Beef Mushroom and Barley Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. sirloin, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 cups (32 oz.) beef broth, plus
2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 4 cups (32 oz.) boiling water  
1 cup dry pearl barley 
 salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large 6 -8 quart pot, on med-low heat, melt olive oil and butter.  Brown the beef. Then add the chopped onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until onions are soft.  Add chopped celery, carrots and mushrooms; cook for a few more minutes.  Add beef broth and beef bouillon mixture (should have 8 cups total, broth and bouillon).  Add bay leaf and stir.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for an hour.  Add a bit more water if liquid level goes down.  Add barley, stir, bring to boil again, then reduce to simmer -- cover and cook for another 1/2 hour, until barley is tender.  Adjust for salt and pepper, to taste.  Remove bay leaf and serve.

French Onion Soup

 

Homemade French Onion Soup is the best!  The most important part of the preparation is to cook the onions slowly for a long time -- that's the  key to the sweetness.  Over med-low heat it should take at least half an hour -- it took me an hour when I made it today  (although I was also trying to help Andrew with his algebra homework).  Do not try to rush it, the onions should not brown at all, just aiming for a nice golden color and very soft. (Note: you can use Provolone or Parmesan, instead of Swiss cheese, depending on what you like and what you have on hand-- it is all good, except Parmesan will have to be grated or very thinly sliced!)  Makes 4-6 bowls.

Ingredients:

4 large onions, cut in half and then sliced very thin ( I like to mix white onions and sweet onions, like Vidalia)

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 

32 oz. beef broth (College Inn packaged broth is good, and does not need to be diluted like Campbell's)

1 can Campbell's beef consomme, plus 1 can water to dilute (this gives a little more flavor than just broth)

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper 

fresh sliced French bread (baguette or sourdough) -- about 1/2 inch thick

slices Swiss cheese (1-2 pieces to cover the bread, depending on type of cheese -- lacey needs 2 pieces) (See Note above)

When the onions first go in the pot.

See how much they cook down!

 

Directions:

In a large pot, melt butter on med-low heat, add onion slices and cook on med-low heat, stirring occasionally until onions are soft and golden (caramelized) -- (see notes at top of recipe) -- this will take 1/2 - one hour.  It seems like a lot of onions, but they do cook down. You may have to turn down the heat near the end; you do not want the onions to burn or be crisp. When onions are done, add the 4 Tbsp. flour to them, and stir thoroughly.  Cook another minute or two, stirring.  Add the beef broth, consomme, water, salt and pepper; stir to mix well.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Assembly:

Ladle some soup in each bowl -- not higher than about an inch below the top of the bowl to leave room for the bread and cheese.  Put the bread slice (or slices, if baguette) on top of the soup.  Put the cheese slice(s) on top of the bread. Arrange it so that when it melts, it all stays in the bowl.  Put the bowls on a cookie sheet.  Carefully place the cookie sheet in the oven on the middle shelf.  Turn on the broiler.  Keep the oven door open a bit and watch continuously until the cheese is melted and just begins to brown a bit.  This does not take more than a minute. Immediately remove from the oven and serve.  

Vegetable Soup

Autumn is a great time of year to make vegetable soup, like this one made with root vegetables.  Serve with some good bread, like sour dough.

 

 

  

  

Ingredients:

2 large sweet onions, chopped

4 stalks celery, with leaves if possible, chopped

1 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

6 medium carrots, sliced

2 large (or 4 small) parsnips, peeled and chopped (slice the thin portion, then quarter and slice the rest)

1 medium rutabaga, chopped (first need to cut off all the waxy outside with a sharp knife) 
4 cups fresh baby spinach, slightly chopped to taste

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

10 cups water

2-1/2 tsp. kosher salt  

Directions:

In a large pot, add 10 cups water, all chopped vegetables (except spinach), salt and butter.  Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer, stirring occasionally.  Cook until vegetables are fork tender (about 1-1/2 hours), then add chopped spinach and cook about 10 minutes longer.  Serve hot.

Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon

2 medium potatoes (red or Yukon Gold), peeled and diced into about 1/4-1/2 inch size pieces

2 ears corn-on-the-cob, uncooked (place lengthwise on cutting board to slice off kernels)

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (optional, if you prefer a thicker chowder)*

2 cups water

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

dash white pepper

3-4 basil leaves, chopped fine


Directions:

In a large pot (approximately 5 quarts), on med-low heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon when done and set aside.

In the hot bacon drippings, cook diced potatoes for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn kernels to pot, stirring to cook for another minute.

*(Note: if you like a thicker chowder, now is the time to add the 1 Tbsp flour to the potatoes and corn in the pot. Stir to coat evenly.)

Add water and salt, stir. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Add heavy cream, butter, white pepper and chopped basil leaves. Crumble the bacon into small pieces and add back to the pot. Stir and heat on low until thoroughly heated through, about 5 more minutes. Serve.

Serves 4

Miso Soup

Now that I have made miso soup at home, I might not order it again in a restaurant. It is very easy to make, delicious, healthy, and adaptable to being prepared in different ways. This is how I made Miso Soup I using barley miso:

Ingredients:

3 cups water
1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms (if using dried shiitake mushrooms, see step 1 of directions below)
1/4 thinly sliced green onions
2 - 1/4 inch slices of tofu (from short end), cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 teaspoon hon-dashi (bonito fish soup stock) granules
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 Tablespoons Miso Master Organic Country Barley Miso paste (sold in refrigerator section)
additional 1/3 cup water

( Note: miso paste is sold in the refrigerator section.)

Directions:

Step 1: Dried shiitake mushrooms take approximately 25 minutes to rehydrate This must be done before starting the soup, which then comes together very quickly. To do this you rinse the dried mushrooms, then boil for 3 minutes in a small pot, remove from heat and then let stand, covered, for 20 minutes. Finally, rinse again. They are now ready to be thinly sliced and added to the soup below.

Soup: Bring 3 cups water to boil in medium sized saucepan. Add sliced shiitake mushrooms, green onions and tofu; boil for 2 minutes. Add hon-dashi and sesame oil, stir and remove from heat.

In a 1 cup microwavable pyrex measuring cup, heat the additional 1/3 cup water briefly on High, until it feels warm to the touch, about 10-15 seconds. Remove from the microwave, and to it add 2-3 tablespoons of the cooked soup (broth only), stir. To this measuring cup of warm soup/water mixture, add the 3 tablespoons of miso paste, stirring until fully dissolved (Note -- it is important not to boil the miso (due to the enzymes and beneficial bacteria), that is why you add it to the warm liquid before adding it to the hotter soup.) Finally, add the miso mixture in the pyrex cup to the rest of the soup in the pot and stir well. It is now ready to serve.

(serves 4)