If any of you know my husband (Stuart), you might know that he is a very picky eater. So, finding a recipe that will please him is a hard thing to do, however, once I find a recipe that he approves of, I definitely know that it is worth sharing. The following two soup recipes come to you with a seal of approval from Stuart. He loves them and begs for more every time I make it. I am horrible about following a recipe to exactness so I will put the parts that I change in parentheses.
Hearty Minestrone (from the Simple and Delicious Magazine)
1 lb. ground beef or pork
1/2 cup chopped celery (I never measure this and just chop what looks right)
1/2 cup chopped onion (same as celery)
1/2 tsp minced garlic (I am a bit of a garlic fiend and I use 4 cloves. Call me crazy!)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (I use 1 quart of home canned stewed tomatoes)
1 (16 oz) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (Stu detests these so I leave them out)
2 cups tomato juice (Stu doesn't like super tomatoey sauces so I don't include this. I make up for the liquid with water or beef broth.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) tomato sauce (I use half a can of tomato PASTE instead. It thickens to the broth of the soup just a little, which is how Stuart likes it.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) beef broth (I generally use beef bouillon cubes and water to taste, which is normally around 2 bouillon cubes and 3 cups water. One time I was out of beef bouillon and just seasoned the broth with other spices and it turned out fine.)
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (I don't always put this in.)
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1- 1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 sugar, optional
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 - 1 cup water
1 cup uncooked ziti pasta (or in my case whatever I have on hand)
In a large pot (or Dutch oven), cook the ground beef, celery, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain grease. Stir in tomatoes, beans, tomato juice, tomato sauce, broth , carrots, zucchini, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add remaining water and pasta. Bring to a boil and cook until pasta is tender. *This recipe can also be frozen as long as you leave out the pasta. This recipe makes a large amount! We like to top our soup with shredded Parmesan cheese.
Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo (from a newspaper chef who cooked for Mardi Gras)
2 lbs. shrimp (We use about a pound)
2 (32 oz) containers chicken broth (I cut this in half and use 4 cups water and 4 chicken bouillon cubes)
5 oz beef broth (I sometimes leave this out)
1 lb. andouille or smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices (I use a 1/2 pound of andouille because I like the slightly spicy flavor better than the smoked sausage)
Vegetable oil
1 cup flour ( I never use this much. I might only use 1/3 of a cup. I'll explain more about this in the directions portion.)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (3 is never enough for me. I might use 5 cloves depending on my mood)
2 bay leaves (I generally only use 1)
2 tsp Creole seasoning (I don't have this so sometimes I use Jamaican Jerk or season with Mrs. Dash)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2-3 tsp hot sauce ( I leave this out so the kids will sample this and Stu add the hot sauce in while he is eating.)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
So, if you want to make a true New Orleans gumbo, you have to boil the shrimp shells to help flavor the sauce. I can give you those directions if you want but I never do that because it makes the gumbo too fishy for Stuart's liking. So here is what I do. Peel shrimp and set aside. Cook sausage, onions, garlic and celery in until browned. Set aside. With the drippings and a little oil (probably 2 tsps depending on the fat content of sausage), make a roux by adding flour slowly (like 1 Tbsp at a time) until it thickens to a paste. You want the roux to "flow smoothly" so don't over flour the mixture. If you really want true gumbo, you cook the roux over medium low heat until it turns a chocolate brown color. I don't. It takes forever. I cook it for maybe 5 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add sausage, onions, garlic, celery, and the rest of the chopped vegetables to the roux. Add chicken broth and beef broth slowly. Stir well. Stir in bay leaves, Creole seasoning, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce (if you want). Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until the broth thickens. The recipe suggest 50 minutes but I rarely simmer longer than 25 minutes. Shir in shrimp and green onions. Return to a low boil and simmer 10 minutes until shrimp is pink and not transparent looking. Under cooked shrimp is a BAD thing. Discard bay leaves. Serve over hot rice.
TASTY! My stomach is growling as I type this. Hope you all enjoy these as much as we do!
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