Herby Chicken and Butter Bean Soup

I came across this recipe in the February 2014 edition of BBC Good Food. I made a few changes to the recipe, but I'm sure it's pretty close to the original. I know I complained some about how hard it was finding ingredients for my recipes while in England, but the same thing happens here. When I went to my local Price Chopper, there were no butter beans! If you need black beans, pinto beans, baked beans or pork and beans, then Price Chopper is the place to shop. I ended up at Hy-Vee where they actually carry butter beans and I was able to make the soup. This is a good soup, especially when the weather is so cold. Serve it up with a nice green salad and some warm bread.

Herby Chicken & Butter Bean Soup

4 chicken thighs
1.5 liters chicken stock
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
3-4 sprigs each rosemary, sage and thyme, leaves picked and chopped
2 tsp. each ground cumin and coriander
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. anise seeds
400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper, place on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. When the chicken is cooked, remove meat from bones and shred.
Meanwhile, heat oil in large sauce pan. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes until starting to carmelize. Add carrots, herbs and spices and stir for 2 minutes to toast the spices. Add the stock, shredded chicken and butter beans, cook, covered for 30 minutes. Using an immersion blender and blitz the soup, leaving partly chunky. Add thawed peas, heat through and serve.

Guinness Beef Soup w/ Barley, Carrots and Mushrooms

Last night I was thinking about what was in the cabinet that needed to be used before we left and barley came to mind. I did not want to reproduce the Beef, Barley and Vegetable Soup that I made back in October, I wanted something a little richer than that. I put this recipe together pairing my favorite beer, Guinness with some beef.

Guinness Beef Soup w/ Barley, Carrots and Mushrooms

Heat a couple tablespoons olive oil, on medium-high heat in large stock pot. Mix 3 Tbsp. Flour with some salt and pepper in a bowl and toss with 1 lb. Stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks. Brown beef in batches, removing to paper towel lined plate, adding more oil if needed.
Add 1 tbsp. Olive oil to pan, then add 250g Chestnut mushrooms, quartered and 1 small Onion, diced, 2 tsp. Dry rosemary then sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until softened.(Make sure to scrape up brown bits on the pan bottom when the veggies release their juices.)
Add 1(230g) can Chopped Italian tomatoes, 1/2 liter beef stock and 440ml can Guinness. Return Beef to pot and add 2 Tbsp. Thyme leaves, chopped and 1 tsp. Italian seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add 100g Pearl barley and 2 large Carrots, cut into 1/2-inch discs and continue to simmer for another hour.

Ham and Green Pea Soup

This is another great recipe from Delicious Magazine's November 2013 edition. I used fresh peas in the recipe because they are available here. The recipe called for frozen, defrosted ones. If that is what you use, add after you have cooked the potatoes then from the heat. This soup is so good, the mint is amazing here. Serve with a salad and a nice crusty bread for a warming winter meal.

Ham and Green Pea Soup

Fry a medium chopped onion in a little oil for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add 1 large potato, diced, 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped thyme leaves and cover with 1 liter of chicken stock.  Bring up to a boil then add 500g fresh green peas and simmer for 10 minutes. Add a good handful of chopped fresh mint, then season well. Take off the heat, cool slightly, then whizz with an immersion blender until smooth. Return to low heat and add 100g fresh green peas and 180g chopped smoked ham. Heat through and season to taste. Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche (optional).

Chorizo, Sausage and Garbanzo Soup

This recipe is also adapted from the November 2013 issue of Delicious and like the previous posting it is as the magazine name suggests. Some of the items were subbed because of what I could find at my local grocer. The chorizo is important because it flavors the entire recipe, so make sure you use it. I bought a 225g link and sliced it because I could find nothing marked cooking chorizo. The initial recipe called for more pork sausage than I thought was needed and I loved those canned cherry tomatoes so much from the last recipe that I used those instead of fresh. Here is my version of this very tasty soup that will warm you on a chilly night.

Chorizo, Sausage and Garbanzo Soup

Fry 1 red onion, thinly sliced, in a little olive oil for 10 minutes. Add 225g chorizo, sliced and the meat from 3 pork sausages to the pan and fry for 10 minutes, breaking up the sausage meat with a wooden spoon. Add 1 TBSP. fennel seeds and fry 1 minute more. Stir in 1 400g tin of cherry tomatoes and 1 litre of chicken stock, then season well. Simmer 20 minutes, covered, then add 1 400g tin garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed and simmer 5 more minutes. Add a handful of chopped fresh flat leaf  parsley and 1/4 cup of double cream. Season to taste and serve.