Recipe Review: Two Soups

It's a soup time of year, isn't it? Kind of like curling up with a book, a steaming bowl (or ramekin) of soup is especially nice on a winter day. In today's review, I'm looking at one gourmet and one everyday soup, so we've got some choice as far as difficulty.

Creamy Garlic Soup

from Victoria Magazine

I've made some significant modifications to this recipe since I first tried it a few years ago. It originally called for roasting the garlic in olive oil. Firstly, we're butter people, and secondly, roasting takes time... time that we don't necessarily want to invest in a 4-serving soup. So, to make things simpler, I just sauté the garlic in with the onion.

Even though it's a bit on the tedious side, this is the best soup I have ever had. (Emphasis is completely intentional.) I fondly refer to it as Christmas soup because of the festive red pepper flakes and green hints of thyme. It also makes a marvelous dipping sauce. Everything tastes good with this soup... meat, bread, you name it.

Ingredients

• 1 or 2 heads of garlic (about 15 cloves)

• 3-4 Tbsp. butter

• 2 1/4 C. yellow onion, diced

• 2 tsp. fresh thyme (extra for garnish)

• 4 C. chicken broth

• 1 C. heavy whipping cream

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Add broth. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 min. Remove from heat and allow to cool at least 30 minutes.

3. In a blender, pulse mixture in batches until smooth. Return soup to pan and heat through. Add cream. Season with salt, black pepper and red pepper. To make it fancy, garnish with a small sprig of thyme. Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

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Vegetarian Chili

Old recipe from Maggi Bouillon and Seasonings company

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped

• 3/4 C. celery, chopped

• 3/4 C. water

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 (14.5-oz.) cans of diced tomatoes, undrained

Note: If using frozen or home-canned tomatoes, approximately 2 pints. Frozen or home-canned may contain more water. There are a few ways of troubleshooting this before you add the tomatoes to the chili. Option A) Cook the tomatoes for a while, uncovered, to reduce. Option B) scoop out the tomato "solids," leaving some water/juice behind. Option C) Skimp on the water called for in the recipe. Use your best judgment!

• 1 1/2 C. water

• 1/4 C. tomato paste

• 3 vegetable bouillon cubes

• 1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro

• 1 Tbsp. chili powder

• 1/2 tsp. cumin

• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

• 2 (15-oz.) cans kidney or black beans, rinsed well and drained

Directions

1. Combine onion, bell pepper, celery, 3/4 C. water and garlic in a large saucepan or stockpot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Add tomatoes with juice, water, tomato paste, bouillon cubes, cilantro, chili and mustard powders, and cumin; stir well. Stir in beans. Bring to a boil; cover. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Serve with cornbread and grated cheddar cheese, if desired.

Thank you for stopping by,

Eva