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Soups & Stews – Page 3 – surviving the food allergy apocalypse (archive)

surviving the food allergy apocalypse (archive)

Category: Soups & Stews

Soup [soop], noun: a liquid food made by boiling or simmering meat, fish, or vegetables with various added ingredients. Stew [stoo, styoo], noun: a preparation of meat, fish, or other food cooked by stewing, especially a mixture of meat and vegetables. These recipes will not contain dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat or hazelnuts. If we use a top 8 allergen, we will use a tag warning of its use.

  • Quick-ish Beef Pho

    Quick-ish Beef Pho, with Sriracha and Hoisin sauce
    Quick-ish Beef Pho, with Sriracha and Hoisin sauce

    So one of my pet peeves about the corn thing is no more going out for Vietnamese food, which is one of my favorite things ever. I actually made and pressure canned my own safe Hoisin sauce, and fermented my own Sriracha sauce so that I could still eat them. But you have to have stuff to eat the Hoisin and Sriracha on, and it’s winter, and we need pho. And we need an easy, quick-ish pho that it doesn’t kill you to make on a weeknight. You could do it the more traditional way, but again, we need dinner fast on a weeknight. This is why it’s good to have some of the Roasted Beef Stock around, either pressure canned, or in your freezer.

    Quick-ish Beef Pho

    Serves two really hungry people.

    For the broth:

    • 2 shallots (peeled, cut in half and broiled until browned)
    • 6 cups of Roasted Beef Stock or a commercial variety if you can get some that’s safe for your allergies
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 1 ounce (or a nice thick piece between an inch and two inches long) of fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced into a few pieces
    • 2 star anise (whole)
    • 5 cloves (whole)
    • 1 Tablespoon of fish sauce (optional) – make sure it’s safe for you
    • 1 Tablespoon of sugar

    For the fixings:

    • one half of a 16 oz package of rice noodles
    • a half pound of extra lean shaved steak
    • mung bean sprouts
    • a lime, sliced into wedges
    • fresh basil leaves or fresh chopped cilantro, or both
    • one half of a small red onion sliced very thinly
    • a Thai chili or two, sliced thinly

    Turn your oven to its broil setting or preheat your oven to 500°F. Move your oven rack to the highest setting, and place your peeled and halved shallots on a baking sheet and put them in the oven. Check them every three to five minutes until they are browned as shown below.

    Broiled Shallots on baking sheet
    Broiled Shallots on baking sheet

    While the shallots are broiling, place the Roasted Beef Stock in a stockpot, along with the cinnamon stick, sliced ginger, star anise, cloves, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer.  When the shallots having finished broiling, slice them into pieces and add them to the stock.

    Pho broth simmering away
    Pho broth simmering away

    In another stockpot, bring enough water to cover your rice noodles to a boil.  Add the rice noodles to the water and boil for 3-5 minutes or so until they are cooked to your liking, and then strain them.  At this point, I parcel them out in the bowls I intend to serve them in, as the noodles may stick together too much if you let them sit in one container (they will un-stick when you add the broth). Wash your mung bean sprouts and then put your preferred amount of sprouts in each soup bowl. Slice your red onion finely, and then add some to each soup bowl.

    Sliced red onion
    Sliced red onion

    Bring your pho broth back to a boil. At this point I scoop out the cinnamon, ginger, star anise, and cloves. There are two ways to approach your beef depending on your comfort level. First, you can add the raw shaved steak to the bowls and allow the heat of the pho broth being poured over it to cook it.  Second, you can put the beef in the pho stock and let it cook for just a bit before ladling it into the bowls. I tend to go for the first approach, but it’s up to you. Pick an approach and add your beef and pho broth to the bowls.  Place a couple of basil leaves, a lime wedge, some of the chopped cilantro, and the sliced thai chilis on top of the soup.

    Quick-ish Beef Pho before adding condiments
    Quick-ish Beef Pho before adding condiments

    Garnish with safe Hoisin, Sriracha, or chili garlic sauce to your taste, if you have safe versions.  Enjoy!

  • French Onion Soup

    French Onion Soup
    French Onion Soup

    I first learned to make this soup from a 1970s slow-cooker cookbook, in my first year of graduate school when my roommate and I worked our way through all the soups in the book. They were cheap, they could be made ahead to be hot when you got home, and the Pacific Northwest almost demands you eat soup. That recipe relied on a lot of commercially-prepared tricks — bouillon, some sort of gravy seasoning, strange things that I don’t keep in my house and which probably aren’t actually safe. So this recipe relies on you taking the time to build the flavors a little more naturally and gradually.

