Smoked Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Thanksgiving isn't over until we've made our Smoked Turkey and Wild Rice Soup.  This is a recipe that I got from my mother years ago, and we've made it our own.  It takes your leftover turkey and surrounds it in this velvety and hearty soup.

I know that you've probably already used up your Thanksgiving leftovers but tuck this one away for Christmas leftovers or use a rotisserie chicken instead. This also freezes well, so if you are tired of turkey, you can save it for later.  This soup rocks on a cold, dreary Winter's day.

Smoked Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Servings:  8 cups or 4 bowls

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely diced carrot, about 1 large carrot
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 7 cups turkey stock
• 6.2-ounce package Uncle Ben's Wild Rice 
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flake
• 2 cups diced smoked turkey
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion, about 3 onions
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 teaspoons NMT BaCock! Poultry Rub recipe or another poultry seasoning

Instructions

1. Saute the carrot. Preheat a stock pot over medium-high heat.  Melt the butter and saute the carrot for three minutes.
2. Make a volute.    Sprinkle in flour while whisking to combine.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking continuously.  Slowly add the stock while whisking.  It seems like a lot of work, but it's worth the whisk (sorry, couldn't help myself).   
3. Add the rice, seasoning packet, black pepper, and red pepper flake.  Bring to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Stir in the smoked turkey and green onions.  Cook until heated through, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the half-and-half.  
6. Season to taste.  Add the poultry seasoning, starting with 1 teaspoon and add until you reach the taste you like.  For us, that was 2 teaspoons of NMT BaCock! Poultry Rub but your mileage may vary.

[FTC Disclosure]  This post is not sponsored on behalf of anyone.  However, I received free samples of the Meat Church seasonings and received the SABER grill as part of a compensation package.

We have been making versions of this recipe for garlic soup for over 20 years.  I was told that it is based on a peasant dish in Mexico so it is budget friendly, but it is also delicious and easy to make.  

It has a creamy texture and bold aromatics which make it the prescription for soothing the symptoms of the common cold. Alexis got hit with a cold over the weekend so I made a batch for us.  

That reminds me of when we first got married and I had a bad cold.  Alexis didn't cook much but she wanted to take care of me so she decided to make this soup for me.  I took a spoonful and my mouth instantly puckered at what tasted like flavored sea water.  Like I said, she was new to cooking and mixed up tablespoons and teaspoons when measuring boullion for the broth.  A wee bit salty.  It still made me feel better just from her intentions and we've laughed about it over the years.  

When you first start cooking the bread, it will swell up and might make you wonder if you did something wrong.  Don't panic, the bread will break up as it cooks.

Mexican Roasted Garlic Soup

Leftover Turkey Ideas: White, Black, and Green Chili

Thanksgiving is still several weeks away but I have already been cooking a few turkey recipes for clients.  That means I have also already been coming up with ideas for leftover turkey recipes.  This one is my spin on a classic - White, Black, and Green Chili.

I cooked this one in a Dutch oven over direct heat on a Big Green Egg kamado grill but you could cook it on a stove top in a heavy bottomed pot.  When using the grill, keep the lid closed when not stirring or whisking to keep the temperature under control.

White, Black, and Green Chili

Published 11/6/2017

This smooth and mildly spicy turkey chili is loaded with white beans, black beans, and Hatch green chiles.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, washed and finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Ba'Cock Seasoning recipe, divided
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 quart turkey stock
• 2 cups chopped turkey
• 15 oz can Bush's Seasoned Black Beans, drained
• 15.8 oz can Bush's Great Northern beans, drained
• 1/4 cup roasted red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Albukirky Green Chile Seasoning
• sea salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
• 2 cups heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat grill to 325-350°f.  Add the Dutch oven to preheat once the grill is stable.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the Dutch oven and saute the onion, celery, and carrots until tender, about 5-8 minutes.  Season with about 1 teaspoon of the Ba'Cock Seasoning while they saute.
3. Make a roux by adding the remaining butter and once melted, sprinkle in the flour while whisking continuously.   Now slowly add the turkey stock while whisking until fully combined.  
4. Add the turkey, black beans, Northern beans, bell pepper, cumin, Albukirky Green Chile Seasoning, and the rest of the Ba'Cock Seasoning.  Allow to simmer until thick and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.  
5. Remove the Dutch oven from heat and stir in the heavy cream.  Taste for seasoning and add sea salt to taste.  

