Provençal Soupe au Pistou

Even thought this seems complicated at first glance, this recipe from Saveur is easy. If you can't find or don't like pancetta, you can substitute cubed chicken breast that's been sauteed in olive oil if desired.

For the Pistou
4 cups packed basil
1 cup grated parmesan
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 plum tomato, cored

For the Soup
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 oz. pancetta, minced
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1⁄2 medium zucchini, chopped
1⁄4 head Savoy cabbage, cored and thinly shredded
8 cups chicken stock
7 whole peeled canned tomatoes, chopped
1⁄3 cup broken dried spaghetti
1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
Make the pistou: Process basil, parmesan, oil, salt, garlic, and tomato in a food processor until finely ground. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Heat oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat; add pancetta and cook, stirring often, until fat has rendered, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, celery, and onions, reduce heat to medium; cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 12–15 minutes. Add zucchini and cabbage; cook, covered, until wilted, 3–5 minutes. Add stock and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Mash half the beans with a fork; add to soup along with whole beans—cook until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls; serve with pistou dolloped on top.

Beef Posole

I have decided that Hispanic Kitchen is a great website for recipes and here is another good one. There is a wide variety of recipes from all of the Central and South American countries.

If you don't have a slow cooker, you can use a dutch oven and simmer for 8 hours.

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet onion, diced
1½ pounds to 1¾ pounds of beef back ribs or short ribs (if the ribs are whole, I cut them down into individual portions)
2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
3 large Roma tomatoes, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 serrano peppers, minced
1 large poblano pepper, diced
1/3 to 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cups hominy, cooked
5 cups broth (I used half chicken and half beef, low sodium)
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Garnish:

2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup sliced radishes
1/3 cup diced onions
1 avocado sliced
1 lemon or lime, sliced into wedges
Chile limon seasoning or red pepper flakes, optional
*all garnishes are optional, according to what you like

Directions:

Layer all of the ingredients in the order listed in a 5 quart slow cooker. Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours. Stir well to combine all of the ingredients taste for salt, garnish with your favorite toppings.

Toasted Garlic Beef Stock

This recipe is from Camille Becerra in Bon Appetit. This is a great stock. It smells fabulous, looks gorgeous and tastes great. Even though Camille says that it's the roasted bones, I think the secret to the color is the tomato paste.

SERVINGS: MAKES ABOUT 2½ QUARTS

Ingredients

4 pounds beef bones
½ bunch celery, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
4 medium carrots, scrubbed, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup olive oil
1 head of garlic, cloves thinly sliced
1 bunch herb stems (such as parsley, cilantro, and/or thyme)
4 bay leaves
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon coriander seeds

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°. Roast bones on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet 30 minutes. Arrange celery, onion, and carrots on sheet; roast 10 minutes. Spread tomato paste over bones and vegetables and roast 5 minutes more; let cool.


Meanwhile, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium and cook garlic, shaking pan occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Immediately strain oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; set aside garlic. Set aside oil for Ditalini Risotto and other uses.


Transfer bones and vegetables to a large pot; pour in cold water to cover. Add herb stems, bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and reserved garlic. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, skimming fat and foam from surface, until caramel colored and flavorful, about 3 hours. Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on solids; discard solids.


Do Ahead: Stock can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill, or freeze up to 3 months.

Spring Beef Stew

This recipe comes from the Market Math cookbook by Food and Wine. It's a very straightforward stew which means that you must get the best ingredients possible. The dill is a welcome surprise and brightens up the flavors. Overall, this is a solid recipe.

Active: 30 min
Total: 2hr
Serves 4-6

2 T olive oil
2 lbs beef chuck cut into ~ 1 inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 qt chicken stock
6 shallots halved
½ lb carrots cut into 2 inch lengths
1 ½ c frozen peas
5 oz spinach
2 T chopped dill

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the meat with salt and pepper and add it to the saucepan in a single layer. Cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, the shallots and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for about 1 ½ hours.

