VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

When there is a chill in the air Soup is the cure for all that ails you.  Making your own Soup does take some time but the effort is worth the Amazing flavor that comes of it.  Canned Soup, which is in all of our pantries, is loaded with Salt, preservatives and things that just do not taste good.   If you can chop a Carrot and brown Beef you can make this Soup.  And if you want to feed your family a Soup that is wholesome and beyond delicious, you will be Cooking The Amazing.



Here is the recipe.



1 T  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Strips Of Bacon Chopped
2  Anchovy Fillets
1 3/4 lb.  Beef Roast (Chuck or Butt) Cubed
1 t  Fine Grain Sea Salt
1 t  Fresh ground Black Pepper
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (If Needed-See Recipe)
2 c  Diced Onion Small
4  Cloves Garlic Fine Chopped
4 T  Tomato Paste
1 T  Worcestershire Sauce
2 t  Dried Thyme
1/2 t  Paprika
5 T  Beef Base
8 c  Water
2  Dried Bay Leaves
14.5 oz  Can Of Stewed Tomatoes
1 c  Chopped Peeled Carrot
1 c  Chopped Celery
1 c  Sliced White Button Mushrooms
3/4 c  Chopped Seeded Green Bell Pepper
3/4 c  Chopped Seeded Red Bell Pepper
1 c  Chopped Fresh Trimmed Green Beans
2 c  Diced Peeled Potato (Red or Yukon Gold)
1 c  Turnips Peeled and Diced
1 T  Butter
Sea Salt and Fresh Black Pepper to taste



1.  I do all of my prep first when I cook anything.  I measure all ingredients and check that nothing is left out of the recipe.  Use your ingredients on hand to make this Soup your own.  If you hate Carrots leave them out and add a Veg you like.  Work with the Meat last to reduce contaminating your work area.

2.  Peel, dice, chop all Veg into about 3/4 inch or so pieces.  Slice Mushrooms and Carrots and Turnips.  Dice Onion small so it dissolves into the Soup as it cooks.  Seed and remove the pith from the Peppers.  Remove the ends of the Green Beans and chop into 3/4 inch sections.  Chop the Bacon into small 1/2 inch pieces.  At the market pick a well marbled, with Fat, Beef Roast.  Dice the Beef Roast into approximate 1 inch squares, leaving some of the Fat on the cubes which will give great flavor.

3.  In a large pot or Dutch Oven add 1 T of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and heat to medium.  Add the chopped Bacon pieces and cook until they are brown.

4.  Add the 2 Anchovy Fillets and stir them into the Bacon and Fat and break them up with a wooden spoon until they dissolve.   Don't let the Anchovy scare you.  It will give this Soup great background flavor that does not taste like rotten fish heads like you may think.  It is a complex undertone that really make this Soup better.

5.  Add the cube Beef Roast and add Sea salt and Black Pepper then brown well on all sides.  This may take 8-10 minutes.

6.  After the Beef is well browned remove it and the Bacon pieces to a bowl. Leave any Fat in the pot.

7.  Remove all but 1 T of Fat from the pot.  If there isn't enough Fat add up to 1 T of Extra Virgin olive Oil to the pot.  Add the diced Onions and cook over medium heat until softened and start to brown on the edges, about 7-8 minutes.  Then add the finely diced Garlic and cook for 30 secs more.

8.  To the Onions and Garlic add 4 T of Tomato Paste and cook for 2 minutes.  This step creates a mellow Tomato flavor.  Then add the Worcestershire Sauce, dried Thyme, Paprika and 5 T Beef Base.  Stir in well.   I use a Beef Base that is in a paste form. NOT the dried powdered form.  I use "Organic Better Than Bouillon Base" available in most markets in the Bullion Cubes section.  Its made of real Beef and gives a great depth of flavor.  Penzey's Spices (click Here for the link) also makes a good one at their Spice stores.

9.  Add the Beef and Bacon back to this mixture and stir in well coating all the Beef. 

10.  Add the Water and Bay leaves and increase heat to medium high bringing to a full boil.  Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.  THIS IS FLAVOR!

11.  Add the full can of Stewed Tomatoes including the juice from the can and all the prepared Veg and bring back to the boil then reduce heat to medium- low and simmer gently, uncovered, for 50 minutes.  Stir often to keep bottom from sticking.  Check the Potatoes and if they are tender and cooked through your soup is almost done.  Taste the Soup and add Sea Salt and or Black Pepper if needed to your taste. Add the Butter and stir in well and turn off the heat and allow the Soup to rest for 20 minutes before serving.  This rest period allows the the flavors to meld and settle.  Serve with Homemade Croutons or a sprinkle of fresh Celery Leaves from a stalk of Celery chopped.  Yes, you can eat them and they are delicious.

