Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

There are so many variations on tortilla soup.  In my opinion you can’t  go wrong with any of them.  Tortilla soup is warming both in temperature and in taste.  Jalapeno peppers give it just the right heat and the garlic infused broth adds pleasure for the soul.  With the addition of flavorful meatballs to the soup, you will gild the lily of satisfaction.

Sometime I want to do a series of posts on what you can do with a pound of hamburger.  That is just what Cooking Light Magazine has done in it’s latest issue.  One of the recipes featured was this tortilla meatball soup, which I have adapted.  A Summer and Fall of overindulgences have brought us to the realization that we need to temper our calorie intake.  This soup is full of flavor and I have discovered that, for us, flavor trumps richness every time.  Eating lighter fare does not have to be a sacrifice.

There are several steps involved in making this soup, but all of them add to the depth of flavor.  This is a good soup to make on a lazy weekend afternoon.

 
TORTILLA MEATBALL SOUP

2 jalapeno peppers
1 red bell pepper
2 cups of frozen corn, thawed
4 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4 inch strips
Cooking spray
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
6 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1/3 cup panko crumbs
1 pound ground round
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce, minced
1 tablespoon oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cups cubed red potatoes
2 carrots, sliced into rounds
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3/4 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Preheat broiler.

Cut jalapenos and bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes.  Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Broil 4 to 6 minutes or until blackened.  Place peppers in a paper bag; fold to seal.  Let stand 15 minutes; peel.  Mince jalapenos, and coarsely chop bell pepper.

Place tortlla strips in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat with cooking spray.  Broil for 3 minutes or until golden brown.  Watch closely so the strips do not burn.  Set aside.

Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 garlic clove, panko, ground round, egg and minced chipotle chile in a large bowl, and gently mix until just combines.  Shape the meat mixture into small meatballs.  I ended up with 28.

Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add meatballs to pan; saute for 8 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.  Remove from pan.  Add onion, potatoes, and carrot to pan; saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add remaining 5 garlic cloves; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add peppers, broth and 2 cups water; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender, stirring occasionally.  Return meatballs to pan.  Add remaining salt and the corn; return to a simmer.  Cook 10 minutes or until meatballs are done.  Ladle soup into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with cheese, cilantro and tortilla strips.  380 Calories.

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My new website is under construction.  I plan to launch it on the third anniversary of my blog in January.  Here is a sneak peak.

I am so excited.  It will be a collaborative effort of my talented Son and Daughter-In-Law.  Check out Kristen’s business blog here.

I will not bore you with the convoluted way that this soup came about.  Just know that it is good and quick to pull together.  I was supposed to be making a ham and pepper pot pie but it was a failure.  I rescued the filling for this hearty soup.

The basis of this soup is a box of Imagine* Brand Organic Creamy Potato Leek Soup.  I don’t usually like canned or boxed soups, but this one is really good.  Other convenience items that make it so easy are frozen carrot slices, frozen corn and canned chicken broth.

The seafood I included was some of the halibut that we had shipped home from Alaska.  We are working our way through 16 pounds of it.  Halibut is a wonderful mild fish.  You could substitute flounder or tilapia if that is what is available in your market. The peppers, ham and Old Bay seasoning give it just the right kick.

With the soup I served an interesting twist on corn muffins.  The original recipe was one that I found on Foodgawker.  It came from Susan of Luna Cafe.  The corn muffins have lots of baking powder in them and they are baked in a popover pan.  They come out tall and proud.  You can add any fillings you like.  I added chopped green chilis, corn kernels and choppped scallions.

Not bad for a simple meal.  We were happy.

QUICK SEAFOOD CHOWDER FOR FALL

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 green pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 1 1/2 pound ham steak, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 32 ounce box Imagine* Brand Organic Creamy Potato Leek Soup
1 14 ounce can Chicken Broth
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 16 ounce bag frozen carrot rounds, thawed
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/3 cup chopped chives
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 pound firm fleshed fish, cut into bite size chunks

Melt butter in a soup pot.  Add diced peppers and cubed ham steak and saute until peppers are softened and ham is browned.  Add potato leek soup and chicken broth.  Stir to combine.  Add the Old Bay seasoning, carrots, corn, chives and potatoes.  Bring soup to boil, reduce heat and cook uncovered until potatoes are tender.  If soup is too thick add a small amount of water. Add the seafood chunks and cook briefly until fish is cooked.

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What Cassoulet is to France, Cocido is to Spain.  This Spanish soup has many variations depending on the region in which it is made.  Basically it is a brothy pot of chickpeas, with many kinds of meat and vegetables.  In Madrid the main meat is beef, but this version from Galicia, where pork is produced, relies more on the meat from the pig.  The original recipe came from The Dean and Deluca Cookbook by David Rosengarten.  I made a few changes to it.

The amount of meat called for sounds staggering.  I kept the butcher at the Fresh Market busy gathering together what I needed.  There was the stewing chicken which I could not find, so substituted whole chicken legs.  There was the pork loin which was easy enough.  It called for a veal shank, but I chose to use a beef shank which was half the price.  A ham hock was added to my purchases and then chorizo sausages.  By this time the butcher was ready to throw in an extra sausage for free.  It was nice of him.

The soup takes a while to cook.  The dried chickpeas have to be soaked overnight and the meat simmers in the broth and chickpeas for 2 1/2 hours.  Then the vegetables are added; onions, carrots, parsnips, potatoes and cabbage if you have room.  My largest stock pot was full to the brim with no room for cabbage.  The recipe I was following didn’t call for it anyway.

