Mommy Cooks

Creamy Turkey Rice Soup

Here's a recipe perfect for this time of the year, when not only does soup hit the spot, but you have lots of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving -- and it fits right in with the Super Souper Challenge one-off event hosted by Tami at Running With Tweezers, too! 

This soup, originally from the Jubilante Restaurant in Renton, Washington, by way of the Los Angeles Times a few years back, has a delicious creamy turkeyness, with an unexpected hint of lemon and bay.  And it's even better with the last of Grandma's famous rolls.

Creamy Turkey Rice Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups diced or shredded roasted turkey
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
3 bay leaves
1 quart turkey or chicken broth
3 cups half-and-half
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a 5-quart pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the rice, turkey, lemon zest and juice, thyme, and bay leaves, and stir for about 30 seconds.  Add the broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.  Add the half-and-half and bring back to a simmer, over low heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and remove the bay leaves.

Makes 8-10 servings.  Total preparation time, about 30 minutes if the turkey is already shredded.

Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup with Dill

Carrot and sweet potato soup from Kelli Ann at avoir une famille n'est pas comme un téléroman.  This is a delicious, simple soup -- Julia took the requisite three bites and refused to eat more, which was unexpected as she loves carrots, but Laura and I loved it, especially with a piece of fresh bread from the market.  The sweet potato keeps it from being overly carroty, and I liked the freshness of the dill, too.

(It keeps very well -- I had the rest of it for lunch the next day, and it was still delicious.)

Vegetable Soup and Baked Apples

We are working on Laura's first "Try-It" badge for her Brownie Scouts.  This is new since I was a Brownie, many moons ago -- Try-Its are the Brownie equivalent of merit badges, giving the girls opportunities to try new things.  (Another Brownie troop gives examples of what they've learned and done here.)

This Try-It is called "Make It, Eat It," encouraging girls to learn cooking skills and find out what fun it can be to make your own meals.  Tonight we made the vegetable soup and the baked apples, and so had a whole meal of Try-Its!

At the market, Laura chose carrots, green beans, and celery from the produce section; we had a can of Great Northern beans in the cupboard.  I added salt to taste and a few sprigs of thyme from the garden, too, as it needed just a little something -- the girls were quite delighted to go out and collect their own herbs, too.

I also learned something that I didn't know before tonight, from Daddy, when I remarked about the combination of beans and rice -- apparently they are complementary proteins, which when combined make a complete protein, instead of merely two starches, as it were.  (A very simplified definition, no doubt -- there is a more elaborate explanation here, and more examples here.)

This is a very simple but hearty soup, good with a piece of delicious French bread.

Brownies' Vegetable Soup

1/2 cup rice
3 cups vegetables
1 cup beans
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

In a large soup pan over medium heat, put the rice and 1 cup of water.  Cook until the rice is soft and most of the water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Add the vegetables, beans, and broth.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup is hot and the vegetables are tender.

Makes about 6 servings.  Preparation time, about 1 hour.

We started the apples first, so that they could bake while we made the soup.

The health-food store we were shopping in didn't have marshmallows (go figure!), so we used brown sugar instead -- maybe not quite enough, as the apples were rather tart, but still it was a nice dessert.

Baked Apples

4 baking apples
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
about 1/2 cup raisins
4 large marshmallows
about 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Peel the apples about halfway down from the top.  Core each apple almost to the bottom, and place in a baking dish just large enough to hold them.  Pour the juice over the apples, and stuff the center of each one with the raisins, and sprinkle them with the cinnamon.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, but not mushy.  Remove from the oven and put a marshmallow on top of each apple, letting it melt.  Serve hot or cold.

Makes 4 servings.  Active work time, about 15 minutes; total preparation time, about 1 hour.

Café Verde Tortilla Soup

The Food Section of the Los Angeles Times this week had a feature on tortilla soups, so inspiring that I risked the dreaded too spicy complaint from my kids, and made one for dinner tonight.  This recipe comes from the Café Verde in Pasadena -- in this version, the tortillas are sautéed with the tomatoes and other ingredients and puréed, so that the roasted-corn flavor becomes more subtle, part of the soup itself, instead of a crunchy base. 

