Bacon, Leek and Potato Soup

Apologies dear food-blog followers for my slackness of posting.  It has been an incredibly hard year personally, and I kind of lost my mojo for a while there.  I have been busy with uni and other stressors, but I'm back to experimenting now!  I have another chicken and lentil recipe I'm going to try soon too, so keep an eye out for that!

Anyway, down to business.  We visited my mum's family last week, and my grandfather is a farmer by trade, who now lives in town.  This means he has a prolific vege garden, as he can't quite give up the land work!  He thus gave us a bag of leeks he'd grown, and I needed to do something with them.  

Insert genius idea here for leek and potato soup (which my parents incidentally also ate last night from the restaurant whose catering business I work for...).  I wanted to add in bacon too because we have some in the freezer and I love bacon (who doesn't!)... and here is the recipe!

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp paprika
200g bacon
2 large leeks, white/light green parts, sliced thinly and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
4 cups chicken stock, plus 2 cups water
2 medium potatoes, diced small
pepper and salt
1/2 cup cream
1 & 1/2 cups frozen peas (don't worry about thawing them)
1 tsp onion salt

METHOD

• Cook bacon in a large pan, until beginning to brown, then remove bacon onto a plate lined with a paper towel
•  Add 1 tbsp oil to pan, and toss in leeks and garlic
• Cover and cook until soft (around 5 min)
• Add stock plus water, potatoes, onion salt, salt and pepper to taste
• Cover and bring to a boil over high heat
• Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked, (around 10 min)
• (optional step) Puree half the soup in blender (leave out centre piece to allow steam to escape) then combine back in the pan
• Mash the soup gently (which I did because blending was a pain in the butt)
• Add cream and bring to a simmer
• Add peas and cook through, around 3 min
• Add bacon back in and serve

This was actually so easy to make!  It only took half an hour to cook (not counting prep).  The most time consuming part was cutting up the leek!!  And it turned out super delicious, so I'm really happy with it.  The peas and bacon just made it extra amazing!!!

Of course, you can alter it to make it vegetarian, just use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and no bacon! :)   

We had it with grainy bread and butter.  A good meal on a cold spring night (YES it's the second day of spring already!  CRAZY!)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/potato-leek-soup-with-bacon-recipe/index.html

Modified Minestrone

We won a hamper thing in a raffle, and in it were some things my family doesn't ordinarily keep in our pantry... including a can of pink salmon, and some cannelini beans.  I used up the pink salmon by mixing it with cream cheese and spreading it on crackers, which was nice for the first few mouthfuls but then go too creamy and sickly for me.

But the beans stumped me.  I didn't know what to do with them.  Then I saw Rachael Ray put them in a soup.  And I was like "hey, minestrone!"  So following Jamie Olivers basic minestrone recipe, I kind of altered it to include the random ingredients in our pantry.

Unfortunately I was slack on this one and didn't take photos (because I didn't intend to write about it really) so you'll just have to use your imagination... picture a tomatoey soup with lots of bits in it including potato, beans and pasta.... om nom nom...

INGREDIENTS
1 x400g can whole or chopped tomatoes
1 x400g can rinsed cannelini beans
4 cups chicken stock
diced ham (around 200g)
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 capsicum (bell pepper), diced
1 potato, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup small pasta
1 small tsp crushed garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp onion salt (if you have it)
1 tbsp BBQ sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (more or less depending on your tolerance)
1/2 cup grated cheese (ideally parmesan, but I didn't have any, so used Edam & Tasty - just as yum!)

sliced fresh bread to mop up soupyness

METHOD

• Heat pan with oil, and add ham, onion, garlic, carrot, capsicum, bay leaf and oregano
• Cook until veges are soft
• Add everything else except the pasta
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes
• 10 minutes before serving, add in the pasta
• Test the pasta to make sure it's cooked before serving, and taste constantly to adjust seasoning
• If the soup is too thick after the pasta is cooked, it can be thinned out with some more stock, or water
• Serve immediately with fresh bread

Seriously, I know it seems like a lot of ingredients, but it's so delicious, and really quite easy because most things all go in together.  Was delicious on a cold autumn night! :)

Curried Lentil Soup

Ok so I've been slack since being back at university and haven't had much of a chance to try my recipes, but I did manage to make this one a few weeks ago!  I just haven't had time to sit down and write about it until now!!  Plus I'm a procrastinator haha.  Took my time.

Anyway, I have a thing with lentils at the moment.  Curry and lentils, just so satisfying.  Love it.  I wanted to try this soup, and we'd had a leek in the fridge to use for a wee while (something we don't normally have in our vege drawer) so I made this on a Monday (I don't have class on a Monday, so I'm able to cook because I'm home!) for meat-less Monday!

INGREDIENT

4 cups water

2 chicken stock cubes

2 medium potatoes

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.)

1 & 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

2 medium/large carrots

1 large onion

1 big leek

1 cup dried lentil

2 garlic cloves

4 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

dried thyme

pepper

salt

METHOD

 

• Wash and finely mince the leek (cut into quarters lengthwise, fan the leaves apart and run under water to clean)
• Peel and finely mince carrots and onions.  Grate the garlic cloves. 
• Heat 2 tbsp oil and cook onions and carrots for about 5 mins
• Meanwhile you've got 5 min to peel and mince the potatoes
• Once the onions are 'sweating', add the leek and garlic and cook for 3 more minutes
• Add 4 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, and 1 & 1/2 tbsp tomato paste, and cook for 1 more minute
• Add the cubed potatoes, lentils, diced tomatoes, water, chicken stock cubes, a good pinch of salt and pepper, and some dried thyme to taste.
• Stir well and bring to the boil
• Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes until lentils and vegetables are well done
• Check the seasoning, and serve!