Yield: 6 servings

The base of this great chili is a homemade turkey stock.  You can use store bought chicken stock but the turkey stock really sets it apart.  

The turkey carcass that I used for this stock was from this Dry Brined, Fire Roasted Turkey Breast with Maple Honey Bourbon Glaze.  I cooked this on my SABER® 1500 Elite SSE (sponsor) on Sunday.

Charred Corn Bisque with Poblano Crema

We got our first snowy weather of the year last night and I wanted something comforting to go along with the bacon crusted salmon that I made for dinner.  I found a recipe for Corn Bisque in the McCormick and Schmick's Seafood Restaurant Cookbook adapted it to the grill and my tastes to come up with this version.

Adaptations

1. I fire roasted the corn for my bisque because it amplifies the flavor. 
2. I didn't strain the bisque a second time. That might make it questionable as to whether this is even a bisque instead of a soup or chowder. I wanted those delicious bits of charred corn in there. If you want a finer texture, strain the bisque at the end or use an immersion blender (aka motor boat) in it.
3. I increased a few of the ingredient quantities.
4. I had an extra poblano chile in the fridge so I made a charred poblano crema as a finishing touch for the bisque.

Of course, you can do this in the kitchen too.  Just roast your corn and chile under the broiler or on a gas burner.  

Charred Corn Bisque with Poblano Crema

adapted from McCormick & Schmick's
Yields: 4 cups

Ingredients

• 3 ears yellow corn, shucked and peeled
• 1 poblano chile
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
• 1/4 pound unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/2 tablespoon NMT beef rub
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup Mexican crema 
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Set up your grill for direct grilling and preheat to high heat.
2. Roast the corn.  Grill until slightly charred on each side, about 2 minutes per side.  Remove from the grill and allow to cool.  Use a sharp knife to slice the kernels off of the cob.  Keep both the kernels and the cob.
3. Roast, seed, and peel the poblano chile. 
4. Make the corn stock.  Put the corn cobs and stock in a medium stock pan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  Strain stock and discard the cobs/pulp that was strained out.
5. Melt the butter in the stock pan and saute the shallot and garlic until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
6. Whisk in the flour and keep stirring a few minutes to make a blonde roux. Then keep whisking as you slowly add in all of the strained corn stock.
7. Add the reserved corn kernels, tumeric, beef rub (or just pepper and salt) and sugar.  Then bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes
8. Make the poblano crema.  Either finely mince the poblano, whisk together with the crema and a pinch of salt OR lightly process the crema, poblano, and a pinch of salt in a food processor or blender.  Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
9. Stir in the heavy cream, simmer for 5 more minutes and then remove from heat.
10. Serve and garnish with a health dollop of the poblano crema.

Substitutions

• Chile - Poblano chiles are mild, between a bell pepper and jalapeno in heat level.  You can use whatever you have or prefer.  Like it hotter? Use jalapeno or serano. Heatophobe? Go with a bell pepper.
• NMT Beef Rub - I used it because 1) I had it on hand and 2) it's salt, pepper, dried onions, garlic, and bell peppers....great general purpose seasoning.  You can just use some salt and pepper to taste instead.  Or use some season salt and black pepper.
• Mexican crema - More than half of the grocery stores in our area carry crema now but if you can't get it, you can substitute sour cream or creme fraiche.