Add the carrots and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes. Add the peas, spinach and dill and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Ladle the stew into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Pork and Green Chile Stew

I went on a green chile stew binge and made a couple different recipes. This one is by Grace Parisi from Food and Wine. Again, it was very tasty, but it wasn't exactly right if you want authentic New Mexican style green chile.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds trimmed boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 pound mild green chiles, such as poblanos and Anaheims—halved lengthwise, cored and thinly sliced
3 serrano chiles, seeded and thinly sliced (keep some seeds for spicier flavor)
6-8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
Lime wedges, warm corn tortillas and rice, for serving
oregano

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until almost smoking. Season the pork cubes with salt and black pepper (don’t be shy) and add them to the casserole. Cook the pork over high heat, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, green chiles, serrano chiles and garlic and oregano. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer the stew over moderately low heat until the pork is just tender and the broth is reduced by about half, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the 1/4 cup of cilantro and season with salt and black pepper. Garnish the stew with cilantro and serve with lime wedges, corn tortillas and rice.

MAKE AHEAD The stew can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Green Chile Stew

I found this recipe at the kitchn. (No that's not a typo.) I like this recipe but my wife who is from New Mexico thought it was not as good as it could have been. She admittedly is a New Mexico green chile snob, but even so, I think she has a valid point. Nevertheless, I still think this recipe has merit and if you use real Hatch chiles, you will get good flavor. I used the Hatch/ancho (1.5 lbs. of Hatch plus 1 large dried ancho chile) combination rather than the long hot/chilaca combination.

Serves 8
1 - 1 1/2 pounds fresh green chile peppers (See Recipe Notes)
8 ounces tomatillos, husks removed
2 tablespoons bacon grease, lard, or canola oil, for browning
3 1/2 - 4 pounds pork shoulder, excess fat removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, chopped
5 - 6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano (See Recipe Notes)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 cups chicken stock, plus more as needed
3/4 pound russet, yukon gold, or white potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooked white rice or warm tortillas, for serving
Fresh cilantro sprigs, for serving

Place an oven rack a few inches from the broiler. Arrange the peppers on a sheet pan and cook, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides,15 to 20 minutes. Wrap the peppers tightly with aluminum foil in three to four bundles to steam.

While the peppers are steaming, arrange the tomatillos on the sheet pan and broil until charred, flipping once, 5 to 10 minutes. Peel and remove the skins, stems, and seeds from the peppers. Chop the peppers and tomatillos and set aside.

Heat a few tablespoons of bacon grease in a large Dutch oven over high heat until sizzling. Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Working in three to four batches (do not crowd the pan) cook pork until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Continue browning the remaining pork.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves and stir to incorporate, about 1 minute. Add cider vinegar to the pot and increase heat to high to deglaze the pan; scrape up any leftover browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Pour in the chicken stock and reserved peppers and tomatillos. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the pork is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (It can also be cooked in a 325°F oven.)

Peel and dice the potatoes. Add to the stew and cook until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Season stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cooked white rice (my preference) or warm tortillas.

This recipe gets better after one, two, and three days, so make in advance if possible.

Recipe Notes

I used a mix of long hots, chilacas, and poblano peppers, which together pack a lot of (good) heat. You could also use milder peppers such as New Mexico (Hatch) chiles and Anaheims or hotter peppers such as anchos.

Dried Mexican oregano can be found in Latin markets and well stocked grocery stores. It has a smoky flavor that dried Mediterranean oregano doesn't have.

Mr. B's Gumbo Ya Ya

This recipe comes from Saveur, and as usual, I think it is excellent. Because I'm not a big fan of butter both from a taste perspective and health perspective, I have experimented with making the roux with oil. I used olive oil and gluten free flour according to the proportions (1 c oil to 1-3/4 c flour) listed in the roux article.

INGREDIENTS

1 (3 ½-lb.) whole chicken
2 medium onions (1 quartered, 1 finely chopped)
3 stalks celery (2 halved, 1 finely chopped)
2 tbsp. black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
2 medium carrots, halved
2 sprigs thyme
16 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 ½ cups flour
1 each red and green bell pepper, minced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced
1 tbsp. Creole seasoning
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. crushed red chile flakes
Cooked white rice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring chicken, quartered onion, halved celery, peppercorns, 2 bay, carrots, thyme sprigs, and 10 cups water to a boil in an 8-qt. saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until chicken is cooked through, 35-40 minutes. Remove chicken; cool, then shred meat. Strain stock; discard solids and set aside.

