This is a hearty soup that only takes about 10 minutes to make. It's one of my favorites...
3 Cups Whole wheat cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen 4.5 Cups Chicken broth 4 Garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp Sage, dried 1 tsp Thyme, dried 2 Cups Spinach, fresh coarsely chopped 1 16oz can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 Cup Sun-dried tomatoes (or more if you really like them) Parmesan cheese, grated Pepper, fresh ground
You can do this all in the same pot but I think it's better to cook the Tortellini in a seperate pot then transfer it to the soup base. I've tried it both ways and doing this works better. So with that said in a pot of salted boiling water cook the tortellini according to the package - do not overcook because it's going to go into the broth. In another large saucepan, bring the broth, garlic, sage, and thyme to a boil. Stir in the spinach, Cannellini beans and tomatoes. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the tortellini and continue to simmer for a few more minutes. Ladel into bowls, sprinkle with the cheese, Eat & Enjoy...
When I was in Paris last year I had French onion soup for dinner Thanksgiving night. I'll say the setting was perfect - window seat, Eiffel Tower right outside - romance - love in the air - and a bitchy Chinese maitre d' (he was pissed that he gave us the best table in the house and we only ordered soup and a cheese plate). Sadly the soup wasn't all that. The cheese plate was pretty dang good though...
1/2 Cup butter (unsalted) 4 Onions, sliced 2 Garlic cloves, chopped 2 Bay leaves 2 Fresh thyme sprigs Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper (white pepper sucks) 1 Cup red wine 3 Heaping tbsp all-purpose flour 2 Quarts beef broth 1 Baguette 1/2 Lb Gruyere, grated (or more if your a cheeseaholic)
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper - cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized. This will take about 25 minutes or so. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry - about 5 minutes or so. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Add the flour into the pot and stir in with the onions. Cook the mixture on a medium-low for a few minutes then add the beef broth. bring it up to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add a few pinches of salt and some pepper. Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls and float a few of the baguette slices in each bowl. Divide the cheese up and top the bowls well. Put the bowls on a baking sheet and stick them under a pre-heated broiler for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
A lot of places in Paris gave you a little plate of olives to snack on before your meal...
I spent some time at the Eifel Tower before our dinner - it was a grand time. It was snowing up at the top but no snow was making it down to the ground. FREEZING
Not that it matters but my x-wife makes the best French onion soup I've ever had. She use provolone and mozzarella cheese on top of hers instead of Swiss though...
We will be doing a French onion soup video soon so keep coming back!
The original recipe for this soup came from a Saveur magazine. We've added a few things over the years to make it our own...
For some reason Hot & Sour Soup has always held somewhat of a mystery to me. I used to work at a Chinese restaurant called 456 when I was a kid and it always amazed me when they made the soup. It was one of the few things that was made in somewhat of a secretive fashion. Until I read the recipe in the magazine I had never tried to make it myself (actually I have never made it myself, Tina always makes it). I do the prep work and always fuss to make sure the potato is cooked enough (she would put them in at the last second and have the half raw if she could)... Anyway, this is a very simple recipe and it's better than anything I've ever tried in any restaurant.
For the Pork:
1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp brandy (won't be missed if you don't use it) 1 Tbsp cornstarch 1/4 Lb lean pork, cut into 1/4" dice
For the Soup:
3 Tbsp cornstarch 8 Cups chicken stock (can use pork but chicken is better) 3 Tbsp soy sauce 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar 1 Tsp freshly ground pepper (or more if you're a pepperholic like me) 1/2 Tsp cayenne 1 Tsp coarse salt 1/4 Cup cubed peeled potato 1/4 Cup or so shitake or wood ear mushrooms, trimmed, and cut into a 1/4" dice 12 oz. Firm tofu, drained and diced to your liking 1 Egg, lightly beaten 1 Tsp Asian sesame oil (not a necessaty we don't use it and the soup is great) 1/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
For the pork: Combine the soy suace, brandy (or some water if you're not using brandy), and cornstarch in a small bowl, add the pork and mix well. Let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
For the soup: Combine the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Put sotck, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, cayenne, and salt into a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add the pork, cornstarch mixture and reduce the heat to a medium low, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened, about 30 minutes. Add the potato, mushrooms, and tofu and gently simmer until the potato is tender, 15-20 minutes.
Slowly drizzle the egg into the simmering soup in a thin, steady stream (do not stir as your pour, or the egg will form lumps). When the egg strands float to the surface, stir in the oil (if wanted).
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cilantro. Eat & Enjoy!
Bon Appetit...
~Nikko
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Part 1 of 2
Part 2 of 2
This soup goes well with Potstickers! That's another show...
1 Coriander Paprika Spice Rub mix (see below) 1/2 Lb peeled and deveined cooked shrimp chopped 2 Medium cucumbers seeded and chopped 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup tahini 1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 Cloves garlic minced 1 1/2 Tsp ground coriander 1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper 3 Cups ice cubes 1/2 Cup cherry tomatoes, halved 4 Green onions, thinly sliced
For the Coriander Paprika Spice Rub
1 Tsp ground Coriander 1/2 Tsp paprika 1/4 Tsp salt 1/4 Tsp ground black pepper
1. Prepare the Coriander Paprika Spice Rub. In a medium bowl toss the shrimp with the spice rub; set aside. Thinly slice enough cucumber to measure 1/3 cup; set aside. Peel, seed, and cut up the remaining cucumbers.
2. In a blender combine the cut-up cucumbers, chickpeas, tahini, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, coriander, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.
3. Just before serving, with the motor running, add ice cubes, a few at a time, through the lid opening until smooth and thickened (blender should be about full). Pour into bowls. Top soup with the shrimp, sliced cucumber, tomatoes, and green onions.
When you have someone who is not feeling well chicken noodle soup is the best thing to make for them. This is my almost homemade chicken noodle soup. It's almost homemade because I went to the store and bought a roasted chicken and used canned stock. Even with that it turned out really good...
1 roasted chicken - meat taken off the bone 2 large cans chicken stock 1/2 red onion diced 1 cup carrots diced 1 cup celery diced 1 bag of egg noodles (I used about 2/3 of a bag) salt pepper a dash of love
prep the veg and put them into a stock pot heated to medium high. Add a few good pinches of salt and sweat for about 5 minutes. Remove all the chicken meat from the bones and add the meat to the pot once the veg is done. Add your stock, and egg noodles and bring to a boil. Once the egg noodles are cooked to your liking the dish is done. Eat & Enjoy...
Making tomato soup at home from scratch is not that much harder than opening a can of Campbell's (www.campbellsoup.com) up. You can get really fancy with your mater soup, but with just a few ingredients you can create a heart warming dish.
In the video recipe below you will see that all I used to make the soup is:
1 Large can of Nina tomatoes - seeds removed 1 Yellow onion diced 1 clove garlic minced Chicken stock 1/2 Cup half/half fresh herbs salt pepper
If you have nice fresh tomatoes that would be good to - I didn't so I went with the canned. Please take the time to remove as many as the seeds as you can. It's not going to kill your dish if you don't, but it will be better if you do!
Check out the video on how to make the soup - it's quite easy. If you need some more info - Please leave a comment...
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