The Big Red Pot: Chicken Soup that's good for the soul...but not for matzoh balls

My heart seems to be firmly planted in my kitchen this week. In the midst of the holiday hustle bustle, I find myself racing back home each afternoon like a horse to the stable. Content only when I'm chopping and stirring, familiar smells fill the house, and Pandora plays the soundtrack that I didn't even know was in my head. 

This morning the temps dipped down into the 20's. So, of course, that called for something hot. From the Big Red Pot.

I recently ran across Pioneer Woman's chicken soup recipe. I haven't made a full-blown chicken soup from a "real chicken" in a while so I decided to give it a try incorporating some of the suggestions from her readers. My own chicken soup recipe is very similar, but her addition of parsnips sounded intriguing. I found a mixed bag of pre-chopped parsnips, turnips and rutabagas at Trader Joe's so in they went. I also found a tiny Savoy cabbage for pennies so that went in too.

Now, "real" chicken soup isn't "real" unless you add matzoh balls. So I whipped up a few.

But growing up, my grandmother only served matzoh balls in clear chicken soup. We always removed all the veggies. And the meat too. Which we ate separately. Often cold. Over the next few days.

I was torn. I went to all the trouble of adding in these special veggies. Do I now strain them out? That seemed like sacrilege. And what about the chicken? In or out? Tough decisions. But in the end...

I went for complete chicken carnage.

Plus all the veggies.

Plus the matzoh balls.

The total was quite the bowl of food.

And just like the picture...

It lacked a focal point. There were too many things competing for attention. Boubi was right. Matzoh balls need to be the only thing swimming in the bowl.

But if you're in the mood for some chicken vegetable soup? This stuff kicks butt. 

*****
Chicken Vegetable Soup
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 whole Chicken
• 1 whole Bay Leaf
• 48-64 ounces fluid Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 whole Large Onion, Chopped
• 3 whole Ribs Of Celery, Sliced
• 3 whole Carrots, Peeled And Chopped
• 1 bag Trader Joe's Harvest Vegetable Blend {or chopped parsnips, turnips, rutabagas (whatever you can find)}
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 8 black peppercorns
• 1 cup chopped cabbage (any kind, I used Savoy)

Directions

1. Remove innards and wash chicken. (Do not use soap, Adrienne.)
2. Place all ingredients, except cabbage, into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until chicken is done.
4. Remove chicken. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and return it to the pot.
5. Add the chopped cabbage, and simmer about 30 more minutes until cabbage is very tender.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
7. Serve. Without matzoh balls.

The Big Red Pot: Chicken Stew (because I know you all love quinoa)...

It was time. Time to get back into the kitchen. We've eaten out more meals than I care to admit due to the last two weeks of Nutcracker madness. I needed something homemade. Something healthy. Something simmering. From the Big Red Pot.

Chicken stew sounded like just the ticket. Especially when the other ingredients were butternut squash and everyone's favorite superfood...quinoa. Throw in a few kalamata olives for some twang and we've got a winner. Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.

I served the stew up in my favorite Christmas bowls. They are rimmed in orange instead of traditional Christmas red. Which makes me love them even more. This set is about 20 years old. Which makes me love them even more. I bought them in NYC with my mom on a whim. Which makes me love them even more. I can't wait to put them into rotation each year right after Thanksgiving dinner. And I'm always a little sad when I have to put them back up again on January 2nd.

Now if only there was one of those cheese biscuits sitting smack in the middle like they serve it at Panera my comfort food would be complete. I told you we've eaten out too much lately. I'm pretty sure I can tell you everything on Panera's menu. And how much it costs. With tax. And a 99 cent baked good added on. Thankyouverymuch. Mypleasure.

Oh, and a tip for all the single ladies. If you're looking for a man, don't go to the bars. Head over to your local Pit Smoked BBQ fast food joint instead. That place is teeming with men. Rugged men. Manly men. Men without women men. Men who like women men. Men who like women who like bbq men. A-men. Your welcome. Send me an invitation to the wedding. And be sure to serve bbq at the reception. 

