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Robin, and me too, love a good Broccoli Cheddar Soup. So, instead of using our standby, I decided to make one, and it was darn good. Rich, creamy and full of broccoli florets. You could use asparagus instead of broccoli. Remember, to adjust to the thickness you like, at the end you can add more milk, to make it thinner, or cheese to make it thicker. Great on a cold winter day. Here is the recipe – https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Broccoli-Cheddar-Soup.pdf
The first time I posted this recipe to this blog was in September 2009. It’s time to enhance it and give the reader some suggestions for the ingredients, especially the clams. Here is a link to the “original” recipe straight from the Jersey Shore and the Cape May area. Here is the Direct Link to the chowder. If you are not sure how to shuck clams, then lightly steam them, about 2 minutes until they are just open. Remove clam from shell and set aside. Strain and save the liquid! And there are markets available for either frozen or canned (which should work fine along with liquid). Walmart, Chef’s Store (Snows chopped) and Whole Foods for national suppliers and in Boise , Reel Foods on Vista Ave. Ok. Here is the recipe, Enjoy!
Tom’s Cove Clam Chowder
Recipe Source: Tom’s Cove, New Jersey Serves: 8
Ingredients: 6 Bacon slices, diced 3½ c Tomatoes, fresh and chopped, optional 20 oz Clams, fresh and with juice or canned or frozen 2½ T Thyme, dried Parsley, chopped 1 c Red Onion, diced fine 2 c Hot water 16 oz Heavy Cream 16 oz Clam Juice, if using 3 c Red Potatoes, diced Salt and pepper to taste Directions: In a soup pot, fry bacon until crisp and golden. Sauté onion and 1 t thyme in bacon pot until onion is tender. Add potatoes, tomatoes, if using, water, cream, clam juice and salt and pepper. Cover pot and simmer until potatoes are tender, but not mushy. Shuck and cut clams into pieces, reserving juices. Add to the pot with the juice. Add parsley and another 1½ t thyme. Simmer to taste. Cool and re-heat for better chowder.
I have a lot of fun looking for recipes, especially when Robin requests a specific item, and then adapting it to our likes and what we have available, We had some button mushroom that needed to be used. So, mushroom soup – cream of mushroom soup. It was a hit! Here is the recipe I came up with. https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Cream-Of-Mushroom-Soup.pdf.
It really is a good soup. Rich. Creamy. Full of flavor. I even added some fresh baby asparagus, diced, and it gave the soup a good, gentle crunch. The recipe calls for celery including the leaves and along with the arugula,gives the soup an additional layer of flavor and texture. If you make it, let us know how you liked it and if you “Made it your own” by making adjustments. This soup goes well with a chardonnay. Have fun and good eating!
Sorry for the long delay in getting articles or recipes posted. It’s been a crappy Fall, but things are returning to normal now. I will create this post, as I have done in the past with all posts, with a good description of the dish and a link to the recipe that we have created. Most of the recipes, however, are original only to the point that we have altered the original recipe to fit our needs. Most of the recipes presented here and on this blog, have a note attached to them “Source: adapted from (some other recipe)“. At least then, you know where you can find the original recipe. Please, as in the past, feel free to use and try any recipe presented and let us know how it came out and if you liked it or not.
Let’s start with a great soup. Did you ever see the movie Tortilla Soup? Well here is the recipe for that soup, Tortilla Soup http://www.rockinrs.com/Tortilla-Soup.pdf. I’m sorry I don’t have a photo of it. This is fun to make – you can make it as spicy as you want – and great eating. We love it!
And to start the main course off, how about Roasted Prime Rib of Beef? Really easy to do, but be sure you follow the cooking directions exactly. Recipe – http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Prime-Rib.pdf. This recipe calls for an herb butter and we used our Herb de Provence, http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Herbs.pdf. Use it liberally and mix well with room temperature butter. I even went so far as to, after adding the herb butter and salt, to dry brine this in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Came out great!
And here is a great leftover prime rib dish, Leftover Prime Rib Beef Stroganoff. (recipe – http://www.rockinrs.com/Leftover-Beef-Stroganoff.pdf) The original recipe called for Baby Portabella mushrooms, but we had some dried Morel mushrooms collected this past Fall and I reconstituted them in a little vodka and used some of the liquid in the sauce.
