Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwiches / Pea Soup

So my amazingly brave and newly accomplished athlete and chef, Kelly Sharples, had me over for lunch to show off her bad cooking skills. I stole her post from her blog with the recipes of what she made me. It was DELISH!! See below....

In case you missed this episode of Barefoot Contessa, I tried out these recipes of hers and feel like I have hit a gold mine. Not very kid friendly, but if you are a grown up and like interesting flavors, you will LOVE this soup and sandwich combo.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND GOAT CHEESE SANDWICHES
Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients

4 large red bell peppers
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large ciabatta bread, halved horizontally
1 (11-ounce) garlic-and-herb or plain goat cheese at room temperature
8 to 10 large basil leaves
3 thin slices red onion

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Place the whole peppers on a sheet pan and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the skins are completely wrinkled and the peppers are charred, turning them twice during roasting. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Set aside for 30 minutes, or until the peppers are cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
Remove the stem from each pepper and cut them in quarters. Remove the peels and seeds and place the peppers in a bowl along with any juices that have collected. Discard the stems, peels, and seeds. Pour the oil and vinegar mixture over the peppers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.
To assemble the sandwiches, spread the bottom half of the loaf with the goat cheese. Add a layer of peppers and then a layer of basil leaves. Separate the onions into rings and spread out on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with the top half of the ciabatta and cut into individual servings.



FRESH PEA SOUP
Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped leeks (wash well), white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen peas
2/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup creme fraiche (heavy whipping cream with a little bit of buttermilk – shaken and left at room temp to thicken)
1/2 cup freshly chopped chives
Garlic croutons, for serving

Directions

Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the peas are tender. (Frozen peas will take only 3 minutes.) Off the heat, add the mint, salt, and pepper.
*Puree the soup in batches: place 1 cup of soup in a blender, place the lid on top, and puree on low speed. With the blender still running, open the venthole in the lid and slowly add more soup until the blender is three-quarters full. Pour the soup into a large bowl and repeat until all the soup is pureed. Whisk in the creme fraiche and chives and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with garlic croutons.

The "UN-IMPROVED" Tortilla Soup

First of all this recipe is officially Julies, I actually went online to find it and wasn't here so thought I would share it. The story behind the un-improved is Julie made it one time for my step-mom. My step-mom in turn had Julie for dinner where she (the step-mom) made for Julie this soup, only she "improved" it. We later found out the said step-mother is crazy, which explains why she tried to improve this already perfect soup. Enjoy!!

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 onion chopped fine
• 1 - 4 oz can chopped green chilis
• 3 tbl olive oil
• 2 - 16 oz cans diced tomatoes or rotel if you like it hotter than death
• 3 cans (6 c.) chicken borth
• 3-4 chicken breasts, grilled and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 tbl cumin
• 1 tbl chili powder
• 1/2 teas salt
• 1-3 teas pepper again depending on the spice you are wanting
• 1 tbl lemon pepper
• 1/4 teas worchestershire
• 6-8 corn tortillas torn into strips

Saute onion, garlic and green chilis in oil. Add all ingredients except tortillas. Simmer for an hour. Add tortillas just before serving. Top with cheddar and sour cream.

My Favorite Soup

Potato Corn Chowder
6 C water
6 medium potatoes (for thicker chowder, add a couple of extra potatoes)
1 med onion, chopped
2 Tbs minced garlic
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 vegetable bullion
1/8 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
pepper to taste
4 c corn
1/4 c heavy cream
1 Tbs dill
sour cream

*bring water to boil
*add potatoes, onion, garlic and celery
*return water to boil then add bullion and seasonings
*cover and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 min or until potatoes are tender
*cool slightly then remove 2-3 cups of potatoes from stock and set aside
*blend remaining chowder in increments
*reheat over low heat
*add corn and reserved potatoes, simmer, but continually stir for 5 min to ensure that chowder does not stick
*add cream and dill and continue to stir for another 2-3 minutes
*serve with a dollop of sour cream

Dan Hagerty Shamrock Soup

Necessity is the mother of invention and out of necessity I needed to find a recipe that used up a big bag of asparagus. I bought it at Costco last week, thinking I would use it for a few meals during the upcoming week. But it had been over a week and I hadn't opened it yet. Luckily I found this asparagus soup recipe that called for 2 lbs of asparagus. So I made this soup knowing full well my children aren't crazy about asparagus or any kind of green soup. But again necessity is the mother of invention so I decided to call it "Shamrock Soup" and at least try to get them to taste it using a gimmicky name. And it worked... somewhat. The non-picky eaters in my house ate it and said it was good. And as far as the "boyfriend" name- Dan Hagerty- this recipe was christened after him solely because Hagerty is an Irish name. Some may be skeptical and think I just made up this name to go with my recipe and that I didn't ever go out with a "Dan Hagerty" but I say it is the luck of the Irish that I actually did. And if your family is just a wee-bit adventurous they would enjoy this soup on St. Patrick's Day.

