The arrival of Fall means the beginning of soup and stew season – one of my favorite times of the year!  While I constantly look for new and interesting recipes, there is no denying that you can’t beat the classics.  This Beef Chili is the ultimate cold weather meal – a little spicy, full of flavor – complete comfort food.

Don’t be alarmed by the long list of ingredients – it’s well worth it.  If you like a really spicy chili, increase the amount of chile powder and/or the chipotle chiles in adobo.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 pounds ground sirloin
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons chile powder
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons chopped thyme
• 2 teaspoons chopped oregano
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1-15 oz. can pinto beans
• 1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes with the juices
• 3 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• juice of 1 lime
• salt, to taste

Directions

In a large pot, heat the oil.  Add half of the ground beef and cook over high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.  Brown the remaining ground beef. Return the first batch of browned beef to the pot.

Add the onions and pepper to the pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent – about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic, chile powder, cumin, coriander, sugar, thyme, oregano, black pepper and cayenne and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the beef broth, pinto beans, tomatoes, chipotles, tomato sauce, tomato paste and the vinegar.  Simmer the chili over low heat for 1  1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Add the lime juice, season with salt and serve.

If you are fortunate enough to have leftovers, I recommend adding a little extra beef broth while reheating the chili.

adapted from a recipe found here

garnished with homemade croutons

Before heading out of town on vacation, I had time to make one of my favorite cold weather dishes – Broccoli Cheese Soup.  Not only does this taste great on the first day, but it’s perfect for lunch the following afternoon.  I like to enjoy this soup with a piece of crusty bread – especially homemade boule.  A few items to note about this recipe:

• depending on how rich (and healthy) you want the soup to be, you can use either milk or heavy cream
• garnish the soup with a little sauteed broccoli or homemade croutons (see directions below)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/2 medium chopped onion
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk or heavy cream
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 pound fresh broccoli
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions

Saute the onion in the butter and set aside.  Cook the melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes – stir constantly and then add the milk or heavy cream.  Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli and onions to the soup and cook over low heat for an additional 20-25 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Take 1/2 of the soup and puree it in a blender, then add it back to the pot with the remainder of the soup.  Stir in the cheese and nutmeg.

Homemade Croutons:

Cut French bread or boule into 1/2-inch cubes.  Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan.  Add the bread cubes to the pan and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently – 5 to 10 minutes or until nicely browned. Add more olive oil as needed.

garnished with sauteed broccoli florets

adapted from Panera Bread’s Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe

This satisfying soup is all about texture – a smooth, satiny feel on the palate. Now I’ll be honest, there are a lot of steps to this dish, so I would recommend making this when you have some extra time – but trust me, it’s well worth it.  I find it’s a nice change of pace and very satisfying to take my time and prepare a well-made dish.  A few items to note about this recipe:

• it’s a good idea to read through this entire recipe before starting
• consider adding noodles or dumplings to this soup
• a parchment lid is just as it sounds – an easy to make “lid” for your stockpot constructed out of parchment paper.  Be sure to cut a small steam hole in the center and put the paper lid  in the pot so that it rests gently on the food you’re cooking.  It’s a great way to prevent the surface of your food from becoming caramelized as it cooks.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 cup coarsely chopped leeks
• kosher salt

separately:

• 4 quarts chicken stock
• 5 stalks celery
• 3 large carrots
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed, skin left on
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup Roux (see here)
• 2 – 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (dark and/or white meat)
• 1/4 cup minced chives
• 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar can be used as a substitute)
• flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions

Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add the first set of ingredients – the carrots, celery, onions and leeks – season with salt, and cover with a parchment lid.  Reduce the heat to low and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, 30 to 35 minutes – until the vegetables are tender.  Remove and discard the parchment lid.

Add the chicken stock to the vegetables and bring to a simmer.  Continue to simmer for about 30 minutes, then strain the soup base into another pot and discard the vegetables.

