Coconut, Red Curry Soup

 

This Thai soup is spicy, but if you like spicy curry, you may just like this soup.  Just a note about the Galanga Ginger, you do not have to use the powder, you can use the fresh if you like.  

Coconut, Red Curry Soup

2 pounds Chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

2 heaping Tablespoons Red Curry Paste ( less if you don't want it too spicy)

1 to 2 Tablespoons Olive oil, just enough to help spread the red curry paste evenly over the chicken

2 heaping teaspoons Galanga Powder (you can find this at an Asian Grocer, this is Galanga Ginger Powder)

1 quart Chicken Stock

1 large onion, cut into large pieces

1 or 2 carrots, sliced into coins, or oblong coins (I like 2, but my husband likes only 1)

5 stalks Lemon Grass (long stalks removed, mince the inside soft white parts only)

1 can Coconut Milk

2 Roma tomatoes

Juice of 2 limes

5 mushrooms

Add to pan: 

ginger

Olive oil

Red Curry Paste

2 pounds chicken

When chicken is sealed on all sides, add:

chicken stock

onions

carrots

lemon grass

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, covered.

Add coconut milk, tomatoes, lime juice and mushrooms.

Simmer uncovered for 1 minute.

Serve with fresh green onions.  

Pasta E Fagioli(Pasta and Beans)

 

I got a request for some more soups. Here's a good one for ya Kaylene! I've made this plenty of times, and it gets gobbled up EVERY TIME. I'm not even sure why I didn't think to add this one to the blog before now. This past week has been full of fun: My brother got married, I have a new, AWESOME sister-in-law, my sister and her daughter flew in from California, and we've been driving back and forth so we can be together as much as possible. Let's just say that my food blog has taken a back seat to all this wonderful madness. And while it's not quite over yet, I have a few minutes to put up a post. I brought this soup over to my parents home the day we were setting up the wedding. The only one who couldn't have this was my Dad, who has a gluten allergy. I used gluten free beef stock, but the pasta wasn't gluten free. Bummer, maybe next time Dad!

Pasta E Fagioli(Pasta and Beans)
Serves/Makes: 9 qts

INGREDIENTS:
3 teaspoons Oil
2 pounds Ground beef
1 large Onion; chopped
1 cup chopped Carrots
1 cup Celery, thinly sliced
48 ounces Tomatoes; canned, diced
2 cups cooked Red Kidney beans
2 cups cooked White kidney beans
88 ounces Beef stock
3 teaspoons Oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons Pepper
1 Tablespoon dried Parsley
1 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
48 ounces Spaghetti sauce(I used Bertolli Olive Oil and Garlic)
8 ounces dry pasta Shell macaroni; or other pasta(1 1/2 cup dry pasta)
1 Tablespoon basil, dried

PREPARATIONN:
Saute beef in oil in large 10-qt. pot until beef turns brown. Add onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and add to the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes.

Tortellini with Sausage Soup

 

I am a huge soup fan, and this one has a great flavor, veggies, pasta and cheese. It was very filling, which is a plus in soup. I hope YOU ALL give this one a try.

Tortellini and Sausage Soup

3 links Italian sausage
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup water
2 cans chicken broth
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup chopped carrots
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini, fresh, or small box Tortellini with Parmesan.
2 Tablespoons dried parsley

Directions
1. Slice open sausage links and remove sausage. Cook sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat, stirring frequently, then drain the fat. Cook until sausage is thouroughly cooked and onions are translucent.

2. Add water, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots, basil and oregano. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour.

3. Add zucchini, tortellini and parsley, simmer for another 20 to 25 minutes or till the tortellini's are tender. Enjoy.




parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.

4. Add the tortellini and cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.

Jackie's Baked Potato Soup

 

Brandon's Aunt Katie(Paula's sister) made this soup one winter when we went to a cabin up on Mt. Hood. It was snowy outside, and after having fun in the snow, this was a PERFECT soup to devour afterwords. Of course, I serve this one every winter now, I just LOVE this. This recipe is from Jackie, their mother(who made the rib sauce), and I'm so GLAD she passed this one on. Thanks Aunt Katie!

Baked Potato Soup
4 large baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
6 cups milk(I use fat free)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese*
12 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 green onions, chopped
1 8oz sour cream (I use Tillamook Fat Free)

Wash potatoes, prick and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, or until done. Let cool. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, scoop out and reserve the pulp. Discard shells.

Melt butter in a dutch oven(I just use a sauce pan) over low heat, add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add milk, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.

Stir in potato, salt, pepper, 1 cup cheese, sour cream, bacon, and green onions. Cook until heated(do not boil).

*Just as you are ready to serve, stir in remaining 1/2 cup cheese.(I just put it all in at once.)
Makes 2 1/2 quarts

Enjoy!

New England-Style Clam Chowder

About a year ago I attempted to make Clam Chowder, and while it tasted good, it wasn't quite the consistancy that I wanted, and I had a hard time eating it knowing how bad it actually was for me. So, this time I made some tweeks and "Voila!", here it is, hope you like it too. I got the "This is a keeper" ok from Brandon, and both the kids ate it all up! This afternoon Kelli asked me what was for dinner, so I said we were having Clam Chowder. Kaleb, over hearing, says to Kelli, "do I like Clam Chowder?", and Kelli answered "Yes you do!". Then he said "Oh I like Clam Chowder", in his happy voice. I love that he still looks to Kelli, Brandon and I to see if he likes or dislikes something. In the future I know that will change, but until that time, I'm good. I got most of the recipe just off the can of chopped sea clams, by Seawatch, from Costco, and the other part just looking online at several different recipes. Here goes:

1 can (51 Oz. Sea Watch Chopped Sea Clams
1 onion, finely chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 bay leaves
6 Tablespoons butter
3 ounces Extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup flour
3 cups Evaporated Milk (fat free, or skim)
salt and freshly ground pepper

(The original recipe calls for Half and Half. I want a good flavor, without all the fat and saturated fat, and extra cholesterol, so I found a good substitute- Evaporated Milk. I only had Evaporated Milk made with whole milk, and I still didn't want to go that route, so I found this substitution: To make the equivalent of a 12oz can, mix together 1 cup non-instant nonfat powdered milk and 1 and 1/3 cup cool water. Whir in a blender, let set for a few minutes for the bubbles to all rise up then skim off bubbles. Refrigerate leftovers. There were a ton of substitutions out there, so you could find one that works for you)

Combine potatoes, onions, bay leaves and canned sea clams with their juice. Simmer until potatoes are tender(I put mine into a slow cooker on low all day). Remove bay leaves. Sift flour into melted butter and oil, and gradually stir in milk, stirring constantly until well blended. Simmer until thickened. Add the milk mix to the clam chowder, and add seasonings. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Serve hot. (Don't put the milk mixture in until you're just about ready to serve, or it will start to sepparate- last time I made this, I made that mistake.)

This is fun to serve in a bread bowl, or just fresh baked bread. We'll have enough for leftovers tomorrow night-yay!