Fall is upon us. That means soups and stews
Yep, I love Fall. The blustery winds bring crystal clear air and the shifting sun makes the quality of light almost magical in the late afternoon and early morning.
And a chill is in the air. This has been one hot hot hot summer so these now cool nights which require at least one if not both dogs as heating agents are most welcome.
Also most welcome is making savory soups and stews that fill you up and warm you deep into your bones. I so look forward to this time of year. Begone kabobs, and barbecues and Summer salads, hello thick soups and Irish stew and braised chicken and lots of BEANS, there will be beans!!
Wednesday afternoon was cloudy-ish with the warmth of the day temps dropping rapidly, so I decided it was time to make my first bowl of soup for the season.
I wanted hearty, but hadn't' soaked any beans the night before and couldn't face a chicken soup. I had a craving for something vegetable-esque so the mind wandered at bit and I decided to go to the the store to see what looked good in the produce department.
I got my favs of course, Carrots. I am in love with carrots; raw or steamed, braised or sautéed - any way a carrot is served is alright with me. And some green bell peppers and fresh celery. Then while passing the potatoes and turning down my nose at potato soup, which I've always found to be a bit bland, I saw sweet potatoes. I remembered that I still had a half pound of pancetta in the freezer from the Sacto farmer's market and it just seemed perfect. The sweetness of carrots and sweet potatoes combined with some fast grilled pancetta might make for a marvelous cold night savory and satisfying soup.
Done and Done. Sweet potato and pancetta soup made it to the menu.
I begun by doctoring the pancetta. I wanted the crispy, salty tang without excessive greasiness, so I sliced it horizontally to separate the meat from most (not all) of the fat, then cut the meat into little cubes about 1/2 inch tall/wide. Into a hot hot hot cast iron skillet they went until seared on all sides and with just a touch of crackle but still tender and juicy. The tiniest pass overhead with some cracked black pepper made the cubes stand up and sing out!
These I set aside on paper towels to drain out a bit.
Knife time:
I peeled, chopped and diced about a pound of sweet potato.
Peeled and chopped medium fine one large carrot and ate the second one I bought on the spot. Did I mention that I like carrots?
Washed, and diced half a green bell pepper, half a sweet onion and 2 stalks of celery.
And lastly, crushed and chopped all the way to mince, 3 cloves of garlic.
Then out comes the stock pot and in goes the sweet potato, pancetta, garlic, onion, celery and 4 to 5 cups or chicken stock. Now Ive said this before and I'll say it again, you MUST make your own chicken stock -- no more boxes of store bought bland sodium bombs and if you ever use a bouillon cube again, I will cease talking to you and probably unfriend you on Facebook.
As Anthony Bourdain so rightly informs us, the main reason restaurant food tastes superior to our home efforts is in the home made stock that a functioning kitchen always has simmering on the back burners. So save those chicken bones, those onion ends, the celery that goes bad in the fridge (why can't I just by 3 stalks instead of a freaking tree?) and make your own dang stock. Nothing could be easier and more fool proof (detailed here)
Ahem, </end rant>. Get that stock and your base up to a boil then down to a rowdy simmer for about 15 minutes (or until the sweet potato chunks are nice and soft).
For aromatics I added some thyme, dried oregano, dried parsley, fennel and twist or two of cracked black pepper. Taste often and adjust as there is a lot of chemistry going on in this pot.
When your sweet potato is soft and compliant, add the carrots and green bell pepper and a late idea addition of 1/4 cup of corn and keep it simmering for another 15-20 mins. Maybe have a glass of wine to keep you focused.
Now comes the crusher:
At about the 15 minute mark when everything in that pot is just blending super well, put on your Saucier hat and make up a simple bechamel. Throw slightly more than half a stick of unsalted butter into your sauce pan and when it begins bubbling whisk in 3 or so table spoons of flour until it's smooth and creamy, about 1 minute tops. Then pour in 2 cups of milk. I chose half and half tonight cause I wanted leftovers to use for my coffee tomorrow (always multitasking) and I stir/blend until it starts to bubble, then turn down the heat somewhat and keep stirring as it thickens a bit, while still staying creamy (no lumps!!).
Last whisk in a half cup of cheddar cheese. I like Irish white cheddar, but I'm prejudiced, so go ahead use whatever floats your boat, it's all good. Again, whisk in till super creamy.
Take this dreamy white smoothness and stir into your soup until blended in and heated through. The color blend with your chicken stock should be a Fall sunset ocher.
Lastly, finish it with some fresh mint leaves as you put it into the bowl and make sure to have some fresh Rustic Sour to Ciabatta to dip into it.
Success. It was everything I hopped to hit; sweet and luscious and creamy with the salty and savory crisp pancetta balancing that all out so it didn't go all the way to cloyingly sweet. One of the top 5 soups I've ever had. I will for sure make this again soon.
