Even though LA is currently breaking records with our weather, we know it won’t last forever. With our version of winter around the corner, a good way to stay warm and save money is by making homemade soups. Even in this heat, folks are catching colds and the flu right and left, and there is nothing like a good soup to stave off those nasty germs.
I’ve been experimenting with different recipes, and have found these three to be both light and filling. Check them out when you’re in the mood to switch in the kitchen!
Recipes courtesy of Epicurous.com:
Yucatan-Style Chicken, Lime, and Orzo Soup
- 3/4 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced
- 3/4 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into matchstick-size strips
- 5 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 large tomato, seeded, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Fresh cilantro sprigs
Cook orzo in pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain well.
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and chiles. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add chicken; sauté 1 minute. Add broth, lime juice, and tomato. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Mix in orzo, then chopped cilantro. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 4 bowls. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.
Pasta, Sausage and Bean Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausages, castings removed
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 1 1/2 cups diced carrots
- 1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- 5 cups canned chicken broth
- 1 14 1/2-to 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15- to 16-ounce can kidney beans, drained
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausages and sauté until beginning to brown, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, rosemary, crushed red pepper and sage. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with their juices and beans. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors blend, about 20 minutes.
Add macaroni to soup and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
This last one is an acquired taste, but if you like spicy food, it’s a winner!
Thai-Spiced Watermelon Soup with Crabmeat
For soup
- 5 cups coarsely chopped seeded watermelon (from a 4-lb piece, rind discarded)
- 1 fresh lemongrass stalk*
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons mild olive oil
- 1 small hot green chile such as Thai or serrano, finely chopped (including seeds), or to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
For crab
- 10 oz jumbo lump crabmeat (2 cups), picked over
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 1/2 tablespoons mild olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Accompaniment: lime wedges
Make soup:
Purée watermelon in a blender until smooth and transfer to a bowl. (Don’t wash blender.)
Discard 1 or 2 outer leaves of lemongrass and trim root end. Thinly slice lower 5 to 6 inches of stalk and then mince, discarding remainder.
Cook lemongrass, shallot, ginger, and garlic in oil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until aromatics are pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add about one third of watermelon purée and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes.
Remove watermelon mixture from heat, then transfer to blender along with chile, lime juice, and salt and blend until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids).
Add remaining watermelon purée and blend briefly. Season soup with more chile, lime juice, and salt if desired, blending if necessary. Pour soup through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding any solids. Chill soup, uncovered, about 2 hours if serving cold, or reheat in cleaned saucepan.
Prepare crab:
Toss crabmeat with cilantro, oil, and salt.
Divide crab among 4 soup plates, mounding in center, and pour chilled or hot soup around it.
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