That's a neat variation on fish chowder, which of course used to be all the rage in New England. They even have special little chowder crackers in the stores up there for it. It's great in the winter, but yours would be a good summer variant, IMO.
I wonder about combining sour cream and yogurt as well. After posting about this yesterday I remembered once when I tried to make a celery dip like the one served with wings, I used the two together and ended up in the ER with gas pains so horrible I thought I was going to die. Nothing was wrong but the effects of combining two different cultured items, though; they were apparently fighting it out inside of me! Let us know when you find a cucumber recipe that really pleases you; there is certainly a place for one with anyone that gardens--also one for Zucchini and summer squash ....
That reminds me of the old "stone soup" story. For some reason I always felt that stones added to soup might make it tastier. In India they have various kinds of salt with differing minerals in them, and those do affect the taste of things they're mixed in with positively. I've also become very fond of the pink salt from the Himalayas.
Not so much restaurants, I don't think. More like those large, barn-like 'family dining' type joints you have in America? I'm not sure they qualify as fine dining, or even reasonable dining. Either way, no actual restaurant (unless Asian) would ever serve surf n turf. It's ... an abomination Another food abomination is cheese with any kind of meat. SOOOOO wrong.
Look into 'cassoulet'. It's basically what you describe, and is an old French peasant recipe. Made traditionally by poor folk, to use up whatever was left. There are some restaurants/chefs who have months long waiting lists for their cassoulet. I kid you not. On a side note, I always make enough for two meals, but don't want the second round to taste the same as the first. Basically I turn the French casserole into an Indian curry. I add the spices before it cools down (after taking first round), and leave it to absorb the new flavour profile overnight in fridge.
Thats just a base stew, but I love the name you gave it . The first stew I ever made was for my bf and grandparents. I thought I was being a creative cook by adding all these extras. I'm sure my guests felt desperate as they ate it. lol Gotta love grandparents though...they said it was good and even managed to ask for seconds. I could tell they thought it was awful.
El wrongo you are lol. True, I wouldn't call them fine dining, but they are definitely a step above the barn experience.
I often make fresh chicken vegie noodle soup at home starting with leftover baked chicken, frozen mixed vegies, and flat noodles, with vegie broth cubes. Easy to make. You don't need a recipe. De-bone and chunk the chicken. Figure out from the volume how many servings this makes. Half a tuna can size is about one serving. Add a handful of frozen vegies per serving. Add a handful of dry flat noodles per serving. Add a cube of vegie broth per 2 servings. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, then simmer for 5 mins while covered. Then turn off the heat and let cool somewhat before serving.
When I first saw your beautiful avatar together with your moniker I thought it said "teatwings". Guess my eyes were seeing what my brain was wanting.
Potato Soup Phase 1 - The soup base 6 Potatoes, peeled and chopped. 1 cup chopped Onion 2 Carrots thinly sliced. 4 cups Chicken Broth (now you can use stock or if you have a quality bouillon and not that uber-hard cube of nearly pure salt you can use that to make the broth) 1 tsp Basil 1 tsp Oregano 1 tsp Thyme 1 tsp Salt (Don't skip this ingredient. Salt in moderation is fine and potatoes need salt to enhance their flavor) 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper 1 leftover Ham Bone (optional, but trust me on this...freeze and save that Christmas Ham Bone) Real Bacon (optional but highly suggested if you don't have a ham bone - Heck! Put in both for even more flavor) Phase 2 - The thickening and final cook 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour 1/4 cup butter 1-1/4 cup Light Cream or Half-n-Half 1/2 pound package of Ham Cubes Phase 3 - Serving and Garnish Real Bacon Bits (optional) Shredded Cheddar (optional - sharper the better but Colby, or any really flavorful cheese works nicely) Phase 1 - Combine Potatoes, Onion, Carrots, Broth Salt, Herbs, Pepper, ham bone (if you have one) in a slow cooker or pot on the stove (set both for high) and cook until veggies are tender. This takes roughly three hours in a slow cooker. If you don't have a ham bone, you can chop up some bacon and boil it with the rest of the ingredients. Both the Ham Bone and/or the Bacon are there simply to impart flavor into the stew. Phase 2 - Once the veggies are tender, remove the ham bone and large chunks of meat (the boiling processes strips most of the flavor out of the ham and/or bacon) and go on to the next step. You're going to be making a roux which is a darn fine thickening agent. Take the 1/4th cup of butter and melt it in a sauce pan. Spoonful at a time, add the flour and whisk it into the butter. Once it's all added, toss it into the soup, and add the cream/half-n-half. Add the ham cubes (optional) and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Phase 3 - Serve with bacon bits and shredded cheese and enjoy.
Looks tasty! I, too, hoard ham bones, although usually to make pea soup. I have added butter to onion soup many times and also thickened stews with flour, but it never occurred to me to make a roux using them both! Great new tech to try.... I will admit my typical potato soup also just uses instant potato...but this is a great way to use up as quantity of potatoes that has been hanging around too long!