Notes

I cooked on 3 different grills for this meal's cook (including salmon and biscuits), but could have done it on one grill.  It was cold and snowing so I had three fired up simultaneously so I could minimize the amount of time that I was freezing my butt off.  For the soup, I used my Big Green Egg Mini-Max - a small, ceramic kamado grill. But you could do this on just about any grill, your broiler, or on a gas stove top burner.

Grilling or fire roasting the corn increases the flavor in two ways.  It concentrates the natural sugars in the corn and the char adds a smoky flavor.

To remove the kernels, I hold each cob on end like this and then run my chef's knife down each side.  Be sure to stay as close to the cob as possible to get all of the good stuff off.

The poblano crema adds flavor but also makes the texture extra creamy.

We will absolutely be making this recipe again.  I might throw some shredded chicken in there to make it a meal in itself.

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  I received no compensation for this post.  I did get the McCormick and Schmick's book for free in a giveaway from Greg at SippitySup (great food blog, btw) several years ago.

Roasted Garlic, Potato, and Queso Soup - Leftover Special

We were hungry.

It was the week before Christmas, grocery stores were slammed, and there's no way we were leaving the house.  So whatever we were going to eat HAD to come from our pantry and fridge (cough! "fridges" cough!).  Here's what we came up with ....

Fortunately we have been cooking a lot for ourselves and for some work stuff so there was a good bit of leftovers from which to choose:

• oven roasted red bliss potatoes (about 3 cups)
• fire roasted garlic (used about 1 heaping tablespoon)
• homemade queso dip (a little less than a cup)
• beef stock (about 2 cups)

I mixed it all up in a medium stock pot and seasoned it with smoked ghost chili pepper salt and black pepper.  I let it all slow simmer for about 30 minutes.  

We topped it with some Penzey's taco seasoning, Mexican crema, and some shredded Oaxaca cheese.

Leftovers....they can rock.

Spring is knocking at the door but Winter isn't gone just yet. Technically Ol Man Winter has a few weeks left and he can still throw a last punch or two on his way out.  Remember that the Blizzard of '93 hit in mid-March.  

So in case you get another cold snap or two, here is a fantastic chowder that we've made a few times this winter.  It's creamy, hearty, and brimming with flavor.  It's not really a true chowder since I don't use a roux but the end result is worthy of the name.  

If you aren't up to grilling a chicken or making the veggies, you can do a cheating version.  You can use a rotisserie chicken instead and use 2 cans of Mexi-corn (corn with chiles) in place of the fresh veggies.  If you do this, cut out all salt until tasting at the end because the processed stuff contains more salt. 

Southwestern Chicken and Charred Corn Chowder

Published 03/07/2016

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, spatchcocked (see notes)
• Southwestern Seasoning
• Seasoning Salt
• 1 poblano chile
• 1 red bell pepper
• 4 ears yellow corn, shucked and silks removed
• 1 can yellow corn kernels, drained
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 teaspoon seasoned pepper or black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile pepper
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• 2 slices pepper jack cheese
• 2 slices mild cheddar cheese
• salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill to 350°f and set it up for "raised direct" or grilling on an elevated rack. 
2. Spritz the chicken lightly with spray butter or oil and then season the chicken liberally on the front and back with the Southwestern seasoning and seasoning salt.  
3. Place the chicken skin side up on the raised grill grate, close the lid, and cook until the chicken reaches 160°f in the breasts and 175-180°f in the thighs.  On the kamado this consistently runs right at 1 hour.  Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Remove meat from skin and bones and tear into bite sized pieces.
4. Meanwhile fire roast, peel, and chop the chiles.
5. Grill the corn until slightly charred on each side, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side.  Remove from the grill and slice the kernels off of the cobs.
6. Place the 2 cups of chicken meat, chiles, fresh corn, can corn, soup, stock, seasoned pepper, salt (start light, about 1 teaspoon), and cream cheese in a thick bottomed, grill safe pot or Dutch oven.  Place pot on the main grate of the 350°f grill, close the lid, and allow to cook for an hour once it comes to a simmer.  NOTE:  I cover it covered until it has simmered for about 45 minutes.
7. Add the sliced cheeses, stirring them in until melted.  Taste for final seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.   

