Broccoli & Cheese Soup

For a while, I have been experimenting with different recipes for broccoli and cheese soup.  I was search for a hearty soup, perfect for a cold fall or winter day.  For the life of me, I couldn't figure out the secret. Well this month's Food Network magazine opened my eyes with its cover recipe, Broccoli-Cheddar Soup. Wanna know the secret ingredient? Potatoes!  Who would have guessed? (Well, certainly not me. Ha!) 


So I decided at 8 pm to start cooking, well chopping up all the ingredients for a batch of this fantastic sounding recipe.  

Cheryl Beasock Photography

Ingredients 

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped --- I substituted more russet potatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups broccoli florets (I added about 3 cups because I like broccoli!)
• 1/3 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups)
• Kosher Salt and Ground Pepper
• Croutons for topping (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened (about 5 minutes). Then add the chicken broth, half-and-half, potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups of water, 1 tsp salt and 1/3 tsp pepper.  Bring to a boil. 
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes).  While you are waiting, put the broccoli florets into a microwave-safe dish with 3 tablespoons water and some salt for seasoning.  Cover it with plastic wrap and microwave about 4 minutes. When finished, drain and set aside.
3. When the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf from the soup and transfer the soup to a blender.  Puree until smooth. (Now, they made this sound a lot easier then it really is.  Be prepared for the puree to be super hot.) They recommend that you leave the filler cap off so that you let out steam (however this may mean that the hot liquid is going to spray out... just saying). Now return the soup to the pot and stir in the broccoli and cheese.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons, if desired. Serve!

Finished Product!

My adaptations made my soup look less "orange" than the image in the magazine, however if you think about that fact that I traded russet potatoes for sweet potatoes it makes sense.  Anyways, the soup is delicious and I have packaged up enough for about 13 lunches! YAY!!!

Until we eat again,

Amateur Chef Cheryl

Chicken Cacciatore

Today I had the joy of cooking with my dear friend, Eric.  He would tell you that I'm teaching him how to cook, however I think that he is helping me learn to better explain how I cook.  We made Chicken Cacciatore.  Here's the recipe so you can give it a go!


Ingredients:

• 1 red bell pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 package of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, halved then sliced into strips
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup of freshly chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

     First things first, preheat your oven to 375 degrees! 

     Then, take your red bell pepper and place it whole over the open flame on your burner or grill.  You are roasting the pepper, so turn in around with tongs until its blackened all over. After it is completely blackened, remove from flame and place into a bowl.  Immediately cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it steam for about 15 minutes.  Then, peel the pepper and throw away the skin.  Then core the pepper and slice into small strips and set it aside.

     Now, in a pot without plastic handles or a dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper then add it to the oil over medium heat.  Cook the chicken until it is golden on both sides (3-4 minutes per side).  Then take the chicken out of the pot and set aside.

     Add 1 more teaspoon of oil to the pot and add mushrooms.  Cook the mushrooms for about 3 minutes or until soft.  Then go ahead and add your onions and garlic.  Cook that down until your onions become almost clear, about 3-5 more minutes.

     Then add 3 tablespoons of flour, stirring until it is well mixed.  Add the white wine.  Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes, then add the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, and roasted red peppers.  Let it simmer for about 2 minutes.

      Add the chicken back into the pot and transfer the pot into the oven.  Cook it at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.  

      Lastly, remove from the oven and stir in the vinegar and parsley.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Then Serve.

Tonight we served the Chicken Cacciatore with Pasta, a salad, and Italian bread.  It turned out wonderfully! It is relatively simple to make (minus the roasting of the red pepper) and I think it is a great meal for any occasion! 

DELICIOUS!

So don't be scared! Give it a shot.  Post comments on any adaptions you have made, I'm interested :)

Until we eat again,

Amateur Chef Cheryl

Missing the Fresh Produce

This summer, I spent almost every Saturday at Janoski's with my Auntie.  She loves going there and is a wonderful cook! She grew up on a farm and knows so much about how to pick produce -- it amazes me.  The fresh selection of fruits and vegetables, especially at the peak of the season is incredible! They grow everything from apples and peaches to zucchini and peppers! At first, I kept it simple buying only items that I was familiar with such as tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and summer squash.  But after a while my curiosity of all the other produce grew.  I started buying things outside of my comfort zone -- eggplant, spaghetti squash, butternut squash and hot peppers.

I looked up recipes and got to work! I learn how to make multiple dishes for each item.  My favorites are eggplant parmesan, roasted butternut squash, and spaghetti squash with roasted red peppers and onions.  In the future, I'll do photo blogs of each of those with the recipes that I use.

After a few small trips I started to think to myself, other than canning, is there a way that I can save these fruits and veggies into the winter?

My first adventure was a peck of peaches.  For around $7.00 I got a lot of peaches!  I wish that I could remember off hand how many, but there was at least 30.  They were some of the sweetest peaches that I have ever tasted.  One of the items I made was a Peach Brandy Cobbler.  It was good, however the fresh peach brandy sauce was completely unnecessary and I did not like the consistency.  Therefore, I won't share the recipe -- BUT I do promise that next summer I will find a better cobbler recipe. :) 

Peach Brandy Cobbler

Now making a cobbler and keeping a few to eat fresh left me with a  lot extra.  I starting thinking about canning and discussed it with my Auntie.  In her wisdom, she looked at me and say "Why bother canning when you have a freezer?"  So I went on a mission! Core and slicing away! In about two hours I finished packaging individual servings of peaches and placing them in the freezer.  I found out the I love frozen peaches as a sweet snack instead of ice cream and I ended up buying another peck before summer ended. 

A peck of peaches

My next two adventures were a bushel of peppers (38 for about $9) and a basket of hot peppers (22 for $4)!  I made Rachel Ray's Chicken Fajita Tortilla Soup with the adaptation of cutting the stock in half to make it more like a stew.  Then I went to town! Coring, chopping and slicing then par-freezing and packaging them up in different sizes for soup, sauce, stir-fry veggies and more!  I love being able to go in the freezer, take out some peppers and know that they do not have any preservatives and that they were frozen at the peak of their freshness! 

A basket of fresh hot peppers

I am hoping to get one or two more trips in before the season is finally over.  Most of the peppers have been picked, but there are plenty of apples, pumpkins, and squash in our future!


Until we eat again,
Amateur Chef Cheryl