Tag Archives: soup

Clam Chowder

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This clam chowder was inspired by two things: my desire to make something that I normally don’t, and my parent’s recent trip exploring New England. While I would love to be tasting my way through New England and Canada like they are, I am not retired like they are, so clam chowder at home it was. We made this soup on a dreary, end-of-summer day at home, and everything about it was just so right. Let’s talk about it.

Clams
I was able to buy wild, USA caught cherrystone clams at my grocery store for this. You could use a variety of types of clams for this soup, but as I feel about all seafood – try to use wild, USA caught.

Veggies
If you are a fan of clam chowder, you know that this can really vary between versions. Some have very few or no veggies; some have potatoes and some don’t. This one is full of veggies – onions, carrots, garlic and celery – and lots of potatoes. This is my preference, but feel free to customize types and amounts of veggies in this to your liking.

Broth
The broth for this soup is made from boiling the clams. To prepare the broth, you add the clams to a pot, top them with water, bring to a boil and then boil until the clams open. You then remove the clams and strain the liquid – that’s your broth. I recommend straining several times because the broth can tend to be a bit sandy from the clams. I love that the broth for this soup is made from just water + clams. Also, this is a brothy clam chowder. There is no thickener in it, so it’s a thin and extremely flavorful broth – just how I like my clam chowder.

Flavors
This soup uses: clams, bacon, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, potatoes, fresh thyme, white wine, a touch of milk, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. That’s it. If those flavors sound amazing to you, make this soup ASAP! 

This recipe is the epitome of end of summer, beginning of fall cooking and eating for me. Clam chowder always reminds me of summer vacation days, but is warm and comforting like fall. Since I can’t be wandering around New England right now, this was my best attempt at bringing end of summer, beginning of fall New England vibes to my home, and it worked just perfectly :).






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Clam Chowder

Ingredients

  • 24 medium to large clams (I used cherrystone)
  • 1/2 pound bacon
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 6 carrots, chopped
  • 6 celery stalks, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 baby potatoes, quartered
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. Scrub clams well and place in a large pot. Cover the clams with water. Place pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil 5-10 minutes, or until all clams have opened.

  2. Strain clam stock into a bowl and set aside (if the stock is sandy, you may want to re-strain). Remove clams from shells, roughly chop and set aside.

  3. Wipe out pot and add bacon, cooking over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pot, crumble and set aside.

  4. Keeping pot over medium heat, add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, potatoes, wine and a few sprigs of fresh thyme to the bacon fat. Cook 5-10 minutes, until wine is almost evaporated.

  5. Add strained clam stock and a few more sprigs of fresh thyme to pot and simmer until vegetables are tender, 20-25 minutes.

  6. Turn off heat but keep pot on burner and add milk, bacon and clams to the pot and stir well. Remove thyme stems. Season with salt and pepper to taste. We used 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. 

  7. Serve in bowls garnished with fresh thyme if desired and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Smoked Gouda Tomato Soup

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Here’s a little, simple recipe for you today. For me, easing back into the recipe sharing. For you, an almost effortless dinner idea.

Smoked Gouda tomato soup. Nothing revolutionary here, nothing crazy. Simple, classic tomato soup with a (smoked) twist.  This is just a standard tomato soup recipe, one that I have been making for months, with a handful of smoked Gouda cheese thrown in. All blended up to creamy perfection. A way to liven up tomato soup without too much effort. Not that tomato soup needs much livenin’ – I love the classic – but for something just a little bit different, this is it. I reccomend serving with extra shredded Gouda on top and slices of hearty bread – it’s hard to not enjoy.

If I have to do winter, this is how I want to to do it – hot soup in mugs and cozy evenings in. Cheers!

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Smoked Gouda Tomato Soup
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Ingredients
  1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  2. 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  3. 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  4. 1 large garlic clove, minced
  5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  6. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  7. Heaping 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  8. 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  9. (2) 28 ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes
  10. 2 cups veggie broth
  11. (1) 8 ounce block smoked Gouda, shredded*
Instructions
  1. Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onions and carrots. Let cook, stirring several times, for about 10 minutes, or until veggies are just slightly browned and soft.
  2. Add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and balsamic vinegar and stir. Add the two cans of tomatoes and veggie broth and stir once more. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover the pot and let simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice to begin to break up the tomatoes. Soup is done simmering when tomatoes are soft and beginning to fall apart.
  3. Add two cups shredded Gouda to the pot and stir. Using an immersion blender (what I did) or regular blender, blend the soup until smooth. If using a regular blender, blend in batches.
  4. Ladle into bowls (or mugs!) and top each with additional shredded Gouda if desired.
  5. Enjoy!
Notes
  1. * I used one 8 ounce block of smoked Gouda and shredded the entire block. I put two cups of the shredded Gouda into the soup and reserved the tiny bit that was left for topping the finished soup.
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Butternut Squash, Pear + Curry Brown Butter Soup

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This soup. It has been my go-to since late September when butternut squash first started popping up. I am in love with this soup. There are so many butternut squash soup recipes out there, so I don’t know just how to convince you that this is the one to make, but know I believe that you’d be happy if you do!