Yield: 6

Firing up the Grill Dome using a MAPpro gas torch - my preferred way of starting up a kamado grill.  I just hit 3 spots around the edges for 20 full seconds each. Other methods include starter cubes, an oiled paper towel "wick", electric starter, weed burner, Looftlighter, and alcohol.  I prefer the torch because I think it's faster and more consistent. Plus dodging the popping coal bits keeps my ninja skills in shape.

To spatchcock a chicken, use kitchen sheers to cut out the backbone (save it for stock).  Flip the bird over and forcibly push down with the heel of your hand on the sternum.  You should hear the ribs crack.  If you are too squeamish, you can ask a full service butcher to do it for you.  

The advantage to a spatchcocked chicken is that it cooks quicker and more evenly because it is flattened out.  In my opinion it's a much more reliable method than "beer can chicken".  

Notice the wings, I fold the wing tips back behind the shoulder like this.  This keeps the wings tucked in so they don't cook too fast compared to the rest of the bird.  

The raised direct technique on a Grill Dome kamado grill.  This does a few things. First, it gets you away from the most intense heat of the coals below, allowing you to cook it through without ever having to flip the chicken.  Second, it puts the chicken closer to the reflective heat of the ceramic dome, giving even cooking and crispy skin.

While that was cooking, I fired up the BGE Mini-Max to grill my veggies.  I could do that on the same grill once the chicken was done but if you have lots of grills, you might as well use more than one at a time, right?

Technically this is grilling, not roasting, but whatever.  I love the smell of fire cooked veggies.

Don't be shy, you almost can't get chile peppers TOO charred.  You want it black.

I didn't use any wood in the coals, but you could if you like.  The smoke here is just rendered fat dropping onto the red hot coals below where the drippings pretty much vaporize.  That's another advantage of the raised direct technique, any flare ups won't burn the chicken. 

That is a pretty chicken, isn't it?  I could have just quit cooking here, I wanted to just eat this right on the cutting board.

Brightly colored foods, in general, are supposed to be good for you, right?  Flavorful too.

I cook it covered at first because a lidded pot gets the chowder up to a simmer quicker, keeps the liquid from evaporating, and keeps it from getting too smoky.  Sidenote:  I've had this bean pot for 5 or 6 years but this is the first time I have ever noticed that it was made in "RANCE".

Once it has cooked for a while, I take the lid off and cook it until it gets to the texture I want.  Now the liquid will evaporate off and the chowder will start to thicken.

This is our favorite new soup/stew/chowder from this Winter.

We came up with the idea of making some blue cornbread mini-waffles for a topping.  But you could use anything you like - croutons, onions, black beans, cilantro, cheese, Mexican crema, etc.

This reheats very well so you can make it ahead of time, making it convenient for fast weeknight dinners.

[Standard FTC Disclaimer]  I received no compensation for this post.

Chicken and Beer Cheese Soup

I suppose that the best description for the weather in East Tennessee lately is "confused".

We have frost warnings one day and a few days later we are enjoying highs in the 80's.  So don't blame me if it is Spring and I am serving a luscious, rich soup that seems more like it belongs in in the cold dark heart of January. 

I am finishing up the last steps of my book and it has been sent off to the design people this week.  I wanted to re-shoot one of the recipes so I ended up with an extra Skillet Grilled Chicken Verde on hand.

My youngest son devoured the legs and wings just for a snack - he's a teenager working out every day getting ready for summer football workouts for high school, so he's allowed to eat like that.  I decided to use some of the leftovers for this Chicken and Beer Cheese Soup.  It's thick and rich and....I need to go work off some of these calories!

