Corn, Sausage & Leek Chowder. A warm hug in a bowl.

If I was one of those organized people who hosted holiday open houses with Vince Guaraldi playing in every room and Mistletoe hanging above the doorway, I'd serve this soup. Comforting yet not too rich with its brothy stock laden with all kinds of textures, it has everything going for it. And that's before you add toppings!

You can use sweet sausage instead of spicy but I love a little heat against the sweet corn. And if you want it 'meatier' feel free to up the sausage to one pound. I find the ratio below makes this a perfect guys and gals soup though. The dudes feel like they're eating a hearty meal and us gals can still hold our head up and say we had soup for dinner. But if you're in the camp of 'mo sausage, mo betta' cheers to that.

Maybe one year I'll be organized enough to actually host that holiday party of my dreams. Until then I'm just happy knowing I already have the perfect recipe.

Corn, Sausage and Leek Soup
* This soup is great to make ahead and tastes amazing reheated.
* I can't stress rinsing your leeks thoroughly enough. This is best to do once you've halved them lengthwise so you can get the water in between the leaves where fine grit hides.
* Serves 6.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound spicy Italian sausage, loose
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 med sweet onion, chopped
3 leeks, white and light green (not tough) parts only, well rinsed, halved lengthwise then chopped into thin strips crosswise
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus extra to taste
pinch pepper
10 oz frozen corn
32 oz low sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup half and half

Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
Chopped Fresh cilantro, for serving
Tortilla chips, crushed up, for serving

Directions:
In a large dutch oven, break up the sausage with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat until cooked through and some bits have become nice and brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove sausage with a wooden spoon and set aside.

To the dutch oven, add 2 tablespoons salted butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. Allow the butter to melt then add the onion. Cook stirring often for 3 minutes then add the leaks. Season with coriander, salt and pepper and continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the leeks are super soft, about 10-12 minutes.

Stir in the corn, chicken stock, and cooked sausage and raise heat slightly so the soup comes to a simmer. Simmer for a few minutes, then reduce heat to low and stir in the half and half. Taste for seasoning. If it's not the most delicious thing you've ever eaten, it needs more salt so make gradual adjustments until it is.

Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheddar and or/any other toppings you see fit.

Comfort Ravioli Soup

Kris' band played in Corpus this weekend. It was super fun except for the fact that he was fighting allergies the whole time. He managed to shine it on though until this morning when it seemed to go into something else.

As I write this, I can tell I'm getting whatever he has. No wonder I was craving soup.

This soup is both comforting and out of the ordinary at the same time. The lime juice adds an unexpected brightness and the variety of vegetables keep things interesting. Of course you can use whatever you have on hand as far as the greens go, but this particular combination is my favorite.

Comfort Ravioli Soup
* Can be made vegetarian - just switch stock to vegetable stock.

Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots or onion
4 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
plenty of kosher salt, for seasoning
2 carrots, sliced fairly thin
1 bay leaf
3 plum tomatoes
2 bunches Swiss Chard, rinsed well, pulled from the thick stems (discard them) and torn into pieces (not too small - about the size of a lady's palm as they will shrink when they cook)

5 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock

juice of 1 healthy lime

lots of fresh grated nutmeg

good pinch red pepper flakes

1/2 cup drained cannellini beans
1 cup frozen lima beans
rind of parmesan (or sub 1/2 cup shredded parm)
1 package (9 oz) three cheese whole wheat pasta, such as Buitoni

Directions:
Heat the oil in a medium, heavy weight lidded dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots, season with a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring often to keep it from burning - about 2 minutes. Add in the carrots (season with a pinch more salt) and bay leaf sauté for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the tops off the tomatoes on the stem side. Hold each tomato over the sink, cut side down, and squeeze the seeds out. Then dice the tomatoes and add them to the carrots.

Cook the tomatoes just long enough to knock the newness off of them, about 3 minutes. Add in the Swiss Chard then pour in the chicken stock and lime juice giving a good stir. Place the lid on and turn the heat to high. Once it's boiling, remove the lid and stir in the nutmeg and red pepper flakes and another pinch of salt.

