Yankee Pot Roast Soup

If you’ve ever been to Montana’s (the restaurant), you may have tried their Yankee Pot Roast Soup.  Craig and I love to enjoy a bowl as an appetizer whenever we visit, and I thought it was a great, hearty fall weather food so I scoped out recipes online.  Would you believe it there is already a recipe online that people have commented and said it tastes like the Montana’s soup?  I made a batch of it tonight, and I have to agree that it is a pretty close taste.  Enjoy!

Yankee Pot Roast Soup

Source: Family Oven

• 2 lbs stewing beef, cut in 1 inch cubes (or cut up pot roast)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium onions, cut in chunks
• 2 medium carrots, cut in thick slices
• 4 red potatoes, cut in chunks
• 2 stalks celery, cut in thick slices
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 quart beef broth
• 1 (156 ml) can tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon maggi seasoning

1. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper (I keep kosher salt in a salt pig on my stove for this purpose) then brown in butter over Medium High heat.

2.  Add in garlic during last few minutes of browning then add in a small amount of the broth to deglaze the pan. 

3.  Add in additional broth and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

4.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for around an hour (until potatoes are cooked through).  Check spices and flavourings and modify before serving.

 

Notes:

- I couldn’t find maggi seasoning in the grocery store, so I found a site online that said I could mix Worcestershire and soy sauce in equal parts to much the same result.

- I left out the celery as I don’t really like cooked celery.

Cauliflower Soup

Today I made some Cauliflower Soup that I can freeze for work lunches. We've been having unseasonably cold weather for July, and it's gotten me into a fall mood a little early I think.

My basic philosophy for soup is that the less you follow the recipe, the better. Much of my cooking inspiration comes from The Joy of Cooking Cookbook (see bookshelf). If there is ever a technique or base for a recipe that I am unsure of, or if I need to use up some veggies in the fridge before they spoil, I know I can always turn to my JCC for enlightment. But again, I don't follow the recipes exactly. What this typically leads to is that I rarely make the same exact thing twice, which lends variety to life; however on occasion it would be nice to know some exact measurements when it turns out just perfectly.

Anyways, back to the soup I made tonight. The recipe that follows is not meant to frustrate you, but instead allow you to adjust the recipe to your own tastes and what you have on hand. It is how I typically make this soup, but certainly is not the "right" way. Yummy Cauliflower Soup

Onion, chopped (I use approx. 1/2 an onion)
Carrot, chopped
Parsley Chopped
Vegetables (celery, broccoli, leeks, etc., would all be good additions) Cauliflower, chopped (I used a full head of cauliflower)
Chicken Broth
Butter
Milk
Cream
Flour

In a stock pot, saute onions, carrots and other vegetables in butter, until onions begin to brown. Add in cauliflower and parsley, and with the heat on low, allow all of the veggies to 'sweat'. You'll need to keep the lid on for this and it'll take about 20 minutes. (You can clean up your cutting board and knives while you wait...).

Next add in the chicken broth and bring the whole mixture to a boil, then allow it to simmer for a few minutes while you prepare the roux. I like to melt some butter in a small pot on the stove and then add in 5 or 6 tablespoons of flour (cornstarch in a pinch), stirring constantly. Allow it to brown a bit and then slowly add in a few cups of milk, while stirring. Once this mixture is smooth & hot (it takes some practice to create a good roux and then incorporate the liquids - don't be discouraged if it doesn't work perfectly the first time, and certainly don't throw it out - this soup is beautifully imperfect, and it will all come together in the end).

Next, add a cup or two (depending on your desired creaminess and fat tolerance) of cream to your white sauce and add the whole pot to your simmering soup.

Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. You're done!

In our house, soup is used for work lunches and our after-church lunch on Sundays (usually with Grilled Cheese - Craig's specialty :). I'll usually dump it all into a large container and put it in the fridge to cool overnight.

The next day, I'll divide the soup into medium sized zip lock bags, wash & dry the container, and then lay the bags flat inside the container. The whole thing is then thrown into the freezer and once frozen, I can take the soups out of the container and fit them into the spaces in the freezer. They also easily fit into a sandwich sized container, into which I can also fit some crackers or shredded cheese if I'd like. The reason for this whole charade is that I'm very afraid of leakage on the way to work, and as well, things in bags just work a whole lot better when you're trying to make a fridgetop freezer stretch to hold make-ahead meals.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Source: allrecipes.com

Course: Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn , drained
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers , drained

Directions

• Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, chunk chicken, black beans, and diced tomatoes with green chilies. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through.

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Chili Con Carne

Source: Simply Recipes

 

• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3-4 Tbsp water
• 4 strips bacon
• 2 1/2 lbs chuck roast , cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Salt
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers , stems removed, seeded, ribs removed, minced
• 14 oz can whole tomatoes
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 14 oz can red kidney beans , drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Salt
• shredded cheddar cheese

 

1 In a small bowl mix the chili powder, chipotle chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, thyme, and ground coriander seeds. Mix in water so that chili forms a light paste. Set aside.

2 Cook the bacon in a large skillet on medium high heat until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan and set aside on a paper towel. Pour bacon fat from the pan into a separate container, reserve. When the bacon cools, crumble it into smaller pieces and set aside.

3 Increase heat to medium high, add back in 1 Tablespoon of bacon fat. Working in batches so that you don't crowd the beef (crowding will steam cook the meat instead of browning it), brown the beef cubes on all sides, lightly salting as you cook the beef. Remove beef from pan, set aside.

4 Add another Tablespoon of bacon fat to the pan. Add the chopped onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeno, cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add the chili paste and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

5 Into a 6-quart thick-bottomed Dutch oven, put onion chili mixture, beef, bacon, tomatoes (break up the whole tomatoes with your fingers as you put them in the pot), water, lime juice and sugar. Heat the chili on medium high heat until it comes to a simmer. Then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Then uncover and cook for another half hour, keeping the temperature at a place where you can maintain a simmer.

6 Mix the cornstarch powder into a little water to dissolve the corn starch (otherwise you'll have lumps to deal with) and add to the chili to thicken it. Gently mix in the kidney beans. Add salt to taste. Adjust seasonings. Depending on the acidity of the tomatoes and lime juice you may need a little more sugar to bring the stew to balance. At this point you can also add a little more chili powder if you desire more heat.

Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and chopped red onion. Serve with cornbread, tortilla chips, and or rice.

Serves 4 to 6.

Potato Leek Soup

• 3/4 cup butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 leeks , sliced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 6 cups potatoes , peeled and diced
• 3 cups light cream
• Salt & pepper

In a large pot, melt butter and saute garlic and leeks until tender. Add chicken broth. Blend in cornstarch. Add potatoes and bring to a boil. After soup has come to a boil, add the cream and simmer for 30 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Temporarily remove the liquid. Puree the leeks and potatoes and return to the broth. Blend together. Serve with grated gruyere cheese and bacon bits.