2 lbs asparagus, cut off and throw away tough ends of asparagus. This is usually the bottom 1 or 2 inches of the asparagus. Then cut tips off and set aside. Then chop up remaining stems into 1/2 inch pieces.

3 TBSP. butter

2 small leeks, halved lengthwise and sliced thin

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 c. frozen peas

2 TBSP. Parmesan cheese

1/4 c. heavy cream, plus more for drizzling

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

salt and pepper

Melt 1 1/2 TBSP. butter in soup pot over medium-high heat. Add asparagus tips and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Take out of pot and set aside.

Add remaining butter, asparagus pieces, leeks, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper to pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Add broth to pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas and Parmesan cheese. Puree soup in blender in 2 batches and return to pot. Stir in cream and lemon juice and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

When I served the soup to my kids I drizzled a little more cream on top. I attempted to make it look like a shamrock to boost the gimmick-factor, but apparently you need a really steady hand to do this. I also topped mine and my husband's soup with the sauted asparagus tips but I didn't on my kids because if they got any idea that they were actually eating asparagus- then my irish luck would wear off quickly!

Happy St. Patrick's Day Eating!

"Better Than Jon Fairbanks in the hot-tub" Tortellini Soup

This may be my most scandalous post yet... but I'm sure you have heard of "Better than S--" cake. Well this soup is in the same vein. This soup is one of my new favorites and Jon Fairbanks was really one of my favorite boyfriends. A lot of times the recipes I post are named after guys I just went out on one or two dates with. But Jon was my boyfriend for about 4 months and in those months there was an infamous "incident" in a hot-tub that my dear friend and roommate, Kj, witnessed and reminded me of when I was in Texas visiting her last month. (In fact she reminded me of a few other choice, juicy events from my college days that I haven't disclosed yet but believe me when you see a dish bearing the name Steve Stockard- it will be a complete guilty pleasure with almost no nutritional value;)! Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. You were forewarned!) But back to why I am naming this soup after Jon Fairbanks. Jon was and I'm sure still is a great guy. He has honest, a gentleman and HOT! And this soup is all those things. Not really sure how a soup can be a gentleman but somehow it works. And even though things eventually had to end, when they did Jon was nothing but forthright and open. I was sad the relationship ended but grateful for the experience. And this soup will leave you with the same feeling. When you look into your empty bowl with just the spoon sitting in there you will be sad the meal is over, but completely satisfied with the experience. Who knew that both soup and old boyfriends could be so filling?!?

1 lb. italian turkey sausage (You can use regular sausage but it is completely fine without it.)

1 small onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

5 C. beef broth

1/2c. water

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 c. thinly sliced carrots

1 1/2c. sliced zucchini

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. parsley

1 (8oz.) can tomato sauce

2 C. cheese tortellini

Parmesan cheese for the top.

Brown meat and then remove from pot. Saute onion, garlic, carrots and zucchini in the oil from the meat. You may need to add a little extra oil if you have really lean meat. When veggies are translucent- about 5 minutes- add sausage back in with broth, water, tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add tortellini and cover and simmer for 35-40 mroe minutes. Top with cheese.

I have a secret ingredient I put in almost all my soups, except maybe chili. I have kept it secret because it is kind of obscure, but it really does put your soup over the top. It is a parmesan cheese rind. It gives your soup a smooth, creamy flavor and adds a bit of saltiness. If you buy the more expensive parmesan cheese and save the rind once you are done using the cheese, you can save it in your freezer for soups. And it goes well in this soup. You just put it in with the rest of the liquid ingredients and let it simmer. Sometimes it dissolves completely and other times you have to fish it out. I have heard that you can buy parmesan cheese rinds at the deli counter at Harmans but I have yet to check it out myself. Oh and for the record, Jon's secret ingredient was his abs. I saw those in the hot-tub!