Let boil for another 2 minutes, then turn the heat to low and add in the cannellini and lima beans and the parmesan rind. Cover and let simmer on low for at least 30 minutes but preferably an hour. Stir every so often to make sure nothing's sticking to the bottom.

Remove the lid and stir in the pasta. Cover again and let simmer for 10 minutes until the pasta has cooked (and puffed.) Taste for seasoning, adding any salt and/or pepper or pepper flakes as needed.

Serve in big bowls with crusty bread alongside. Just make sure you don't eat the bay leaf. Discard if you can find it.

Giada's Winter Minestrone...

Is a misnomer. This soup can and should be eaten year round. It's divine. I don't get to make it as often as I'd like to but only because it takes me a half hour of digging to find the bag of parmesan rinds in my freezer. Usually it ends up having fallen behind a pint of old Blue Bell my husband forgot about. Or a tiny bottle of Tito's, the size of which always makes me wonder, why bother?

Giada's Winter Minestrone
* Giada purees her soup but I like mine chunky. So I don't.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 (3 oz) package cubed pancetta
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch ('bout a pound) Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
1 russet potato, cubed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes ( use fire roasted with chiles)
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
2 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth
1 ounce piece Parmesan cheese rind
lots of fresh grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and potato; season with salt and pepper and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig. Go ahead and let 'er simmer another couple minutes.

Finally add the beans, broth, Parmesan cheese rind and nutmeg to the vegetable mixture. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through - about another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Discard Parmesan rind (unless you're me - then hope you get it in your bowl) and rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off of the stem.)

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with toasted french bread drizzled with olive oil.

Witches' Puss (Pea, Kale, and Mozzarella Soup)

Finally a little fall in Texas! Just in time to make it really feel like Halloween weather.

This is just my favorite pea soup recipe with a bit of thawed frozen kale added in. It's the only way I can sneak kale into my husband so I'm betting it would work on kids too. If you have any youngin's going trick or treating on Monday, this would be a great way to get some food into them before the sugar orgy.

Pea Soup with Fresh Mozzarella and Kale
*You can adjust the thickness of the soup by leaving some of the stock out of the blender (use a strainer or spider to pull out all the veg), blending all the veg and cheese together first before adding all the rest of the stock to suit your preferences.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 green onions (can sub fresh basil, parsley, mint or whatever herb you have on hand)
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 (10 oz) packages frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped frozen kale, thawed, optional
1 large ball fresh mozzarella, broken into small pieces

Instructions:
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, allowing to warm though, then the shallots. Season with salt and pepper and saute for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add green onions and chicken stock, cover and bring to boil. When boiling, add the peas and kale and lower the heat, allowing to cook just until the peas achieve that bright green color - about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for twenty minutes before blending. Discard the green onions and transfer the peas, shallots and kale using a slotted spoon to a blender. Add half of the chicken stock, and carefully blend (CAREFUL WHEN BLENDING HOT LIQUID - PULL OUT THE PLASTIC CENTER FROM THE TOP TO ALLOW STEAM TO ESCAPE AND COVER LOOSELY WITH A KITCHEN TOWEL OR ELSE YOU'LL WIND UP WITH PEAS SOUP ON YOUR CEILING. TRUST ME - I'VE DONE IT.) Add as much of the leftover stock as you'd like to reach the constistancy you're happy with, then add in half of the mozzarella pieces blending in to incorporate. When happy, put back in the large pot and cook over low heat, until warmed through. Serve with extra mozzarella pieces sprinkled on top.

It's beginning to look like...Halloween! (and Carrot Ginger Soup)

I know, I know. It's not even October yet. You're probably thinking I'm some Halloween freak who already has my house, yard, and bathrooms decorated. And you'd be right.

Now that that's out of the way...let's talk carrot ginger soup. Why do I think of soup when it comes to Halloween, you ask? Well here's where I pour you some sparkling apple cider (alcoholic at my house) and pull you up a chair. Several years ago, Kris and I got a bug up our bottoms to leave San Francisco and head for the midwest. The promise of having a 'normal life' or at least something more like what we had growing up in Texas - i.e. a house and a yard and a mortgage - made us glaze over with excitement, shunning the naysayers who said "Fargo?"

