Vegetable Beef Soup

Tonight's Soup du Jour was Vegetable Beef.

Soup.  Again.  I swear it's all I've been eating.  I still have this #@%$& cold and it's driving me crazy.

I am so not amused.

Granted, I'm feeling much better and only hacking now and again, but my appetite is just not where it should be.

Actually...  let me rephrase that...  My appetite is exactly where it should be.  It's just not where it normally is.  And I don't seem to be losing any weight, either.

Life is so unfair sometimes...

The soup came out really good, though.  This was a bit of a take on my mom's way of making soup years ago.  She would use water and bouillon cubes.  I use packaged broth.

Vegetable Beef Soup

  • 1 lb beef in small cubes
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 cups coffee
  • 2 qts beef broth
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 3 cups assorted frozen vegetables
  • 1 tsp herbs d'Provence
  • salt and pepper, to taste.

Brown beef in a small amount of olive oil.  Add onion and garlic, then carrots and celery.  Cook a bit, then add the coffee, then the broth.

Let everything simmer a bit then add the remaining vegetables.

Add herbs, salt and pepper, to taste.

Continue simmering until potatoes are done.

Really simple, really basic, and really good.

We just got our latest edition of La Cucina Italiana.  I think Victor is heading back to the kitchen soon!

And not too soon.  I am getting tired of soup!

by Tim Dineen

Turkey Soup

Soup.  All I have been eating is soup.  Hot, spicy soup.

This has truly been the cold from hell.  I actually don't know the last time I missed three days of work, but there was just no way I could be in a place that handles food.  Hell, I haven't been fit to be seen in public, period.  It has not been pretty.

But about an hour ago I felt the tide turn.  It was probably when it hit 60° outside and I threw open the windows to blow the damned germs out of here.  But for the first time in a week, I am actually - almost - feeling human.

I credit the soup.

Homemade turkey soup with andouille sausage, boonie pepper, tons of vegetables, and rice discs.  Lots of germ-killing heat.

The rice discs are a bit strange.  I picked them up at Assi a while back and they've been in the freezer ever since.  I finally pulled them out.

They are just large, glutinous things.  No flavor to speak of and a bit of a slick texture.  Not bad.  Just different.  As the pot was heated, reheated, and reheated, again, they got softer and more palatable, but I won't be going out of my way to buy them, again, anytime soon.

In the meantime, I hear birds chirping outside and even though it's mid-February and I know we still have March to deal with, things are looking up.

If I could just stop coughing.....

by Tim Dineen

Chicken Soup and the Cold From Hell

Fighting, denying, and ignoring did no good.  I officially have the cold from hell.

I've been trying to fight it, pretending it wasn't happening  and living in a state of denial, but besides just feeling lousy, I've been crankier than usual the past couple of days.  A sure sign right there.

It's here with a vengeance.

I'm not a good patient.  I want to just be left alone to wallow in my misery.  That, of course, is nigh-on impossible when you're married to an Italian.  Victor wants to fluff my pillows, get me things, make me comfortable any way he can.  I want to pull the blankets over my head and make the world go away.  Victor wants to make me tea with honey.

Everyone should have my problems!

After a hacking night last night, he decided to make chicken soup today.  Jewish penicillin.

Chicken soup really is a cold-fighter.  It's an anti-inflammatory and as generations of people who once actually paid attention to what they were eating knew, it also helps to relieve congestion.  Wouldn't it be nice if more people reached for some homemade soup instead of the latest poison from our pharmaceutical companies?!?   Did I mention I've been crankier than usual lately?!?

Victor used a combination of homemade chicken stock and store-bought.  I could actually smell it cooking and I could taste it!

He made it with carrots, celery, onion, garlic, potato, tortellini, broccoli, and chicken.

It was good!  It was so good, in fact, that we're going to have it for dinner, as well.

I just made a loaf of beer bread for tonight.

