Tag Archive for soup

Acorn Squash Soup

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Acorn Squash Soup - thesurprisedgourmet.com

Acorn Squash Soup is good as an appetizer or side dish

As the days begin to warm this spring, a  delicious bowl of Acorn Squash Soup hits the spot.

People tend to think of the acorn squash as a winter squash, but it’s good anytime of the year. Acorn Squash Soup can be a flavorful appetizer or a delicious side dish with a meal.

Cut an acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Place the squash open side down on a greased baking pan. Place the pan in a pre-heated 400 degree oven and cook for 40 minutes. When the squash is done, take out and set aside to cool.

Once the squash has cooled, remove the squash from the skin and place in a boiler. Add 2 tablespoons softened butter, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 tablespoons sugar, a pinch of Kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the cooked squash.

Mix the ingredients well. Using a hand-held blender, puree the soup mixture until the desired consistency.

Acorn Squash Soup Meal - The Surprised Gourmet

Acorn Squash Soup goes well as a side dish to a meal

This makes 2 to 3 servings and can be served hot or cold. For an added touch, place a dollop of sour cream in each soup bowl when it is served.

When I prepared this Acorn Squash Soup, I served it with Blue Cheese Meatballs (recipe to come later) and Creamy Cheesy Spinach.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope I’ve enticed you to try this Acorn Squash Soup recipe. If you do, please be sure to stop back by and let me know how it turned out. Do you have a favorite Acorn Squash Soup recipes? Do you have a favorite type squash you like to cook?

Cucina Felice!

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Acorn Squash Soup

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Serves: 2 to 3 Servings

A flavorful appetizer or side dish
Ingredients
  • 1 Large acorn squash
  • 2 Tablespoons softened butter
  • ½ Cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 Teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ Teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch of Kosher salt
  • ½ Teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Cut an acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Place the squash open side down on a greased baking pan. Place the pan in a pre-heated 400 degree oven and cook for 40 minutes. When the squash is done, take out and set aside to cool.
  2. Once the squash has cooled, remove the squash from the skin and place in a broiler. Add 2 tablespoons softened butter, ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 tablespoons sugar, a pinch of Kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the cooked squash.
  3. Mix the ingredients well. Using a hand-held blender, puree the soup mixture until the desired consistency.
  4. This makes 2 to 3 servings and can be served hot or cold. For an added touch, place a dollop of sour cream in each soup bowl when it is served.

 

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Cold Cucumber Soup

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Cold Cucumber Soup - The Surprised Gourmet

Cold Cucumber Soup with toast and double creme brie

Summer may be winding down here in the U.S., but you can still enjoy a bowl of delicious Cold Cucumber Soup.

Cucumbers are good prepared a number of ways. You can eat cucumber sandwiches or just slices of cucumbers with a meal. But one of the best ways to enjoy cucumbers is in a cold soup. I prepared my soup similar to a Polish cucumber soup and added potatoes.

Start by peeling and dicing 3 small potatoes. Put them in a saucepan and boil. When they’re done (about 5 minutes), drain and set aside to cool.

Take 5 cucumbers, peel, seed and dice them. In a stock pot put 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter on medium heat. Add 3/4 cup minced sweet onion to saute, stir constantly for 2 1/2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, add cucumbers, stir together and cook for 7 minutes.

Bowl of Cold Cucumber Soup - The Surprised Gourmet

A delicious bowl of Cold Cucumber Soup

Add cooled potatoes, stir well, add 1/2 teaspoon celery seed and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Use an immersion blender to puree soup. Add 1/2 cup sour cream, 4 teaspoons Lawry’s Garlic Salt, and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Put soup in a large bowl and refrigerate to chill for at least a couple of hours. The soup is best if let cool overnight before serving. To enhance the soup, serve with toast and a double creme brie.

Thanks for stopping by today. Do you like cucumbers? If so, how do you like them? Do you have a cucumber soup recipe? Hope you’ll give this a try. If you do, please stop back by and let me know how it turns out or if you post it online tag it with #thesurprisedgourmet. I’m always glad to know how my recipes turn out for you.

Cucina Felice!

