Beef Broth Soup With Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese

My Sweet Pea started 3 year old pre-K two weeks ago – and she’s now been battling a cold for about two weeks. I’m assuming the few days that she actually attended school, they really focused on learning how to share – because Little Miss shared her sickly germs with me (such a good sharer – I’m a proud Mama!). So after 2 weeks of little appetite, lot’s of coughing, a little fever, and 2 boxes of tissues – I am totally sick of it. I’ve finally got my appetite back, and all I can think about is a crisp gooey grilled cheese and a piping hot bowl a soup. So soup and sammie it is!

Beef Broth Soup

Stock

• 1 1/2 Lbs. beef short ribs
• 1/2 Lb. chuck steak
• 1/4 C. red wine (merlot)
• 2 carrots, rough chopped
• 2 stalks celery, rough chopped
• 1 onion, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 T. peppercorns
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• Water to cover (8-10 C.)

Soup

• 4 crimini mushrooms
• 2 green onions
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp. chopped thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste

For stock : In a large stock pot, brown short ribs in 1 T. olive oil. Add in wine, simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add in chuck steak, vegetables and garlic. Pour in enough water to cover by an inch or so. Season with salt, peppercorns and thyme. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cover and allow to slowly simmer for 3 – 4 hours.

Remove ribs and pull meat off of the bones. Shred meat and set aside for later. Remove large vegetable pieces and discard. Strain broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl. Cover bowl and allow to cool. Once broth has cooled, skim fat from broth.

For soup : In a pot, bring broth and meat up to a simmer. Slice mushrooms, green onions, and garlic paper thin. Add to broth. If needed, add salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 20 – 30 minutes. Serve hot with grilled cheese sandwich.

Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich 

• 8 slices bread (5-grain Italian)
• 4 – 6 Oz. cheese, shredded (mozzarella and sharp cheddar)
• Caramelized onions (2 large onions)
• 1 T. butter, softened

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium head. Lightly coat each slice of bread with butter, place for slices (butter down) into the skillet. Top each piece of bread with 1/4 of onions and 1/4 of cheese. Top with second slice of bread (butter up). Grill until bottom bread is golden. Flip sandwiches and cook until second side is golden and cheese has melted through.

Minestrone Soup

When you think about your favorite dishes, I doubt soup comes to mind. But this soup is about to change that – Minestrone is a hearty Italian soup full of vegetables, beans, pasta and topped with parmesan cheese. This version has sausage too!

The complete recipe, with measurements can be found at the bottom of the post

 

A few years back, I would watch Tyler Florence’s show every Saturday morning – almost religiously. The only reason I don’t watch it now is because it’s no longer being aired (and because a certain 3 year old has commandeered my TV remote…). One of his shows featured a recipe for Hunter’s Minestrone – and wow did it look good! I had always liked the thought of minestrone, but too often the actual soup was lacking – the vegetables were watery and bland, the broth was boring….but Tyler’s version was very promising! And it did NOT disappoint.

As with any recipe I make regularly, this one has met some modifications over the years….not enough to claim this recipe as “mine”, but enough to make an excellent recipe a little bit better (and easier to prepare).

First off Tyler wants you to steep you chicken stock with a whole head of garlic. Then he wants you to throw the garlic away! What!? I have to dirty a third pot AND trash the garlic? No thanks….instead I add the garlic into the vegetable medley.

Pulse the vegetables until everything is finely chopped, but not obliterated. The minced veggies give the broth a thicker consistency, which really makes this recipe stand out from other minestrone recipes I have tried.

Now for the sausage (and yes, this is the third post in a row that features sausage….but who’s counting?). I never have fresh sage on hand. I don’t grow it and I rarely use it. So instead of buying and chopping fresh sage, I buy Jimmy Dean’s sage sausage. This saves a little time and money and doesn’t affect the end result. But if you are a big fan of sage, by all means use it!

After the sausage is nice and brown, it’s time for those veggies. Add them to the pot with salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves and crank the heat up to high. The vegetables are full of water, which needs to be cooked out. Stir regularly and watch for most of the liquid to evaporate. Next we add the stock, beans and tomatoes.