I've modified the recipe very slightly, leaving out the roasted ancho chilies, and reducing the salt and pepper.  I used 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and ancho chili powder (which is also called pasillo), and it seemed plenty to me.  It still has a gentle bit of heat from the ground chilies, but not enough to frighten off the kids, and the richness of the vegetables and the bay leaf have a chance to shine.

Laura said, "What are we having?"  "Tortilla soup."  "Smells good," she said, sounding surprised.  Both of the girls enjoyed it, and Laura even had seconds.

Café Verde Tortilla Soup

2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 large white onion, peeled
8 whole corn tortillas, divided use
2 dried ancho chilies (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 cups tomato juice
1 cup vegetable stock
1 quart water
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground dried ancho chilies, or to taste
sour cream, for garnish

Cut 2 of the tortillas into thin strips, and cut the strips into manageable lengths as you like.  In a medium frying pan, heat about 1/4 inch of oil, and fry the tortilla strips until golden and crispy.  Drain on paper towels, lightly salt them if desired, and set aside.

On a grill or rack over an open stovetop flame, roast the tomatoes, onion, and 6 tortillas until lightly browned, in batches as necessary.  (You can also put the tomatoes and onion in a roasting dish under the oven broiler, and the tortillas directly on the oven rack.  Check the tortillas fairly frequently, as they will not need as long as the tomatoes and onion.)  Roast the chilies, if you are using them, for a few seconds, being careful not to burn them.  Let the kids break the tortillas, into a large dish to catch the pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan.  Add the garlic cloves, and sauté over medium-low heat for 1 or 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, and break them up with a wooden spoon.  Add the onion, tortilla pieces, bay leaf, and cilantro, and the chilies if you are using them.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then to keep from sticking.

Add the tomato juice, vegetable stock, and water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, and purée the soup in a blender, in batches, until smooth.  (Be sure to remove the center section from the blender lid, as otherwise the heated air inside will cause the lid to explode.  You may want to take the precaution of placing a folded kitchen towel over the ventilated lid anyway.)  Strain the soup through a sieve, pressing it through with a wooden spoon, and discard the solids.

Rinse out the cooking pan.  Return the soup to the pan, and season with salt, white pepper, and ground chile to taste.  Rewarm the soup, if necessary. 

Garnish with the fried tortilla strips and a dollop of sour cream.

Makes about 5 servings.  Active work time, about 1 1/2 hours.

Chicken and Corn Soup

This soup, adapted from Stuart Chang Berman's "Potsticker Chronicles" is delicious -- simple yet filling, and a new family favorite.  The corn gives it a nice bit of crunch and sweetness. 

In order to keep the corn-cutting mess to a minimum, I set a large colander in the sink and cut the kernels directly into the colander.

Sometimes -- especially if there is a bit hanging around in the refrigerator -- I add a stalk of celery, minced finely.  Add it to the simmering stock and stir for 30-60 seconds before continuing with the corn and chicken.

This soup freezes very well, and so makes a good packed lunch for David, which he takes straight from the freezer so that there is less chance of making a mess in the lunchbox.

Preparation bowls are a must for most Chinese cooking, since the ingredients are added so rapidly that time is of the essence.  Have everything ready before you start!

Chicken and Corn Soup

1 1/2-pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 ears fresh corn, or 1 can corn kernels
2 scallions
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 cups chicken broth, preferably organic

Cut the kernels from the corn.  Put the corn in a colander and let the kids rinse it thoroughly under cold water, breaking up the pieces (the larger the colander, the better!).  Drain well.

Mince the scallions, and set aside. 

Mix together the sherry and sesame oil in a small prep bowl.  In another bowl or cup, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water; set aside.

Finely mince the chicken breast.  (If your chicken is fresh, and you are more patient than I, remove the thin membrane that covers the breast, as that will make mincing easier.  If you are using a breast from the freezer, thaw it only about 3/4 of the way, and mince it while it is still a bit firm.)

Bring the chicken broth to a full boil in a large pot.  Add the minced chicken and corn.  Stir well for 10 seconds.

Add the sherry and sesame oil mixture and the scallions.  Stir once.  Stir the cornstarch mixture briefly and slowly pour it into the soup, stirring constantly.  Serve at once.

Makes about 5 servings.  Active work time, 20 minutes.