Nice calculations on the proportions there...I am trying to memorize that. I usually use my leftover cooked chicken in salads, but those proportions could be used for just about any meat soup or stew...and in the cold of winter, soup is better than a salad anytime...I am finding that, even in the summertime, soup can be quite soothing, though. Is there a particular brand of veggie broth cubes you recommend?
It's very easy to make a roux. It's literally equal parts of butter and flour. It allows the starch granules to absorb moisture, without clumping together like what can happen if you just dump flour in. It also kills the raw taste of the flour and turns it into a more nutty flavor. You can even make it in advance and portion it out into ice cube trays and refrigerate (not freeze) and pull them out as needed. Drop one in give it a stir. Not thick enough yet? Drop in another. There are four stages of roux. White, Blonde, Brown and Dark. The darker the roux, the more flavor but the less the thickening power. Blonde (the second stage in the picture below) is the best thickening for most things. Dark and Brown are more for gumbos.
Those photos are very helpful. I had envisioned a roux as being almost a dark unsweetened chocolate color.
Thanks. I will have to hunt some down. So far my big investment has been in Knorr chicken stock cubes, which are quite salty, but useful in a pinch. I bought what looks to be a lifetime supply at BJ's. I had a bad experience some time ago when I invested in some concentrated stock, both beef and chicken, which turned out tasting artificial, which I had to finally throw out. I hate to waste food money!
Success! I followed your advice yesterday when I again attempted to make Minestrone and added four large cloves of Garlic. It made all the difference. I also used a bit of dried thyme and bay leaves...started out with 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil,three slices of bacon, onion, carrots, and celery all cut up and cooked in the fats a bit while awaiting the addition of two cut up zucchinis and two more yellow summer squashes, plus about six assorted types of tomatoes from the garden, water to cover, and about 2 or 3 cups of bow tie pasta. I had three big bowls last night and have a whole pitcherful in the fridge; should be enough there for late evening suppers for the rest of the week! I know people without gardens can't understand cooking fresh, delicious tomatoes, but they are rolling in so fast we can't keep up with them, even though my spouse gives many away.
If I am making soup out of leftover beef, I will use beef bouillon cubes. But vegie also works for this. And if I am making it with leftover chicken, then I will use chicken cubes. But again, vegie cubes works well for this also. What vegie cubes are uniquely perfect for is seafood as well. You can get those frozen packages of mixed seafood (which are delicious -- better than fresh) together with frozen vegies and flat noodles. So overall the vegie cubes are the best for soup. I prefer cubes over broth because there is a much lower bacterial risk. Even so I always boil and simmer my soups for at least 5 minutes to kill any micro bugs in it and their toxins. But you will be lucky to find ANY vegie cubes in your store because for some reason there is low demand and most people buy the chicken or the beef. So ANY vegie cubes are perfect.
Thanks for the tip on the mixed frozen seafood. I will have to look for that...would be good for chowders too...and I am going to do an internet search on the vegie cubes if I can't find them in the local Healthy Grocer.
I love cucumber soup in the summer; but I make the Mediterranean version: 1 very small garlic clove, pestle-mashed with a pinch of salt in the bottom of a steel bowl (the salt almost turns the garlic to a juicy paste). Stir in plain yogurt (I like Mountain High), chopped cucumbers (young ones, or persians are best because they are not seedy), minced fresh mint. I like the cucumbers more chunky but small enough to eat comfortably. It is wonderfully refreshing. 1 small clove garlic 1 tsp salt 1 tablespoon dry mint, or 3-4 fresh stems and leaves minced 1 quart plain yogurt 2 small cucumbers or one regular cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced.
Here is one of my favorites. When I'm not making it for company, I leave the cream out - the rice is a thickener. It is delicious cold or warm. CREME LYONNAISE 1 medium leek, white only 2 medium onions 1½ oz. butter 10 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed 7 C. chicken stock, or water with 3 chicken cubes - I've moved on to Better than Buillon 2 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. ground pepper ½ tsp. thyme leaves 4 oz. white rice ½ C. heavy cream chives, chopped for garnish Cut leek into small pieces, wash well and drain. Dice onions into small cubes. Melt butter in a 4-quart soup pot on medium heat. Add the leeks, onions and garlic. Let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until light golden brown. Add the water, chicken cubes or stock, salt, pepper, thyme and rice. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer slowly for 45 minutes until rice is very tender. Remove from heat, uncover and let cool for 10 minutes. Blend to a smooth veloute in a blender. Add the cream and serve with chopped chives on top.
Thank you for two great possibilities for a cool summer dish! I am also watching, with another poster above, to see if anyone has a good gazpacho recipe using a bit fewer tomatoes, since I am slightly reactive to nightshade family vegetables...What about something with tomatoes and a lot of lemon juice? Does anyone do that?
Our local deli has a special on fresh salmon. I am on their email list. So tomorrow I will get me some and season it with salt and pepper and pan fry it in oil. Goes good (if you're from Florida you say "good" not "well") with asparagus and rice. I love salmon. Especially when I can get it fresh at a good price. They must have over-bought.