Some reasons to try this soup:

1. This soup is simple. It uses fewer than ten ingredients (not including dried spices) and requires no complicated methods or tools.

2. It’s butternut squash soup. With pears. And curry brown butter. Those flavors, in every single bite. I feel like I don’t need to say more.

3. This soup will warm you to the core on this chilly autumn days.

While there is really nothing complicated about this recipe, here are a few notes to keep in mind:

– The curry brown butter is from this recipe, from 101 Cookbooks. I felt inspired to put the curry brown butter from their lentil soup into this soup and I’m awfully glad that I did. Brown butter is not hard to make, and is more than worth the small amount of effort. Read my description below on how to make brown butter, or for a very detailed description of it, with photos, click here.

-Use any type of pear that you have. Don’t be picky. For this batch of soup, I used pears that I had sliced and frozen earlier in the season, and that worked wonderfully. For past batches of this soup, I used fresh, chopped pears.

-This soup can be left chunky (like in the photos) by using a potato masher to “mash” the soup. If you desire a much smoother soup, use an immersion or regular blender to blend the soup until smooth. I’ve blended it before and enjoyed it that way, too.

-Speaking of leaving it chunky, I haven’t tried it yet, but I think the chunky version would go wonderfully over rice.

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Butternut Squash, Pear + Curry Brown Butter Soup
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Ingredients
  1. Olive oil
  2. 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  3. 4 large carrots, sliced thin
  4. 1 large butternut squash, cubed
  5. 4 medium pears, chopped
  6. 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  7. 3-4 cups vegetable broth
  8. 1/2 teaspoon each of dried oregano, onion powder, black pepper and cumin
  9. 1/2 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon curry powder, used separately
  10. 3 tablespoons butter
  11. Salt, to taste (I used 1/4 teaspoon)
Instructions
  1. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring several times, for about 5 minutes, or until veggies begin to soften.
  2. Add butternut squash and pears to the pot and stir. Cook 10 minutes longer, or until squash begins to soften and everything is slightly browned.
  3. Add the fresh, minced garlic and the 1/2 teaspoon each of dried oregano, onion powder, black pepper, cumin and curry powder. Stir well, then add 3 cups of veggie broth.
  4. Bring soup to a boil, then turn heat down to medium and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all veggies are very soft.
  5. While the soup is simmering, make the curry brown butter. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Let butter melt completely, while whisking constantly, until you see brown specks appear. Add 1 tablespoon of curry powder and whisk a few more times. Remove from heat and set aside.
  6. Once soup is done simmering (veggies are soft) add the curry brown butter to the soup pot.
  7. Using a potato masher, mash everything together well to make a chunky soup. Alternatively, using a immersion or regular blender, blend soup until smooth.
  8. Give the soup a taste, and adjust seasoning to your liking. Add some salt, more broth or other seasonings if you desire.
  9. Enjoy!
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Curry Red Lentil Soup

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I’ve been wanting to share this recipe with you for awhile. 

I’ve been working on it for several weeks now, and I am so happy with this curry red lentil soup I am sharing with you.

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It comes at an appropriate time too, I think. After one holiday of eating heavily, looking toward another one. This soup is perfect for giving your body a break from the heavy, while nourishing it and making it feel wonderful. 

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Let’s quickly talk about red lentils. If you’re not familiar with them, don’t be scared. They look a little freaky, but they are a wonderful food. They almost look like a fake food, like something that has been manufactured (that’s what I thought the first time I saw them). But in fact, lentils are a natural superfood. They are packed with protein, fiber, iron and many other wonderful things. Lentils are good for us, they nourish us. 

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The rest of this soup is pretty basic, pretty recognizable. Some onion, garlic, carrots, celery and veggie stock. All of your normal soup components. They key to this soup, though, is the curry paste. I love using this curry paste in many different dishes and I could not be happier with using it in this soup. It adds so much amazing flavor and a unique twist on an otherwise average veggie soup. I suggest using a small amount of curry paste to start, and adding more as you please. It isn’t overly spicy, but does add a kick. 

