comfort in a bowl ~ soup recipes for those chilly autumn nights

Day two of gloomy, gray skies and rain. Blech. I'm one of those people who's affected

by the weather both physically and mentally. Give me a sunshiny day and I'm cheerful and

motivated and full of energy. Gloomy days? Something usually hurts more than usual on

this middle-aged body and I feel lazy and blah. 

I find myself craving soup in this kind of weather. I love the process of making it, too.

There's something cathartic about mindfully chopping vegetables. Then there's the

fragrance filling the kitchen as the onions, garlic, and celery saute on the stovetop. And

finally, the whole house fills with the aroma of simmering soup. Ever walk into a house

where soup is simmering on the stove? It smells like comfort. It smells like home.

The first recipe I'm sharing with you is one of my family's favorite, tried-and-true classic

soups: Pasta E Fagioli. It's hearty and delicious, makes great leftovers, and is easy

to make. Recipe below.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

  (Recipe from cookbook, Full Of Beans)

2 T. olive oil

2 oz. pancetta or bacon, minced (sub vegetarian Canadian 

bacon or omit entirely, if vegetarian)

1-1/2 c. finely chopped onion

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 T. crumbled dried leaf sage or 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage

1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes

5 c. chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 16-oz. can Italian-style chopped tomatoes with juice

(or use plain canned chopped tomatoes & add your own Italian seasonings)

3 c. drained cooked white beans such as cannellini or Great Northern

3/4 c. small dried pasta such as ditalini or tubetti

Salt

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large, heavy soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta

(or bacon) and cook until the fat is rendered but not browned, about 8 minutes.

Add the onion and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the

vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, and red pepper flakes

and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, and beans. Bring to a boil over high

heat, add the pasta, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook uncovered until the pasta

is al dente, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt, if necessary. (Leftovers

can be kept for a couple of days in the refrigerator and reheated, but if making the

soup ahead, don't cook the pasta until shortly before serving. It tends to absorb liquid

and become soggy as it stands.) Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated cheese.

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Another great thing about making soup is that it's so adaptable. I make up a lot of my

own recipes. Basically, if you have basic staples on-hand such as broth, vegetables

(fresh, canned, frozen), tomatoes (fresh or canned), any kind of pasta or grain, and if

you wish - some kind of protein such as beans or leftover chicken - you can make soup.

My yoga teacher mentioned last week that she made up a recipe for Mexican Chicken

Soup. I told her to tell me the basics of what she put in it - and here's what I came up

with. I love to make up my own recipes and with soup, it's easy to do so.

MEXICAN CHICKEN SOUP

2 T. olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

2 poblano peppers, coarsely chopped

1 cubanelle pepper, coarsely chopped

3 carrots, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1-2 tsp cumin (start out with 1 tsp, taste - add more to your liking)

1 T. chili powder

1 tsp. oregano

5 c. chicken broth

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken

1 c. frozen corn

Juice of 2 limes

Fresh cilantro

In a large, heavy soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion,

celery, poblano peppers, cubanelle pepper, and carrots. Cook over medium

heat for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Add the garlic, cumin, chili

powder, and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, chicken, and frozen

corn and simmer, covered, for at least 30 minutes or until all the flavors come together.

Right before serving, add the juice of two limes into the pot of soup and stir. Ladle into

bowls. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

 Nom nom ~ enjoy!

Sharing with Cozy Little House - Tweak it Tuesday.