Soups

If you can put it in a bowl and eat it, this is the place you'll find it.

BROWNDOG’S SWEET HOT CHILI

Yes, this is my personal recipe. Tested, tried, and true. The aromatics hit you first, then the flavors of the pork and beef, followed by the slow steady heat in your chest. Makes around 4 gallons. If you use a slow cooker, split up the recipe as needed.

1 lb Ground Sirloin
1 lb Ground chuck
1 lb Ground Hot Italian Sausage
2 Large 28-oz cans Tomato Puree
1 can (12 oz) Black Beans, rinsed
1 can (12 oz) Dark Kidney Beans, rinsed
1 12-oz Porter or Stout
½-cup Red Wine
1½ cups Chopped Green/Red Bell Pepper
1 cup Chopped Onion
½-cup Frozen Corn Kernels (optional)
6 to 8 Chopped Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
¼-cup Chopped Jalapeno Peppers
½ small can Smoked Chipotles in Adobo Sauce
½ cup Chili Powder
1 tsp Cayenne
¼ cup Masa Flour
½ cup warm water
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp Tobasco
2 Tbsp Cumin Seed
2 tsp Fennel Seed
2 tsp Whole Cloves
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
½-tsp Ground Nutmeg
½-tsp Ground Ginger
¼-cup pure maple syrup
¼-cup brown sugar
3 oz Shaved Dark Chocolate
Shredded Cheddar & Pepper Jack cheese (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)
French Bread (optional)

Sautee 2 choped garlic cloves in olive oil until sweated. Add beef & pork. Brown and drain.

To meat mixture, add tomato puree, porter, wine, maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, chili powder and cayenne. Bring to low simmer over medium heat. Add beans, bell pepper, jalapenos, chipotles/sauce, onion and remaining garlic. Cover & simmer 1 hour over low heat, stirring often (or 3 hours in slow cooker)

Combine cumin, fennel and cloves in spice mill, grind to medium-fine. Stir into chili. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, tobasco, corn and chocolate. Cover & simmer 30 minutes over low heat (or 1.5 hrs in slow cooker).

Combine water and masa flour slowly, and stir well to form a paste. Add ½ of paste to chili (1 Tbsp at a time, stirring chili well after each) and cook in for 10 minutes (20 in slow cooker). Add more paste in 1-Tbsp increments and cook in until desired thickness and consistency.

Serve with warm French bread, shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese and sour cream.


NOTE – If you’re concerned about the heat, you can cut back on the jalapenos. Another option is to seed them before chopping, since it's the oil in the seeds that carries the majority of the heat. Always wear plastic or rubber gloves, or put plastic sandwich bags over your hands. Halve the peppers, and run your covered index finger down the inside of each half removing the seeds. Covering your fingers is critical, because no matter how well you wash your hands and fingers, some oil always remains. If you unconsciously rub your eyes later on, even for a second, you're screwed. Throw the gloves away and wash your hands well just in case any oil seeps through them.

TURKISH RED LENTIL SOUP by Meems (Kosher)


4 T. margarine, or butter
½ c. grated onion
1 minced clove of garlic
6 c. water
2 c. chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 c. red lentils
2 T. short grain rice, like Arborio
1 ½ T. tomato paste
salt and pepper
4 slices day-old bread, cut into cubes and crusts mostly removed
2 T. flour (Wondra is best—about the only thing it’s good for)
2 T. crushed red pepper (optional)
1 t. dried spearmint

Melt 1 T. of the margarine, and add the onion and garlic, stirring until softened. Add the water, stock, lentils, rice, and tomato paste. Cover and bring to a gentle boil. Skim the soup, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils dissolve, about 45 minutes. Pass the soup through the fine disk of a food mill. Season with salt and pepper, return to the pan, and bring to a simmer.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until golden and crisp.

In a small skillet, melt 2 more T. of margarine. Stir in the flour and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until a smooth brown roux with the scent of hazelnuts forms. Remove from heat, and whisk the roux into the simmering soup. Wipe out the skillet.

Melt the final tablespoon of margarine in the small skillet and briefly sauté the red pepper and spearmint. You can certainly add more red pepper if you like, but keep the ratio of pepper to mint about the same.

Ladle the soup into warmed serving bowls and sprinkle with the croutons you’ve made. Spoon the margarine-mint-pepper mixture on top of the croutons. This makes 4 generous servings. The soup can also be refrigerated overnight, and then heated and garnished at serving.

