SOUPS, STEWS AND GRAVYS

Ed's New Orleans Hot Pot
Chive and Mushroom Bisque
Vichyssoise
Purée of Chestnut Soup
Boilermaker Chicken Stew
Sherry Soup
Bouillabaisse
Tomato and Crab Bisque
Venison Chili with Singapore Hot Sauce
White Chili
Beef, Veggie and Barley Soup

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ED'S NEW ORLEANS HOT POT

  1. Put the meat, beer, tomato puree and stock in a stockpot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and add the bay leaves, thyme, sage, salt, pepper and cayenne.
  2. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.
  3. Put in the diced vegetables and cook for 15 minutes.
  4. While the meat and vegetables are cooking, make a brown roux by heating the oil in a large heavy skillet, stirring in the flour and cooking over medium heat for 15-30 minutes, stirring constantly so the roux doesn't burn.
  5. When the roux has a rich brown color, add the onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft (about 5 minutes).
  6. Now stir this mixture into the large pot, cover and continue to cook an additional 20 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are tender.
  7. Taste for salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Garnish with the chopped onions.

Serves 6.

CHIVE AND MUSHROOM BISQUE

  1. Combine cooked rice and 1 cup of the water in blender. Blend until completely puréed.
  2. Pour into a nonstick saucepan. Add the remaining water, chive, celery, mushrooms, salt and pepper.
  3. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are cooked and soup is thickened.
  4. Top with plain low-fat yogurt.

Serves 5.

VICHYSSOISE

  1. Cook potatoes in chicken stock until soft; remove from heat.
  2. Melt butter in non-stick skillet.
  3. Stir in onions and sauté until tender but not brown. Add to potato mixture.
  4. In small amounts, beat mixture until creamy; return to soup pot.
  5. Blend cornstarch with water and slowly stir into soup pot with evaporated milk.
  6. Return to heat, stir and simmer until smooth and slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. Chill before serving. Garnish with chives.

Serves 8.

PURÉE OF CHESTNUT SOUP

  1. Melt butter in soup pot and sauté onion until brown.
  2. Add chestnuts and sauté for 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in stock, celery, carrot and parsley. Cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes.
  4. Pour mixture inot a blender and blend at high speed until puréed. Return to pot and reheat.
  5. Just before serving, stir in Madiera and half and half.

Serves 8.

BOILERMAKER CHICKEN STEW

seasoned flour:

other ingredients:

  1. Mix together the ingredients for the seasoned flour, then coat the chicken in it.
  2. In a large skillet or Dutch oven brown the meat in the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat 4-5 minutes a side.
  3. Pour the whiskey over the meat, light it and flambé the chicken, shaking the skillet continually.
  4. When the flames die down remove the chicken and add the carrot, celery, onions and garlic to the skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
  5. Add the stock, ale, rosemary, sage and thyme. Return the chicken to the pot, cover and simmer for 45 minutes until it is quite tender. Transfer to a warm platter.
  6. Degrease the sauce, and boil it down if it is too thin. When the suace is the desired consistency, whisk in the mustard.
  7. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sour cream.
  8. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice to taste.
  9. Pour the suace over the chicken and garnish with the chopped chives.

Serves 6.

SHERRY SOUP

  1. Heat stock, sherry, lemon juice and lavender leaves in a saucepan.
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Ladle soup into heated serving bowls or cups.
  4. Garnish w/ spinach leaves and lemon strips (if using cups, cut spinach leaves and lemon strips in half).

Serves 2 (or 4 cups).

BOUILLABAISSE

  1. Clean and cut fish and loster into small serving pieces. Clean shrimp and scrub mussels and clams.
  2. Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Sauté leeks, onions, garlic and tomatoes for 2 minutes. Add the bouquet garni, saffron and heavy fish; cover and boil for 7 minutes.
  3. Add remaining fish, lobster and enough boiling water to cover the fish. Cover and boil for 10 minutes.
  4. Add the mussels and clams, cover and boil until they open (discard any that do not open). Add the shrimp, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, remove bouquet garni.
  5. Ladle soup into serving bowls. (Toast, French bread or croutons may be served with the soup, if desired.)

Serves 20.

TOMATO AND CRAB BISQUE

  1. Melt butter in nonstick saucepan.
  2. Add onion and sauté until lightly browned. Add the flour and blend.
  3. Slowly add the milk and cook until partially thickened.
  4. Stir in the crab meat and tomato juice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Season to taste.

Serves 4 soup-bowl servings or 8 soup-cup servings.

VENISON CHILI WITH SINGAPORE HOT SAUCE

  1. Pat the venison dry with paper towels.
  2. Heat the oil in a very large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the venison and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the red and green bell peppers, poblano chiles, onions and garlic. Stir well, cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add the paprika, coriander, cumin, chile powder, fennel, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute, stirring continuously.
  5. Add the tomatoes and juices, beer and hot sauce (use 1/2 cup if you like spicy chili). Bring the mixture to a simmer and cover pan.
  6. Reduce heat to low and cook slowly until the meat is very tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, 1½-2 hours. If the sauce is too thin, cook, uncovered, 10-15 minutes more. Serve hot.

Serves 6.

WHITE CHILI

  1. Place a tortilla directly on stovetop burner (gas or electric), set at medium-low, and toast, turning frequently with tongs, until light golden and fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Repeat with 3 more tortillas. Cut toasted tortillas into 1-inch- wide strips and set aside.
  2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a deep sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
  3. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add bell peppers and onion; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chopped green chiles, garlic chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth and milk to the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring. Stir in hominy, toasted tortilla strips and browned chicken.
  4. Reduce haet to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, toast remaining 2 tortillas as directed in step 1 for garnish. Stir 1/4 cup of the cilantro into the chili. Taste and adjust seasonings. Ladle the chili into bowls and garnish with remaining chopped cilantro, lime wedges and a few additional tortilla strips. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

BEEF, VEGGIE AND BARLEY SOUP

  1. Wipe off beef bones with a damp paper towel. Place in a large, heavy soup pot with the uncut carrots and celery.
  2. Add the onions (with cloves) to the pot along with the garlic. Add the water and 2 cups of beef broth, or enough liquid to cover the meat by atleast 1½ inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for about one hour, skimming the foam occasionally. Add the dried mushrooms (if desired) and parsley sprigs; simmer, covered, for another hour or until the meat is very tender. It should fall off the bones.
  3. Remove the meat to a bowl, discard bones and cool to room temperature. When cool enough to handle, trim off any fat and shred the meat into medium-sized pieces. Set aside, covered.
  4. Strain the broth into a glass bowl through a strainer once, then through a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Chill, uncovered, until the fat rises to the top. Skim off the fat with a metal spoon and discard, or pour the broth through a gravy separator to remove the fat. Return the defatted broth to the soup pot.
  5. Add the cut-up carrots abd cut-up celery to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the reserved beef, barley and remaining beef broth if necessary. Season with salt and pepper; stir in chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.