This soup was delicious and warm and comforting.  Loved it!  Served it with roti, and it was just like being back in Malaysia.  Will definitely be making this one again!!!! :)

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/curried-lentil-soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  I LOVE BROCCOLI.  There is absolutely nothing like fresh broccoli, steamed to perfection.  None of this frozen rubbish if I had my way!  However, I will not hold it against you if you have not got access to fresh broccoli, and choose to use frozen florets for this recipe - but I will not be held accountable for the soggy outcome!   

Imagine my delight when I saw that broccoli was majorly on special at the supermarket this week... combined with the 3 cheeses Mum and I had picked up (Gruyere, Edam and Tasty - also Parmesan, but I decided not to include Parmesan in this soup because I have other plans for it!)... It was SOUP time!  I've had this recipe up my sleeve for a while, and had just been waiting for the right time to use it.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups chicken broth

1 onion, diced

2/3 cup flour

1/2 cup butter (I used about 250g, if that's an easier measurement!)

pepper to taste

4 cups milk

4 cups grated cheese (I used a mixture of gruyere, edam and tasty cheddar)

lightly steamed broccoli (quantity up to you!)

1 carrot, cut into thin sticks

crusty bread for dipping

METHOD

• In a small covered pan, simmer chopped onion and chicken broth for 15 - 20 min, stirring to prevent onion sticking to the bottom, until onions are soft

MEANWHILE...

• Heat milk in the microwave for 2 minutes
• In a medium sized stockpot, melt butter, then add flour and pepper
• After a few minutes, whisk in warmed milk
• Stir and heat together on medium0high heat until soup starts to thicken
• Add the chicken broth and onions, stirring well until blended
• Add carrot sticks (you may like to pre-steam/cook these, depending on how much crunch you like in your soup!) and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often
• Add cheeses, one handful at a time, allowing the cheese to melt between each handful, and stirring well!
• Add steamed broccoli
• Cook, stirring constantly until you are satisfied with the consistency of the broccoli (some like it soggy, some still like a bit of crunch - it comes down to personal preference!)
• Serve immediately, with crusty bread for dipping!

What can I say.  You KNOW my obsession with the dark green vegetable, and who doesn't LOVE cheese.  Srsly.  To put this simply, without using expletives that my mind keeps urging me  to use, it was like A GIANT BOWL OF STEAMED BROCCOLI WITH COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF THE MOST AMAZING CHEESE SAUCE EVER.  Did caps lock make my point?  I am SUPER in love with this soup.  So SMOOTH (the soupy bit, not counting the veges) with crunchy-ish carrots and broccoli, accompanied by amazing baguette (insert French stereotype here).  

WOW.

Go make it.  Now.  I don't care if it's summer where you live.  You need this soup. 

Although as a side note in tiny tiny writing, possibly not the healthiest soup?  I mean yes, it has vegetables, but honestly... all that cheese and half a cup of butter?!  It's definitely a "special occasion" recipe, not a weekly one!

Recipe Inspiration:
http://www.food.com/recipe/panera-broccoli-cheese-soup-150384
http://www.acooksquest.blogspot.co.nz/2010/11/87-broccoli-cheese-soup.html#more

Chicken Noodle Soup

You know how in movies and TV shows, whenever someone gets sick with a cold or flu, they always talk about having chicken noodle soup and that it makes you feel better?  

Well Mum came home the other day complaining of a sore throat, and that she might be coming down with something.  I then looked up the recipe for chicken noodle soup I had pinned on my "Recipes to Try" board on Pinterest, and decided I wanted to make it for her, since I've never had it before, it might help her feel better, and I love egg noodles.  

The recipe looked so easy too!  And super fast!  And I could finally use the chopped celery that's been in the freezer forever!  So it was a win all around.  I didn't realise quite how much it would make!!!  So guess what we're having for lunch the rest of the week?!  I don't think egg noodles would freeze so well, so we won't be freezing the leftovers haha.

Serves 4 - 6 (dependent on serving size)

Time: about 20 minutes! :)

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion (I used 2, cos I love onion)

2 tsp crushed garlic

2 medium carrots, sliced thinly

frozen corn kernels

diced celery (optional)

2 tsp dried thyme (or 4 fresh sprigs)

1 bay leaf

2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock

8 oz (230g) egg noodles

1 & 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 tsp salt

METHOD

• Heat oil in a soup pot, and cook onion, garlic, carrot, celery, thyme and bay leaf until tender/softened (but not brown) - about 6 minutes
• Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil
• Add the egg noodles and simmer for another 5 minutes, until noodles are cooked
• Fold in the chicken and simmer for a few more minutes, until heated through
• Taste-test and season with salt as needed
• Stir through frozen corn and stand for a few minutes.
• Serve immediately!

It was pretty tasty, although I cringed when I saw how much stock was used - it reduced down as it cooked, and thickened a little.  The celery could have done with a bit more cooking, and in future I'll probably leave it out.  However, I'm glad I decided to add the corn kernels, it was a nice extra addition, sweet and juicy.  And I LOVED the egg noodles.  Delicious, and I enjoyed how they were cooked in the chicken stock, so they absorbed the flavour.

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/index.html