Category Archives: soup

Miso Ramen

October 9, 2021 alaskaknitnat 1 Comment

As autumn descends into what I call “waiting for winter” I crave cozy, warming meals. I’ve been trying out making my own ramen and I think I finally have it down.

As with most of my recipes, this is a flexible dish where you can interchange a lot of ingredients. Baby bok choy or baby spinach, ramen noodles or udon noodles, raw chicken or leftover rotisserie – do what you like, but what’s key is a good broth or stock. I recommend homemade bone stock, but if that’s out of your wheelhouse, Costco carries a “sipping bone broth” that’s remarkably rich and delicious.

Miso Ramen – a simple recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

7 cups chicken stock
3 scallions, 1 reserved for serving
2-inch piece of ginger, unpeeled and sliced
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or leftover rotisserie chicken)
3 garlic cloves, smashed
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
1, 5-inch piece of kombu
1 tablespoon black soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake (optional)
4 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms
Pinch of white pepper
Black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sweet white or yellow miso
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn (optional)
4 eggs
4 ounces chopped baby spinach
1 1/2 pounds ramen or udon noodles
1 brick firm tofu, drained and cubed
chili oil, for serving
furikake, for serving

Directions:

In a medium pot, combine the stock, 2 whole scallions, ginger, chicken, garlic, shiitake, kombu, black soy sauce, sake, crimini mushrooms, white pepper and black pepper. Cover, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the scallions, ginger, chicken, shiitake and kombu. Slice the shiitake mushrooms and reserve for serving. Shred the chicken and place it back in the pot. Discard the ginger, scallions and kombu. Add the miso and corn to the pot and continue to simmer while you prepare the eggs.

Bring a medium pot of water to boil and gently place four eggs into the water. Let boil for 6 minutes and 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs and run under cold water. Peel and set aside. Chop the remaining scallion and set aside. Add the spinach to the broth and continue simmering while the noodles cook.

Bring the water back to a boil and add the noodles. Boil them according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water to keep them from overcooking.

Divide the cubed tofu and noodles into four ramen bowls. Fill each bowl with broth, being sure to get some good chicken and crimini bits into each bowl. Carefully cut each egg in half and place two halves in each bowl. Divide the sliced shiitake mushrooms into each bowl. Sprinkle each bowl with the chopped scallion and furikake. Top with chili oil to taste. Serve immediately.

Cooking, recipes, soup

Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

January 24, 2021 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I cleaned out my freezer today and found some broccoli florets lurking in the back. I love broccoli, but only when I steam it from fresh. When it’s already frozen it can be sort of mushy. It’s perfect for soup! Or if you have leftover broccoli in the fridge, you can use that with some fresh baby spinach.

Here’s a delicious recipe I came up with today. The bacon gives the soup a smokey flavor that accentuates the broccoli and sharp cheddar perfectly. Add in potatoes and canned white beans and you give the soup a little more bulk. Serve this with a crusty white bread and you’ve got yourself a delicious wintertime supper!

Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Bacon, Potatoes and White Beans

Serves 6, probably

Ingredients:

1 pound broccoli (this doesn’t have to be exact)
2 strips of bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, smashed and choppped
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
6 oz. sharp cheddar, grated
1 oz. pecorino Romano cheese, grated
3/4 cup cream

Directions:

If using fresh broccoli, steam it until tender. If using frozen broccoli, thaw it under hot water. Roughly chop and set broccoli aside.

Add bacon to a dutch oven and heat over medium till bacon is cooked through but not crispy. Add onions and cook till translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook till fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the butter until melted and mix in the flour till a paste forms. Cook this for about 1-2 minutes. Add the white wine and scrape up any browned bits. This will thicken very quickly. Slowly stir in the chicken stock. Add pepper, thyme and broccoli and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it’s a consistency you like. This is up to you. I like a chunky soup so I didn’t blend it very long, but if you prefer a smoother soup, go to town with your immersion blender.

Return pot to low flame and add in the potatoes and beans. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir in the cheeses till melted. Stir in the cream. Add salt if desired. Serve immediately.

Cooking, recipes, soup

Roasted Corn Chowder

April 7, 2020 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Hi Blogfriends!

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted. I got really really busy with my floral business but in light of recent events I’ve had to close my business and now I have more time for other creative endeavors, such as remaking some of my favorite knitting patterns and cooking.

I’ve been making a lot of recipes using easy-to-find ingredients. Last night I came up with a tasty soup that I wanted to share. It’s a flexible recipe. Add different kinds of veggies if you like and change up the seasonings if these don’t suit you.