My go to brand of processed tomatoes is Pomi. They are imported from Italy and come in a cardboard box. They are a little more than a can of Hunt’s, but you get what you pay for – which in this case is less…which is good! The only ingredient in a box of Pomi tomatoes is…get ready for it….tomatoes! No citric acid, no salt, no nothing. And you can taste the difference. My store sells 2 styles – chopped and strained. Strained is like sauce, and the chopped are…well they are just chopped. I use the chopped for this soup.

Allow the soup to come up to a boil, then turn the heat down low. You want it to simmer for about half an hour. Next we’ll add in the pasta and a few cups of fresh greens. If I was buying something specific for this dish, I would get spinach. But I often use what I already have – today I have mixed baby lettuces.

Allow the pasta and greens to cook in the pot for at least 5 minutes – then it’s time to serve. I like mine with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan and a few grinds of black pepper.

2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 lb. Sage sausage
1 T. Fresh thyme, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 qts. Chicken stock
1 box Pomi tomatoes (or large can diced tomatoes)
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 lb pasta, cooked and drained
2 – 3 C. Fresh greens (spinach is best)

Pulse celery, carrots, onion, and garlic in a food processor until minced (but not pureed).

In a large pot, brown sausage in 2 tsp. of olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces. Once it is all browned, add in the vegetables, salt, pepper, thyme and bay. Allow moisture to cook out of vegetables, then add in stock, beans, and tomatoes.

Bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add in the pasta and fresh greens. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Serve into bowls, garnish with fresh parmesan.

Note : This soup can be frozen. But I prefer to leave out the pasta if I intend on freezing it. Then I add it in when ready to reheat.

The Stock is Out of Stock

I spent some quality time with the WordPress app for Kindle at 4 o’clock this morning. I just couldn’t sleep, and I had some good ideas for my Sunday Dinner post (Rissoto – you’ll see that later this evening). In said post, I spent a good deal of time on why you should use homemade stock, as opposed to stock-in-the-box. And of course, when I got up this morning, I found that my stock-pile was completely spent. Damn….I can’t justify using stock-in-the-box – not today. I’m not completely opposed to it – but it’s Sunday (I have time) and good stock is kind of important (ok, it’s really important) in good risotto, and I just told you to make your own. So while at the store, I picked up some chicken pieces, and now I’ve got the pot going. Here’s what you’ll need if you want to do the same :

• 1 Chicken, or chicken pieces (3-4 pounds)
• 3 celery stalks (with leaves) rough chop
• 3 carrots, rough chop (yes, I’m using baby carrots. But only because they were already in the fridge)
• 1 bulb garlic, cut in half lengthwise
• 2 onions, quartered (leave the paper on)
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. peppercorns
• any vegetable trimmings from leeks, brussel sprouts, fresh herbs, etc. (optional)
• 12 C. water

Add all ingredients into a large stock pot. Pour in enough water to cover (about 12 cups). Bring to a simmer (do not boil) and reduce to medium low. Maintain a constant simmer, with no lid on the pot.

After one hour, remove chicken and allow it to cool (keep pot simmering). When cool enough to handle, pick apart the chicken. Discard the skin, keep the meat for a later use, and add all bones back to the pot.

Simmer the stock for at least another 2 hours.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Use immediately. Or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Can be frozen for months. Skim off any fat that rises to the top.
 

 

Spicy Tomato Soup

Spicy Tomato Soup is a quick, easy, flavorful soup with just the right ammount of heat to warm you up on a cold day. Start to finish is about 30 minutes. Paired with a nice crusty bread (or my favorite, rosemary focaccia bread), this hearty soup is nutritious and filling. I can’t take any credit for this one – it is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe.

• 2 carrots, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Cups chicken stock
• 1 – 26 ounce jar marinara sauce (use your favorite brand)
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 – 16 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 Cup of pasta (anything small)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat up 2 Tablespoons of olive oil on medium high. Add in the carrots and onion until softened. Then add in the garlic, half of the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in marinara, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and add in pasta and beans. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 20 minutes. Half way through simmering, check for seasonings. Add salt, pepper and red pepper as needed.