Recipe Course: Soups & Stews

Swamp Soup

  1. Prepare the broth and spinach: Bring the chicken broth to a boil and fold in the spinach. Cook until the spinach wilts and shrinks. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach out of the broth and into a blender. Let cool.
  2. Simmer the rice: Add the rice to the broth, bring it back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let the rice simmer until the broth thickens and the rice starts to break apart (10–15 minutes).
  3. Blend the greens: Add garlic, ginger, scallion, jalapeño, parsley, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the blender with the spinach. Add 1/4 cup of water and 1 teaspoon salt, then blend until smooth (about 60 seconds). Add more water if needed for blending.
  4. Combine and adjust: Stir half of the spinach puree into the broth and taste before adding more. Adjust salt as needed. Fold in the pulled chicken and simmer briefly to combine flavors.
  5. Finish with olive oil: Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top of the soup for a rich finish.
  6. Serve and garnish: Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with parsley or additional jalapeño slices as desired.

White Bean Soup with Garlic & Rosemary

  1. Soak dried beans in 3 cups water at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
  2. In a large pot or dutch oven, cook the pancetta. Once crispy, remove and rest on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain excess fat.
  3. In rendered pancetta fat, sauté finely diced carrots, celery, and onion until very fragrant.
  4. Drain soaked beans and add to pan with sautéed vegetables along with 5 cups cold water, 1/2 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
  5. Cover beans and cook until tender, about 2 hours. The cooking time will vary depending on how long you soaked your beans.
  6. In a separate small pot or sauté pan, add olive oil, smashed garlic cloves, rosemary, and Calabrian chili. Turn the pot onto low heat. Once it is bubbling around all of the aromatics, it is ready. It should be just barely simmering – don’t let it boil! This should take 5-10 minutes depending on the strength of your stove.
  7. Add about ¼ cup of olive oil to the soup, stir, and taste to adjust for salt and pepper.
  8. Serve soup with another drizzle of infused olive oil, freshly grated pecorino romano, and the crispy pancetta.
  9. Save the rest of the infused olive oil for garnishing or enjoy with fresh bread! Store infused olive oil in the fridge.

Primavera Soup with Pesto

  • Heat oil in saucepan set over medium heat; cook onion, carrot, celery and garlic for 4 to 6 minutes or until slightly softened.
  • Stir in vegetable broth; bring to boil. Stir in asparagus, escarole, peas, 1/4 cup pesto, salt and pepper; return to boil.
  • Reduce heat to simmer; cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with parsley. Spread remaining pesto over toast; serve with soup.

 

Tip: Substitute spinach or kale for escarole if desired.

Hearty White Wine Turkey Stew

  • Season turkey all over with salt and pepper. Heat half of the oil in large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat; brown turkey in batches, adding more oil as needed, until golden. Using slotted spoon, transfer to plate; set aside.
  • In same pan, cook onion, mushrooms, garlic, sage and rosemary for 7 to 10 minutes or until softened. Stir in 1 cup broth, and wine, scraping up any browned bits; bring to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir to combine; cook for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in remaining broth.
  • Stir in sweet potatoes; bring to simmer. Return turkey and any accumulated juices to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until turkey is very tender and sauce is thickened. Add peas; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in cream and vinegar. Remove from heat. Garnish with parsley.

 

Tip: Stew can be made up to 3 days ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated, then warmed gently before serving.

Chicken Khao Soi

  • Heat oil in large, heavy-bottom saucepan set over medium heat; cook curry paste, shallots, garlic and ginger, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until softened and darkened in color. Add coconut milk and broth. Bring to boil; add chicken.
  • Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is tender. Transfer to plate; let cool slightly. Use two forks to shred chicken; return to soup along with fish sauce, brown sugar and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Divide cooked noodles among 6 bowls. Ladle curry over noodles. Top with red onion, bean sprouts, fried onions and cilantro. Serve with chili oil and lime wedges.

Tip: Add a seeded and diced red Thai chili pepper to the curry along with the garlic and ginger for a spicier version.

