I bet that when you heard about the recent recall of 143 million pounds of beef from Westland/Hallmark you didn't think you'd have to worry about sauces and bouillon cubes.
But that's what's happening. Although much of the frozen beef from the past two years has probably already been eaten or discarded, there might also be some of the meat in canned and packaged foods, including soup, sauces, and bouillon cubes. And some of those foods can sometimes stay on shelves and in the cupboards of consumers for a couple of years.
There have been no illnesses reported and no evidence of actual contamination, but officials don't want to take any chances.
There are two options when it comes to chili. You can make it on the stovetop, or you can do it in a slow cooker.
My aunt gave me my first slow cooker this past Christmas and now that I have it, I can't imagine not using it, especially for chili. The advantages of using a slow cooker are that you can prepare everything in advance, i.e. the night before; like your significant other when he's engrossed in the game, it doesn't need attention as it cooks, and you can serve your chili hot all day long straight out of the slow cooker. The advantages of making chili on the stovetop are...well, nothing. My choice for chili (now) will always be in a slow cooker.
If you don't have a slow-cooker, it wouldn't be a bad idea to invest in one now, though "invest" makes it sound like they're expensive. They're not. The one I have is a medium-sized one by Rival, which costs under $50. You can go higher end with brands like Cuisinart, but it isn't worth it to pay more for a name, If you're willing to pay more, pay for size and features.
And of course, if your slow cooker is making an appearance at a tailgate or Super Bowl Party, then there's always the ever-so-classy Pro Pots football-shaped Slow Cooker!
As Bob reminded us last week, January is National Soup Month, so I thought it was only fitting to feature a soup cookbook. The Daily Soup Cookbook is written by the chefs who created the recipes at the Daily Soup chain of restaurants. Filled with over 200 soup recipes, the book is divided up by primary ingredient: corn, potato, bean, chili, nut and fruit (to name a few). They also offer suggestions for movies you should rent to eat soup by and musical recommendations to cook and eat soup by.
When it comes to soup, I tend not to follow recipes, instead striking out on my own with whatever ingredients I happen to have. However, when I eat soups made by others, or those prepared by stores or restaurants, I'm always blown away by the flavors and unique combinations that other people put together. The recipes contained in this book make me think that following a recipe might not be such a bad idea if they could get me soup at home that tasted as wonderful as some of the stuff I come across out there in the world.
To repeat an often used phrase, soup is good food. Especially this time of year, when soup warms the body, soul, and can be good if you're watching what you eat too.
January is National Soup Month, so that's a good opportunity to link to some great soup recipes, like this one for Chicken Noodle Soup over at Yahoo (though I never put onion in mine!). Food & Wine has this recipe for Sausage and Mushroom Soup, and Alton Brown has this one for Garden Vegetable Soup. Of course, there are so many soup recipes that there are usually entire sections devoted to soup, including this one over at AllRecipes.
When it comes to these short, dark winter days, there's nothing better than putting a little effort into a dish and then have it spend the rest of the day filling your home with the delicious smells of cooking. The weekends are perfect for these long braises, soups and stews. Many of these dishes don't need a recipe and can be created by feel. However, for those of you who need a little inspiration, here are eight recipes that are perfect for this time of year.
1. The Minimalist makes Beef Bourguignon from chuck, reminding us all that the cheaper, tougher cuts of meat have the most flavor. 2. Food and Wine offers three recipes for winter stews. For those of you who don't actually have all day to let your dish cook, these recipes are for you, as they all should be ready in about an hour. 3. Florence Fabricant went to Greece last year and brought back with her a recipe for Slow-Cooked Beef with Cracked Wheat. It gets browned on the stove for flavor and does a long, slow braise in the oven. 4. Elise has a gorgeous looking recipe for Spicy Lamb Stew with Butternut Squash. 5. Want a rich, veggie-filled chicken stew? Try this one from Orangette, it sounds quite yummy! 6. I love white beans. And I really love roasted garlic. So I do believe that I will adore this Garlic Lovers White Bean Soup from the Farmgirl. 7. I still have a single pomegranate rolling around my kitchen, which may inspire me to try this Pomegranate and Spice-Braised Pork from the The Splendid Table (even though the recipes doesn't call for fresh pomegranate. I could always use it for garnish). 8. Eclectic Edibles invented this Roasted Root Vegetable Stew as a way to use up already-roasted veggies. However, roasting veggies is so easy that it would be a simple thing to do in the stew making process.
OK, I'm confused. I was fairly certain that I made the best chicken noodle soup, but according to this recipe over at AOL Food (via AllRecipes.com), I don't. It's The Best Chicken Noodle Soup Ever.
There's nothing that warms my heart and other organs in the winter than a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup, with big chunks of chicken and carrots and celery in a seasoned broth. In fact, I'm going to make chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight. Not sure if I'll make this one (don't have the whole chicken or some of the other ingredients), but it sounds like a really good basic recipe to keep in your collection.
Yesterday over on the Amateur Gourmet, Adam posed a question to his readers. He wants to know what your favorite cold weather food is. For cold weather food falls into two different categories. There's the stuff I like to order when I'm out in restaurants and the dishes I like to make at home. For my money, the best deal around for cold weather restaurant food is Pho. There's nothing like a bowl of steamy, fragrant broth and noodles to warm me up and make me feel cozy and well-fed.
When it comes to cooking at home in the colder months, I'm a big fan of blended veggie soups. Back in August I posted the recipe for the Moosewood Carrot Soup which is one of my very favorites. I'm also a big fan of roasting a chicken and turning the leftovers into soup the next day. There's just something about a big pot of aromatic chicken broth dotted with veggies, rice and shredded chicken to make my day a little bit brighter.
My Slashfood friends, I am a sadist. Or is it masochist? I never knew the difference between the two.