Roasted Corn Chowder with Chicken and Mushrooms

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.5 cups frozen corn
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped crimini or button mushrooms
salt
1 large carrot, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Trader Joes umami powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground pepper
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 cup leftover rotisserie chicken pieces, torn into chunks
3 cups chicken stock, 1/4 cup reserved
2 tablespoons flour
1.5 cups milk
1/4 cup cream

Directions:

Thaw the corn in a strainer under hot water and drain in a salad spinner. Place corn on a baking sheet and broil until corn is browned. Set aside.

Melt butter in a 4 quart soup pot over medium high flame. Add the onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt. Sauté until moisture is gone from the mushrooms, about 7 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, umami powder, thyme, oregano and pepper to taste. Sauté another few minutes until mushrooms start to brown.

Add the corn, potatoes, chicken, 2.75 cups of stock and the milk. In a small liquid measuring cup whisk together the 1/4 cup stock and the flour to make a slurry. Pour that into the pot and bring everything to a simmer. Do not let it come to a rolling boil as this can cause the milk to curdle.

Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream.

If the soup isn’t thick enough for your liking, create another slurry of cold stock and flour and add to soup and simmer for another 7 minutes.

Cooking, Pasta, soup

Totally Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

June 16, 2019 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

It’s been a really busy summer. My floral endeavors have pretty much taken over my creative life and I have very little room for blogging.

After four weddings this weekend and barely cooking for my family, I finally had time to prepare a home-cooked meal.

I started by making a really rich chicken stock. After simmering it for about six hours I strained it and then decided to make chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles.

It was a hit!

Here’s how I made it from start to finish.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 6 or so

I’ve divided up this recipe into to parts: the stock and then the soup. You can of course start with store-bought chicken stock, but there is something so satisfying about creating your own opaque chicken stock. Plus it’s way more flavorful than anything found at the store.

Ingredients for the stock:

2-3 chicken carcasses
1-2 onions, roughly chopped
3 celery ribs, roughly chopped
3 carrots, roughly chopped
1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Directions for the stock:

Using pliers, crack the bones of your chicken carcasses. I actually do this after eating a chicken and freeze it until I have two or three. I also had some frozen skin-on chicken thighs that I added as well just to use them up.

Add the carcass – bones, skin and all – to a large stock pot. Add the onions, celery, carrots, parsley, peppercorns and bay leaves. Fill the pot with water. You don’t need to be exact here at all. Just fill the pot, whatever size it is.

Cover and set over high flame. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, and simmer for several hours. I think I let mine simmer for six hours while I cleaned the house and made flowers for an elopement tomorrow.

Turn off the heat and let cool for 30 minutes or so.

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large liquid measuring cup and start ladling the stock into the sieve. Use the back of the ladle to mash up the solids so as much liquid as possible comes out.

Toss the solids and pour the stock into jars. Repeat until you’ve strained all the stock. Store the stock in the fridge for a couple of weeks or freeze for several months.

Ingredients for the noodle soup:

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 pound chicken – if you have leftover chicken that works, but raw chicken is good too
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen green beans, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste

For the noodles: (this is enough for two batches. Save the remaining dough and make some fresh pasta the following day. Or halve the recipe)

300 g all-purpose flour (or 2 cups)
100 g semolina flour (or 2/3 cup)
4 eggs

Directions:

For the noodles, mix the flours together in the bowl of a standing mixer. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Whisk up the eggs with a fork until they are combined. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium-low until a dough is formed. Turn onto a table sprinkled with flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and not sticky.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. I had three skin-on chicken thighs so I fried those up to render the fat instead of adding oil.

Add the onions and celery. Sprinkle on some salt. Sauté until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Pour in the stock and add the chicken. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and continue to simmer while you make the noodles.

After the dough has rested for 30 minutes or so, cut it into two pieces. Place one piece in the fridge for fresh pasta tomorrow.

Cut the remaining dough into three equal pieces. Cover two with plastic wrap while you roll out the first ball.

Add the pasta rolling adaptor to your Kitchen Aid (or use the old-fashioned version). Flatten the piece of dough with your hands and flour on both sides. Run it through the largest setting. Fold the dough in half and run it through again. Repeat about six times and flour again on both sides if it’s feeling tacky. It should feel smooth.

Run the pasta sheet through the next setting just once. Repeat until setting 6 or until the desired thickness. I typically go to setting 8 on my Kitchen Aid but that’s for delicate pasta like vermicelli. For this dish I wanted something sturdier.

Hang the sheet of dough on a pasta rack (I find a laundry drying rack to be super useful for this). Repeat with other two balls of dough. Let the dough air dry for about 15 minutes. This makes it easier to cut.

In the meantime, remove the chicken from the pot and break it up with the whisk adaptor of your Kitchen Aid (or a fork would do). Place it back in the pot along with the green beans. Bring the soup back to a simmer.

Flour each sheet of dough and cut it into your desired noodle shape. You could run it through the fettuccini roller but I prefer hand-cut wide noodles.

