As it starts to get cold outside things start heating up in the kitchen with delicious soup. Jared Cotter met up with Dahl Restaurant Group's executive chef, Lisa Dahl. She's sharing three yummy winter soup recipes that will keep you warm this cold winter.
Recipe Created By Executive Chef Lisa Dahl
1. Sopa De Justino
Ingredients:
· Well-seasoned roasted chicken breasts, enough to equal about two cups when shredded.
· 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
· 6 cups water
· 1 ½ carrot chunks
· 1 ½ cup celery chunks (if you trim tops and leaves, add them to stock pot)
· 2 cups sliced onions
· ½ cup olive oil
· 1 tablespoon minced garlic
· 2 to 3 tablespoons Aciete de Guanajuato (see recipe below)
· 2 cups mild-medium salsa (or marinara)
· 1 cup chopped cilantro (or basil)
· 1 cup cooked rice, preferably leftover Spanish rice (or orzo)
· Optional garnishes: chopped avocado, shredded jack cheese, additional cilantro.
For Aciete de Guanajato
· ¼ pound fresh serrano chiles, coarsely chopped
· ¼ large Bermuda or white onion, roughly chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, chopped
· ¼ cup fresh oregano leaves, chopped
· ½ teaspoon kosher salt
· ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
· 1 cup of olive oil
· To prepare: Put all ingredients except olive oil into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to the consistency of a chunky pesto. Slowly stream in half cup of the oil. Pour chile oil into bowl and stir in last half cup of oil.
Method:
Separate all the good meat from the bones. Put shredded white meat aside. Place all leftover bones, scrapings and seasoned skin shards, wings, etc. in a stock pot. Cover with broth and water (a total of 12 cups). Bring to a boil.
Put the carrots into the bowl. Repeat with the celery and onions and remove to a separate bowl. If you have trimmed celery tops from the stalk, throw them into the cooking broth to enhance its flavor. Add oil to saute pan and when it begins to smoke, add carrots and saute, stirring to keep from burning. Saute carrots first, as they take a little longer to soften than other vegetables. When they rusticate, add the celery and onion. The oil should be sufficient, especially when the flame is controlled. When the mirepoix of vegetables is golden and nice and soft, add minced garlic and the Aciete de Guanajato. Continue to saute slowly and evenly until oil is absorbed nicely into vegetables. Turn off the heat and let rest for later.
Strain bones from the broth and return the broth to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil; add vegetable mixture and cook, skimming and discarding oil that floats to the surface. Add salsa, chicken meat and cooked rice (for a Mediterranean summer minestra, use marinara and orzo in place of salsa and rice and substitute basil for cilantro). Allow to simmer, checking spices and seasoning. When flavor and color are robust, add a generous cup of cilantro and cook until wilted. Drizzle grated cheese into the pot or individual servings, leaving it nice and gooey. Garnish with sliced avocado and cilantro.
Makes 3 quarts.
2. Garnet Yam Soup With Roasted Red Peppers
Ingredients:
· 3 pounds garnet yams
· 3 cups chopped red bell pepper
· ½ cup chopped shallots, 3 to 4 large shallots
· 1 jalapeno or 2 serrano chiles, stemmed
· 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
· ¼ cup olive oil
· 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
· ¼ cup cream sherry
· Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
· ½ cup heavy cream
Method:
Put all the yams in the oven at 425 degrees on a baking sheet or in a casserole. Bake until they are soft all the way through, about an hour. Meanwhile, chop red bell pepper, shallots, garlic and chiles in food processor until coarsely minced. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the minced vegetables until they are beginning to brown.
Removed the baked yams from the over. When they’re cool enough to touch, scoop the insides out and put into a soup pot and cover with the broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. When the potatoes are soft, puree the soup with a hand blender or food processor until smooth. Add sherry. Add the sautéed vegetables to the soup. Lower heat. Whisk in cream and adjust seasonings as desired.
Makes 2.5 quarts.
3. Spinach-Lemon Pesto Soup
Ingredients:
· 5 medium zucchini, roughly chopped
· 6 cups chicken stock plus 2 cups water or 8 cups low sodium broth
· 2 leeks (white and pale green portions), washed and chopped
· 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
· ¼ cup olive oil
· ½ pound fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped
· 1 tablespoon freshly chopped dill or pesto
· ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
· 1 whole lemon
· Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
For The Roux
· 1 tablespoon butter
· 1 tablespoon flour
Method:
Place the zucchini in a soup pot and cover it with the stock and water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until zucchini is tender and falling apart. (Allow the zukes to simmer while you continue the recipe).
In a large skillet or saute pan, saute the leeks and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until they are lightly caramelized. Be careful not to burn the garlic though, or it will be bitter. Add spinach and cook until just wilted.
Puree the fully cooked zucchini in its broth with an immersion blender. Or, if you do not have an immersion blender, scoop out the soft zucchini and puree it in a blender or food processor and return it to the soup pot. Stir in the dill (or pesto), chile flakes, and the juice of the lemon. Then, toss in the whole juiced lemon shell, skin and all. Allow it to remain in the soup as this will enhance the powerful lemon flavor. Check seasonings and adjust salt and pepper to taste if desired.
You can serve the soup au naturel to keep it wheat-free. But, for a texture with more viscosity, make a roux by melting the tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan and sprinkling it with the tablespoon of flour. Stir gently over medium heat for 4 minutes to cook out the floury taste. Add the roux slowly to the simmering soup and stir until the soup has thickened to a perfect bisque-like velvetiness with delicate translucency.
Makes 2 quarts.
What's your favorite winter meal? Join the conversation!