    If you have a safe stock, you can use it, but if you make your own, the flavors will be richer and you have the added bonus of tallow, a by-product of the stock that makes for a flavorful cooking fat. This recipe, as written, should be safe for the majority of allergen sufferers. You will need a safe-for-you bread and cheese substitute, if you want to add those elements at the end.

    This is a soup you can make to impress people. Don’t get me wrong — there is nothing about French onion soup that requires great skill, just some time and patience. It’s one of those recipes that people think is harder than it is, and therefore are generally impressed when you make it. Plus, it’s kind of decadent. So play with this a bit and then keep it in your arsenal for the future. If you have no one you wish to impress, maybe just indulge yourself.

    Oh, and bonus, in the realm of entertaining OR indulging, it can definitely be made ahead of time, probably up to a week, or it freezes remarkably well. I tend to find French onion soup a lovely treat, but once in a while is enough — I’m not going to eat this all week for lunch. And this makes much more than a few servings, so freezing it to eat later or use in other recipes is great.

    Plan on about two hours — one to prep and cook the onions, another to let the soup simmer.

    Soup is Good Food
    Soup is Good Food

    French Onion Soup

    4 Servings

    • 4 cups roasted beef stock
    • 1/4 cup reserved tallow (fat skimmed from the top of the chilled stock) or butter or margarine or oil of your choice
    • 3 sweet onions, quartered and sliced thin, about 3-4 cups
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar (check for caramel coloring, which can be allergenic)
    • freshly ground pepper, to taste
    • white bread, toasted, optional (I used this recipe, made without rosemary on top)
    • 4 slices Daiya provolone-style cheese, or other safe-for-you cheese sub, optional (see link for ingredients — does contain coconut, and likely corn derivatives)

    If your stock is in the fridge, take it out. Let it come to room temperature while the rest of your prep and cooking happens.

    Place your stock pot over medium heat, adding tallow when the pot is hot.

    When your fat is melted, add the onions. You can do this in two ways — throw them all in, which will take longer, with more stirring, to evenly brown, or do your onions in several batches. I prefer the latter, as you get more even caramelization, but the dump it all in method works fine. Either way, add the salt as the onions turn translucent (they seem to absorb it best at this time). If you’re doing the onions in batches, split your fat and salt accordingly. This will take about 45 minutes or so, and you should stir every 5-10 minutes, depending on how your onions are sticking. You will need to stir more as the onions start to brown, but don’t stir constantly. You have to let the flavor happen.

    onions, caramelized.
    onions, caramelized.

    Once all the onions are browned and caramelized, which will take some time, be patient, add the vinegar, pepper, and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let it simmer for at least an hour.

    Serve very hot. If you’re using them, ladle soup over the toasted bread, and topped with faux cheese, allowing the faux cheese to melt. It’s not pretty, but it tastes great.

  • Butternut Squash Soup

    Butternut Squash Soup
    Butternut Squash Soup

    If I’m completely honest, I have some mixed feelings about butternut squash. In some preparations, its earthy and fruity and warming. In others, I don’t know, but I don’t like it. For our holiday potluck, though, one of my coworkers made an apple and squash soup that was quite lovely and tasty. She share the recipe, but I ended up not really following it, tweaking the flavors to my own liking. This is a pureed soup, so a stick blender is really helpful. Though it has other uses, the stick blender shines when pureeing hot soups — and it is way easier to clean than the regular blender.

    The apples bring out the fruity quality of the squash, and I really like the flavor of butternut with some spice, so the cayenne provides a bit of heat. The use of celery leaves adds flavor and uses a typically wasted part of the vegetable. If you want to make this easy, buy peeled and cubed squash.

    Happy Squash
    Happy Squash

    Butternut Squash Soup

    • 1 Tablespoon oil (I’ve been using safflower)
    • 1 sweet white onion, quartered and sliced
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 20 oz butternut squash, cubed (about one medium squash, but I frequently buy it chopped)
    • 2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
    • 1 3/4 cup vegetable stock
    • 1/4 cup celery leaves, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon cardamom
    • 1/8-1/2 teaspoon cayenne

    In a large hot sauce pan, add oil and then onion and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown.