For the chiles for this batch I went very mild. I used a 1/2 cup of diced red bell pepper, 1/4 cup of diced poblano, and 1/4 cup of diced Anaheim.  For the cheese, I used a blend of mozzarella, Colby jack, and some of our smoked Fontina cheese. 

Leftover Turkey Idea: Turkey and Dirty Rice Soup

In just a few days, people will be staring a leftover turkey and wondering about what to make with the Thanksgiving remains.  One of my favorite things to do with turkey is make a Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich.  

This soup is a close second for us.  It puts a Louisiana spin on the wild rice and turkey soup that my mom made when I was younger.  I know for Cajun I should have just stuck with the Trinity (peppers, onion, celery) and skipped the carrot but I like carrots in soup. 

Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Soup

We still have ice on the ground in some places and now an ice storm is going to bring freezing rain and sleet early in the morning.  That means it was a perfect night for comfort food.  How about a Monte Cristo sandwich and a rich bowl of roasted red pepper and bacon soup? 

Monte Cristo sandwiches are so good it should be criminal.  It is a double-decker sandwich of ham and Emmental (or Swiss) cheese dipped in a batter and grilled like French toast, then served with a warm raspberry sauce.  If that is criminally good, I was aiming for "Mr. Chow international criminal" status.  So I swapped out one of the layers of ham for some chopped pork bbq that I had in the freezer and amped up the raspberry sauce with a chipotle. 

I am not doing a full blown recipe for the sandwich since you don't need a recipe for that but the sauce was 

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp onion, finely minced

1/2 to 3/4 cup of seedless black raspberry jam

1 chipotle, seeded and diced

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp white wine vinegar

Saute the onion in butter until tender.  Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in everything else until blended.  Keep warm over low heat just until serving.

The soup was a "pantry soup" made up from whatever I had on hand.  Except garlic.  I had run out of garlic so we had to run to Food City and fight through the Snowpocalypse crowds that were there buying beer, bread, milk and eggs.  

Roasted Red Pepper and Bacon Soup

by www.nibblemethis.com

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 6 slices bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
• 1/3 cup carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 1/4 cup celery, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 oz Neufchatel cheese, cubed (or cream cheese)
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper, finely diced
• 2 cups half and half
• 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Crisp the bacon in a 3 quart pot and then remove with a slotted spoon, reserving 2 Tbsp of the bacon grease.
2. Saute the carrot, onion, and celery in the bacon grease until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper during the saute. Just a pinch or two of salt and pepper.
3. Add the garlic and whisk in the all purpose flour, whisking until well combined, another 1-2 minutes.
4. Whisk in the chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Then use an immersion blender to smooth out this soup base.
5. Return to a simmer and whisk in the small cubes of Neufchatel cheese, smoked paprika and roasted red pepper. Cook another 10 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the half and half. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. I used maybe 1/4 tsp of pepper and go light on the salt, remember the bacon is going back in and it will add saltiness.
7. Stir in the bacon crisps just before serving.

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Save your celery leaves, they make for a good garnish.

I used Texas toast for the outer slices of bread and regular bread for the inside piece.

I'll have to do an extra work out this weekend for eating this one!

We ended up not eating until 9:30 because of the store trip but this soup and sandwich made it all worth it.  The smoky pork and the sweet and spicy chipotle-raspberry sauce elevated the Monte Cristo and the creamy soup was just what the weatherman ordered! 

Hot Wing Soup

This is my practice for an online cooking class I took at Rouxbe for making thick, starch based soups. They had many recipes to use for practice, such as split pea & ham, vichyssoise, and Italian white bean soup.  But I thought I would learn more by using what I had just learned to create my own starch based soup.

Starch based soups are just what the name implies:  Instead of using a roux as a thickener, the soup gets its body from the natural starches in starchy vegetables, legumes, and grains.  The lesson mentioned you can use bread, which reminded me of one of my favorite soups, Mexican Garlic Soup.

