Ah, October – one of my favorite months of the year. Not only is it my birthday month, but the dawn of October signals that we’re really, truly in the thick of fall – summer is behind us, and there’s no turning back (even though here in Florida, we still wear flip flops year-round).
One of my favorite things about fall is the transition from lighter summer fare to hearty cool-weather food – as soon as the barometer dips even a little, you’ll find me shopping for root vegetables and whipping up more soups and stews than is probably necessary.
The great thing about a soup or stew, though, is that it’s warm, comforting, and easy to make. Plus, there are a million and one fabulous recipes out there, and you can alter each one a variety of ways to suit your tastes. A soup or stew can be a perfect precursor to a three-course meal, or it can stand on its own just fine – just tear off a piece of a crusty baguette and you’ve got a wonderful, filling lunch or dinner.
And, perhaps best of all, soups and stews are budget friendly. They freeze beautifully, so you can make them weeks in advance and use them as needed. They serve a large amount of people. And, as I mentioned earlier, they’re customizable – just start with a great base and add flavors and ingredients as you see fit.
There are few things you need when you’re making soup or stew, though. Here are my essentials:
+ Seasonings. There’s nothing worth than a bland soup, so add flavors liberally. Even the simplest soup or stew can have delicious, complex flavor.
+ An immersion blender. Get thee to your local Sur la Table, Williams-Sonoma, or even Target and pick one up. This handy tool allows you to blend your soups and stews right in the pot, without having to parcel out hot liquid into a blender and risk burning yourself.
+ A great, big pot. There’s nothing worse than working with a lot of liquid in a too-small vessel, so a roomy soup pot is enough. You can buy a cheap one or an expensive one, but a good soup pot with room to stir your food is important.
+ A spoon. For stirring, of course, but most importantly, for tasting!
Below are a few of my favorite soup and stew recipes – I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Happy fall and happy eating!
Butternut Squash Bisque
Chef Judi Gallagher
Well, if you can’t beat ‘em- join ‘em. Since El Nino has decided to move into our sunshine state, I recommend a big pot of butternut squash bisque after a walk in the mid-day sun( if you can find any sunshine these days)
I found all the ingredients at Yoder’s produce market including the Bavarian cranberry walnut bread that will be perfect along side Yoder’s honey butter.
Yield 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon honey butter (Yoder’s produce market)
- 1/2 cup peeled diced sweet potato
- 4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
- 2 cups chicken stock
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- Fresh thyme sprigs
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, spread the peeled and cut butternut squash and sweet potato and toss with oil, melted butter, brown sugar and thyme springs
2. Roast until tender
3. In a blender or food processor, puree the soup mixture until smooth. Return to the pot, and stir in the half and half cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve warm. You may top with a dollop of crème fraiche and sautéed apples for an exquisite garnish
Chicken Paprikash
Ingredients:
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 pound buttered wide egg noodles- cooked
- Fresh chopped parsley
Preparation:
Combine flour, 2 teaspoons paprika, salt, and pepper on shallow plate. Dip chicken in mixture to coat both sides.
Combine peanut oil and butter in heavy skillet. Add chicken; brown on both sides, turning once, about 4-5 minutes, then remove from skillet. Add onion and garlic to skillet; cook and stir until crisp tender. Return chicken to skillet.
Pour chicken stock and tomato paste into skillet and stir to combine, bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover pan, and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, 1 teaspoon paprika, and cornstarch in small bowl. When chicken is thoroughly cooked, stir sour cream mixture into skillet and heat through but do not boil.
Pour over noodles- top with chopped parsley
Creamy Carrot Soup
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¾ cups chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 lbs. carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Dash of ground ginger
2 cups water
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. heavy cream, divided
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrots to pan; cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in salt, pepper and ginger.
Add 2 cups water and broth to the pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes or until carrots are tender. Remove from heat; cool.
Place half of carrot mixture and 1 Tbsp cream in a food processor or blender; process 20 seconds or until smooth. Repeat procedure with remaining carrot mixture and 1 Tbsp. cream. Return mixture to pan; cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.
Zinfandel Braised Lamb Shanks
Yield: 4 Portions
4 Each Lamb Hind Shanks
4 tsp. Kosher Salt
2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbs. Olive Oil Blend
2 Cups Zinfandel Wine
2 Stalks Celery, Large Dice
1 Each Spanish Onion, Large Dice
2 Each Carrots, Large Dice
6 Cloves Garlic
2 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cups Demi-Glace
Method:
- Season the shanks with the salt and the pepper
- Heat a braising pan, add the oil, then the shanks, browning on all sides
- Remove the shanks from the pan, deglaze with the wine, scraping the fond of the pan
- Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil
- Add the shanks back to the pan
- Cover the braising pan and place in a 300º F oven
- Braise for 2 hours, or unitl the shanks are “fork tender”
- Remove the shanks from the pan
- Strain the braising liquid through a chinoise
- Place the strained liquid in a sauce pan and reduce to nape consistency (you may have to lié the sauce with a cornstarch slurry)
- Season to taste
- Strain sauce again through a chinoise