    Add the squash and then the apples, and cover, without stirring, cooking about 10 minutes with the lid on (steaming the squash and apples).

    Add stock and stir well. Cover, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until squash is soft and tender, 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the squash cubes.

    Add celery leaves, cardamom, and cayenne (adjust to suit your tastes), stir, and cover again. Remove from heat and let the soup cool a bit. Using a stick blender, puree the soup — or do it in a blender or food processor, in smaller batches, being careful with the steam build-up.

    Reheat to serving temperature, or cool completely and reheat to serve the next day. The latter really allows the flavors to meld, so I’d recommend making it ahead if possible.

  • Simple Jambalaya Stew

    IMG_0833

    Are you sick of turkey, maybe not ready for chicken, but it’s cold outside? Maybe something completely different is in order? And it’s still really cold out?

    One of my favorite bad day “anywhere but here” fantasies involves the story my friend Jodi and I like to tell about our future retirement to New Orleans, where it is not cold (no matter what your definition of “cold” is, it’s usually warmer down there in the winter), where we’ll sit on the porch of the pink house and yell at squirrels and kids to get off the lawn. And we will eat. For all the croissants and beignets I can’t eat, there are plenty of shrimp that I can (aren’t we always pretty grateful for the food allergies we don’t have?). If you do have a shellfish allergy, consider substituting cooked chicken for the shrimp, adding it at the end and just heating it up.

    This stew is warm enough to take off the chill of a long day spent outside in the raw New England winter (well, this stew and some indoor heat), so hopefully it’ll make your winter warmer, too. Short warning — This is NOT a true traditional New Orleanian jambalaya. This is my quick tossing together of the flavors that remind me of my visits to the city.

    Simple Jambalaya (esque) Stew

    Serves 5-6

    • 1 Tablespoon oil
    • 1 1/2 cup onion, diced
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 bell pepper, chopped
    • 2-5 stalks celery, chopped
    • 12 oz (2 links, one package) andouille sausage, links cut in half lengthwise and then sliced
    • 1 1/2 cups brown jasmati rice**
    • 5-7 cups chicken or vegetable stock**
    • 1 Tablespoon adobo spice mix
    • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
    • 1 Tablespoon dry sherry
    • 1 lb. shrimp, raw, peeled, deveined (see note)

    Chop all the vegetables according to your likes — I like the flavor of onions and bell peppers, but in this dish, I don’t want to  taste a chunk of either at any time, so I dice those small. However, I want the crunch and flavor of celery, so I chop that in rather large pieces. I want the very flavorful sausage to flavor the entire dish, so I want them slightly smaller than the shrimp will be when cooked, and I leave the shrimp whole (but take off the tails because I don’t like to fuss — do what works for you). Try this, and then adjust it to suit your tastes.

    In a large stockpot, over medium heat, add oil and heat until shimmery hot. Add onions and salt, saute for a few minutes. Add bell pepper, stir, and again saute a few minutes. Add the celery and sausage, stir in well, then add the rice and mix to make sure it’s well-coated with the oil and vegetables. Add the chicken stock.

    **You will need to adjust the amount of stock based on the rice you choose. I prefer a brown rice in this, but I’m pretty sure that white rice would be more traditional. I used a jasmati blend (a cross of jasmine and basmati rices) because I had it on hand. It was pretty good. You want enough broth to fully cook the rice, and then a few extra cups for a good soupy finish.

    Bring the mixture to a boil and add the adobo, tomato paste, and sherry, turning down the heat to simmer over low for 30 minutes. Check to see if the rice is cooked. If it is, add the shrimp, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it sit covered for 15 minutes while the shrimp cooks. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

    NOTE: If you do have a shellfish allergy, consider substituting chicken or leaving the shrimp out all together. The flavors will still be great.

    To reheat, go low and slow. In a large and flat saucepan, heat over low until its hot. In a microwave, short bursts and frequent stirring work best. You don’t want to overcook the shrimp, so low and slow.

    Jambalaya Stew
    Jambalaya Stew

  • Best Potato Soup

    Best Potato Soup
    Best Potato Soup

    This soup is very much for the potato people, my people. If you merely “like” potatoes, you will probably like this soup, but if, in your world, the potato is the pinnacle of nature’s bounty, this soup is for you. It contains other ingredients, but these serve mainly to make the potato shine in all its earthy goodness.