I was thinking to myself by this time that I had much too much soup.  I would suggest that you halve the recipe.  But I have a feeling that it will freeze well and I will be happy with all of the leftovers.  It was a very satisfying soup and I will make it again.

COCIDO (Adapted from The Dean and Deluca Cookbook)

3 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight ( 1 1/2 lbs dried chickpeas)
3 Whole large chicken legs skinned and separated into legs and thighs
1 pound pork loin cut into 3-inch chunks
1 pound ham hock
1 pound beef shank
2 cups dry white wine
1 quart chicken stock
1 quart water
6 chorizo sausages
1 large onion, minced
3 large garlic cloves, mionced
4 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 parships, peeled and coarsely diced
3 carrots, coarsely diced
1 bay leaf
1 fresh red hot chili pepper (optional)  I used red pepper flakes at the end of cooking

Drain the chickpeas and place then in a large stockpot.  Add the chicken, pork loin, ham hock, beef shank, wine, chicken stock, and water.  Bring to a boil, remove froth, reduce heat to moderate, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 1/2 hours.

Add the chorizos, onion, garlic, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, bay leaf, and chili.  Simmer gently, uncovered for 1 hour more.

When ready to serve cocido, remove ham hock and beef shank.  Cut meat off of the bones, discard bones, and return shredded meat to stock pot.  Remove the bay leaf.  I also had to remove the bones from the chicken because it had cooked to shreds.

Divide among soup bowls and serve.  Serves 6.  I would say it serves more, especially if you cut the chorizos into pieces.

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As much as I love beef stroganoff, it seems I never have enough sauce for the noodles.  It occured to me that I could actually turn all of the ingredients into a soup.  It is a creative cooking adventure to deconstruct a recipe and turn it into something else.  Rachel Ray is always doing this with her stoups.  I wonder if she has done it with beef stroganoff?  I haven’t looked.

We have had a constant house party here at the lake this September.  It has been fun, but cooking for two again is relaxing.  The weather has cooled and I have the last load of beach towels in the dryer ready to be folded and stored for the season.  The light on the lake has lengthened and mornings are crisp and clear.  It is soup time.

The beef stroganoff recipe came about because it was what I had on hand.  There was a top sirloin steak in the freezer, beef broth and noodles in the pantry, and heavy cream and sour cream in the fridge.  It would have been good with mushrooms if I had them but the lack of them did not change the goodness of the soup.

A quick word about photography and my blog makeover.  The above picture was taken at my kitchen window which receives morning light.  The shadow that you see on the plate could be easily eliminated.   Cristobal told me that by using a white core board in front of the soup the light from the window would be reflected back on the food.  Here is an example of what I am talking about from expert photographer and blogger Helene of  Tartlette.  Notice the white board in her fourth picture.  I just need to get one for myself.  My new blog look is still in the works.  Son Michael is doing it in his spare time, so I will have to be patient. 

But you don’t have to be patient waiting for this soup to cook.  It comes together quickly and tastes like it cooked for hours.

BEEF STROGANOFF SOUP

1 1/2 to 2 pounds top sirlion steak or roast cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 to 3 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 to 2 cups medium egg noodles
1/2 cup heavy cream
Sour cream and snipped chives for garnish

Melt butter and oil in heavy soup pot.  Add beef cubes in two batches and cook until nicely browned.  Add the chopped onion when you add the second batch of beef.  Return reserved beef to pot and add the sherry to the mixture.  Stir to deglaze the pan and cook over medium high heat until the sherry has reduced.  Salt and pepper the beef to taste.  Add the beef broth, water and Worcestershire sauce to pan.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until beef is tender, about 30 to 45 minutes.  Add the noodles to the pot and simmer until they are cooked through.  Add the cream to the mixture and stir and cook until it is warmed through.  Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and snipped chives.

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The most important word in that title is “old”.  We have known our friends Bill and Liz since the very beginning of our marriage.  David and Bill worked together at the University and Liz and I raised our families together.  Our Sons were roomates in college and we were present at the marriages of all three of their children, as they were there for Michael’s marriage.  We moved to Lake Lure.  They remained in Greensboro.  So it is a pleasure to get together with them when they are in the area.  They stopped by for lunch on Sunday.

I never worry about what to serve when they are here.  I know their tastes well.  Liz is originally from Australia and over the years has developed tastes similar to mine.  She is a great cook and maintains a huge vegetable garden.  There is always a great variety of food on her table.  I remember being surprised that one of her children’s favorite dishes was artichokes.  They learned at an early age to peel the leaves from the steamed artichokes, dip them in butter and draw the flesh across their teeth.

So anything goes for lunch.  And I am also using the word “old” for the recipes that I am posting today because I have already blogged about them.  You know you are getting old when you start repeating yourself.

I served citrus grilled chicken which I blogged about here.  It is my favorite way to grill chicken breasts.  I love the way the lemon and lime juices play with the brown sugar and mustard to give the chicken a nice glaze and flavor.

With the chicken I served curried couscous, one of Ina Garten’s classic recipes.  Couscous is so fast and easy and I love all of the additions to it.  It is full of tasty bits of carrot, green onion, toasted almonds, dried cranberries and garden fresh parsley.  I blogged about it here.  A huge tossed salad rounded out the lunch and we spent out time talking and catching up on each others’ lives.

Oh, and we had Georgia peach cake and peach ice cream for dessert.  It was a pleasant Sunday with old friends.