What Am I Going to be When I Grow Up? 

22. Fast Food Connoisseur 
23. Matchmaker
 

 ***

Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa

Yield: Serves 6

From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside.
2. Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
4. Add chicken thighs, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl.
6. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower heat to medium. Add olive oil.
7. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Add minced garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
9. To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash. Stir to combine.
10. Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
11. Shred the chicken with your fingers or a fork.
12. Stir the chicken, olives and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes
13. Stir in parsley and serve.

The Big Red Pot: Probably Not A Blue Ribbon Chili Recipe. But a good one.

There's something about this time of the year. All I want to do is eat. I think it's the weather. My body goes into some kind of self-preservation mode. My brain starts sending out the signal to make blubber. "Keep a layer of fat. You need to survive the winter that's headed your way." Maybe I'm part Inuit?

The problem? BSD is not here. I have nobody to feed me. I wasn't kidding when I said I could eat cereal for dinner if I wanted to. I can. And I do. But mostly it's because I'm too lazy to cook for myself. So after a week of eating crap...

It was time to drag out The Big Red Pot. 

I tried a new chili recipe. It's good. It has some unusual ingredients like cinnamon sticks and cloves. Is it THE BEST ever? No. But it's good. And with a few extra spices it could probably be REALLY good. For now I'm just grateful I have a fridge full of real food to eat for the next week. Sorry. I have no photos. But I will include the recipe. Because really. It is good. And it's easy.

We're supposed to have a Chili Cook-off with our neighbors. I can play around with this recipe, but I'm kind of hoping maybe one of you out there has a killer chili recipe to share? I'll give you full credit if I win. Pinky promise.

Probably Not A Blue Ribbon Chili Recipe. But a good one.

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 chile pepper, chopped (this may be why mine isn't prize-winning? I omitted this.)
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped (I used a 28oz. can ground peeled tomatoes plus a can of diced tomatoes.)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 40oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

1. In your big red pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute onion, chile pepper and garlic until soft. Add ground beef: cook and stir until meat is browned.
2. Pour in tomatoes with liquid, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika, cinnamon stick and cloves*. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. 
3. Remove cinnamon stick and cloves. Stir in kidney beans, and cook another 15 minutes. Serve. I like mine over cornbread or brown rice.

* I put the cinnamon stick and cloves in a little tea ball to keep them from getting lost. I was really hesitant about these ingredients so I wanted to be able to take them out easily and quickly if I thought they tasted yuck. I actually liked the flavor, but I did take them out before adding the beans rather than leaving them in til the end as the original recipe was written.

Comfort

Comfort food. That's what I'm craving. That's what I'm making. It's something to do. A place to shove the grief. Tastes to soothe the heart.

I'm back home. And I don't know what to do with myself. Moving forward seems wrong. Like I've forgotten her already. Sitting still is suffocating.

So I'm carrying on.

Doing laundry. Going shopping. Cooking.

Anything but sitting still.

When I returned home there was some kind of sticky, brown goo in the fridge. Barely through the front door, I became fixated on cleaning out the fridge. I tossed. I scrubbed. I organized. And when I was done, I discovered four open boxes of chicken broth and two open boxes of vegetable broth. What the f#$%?!?

I was all over BSD. Mr. Organization had dropped the ball. I still can't comprehend how this happened. This is something I would do. Not him. My world is definitely out of whack. I had to fix this. Too much has gone wrong in my life recently. I can't live with four open boxes of chicken broth and 2 open boxes of vegetable broth. They had to go.

But I couldn't throw them out.

As much as they were bothering me, I couldn't just toss them. I kept staring at them. Thinking about them. Dwelling on them. Until I finally pulled out the big red pot. And lost myself in the process of turning them into something else. Something warm.

Something healthy. 

Something comforting.