    If you really love the potato, make your chopped potatoes bigger — on the order of one-inch cubes, or mix larger and smaller cubes. The big chunks won’t break down as you reheat the soup. If you prefer your potatoes blend well with all the other ingredients, chop everything a little smaller. I opt for nice big chunks of all the vegetables, all of which then maintain their structural integrity and individual flavors and textures.

    The original recipe on which this soup is based is lost to the many moves of my grad school years. One of my roommates picked it up at one of our local grocery stores, in the free recipes section up front, and it was cheap and hearty, which made it a winner in our house. It still is. It bears up to some messing with, mainly on quantities and sizes of ingredients, and is easily made vegetarian, but the way I’ve written it up for you is the way I like it best.

     

    Best Potato Soup

    • 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped or crumbled *(optional — leave off or use a veg substitute to make this vegetarian)
    • 2 teaspoons oil or fat, melted *(olive oil works great. I usually use bacon fat.)
    • 1/2 cup chopped onion
    • 1 cup chopped carrots
    • 4 stalks celery, chopped
    • 4 cups broth *(I prefer half vegetable broth, and half chicken broth, both homemade, but all of one or the other works fine.)
    • 4 cups cubed potatoes
    • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • salt, to taste *(probably not necessary if you are using commercial broths)
    • shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar-style vegan cheese *(Daiya is my preference)

    Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat until hot. Add onion. Cook until onion is translucent, 5 or so minutes. Add carrots, celery, broth, potatoes, and cayenne. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are done. Taste, add salt if needed. Serve topped with bacon and shredded cheese, if desired.

    Best Potato Soup
    Best Potato Soup

    It really is that easy, and this soup ages very well over the next 5 days or so. The recipe easily doubles to feed a crowd (or yourself all week).

  • Creamy Broccoli Soup

    Creamy Broccoli Soup
    Creamy Broccoli Soup

    I love soup season. Not only is soup just really good food, but a pot of soup makes 4-12 servings, depending on the recipe, which usually gives me lunch for the week. In one recipe. I love that.

    I’m not sure exactly what I was going for when I started working on this soup — cream of broccoli, broccoli potato, broccoli cheese, potato cheese? My notes are a little unclear. It sort of ended up being an intersection of all of them — a creamy, rich soup, with a tangy cheesiness, and lots of broccoli, which is by far one of my favorite vegetables ever. This soup is great for the cold nights we’re starting to have, and it makes about 6 servings.

    Creamy Broccoli Soup

    • 2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
    • 1 lb. broccoli crowns, split into florets
    • 2 teaspoons salt, split
    • 1 Tablespoon sherry (could substitute red wine vinegar, but sherry’s flavor is better here)
    • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
    • 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
    • 1 Tablespoon Earth Balance or other solid fat
    • 3 Tablespoons tahini
    • 3 Tablespoons ketchup
    • 1 teaspoon mustard
    • 6 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons lemon juice
    • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt (IF NEEDED)
    • pepper to taste
    • shredded cheddar style cheese/cheese sub of your choice, to top, optional

    Put roughly chopped potatoes in a saucepan, with water to cover, and about 1 teaspoon salt. Over high heat, boil until well done (test with a fork). Drain and mash roughly.

    In a separate pot, put broccoli florets and about 1/2 to 1 inch of water. Cover and bring to a boil.  Cook broccoli until bright green and JUST done — this takes just a few minutes. The broccoli should still be crisp, but tender. Even if you like your broccoli more well-done, take it out now — it will cook more in the soup. Immediately when done, drain into a colander and let cool. When cool enough to handle, chop it.

    Mix the potatoes, broccoli, 2 cups of vegetable stock, and sherry and set aside while you make the sauce.

    In a small sauce pan, mix the 1/3c + 1/4 cup stock, and the rest of the ingredients (minus the cheese for topping) over low heat until well combined. You may want to taste this before adding the salt, as your stock may be salty enough. I generally buy low-sodium broth or stock, though, and need this little bit of additional salt.

    Add to the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and heat over low, covered, 20-30 minutes. Add more stock if needed, and adjust the seasonings before serving, sprinkled with cheese if you like.