While I was taking this lesson, I was in the middle of smoking a rack of beef ribs and I had tossed a few extra chicken wings on the Big Green Egg.

I thought about the wings and BAM!  It hit me.  I was going to make a hot wing soup!  I used the techniques taught to plan out my soup.

Fat -  Had to be butter, since that goes into hot wing sauce, right?
Mirepoix - Celery & carrot.  Celery because it is a standard accompaniment and carrot to help get the orange color I wanted.
Starch - I thought about using potatoes but went with buttery croutons instead.
Liquid - Chicken broth, beer and hot sauce - a no brainer

Hot Wing Soup

source:  www.nibblemethis.com

Ingredients 

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 5 cups Italian bread cubes, no crust*
• 1/2 cup finely diced carrot
• 1/4 cup finely diced celery 
• salt (see instructions)
• 1/2 Tbsp paprika
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 12 oz dark beer*
• 2 Tbsp hot sauce*
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
• garnish:  meat from chicken wings, more blue cheese, chopped celery leaves*

Instructions

1. Preheat a heavy bottom stock pan over medium high heat.
2. Add 3 Tbsp butter.  Once bubbling hot, add the bread cubes and quickly toss to coat evenly.  Season with a pinch or two of salt.  Cook until golden brown on all sides - about 5-7 minutes.  Remove.
3. Reduce heat to medium, add 4 tbsp butter to the now empty pot.  Saute the celery and carrot until tender - about 8 minutes.  Season with a pinch or two of salt while sauteing.  
4. Add the chicken broth, beer, paprika, blue cheese, and the croutons that you made earlier.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the bread begins to break apart - about 5-6 minutes.
5. Use an immersion blender to blend to a smooth consistency.
6. Bring back to a simmer and stir in the last tablespoon of cold butter.  I know that technique at the end of sauces adds a little luster so I thought it couldn't hurt with soup.  Taste for seasoning.  I added about 1/2 teaspoon more of salt at this point but let your taste buds be the judge.
7. Garnish with chicken wing meat, more blue cheese crumbles, and finely chopped celery leaves.

Notes

• Bread - I know, this sounds like a lot.  It will cook down.
• Beer - I used Sweetwater Brewing Georgia Brown but any good dark beer will do.  You could also skip beer altogether and use more chicken broth but beer and wings go together, right?
• Hot sauce - The family thought it was a little spicy at this level so if you want mild, just use one Tbsp.  Franks Hot Sauce would be the traditional hot sauce to use but I used Fire Ant Juice.
• Celery leaves - Weird?  I like chopping them finely for a garnish.  Use parsley instead if you like.
• Makes 4 servings

These were meant to be a snack but they served a greater purpose!  Smoked with Draper's AP Rub.

Chopping celery brings the "how to cut with a chef's knife" lesson memories back.  I sliced an entire bunch of celery one stalk at a time for that lesson. 

Great tasting "homework"!

This is definitely going into rotation at our house this winter.  Perfect for those cold, damp nights whether you're watching a football game or just curled up reading a book.  Its warmth and spiciness will heat you up from inside.

As of today I am 50% way through the current curriculum.  Of course, they add new classes so that's a moving target:)

[Standard Disclaimer]  I don't receive compensation from Rouxbe Online Cooking School.  I am signed up for their affiliate program but that was just so I would have access to share some of their videos here.  I don't even use the html links that would generate a sale for my account if you were to sign up.  The link I gave at the top is no different than if you googled it yourself. 

Southwestern Chicken Fricassee

You know how I am always cooking on my grills but often say, "You could also cook this inside..." ?

Well tonight I actually cooked this inside, but you could cook this on your grill.  I had intended to cook most of this on the grill but a soaking shiver inducing rain invaded East Tennessee.  Being a big wimp, I cooked inside instead.