2. Heat butter in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, stirring, to make a dark roux, 18-20 minutes. Add remaining chopped onion, celery, and bay, plus bell peppers, garlic, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add andouille, Creole seasoning, cayenne, dried thyme, and chile flakes; cook until fat begins to render from sausage, 3-4 minutes. Stir in 5 ½ cups of reserved stock (chill remainder for another use); bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring, until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Add chicken; cook until hot, 2 minutes more. Serve with white rice.

Chicken-Chile Soup

This recipe is from Justin Chapple via Food and Wine. 

Time to break out the frozen turkey broth from Thanksgiving! I also had to use pasilla chiles and they were great. They were spicy and added a great depth of flavor to the soup. 

I cooked the chiles, onion, and garlic by themselves for a bit and let them brown nicely. The chiles especially got good and charred before adding the coriander.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 poblano or pasilla chiles—stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
Kosher salt
2 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium broth
4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (1 1/4 pounds)
Two 15-ounce cans hominy, rinsed and drained

Chopped cilantro, sliced radishes and lime wedges, for garnish

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chiles, onion, garlic, coriander and a generous pinch of salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the chiles are softened, about 8 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the chicken and hominy and simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Season the soup with salt. Ladle into shallow bowls, garnish with cilantro, sliced radishes and lime wedges and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The soup can be refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat gently before serving.

Umbrian Vegetable Soup

This recipe is from Lidia Bastianich in Saveur magazine. I love a good soup on a cold winter's day, and this soup does not disappoint. The soffritto is the key to developing the flavor, but adding some Parmesan rind really helps provide depth. A soffritto is a vegetable mixture used in several Mediterranean cuisines as a base for soups and sauces. I don't really like frisée all that much so feel-free to substitute. I like escarole or broccolini.

1⁄2 cup packed basil leaves
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tbsp. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 cloves garlic
1⁄2 medium onion, cut into chunks
8 oz. red new potatoes, cut into 1⁄2" cubes
3 stalks celery, minced
2 medium carrots, minced
2 plum tomatoes, cored and minced
Kosher salt, to taste
3 oz. spinach, trimmed and rinsed (about 2 loosely packed cups)
1 1⁄2 cups canned cannellini beans, rinsed
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1⁄2 small head frisée, leaves cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmesan, for serving

1. Place half the basil, 2 tbsp. oil, parsley, garlic, and onions in the bowl of a food processor and process until slightly chunky. Heat remaining oil in an 8-qt. pot over medium-high heat and add herb–garlic mixture. Cook, stirring often, until no liquid remains, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, celery, carrots, and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add salt, 4 cups water and a piece of Parmesan cheese rind and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Stir in spinach, beans, peas, and frisée and cook until greens are wilted and just tender, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper and stir in remaining basil. To serve, ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with Grana Padano, and drizzle with oil.

Pasta e Fagiole

This recipe is partly from Nella's in New York with some modifications from my mom and me. Overall, it's a great version of the classic Italian/Italian-American comfort-food soup. It keeps well for a couple days too. Oh and if by mistake you decide to use an immersion blender to blend the entire soup instead of just 3 cups - it's ok. It still tastes good. :)

1 lb dried or 30 oz canned cannellini beans
⅓ c olive oil or less
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Red pepper
2 c chopped tomatoes, (pureed optional)
6 c chicken broth
Salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1 t dried
6 large basil leaves, chopped (pureed with toms optional)
1 small piece of Parmesan rind
1-2 oz prosciutto end
Parmesan for serving
8-12 oz small pasta like ditalini - orzo is a good option for gluten free because it’s possible to get gluten free orzo.

If using dried beans, soak them in 2 quarts of water for 12 to 18 hours.
Change the water 2 times during that time. Drain.
In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil and prosciutto rind over medium heat till the prosciutto starts to brown.
Add the onions and cook for 8 minutes till soft.
Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for 4 minutes.
Add the beans, tomatoes, herbs, broth, salt, pepper, and cheese rind.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes. (30 mins is good for the canned beans)
Meanwhile, cook pasta.
When soup is done, discard the cheese rind, prosciutto, bay leaves, and rosemary.
Transfer 3 c to a food processor/blender and puree.
Return the pureed soup to the pot and heat through.
Serve and add pasta to each bowl. Garnish with additional grated cheese and red pepper.