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Cold Cucumber Soup

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Cook time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4 Servings

A bowl of Cold Cucumber Soup will hit the spot as the last days of summer fade away
Ingredients
  • 3 Small potatoes (peeled and diced)
  • 5 Large cucumbers (4½ cups), peeled, seeded and diced
  • ¾ Cup minced sweet onion
  • ½ Teaspoon celery seed
  • ½ Cup sour cream
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ Cup chicken stock
  • 4 Teaspoons garlic salt
Instructions
  1. Peel and dice 3 small potatoes. Put them in a saucepan and boil. When they're done (about 5 minutes), drain and set aside to cool.
  2. Take 5 cucumbers, peel, seed and dice them. In a stock pot put 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter on medium heat. Add ¾ cup minced sweet onion to saute, stir constantly for 2½ minutes. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, add cucumbers, stir together and cook for 7 minutes.
  3. Add cooled potatoes, stir well, add ½ teaspoon celery seed and ½ cup chicken stock. Use immersion blender to puree soup. Add ½ cup sour cream, 4 teaspoons garlic salt, and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
  4. Put soup in refrigerator to chill for at least a couple of hours. The soup is best if let cool overnight before serving. To enhance the soup, serve with toast and a double creme brie.

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Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup

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Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup - thesurprisedgourmet.com

Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup perfect for an evening meal

Cooler temperatures bring to mind comforting soups and Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup is a new addition to our list of favorites.

Instead of making a traditional vegetable soup or a soothing chicken noodle soup, I wanted something just a bit different. It wasn’t until the soup was almost done when I decided to add the most unique ingredient – homemade Simply Chicken Salad.

Simply Chicken Salad is a favorite dish at our house and seems to be in the refrigerator every other week. I couldn’t resist adding some to the soup just to see how it would turn out.

I baked the Tuscan Bread Bowl in the oven according to the package instructions. After baking, I cut off the top, scooped out the center and returned it to the oven for the bowl to set.

I chopped and diced all of my ingredients prior to starting the soup so that it would go much smoother and quicker. Using a 2 quart stock pan, I added my ingredients starting with the 2 ½ tablespoons of canola oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Next I added the cup of finely diced carrots, a cup of finely diced celery, 1 ½ cups of corn that I had cut off of the cob, ¼ cup of finely diced onion, and 2 finely diced Roma tomatoes.

The dry ingredients came next: 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 2 tablespoons dried parsley, 1 tablespoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon garlic salt, and 1 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon. Mixing that well I added 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 can English peas, and 3 cups of chicken stock.

Cooking the soup - thesurprisedgourmet.com

The ingredients for Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup cooking

The chicken stock I used was frozen as ice cubes and worked great for adding to this soup. Anytime you have leftover chicken stock don’t throw it away, instead freeze it in ice trays. When the stock is frozen, pop it out of the ice trays and put it in freezer bags in your freezer. It’s a handy way to use up your stock and have small amounts when you need it. You can measure how much goes into a cube and then you’ll be able to add just the right amount when needed. My cubes equaled 1 ½ tablespoons each.

When my soup was just about ready, I decided to add in a cup of homemade Simply Chicken Salad. This gave the soup a different texture and even more flavor. I let it cook just a few minutes more to mingle all the flavors together. As I removed it from the heat, I added the final two ingredients – ¾ cup sour cream and 1/3 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese – making sure to incorporate the new ingredients with the soup.

The results was a rich and creamy texture with such aromas you won’t believe. I put a couple of dippers of soup in the bread bowl and started to add another dab of sour cream, but decided against it. The fragrant soup was delicious with the occasional bits of bread coming off the sides of the bread bowl.

This is like most soups that contains vegetables, you can use any combination of vegetables you like. It doesn’t matter what you want, it usually works well in a soup.

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you’ll give this soup a try. If you do, please drop back by and let me know how it went or if you post about it be sure to tag it with #thesurprisedgourmet. I’m always happy to know how the recipes turn out for you.

Cucina Felice!

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Bread Bowl Chicken Salad Soup

Prep time: 

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Serves: 4-5 servings

A delectable soup in a bread bowl that makes cool fall evenings warmer.
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ Tablespoons Canola oil
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced (1 cup)
  • 3 ribs of celery, finely diced (1 cup)
  • 2 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off (1 ½ cups)
  • Half of a sweet onion, finely diced (1/4 cup)
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1 Tablespoon dried Basil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 3 Cups chicken stock
  • 1 Cup homemade chicken salad
  • 1 Can (15 ounce) English peas
  • 1 Teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic salt
  • ¾ Cup sour cream
  • ¼ Cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Place Tuscan Bread Bowl in preheated oven and cook as directed on package. When the bowl is ready, remove it and turn the oven to 550 degrees. Slice off the top of the bread bowl and crave out the center. Place the bowl back in oven at 550 degrees for 5 minutes to set the bowl.
  3. Take 4 quart stock pot, put in 2 ½ tablespoons Canola oil, 1 tablespoon butter and let it come up to medium high. Add 1 cup carrots, 1 cup celery, ¼ cup onion, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon basil, and 1 tablespoon oregano.
  4. Sauté for about 2 minutes, add 1 ½ cups fresh cut corn from the cob, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Next add 1 cup tomatoes, stir well and add 3 cups of chicken stock. Add 1 cup of homemade chicken salad, 1 can (15 ounces) English peas (15 ounces), 1 teaspoon powder chicken bouillon, and 1 tablespoon Lawry’s garlic salt. Let this soup simmer for about 50 minutes all together or longer if you desire.
  5. When it’s taken off the stove add ¾ cup sour cream, ¼ cup shredded cheese and mix well. Ladle soup into bread bowl. You can garnish it with additional sour cream and shredded cheese, if desired.