Either way, for some reason known only to, well, to no one, I decided to do the most punishing thing ever on a hot summer day: turn on the oven. I know, I must be crazy. The inexplicable thing is, however, that I turned it on to roast something that doesn't need to be roasted. If I needed to make a roasted garlic puree, I could justify it. If I felt like roasting a lemon herb chicken for Sunday supper, it would make sense.
My friends, I roasted tomatoes. Tomatoes! At this point in the season, there is absolutely no need to roast produce that is practically dripping with fresh flavor right off the vine!
However, I couldn't resist after I came across a recipe for Roasted Tomato Soup while flipping lazily through Marcus Wareing's Cook the Perfect cookbook.
A few years ago, we finished dinner in a restaurant in San Francisco and began looking over the dessert menu. I remember seeing the word "soup" on there and thought it was either a mistake, or someone was making fun of us. Soup for dessert? (Really, this was about 12 years ago.)
However, "soup" for dessert is a fabulous thing, particularly in the warmer seasons when you want something chilled, or refreshing after a heavy meal. Chez Pim made Loy Gaew , a common way of serving fresh fruit in Thailand. "Loy gaew" literally means floating crystals, which refers to the crushed ice floating in clear syrup. Pim provides the recipe for this gorgeous one made of fresh lychee and oranges floating in a ginger syrup. It sounds delicious, and looks gorgeous.
Living solo means that when I cook, either I have to waste a lot of energy to cook just enough for one person, or else I cook a huge amount, and get sick of eating the same leftovers for five days straight. This means I love -- and when I say "love," I mean luuuuuurve -- remixes. Taking leftovers and spinning them so they're not the exact same thing from the night before.
Food blogger Mrs. Marv has posted a genius use of what was once Roasted Corn, Basil, and Lime Soup. Her brother turned the soup into a sauce and used it to dress up homemade Manchego, Lime, and Shrimp Ravioli. It's a lovely change from the usual ravioli fillings and sauces, and best of all, makes good use of leftovers.
For those of you not familiar with this Portuguese sausage, it's pronounced Ling-GWEES-a. I was waiting tables in a pizza place about 20 years ago and a tourist asked me what this "Linguicka" was.
It's fantastic in sandwiches and on pizza, but you can also make chili with it. One of the best bowls of chili I've ever had was made with linguica instead of beef. It gives the chili a really nice, different flavor, while remaining hearty. I don't know how this place made it, the exact recipe. I'm sure I could call them up right now and say "hey, give me your recipe," but I don't want to do that, even though they probably remember me coming in there.
The Culinary Institute of America has put out some great books in the past, all of which are not only good references for home cooks looking for creative recipes, but are great references for those interested in learning as much as possible about cooking techniques. The Culinary Institute of America Book of Soups: More than 100 Recipes for Perfect Soupsis no exception. The book covers stocks, cream soups, cold soups and just about any other type of soup that you can think of in great detail, walking you through all the steps needed to perfect your technique. There are over 50 step-by-step instruction sets, as well as tips for correcting consistency and flavor. The emphasis is on classics, such as Vichyssoise, Clam Chowder and Cream of Tomato (which would be perfect with Grilled Cheese), but there are plenty of creative twists on standard flavors to keep things interesting for even adventurous cooks. On top of all the soup recipes, or rather following them, is a chapter dedicated to the accompaniments that can turn any soup into a meal, primarily breads, croutons and crackers.
Even if I weren't already absolutely enamored of cauliflower soups, I would be fawning and sighing all over this photograph of Cauliflower and Gorgonzola Soup that Heidi Swanson has posted on her food blog, 101 Cookbooks. I think it might actually be the petal-shaped bowls, but I can't be sure, since if it were foie gras in there, I doubt I'd feel the same way.
The soup is fairly simple to make, as Heidi has written in her adaptation of the original from a cookbook called A Year in My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell. I am intrigued by the idea of adding some flavor punch with blue cheese, as I have made a cauliflower soup before, but relied fairly heavily on roasted garlic for flavor.
To the best of my knowledge, there are no awards given to cookbooks for clever names, but if there were, Sally Sampson's Souped Up would certainly be a contender. Names aside, however, this book is a great source for easy to make, convenient soups. It is divided up into chapters by the type of soup - smooth vegetable, chunky vegetable, cream, fish soups, chilis and more - so it is easy to find the type of dish that will suit your particular mood, whether you feel like something hearty or soothing. You'll find Broccoli Soup, Chicken Soup with Lime Zest, Thyme and Potatoes, Beef Chili with Beer and Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Raisins, Herbs, and Rice, as well as many gazpacho recipes to make up on hot days. In addition to the soups, there are recipes for four breads and seven sweets to provide you with the means to finish off the meal from one cookbook. Sampson includes many tips and some sound soup-making advice along the way, as well as information on how to freeze and store soups if you have leftovers.
I bet that when you heard about the recent recall of 143 million pounds of beef from Westland/Hallmark you didn't think you'd have to worry about sauces and bouillon cubes.
There are two options when it comes to chili. You can make it on the stovetop, or you can do it in a slow cooker.
As 
To repeat an often used phrase, soup is good food. Especially this time of year, when soup warms the body, soul, and can be good if you're watching what you eat too.
OK, I'm confused. I was fairly certain that I made the best chicken noodle soup, but according to this recipe over at AOL Food (via AllRecipes.com), I don't. It's 
Yesterday over on the 
For those of you not familiar with this Portuguese sausage, it's pronounced Ling-GWEES-a. I was waiting tables in a pizza place about 20 years ago and a tourist asked me what this "Linguicka" was.
Cheese Course: Brebis Pardou
A transcendent summer tomato salad
Sliced bread turns 80 today