Great cold soup

Gazpacho


1 cup chopped, peeled and seeded fresh tomatoes. If you don’t use fresh try to find POMI brand chopped tomatoes. They are in a vacuum packed container. Not a can.
½ cup each finely chopped:
bell pepper
seeded cucumber
seeded zucchini
celery
¼ cup finely chopped onion, red or yellow
2 tb chopped cilantro or parsley
1 tsp chopped chives
1 clove minced garlic
2 tb olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups V-8 juice
hot sauce to taste
juice of 2 limes


Combine in a glass bowl and chill for 4 hours
Serve with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche

One kind of gumbo

Chicken, Oyster & Sausage Gumbo

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup oil
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup chopped bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups hot broth
1 # boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
1# andouille sausage, halved and cut into slices
1 pint shucked oysters, drained******
file powder

In a heavy pot stir together flour and oil to make a roux.
Cook, stirring constantly until reddish brown.
This will take about 15-30 minutes. You have to stir it or it will burn.
If it burns throw it out and start over
Add vegetables and peppers and cook for about 5 minutes.
Gradually add the stock.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes.
Add chicken and sausage and simmer for 20 minutes.
Skim off fat.
Rinse and drain oysters and add to pot.
Cook for about 5-10 minutes.
If desired add file powder to help thicken.
Serve over rice.


******substitute shrimp if you want or crawdads/crawfish, but only the ones from LA. If they are already cooked just add them at the very end for about 1 minute to heat

I make a couple of different kinds of chile that I learned about while living in New Mexico. Very simple and great on enchiladas or in a bowl with melted cheese and warm flour tortillas for dipping. Also good on huevos rancheros. The green is excellent for a hangover.

Red Chile (Chile Colorado)

3 tb oil
1 lg yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb cubed pork or beef, seasoned wioth salt and pepper
3 tb flour
5 cups low sodium beef broth
1 cup powdered red chile(also called molido) New Mexico or Aneheim are the best for this. Badia is a good brand and it's in the Mexican food aisle
1-2 tsp ground cumin to taste
1 -2 tsp dried, leaf oregano to taste

Combine the broth and powdered chile in a bowl and mix

Heat the oil in a large saucepan
Add the onion and meat and cook for about 5 minutes
Add the garlic
When the meat is done add the flour and make a roux and cook for a couple of minutes
Add the broth mixture and oregano and cumin
Increase heat and stir until it thickens
Reduce heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes
Season as needed with salt and pepper
If you want it very hot add a couple of chipotle chiles while simmering


Green Chile (Chile Verde)

Same ingredients as above except substitute low sodium chicken broth for the beef broth and use 3-5 small cans of the chopped green chile, if you don't have fresh roasted on hand, instead of the powdered red chile

Start the recipe the same
When the roux is ready add the broth and thicken
Add the chiles and oregano and cumin
you can also add chopped potatoes
Cook for about 30 minutes and serve

I will post the recipes for the enchiladas and some othet dishes when I start a Viva Mexico! section.


Southwest Chicken Soup

1 tb extra virgin olive oil
½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed ½ inch
¼ cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
½ tsp powdered red chile*, or to taste
2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 cans low-sodium, reduced fat chicken broth
1 can stewed tomatoes, Mexican style (Ro-Tel original)
corn tortillas, cut into strips and baked until crisp, or just use the store bought chips
1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro**
sour cream

Heat oil in large heavy saucepan.
Add chicken and cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
Add onion, garlic, salt, cumin and chile and cook until fragrant.
Stir in broth, corn and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in ½ tb cilantro.
Garnish with tortilla strips, sour cream and remaining cilantro.

You can also add some black beans (drained), or some other type, to this when you add the corn

*powdered red chile is sold in the Mexican food section at Publix (where shopping is a pleasure and they don’t inject crap into the meat they sell) and differs greatly from chile powder. I believe the brand name is Badia. I would recommend the powdered New Mexico or Anaheim variety. it’s not hot, it just adds a nice flavor

**if you use dried cilantro just add a tsp to the soup as it cooks. don’t use the dried as a garnish


Potato Soup

½ stick butter
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne
1 bay leaf
2 tsp chopped garlic
8 cups chicken broth
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
¼ cup heavy cream

Melt butter in large heavy soup pot and add onions, celery, salt and cayenne and cook for about 5 minutes. Add bay leaf and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and remove bay leaf. Puree with immersion blender, leaving some chunks of potato if desired. Add cream and blend. Adjust seasonings and serve. Use parsley and some bacon as a garnish if so desired.