Moroccan Lentil Soup

Ingredients

2 onions, chopped

2 clovs garlic, minced

1 tsp grated fresh ginger/canned crushed ginger from Trader Joe's

6 cups water

1 cup lentils

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained

1 19 oz can canellini beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 tsp garam masala (see recipe)

1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp olive oil

Garam Masala (Indian spice mixture)

1 T ground coriander

2 t black pepper

2 t ground cardamom

1 t  cinnamon

1 t ground cloves

Preparation

Saute onions, garlic & ginger in a little olive oil app 5 minutes.

Add water, lentils, beans, tomatoes, vegetables and spices.  

Bring to a boil for a few minutes then simmer 1 to 1/2 hours or longer, til lentils are soft.

Puree half the soup and return to pot.  

Add 2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and about  1/4 cup cilantro to taste.  Freshens it up!

Zesty Pumpkin Soup

1/4 c. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 c. chicken broth
1 3/4 c. (16 oz. can) Libby's solid pack pumpkin
1 c. half and half
sour cream and chives (optional)

In large saucepan, melt butter; saute onion and garlic until soft. Add curry powder, salt, coriander and red pepper; cook 1 minute. Add broth; boil gently, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in pumpkin and half and half; cook 5 minutes. Pour into blender container (I never do this step). Cover; blend until creamy. Serve warm or reheat to desired temperature. Garnish with dollop of sour cream and chopped chives (or green onions), if desired.

No Boy's Name is Worthy of Grandma Sara's Minestrone Soup

I usually name the recipes I put on this blog after a boy I dated, BUT like the title refers to no boy I ever dated can compare with my Grandma Sara. She is one of my favorite people EVER. I really miss her. I originally got this recipe from her, but I have changed it some over the years so I guess it is mine now. In fact I made it for her one time and she said, "This is good. Where did you get the recipe?" Surprised, I said, "From you, Grandma." I even have a secret ingredient I have never told Julie about- GASP! I may have just jeopardized the friendship by keeping this secret- but I might reveal the secret ingredient by the end of this post. I haven't decided yet....:) Here it is oh and by the way- it feeds an army. I haven't found a good way to divide it- so make it either for a big group of people or be prepared to have it as leftovers for about a week!
1 TBS. olive oil

1 lb italian sausage

2 onions

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

(All veggies are chopped)

1 quart water

2 beef bouillon

1 TBS parsley

3/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

3/4 tsp garlic salt

(All herbs dried- although I'm sure you could use fresh- just use more.)

2 qt. tomatoes- I think my Grandma had it written this way because she used tomatoes she had canned, but I would guess that equals about 4 cans of diced tomatoes.

1 TBS. sugar

shake of tabasco

1 cup macaroni

3 cans of beans- this is the part where you can be creative or just use whatever is in your cupboard. You can use a variety of beans- green, garbanzo, white, kidney. My favorites are kidney, white and green- although I usually use the frozen kind of green beans. You can also put other veggies in this if you want-I have put asparagus in it too.

Brown sausage in olive oil then add veggies and saute until transparent. Add water and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the pasta and beans. Simmer for 4 hours- if you have that much time. I have made it with just 30 minutes of simmering, but FYI it is much better is you give it time- much like a marriage- anyway- then add beans and pasta and simmer for another 30 minutes. Top with parmesan cheese.

As for the secret ingredient- I am torn, I mean a sorceress isn't a sorceress for nothing. She has to have a few tricks up her sleeve. It just doesn't feel right- right now. I may need a little coaxing- like something chocolate "coaxed!"

Russ Sabin Sweet 'n Sassy Tomato Relish

Since soup weather seems to be going on indefinitely this year, I decided to post this garnish that goes with "White Bean Chili" soup. I know there is already another recipe for a white bean chili on the blog and I don't want to replace it, but I have found this garnish to put on top that "kicks it up a notch!" This year for Memorial Day we had this soup and garnish, instead of hamburgers and potato salad! Maybe one day summer will start...
1/4c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. oil- vegetable or olive
Combine all the above together and then add:
Chopped fresh tomatoes-I use about 6 romas- just to give an idea.
Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro- I use about 3 Tbsp.
Top White Bean Chili with this yummy garnish!