Easy Bibimbap

  • Whisk together 3 tbsp extra light olive oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger; divide mixture in half. Toss beef with one portion and mushrooms with the other portion.
  • Heat 1 tbsp extra light olive oil in large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat; cook mushrooms for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned and tender. Using slotted spoon, transfer to plate; set aside. In same skillet, cook beef for 3 to 5 minutes or just until browned around edges and cooked through. Using slotted spoon, transfer to plate; set aside. In same skillet, cook spinach, tossing until wilted.
  • Divide rice among 4 bowls. Arrange beef, mushrooms, spinach, bean sprouts, cucumber, carrots, kimchi (if using) and green onion in sections over top.
  • Heat remaining olive oil in small nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat; fry eggs, in batches, for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp around edges but yolk is still runny. Place 1 egg in center of each bowl. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately with dollop of hot sauce.

 

Tip: For an authentic experience, mix all ingredients together in the bowl before eating. This allows flavors to blend together and the egg yolk and hot sauce to create a rich and flavorful sauce.

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In large bowl, stir together breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Crumble in ground chicken and sausage; mix gently until combined.
  • Roll into 3/4-inch balls; arrange on prepared pan. Brush with olive oil; bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown and almost cooked through. Let cool slightly.

 

Soup:

  • Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven set over medium heat; cook onion, carrots and celery, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes; cook for 3 minutes.
  • Pour in broth and add bay leaf; bring to boil. Add meatballs and reduce heat to simmer; cook for about 30 minutes or until slightly reduced. Stir in pasta and Parmesan. Cook for about 10 minutes or until pasta is tender and soup is slightly thickened. Stir in spinach; cook for about 2 minutes or until wilted. Discard bay leaf.
  • Ladle into soup plates. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with additional Parmesan before serving.

 

Tip: Add a piece of Parmesan rind to the broth to release its flavor during simmering. Discard before serving.

Indian Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Herbed Yogurt

  • For the herbed yogurt: In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, cilantro, lime zest and 1 tsp. lime juice. Reserve the remaining lime juice for the soup.
  • For the soup: In a small bowl, stir the ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, ground ginger, and paprika. Set aside.
  • In a medium (4- to 5-quart) Dutch oven or other wide soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and stir. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is well browned, another 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and fresh ginger, and stir until fragrant and well combined, about 1 minute.
  • Add the spice mixture and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and stir well. Add the pumpkin and stir well. Add the broth and 3 cups water. Stir and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the soup cool for 15 to 25 minutes.
  • Purée the soup in three batches, of coconut milk and a little (up to 1 teaspoon) lime juice to each batch as you blend. Be sure not to fill the blender jar more than two-thirds full—a little more than half is even better. Cover the blender lid partially with a folded dishtowel (leaving a vent opening uncovered to let steam out) to prevent hot soup from splashing on you. Combine the batches in a mixing bowl; rinse out the soup pot, and return the soup to the pot. Alternatively, purée the soup with the coconut milk and 2 teaspoons lime juice in the pot using an immersion blender. Taste the soup—you may need to season with more salt, and you might want to add any remaining lime juice if you like.

 

Tip: Indian spices are such a great match with pumpkin; be sure to “bloom” them by adding them to the aromatics and olive oil before everything else goes in.

Tomato and Tortellini Soup

  • Heat oil in large saucepan set over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, carrot and celery for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add pesto, basil, oregano and chili flakes; cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, salt and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until slightly thickened.
  • In blender or using immersion blender, purée tomato mixture; return to pan and bring to simmer. Add tortellini; cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan.

Tip: Add 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil instead of dried basil if desired.

Basil, Cucumber, and Arugula Gazpacho

  • In a blender, combine all of the ingredients except the reserved arugula leaves, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 1/2 cup water and blend until smooth. Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.
  • If the mixture is too thick, thin with cold water to your desired consistency. Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with the reserved arugula leaves.

 

Tip: You can add chopped Jalapeños if you prefer a spicy gazpacho.