I'll wallow in my misery later.  Right now, I'm feeling pretty good.

by Tim Dineen

Sweet and Spicy Soup

Several years ago, my friend Jess created a great soup at work.  It was a huge hit and one I've made at home several times.  Jess is a great cook and is also a personal chef and instructor.  Creativity abounds!

I've been thinking about this soup for a couple of weeks, now, and the colder it got outside today, the more I knew I was making it tonight!  While this is a great anytime soup, it is especially good on a cold night.

There's no question that this is a good Chinese restaurant-quality soup. It is great as a side course or as the main course with spring rolls or pork buns.

I decided to make it our main course tonight, so I added a few more ingredients.  It is perfect as originally written, but I wanted a bit more substance tonight.  I had a few things lying about so into the pot they went.

I made enough for dinner tonight and leftovers for Victor's lunch...

Sweet and Spicy Soup

  • 1 1/2 qts chicken broth
  • 1 btl Sweet Chili Sauce
  • 1/4 cup black mushroom soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup rice wine
  • 1/2 tsp sambal oelek (chili paste)
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 small can baby corn
  • 1 small can water chestnuts, sliced
  • 1 small can bamboo shoots, shredded
  • 1 pkg pork shu mai
  • 6 oz uncooked shrimp
  • 4 scallions, shredded (for garnish)

In a medium saucepan, heat together the broth, chili sauce, soy sauces, rice wine, sambal oelek, sesame oil, baby corn, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.  When it comes to a boil, add the shu mai and heat through.  When the shu mai are heated, add the shrimp and cook just until done.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with shredded scallions.

I added the sambal oelek because the sweet chili sauce didn't have the kick I remember and I definitely wanted a bit of a kick tonight.  I heated up some spring rolls to go along with the soup.

It really was the perfect dish for a cold winter night.

by Tim Dineen

Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny Soup

By 10am this morning I knew I wanted Mulligatawny soup for dinner.  I was talking soup and recipes with a woman at work and Mulligatawny came up and didn't leave.

Mulligatawny is an Anglo-Indian soup with as many variations as there are people making it.

First time I remember having it was while working at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe.  It was one of our winter-rotation soups - and a really popular item.

The Hyatt version was rich and really, really thick.  You could stand a spoon up in the bowl.  I don't know where the recipe came from and I've never found a recipe quite like it.  Damn, it was good!

But not knowing that recipe didn't stop me from coming up with a version of my own.  This is one of the few soups that I actually almost use a recipe for.  I like the way this comes out.

I also almost always make this with a fresh whole chicken and boil everything down.  This is the streamlined version...

Mulligatawny Soup

  • 1 large chicken breast, diced
  • 2 qt chicken broth
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • A couple of garlic cloves, chopped
  • A few ribs celery, chopped
  • A few carrots, chopped
  • 1 small bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 granny smith (or other tart apple) peeled and chopped
  • 1 tsp to 1 tbsp Curry powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 cup uncooked rice
  • 1 pt heavy cream
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • S&P to taste

Add onion and leek to pot with a bit of oil or butter.  Saute until slightly translucent.  Add chicken.  Cook.

Add carrot and celery and cook a few minutes more.

Add the spices and cook until they are all very fragrant.  This gets rid of the 'raw' taste curry and cumin can sometimes have.

Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, cook the rice separately.  When done, add the rice and let it cook about 15 or so minutes, stirring once in a while so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Add the coconut milk and  heavy cream.  Keep simmering.

Add the apples and raisins.  Taste.  Add more curry, S and/or P if desired.

Thicken with a flour and water mixture, if desired.

Cook a bit longer, stirring occasionally (don’t want it to stick!!)

A great garnish is some chopped pistachios sprinkled on each bowl as it’s served.

I used oyster crackers.

It really is an easy soup and really, really flavorful.  I like it on the thick side so I make a flour and water paste to add to it.  if you're in the mood for a bit of a thinner soup, leave it out.