Crockpot potato soup

Crockpot Potato Soup
Mandy Decker

6 Potatoes, peeled and diced
1 c. chopped onion
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
4 c. chicken broth
½ t. dried basil
1 t. dried parsley
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
¼ c. flour
1 ¼ c. half and half
bacon bits

Combine potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, chicken broth, basil, parsley, salt and pepper in crockpot.
Cook on High for 3 hours – till veggies are tender.
Stir together flour and half/half, add to soup.
Cook 30 min more or until hot.
Top with bacon bits

The Easy Cheesy (Soup)

Super easy and great for this &^%$ty weather we've been having.

3-4 large potatoes peeled and cut into bite size cubes

Frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 of the Costco size brick of Velveeta cheese

.

Put potatoes in a large pot. The big soup one that proably only has one handle. Put in enough water to cover potatoes, now add just a little more. Put in some salt, parsley and bay. Now boil until tender. While they are boiling steam your frozen veggies on the stove or nuke 'em if that is your preferred method. When all veggies are cooked put all together in large pan. Stir in cream of chicken soup then cut up the velveeta and stir it in simmer watching carefully until cheese is melted.

WALAAAH!!!! Your kids will love it and you will to. Great with french bread, or especially in a bread bowl.

Cheeseburger Chowder

My sister Becky made this Cheeseburger Chowder for a family get together. My husband went Ga Ga over it. Trent just fell completely in love with it. So I made the week after Christmas when I was feeding an army. I doubled the recipe so that there would be leftovers for Trent to take to work. Well we sat down to eat and had a couple of "ooooh what is that?" or "I dont like Cheeseburgers" stuff like that. Then we started eating. After about 10 minutes I was finishing my bowl and realized the soup was gone. I didn't even save a bowl for DJ. I had no idea it would go that fast. Some of the kids had 3 bowls. I realized then that I must post this recipe. Kids love it.

Cheeseburger Chowder
Becky

2 lbs. ground hamburger
½ c. chopped onion
4 c. chopped potato
1 c. chopped celery
2 bullion cubes
5 c. milk
6 T. flour
2 c. shredded cheese

Brown burger and onion
Add next 3 ingredients, cook for about 5 min. Then add 3 c. water and 1 t. salt and boil till potatoes are soft. Then mix 1 c. milk with 6 T. flour and add to soup. Stir. Then add the rest of the milk. Stirring constantly. Add cheese. Serve.

White Bean Chili

This chili came from Kamille's sister in law Lori, who states emphatically that she doesn't cook. We have decided that she doesn't like to cook, therefore when she does cook she really has to love what she is making. Every recipe I have recieved from her is Pheonominal (I dont know the spelling the first time I typed Pheoniminical, so excuse my mispelled words). This recipe is Awesome and way easy in the crockpot.

White Bean Chili

2 Chicken Breasts

1 lg. onion

2 cloves garlic

1 can chicken broth

1 t. cumin

1 t. oregano

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. tobasco

Put ingredients in Crockpot, cook. When chicken is done, shred and then add...

2 cans Great White Northern Beans

(rinsed and drained)

1 can of corn, drained (fresh or forzen is better)

3 T. Lime Juice

2 T. Cilantro

Top with cheese and sour cream

Optional: Also top with cut up Avacado...Yummy!

*I made this on Thursday and doubled it. Great for leftovers.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

So I made Broccoli Cheese Soup for our Neighborhood Halloween Spook Alley Potluck. It was yummy. So I thought I would post it today.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Boil 2+ crown broccoli with water and chicken bullion. Put about 2 inches of water in pan and cover. Boil till broccoli is tender.
Blend in blender
Make a rue
½ c. butter
½ c. flour
Add 1 qt. milk/or half and half
Stir Constantly
Add broccoli mix
Stir in ½ of big velveeta and cheddar cheese
Season with salt and pepper

Chili & Cornbread

Chili
½ Onion
1-2 Green Pepper
1-2 c. Carrots
1 can Kidney beans, rinsed
2 cans Black beans, drained
2 cans Chili beans and juices
3 cans Diced tomatoes
¼ c. chili powder
Garlic or garlic powder
½ t. Oregano
1+ T. Cumin
Simmer until veggies are done. Add Polish Sausages and cook 10 min.
Top with sour cream and cheese.
Serve with cornbread

Cornbread
1 c. yellow corn meal
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
2 T. baking powder
Mix then add
2 eggs
2 c. milk
2 T. melted butter
Put in greased 9x13 pan.
Bake 20 min at 400
Optional: Can add 1 can corn for rougher texture.