Leftover Prime Rib Stroganoff
Total time to make this dish is about 20 minutes, not counting preparing the egg noodles or rice. If you would prefer not to use noodles, you can always use rice. If you use rice, I would probably use Basmati or Jasmin. Either way, we loved this and will make it again. Delicious flavors and easy to do. I even had someone tell me they have made a similar stroganoff with leftover meat loaf.
For the last of the prime rib, you can also make a delicious and scrumptious Prime Rib Soup. This is almost a one pot meal. Hearty with the barley in it. Great on a cold winter day. Just takes some time to make, about 3 hours and 15 minutes. But well worth it. Great herb combination in it. Here is the recipe – http://www.rockinrs.com/Prime-Rib-Soup.pdf
Prime Rib Soup
It takes a little time, but well worth it. The barley is really a great addition. That pretty much uses up the prime rib leftovers. But, there are 3 different meals from this cut of beef.
This is a big, hearty meal that will satisfy most big appetites. The speck gives a wonderful flavor the the spaetzle a great texture. We used a store bought spaetzle because I don’t have a spaetzle maker. We bought the spaetzle and the speck from a German shop here in Boise.
A great shortbread treat full of toasted pecan bits, almond extract and a little rum, that is not in the recipe. I don’t usually do this, but our neighbor has a cookie business and they are good. Her business name isCrumb by devlyn and can be reached at (910) 405-4718 or emailed at crumbbydevlyncookies@gmail.com (No. I made the shortbread cookies!)
Enjoy these dishes. They are all good and worth a try. gutes Essen in German or biadh math is Gaelic. That covers my heritage.
This soup, or chowder, Coconut Shrimp Soup really makes an awesome dinner. Rich and smooth with a slight hint of spice. If you like it hotter, just add more cayenne or paprika. I have also placed a link to the recipe in the recipe file above. Enjoy!
Yes indeed! You read that right! A wine dinner at The Buzz and the courses were all soup. I guess, as Joe said, we can call it a “soupr” evening. And it really was.
Cristi spends a lot of time preparing these dinners and she does her homework. For instance, here is some of what she said about soup. “Soup is generally a warm food; Often made by combining ingredients with a liquid. [Soup is] traditionally classified in two categories. Clear as in bouillon or consomme and Thick as in Puree – thickened with a starch; Bisque – Thickened with cream or pureed meat; Veloutes – Thickened with egg, butter or cream. Generally there is more liquid in a soup than in a stew.”
She goes on to let us know that there are also several different types of soup. “Fruit Soup – Frequently cold when fruit is in season; Fruksuppe (Norwegian) dried fruit; Hot Fruit Soup with meat. Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Chinese cuisines; Generally absent from Americas, Africa, Western European, Japan and Southeast Asia or Oceania cuisines. Cold Soups – At or below room temperature and they can be sweet or savory. Asian Soup – Generally broth based and many use tofu, soy bean curd – low-calorie and high protein.”
These are the type of “educational sessions” that she presents at the tastings. Extremely interesting. Enjoy these photos of the evening and hope to see you at the next Buzz Wine Dinner. Be sure to Left-Click the photos for a larger view. Cheers!
Joe brought this awesome wine – limited quantity – for some to share. Thanks Joe.
Beer/Cheddar Soup with Pretzels (Awesome soup!) 2010 Wente Merlot 13.5% alc went very well with the soup. big and bold [17]
Avocado-Buttermilk Soup with Crab (This is a WOW soup!) 2009 Chateau de la Roche Sauvignon Blanc 13.0% alc. absolutely wonderful with the avocado and crab. [19]
Chunky Tomato-Fruit Gazpacho (A great palate cleanser.) 2011 Jean-Luc Colombo White Rhone 13.0% alc. good wine with the fruit. great pairing [18]
Lentil Soup with Kielbasa and Kale (Don’t let the kale fool you. A good soup.) 2006 Lan Crianza Tempranillo 13.5% alc. great balance with the spiciness of the soup [18]
Chilled Pear Soup and a Chocolate Soup (WOW!) 2008 Pillar Box Cabernet Sauvignon 14.5% alc. I thought it went best with the chocolate, but our table had a difference of opinion. [18]
So there you have our evening. It was a great evening and I think everyone learned a lot about soups and pairing them with wine.