February 2012 Soup Swap Recipes

Every once in a while a group of soup enthusiasts get together, have brunch, and swap some soup. At the most recent soup swap there were a number of hearty and savory soups perfect for winter. The recipes below have been provided by fellow swappers. If you're interested in finding out more about soup swaps here are the details:

http://soupswap.com/

Brunswick Stew - Ryann

The inspiration for this recipe came from sampling barbecue in Georgia last fall. I won't get into the debate on whether Brunswick stew originated in Georgia or Virginia. In my version I've included the ingredients I like regardless of whether they are traditionally found in the Georgia or Virginia based versions.

ingredients:
1-1 ½ lbs. pulled pork (if you don’t have a smoker use cheater pulled pork)
1 pre-roasted chicken pulled and chopped
1 lb. beef chuck cubed
2 sticks butter
2 onions finely chopped
4-5 cloves garlic minced
1 QT chicken stock
2-3 TBS chicken soup base
3 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1  bag frozen lima beans
1 bag frozen corn
2 15 oz cans butter beans
1 TBS cayenne
1 TBS black pepper
¼ cup worcestershire
1 cup bbq sauce
tabasco (to taste)
liquid smoke (to taste)

preparation:
Start the cheater pulled pork a several hours before you plan to put the stew together (see recipe below).  Pull the meat from the pre-roasted chicken and chop in medium sized pieces.  Cut the beef chuck roast into large cubes (~2 inch).  In a large stockpot over medium heat melt butter. Add onions and garlic and saute until  nearly translucent (~10 minutes).  Add beef cubes and brown on all sides.  After the beef is browned add chicken stock, soup base, crushed tomatoes, cayenne, black pepper, worcestershire and BBQ sauce then mix well.  Add beans, corn, and some water if the stew looks too thick and bring to a boil.  Once the stew has reached a boil reduce heat and simmer for several hours, stirring occasionally.  If you want your stew to have some additional smoke and spice add liquid smoke and tabasco to taste.

Cheater Pulled Pork
4-5 lb Pork (Boston Butt)
BBQ rub
½ bottle liquid smoke

Trim boston butt of excess fat and cut into large chunks.  Place pork in slow cooker, sprinkle with bbq rub and add liquid smoke.  Cook pork for 5-6 hours on low or 10-12 hours on high. Once pork reaches an internal temp of 190 pull or chop to desired consistency.  

Seaweed Soup - Marlena

ingredients:
dried seaweed
vegetable or chicken broth
chicken
sesame oil
soy sauce or salt
minced garlic

preparation:
Soak seaweed according to directions on the package. Combine ingredients in stockpot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Peanut Leek Soup - Natalie

ingredients:
2 tablespoons roasted peanut or vegetable oil
2 large onions, diced
2 bell peppers, 1 red and 1 green, diced into 1/2-inch chunks
2 teaspoons chopped ginger
1/2 lb of carrots, peeled and grated
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2 cups crushed tomatoes in sauce
5 cups water, or chicken stock, or vegetable stock
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup sliced leeks

preparation:
Warm the oil in a wide soup pot set over high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, ginger, and carrots, and saute, stirring frequently until the onions have begun to color, 8 to 10 minutes, adding the garlic after the first 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt, several good twists of the pepper mill, and the cayenne to taste, and cook a few minutes longer.  Add the tomatoes and scrape the pot to lift up any brown bits from the bottom. Add the water or stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.  Add the peanut butter and cook, stirring, until it has dissolved.  Puree until smooth. Return to the pot. (If you wish, you can puree only a portion of the soup.) Taste for salt and for the heat level, adding more cayenne if desired.  Add leeks and simmer until leeks are soft.

Cincinnati Style Chili - Shanna

ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 quart water, or amount to cover
2 onions, finely chopped
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (1 ounce) square unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice berries
1 bay leaf

preparation:
Place the ground beef in a large pan, cover with about 1 quart of cold water, and bring to a boil, stirring and breaking up the beef with a fork to a fine texture. Slowly boil until the meat is thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes, then remove from heat and refrigerate in the pan overnight. 

The next day, skim the solid fat from the top of the pan, and discard the fat. Place the beef mixture over medium heat, and stir in the onions, tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chocolate, chili powder, salt, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cloves, allspice berries, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours. Add water if necessary to prevent the chili from burning.

Cheddar Corn Chowder - Jodi

1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All Rights Reserved

ingredients:

8 oz bacon, chopped

1/4 cup good olive oil

6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)

4 TBS unsalted butter

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

12 cups chicken stock

4 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 lbs)

10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 lbs)

2 cups half-and-half

1/2 lb sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

preparation:

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Spiced Coconut Lentil Soup Recipe - Jenny

ingredients:
2 large red onions
4 tsp coconut oil
1 1/2 red chili
4 clove garlic
4-inch piece of peeled ginger, grated
4 cup red lentils
4 cans coconut milk
12 cups broth (or 12 cups water + bouillon as needed)
4 tsp ground coriander
4 tsp paprika
4 tsp cumin
1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1 tsp black pepper  
1 tbsp red chili flakes
juice from 4 limes
cilantro leaves for garnish

preparation:
Finely chop the red onion. Heat the coconut oil in a heavy based saucepan. Add the onion, cover and allow to soften for several minutes. 

Meanwhile, mince the chili, garlic and ginger together. Add to pan, cover and cook for a few more minutes until the flavors begin to infuse – your kitchen should be full of wonderful aromas by now. Rinse and sort the red lentils and add to pan along with the ground coriander, paprika and cumin. Mix thoroughly and then pour in the coconut milk and water. Sprinkle in the broth (or water/boullion) and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cover, bring to the boil and then lower to a gentle simmer for forty minutes, stirring frequently.

Juice the limes and set aside. When the lentils have softened and almost disintegrated to form a thick, creamy soup, take off the heat, pour in the lime juice, taste for seasoning and serve with a few fresh coriander leaves for garnish.

Portuguese Soup - Stacey

ingredients:
water
shin bone
portuguese chourico
cabbage
carrots
kale
onions
garlic
stewed tomatoes
macaroni

preparation: 

Saute onions and garlic (as much as you like), throw in chourico and stir for a minute or 5. Add shin bone and cover with water. Cook for 1-2 hours, you can add beef broth as you go along. You can even use just beef broth and water and skip the bone. Add stewed tomatoes (chopped). Add carrots and cook until just about tender, add cabbage and kale and cook some more. Who knows how long, it was approximately a 6 pack of beer. Add salt and pepper to taste.