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Thriller Recipes – Soups

Thriller Recipes – Soups – concludes our month of recipes. These hot soups are great before the main course, or as a main course.

Grilled Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup

Lightly brush 2lbs sweet potatoes (cut in ½” slices), 1 red onion (cut in ½” slices), and 1oz fresh ginger with olive oil.  Season with coarse salt and pepper, and grill over direct medium heat for 10 minutes, turning halfway through.  Finely chop the ginger.    Place all in a large saucepan.  Add 6C vegetable stock, ¼t allspice, and 1/8t cayenne.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 30 minutes.  Puree the soup in a blender in at least 2 batches.  Return to the pan.  Add ¼C half and half, 2T Italian parsley, and 1T frozen limeade.  Makes 7 cups.

Corn Chowder

Heat 4 slices of precooked bacon until just crisp and prepare ¼” dice.  In a 6-8 Qt heavy pot over moderate heat, combine 3T olive oil with 2C diced sweet onion, 2 diced carrots, ¾C diced celery, and 1 diced red bell pepper.  Cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add ½Lb yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼” dice, and ½Lb sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼” dice.  Add 5C reduced-sodium chicken broth and 2 fresh thyme sprigs and simmer, covered, until potatoes are just tender, ~15 minutes.  Add 3C corn kernels and 1½ C heavy cream and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.  Add 1t sea salt and 1t pepper, then stir in bacon.  Serves 8.

Steve and Yann’s Chili

Fry 4 slices of bacon and set aside to drain off fat.  Reserving the pan, cook 1 sweet onion, diced, 1 green pepper, sliced, and 1Lb ground sirloin until just cooked through.  In a large pot combine the beef, onion, bacon in bite-size chunks, 1 can corn kernels with juice, 2 cans of kidney beans with juice, 2 cans of tomatoes with juice, 1T shortening, and 1t chili powder.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.  Add more chili powder if desired halfway through cooking.  Serves 4.

Tortilla Soup

In a large soup pot, heat 2T corn or canola oil over medium heat and sauté 1/2 sweet onion, chopped, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 1/2 zucchini, chopped, 1 yellow summer squash, chopped, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 yellow bell pepper, and 10 roma tomatoes until tender, 10-15 minutes. Add 4C chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Put 4 corn tortillas on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until crisp and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and break into large pieces.

Working in batches, puree the soup and tortillas in a food processor. Return to the pan to reheat. Stir in 2T cilantro, chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream. Serves 4-6.

Paella

Bring 1 1/2” water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add 2 1 1/2 lb lobsters, cover, and cook for 13 minutes. Remove the lobsters and cool just enough to handle. Crack the shells and remove the meat. Keep the claws whole and chop the remainder of the meat into large pieces and reserve.

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Heat a 12” ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 1/2t extra-virgin olive oil and sauté 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped, and 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced, until the onion is translucent, ~5 minutes. Add 2 links Portuguese sausage (or chorizo), skinned and chopped, and cook for 3 minutes. Gently stir in 2C white rice and cook for a few minutes to lightly toast.

Heat 3C chicken broth. Add to the skillet. Add 1 pinch saffron, crushed, and coarse salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove and cover with a lid. Place the Paelle in the oven for 10 minutes. Uncover and scatter 1 dozen littleneck clams on top of the rice. Cover and cook for 12 minutes, until the clams are open. Add 1 1/2 lbs codfish (or firm white fish), cut into 2” pieces, and the lobster. Cook for 3 minutes. Discard any clams that don’t open. Serves 4-6.

Chipotle Wild Alaskan Salmon Chowder

In a 6 qt soup pot, over medium-high heat, sauté 2 sweet onions, chopped, and 4 garlic cloves, pressed, in 1t olive oil for 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium, add 1¼ C celery, chopped, and 1t dried thyme, crushed. Stir occasionally until onion starts to brown. Add 1T olive oil and stir to coat. Add 2T flour, stirring continuously to thoroughly coat the mixture, then add ½C vermouth, a little at a time, while stirring constantly to avoid clumps in the flour. Add 2½ C vegetable stock, 1 chipotle chili, finely chopped, 1T adobo sauce, 1T rosemary leaves, ½t nutmeg, 1 red potato, unpeeled and cut into bite size pieces, and 2 yams, unpeeled and cut into bite size pieces. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove pot from heat. Remove 1C of vegetables and blend. Return to pot and turn heat to medium-low. Stir in 2¾ C milk and cook for 2 minutes, then add 1 lb wild salmon, cut into 2” strips. Cover and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from burner, add 1C basil, chopped, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes. Season with sea salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkling of sweet paprika. and 2T fresh dill. Serves 5.