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While this is a perfect post-Thanksgiving refresh meal, it will also be a staple of mine through all the cold months. Warm up with some curry red lentil soup!

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P.S. – On a random note, I have been reluctant to share this post with you only because I am not happy with the photos. As I was editing them, I just wasn’t completely satisfied with how they were looking. I decided, though, that the recipe needed to be shared and I got past my dissatisfaction with the photos. Here’s to better photos next time!

Curry Red Lentil Soup
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Ingredients
  1. Olive oil
  2. 2 garlic cloves, minced
  3. 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  4. 3 large carrots, chopped
  5. 2 medium celery stalks, chopped
  6. 4-6 tablespoons red curry paste
  7. 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
  8. 7-8 cups veggie stock
  9. Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Add about two tablespoons of olive oil to a pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced garlic and stir.
  2. Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt and stir. Let veggies cook several minutes, until they begin to soften and sweat.
  3. Add the red lentils to the pot and stir.
  4. Add the curry paste. Start with a little knowing that you can add more later. Stir it around the pot, incorporating it with the other ingredients.
  5. Add about 4 cups of veggie stock to the pot and stir well, to incorporate the curry paste. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the red lentils are soft.
  6. Once the lentils are soft, add 3-4 more cups of veggie stock to the soup and simmer until warm.
  7. Season with salt, pepper and more curry paste, to taste.
  8. Enjoy!
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Shrimp Chowder with Veggies + Vodka Sauce

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Time for more soup!

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The photos of this soup look very similar to the photos I posted a couple weeks ago of sweet potato + black bean chili.

And while the photos look similar, the taste is completely different. This soup is very special and has been a long time coming to you. 

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I’ve been making this soup for a few years now. It all started after a visit to Greg’s dad and stepmom. His stepmom made us a version of this soup for dinner, and like a lot of things, after one bite, I was in love. 

I asked for the recipe, and Karen wrote it down on an index card for me. Through a couple of moves, I have misplaced the index card, but I have been making and enjoying the soup ever since. 

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Let me tell you how I’ve been making it.

I start with a lot of veggies. I prefer there to be too many veggies over not enough. I use the classic soup combo of garlic, onion, carrot and celery and also add bell peppers. Green bell peppers are excellent in this soup, and in this batch, I added a yellow one as well. 

Next comes shrimp. I suggest using fresh, good quality, large shrimp. It’s hard to choose a “star” of this soup, but it may just be the shrimp. The shrimp make this soup unique, and having really wonderful shrimp makes it wonderful. I buy fresh shrimp and I peel and devein them myself, but choose whatever you feel comfortable with. 

Vodka sauce. Similar to the shrimp, try not to skimp. Use a good quality jar of vodka sauce. Use a trusted brand, with an ingredient list that is short and recognizable. The best thing, really, would be to make your own, if you’re up for it. I tried homemade vodka sauce once, and it didn’t turn out, so I go the good quality jar route. The vodka sauce in this soup is what makes it so special. To the person eating it, it makes them think, “Just what is that flavor?”

The last element of this soup is broth. If I remember correctly, the original recipe called for beef broth. I don’t usually keep beef broth on hand so I have drifted to using veggie broth for this soup. I love it with veggie broth, but like me, feel free to experiment to find what you love!

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This soup is: hearty, filling, delicious, warm, a bit spicy and satisfying.

Try adding this recipe to your fall soup rotation, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! 

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Shrimp Chowder with Veggies + Vodka Sauce
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Ingredients
  1. 2 garlic cloves, minced
  2. 1 large yellow onion
  3. 3 medium carrots
  4. 3 celery stalks
  5. 2 bell peppers (I used one green and one yellow)
  6. 1 pound raw peeled + deveined shrimp
  7. 1 jar of good quality vodka sauce
  8. 32 ounces veggie broth
  9. Salt and pepper
  10. Dried oregano
Instructions
  1. Start by prepping all of the veggies. Chop the onion, carrots, celery and peppers to all the same size. Also, cut the peeled and deveined shrimp into bite-sized pieces. I cut each shrimp into three.
  2. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and stir.
  3. Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery and peppers to the pot and stir well to coat in oil. Add a pinch of salt and cook 5-10 minutes, until veggies has softened and slightly browned. Add the raw shrimp to the pot and stir. Let cook about 2 minutes, or until the shrimp just begin to turn pink.
  4. Add the vodka sauce and veggie broth to the pot. Stir, and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and let soup simmer for 10-20 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked completely through and veggies are tender.
  5. Season the soup with salt, pepper and dried oregano, to taste.
  6. Enjoy!
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/