BRAZILIAN CHICKEN SOUP

 Serves 12

1.75 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

10 cups chicken stock

2 cups yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced

½ tsp. crushed red pepper

1 28 oz. whole tomatoes, drained

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1-1/2 cups salted, roasted cashews, chopped

¼ cup plain dried bread crumbs.

13.5 oz. can coconut milk (light is okay)

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

4 cups cooked rice (do not prepare for Bistro)

1. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large stockpot over medium heat.  Add chicken breasts and brown on all sides.  Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through.  Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon.  When cool enough to handle, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and set aside (or refrigerate).  Reserve cooking liquid.
2.  In a blender or food processor, puree the onion, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper and tomatoes.
3. Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onion puree and sweat for 4 minutes.
4. Add the sugar and the salt and stir to coat.
5. Add the poaching liquid and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, puree 1 cup of the cashews with the bread crumbs.
7. Stir the mixture into the soup and simmer for 2 minutes to heat through.
8. Stir in the remaining ½ cup of cashews, the chicken pieces, coconut milk, cilantro, and lemon juice.
9. To serve, spoon cooked rice in to shallow bowls and ladle soup over top.

Source:  We needed a good chicken soup for this year’s Bistro.  We already have Man Doo Guk on the menu and didn’t want two similar soups.  The Daily Soup cookbook came to the rescue with the hearty, slightly exotic and surprisingly kid-friendly Brazilian Chicken Soup.  Of course it’s adapted to work for use at Bistro! 

Bistro 2007 – Alice Anne Schwab

CATFISH GUMBO

Serves 12

1-1/2 lbs. catfish fillet boned (and cut into nuggets)*

¼ cup canola oil

2-1/2 cups chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1/3 cup unbleached white flour

4 cups bottled clam juice**

4 cups water

2 cups peeled and diced carrots

3 cups peeled and diced potatoes

3 celery stalks, finely chopped

1  10 oz. package frozen chopped (sliced) okra 

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies

1 Tablespoon dried thyme

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

4 bay leaves

½ tsp. of cayenne pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

salt/pepper to taste

1)     Rinse the catfish, remove all bones, and cut into bite-sized chunks.  Set aside in refrigerator.

2)     Combine the oil, onions, and garlic in a large soup pot on medium heat and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.  Reduce the heat to low, whisk in the flour, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.

3)     Gradually stir in the clam juice and water and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened.  Add the carrots, potatoes, and celery and bay leaves. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. 

4)     Add the okra, bell peppers, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, and cayenne and simmer until the carrots and potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the chunks of catfish and the lemon juice.  Remove and discard the bay leaves.  Add salt/pepper to taste.

*Cat Fish is often available at Giant and perhaps other food stores already cut into “nuggets”.  If you purchase catfish already in nuggets, please clean and check for bones before preparing soup recipe  just as you would for whole fish.

**Clam juice is available in most grocery stores in the bottled juice section.

Source:  This soup recipe is dedicated to Chad Thralls, a fine soup eater.  Hopefully, he will like it.

Bistro 2007 – Alice Anne Schwab

ITALIAN SAUSAGE & VEGETABLE SOUP W/BEANS & PESTO

Serves 12

1 lb. either chicken or turkey sweet Italian sausage

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups chopped onions

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1-1/2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced ¼” thick

1-1/2 cups celery, sliced ¼” thick

1 lb. (4 medium) potatoes, peeled and diced

8 cups (2 qts.) low sodium chicken broth

2 cups green peppers, seeded and chopped

3 cups zucchini in ½” dice

2 15.5 oz. cans cannellini (Italian white beans)

1-1/2 cups frozen peas

Prepared basil pesto

1. In large pot, brown sausage, breaking apart til only small lumps are left.  Drain completely.  Set sausage aside.
2. Add olive oil to pot and sauté onions 5 minutes.  Sprinkle oregano over onions.  Add carrots, celery and potatoes to pot and stir.  Add broth and simmer for 10 minutes. 
3. Add green peppers, zucchini and beans and simmer 5 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Add peas and browned sausage and stir to combine.
4. To serve, add a small dollop of basil pesto to each serving.

Source:  This soup is a true amalgam of great ideas:  A recipe submitted by Ed and Georgia Earp combined with a recipe submitted by Sandy Sturm.  The outcome:  a delicious, healthy, hearty, nutritious feast for the tastebuds.  Thank you all!

Bistro 2007 – Alice Anne Schwab

CREAM OF RED ONION SOUP

Serves 12

4 lbs. (about 10 cups) thinly sliced red onions

3 cups (about 5 large ribs) thinly sliced celery

8 T. (1/4 stick or ¼ lb.) butter

1 teaspoon white pepper

2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg (2-1/2 if bottled)

6 cups vegetable stock (boxed is fine)

4 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream (reduced to one cup)*

4 Tablespoons dry sherry

1)     In a heavy saucepan, sweat onion and celery in butter, covered, over low heat until soft, about 30 minutes.  Uncover and add white pepper, nutmeg, and vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.  Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.

2)     Puree soup in a food processor until velvety smooth.

3)     Wash saucepan and return pureed mixture to the pan and add the whole milk.  Simmer, stirring often, over low heat for about 10 minutes.  Stir in (reduced) cream and simmer about 5 minutes.  Turn off heat, add sherry and stir.

*Reducing heavy cream simply involves gently simmering (low heat) the cream in a heavy saucepan, checking every few minutes to see how much liquid has evaporated.  When the 2 cups have reduced to just one, that is the time to remove it from the heat.  You may do this ahead of time if you prefer.

Source:  A few years ago, my neighbor, without warning, delivered 40 lbs. of sliced red onions to my doorstep.  The onions were bagged and had to be used immediately.  We had planned a gourmet dinner to benefit the youth here at Market Square that same week.  I decided to dig out a 20 year old recipe I’d been given for cream of red onion soup and made it for 85 guests.  They seemed to like it.  I adapted it to be not quite so decadent and vegetarian.   We offer it here for the 2007 Bistro, mostly because dear Carol Williams has been asking me to make it again for the last several years.  Here it is, Carol!  Enjoy!

Bistro 2007 – Alice Anne Schwab

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