So off we went, buying a 1905 Victorian house near Lake Calhoun. Our first fall there was the first 'real' fall Kris and I had ever had. Leaves turned into orange confetti and fluttered through the air like a scene from Charlie Brown. Mittens were broken out by October 1st along with hats and snow boots and I thought I was living in the middle of an after school special.

About that time, a friend told me how it was a tradition in the Minnesota neighborhood where she grew up to give kids soup after trick or treating. At first it sounded weird to me (who wants soup when you have a bag of candy?) but when Halloween came around, I got it. It was damn freezing out and most kids actually had to flash their Halloween costumes at us like miniature perverts because it was already so cold out they were hidden under huge down coats! Of COURSE they'd want a bowl of hot soup once they were finished pounding the freezing pavement all night for a sugar high - probably along with a blanket and a nip of brandy...or hot chocolate.

Hearing this tradition made me want to raise 10 kids in the freezing midwest just so I could partake in it. But then second winter came hitting negative 5 degrees before Thanksgiving and I changed my mind (though I could brine a whole turkey in a bucket on the back mud porch - loved that!)

Anyhow, that's why I think of soup at Halloween. And what soup could be more perfect than one that's this color?

Carrot Ginger Soup
Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) salted butter
1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (use a 1 inch knob for more ginger flavor)
3 shallots, chopped medium dice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 pounds carrots, cleaned, ends removed and sliced into thin coins
1/4 teaspoon coriander
pinch kosher salt
pinch fresh cracked pepper
4 cups (32 oz box) low sodium chicken stock

Directions:
Add the butter to a large dutch oven and put over medium heat. Once melted, add the ginger, shallots, and garlic. Saute, stirring often, until the shallots are translucent, lowering the heat a little if at any point the garlic begins to brown or crisp. Add the carrots and coriander, salt, and pepper, and saute for 20 minutes - until the carrots have softened and the begun to brown along the bottom of the pan. Raise the heat to high and pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, give a good stir to ensure nothing's stuck to the bottom of the pan, then lower the heat so that the soup is just simmering with the lid closed - not hot popping mad boiling. Let simmer for 30 minutes, then kill the heat and move the pot to a cool burner and let cool for another 30 minutes.

Use a ladle to add, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Once all blended, return to the pot over low heat, if eating right away to heat through, taste for salt and pepper and make any last minute adjustments before serving.

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup (without a drop of cream!)

Can I tell you about the time I fell in love with tomato soup? I was in college having lunch with my sister at La Madeleine (fancy!) and I ordered a mug of their tomato soup and Caesar salad thinking I was being virtuous. I can't remember what we talked about. All I can remember is the damn soup. It literally drowned out everything around me. I was in a bubble and it was peaceful and warm and I never wanted to leave it.

But eventually, we had to leave and as we approached the exit I spotted some of the delicious soup for sale. In jars. With the calorie count on them. Turns out, there were about three gallons of heavy cream in each 1/2 cup serving. Don't ask me to do the math - I'm an advertising dork not a scientist - but trust me it was something crazy like that. I have it in my head that it was 60 grams of fat per serving. In other words I could've eaten an entire deep fried chicken or grazed my way through the Texas State Fair for less calories. And it had been soup.

Tomato soup was an evil dirty whore. She'd lied to me with her fresh pink color and visions of spending entire summers in a bikini. From then on I avoided it like the plague. Okay I lied. I got over my phobia eventually. When I was sick I ate Campbell's Tomato with my grilled cheese (not bad) and occasionally whipped up some various chef recipes (Giada's Tomato, Rosemary, and White Bean...divine.) But none were of the creamy variety. I had been scarred.

Until now. My dears - let me introduce you to a creamy, luscious tomato soup without a drop of cream in it. Again I'm not a scientist. I can't tell you why it tastes so naughty and rich and cream-laden. Maybe it's from roasting the tomatoes or the addition of fennel which incredibly doesn't make it licorice-y. But I'll be honest. I don't want to know.

I just want to eat it.

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup (without a drop of cream!)

