On Soup and Snowing

As I sit here blogging about soup on this chilly day, all I smell is my delicious dinner simmering away in the kitchen. In honor of our first snow here in Fort Collins (it lasted all of 2 1/2 minutes) I decided to forgo making lasagna this evening and opted for French onion soup instead. Don't fret though, lasagna will be made this weekend!

I forgot to take pictures of the beginning stages of the soup I am making this evening, but I will take a 'ready to eat' picture and add it before I post.

One of my favorite things to make in cold weather is soup. I like to experiment with whatever ingredients I have around the house. Chicken noodle soup is always great, but sometimes you just want something a little more exciting. One of my favorites is a chicken and chili pepper soup. I tend to have a nice variety of fresh peppers in the fridge (and I grew black bell peppers and serranos in my "garden" this summer) that are tasty in soup. I usually roast some poblano, maybe a fresno or jalepeno, and a little sweet bell pepper and dice those up with half a red onion and sautee them until the onion is tender. I add corn, usually frozen, diced chicken that I marinated in salsa, and chicken broth. Once everything is cooked, I usually serve it with a little sour cream, and maybe tortilla strips. The last time I made it, however, I added a Spanish rice stuffed patty pan squash and sour cream on top of that. It was delicious and a little more substantial of a meal.

Another family favorite is what my mom calls "hamburger soup". You start with ground beef, chopped onion, a clove of garlic, diced green bell pepper and canned chilies, carrots, celery, zucchini, green beans, a can of pinto beans, and a can of diced tomatoes; I added some fresh tomatoes and parsley to this batch too.

Brown the ground beef with the onions and peppers. Add the other veggies, drained and rinsed beans, and diced tomatoes.

Once everything is partially cooked sprinkle a couple tablespoons of vinegar over everything-red wine vinegar works best, add a can or carton of beef broth and simmer until all the veggies are tender. I like to add pasta to the soup-my mom traditionally uses spaghetti but I have been eating only quinoa pasta, so I used quinoa elbows.

Finish with salt and pepper to taste and some chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy!

And now, to the French Onion soup! I slice one red onion nice and thin and let it caramelize over medium heat in a mixture of butter and olive oil with a sprinkle of sugar. Once the onions are light brown, I add half a thinly sliced apple and a minced clove of garlic and continue cooking everything for about 5 minutes. Then add another little bit of butter and a sprinkle of flour to help thicken the soup and make sure everything is coated. Deglaze with a little bit of white or red wine and add a carton of beef broth, some salt and pepper to taste, and a bay leaf. Let it simmer until all the flavors get a chance to combine in the broth. Pour the soup in a bowl, top with toasted crusty bread and swiss cheese and broil until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Dig in, but be careful, it will be hot!

Soups make comforting and delicious cold weather meal. Many can also be frozen so feel free to make a large batch to enjoy some later too. Be creative with soup-there are so many possibilities and Chop on fellow soup lovers!