My parents gave me this great bowl set for my birthday over a month ago but I was waiting to come up with something suitable for them.  I wanted something Southwestern to match the festive colors but also something that reminded me of my childhood.  One of my favorite dishes that my mom made when I was a kid was chicken fricassee.  So I took a Southwestern spin on chicken fricassee. 

Southwestern Chicken Fricassee

Servings:  6 

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp oil
• 6 chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 4 cups cream of garlic soup

For the Cream of Garlic Soup

• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/4 cup coarse chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 shallot, coarsely chopped 
• 3 slices bread, crusts removed and cubed
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup half and half or cream

Instructions

1. Preheat a wide bottomed pan and a large skillet over medium heat.  
2. Add 2 Tbsp oil to the pan and saute the garlic, bell pepper, and shallot for 2 minutes.  
3. Add the bread, toss to coat in the oil and continue cooking another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Stir in the broth, pepper, oregano and pepper flake.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile work on the chicken - season the chicken thighs with the salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic.
6. Add 2 Tbsp oil to the skillet and brown the chicken thighs skin side down.  This took about 5 minutes for me to get a nice golden color.
7. Flip and sear the other side for 2 minutes. 
8. Add the 1 1/2 cups broth, bring to a gentle simmer, cover and braise for 25 minutes or until the thighs reach an internal temperature of 175f (I like my thighs done well).
9. Back to the soup - after 15 minutes, whisk the soup mixture rapidly for 1 minute to break up all of the bread into a smooth consistency.  Simmer for another 5 minutes.
10. Slightly beat the egg in a large bowl.  Whisk 1 1/2 cups of the hot soup into the egg.  Now whisk this mixture back into the rest of the soup.  
11. Stir in the cream, taste for seasoning, and remove from heat. 
12. Put it all together - Drain all but 1/2 cup of the juice from the chicken pan.  Add in enough of the cream of garlic soup to come up to the edges of the thighs.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 more minutes.
13. Serve in bowls with plenty of the flavorful soup mixture.  

Notes
For a full meal and nice presentation, serve with a timbale of yellow rice and peas.
The cream of garlic soup is great on its own too!
If you like a spicier soup base, double the red pepper flake, add chipotle pepper, or use red serrano or jalapeno instead of red bell pepper.

When browning the thighs, a lot of fat will render out, don't be alarmed.

You could also finish the braise in a 400f oven.  Stove top was just easier.

This recipe was actually inspired by and created for this bowl.  Thanks Mom and Dad!

It was just the four of us eating but all 6 thighs, the extra soup and all the rice disappeared amongst grunts of satisfaction.  The recipe was a little more involved than most that I do but the results were well worth it.  One thing I wanted to add but ran out of time was some masa harina dumplings.  Maybe next time but it really didn't need it.  I can't wait to try this one on my Big Green Egg using a Dutch oven.

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Stracciatella

A cold steady rain arrived in East Tennessee today and 3/4ths of our clan are also figuratively "under the weather".  

It is one of those days that you just want to crawl up under a blanket with a good person, a captivating book, or hell, even something good on TV.    You just don't want to be spending hours in the kitchen after working all day.

Those circumstances call for soup.  It's easy to make and it heals & warms from within.  I decided to go with an egg drop soup from Rome called Stracciatella.  Several recipes I saw said that it is named after an Italian word for "little rags" for the pieces of egg but others said it simply means "torn".   Alexis had some left over yeast roll dough in the freezer so we baked them in small balls and tossed these mini rolls in some garlic butter. 

The bowls are hand made by Benji and Melissa at Stony Clay Station in Lenoir City

Stracciatella

adapted from Joy of Cooking (1997)

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 small shallot, finely diced
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese
• 2 Tbsp dry unseasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat a large sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add butter and saute the shallot until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
3. Mix the eggs, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and garlic together.  
4. Steadily pour the egg mixture into the simmering chicken stock, stirring rapidly for 30 to 60 seconds.  Don't worry if it looks like someone boiled a paper towel to shreds at this point.  Remember the name?  
5. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.  I used 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper

 It was just what the doctor ordered! Alexis said it reminded her of the Sopa de Ajo we often make when feeling under the weather.