Ingredients:
3 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in half crosswise and scooped free of seeds and watery pulp
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 medium head fennel
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 carrot, chopped
1 peeled, whole garlic clove, lightly smashed
4 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 sachet of fresh herbs (a handful each of flat leaf parsley, cilantro, and basil tied together in cheese cloth)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray and set your tomato halves on it, cut side up. Drizzle over enough olive oil to coat them, using your fingers or a pastry brush to spread the oil over each one. Flip them to cut side down, smear any leftover oil over the tops and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Bake the tomatoes for about 40-45 minutes until the tops are just beginning to blacken a little and the tomatoes have shrunk. Set aside.

While the tomatoes roast, trim the stalks off your fennel bulb, peel away the outer layer and remove the bulb base then chop. Add the 3 tablespoons of butter to a large dutch oven and bring over medium heat. Once just melted, add the shallots, carrot, garlic, and fennel. Season lightly with pepper (hold off on the salt for now) and saute until softened, about 12-15 minutes. Be careful not to let the vegetables burn or the butter brown. Once softened, add 2 cups of the chicken broth and the herb sachet.

Reduce heat to a low simmer and let gently bubble away, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and retrieve the sachet, squeezing once cool enough to handle to get all the juice and herby flavor out. Discard the sachet then add your tomato halves and any juice collected in the pan to the pot. Let cool slightly before blending.

To blend, add in batches to a blender or all at once to a food processor and process until nice and smooth, being sure to scrape down any strays from the sides as necessary. Return to the dutch oven and put over low heat. Gently stir in 1 cup of the chicken stock, and then use your judgement wether you want to add more or not once well stirred - just depends on how thick or thin you like your soup.

Taste for salt and pepper, adding any more if need be. ONE WORD OF CAUTION - if you're making the soup for another day and going to refrigerate it - maybe hold off adding more salt as the soup will continue to 'develop' in the fridge. By the time it's reheated - it might be saltier than you think it is.

Serve garnished with fresh herbs, if desired.

Summery Corn Chowder with Coriander

Corn hating makes me sad. Yes it may be partially responsible for the fattening of America (corn syrup) but it's also the most summery vegetable of them all. The two go hand in hand. It's even the color of summer. And in my opinion, a barbecue isn't a barbecue without a cilantro-buttered cob or two.

This soup is further proof that cilantro and corn were meant to be together. It's creamy (yikes! I hate that word! I must need coffee...), slightly sweet, and spicy all at the same time. I could eat it by the bucket full, even at the risk of being described as 'corn fed'.

PS - this soup gets better as it sits in the fridge. I suggest making it the day before a dinner party then reheating it to serve as a first course.

Creamy Corn Chowder with Cilantro and Cayenne
* Can be made vegetarian if you sub vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
* Yes I used frozen corn instead of fresh b/c I was in a hurry. Feel free to cut the kernels off two fresh cobs as a replacement.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
dash olive oil
1 small/medium Vidalia or Spanish onion, chopped
1 small/medium yellow squash, chopped into smallish dice
pinch salt
pinch white pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 large garlic clove, or 2 small minced
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 green onions, rinsed and cut in half

1/3 cup half and half
extra dash of white pepper

Instructions:
Heat the olive oil and butter in a dutch oven (large, heavy lidded pot) over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper, until it's begun to soften. Add in the squash and season with the coriander, cayenne (you can add more if you're a heat addict), and cumin. Saute, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and saute another 2 minutes. At this point, if any of the onions or veg don't look completely soft and cooked through, put the lid on to speed things up leaving it on for a few minutes. Add in the corn, stock and green onions and bring to a boil over high heat. Let boil for about a minute, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes on low.

Kill the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Remove the green onions and discard, then use an immersion blender to blend everything up and make it smooth. Stir in the half and half and a dash more white pepper and serve garnished with chopped fresh jalapeno and cilantro leaves.

Double Cheese French Onion Soup

One of my favorite cookbooks is the first one I ever got. It was The Southern Living Cookbook and my big sister Jennifer gave it to me when Kris and I moved into our first apartment together after college. I've been making this incredible soup ever since. When we lived in San Francisco, I didn't yet own a dutch oven (I actually remember thinking it was some sort of fancy electronic equipment) and had to saute the onions in two different pans, then combine them all into the biggest one I had. But the soup was worth it.