Add your noodles to the pot and cover to bring it back to a boil. Simmer, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until noodles are cooked through. Typically I prefer al dente, but for soup I let them cook a little longer.

Serve in bowls with freshly grated pepper.

Cooking, recipes, soup

Creamy Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

January 12, 2019 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Here’s a quick, delicious soup that uses pantry staples so you don’t have you leave your house when it’s -3 F outside, which is exactly where I found myself last night. I added red bell pepper as an afterthought and it created an extra tanginess to the soup.

Toss in some chopped baby spinach right at the end for a nutritious bump.

Creamy Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon olive oil
One onion, chopped
4 baby red bell peppers, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1.5 cups chicken stock
one 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1.5 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups chopped baby spinach (optional)
cream, for serving

Directions:

Coat a dutch oven or soup pot with olive oil and heat over medium-high. Add the onions and bell peppers and sauté until onions are soft, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook till fragrant, about a minute.

Sprinkle in the flour and stir so everything is well coated. Cook for about a minute. Add the stock, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil and oregano and give it a good stir. Bring to a simmer and turn down the heat to low. The soup should begin to thicken nicely. If it’s too thick, add more stock.

Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom of the pot from burning. Use an immersion blender to make the soup smooth.

Five minutes before serving, add the spinach, if desired.

Spoon into bowls and stir in a dollop of cream just before serving.

Cooking, recipes, soup

Spinach Artichoke Dip Soup

November 7, 2018 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Everyone loves ordering spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer, amirite? Well here’s a soup version that’s every bit as flavorful, probably nearly as fattening and downright delicious.

I checked out from the library “The Keto Reset Instant Pot Cookbook” for funsies and it’s packed with super tasty recipes. I tweaked this one a little to boost the flavor by adding onions and deglazing with white wine.

I’ve never used the sauté function on my Instant Pot, out of fear mostly, but I tried it out and it works great! You could definitely make this recipe on the stove top, but it was pretty darn quick in the pressure cooker.

This creamy soup is packed with flavor, and hey – spinach is good for you so let’s call this a little bit healthy too.

Spinach Artichoke Dip Soup

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 an onion, chopped
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup white wine
4 oz. cream cheese
1 can of artichoke hearts in water, drained
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
8 oz. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of liquid
1/2 cup cream
freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano for serving

Directions:

Melt butter in a sauté pan (or use the sauté function on your Instant Pot). Add the onions and mushrooms and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook until all the liquid has come out of the mushrooms, about 10 minutes.

Pour in the white wine and let it bubble away a little for a couple of minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted.

Add contents to the Instant Pot if you haven’t already. Add the artichokes, mustard, sage, thyme, granulated garlic, salt and pepper and stir till everything is well coated.

Pour in the broth and water. Place cover on the Instant Pot. Make sure the release valve is set on “sealing” and pressure cook on any food setting (I used poultry) for 7 minutes.

Let the Instant Pot sit for 5 minutes, then carefully release the steam release valve.

Stir in the thawed and drained spinach and let the soup warm it for a couple of minutes. Stir in the cream.

Use an immersion blender to blend the soup slightly, if you’d like. This made it more appetizing because I didn’t have odd chunks of mushroom and spinach in every bite.

Serve in bowls topped with freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.

Cooking, recipes, soup, South Beach

Hungarian Sausage & Pepper Stew

October 7, 2018 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I love when my friend Mat takes over my kitchen and invents dishes. It’s like I get a night off from thinking about dinner and I play sous chef: dicing veggies, finding him utensils or even just lazing on the couch while he does all the work.

Mat has been living the Keto lifestyle for five years so I know whatever he concocts will not only be delicious but also nutritious (or sometimes it’s just cheese; let’s face it, cheese is good.)

Today was rainy and chilly – a perfect evening for a warming stew. We raided my fridge and made the most of a Costco rotisserie chicken.

What Mat came up with was just what we needed on a night like this.

Sausage, Pepper and Paprika Stew

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
salt to taste
5-7 baby bell peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken stock
A couple of dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 pound kielbasa, sliced
freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cups sour cream
rice for serving (if Keto isn’t an issue)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high flame. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Sprinkle with salt. Cook until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and cook another few minutes.

Add the paprika, tomato paste, bay leaf, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and kielbasa. Cover, bring to a boil and turn down heat to remain at a simmer. Add pepper to taste.

Simmer for 30 minutes. Toss in the chicken and simmer another 10 minutes. Stir in the sour cream.

Serve over rice and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Cooking, Italian, recipes, soup

Hearty Italian bean and pasta soup: Pasta e Fagioli

September 22, 2018 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

It’s officially fall and after an unusually sunny early September, the weather finally settled into the typical cool, windy Alaska autumn.

It’s perfect soup weather. There’s something so satisfying about making soup from scratch. Usually I have all the ingredients I need and it’s a therapeutic process to chop, sauté and simmer until you have a meal that warms you through and through.