You can also cook the rice right in the soup (before adding the cream and coconut milk) and let the rice starch thicken it a bit.

Any way you do it is going to be good!

Enjoy!

by Tim Dineen

Chicken Soup and Focaccia

It was 9° outside when I left for work this morning.  Nine.  That's one number.  A single digit.

C-O-L-D.

Okay...  Maybe not as cold as those of you on the tundra - or up there chipping ice from the Great Lakes - but nine degrees is really cold for this California boy.

Really cold.

Really cold is soup weather.  And Victor made really good soup and really good focaccia to warm me up when I got home today.

The soup was a fairly traditional chicken soup, but it had a fun twist...  eggs!

The pastina box had a variation for "Egg Drop Soup" that sounded fun.  After removing the soup from the heat, stir in a beaten egg, stirring with a fork in one direction.  Voila!  It worked!

It added that little bit of fun that every meal should have.

And it was hot and filling, rich and flavorful,  and just wonderful.

Along with the soup was a sheet of focaccia!

The focaccia recipe is the basic pizza dough from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book.  It is so simple, but works for pizza, focaccia, bread sticks...

Better Homes and Gardens Pizza Dough

Ingredients

  • 2-3/4  to 3-1/4 cups  all-purpose flour
  • 1  pkg.  active dry yeast
  • 1/2  tsp.  salt
  • 1  cup  warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
  • 2  Tbsp.  cooking oil or olive oil

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1-1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

2.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Lightly grease a large bowl; place dough in bowl and cover with a damp towel (make sure the towel does not touch the dough). Let dough rise in a warm place until double in size (30 minutes).

3.  Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Place in a greased 16x12x1-inch baking pan.  Let rise 20 minutes.

4. Top with toppings of choice and bake at 375° about 25 minutes.

Victor topped it with some of the fried peppers I did a few days ago along with a healthy dose of parmesan cheese.

The nice thing about the focaccia - other than the fantastic taste - is the oven warmed up the kitchen nicely.

Did I mention it's been cold outside?!?

by Tim Dineen

Pumpkin Soup

Mmmmm... Soup.....  I've been dreaming about soup for weeks, now.  It's what happens to me towards the end of every season - I start thinking about the foods that are coming up.  Soups and stews and casseroles are on the horizon. Even more fresh-baked breads...  These are some of my most favorite foods - mainly because they generally don't take recipes or cook books to create.  They tend to just come together with things in the kitchen.  That's not to say that recipes are out for the next few months, but soups, stews, and the like are pretty instinctive for me.  Probably comes from being from a large family.  But I do find them to be the easiest things to make. Seriously, they're pretty hard to screw up.

So tonight's dinner was brought to us by that big ol' pumpkin I cooked up yesterday.  I have pumpkin for days in the 'fridge.  I'll probably freeze some of it tomorrow - but I do have a couple of ideas to ponder first...

The soup tonight was based upon a recipe we created at work many moons ago.

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 pork tenderloin, cubed
  • 3 cups pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups chunk pumpkin, cooked
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • sour cream for topping

Saute onion until translucent.  Add cubed pork tenderloin and lightly brown.  Add spices and cook about a minute.

Add pumpkin puree, cream, and broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.

Add black beans and cubed pumpkin and heat through.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

It's rich, thick, and creamy, without being heavy.   It's also really simple and lends itself to many different variations.   You can add curry powder instead of the chipotle, coconut milk instead of the cream.

Use chicken or beef - or neither and make it vegetarian with the addition of vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.  Throw in some other vegetables.

It's the beauty of the season - anything goes!

by Tim Dineen

Pane Pugliese and Lentilles du Puy

More bread.  I just can't think of a better food right now.  It's still a bazillion degrees below zero (or so it seems) and the only sensible thing is to stay indoors and heat the kitchen.

