One Recipe Two Savory Pumpkin Dishes

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One Recipe For Two Savory Pumpkin Dishes

Pumpkin Parmesan Cream Soup

Pumpkin Parmesan Cream Pasta Sauce

One Recipe Two Savory Pumpkin Dishes

William Sonoma Gift Certificate … loved my birthday gift. Wandering around in the WS Store I came across all sorts of sauces, starters, mixes not to mention the beautiful holiday ware. I became intrigued with the holiday sauces. I tried to read the ingredient labels but my contact wasn’t cooperating. (I do the one eyed thing.) I could only see that the ingredient lists were lengthy. And while I do feel WS has amazing prepared or nearly prepared foods the lists seemed too long. (I’m very pleased with my all clad waffle iron. Thank you Will.)

So, here I am making my own. And I love the two for one idea. It actually works!

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Comforting Soups

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Soup’s On!

Navy Bean and Ham, that is!

SoupsThe beans are soaking and later today I’ll be putting together a simple but hearty soup of Navy Beans and Ham. Here are some soups to tide you over until then:

TOP: Portuguese Green Soup, Chunky Root Soup, Basque Vegetable Soup

MIDDLE: Portuguese Bean Soup, Chicken Soup

BOTTOM: Clam Chowder, Vegetarian Black-eyed Pea Soup, Sausage and Navy Bean Soup

Gazpacho

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Gazpacho Recipe

Gazpacho

A family favorite for all these years! Nope, we haven’t changed the recipe either. OK, maybe a little with the drizzle of olive oil and basil garnish, no one was into olive oil in those days. I most likely wouldn’t have tried a raw tomato if this hadn’t been my husband’s favorite soup. Now it’s my fav cold soup.

The secret in this recipe is to chop the ingredients very small and to remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cucumbers. Chill this in the freezer for a very short time to get it really cold or serve it on ice.  What a really refreshing meal on a hot summer day!

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Chicken Soup Recipe

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Chicken SoupChicken Soup Recipe For Gloomy Days

Our weather today was a bit gloomy … time for Chicken Soup. This soup is Portuguese cuisine influenced … Really meant for rabbit. Yep, I’ve been informed hare was on the family menu. My brother couldn’t bring himself to eat rabbit … And if I did, it was purely not knowing. My brother and I were fond of these animals but not for dinner.

We hope you will enjoy this recipe for chicken soup. It can easily convert to a vegan recipe. It has so many delicious full of flavor vegetables! And beans too!

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Boston Clam Chowder

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The Best Boston Clam Chowder

Boston Clam Chowder

 

This Boston Clam Chowder is definitely best on cold gray days. It might even be better while appreciating ocean breezes. But since I live inland I’m enjoying this rich and filling chowder during our rainy weather.

Rich is understating. This is butter, cream and bacon rich.

You’ll love it!

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Portuguese Green Soup

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Caldo Verde, Portuguese Green Soup

This is a simple one with only three main ingredients. Meant to be a main dish but certainly could be a side without the linguica … making it vegan. Kale is often used in Portuguese cuisine and doesn’t fail to be the delicious star.

The preparation and cooking is short in duration making this a perfect after work meal on these cold winter nights.

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Chunky Root Soup

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Chunky Root Soup Just Happens to Be Vegan

Root soup is a winter necessity on these icy cold days. It’s a little early for Saint Patrick’s Day but you might find this served along with corned beef or beef brisket. It’s just a wonderful meal all alone.  Light enough to have several servings.

Eat it chunky like this or use a blender to give it a creamy texture. I prefer it this way.

If you use prepared vegetable broth this can be ready to eat in 30-40 minutes. I like making my own vegetable broth … my recipe in the previous post. This is a rich recipe not requiring butter or chicken broth. Absolutely the best!

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Vegetable Stock And Broth

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Vegetable Stock Or Vegetable Broth

From This …

To This!

Often vegetable stock and broth are used interchangeably in recipes. So what is the difference? After researching these two, stock vs broth, it is still a little unclear. But I like to make it simple. My take … The biggest difference is in the seasonings. Broth has seasonings making it immediately palatable while stock is ready to be seasoned and manipulated in a recipe. This recipe may resemble a broth more closely. I use this broth routinely for recipes that ask for either … Even in recipes asking for chicken or beef stock or broth. I do pay close attention to salt and other seasonings when adding this broth to recipes.

I am preparing this recipe specifically to use in a chunky root soup, next post. The nice thing about this recipe … You can add vegetables you have on hand. However, these basic ingredients are required … onions, celery and carrots … and for me, garlic too.

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Vegetarian Black Eyed Pea Soup

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Light Vegetarian Black eyed Pea Soup

This soup is a great option for lunch during these cold days. It is thick with vegetables and can second as a side dish instead. I use frozen peas. The nutritional value is similar to fresh picked, and it is convenient.

The ingredients for this soup might already be in your panty. Let’s see!

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Spicy Portuguese Sopas

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Spicy Portuguese Sopas

Portuguese Sopas is a traditional soup from the Azores. It is made each year for a celebration occurring about two months following Easter. For seven years my brother, Dan, helped with the preparation of this sopa do Espirito Santo for our hometown celebration.

We enjoy eating this soup, his recipe here with my tiny variation, throughout the year especially in the colder months. To us it’s a comfort food. Yep, some of the guys in our family can eat this morning, noon and night … loving every spoonful. Dan’s son Stephen admits!

All ingredients with the exception of the cabbage, bread and mint have been added. My Grandmother would say, don’t be afraid of spices!  Now for the long cooking to meld the flavors.

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