Soups/Stews (29)
Sauce has the ability to impact any meal. The main difference between a $20 meal and a $60 meal is typically the quality (and flavor) of the sauce. The major distinction between various sauces is the base and the thickening agent. There are many different kinds of sauces. Learning to master each of them will transform your ability to cook.
Here it is as last! This is my award winning Chile Stew... I made this recipe for the first time more than a decade ago and it has since become a staple in our house. My Wife once entered it in a Chili contest (sans the beans) and won the ribbon. I prefer my stew with a lot of spice, but then no one else in our Family can eat it. So I usually tone the heat way down (as printed here) and add more peppers to my own bowl.
Serve with a handful of Shredded Cheese and a pile of Tortilla Chips.
Butternut Squash (also called Autumn Squash) soup is the perfect fall-time comfort food. Using the pressure-cooking option in your Instant Pot reduces the time-to-table from about 6 hours to less than 2 hours. Using a Coconut Yogurt provides a nice creamy consistency, without adding heavy cream.
Fideo Soup is a traditional Latino dish from Mexico. This Soup can be made with a variety of ingredients, with the only real requirement being the inclusion of fideo pasta, (short vermicelli noodles).
When the weather starts to cool down, I like a spicy chowder to warm me up. This is a fairly easy recipe that can be made in advance and refrigerated.
This Thai soup includes Bok Choy and can be prepared in less than half an hour.
Gumbo is typically a "peasant dish" meaning that it is constructed with whatever you have on hand. With one exception: the word "Gumbo" is said to come from an old African word for Okra. As a result, true Gumbo should always include Okra. There are a few different types of Gumbo. This recipe will focus on Creole Gumbo and would traditionally include seafood and tomatoes. For a more spicy, darker colored Gumbo, try Cajun Gumbo.
Strictly speaking, Curry is not Indian food, it is British food. With that said, Curry is a great "feel good" meal. Due to the typical long cook times, creating a good Indian Curry can be an all day process. In order to reduce the overall cook time, this recipe prepares the various ingredients separately, then puts it all together for a final simmer. While this is not a traditional preparation for Indian Curry, the flavors are all there to knock the final result out of the park. Serve with Basmati Rice and Naan.
Perhaps the perfect meal to celebrate St. Patrick's day, is Irish Stew. While Irish Stew typically requires the inclusion of a "pint of stout" for additional flavor, I have found that the deep complexity can be easily accomplished by replacing the stout with a tablespoon of Marmite. We dissolve the Marmite in hot water to ensure that it is fully integrated throughout the final stew.
This Kielbasa and Pasta Stew recipe is hearty and comforting. The flavor from the vegetables and seasoning provides the perfect mix to warm you on a winter night.
Everybody loves a good loaded baked potato. This is a quick and simple recipe to give all the flavors of stuffed potatoes, in a hearty soup. This gluten-free recipe uses mashed potato to thicken the soup.
Locro is a flavorful stew that utilizes fall vegetables, like corn (hominy) and acorn squash. Traditionally, Locro de Argentina includes veal shoulder, pork shoulder, and Argentine chorizo. In this recipe, the veal has been replaced with beef shoulder, as it is easier to find. Argentine chorizo is an uncured (raw) sausage, made with a blend of ground beef and ground pork. The ground meat is often seasoned with garlic, paprika, and occasionally red wine. Argentine chorizo is typically grilled or occasionally smoked. In this recipe, Argentine chorizo can be replaced with any uncured, garlic sausage. Locro can be easily prepared and then put together in a slow cooker to tenderize the hominy, the legumes and the meat. The squash, legumes, and hominy are mashed to provide a creamy, thick stew. A flavored oil is drizzled on top for serving.
It seems like good Latino food always begins with Sofrito, a flavorful sauce base that is traditionally made by mincing Garlic, Onion, and Pimentos Verde (Green Bell Pepper). I like to further accentuate this soup with fresh Cilantro with fresh Lime. This soup includes a single chopped Jalapeño pepper to provide just a hint of heat. I prefer to use Chicken Thighs over Chicken Breasts as the dark meat is typically more flavorful and juicier when poached. Serving the soup over a pile of Rice makes this into a hearty meal.
Minestrone is a hearty, flavorful soup made with vegetables and pasta. This Minestrone includes Kielbasa, but you could use Sweet Italian Sausage, or leave out the meat altogether for a vegetarian version. This soup can be eaten the same day it is prepared, or it can be prepared and then stored in the refrigerator or freezer for a meal on another day.