Now, for the second set of ingredients.  Peel the celery stalks with a peeler.  Cut each stalk crosswise on the diagonal into thin slices.  As you get to the wider part of the stalk, adjust the angle of your knife to keep the pieces relatively the same size.  You need about 1 1/2 cups of celery for this recipe.  Cook the celery in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just tender – a few minutes.  Drain, cool in an ice bath, and drain again.

Cut the carrots lengthwise into quarters and then crosswise into bite-sized pieces. As each carrot widens, adjust the size of the cut to keep the pieces the same size (similar to the celery).  You need about 1 1/2 cups of carrots for this recipe.

Put the carrots into a saucepan – add the honey, bay leaf, thyme, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cover with cold water.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the carrots are tender but slightly resistant to the tooth. Drain and transfer to paper towels.

Bring the soup base to a simmer and whisk in the roux a little at a time, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon – you might not need all of the roux. Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming often – this is necessary to remove all impurities from the roux.  The soup will continue to thicken as it simmers.

Add the chicken, carrots, celery and chives to the soup and heat through.  Season with the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a large serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley leaves.

the pieces of chicken and vegetables should all be about the same size

adapted from a recipe found here

Now, onto the food!  Frequent readers of this blog know that I am a soup and stew junkie.  This, this and this will likely remind you of my obsession.  To me, people coming together to share one pot meals epitomizes the “comfort food” experience and I can’t seem to get enough of it!

This winter minestrone soup is the ideal dish for New Year’s Day – it’s simple, delicious and sure to cure any side effects from your New Year’s Eve festivities.  A few items to note about this recipe:

• the addition of any short pasta is optional – I like to use ditalini
• when plating, add the pasta separately from the soup, as it helps maintain the al dente texture longer – especially if you plan on reheating this dish!

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 bulb fennel, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-35 oz. can whole tomatoes, lightly crushed
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1-15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
• 1  1/2 bunches Swiss Chard leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 cups short pasta, for serving
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat.  Add onion, celery, fennel, potatoes and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and their juices, stock and cannellini beans; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in vinegar and Swiss chard; season with salt and pepper.

Prepare the pasta to al dente by following the directions included with the pasta.

Divide pasta evenly between bowls.  Ladle soup over the pasta and garnish with cheese.  Serve immediately.

adapted from a recipe found here

Swiss Chard is an essential ingredient in this soup

leaving onions in the soup adds a nice texture

At this time of the year I’m always looking for fresh, light meals that keep me warm.  This dish is a nice twist to a traditional butternut squash soup because it doesn’t require any heavy cream and the onions add a nice texture.  It’s also easy to make and tastes great the next day!  Adding nutmeg as the finishing touch rounds out this dish really well.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, peeled
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Cut squash into 1-inch cubes.

In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onions cooking until translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the squash and stock.  Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender.

Remove squash and some of the onions (as much as you like) and place in a food processor or blender and puree.  Return the squash and onion puree to the pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

adapted from recipe found here

Makes 4 to 5 servings

Ingredients

Chili:

• 3-4 dried ancho chiles
• 3 oz. bacon, diced
• 3/4 pounds onion, chopped
• 1 3-pound flat-cut (first cut) beef brisket, cut into 2-inch cubes
• coarse salt
• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 12-oz. bottle Mexican beer
• 1 7-oz. can diced roasted green chiles
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro stems
• 2 cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash

Garnish Options:

• cilantro leaves
• chopped red onion
• diced avocado
• shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• warm corn and/or flour tortillas

Directions

Place chiles in medium bowl and pour enough boiling water over them to completely cover.  Soak until chiles soften, at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Saute bacon in large oven-proof pot over medium-high heat until it begins to brown.  Add onions, reduce heat to medium; cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle beef with coarse salt and pepper – add to pot; stir to coat and set aside.

Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid.

Remove stems (and some seeds if you aren’t a fan of spicy food) and place chiles in a blender, add 1 cup soaking liquid, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, coriander and 3/4 teaspoons coarse salt; blend to puree, add more soaking liquid in 1/4 cup increments if the puree is too thick.  Pour puree over brisket in pot. Add tomatoes with juices, beer, green chiles and cilantro stems.  Stir to coat evenly.

