Wednesday, January 25, 2012

chorizo garbanzo stew


Yup. More soup/stew. It is January, after all! This actually started out as a soup recipe, but the addition of potatoes thickened it up enough to count as a stew! Like last week's Thai coconut soup, this comes together relatively quickly... it works for a weeknight. And like most stews, this is even better the next day!





Chorizo Garbanzo Stew

-12 oz. chorizo (not the smoked kind, the loose kind), removed from casings
-1 Tablespoon oil
-1 large white onion, chopped
-6 cloves garlic, minced
-2 shallots, chopped fine
-1 Tablespoon dried thyme
-1 Tablespoon smoke paprika
-cayenne pepper to taste
-4 stalks celery, chopped
-4 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
-1/2 cup dry white wine
-5 cups chicken stock
-2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Cook the chorizo in the oil in a dutch oven or large pot, breaking up as it cooks, until fully cooked. Remove meat to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside. Cook the onion in the chorizo drippings until soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme, paprika, cayenne and cook about 5 minutes. Add the celery, garlic, shallot and potatoes and cook, stirring so everything is coated with flavor, for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and wine, stirring and scraping the bottom to get the browned bits up. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Add the chorizo back in and heat through. Serve, garnished with paprika.


Friday, January 20, 2012

thai coconut noodle soup


They say January is National Soup Month. Makes sense to me. January is cold. January is worn out from the holidays. January needs warmth and comfort... soup is just that... a big bear hug for your tummy.

Some of my favorite soups take hours to make properly. This flavorful Thai soup cooks rather quickly, and still offers that warm snuggly feeling. Because tummy cuddles shouldn't be reserved for weekends.... Cuddles EVERYDAY (that was my rap name back in the day)!



Thai Coconut Noodle Soup

-1 Tablespoon oil
-5 cloves garlic, minced
-thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
-2 Tablespoons minced Lemongrass (or 3 if from a tube)
-2 small green chiles, chopped fine
-1 teaspoon coriander
-1/2 teaspoon white pepper
-2 teaspoons fish sauce
-1 chicken breast, sliced thin
-3 cups chicken stock
-1 can "lite" coconut milk
-1 small can bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks
-8 medium shrimp
-8 oz. flat rice noodles
-20ish fresh basil leaves, julienned
-lime wedges for garnish

Cook the garlic, ginger, chiles, lemongrass, coriander and white pepper in the oil until very fragrant (about 2-3 minutes). Add in the chicken slices and fish sauce and cook until the chicken JUST loses it's pink. Stir in the chicken stock and the coconut milk and let cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes (should be at a light simmer, not a boil). Taste soup for seasoning. Add the shrimp and noodles and remove from heat. Once the shrimp is opaque and the noodles are soft, stir in the basil and serve immediately.


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