COPYRIGHT (c) 2012

CHICKEN STOCK

We have all used canned Chicken Broth and have had great successes in our cooking.  I use the boxes of Broth and can turn out delicious results, but when I use homemade Chicken Stock it elevates the flavors dramatically of whatever I am cooking.  Soups with homemade Stock are incredible when you make the effort.  Like my Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.  The truth is Chicken Stock is easy to make, but it is time consuming regardless of what the cookbooks say.  Prep time is not much, maybe 20 minutes, but you will be baby sitting the Chicken Stock for 5 hours as it simmers.  It's best to make it in the morning of a day you will be home all day.  It is all worth it in the end when you are Cooking The Amazing and make everything taste so much better.




Here is the recipe.





8 Quarts Cold Filtered Water
4 1/2 lbs.  Chicken Parts With Bones
2 Large Onions, Quartered
4 Medium Carrots, Peeled and Large Chopped
4 Stalks Celery, Large Chopped
3 Whole Cloves Garlic Peeled
1/2 t  Whole Black Pepper Corns
2 Bay Leaves
2 t Fine Grain Sea Salt
2 t  Dried Thyme
10 Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley Sprigs
2 Roma Tomatoes Quartered


1.  Prep all of your Vegetables before you touch the raw Chicken to keep from spreading bacteria.  Peel the Carrots, Onions and Garlic.  Rough chop the Carrots and Celery in 3 inch pieces.  Cut the Carrot pieces in half.  Quarter the peeled Onions and peel the Garlic leaving the Cloves whole.  Cut the Tomatoes in quarters leaving skin on.  Set aside with all the other ingredients except the Chicken.

2.  Use a very large Stock pot.  I use a 12 quart.  Fill it with 8 quarts of cold filtered Water.  Bad tasting Water gives you an odd tasting Stock.  Starting your Stock in cold Water is important to develop the collagen (the jelly stuff in good Stock) which provides body to the Stock.

3.  Wash your Raw Chicken well under cold Water in the sink.  I use chopped Chicken parts from the butcher or prepackaged cut up whole Chickens in the Meat section of the market.  Be sure you have bone in and skin on Chicken.  Legs, thighs, backs, and wings are the best parts to use.  Don't use giblets.  Once washed place the Chicken parts in the cold Water in the Stock pot.

4.  Add all the prepped Veg and Black Pepper Corns, Bay Leaves, Sea Salt, Thyme and Parsley to the Stock pot and make sure all is covered in Water.  Turn the burner to high and bring to a rolling simmer.  Do not boil.  Once at a rolling simmer reduce heat to low medium to a gentle slow simmer.  Do not cover and allow to simmer for 5 hours.  Every hour use a skimmer and remove any floating white-gray scum and discard it.  Do not stir the Stock as it simmers but keep all the ingredients submerged as much as possible.

5.  After 5 hours, turn off the heat.  Skim any scum off the top and discard.  Remove all the Meat and Veg as much as possible with tongs or a big slotted spoon and strain what is left through a fine mesh strainer or Cheese cloth for the clearest, purest Stock.  I use only a fine mesh strainer for my style of rustic home cooking.  Your Chicken Stock is now ready to use.  Or if you want to freeze it or use it tomorrow allow the Chicken Stock to sit for 1 hour at room temperature and then refrigerate.   Store in air tight freezer containers.  Freeze for up to 3 months in a sealed container or refrigerate and use over the next 2 days.  If I am making Chicken Noodle Soup or a Cream Soup like Cream of Potato I use it right after straining.  I don't remove the fat.  A lot of flavor is in that fat.  This Chicken Stock is purposefully under seasoned with Salt because when you use it in your final recipe you will adjust the Salt for that particular recipe.  This yields 6-7 quarts of prepared Chicken Stock.

*Try this delicious Chicken Stock in my recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.

COPYRIGHT (c) 2011

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is healthy and flavorful and is perfect for dinner on a cool autumn evening with a loaf of rustic Bread to dip into it.  Each time you go to the market and see Butternut Squash piled high in the bins you wheel on by thinking, "There's no way I can cook one of those," not knowing just what you have been missing.  Roasting Squash is easy.  Think of it as a giant Potato.  You simply peel it and remove the seeds and roast it.  OK, so a Potato doesn't have seeds but it is the just as easy to roast.  The roasting will bring out subtle nutty sweetness, that with a background of smokey Bacon, makes a delicious hearty autumn soup.  Summer may be gone but when you make soup from roasted Butternut Squash you are Cooking The Amazing.

TIP:  Try using Acorn Squash or Fresh Pie Pumpkin (the little sweet Pumpkins used to make fresh Pumpkin Pie) in place of the Butternut Squash.

Here is the recipe.