Bring chili to a simmer, cover and place in the oven.  Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until beef is almost tender, about 30-40 more minutes.  Add squash; stir to coat.  Roast uncovered until beef and squash are tender, adding more soaking liquid if needed to keep meat covered, about 30 minutes longer. Season chili to taste with salt and pepper.  Tilt pot and spoon off any fat from the surface of the sauce.

Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.  Reheat chili over medium-low and serve with any of the garnishes listed above.

adapted from a recipe found here

There are several variations of this dish in my family – this is my favorite. Actually, to be completely honest, I haven’t had a version that I didn’t like! Sometimes there may be a few extra or slightly different ingredients, but this soup is consistently delicious.  It’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner and tastes even better the next day for lunch.  This hearty alternative to Chili is likely to become a favorite in your family, just as it is in mine.  A few items to note about this recipe:

• replacing the seasoning ingredients below with a taco seasoning packet is a nice shortcut
• in order to control the final flavor, I prefer to add the seasoning at the end – once all ingredients are combined
• you can add browned meat and the rest of the ingredients to a crock-pot and set on low for 6-8 hours

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Soup:

• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 12 oz. beef stock
• 2 – 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of potato soup
• 2 – 15  1/2 oz. cans kidney beans, drained
• 32 oz. stewed tomatoes
• 8 oz. tomato sauce

Seasoning:

• 1  1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1  1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Garnish (optional):

• chihuahua cheese (or your favorite cheese)
• green onions
• sour cream
• tortilla chips

In a skillet, brown the sirloin and drain any fat from the meat, set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil, carrots and celery – cook until softened slightly (but still have a crunch), about 10 minutes.  Add the stock, cream of potato soup, kidney beans, stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce – stir well.  Add the meat to the soup mixture and then stir in the seasoning.  Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Turn the heat to low and stir frequently for about 20-30 minutes, until the entire soup is warm.  Serve immediately with garnish options listed above.

adapted from family recipe by Janice Wray

It’s fall and that means it’s time to bring out the soups and stews.  Surprisingly, I know several people who aren’t into them, and to that I say good, more for me! Often a large bowl is enough for dinner, so this recipe is designed to feed 2-4, depending on whether or not you intend to serve this as a starter or the main course.

This recipe was inspired by the version included in Stephane Reynaud’s new book, French Feasts (more details on this book in an upcoming post).  Even though my recipe is quite different, I wanted to recreate the simplicity of his preparation, while maintaining the flavor of a dish that took hours to produce.

I’ve noticed that there are a variety of preferences for onion soup , including the amount and thickness of the sliced onions, the flavor of the broth, the quantity and type of cheese – it seems to go on and on for a dish with so few ingredients. I’ve made several versions over the last few weeks and this is my favorite – tailored to my preferences, which include onions that are sliced a little thicker (about 1/4″ slices), a dark, rich broth and a medium amount of cheese on top of my baguettes.  Feel free to play around with the recipe, it’s very forgiving.  My only “rules” for this dish are:

1. use high-quality Gruyere
2. don’t forget to add the sugar – it helps the onions brown

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 3 large yellow onions, sliced
• 1  1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 32 oz. beef stock
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 baguette
• Gruyere cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the onions over medium-low with the butter and olive oil in a covered pot for 15 minutes. Uncover, raise the temperature to medium, stir in the salt and sugar and cook for 15 more minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the wine, allow to reduce by one-third, and then add the beef stock.  Cook for 20 minutes – the onions will be very tender and the broth a dark brown color.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice and toast the baguette.  Depending on the size of bowl, plan on presenting the dish with 2 slices of baguette per person.  Keep some extra on hand for dunking!

Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls, put the baguettes on top and cover with grated Gruyere.  Place bowls under a hot broiler to melt the cheese.

What are your favorite variations on this dish?