Mire Poix - (pronounced /mir pwaw/) is a classic base for soups and stews in French Cuisine. In the traditional form, this is a vegetarian base, however, you can add a few slices of fatback (also called salted pork) for a more complex flavor.
Phở Bo (Phở is pronounced with a short shwa sound like the vowel in the word "bud" and seem to translate as "noodle soup". "Bo" translates as "beef") is a Vietnamese noodle stew, resulting from the fusion of Asian and French Cuisine. Pho is a savory noodle dish that is generally served as a main course. This broth normally takes about 24 hours in a Slow Cooker in order to develop the deep mature flavors found in a Pho broth. However, this time can be shortened significantly, without loss of flavor, by using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
Poached Chicken is similar to boiling chicken, but produces a much better result. Boiling involves cooking the chicken in rapidly boiling water. This will result in a dry and tough final product. Poaching chicken involves reaching a high initial temperature, then cooking at a lower temperature until the meat is cooked. Poaching chicken results in moist, flavorful meat.
As we all learned from watching the movie of the same name, ratatouille (pronounced /rat-a-too-ee/) is a generally regarded as a "peasant stew". This means that it was typically made with whatever ingredients the cook had on hand. I have seen many different recipes for ratatouille. It seems that the only ingredient that is required to make ratatouille, is eggplant. Here is my ratatouille recipe..
Shakshouka (sometimes called Saksouka) is a staple of Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian, Moroccan, and Egyptian cuisines. It is also a common breakfast and dinner food in Israel and often eaten with bread to soak up the sauces. The word "Shakshouka" comes from Arabic and means "to mix or shake"
Shakshouka (sometimes called Saksouka) is a staple of Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian, Moroccan, and Egyptian cuisines. It is also a common breakfast and dinner food in Israel and often eaten with bread to soak up the sauces. This recipe is specialized to make in a slow cooker.
This sauce originally comes from Spain with local versions found in nearly every Latin country. There are likely as many variations to Sofrito, as there are people who make it. The core ingredients are Onions, Greeen Bell Peppers, and Garlic. Sofrito can be prepared beforehand in large quantities, then refrigerated or frozen until needed.
Taco Stew is an easy to make dish without a long preparation time.
This is an easy recipe with that is flavorful, healthy, and filling. Most of the ingredients can be prepared before-hand and refrigerated.
This soup was inspired by a Thai Sour Coconut soup. It has a short preparation time and can be served as an appetizer or a main course.
Nothing beats a good bowl of soup on a cold day, and the only proper way to eat a grilled cheese sandwich is by dipping it in a bowl of good Tomato Soup. Tomato is perhaps the most basic of soups, but this is the best Tomato Soup I have ever eaten. To make this recipe compatible with the Keto diet, use Chicken Stock instead of Mire Poix, and leave out the Bread Crumbs.
This traditional Japanese stock is used for Tonkotsu Ramen Noodles. The name comes from "Ton" meaning "Pork" and "Kotsu" meaning "Bone". Traditionally, this recipe has a long preparation time (12 - 20 hours), however, the maturity of the flavor is well worth it. Alternatively, you can use an Instant Pot and get the same results in only about 6 hours.
Udon Noodles is a traditional Japanese dish, but the noodles have a thicker, more silky texture than their more popular Ramen cousin. Traditional Udon Broth calls for Light Soy Sauce (that is different from the low-sodium "Lite" Soy Sauce) and Dark Soy Sauce. The inclusion of both types of Soy will provide a more full savory flavor. If Dark Soy Sauce is not available, replace the Dark Soy Sauce with 2 additional Tablespoons of Light Soy Sauce (frequently labeled "Soy Sauce"). Additionally, Mirin (containing alcohol) is also a traditional ingredient. This recipe replaces the Mirin with Rice Wine Vinegar.
This is NOT the "Instant Noodles" that kept you alive in college. If you make the Tonkotsu Stock from scratch, it will take about 16 hours. In spite of the long preparation, the complex flavor of this recipe makes it worthy to serve in the finest Ramen Noodle House of Tokyo, New York, or even your own kitchen.
Trust me, it is worth the preparation time.
This recipe contains instructions for a single serving. Simply scale this recipe for the number of servings desired.
This flavorful stock can be used as a vegetable base for any soup or stew. The Mushrooms, Tomato Paste and Steak Sauce provides a rich Umami flavor that is not commonly found in a Vegetable Stock. Surprisingly, this Vegetable Stock is NOT Vegetarian. In order to make this as a Vegetarian Stock, leave out the Steak Sauce and the Worcestershire Sauce.