 

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French Onion Soup

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French Onion Soup with a dollop of sour cream and homemade croutons.

French Onion Soup with a dollop of sour cream and homemade croutons.

I decided to make my version of French Onion Soup the other evening and it got me to thinking about the many variations of this tantalizing dish.

I’ve seen recipes in numerous cookbooks and each one is a bit different. And if you Googled for a recipe, I’m sure you could find enough information to keep you reading for days.

I like my version for this soup because the onions turn a golden brown, the onions still have enough texture you can bite into them, and it just plain taste good!

I start with a 6 quart stock pot (you could use a 4 quart if you prefer). I put in 1/4 cup Canola oil and 1/4 cup butter or margarine. Meanwhile, I take 2 pounds of white onions, cut them in half and then cut them into 1/4-inch slices.

I place the onions in the pot on medium heat, stir them a bit and then put the lid on I cook the onions down until they caramelize before I add any water. After the onions have cooked for about 10 minutes, I stir them good and turn my stove eye down to 4 (5 is medium on my stove). After another 10 minutes and another good stir, I turn the stove down to 3.

After the onions have cooked 30 minutes, I add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (I use Spice World), and 1 tablespoon of beef bouillon paste (sometimes I use chicken bouillon).

Onions cooking down for French Onion Soup

Onions cooking down for French Onion Soup

I let the onions continue to cook slowly keeping a close watch not to let them burn or scorch. When the onions cook slowly it lets them develop more sugar naturally giving the soup a sweeter flavor without having to add so much sugar.

While the onions are cooking slowly I remove the lid allowing more of the liquids to escape and the onions to cook down more. During this time the onions begin to turn a golden brown and the smell coming out of the pot will make your mouth water. My method may seem like it takes a long time, but it’s well worth the effort. Just remember to keep a close eye on the onions stirring often to keep them from burning as they caramelize.

Once they reach that golden brown consistency (about another 20 minutes), I add 7 cups of water and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

A bowl of French Onion Soup will hit the spot anytime of the season

A bowl of French Onion Soup will hit the spot anytime of the season

When the soup is ready, ladle it into bowls, add a dollop of sour cream and serve with homemade croutons. Hmmmmm….now that’s good.

This is a savory dish that is great for movie night with the family or Sunday lunch with friends.

Thanks for stopping by today. What’s your favorite onion soup recipe? Do you have a special time of the year you serve it? If you try this recipe, come back and tell us what you think or tag it with #thesurprisedgourmet. I’d love to know hot it was.

Cucina Felice!

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French Onion Soup

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Prep time: 

Cook time: 

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Serves: 7-8 servings

This savory dish will be a hit with family and friends no matter the season.
Ingredients
  • ¼ Cup Canola oil
  • ¼ Cup butter or margarine
  • 2 Pounds white onions, cut in half and then cut into ¼-inch slices
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon beef bouillon paste
  • 7 Cups of water
Instructions
  1. Start with a 6 quart stock pot (you could use a 4 quart if you prefer). Put in ¼ cup Canola oil and ¼ cup butter or margarine. Meanwhile, take 2 pounds of white onions, cut them in half and then cut them into ¼-inch slices.
  2. Place the onions in the pot on medium heat, stir them a bit and then put the lid on. Cook the onions down until they caramelize before adding any water. After the onions have cooked for about 10 minutes, stir them good and turn stove eye down to 4 (if 5 is medium). After another 10 minutes and another good stir, turn the stove down to 3.
  3. After the onions have cooked 30 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of beef bouillon paste (chicken bouillon can be used).
  4. Let the onions continue to cook slowly keeping a close watch not to let them burn or scorch. When the onions cook slowly it lets them develop more sugar naturally giving the soup a sweeter flavor without having to add so much sugar.
  5. While the onions are cooking slowly remove the lid allowing more of the liquids to escape and the onions to cook down more. During this time the onions begin to turn a golden brown and the smell coming out of the pot will make your mouth water. My method may seem like it takes a long time, but it's well worth the effort. Just remember to keep a close eye on the onions stirring often to keep them from burning as they caramelize.
  6. Once they reach that golden brown consistency (about another 20 minutes), add 7 cups of water and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  7. When the soup is ready, ladle it into bowls, add a dollop of sour cream and serve with homemade croutons.

 

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