The recent issue of Cook’s Country magazine has a simple recipe for Pasta e Fagioli. I made it this week and added my own flair to the recipe.

Hearty Italian Pasta and Bean Soup

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2, 15-ounce cans of white beans such as cannellini, rinsed
1 cup water
olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
2 carrots, washed and chopped fine
2.5-3 oz. pancetta, chopped fine
pinch of salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
dash of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 cups chicken broth
4 ounces mini pasta shapes such as shells or ditalini
3 handfuls baby super greens, chopped
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place one can of rinsed beans and the water in a blender and blend till smooth.

In a dutch oven or large saucepan, add a glug of olive oil and heat until oil is shimmering. Add the onion, celery, carrot, pancetta, salt and pepper and cook until veggies are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add tomato paste, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the broth, basil, other can of beans, and pureed beans. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.

Add the pasta and cook another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When pasta has cooked for 5 minutes, stir in the greens and increase heat if needs be to remain at a boil. When pasta is al dente, remove pot from heat and stir in the cheese.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of cheese.

Cooking, recipes, soup

Creamy Chicken and Dumplings

March 6, 2018 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Chicken and dumplings is a meal I have only ever had as an adult. Growing up, my family would enjoy matzo ball soup once a year and that was as close as I got to this comforting wintertime stew.

When my best friend Kelly and I started cooking dinners together, she introduced me to her version of chicken and dumplings. Creamy, chicken soup with veggies and thick noodle-like dumplings made with biscuit dough.

Over the years we’ve made this dish several times without paying attention to how we prepare it. After making chicken and dumplings this week an Instagram fan asked for the recipe. I figured it was about time I wrote this down.

Creamy Chicken & Dumplings

Serves 6

Cooking/prep time: about 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. butter or olive oil
2 Tbs. flour
½ onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots cut into small chunks
1 pound of chicken (I like the breast tenderloins), cubed
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1.5 cartons chicken stock (about 48 oz.)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley (or 2 Tbs. fresh)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste
Your favorite biscuit dough recipe

Directions:

Melt butter in a dutch oven. Add onions, celery, carrots, chicken and flour and cook till onions are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the cream of chicken soup, chicken stock and herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat and simmer while you prepare the biscuit dough.

Make biscuit dough according to instructions. Roll out dough to ¼ inch thick and cut into 2-inch rectangles (doesn’t have to be exact).

Drop the dough into the soup, cover, and cook for 30 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.

Add the peas and simmer for a few minutes until they are heated through. If the soup is too thin, create a slurry of ¼ cup milk and two teaspoons of flour, pour it in the pot and simmer for another minute or so.

Serve on a cold day.

Cooking, Italian, recipes, soup

Weeknight alphabet vegetable soup

April 4, 2017 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

When was the last time you had alphabet soup? Now that I think of it, I can’t remember ever having it, yet I always see the cute bag of dried alphabet pasta at the grocery store and think about making it.

My 5-year-old son has been showing an interest in cooking lately so we went to the library last week to check out kids cookbooks. One of the recipes was a tomato-based alphabet soup. He really wanted me to make it.

Fast forward to 4:30 p.m. today when I was driving home with zero plans for dinner. Thankfully I had already done the shopping for this meal. It came together in a jiffy!

This soup is packed with flavor and nutrition. The reason for the flavor? Pancetta and parmesan rind. Both add wonderful depth to the soup.

I also made chicken meatballs and dropped those in while cooking. I didn’t include the recipe for those, but you could use Italian sausage or any meatball recipe you prefer.

The verdict? My son and husband gobbled up this soup! Plus, we all had fun trying to spell words in our bowls. So much fun.

Alphabet soup with vegetables

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

3-4 oz. pancetta, diced small
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, diced small
3 celery stalks, chopped
4-5 leaves of swiss chard, chopped
1, 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 cups beef stock
2 cups chicken stock
1.5 cups frozen green beans
1 chunk of parmesan cheese rind
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 can of canellini beans, liquid reserved
2 tablespoons flour
6 oz. dried alphabet pasta, or small pasta of your choice
1 pound of meatballs or Italian sausage

Directions:

Add a little olive oil to a large dutch oven and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the pancetta and sauté until cooked but not browned. Add the onion, carrots, chard and celery and cook till onions are translucent, about 7 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, beef stock, chicken stock, bay leaf, garlic powder, oregano, basil pepper flakes, parmesan rind and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Cover, bring to a simmer and turn heat to medium-low. Add raw sausage or meatballs and simmer, partially uncovered, for about 15 minutes. Add the frozen green beans and return to a simmer for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the beans and reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid. Whisk the flour into the bean liquid and add this to the soup to thicken it slightly.

Add the beans and pasta to the soup and simmer for 7 minutes or until pasta is done.