broth)
2 15 oz cans pumpkin
2 bay leaves
1 cup light cream or half and half
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

Chop celery, carrots, and onion and add to large soup pot.  Add six cups chicken broth, bay leaves, sugar, nutmeg and salt and pepper.  Add pumpkin to soup pot.  Heat to a rolling boil and reduce to simmer.  Simmer for 45 minutes.  Just before serving,while simmering, add light cream and stir with whisk until well blended and heated through (about 4-5 minutes).  Do not boil.

Serves 6

Beef Stroganoff Soup

Savery Avenue, Carver, MA: First Divided Highway in US

Ingredients

1 lb beef chuck steak
1 lb mushrooms
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 TBS Olive Oil
3 TBS Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 TBS Flour
3 TBS Ketchup
1 quart Chicken Stock
1 quart Beef Stock
3 cups egg noodles

Sour cream

Preparation


Slice steak thin, cut into thin strips about 2 inches long.  Remove stems, slice mushrooms into thin slices.
Chop onions into small pieces (you can use an electric food chopper). Heat oil and butter.  First brown onions in oil and butter. Add steak and brown over low heat, add chopped garlic. Stir in sliced mushrooms and continue to cook over low heat.  Sprinkle flour over mixture.  Add ketchup.  Stir mixture until mixed well.  Add Chicken and Beef Stock.  Cook over medium heat until soup is boiling.  Add egg noodles and cook over medium heat until noodles are done (10 minutes).  Serve hot with a topping of sour cream.

Notes from Liz

This is a rich and filling dinner soup.  It serves 6-8 people.

French Onion Soup

Ingredients

Plenty of snow this winter

8 cups yellow onions (6-8 medium onions)
3 TBS olive oil
3 TBS butter
3 TBS flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 quart (32 ounces) Beef Stock
1 quart (32 ounces) Chicken Stock
Grated Cheese (I use mozzarella or gruyere)
French Bread, sliced and toasted

Preparation

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add olive oil and butter.  Melt butter over low heat.  Slice onions into thin rings.  Add onions to pot and stir until coated with the olive oil and butter mixture.  Over low heat, stir until heated through.  Put a lid on the pot.  Stir frequently.  When onions are translucent, add salt and sugar.  This will increase browning.  Stir to brown all onions.  Add flour.  Heat Beef Stock in a separate pan.  Add hot beef stock to onions and stir.  Add Chicken Stock.  Cook on medium heat for about 1 hour.

Slice French Bread into 1/2 inch rounds.  Toast on both sides.  Grate Cheese.

Serve hot soup with a slice of toasted French Bread and plenty of grated cheese.

Serves 6-8

Notes from Liz
This hearty soup is a great meal with more french bread and cheese with fruit salad for dessert

Shrimp Corn Chowder with Cilantro Chile Puree

The Cook is Kayaking

Ingredients for chowder

1 bottle (12 oz) beer
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

5 TBS unsalted butter
1 large onion, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 TBS dried oregano
1 TBS ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
3 TBS unbleached flour
3 cups chicken stock (low sodium)
4 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (6-8 ears)
1/2 cup light cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Pepper to taste

Preparation

1.  Heat the beer and 2 cups water, the bay leaf, and red pepper flakes in a 2 quart pan-to boiling.
2.  Add the peeled and deveined shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes-until done. Drain the shrimp immediately, reserving the liquid.  Return the liquid to the pan and boil until the liquid is reduced by half.
3.  Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery, carrots, and bell pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes.  Stir in the oregano, cumin, thyme and flour. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
4.  Add the reduced cooking liquid, the chicken stock, and the corn to the pot.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Simmer uncovered or 20 minutes.
5.  Cut each shrimp into 4 pieces and add half the shrimp to the soup (reserve half of the shrimp pieces.) Remove from the heat.  Stir in the cream and milk and lime juice.
6.  In small batches (no more than 1/2 full blender), puree the soup in the blender. Put the puree mixture back into the stock pot and add the remaining shrimp. Keep warm over low heat (do NOT boil.)
NOTE:  If you want to make this a day ahead, Do NOT add the cream, milk and lime juice. Puree and store in refrigerator overnight.  Before serving add cream, milk, lime juice and heat over low heat until well heated (do NOT boil.)

Serve with Cilantro Puree

Ingredients

4 oz (can) green chiles, drained
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup olive oil

Preparation

Puree the chiles, cilantro and oil in a food process with steel blade, process until smooth.

Ladle hot soup into boils and swirl Cilantro/Chile puree ( 1 or 2 teaspoons) on top of each serving.

Serves  8-10 large servings

Preparation Time  2 hours

Notes from Liz  
Sarah Chase published Mexican Corn Soup with Shrimp and Cilantro Puree in the Nantucket Open-House Cookbook, 1987.  Although 95% of this recipe is the work of Sarah Chase, I reduced the amount of water, added chicken stock instead of clam juice, and used light cream instead of heavy cream.  I worked out the way to prepare it a day ahead without losing quality or flavor.  This has been part of our traditional family Christmas Eve menu for over twenty years.  It is good anytime of the year, especially when the corn is fresh in July and August.  ( The recipe is easily doubled but it does add to the preparation time.)

Sue Hoel's Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili

When the evenings begin to be cool, this is one of my favorite fall dishes.

Cincinnati Chili is unique!  You serve this chili one of FIVE WAYS:

A Bowl of Chili is ONE WAY

A Bowl of Chili + Spaghetti is TWO WAY

A Bowl of Chili + Spaghetti +Grated Cheese is THREE WAY

A Bowl of Chili + Spaghetti+Grated Cheese+Chopped Onion is FOUR WAY

A Bowl of Chili + Spaghetti+Grated Cheese+Chopped Onion + Kidney Beans is FIVE WAY

Ingredients and Preparation

How to make the Chili:

In a large pot put

 5 cups of water and bring to a boil.

 Add 2 medium onions grated

 2 lbs ground beef (low in fat)

Boil beef until it is done.  As it boils separate the beef with a spoon so that it is the consistency of soup and the beef is not in clumps.

 Two 8 ounce cans of tomato sauce

 1 tsp red pepper flakes

 5 whole allspice

 1 TBS Cumin

 4 cloves garlic minced

 4 TBS Chili Powder

 2 TBS cider vinegar

 1 large bay leaf

 5 whole cloves

 2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce

 1 oz melted bittersweet chocolate

 ½ tsp cinnamon

 ½ tsp salt

Preparation Time and Serving

Cook over medium/low heat for 2 hours or until liquid is reduced and chili is thick.

Serve with the FIVE WAY options describe above.  


Serves 6

Notes from Liz

Who is Sue Hoel?  Sue is my friend from Cincinnati. Thanks Sue

P.S. If you go to Cincinnati, you will find this Chili at SKYLINE Chili restaurants.