Soup and Salad Recipes:
Chef David Nelson's Soup Recipes
Ted's Terrific Bean Soup
Cream of Morel Mushroom Soup
Cucumber Soup
French Onion Soup
Zesty Gazpacho
Southwestern Corn Chowder
Turtle Soup Creole
Ted's Terrific Bean Soup
Makes 6 hearty servings
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken stock
2 pounds chicken thigh, uncooked
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup corn, frozen
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary, dried
1 teaspoon basil, dried
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 28 ounce can tomatoes, whole, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound Polish sausages
2 cups ham, cut into cubes
1 24 ounce jar Randall Great Northern Beans
1 24 ounce jar Randall Pinto Beans
Preparation:
Pour chicken stock into a large kettle. Add chicken, onions,
celery, corn, garlic, parsley, rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, tomatoes, salt
and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes
or until chicken is tender. Skim the broth if foam appears.
Remove from heat. Remove the chicken from the broth to cool. Once cool enough
to handle, remove the bones and cut the meat into small pieces. Reserve.
While the broth is simmering, place the sausage into a heavy skillet and cover
it with water. Simmer the sausage for 15 minutes and drain. Once the sausage
is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and slice into 1/2 inch pieces.
Add the deboned chicken, sausage slices, and the cubed ham to the broth and
return to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add the Randall Beans and continue to
simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
Serve in large warm bowls with fresh baked bread and soft butter.
Recipe Provided by Chef David Nelson
Cream of Morel Mushroom Soup
Morels are known for their earthy flavor. This rich New England style soup is
just slightly sweetened with sherry to round out those earth tones.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 1/2 ounces morel mushrooms, dried
4 ounces butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup light cream
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon sweet basil
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon tarragon
3 tablespoons sherry
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
Preparation:
Bring the water to a near boil and add the dried mushrooms.
Remove from heat and allow to soak for 2 hours. After soaking, remove the
mushrooms from the liquid. RESERVE THE LIQUID. Cut the mushrooms into pieces
the size of your thumb nail, and set aside. Strain the liquid through a clean
paper towel to remove any particles from the mushrooms and set it aside .
In a 2 quart pot make a roux by melting the butter and adding the flour to it.
Stir the roux, while cooking for about 5 minutes until the roux has become
lightly browned and has a nutty aroma. At this point add the mushroom liquid,
stock, and cream and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to remove any lumps.
Add the seasonings and the sherry wine to the soup and simmer for 10 minutes.
The soup should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If your soup is
too thick just add a little more stock.
Add the Tabasco and the cut mushrooms. Stir in until blended. Garnish with
fresh chopped parsley or chives. Serve only to those who deserve it !!!
Cucumber Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup scallions, minced
1 1/2 cups unpeeled but seeded cucumber
1/3 cup russet potatoes, diced and peeled
1/2 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup fresh watercress leaves
sea salt and white pepper to taste
1/2 cup of whipping or heavy cream
1/2 cup half and half, milk will do as well
Preparation:
Sauté the scallions in butter until soft. Add the cucumbers,
potatoes and stock and cook over low heat for a good 12 minutes until potatoes
start to soften.
Add the water cress and cook for a few more minutes. Season to taste and purée
in a food processor until smooth.
Allow to cool then add the cream and half and half.
Chill the soup thoroughly and serve in chilled bowls with a little sprinkle of
chives over the top.
French Onion Soup
Ingredients:
6 each white or yellow onions
1/4 pound butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sherry
1 quart beef stock
1 quart chicken stock
1 tablespoon black pepper
Preparation:
Cut the tops and bottoms off the onions and slice them in
half through the center from top to bottom. Remove the outside skins and
discard them.
Take a onion half and slice it in half against the natural lines on its
surface, then cut it julienne style along the natural lines of the onion.
Repeat until done.
In a large stockpot, melt the butter and add the onions. Sauté them for about
15 minutes, then add the sugar, sherry and the black pepper.
Add the beef and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Boil for 4-5 minutes and
remove from heat. Cool as quickly as possible and store in the refrigerator
covered until use.
When reheating, always bring it up quickly and to at least 140 degrees.
To serve the soup:
Ladle it into a soup crock, top the soup with a crouton,
sprinkle either grated Parmesan or Romano on top of the crouton and cover all
with a slice of Swiss cheese.
Heat under an overhead broiler until the cheese has melted and is slightly
browned. Sprinkle with parsley flakes and serve on a bread dish.
Zesty Gazpacho
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
4 large tomatoes
3 cups Spicy V-8 Juice
2 cups peeled, chopped, seeded cucumber
1 2/3 cups green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
fresh chopped parsley
Preparation:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the tomatoes for
about 20 seconds. Remove the tomatoes and allow to cool so you can handle
them. Peel and seed them.
Chop them and put them in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, except
the parsley.
In small batches using a blender, blend to a coarse purée. When it is all
blended, season with salt and pepper to your liking and chill for at least 4
hours. Garnish with parsley when serving.
This soup can be made a day ahead of service.
Southwestern Corn Chowder
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 onion, diced
1 jalapeño, deseeded
2 cups of corn
1 pint chopped tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
1 cup corn
1/2 cup green chilies
1 cup heavy cream
Preparation:
Sauté the onion and jalapeño in the butter until the onion
is soft, but not browned. Add the corn and tomatoes to the skillet for about 5
minutes. Remove from the stove and purée in a blender.
Pout the puréed product into a pot and add next three ingredients and bring to
a boil. Reduce heat and add the heavy cream and simmer for a few minutes.
Serve
Turtle Soup Creole
A good Creole cook is judged by how good his or her turtle soup is. This
traditional recipe has been used for generations even in the most aristocratic
Creole homes. It is one of the simplest and most fool-proof ways to make Turtle
Soup. Bonne Chance!
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 pounds turtle meat
3 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, chopped fine
3 ounces ham, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon allspice
6 cloves
2 tablespoons flour
2 sprigs parsley
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
salt, pepper and cayenne, to taste
1/4 lemon
1/4 cup sherry
2 hard-boiled eggs, diced small
Preparation:
Wash the turtle thoroughly in cold water and cut it into 1/2
inch pieces. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add the turtle meat and cook
for 15 minutes. Strain out the meat, reserving the broth.
Brown the onions in the butter for 3 minutes and add the turtle meat. Continue
to brown the onions and turtle for another 5 minutes, then add the ham,
garlic, allspice, cloves, parsley, thyme and bay leaves. Cook for 4 minutes
stirring constantly.
Stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring so as not to
burn the roux. Add back the reserved broth and bring to a slow boil. Cook for
about 1 hour until the turtle meat surrenders easily when pierced with a fork.
Season well with the salt, pepper and cayenne. Add the lemon and cook for 15
more minutes. Remove bay leaves. Test for flavor and readjust if necessary.
Pour the soup into a tureen, add the sherry, cooked egg whites and yolks and
the soup is ready to serve.
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