I found this recipe while running on my treadmill yesterday. It is Creamy Broccoli Soup with NO cream in it. There was also a recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup. That is simmering in my crockpot right now. I think these recipes were a sign. All four of the open boxes of chicken broth and two open boxes of vegetable broth have now been used. I feel calmer already.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used the 2 open boxes of vegetable broth.)
1 large head broccoli, florets chopped and stems peeled and chopped
1/4 cup rolled oats
Salt and pepper

METHOD:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper. Cook until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add broth, broccoli, and oats. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until broccoli is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. I sprinkled the top with some shredded cheese. Made it more comforting that way.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or transfer in batches to a blender and puree.  

Thank you to everyone who left such thoughtful and loving comments on my last post. I cherished each and every one of them. Reading them felt like a great big hug when I really needed one. My mother passed away over the weekend. She fought a long and hard battle with a rare form of cancer. She lived with incredible pain for many years. She never complained. She never stopped taking care of everyone around her. She was so strong and so brave. And I am grateful that I had the chance to tell her. It hurts to have lost her, but I am grateful that she is no longer suffering.

 I actually took this photo of my parents with my dad's Leica when I was about 6 years old. Guess I already knew a little something about the Rules of Composition back then. ;)

The Big Red Pot: Sausage Soup

Baby, it's cold outside is definitely the most appropriate Christmas carol around here these days. Temps are way down in the low 30's and winds are 15-20mph. VERY cold for us here at the beach.

So, this week the big red pot has been in heavy rotation simmering up some sausage soup. I know the name is kind of nasty, but trust me. This is GOOD stuff! And the major bonus? Only a few simple ingredients, and you're done. Dinner's on the table. Sorry, Kimberly, this one's the anti-vegetarian recipe.

Sausage Soup

1 lb. sausage (mild, or hot if you like spicy food)

1 large white onion, chopped

1 20 oz. can peeled, diced tomatoes

32 oz. chicken broth

1 tsp. basil

1/2 cup uncooked orzo pasta

Dash of red pepper (if you like it hot)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Remove casings from sausage. Brown in large Dutch oven. Add chopped onion and continue cooking until tender. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Add orzo and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese when serving. 

Options: If you want to add some extra veggies, you can add some chopped celery and sliced zucchini when you add the onions.

The Big Red Pot: Pumpkin Chili

When the weather turns brisk, out comes the big red pot. I love this pot. I've had it for years. I'll have it forever. It's cast-iron and could easily be used as a lethal weapon it's so heavy.

Last week, the big red pot simmered with Pumpkin Chili. It's a recipe that we discovered in 2001. By 2002, we lost the magazine it came from, and we hadn't been able to make it since.

After much determination, I finally found the missing recipe, and promptly pulled out the big red pot to make a batch. To prevent another eight years from passing before we make it again, I'm going to post the recipe here. It's vegetarian, but very hearty. Definitely satisfying for carnivores as well.

The original recipe was actually a pumpkin and black bean soup, but I like chili better than soup so it's been majorly doctored. It's super easy to make. Just dice up a few veggies, open A LOT of cans, dump and simmer. Done. It seems all of the ingredients I used came from Trader Joe's this time around. I think they should throw me a kickback for all of this free advertising! A gift card would be fine, Joe.

Pumpkin Chili

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced (I just use a garlic press)

1 yellow onion, diced

1 cup diced red pepper

1 cup diced green pepper (sometimes I just use 2 cups of one color. doesn't matter) 

1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1 small jar chipotle salsa (I used half a jar of the Garlic Chipotle Salsa from Trader Joe's)
6 cups vegetable broth
2 15 oz. cans solid pack pumpkin
4 15 oz. cans of beans (whatever kind you like. I used black, kidney, cannellini, & pinto.)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained. (I used one 15 oz can, drained.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro. (Don't skimp!)


In a large pot, heat oil and cook garlic, onion, red and green peppers over med-high heat until tender, about 6 minutes.

Add cumin, cayenne and salsa. Cook for 1 minute longer.

Add vegetable broth and pumpkin. Stir to blend well. Cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in beans, corn and cilantro. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so.

Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and grated cheese, or any other chili toppings you like.

NOTE: This chili tastes better the next day and the next. The more time the flavors have a chance to meld, the better. Great dish to stick in a crockpot and bring to a potluck.