    Broccoli and Potatoes
    Broccoli and Potatoes

  • End-of-Summer Garbanzo Chili

    End of Summer Chili
    End of Summer Chili

    Yes, I know, it’s about a week late for the end of summer, but then, the zucchini is still around, isn’t it? The zucchini lasts through the end of summer, garbanzo beans always remind me of summer salads and hummus, and the adobo seasoning and fire-roasted tomatoes taste of grilling season. This quick hot meal has some of the great flavors of summer, but is warm and filling (and made indoors).

    Adobo seasoning is one of my recent favorites, as there is a ton of flavor in it, but it’s not really spicy. There are varieties of adobo, but the one I’m referring to appears to be Puerto Rican in origin — a dry spice mix, often used to rub on meats, that consists of onion, garlic, Tellicherry black pepper, Mexican oregano, cumin, and cayenne pepper. My version is from Penzey’s Spices, but I have seen it at the grocery store, so I’m assuming it’s not too hard to find in the US. It makes almost everything better.

    End-of-Summer Garbanzo Chili

    Makes 3-4 servings, depending on how hungry you are.

    • 2 teaspoons oil
    • 3 Tablespoons chopped onion
    • 2 small zucchini, grated (“small” being about 6 inches long, 1 inch diameter — the most common size found in your average US grocery store. Honestly, a little more or less won’t hurt here.)
    • 2 oz. (1/2 half a small can) of diced jalapeños OR one fresh, diced jalapeño pepper OR a small can of green chiles (or if you’re Denise, all of the above, possibly)
    • 1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes, fire-roasted if you wish
    • 1 Tablespoon adobo seasoning
    • 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons millet
    • 3 Tablespoons water
    • salt to taste
    Zucchini and Beans
    Zucchini and Beans

    In a pan heated over medium-low heat, add your oil to the warmed pan. When it shimmers, add the onions. I always chop whole onions, even when I need only half for a recipe, and the rest goes into a bag in the freezer just for meals like this. Add it straight from the freezer to the hot oil, but be careful of the splatters.

    Cook onion until translucent, then add the zucchini and stir until fully coated with oil and integrated with onions, a minute or two. Then add the beans, tomatoes, and adobo, stirring each into the dish. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes uncovered.

    Add the millet and water, and cover, simmering another 20 minutes, covered. Check the millet to see if it’s done, and if needed, add a bit more water (go 1 Tablespoon at a time) and time (say, 5 minutes at a go). Millet should be firm, but not crunchy, when done.

    This is also good with a sprinkle of shredded Daiya mozarella on top, if you have it, but you don’t need it.

    End of Summer Chili
    End of Summer Chili

  • Come Home to Chicken Stew

    Chicken Stew
    Chicken Stew

    Who likes coming home to dinner already made?  ME!  But hey, I’m single and I work full-time.  Wait.  I have a crock pot.  If you don’t have a house-spouse, your best friend would be the crock pot.  Plug it in as you leave, come home to dinner.  It’s happiness in an appliance.

    Feel free to mess with the vegetables — this recipe is pretty forgiving, and you can have what you like.  If you do not like parsnips, cannot find parsnips, or don’t want to go look, use potatoes instead of them.  If you’ve never had them, give parsnips a go — they’re surprising in flavor, and add something good to this stew.

    Come Home to Chicken Stew

    • 1 pound of chicken breast, cut in 1 inch cubes (could use thighs, too, if you prefer)
    • 2-3 Tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour mix (I used Bob’s, more or less depending on how wet your chicken is)
    • 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
    • 1/4 teaspoon thyme
    • 1 teaspoon sweet or Hungarian paprika
    • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt*
    • 1/2 teaspoon dill
    • freshly ground pepper, to taste

    Spray or oil your crock.  Add all the above ingredients, and mix thoroughly so chicken is coated and there’s no clumps of flour at the bottom.  If you think your stock is salty, hold off on the salt.

    Add your veg and stock:

    • 2-3 carrots, chopped
    • 2-3 small parsnips, chopped  (or potatoes, see above)
    • 3 ribs celery, chopped
    • 3 cups chicken broth or stock (check for allergens here, unless you make your own)
    • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
    • 2 small or 1 large bay leaves
    • Handful of celery leaves, optional

    Cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours.

    Come home and add 1 cup of green beans or peas, if desired, about 1 hour before serving.

    Serve with roasted potatoes, or some sort of roll or bread.

    Hot dinner
    Hot dinner

    What do you do with your crock pot?