I've been making this particular bread for years.  It may be one of the easiest, no-brainer-fool-proof breads in the world.  And one of the absolute best-tasting.

Today, I really proved the fool-proof part.

Our neighbor across the street just had his gall bladder removed.  Since he regularly comes over and plows our driveway when it snows, it is imperative that he regain his good health immediately.  I thought fresh-baked bread and a no-fat lentil soup was just the thing to help him on the road to recovery.

This is a basic white-flour recipe.  I pulled the biga out of the 'fridge (left over from the Pan Siciliano), got it mixed with the yeast and the water and - exactly 6 cups of flour.  I needed 7 1/2.  I don't think I've ever run out of flour before, but I have been doing a lot of bread-baking.  I did another search to make sure there wasn't a 5 lb bag hiding somewhere.  I have whole wheat flour, I have rye flour, I have graham flour, I have self-rising flour.  There's even corn flour.  No more white flour.

There was absolutely no way I was leaving the house.  I added a cup and a half of whole wheat.

The dough came out great.  Felt good, it had a great smell to it.  Into a ball, into a bowl, and into the "proofing room" it went.  (For those not in the know...  I just open the heater vents in our powder room and it becomes the warmest and best environment for proofing bread.)

The recipe makes three good-sized loaves and I have generally been able to get them all to fit on one peel.  Well...  today, they seemed to have a bit more of a mind of their own than usual.

They got big. One was actually hanging off the side a bit.

I already planned to do two loaves in one oven and the third in the other, but as I was sliding the first loaf in, the second fell right off the peel and landed upside down halfway in the oven, laying across the heating element and the door.

Ooops!

I quickly slid the third loaf onto the butcher block and carefully picked up the fallen loaf.  I got it into the bottom oven, slid the third one back onto the peel, and got it into the oven.

The loaf in the picture above is the one that fell.  It came out pretty awesome.  A bit misshapen, but awesome.

THAT is a forgiving loaf of bread.

Pane Pugliese

  • 1 packet dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 3 cups water; room temp
  • 1 cup biga
  • 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp salt

Proof the yeast in the warm water. Add 1 1/2 c water and the biga, mix till blended. Add flour and salt, mix till dough comes together and pulls off the sides of the bowl. Knead 3-5 minutes in a mixer, longer by hand. Dough will be very soft and elastic. Let rise about 3 hours, shape into 2 small round loaves or 1 big flattish one. If you have baking stones, place loaves on baking peel or on baking sheets sprinkled corn meal. Let rise about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450°, and 10 minutes before baking flour the loaf tops and dimple them with your fingers. Bake 50-60 minutes for big loaves, 30-35 minutes for small. Tap the loaves to test for doneness (hollow=done) and cool on a rack.

And the biga.  I would imagine it could stay in the 'fridge and just keep adding to it as I used to do with my starters years ago.

Biga

  • 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 1/4 cup water (room temperature)
  • 3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Stir the yeast into the warm water and let stand until creamy – about 10 minutes.  Stir in the remaining water and then the flour, one cup at a time.

Mix with the paddle attachment on the mixer at the lowest speed about 2 minutes.

Remove to a slightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at cool room temperature for 6 to 24 hours.  The starter will triple in volume and still be wet and sticky when ready.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

During all of this commotion, I was also making lentil soup.  With French lentils.  Lentilles du Puy.  I'm brave.  I'll pair Italian bread with French lentils.  Fancy restaurants would charge an arm and a leg and call it fusion.

I call it getting my driveway plowed.

I made two versions of the soup.  I added cooked sausage and chicken to ours after taking out half for our neighbor.  (I wasn't being cheap.  Gall bladder removal = low fat diet. Sausage is definitely not on his diet right now.)

The recipe is for making it all at once.  I had a chicken breast in the 'fridge that needed cooking, so I cut it up and added it to the sausage when I cooked it.  You can make it vegetarian simply by omitting the sausage/chicken.

