Italian Sub Stoup with Garlic Toast Floaters

Rachael Ray, this is awesome. The only thing that I have to say that is bad about this recipe is that the next day there isn't any juice and it ends up being pasta----of course it still tastes really good. The flavors are really good and the croutons are a must. They should be snitched straight out of the oven too. Yum. This makes a large batch, so be prepared for leftovers.

Italian Sub Stoup with Garlic Toast Floaters

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, plus 1/4 cup for croutons

3/4 pound, 3 links, hot or sweet Italian sausage, split and meat removed from casing
1/4 pound piece stick pepperoni, diced
1 ham steak, diced (about 1/2 to 3/4 pound)
1 green bell pepper, seeded, quartered and sliced
1 medium yellow onion, peeled, quartered and sliced
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound gemelli pasta or other short-cut pasta
5 cups cubed crusty bread
3 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bunches arugula, trimmed and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)

Place a soup pot or deep sided skillet on the stove top and preheat to medium high heat. Add olive oil, 2 turns of the pan and the sausage. Brown and crumble the sausage, drain off excess fat if necessary then add the ham and pepperoni. Cook meats together 2 minutes then add peppers and onions and cook 2 or 3 minutes more. Add diced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and bring stoup to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook for 8 minutes. Make croutons while pasta cooks.

In a large skillet heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil, 4 turns of the pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add bread to garlic oil, toss and toast the cubes 5 or 6 minutes. Season the toasty cubes with red pepper flakes, oregano and lots of grated cheese.

Stir arugula into soup just before you serve it up. Ladle up the stoup and float several toasty garlic bread cubes in each bowl.

Broccoli-Cheese Chowder

Nothing like a steaming bowl of chowder when it is 110 degrees outside. At least it doesn't heat up the house. The directions for this tell you to mash with a fork. I used my immersion blender. It's awesome. Of course, it looked a lot like split pea soup when I was done. We added a little ham to it, but it isn't necessary.
The soup is yummy and creamy without having a bunch of fatty cream in it.

Broccoli-Cheese Chowder

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces broccoli crowns, (see Ingredient Note), cut into 1-inch pieces, stems and florets separated
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/8 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, dry mustard and cayenne; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

Add broth and broccoli stems; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in florets; simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes more. Transfer 2 cups of the chowder to a bowl and mash; return to the pan.

Stir in Cheddar and sour cream; cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted and the chowder is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
 
Source: Eating Well

Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup

I am not a big fan of squash, but this was pretty darn tasty. I found Emeril's recipe when I was trying to find a recipe to use our butternut squash. It received really good reviews on Food Network, and it ended up being very good. Butternut squash is a pain to cut, so we just cut it in half instead of cubes to do the roasting part. Oh and fresh corn off the cob makes it super good.

Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup

2 medium butternut squash, about 3 to 4 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup wild rice
3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool completely. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and reason with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Udon Noodle Soup

This recipe is a hodge-podge of a bunch of recipes that I saw online. It's not a hard soup to make. You just need some dashi--essential in Japanese soups. It can be home made or made from granules like a boullion. The can be made with kelp, bonito, or mushrooms--or all of these. I went to the Asian supermarket to get my dashi granules. While there I picked up some daikon--Japanese radish and oyster and dried shitake mushrooms. I had a soup at a Japanese restaurant once and was really hoping to recreate it. I'm sure this wasn't perfect, but it was very good. I did find it a little tricky to eat the noodles in the soup. Maybe next time I will break them in half first.

Udon Noodle Soup

I didn't really measure, so this is a best guess on the amounts

6 cups dashi

1/2 pack of udon noodles

1/4 cup green onions

1/2 cup matchstick carrots

1/2 cup matchstick daikon

3/4 cup mushrooms (shitake, oyster, whatever you want)

1 lb ground pork

2 cloves garlic

1 T ginger

2 T soy sauce
1 T mirin
2 tsp sugar
poached egg (optional)

Boil udon noodles until al dente. Set aside. Prepare dashi. Add soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Add onions, carrots, mushrooms, and daikon. 

Mix pork with ginger and garlic. Roll into small meatballs. Heat frying pan over medium heat and cook 5 to 8 minutes, turning until browned all over. Add to soup.

Place noodles in bowl and cover with soup. Place poached egg on top, if desired.