There's only one way I know of to screw up French Onion Soup and that is not sauteeing the onions long enough. They don't need to get shrunken and caramelized by any means, but they should be thoroughly cooked and soft before you begin adding the liquids. Don't tell yourself they'll 'get there' during the boiling and simmering step. They won't and your soup will be sad for it. So take your time, and if you want to speed things up a little, you can start sauteeing your onions with the top on to make them more submissive.

French Onion Soup with Provolone and Parmesan
Adapted from The Southern Living Cookbook
6-8 servings.

Ingredients:
4 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced into rings
2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon flour
12 oz (1 1/2 cups) low sodium chicken broth
12 oz (1 1/2 cups) low sodium beef broth
2 cups white wine, preferably Chardonnay
fresh cracked black pepper
pinch nutmeg, preferably fresh grated

6-8 slices French bread, toasted
6-8 slices Provolone cheese, or double if you want to go cheese crazy
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Add butter and olive oil to a large dutch oven (large heavy rimmed and lidded pot) and bring to medium heat. Add the onion slices, seasoning well with kosher or sea salt and pepper and saute until the volume of onions has reduced to a third and each and every slice is separated and soft - around 25-30 minutes. Gradually add the broths and wine, stirring with each addition. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the nutmeg and simmer for 15 minutes.

Taste for seasoning, adding any more salt if necessary. Preheat your broiler. Place your oven proof serving bowls on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Then add 1 or 2 pieces of the toasted French bread into the bottom of the bowls. Ladle the soup over the bread, leaving a good half inch at the top free so it doesn't boil over. Place 1 (or 3, if you're my husband) slices of Provolone over the soup, then a hefty pinch of shredded parmesan.

CAREFULLY place the tray of bowls into your oven near the broiler. Watching carefully, broil for about 3 minutes, or just until the cheese melts and forms a golden crust. Remove and let cool at least 5 minutes before serving, using oven mitts to transfer the bowls.

Slow Supper Sundays - Chicken Chili with White Beans, Jalapeno, and Rosemary

Have I ever told you how I feel about leftovers?

Hmm... How do I say this and maintain ladylike behavior. Oh forget it - I hate them. Despise them. Loathe them.

Microwaving their flacid remains the next day, their texture always disappoints. I don't even recognize some of my favorite recipes when I try to 'repeat' them. I just get angry, then sad, then embarrassed for my little plate of food, having lost its moment of glory.

There are a few exceptions, however. My pork enchiladas, in the previous post, that can be reheated in the oven or even microwaved (you'll lose the texture - but they're so damn good who cares), soup, and chili.

This chicken chili is my latest love. I am having an affair with it. It is so good, it's embarrassing. It makes me blush.

And as with most affairs, mine is accompanied by shame. Here's my confession - are you ready? I've never cooked with dried beans before. I found the whole idea of soaking them daunting and exhausting. I was lazy. I reached for the ease and familiarity of the can.

But I have to say - if you have the time - don't be the cowardice I was. Soaking is easy and they're nothing to be afraid of. If you're unsure of their doneness you can always test them for doneness just like pasta, then cook them longer if needed.

Alright - enough about beans. Actually one more note - this may sound odd, but you'll notice that in the recipe, I recommend having another 4 cups (1 box) of low sodium chicken stock on hand. This is for two reasons.

1) Depending on the brand of beans you buy/temperature of your burner/grace of God - your beans might absorb more stock than you would suspect while they cook and soften, drying up your stew like a sponge.
2) Everyone likes their chili a little different - some thicker, some thinner. So it never hurts to have more stock within reaching distance.

What surprises me about this recipe is how well rosemary works with oregano and cilantro. As I've advised, if you can get a hold of a store bought Rosemary chicken - do so and even though you remove the skin, let some of the prickly rosemary leaves stay with the meat. If you can only find a plain rotisserie chicken - don't panic - just up the ratio of addition fresh chopped rosemary to 1/2 teaspoon. The beauty of this recipe is that like all chilis, it gets better with time. You could make it earlier in the day and let it simmer away on low until you're ready to eat (adding stock as necessary if it dries out too much) or even make it a day ahead, refrigerate it and reheat. I'll shut up now. My lover's calling me.

Chicken Chili with White Beans, Jalapeno, and Rosemary
Serves 6.