Potage de lentille du Puy

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 6 carrots, chopped
  • 6 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb French green lentils (or other lentils)
  • 10 cups water
  • 1 sm can tomato paste
  • 2 tsp Herbs d'Provence
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb sausage, sliced

Brown sausage, onions, carrots, cekery, and garlic together in soup pot.  When cooked reasonably well, add water, lentils, tomato paste and seasonings.

Bring to boil and then simmer uncovered until lentils are tender and soup has thickened slightly.

Check for seasoning and add additional salt and/or pepper, as desired.

We're not expecting any snow showers until next weekend.

by Tim Dineen

Jalapeño Pumpkin Soup

Dick Kelly, the Leprechauno

(A Real Adventure)

  • 2 tbsp butter or margarine
  • 1 small white onion
  • 2-4  (4 for the more adventurous) jalapeno chilies (for those North of the Rio Grande, use only 1/2 of one, seeded)
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1-1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 large (about 10 oz.) russet potato, peeled and chopped
  • Carrots (choose your own amount)
  • 1/3 C chopped parsley
  • 4 C regular strength chicken broth
  • 1-16    oz. can pumpkin
  • 1/4 C dry sherry (preferably California sherry)

Melt butter in a 4 to 5 quart pan over medium high heat. Add onion, chilies, pepper, and curry powder. Stir until onion is limp. Add potato, carrots, parsley, and two cups broth. Bring to a boil on high heat. Cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree vegetable mixture. Return mixture to pan. Stir in pumpkin, remaining broth, and sherry. If made ahead, cover and chill up to three days. Stir over medium heat until hot.

Makes four servings, 1-3/4 cups each. Serve with French bread, a nice white wine, a tossed green salad. Sabroso.

by Tim Dineen

Goulash Soup for 8 or 80

Kathleen Dineen Kelly

Bacon 1/4 lb 2 lb
Onions 1 5 lbs
Garlic 1 clove 10 cloves
Tomatoes (canned) 1 large 3 large
Potatoes 2 large 7 lbs
Lemons 1/4 2
Stew Beef 1 lb 8 lbs
Frankfurters 3 2 lbs
Beef Stock 1 1/2 qts 20 qts
Paprika 1 tsp 2 tbsp
Marjoram pinch 2 tsp
Salt and Pepper to taste

Dice bacon. Chop onions. Crush garlic. Peel and dice potatoes. Juice lemon and grate rind. Cut stew beef into small chunks. Slice frankfurters. Saute onion and bacon in large pot until onions are golden. Stir in paprika and spices. Cook for 1 minute. Add beef stock (or water and bouillon cubes), beef, and tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add potatoes. Simmer until potatoes and beef are tender. Add frankfurters. Add lemon juice and season to taste.

by Tim Dineen

Zucchini Sour Cream Soup

Rita Dineen Roberts

  • 1-1/2 lbs. chopped zucchini
  • 1/2 C chopped onion
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 5-1/2 C chicken broth or stock
  • 1-1/4 tsp vinegar
  • 3/4 tsp dill
  • 4 tbsp Cream of Wheat
  • 3/4 C sour cream

In a large saucepan, mix zucchini, onion, butter, chicken broth, vinegar, and dill. Bring to a boil. Add Cream of Wheat, stirring rapidly. Simmer slowly for 25-30 minutes. Pour into blender or food processor and process until smooth. Just before serving stir in sour cream. Serves 5.

by Tim Dineen

Lentil Soup

Tim Dineen

  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups lentils
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • a 32-to 35-ounce can tomatoes, chopped
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, or to taste

In a heavy kettle combine the broth, 3 cups water, the lentils, rice, tomatoes with the reserved juice, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the lentils and rice are tender. Stir in the parsley, the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste and discard the bay leaf. The soup will be thick and will thicken as it stands. Thin the soup, if desired, with additional hot chicken broth or water.

by Tim Dineen