Title: 300 Sensational Soups
Authors: Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds
ISBN: 978-0-7788-0196-2
416 Pages, 7″x10″, 32 color pages
Suggested Retail: $24.95 US
Publication Date: October 31, 2012
Publisher: Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca
Review:
In Minnesota, we certainly experience all of the four seasons. From sometimes 100 in the summer with high humidity to what we experienced this past week of starting at –25 degrees and are slowly warming up. Nothing is more satisfying in the winter than a hot bowl of soup or even a cool soup during the heat of summer.
300 Sensational Soups gives a wonderful variety of recipes for every season or event. I had been a bit intimidated to try and make my own soups stocks, but the recipes are laid out in simple fashion for anyone to try and there is an introduction to this section with tips in preparing.
The collection then explores these other topics:
- Chilled Soups
- Fresh from the Garden Vegetable Soups
- Beans, Beans and More Beans Soups
- Cheese Please Soups
- Hearty Soups for Meat Lovers
- Chicken and Turkey Soups to Comfort the Soul
- Go Fish: Fish and Shellfish Soups
- Chow Down Chowders
- A World of Soups
- Just Dessert Soups
- Gilding the Lily: Toppings and Garnishments
300 Sensational Soups has pleasing recipes for any soup lover. The toppings and garnishments alone are a great way to jazz up soup recipes you might already use or make a tasty addition to go with the recipes included in this title. Your tasty bowl of soup is just pages away. Sample some of the recipes from 300 Sensational Soups below.
Excerpted from 300 Sensational Soupsby Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds © 2012 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca All rights reserved: May not be reprinted without publisher permission.
Chicken Soup to Comfort the Soul – page 220
Easy Chipotle Chicken Soup
Perfect for a busy weeknight, this fast and easy soup will be warming you up in less than 20 minutes. We use store-bought rotisserie chicken and tortilla chips when time is short and tummies are growling.
Tip
Chipotle chiles are smoked jalapeños, often found canned in a vinegary tomato sauce called adobo. Look for them in the Mexican aisle of your grocery store. They tend to be fiery, so we often use only 1 or 2 at a time. You can freeze any leftovers by dropping them by spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets and freezing until solid. Then transfer to freezer bags.
Serves 6
6 cups chicken stock 1.5 L
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 4
1 to 2 chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, 1 to 2
minced (see tip)
minced (see tip)
1⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 mL
2 cans (each 14 to 19 oz/398 to 540 mL) 2
chickpeas, drained and rinsed
chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cups shredded cooked chicken 750 mL
Salt
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 50 mL
1 avocado, diced 1
Crispy Tortilla Strips (Store bought)
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges 1
1. In a large pot, bring stock, garlic, chipotles to taste and pepper to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Add chickpeas, chicken and salt to taste.
2. Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with cilantro, avocado, tortilla strips and lime wedges. Diners may squeeze the lime over their soup, if they desire.
Hearty Soup for Meat Lovers – page 114
Wild Mushroom and Orzo Soup with Italian Meatballs
Wild mushrooms have a big, beefy flavor that partners well with meatballs. This soup’s gutsy Italian flavors are sure to make it one of your favorites.
Tip
Grocery stores carry uncooked meatballs, packaged in the meat case, that they have made up themselves. We think it makes good sense to take advantage of this step-saving bonus, especially when the meatballs are of good quality. One caveat, though, is that store-bought meatballs are usually on the large side. We cut them in half and then re-roll them into a ball. It only takes a minute, and they are a more “attackable” size in your soup bowl.
Serves 6 to 8
2 tbsp unsalted butter 25 mL
2 tbsp olive oil 25 mL
1 large onion, minced 1
11⁄2 lbs wild (exotic) mushrooms, sliced 750 g
1 stalk celery, chopped 1
1 tsp salt 5 mL
1 tsp dried basil 5 mL
1 tsp dried oregano 5 mL
6 cups beef or chicken stock 1.5 L
Italian Meatballs (store bought)
1 cup orzo 250 mL
1⁄4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley 50 mL
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 10 mL
1⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 50 mL
cheese
cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Additional freshly grated
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. In a large pot, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery, salt, basil and oregano; sauté until vegetables begin to soften and mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes.
2. Add stock and bring to a boil. Carefully add meatballs and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until meatballs are cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and bring soup to a boil. Stir in orzo and boil until tender, about 8 minutes. Add parsley, lemon juice, cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Ladle into heated bowls and pass additional cheese at the table.
Hearty Soups for Meat Lovers / Kid Favs – page 162
Texas Cowboy Soup
When you’re cooking out of a chuck wagon, necessity is the mother of invention, especially when you’re feeding armed, hungry cowhands. Many a meal has been made of beef, beans and whatever else was available, and a soup similar to this was surely on the menu for many nights around the campfire.
Tips
If you can’t find canned tomatoes with green chiles, just use canned diced tomatoes and add a small can of chopped green chiles.
Instead of canned corn, you can use 3 cups (750 mL) frozen corn kernels. Thaw and drain before adding to soup.
Serves 8 to 10
6 slices bacon, chopped 6
11⁄2 lbs lean ground beef 750 g
4 cloves garlic, chopped 4
1 onion, chopped 1
2 tbsp chili powder 25 mL
1 tsp ground cumin 5 mL
1⁄2 tsp salt 2 mL
1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 mL
2 baking potatoes, peeled and diced 2
2 cans (each 14 to 19 oz/398 to 540 mL) 2
pinto beans, drained and rinsed
pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) diced tomatoes, 1
drained
drained
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) diced tomatoes 1
with green chile peppers, with juice
with green chile peppers, with juice
4 cups beef stock 1 L
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) corn kernels, 1
drained
drained
Cornbread Croutons (store bought)
1. In a large pot, sauté bacon over medium heat until starting to brown. Add ground beef and sauté, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper; sauté until onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Add potatoes, beans, both cans of tomatoes and stock;
bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are
just tender, about 20 minutes. Add corn and simmer for
10 minutes.
bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are
just tender, about 20 minutes. Add corn and simmer for
10 minutes.
3. Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with croutons.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review. No other compensation was received. The thoughts and feelings expressed are my own.