Next time I may try adding some smokey paprika, too. That seems to make sense and there are few things as lovely as the right mix of fennel and paprika.
And a chill is in the air. This has been one hot hot hot summer so these now cool nights which require at least one if not both dogs as heating agents are most welcome.
Also most welcome is making savory soups and stews that fill you up and warm you deep into your bones. I so look forward to this time of year. Begone kabobs, and barbecues and Summer salads, hello thick soups and Irish stew and braised chicken and lots of BEANS, there will be beans!!
Wednesday afternoon was cloudy-ish with the warmth of the day temps dropping rapidly, so I decided it was time to make my first bowl of soup for the season.
I wanted hearty, but hadn't' soaked any beans the night before and couldn't face a chicken soup. I had a craving for something vegetable-esque so the mind wandered at bit and I decided to go to the the store to see what looked good in the produce department.
I got my favs of course, Carrots. I am in love with carrots; raw or steamed, braised or sautéed - any way a carrot is served is alright with me. And some green bell peppers and fresh celery. Then while passing the potatoes and turning down my nose at potato soup, which I've always found to be a bit bland, I saw sweet potatoes. I remembered that I still had a half pound of pancetta in the freezer from the Sacto farmer's market and it just seemed perfect. The sweetness of carrots and sweet potatoes combined with some fast grilled pancetta might make for a marvelous cold night savory and satisfying soup.
Done and Done. Sweet potato and pancetta soup made it to the menu.
I begun by doctoring the pancetta. I wanted the crispy, salty tang without excessive greasiness, so I sliced it horizontally to separate the meat from most (not all) of the fat, then cut the meat into little cubes about 1/2 inch tall/wide. Into a hot hot hot cast iron skillet they went until seared on all sides and with just a touch of crackle but still tender and juicy. The tiniest pass overhead with some cracked black pepper made the cubes stand up and sing out!
These I set aside on paper towels to drain out a bit.
Knife time:
I peeled, chopped and diced about a pound of sweet potato.
Peeled and chopped medium fine one large carrot and ate the second one I bought on the spot. Did I mention that I like carrots?
Washed, and diced half a green bell pepper, half a sweet onion and 2 stalks of celery.
And lastly, crushed and chopped all the way to mince, 3 cloves of garlic.
Then out comes the stock pot and in goes the sweet potato, pancetta, garlic, onion, celery and 4 to 5 cups or chicken stock. Now Ive said this before and I'll say it again, you MUST make your own chicken stock -- no more boxes of store bought bland sodium bombs and if you ever use a bouillon cube again, I will cease talking to you and probably unfriend you on Facebook.
As Anthony Bourdain so rightly informs us, the main reason restaurant food tastes superior to our home efforts is in the home made stock that a functioning kitchen always has simmering on the back burners. So save those chicken bones, those onion ends, the celery that goes bad in the fridge (why can't I just by 3 stalks instead of a freaking tree?) and make your own dang stock. Nothing could be easier and more fool proof (detailed here)
Ahem, </end rant>. Get that stock and your base up to a boil then down to a rowdy simmer for about 15 minutes (or until the sweet potato chunks are nice and soft).
For aromatics I added some thyme, dried oregano, dried parsley, fennel and twist or two of cracked black pepper. Taste often and adjust as there is a lot of chemistry going on in this pot.
When your sweet potato is soft and compliant, add the carrots and green bell pepper and a late idea addition of 1/4 cup of corn and keep it simmering for another 15-20 mins. Maybe have a glass of wine to keep you focused.
Now comes the crusher:
At about the 15 minute mark when everything in that pot is just blending super well, put on your Saucier hat and make up a simple bechamel. Throw slightly more than half a stick of unsalted butter into your sauce pan and when it begins bubbling whisk in 3 or so table spoons of flour until it's smooth and creamy, about 1 minute tops. Then pour in 2 cups of milk. I chose half and half tonight cause I wanted leftovers to use for my coffee tomorrow (always multitasking) and I stir/blend until it starts to bubble, then turn down the heat somewhat and keep stirring as it thickens a bit, while still staying creamy (no lumps!!).
Last whisk in a half cup of cheddar cheese. I like Irish white cheddar, but I'm prejudiced, so go ahead use whatever floats your boat, it's all good. Again, whisk in till super creamy.
Take this dreamy white smoothness and stir into your soup until blended in and heated through. The color blend with your chicken stock should be a Fall sunset ocher.
Lastly, finish it with some fresh mint leaves as you put it into the bowl and make sure to have some fresh Rustic Sour to Ciabatta to dip into it.
Success. It was everything I hopped to hit; sweet and luscious and creamy with the salty and savory crisp pancetta balancing that all out so it didn't go all the way to cloyingly sweet. One of the top 5 soups I've ever had. I will for sure make this again soon.
Next time I may try adding some smokey paprika, too. That seems to make sense and there are few things as lovely as the right mix of fennel and paprika.
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