Ingredients:
1 pound dried navy beans, rinsed thoroughly under cold water
5 cups low sodium chicken stock, with an addition 4 cups (box) at the ready
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 heaping cups chopped red or sweet (Vidalia) onion
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
fresh cracked black pepper, plus additional for seasoning
2 jalapenos, seeded, ribs removed, and finely chopped (if you like it hotter, keep the seeds and feel free to add more)
3 fat (5-6 small) garlic cloves, minced - about 1 1/2 tablespoons
1/2 store bough Rosemary Rotisserie chicken, skin removed and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3/4 tablespoon dried oregano
1 small cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Sour cream, for serving

Instructions:
Place the well rinsed beans in a large dutch oven (I use my 5 qt Le Creuset - a worthy investment in my opinion) and cover with water, filling to the top. Place the cover over and set aside in a cool place in the kitchen for 4 hours.

At this point drain them and rinse again well in a colander (even rinse out the pot you soaked them.) Return the beans to the pot along with the 5 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat while you begin the rest.

Heat a separate, large rimmed nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add butter and olive oil, letting heat through for 30 seconds, then the chopped onions. Season with salt and a good grating of fresh black pepper (or 1/4 teaspoon dried if that's what you have) and saute, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes until they begin to turn light pink and translucent.

Add the jalapenos and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring every so often. Clear a space out in the pan for the cumin, and add it, letting it 'toast' for a couple of minutes before stirring into the rest. Add the garlic, cinnamon stick and an additional small pinch salt, and cook for another 5 minutes, just until the garlic softens and mellows (don't let the heat get too hot or it will burn - you just want a kiss of heat to mellow it out versus frying the crap out of it.)

At this point, the onions should be really well cooked and have lost a lot of volume in the pan with a couple of bits beginning to caramelize. If not, cook another few minutes until this occurs.

Add the onion mixture to the boiling beans and stock, along with the dried oregano and fresh rosemary. Stir in to incorporate and let boil another 10 minutes (if your stock has dried up - add more starting with a cup or two as you need to maintain a 'sea' for your ingredients to get to know each other in.) Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, then add the chicken and cilantro and lower the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Check the beans for their tenderness and the chili for salt. If the beans are still too al dente - continue cooking for another half hour or until they're at the consistency you like. Adjust salt seasoning, if necessary and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.

Ginger Miso Soup with Spinach and Tofu

It was 48 degrees in our apartment this morning. Not as bad as the 7 degrees outside, but still, not anyway way to live. The saddest part is, our apartment is actually really nice. It just has old windows that come standard with its pre war charm and negative insulation, hence the ice fishing shanty temperature.

So what else was I to do but make soup? This is a variation on a recipe from a Marie Claire "Crisp" cookbook. It's actually an incredible little book, one that I would definitely grab in the event of the God forbid house fire. (I woke up to find two giant fire trucks in front of our building at 3 am this morning. Apparently all was fine, but it did leave me with nightmares of running out of the house into near negative temperatures, using my cats as blankets.)

If you've never had miso soup, I'd advise starting with a more basic version, sans the ginger, as it brings its distinct warming presence full on in this soup. But of course, that's just what we needed today.

Ginger Miso Sour with Spinach and Tofu
Serves 5.

32 oz low sodium vegetable stock (or if you're not vegetarian chicken stock)
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
4 Shitake mushrooms, tough ends removed and sliced length-wise into thin slices
8 paper thin slices fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, peeled and given a tap with the side of your knife

2 tablespoons light miso paste
6 oz firm tofu, cut into small cubes
4 green onions, halved lengthwise and chopped into 1/4 pieces

3 oz fresh baby spinach leaves

Add the stock, wine and water to a large soup pot and put it on high heat bringing it to a boil. Add the cinnamon stick, Shitakes, ginger and garlic and reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick then add the miso, stirring to allow it to melt in, then the tofu and green onions. Let simmer another 10 minutes. Add the spinach leaves and stir just until wilted (it won't matter taste wise if you let it simmer all day - it just serves prettier if the leaves still have a bright green to them.) Remove the garlic clove before serving and the ginger slices if desired.

Quick note - this would also be great with sugar snap peas and or chicken instead of tofu.