3 1/2 lbs  Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded

2 T  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 t  Sea Salt, fine grain

1/2 t  Pepper, black, fresh ground

6  Slices of Bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 T  Butter, unsalted

1  Onion, yellow, medium

1 c  Carrot, diced small

2  Cloves of Garlic, minced fine

4 c  Chicken Stock

1 t  Sea Salt, fine grain

1 t  Pepper, black, fresh ground

2 t  Thyme, dried or fresh

1/8 t  Cayenne Pepper

1 c  Heavy Cream

OPTIONAL:  Sour Cream, Green Onions for garnish

1.  Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Peel and seed then dice into large  2 inch chunks the Butternut Squash.  Use a vegetable peeler to peel the tough skin and a large sharp chef's knife to cut the Squash in half then quarters.  Seed the Squash then cut into 2 inch chunks.

3.  Place the Squash on a large cookie sheet and drizzle with the Olive Oil and sprinkle with 1 t Sea Salt and 1/2 t Pepper.  Using your hands mix the Squash around to cover well with the oil.

4.  Roast in the oven for 55-60 minutes at 400 degrees or until the Squash is lightly browned and soft all the way through tested by being easily pierced with a knife.  Set aside on counter.

5.  Cut the Bacon into large 1 inch pieces.  In a large pot (the one you plan to make the soup in),  over medium heat, fry the strips of Bacon until crisp then remove to a paper towel covered plate to drain.  Reserve 2 T of Bacon fat.

6.  Over medium heat add the 2 T Butter to the 2 T of reserved Bacon fat and saute the diced Onion for 4 minutes then add the diced Carrot and saute for 6-8 minutes until semi-soft. 

7.  Add the finely minced Garlic and cook for 1 minute more then add the Chicken Stock and increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil.

Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon removing the browned bits of cooked Bacon and Onion and Carrot using the boiling liquid to assist.  This is called deglazing and incorporates amazing flavor into the soup.

8.  Once at a boil, add the 1 t Sea Salt, 1 t Pepper, 2 t Thyme, 1/8 t Cayenne Pepper and stir well.

9.  Add all the roasted Squash and any juices from the cookie sheet to the boiling pot and cover with a lid partially and reduce the heat to medium low and allow to simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

10.  Remove from the heat and add the Heavy Cream and stir well. 

11.  Using and immersion blender or regular blender or food mill, puree the soup in small batches.  Use caution in a regular blender with hot blending  liquids which can explode out the top and burn anyone in a 10 foot radius.  It's not pretty, I know from experience.   Fill the blender only 1/3 full and cover the lid with a kitchen towel holding the lid tightly in place before you turn it on.   Puree all the soup and return to the pot.

12.  Once all the Soup is blended taste for seasoning.  Add more Salt or Pepper as needed.  Add more Chicken Stock if it is too thick for your tastes.  Garnish with Homemade Croutons, Bacon crisps and/or Sour Cream and/or Green Onion finely diced and serve hot. 

COPYRIGHT (c) 2010

CLASSIC AMERICAN CHILI

CLASSIC  AMERICAN CHILI

There are a million and one Chili recipes and many of them are very good.  This is a Classic American Chili recipe.  It makes a hearty and delicious chili that is not complicated with so many ingredients that you won't bother making it.  The key to a good Classic American Chili is allowing the flavors of the chili powder, vegetables and meat to meld into a wonderful full flavored dish that warms you all over.   We all know how much better chili is the next day after the flavors have had a chance to develop.  The trouble is, who can wait until tomorrow with the smell of chili cooking on the stove.  Use this recipe to build your own chili masterpiece by adding your favorite toppings or adjusting the heat with more chili powder or more garlic for more intense taste.  This recipe is not my recipe but is Lee's Famous Chili recipe that I think is the best.  It is just an amazing classic chili recipe.  No weird ingredients like day old black coffee, just common ingredients that you would expect when you are Cooking The Amazing.


TIP:  Use this as Master Recipe and increase or decrease ingredients to your own taste. 

Here is the Recipe.

1 T Olive Oil
1 t Butter
1 large Yellow Onion, diced fine
2 Garlic Cloves, minced fine
1 lb Ground Beef
2 (15 ounce) cans Tomato Sauce (Like Hunt's)
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Stewed Tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can Kidney Beans, drained
2 T Chili Powder
1 t Salt, fine Sea Salt is best
1 t ground Black Pepper

TIP:  Try using black beans or pinto beans as a substitute or in addition to the kidney beans.

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a large pot, melt butter then add olive oil over medium heat.

2.  Sauté onions until soft then add garlic and stir for 1 minute.

3.  Add ground beef to onion mixture and cook until browned and cooked through.

4.  Drain any fat off from the mixture once cooked.

Add tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, beans and stir well. 

5.  Add chili powder, salt, pepper and stir well.

Increase heat and bring to a boil.  Taste for seasonings and add more salt, pepper or chili powder as needed.  Bring back to the boil and stir well.

6.  Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 45 mins., covered with a lid on.  Taste for seasonings again before serving and adjust as needed.

Top your chili with cheddar cheese, fresh diced onions, jalapeño peppers, or serve your chili over cooked spaghetti noodles for a twist.  Make this recipe your own by adding your favorite toppings.

TIP:  This Chili recipe freezes well and will keep up to 2 months frozen.