Tortellini Soup with Pancetta, Swiss Chard and White Beans

Adapted from Everyday Pasta, by Giada DeLaurentiis.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
4 oz pancetta, chopped (or thick bacon)
3 large shallots (or a small onion), chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (15 oz) can chopped San Marzano tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon sugar
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch of Swiss chard, well rinsed, removed from spine and rough chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups dry white wine
1 lb. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
Salt and pepper

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook for a few minutes until the fat has begun to render but before it becomes too crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta to a plate. Add the shallots and carrot to the oil, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, canned tomatoes, and sugar, and cook two more minutes stirring well. Then add beans, chicken broth and wine and bring up to a boil over high heat. Toss in the Swiss chard and let it wilt, about 3 minutes.

Add the tortellini and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the tortellini are tender (about 4 minutes for fresh, 8 minutes for frozen). Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

* This soup is even better the next day - a great soup to make on a Sunday and take to work for lunch during the week. It also freezes well.

Grilled Cheese and Pea Mozarella Soup - The Cure for what Ails You

There are few things I love more than this pea soup. It's easy, it's healthy, and it's just the sort of thing I want to eat after a long day, sitting with a bowl on the couch with remote in hand. In fact, it would be the PERFECT soup, if it weren't for the unique (to be polite) scent of peas which prevents me from taking leftovers to work. I don't want to be known as the girl who eats the soup that smells like feet. I'm sorry peas, but it's true.

If you've tried pea soup before and are less than thrilled at trying it again, be brave and try again. I didn't even know I liked peas before I made this for the first time, as the only other pea soups I'd had were made heavy and thick and overly salty by either bacon or ham, raping the little veggies of their natural sweetness. It should also be noted that leftovers of this soup can be made even better when you add leftover rice (particularly if you've cooked it with parsley and/or lemon zest.) In fact, that's the other thing about peas - they get along well with everybody, which is why you see them on so many English menus as an accompaniment with everything from fried haddock to lamb, possibly as some sort of karmic retribution for their smell.

Speaking of English, this is Nigella Lawson's recipe, with just the slightest adjustments on my part. Oh and if you're Kris, you don't understand the point of having soup without a sandwich, and the one below is made for dipping in the kelly green, mozzerella flecked swamp.

Pea Soup

4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 green onions (can sub fresh basil, parsley, mint or whatever herb you have on hand)
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 (10 oz) packages frozen peas
1 large ball fresh mozzarella, broken into small pieces

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, allowing to warm though, then the shallots. Season with salt and pepper and saute for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add green onions and chicken stock, cover and bring to boil. When boiling, add the peas and lower the heat, allowing to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for twenty minutes before blending. Discard the green onions and transfer the peas and shallots using a slotted spoon to a blender. Add half of the chicken stock, and carefully blend (CAREFUL WHEN BLENDING HOT LIQUID - PULL OUT THE PLASTIC CENTER FROM THE TOP TO ALLOW STEAM TO ESCAPE AND COVER LOOSELY WITH A KITCHEN TOWEL OR ELSE YOU'LL WIND UP WITH PEAS SOUP ON YOUR CEILING. TRUST ME - I'VE DONE IT.) Add as much of the leftover stock as you'd like to reach the constistancy you're happy with, then add in half of the mozzarella pieces blending in to incorporate. When happy, put back in the large pot and cook over low heat, until warmed through. Serve with extra mozzarella pieces sprinkled on top.


Mozzarella Grilled Cheese (This sandwich is baked, actually, making it less fussy than other grilled cheeses.)

French Baguette
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
olive oil
salt and pepper
Basil pesto (either purchased or home made)


Preheat oven to 350. Slice your baguette into the size sandwiches you desire, then halve them. Place the halves on an aluminum lined baking sheet sprayed with Pam. Layer your mozzarella slices on the bottom halves, then drizzle the slices as well as the underside of the tops with a light amount of olive oil (use a light hand - you don't want to make the bread heavy or soggy.) Sprinkle all with sea salt and pepper and place in the oven, baking for about 15 minutes or until cheese has begun to melt off the sides and bread is toasted.

Spread the underside of the tops with pesto, assemble the sandwiches, and serve with extra peso on the side.