[Standard Disclaimer]  We pay full price for the Stony Clay Station products that we use and receive no compensation. 

Hearty Garlic-Potato Soup

Warning: This recipe is "plant your butt on a sofa" comfort food.

Which is good because I need some comforting. I have been relocating our Johnson City office to Greeneville this week and I am worn out. I have jokingly called this week my "on schedule, under budget, in pain" tour.

But when I got back to Knoxville last night, as tired as I was, I found myself wanting, no needing to cook. So it was off to the back deck for a little Big Green Egg therapy.

You could also make this on your stove top but like Jim Morrison of The Doors always said:

"You know that it would be untrue. You know that I would be a liar. If I were to say to you, I'm not in the mood to cook with fire."
[Authenticity of this quote might be questionable]

Hearty Garlic Potato Soup
Adapted from: America's Test Kitchen Magazine Best-Ever Recipes

3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 leek, white and light green parts only (see instructions for processing note)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 cloves garlic minced
2 whole bulbs garlic, paper removed and top 1/3rd cut off like you do for roasting
6 cups chicken broth, low sodium
2 bay leaves
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and 1/2" diced (about 3 medium potatoes)
1 lb red bliss potatoes, peeled and 1/2" diced (about 4 large)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp thyme, fresh
pepper
1/4 cup fresh chives, snipped

The original recipe called for fried garlic chips but I found them to be bitter. Fortunately, I had also made fried leek rings and they worked out better so I'm leaving out the chips although you'll see them in the picture.

Fried Leek Ring Garnish
Cut the roots and green tops off of the leek. Cut off about 1" from the white end and then cut it into about 4 slices. Push the middle rings out with your pinky and discard the smallest inner rings. Separate the outer layers into individual rings so you'll have a bunch of tiny "onion" rings. Toss lightly in the flour. The dampness of the flour should help the flour stick to the leek rings, you aren't trying to batter it.

Heat the oil in a small skillet and fry the leeks about 60 seconds, flipping once. You just want a light, crispy brown color. Remove to a cooling rack over a paper towel.

Now this step is very important, especially when you have had a bad week. Notice that the leek roots you cut off remind you of the Flock of Seagulls hair cut and have a "I Love The 80's Mr. Potatohead moment".

Dice the rest of the piece of leek. That should give you about 1/2 to 3/4 cup. You could substitute a mild onion.

I set up Alexis' BGE for direct heat at 325f and preheated our #12 Lodge cast iron dutch oven. You'll notice the absence of potatoes. That's because they don't go in for a while.

Add the butter and let melt. Saute the leeks for 5-8 minutes until softened. This will test your fire management skills, because when you are frequently opening the grill to stir, it's letting air in and feeding the fire. Watch your temperatures and adjust accordingly.

Add the minced garlic and saute another minute. Add the whole garlic bulbs (cut side up), bay leaves, salt, and broth.

Now I get to use one of my favorite words ever. I could say "ajar", "askew", "tilted" or or even say "partially covered" like the magazine did. But no. Place the Dutch oven lid on so it is catawampus.

Close the grill, stabilize the temperature at about 350 - 375f, and bring the soup to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes. I find that with the hot cast iron in there, it really doesn't take much air flow at this point to keep the temps up. I only had the bottom vent open this much for the first 20 minutes or so.


After the 40 minutes, add the diced potatoes, cover (catawampusly, of course) and cook 15 to 20 more minutes.

Carefully remove the Dutch oven from heat. Don't worry that it doesn't look creamy yet.


Find and discard your two bay leaves.

Remove the two heads of garlic and squeeze the bulbs out like you would do to roasted garlic. Mash them with a fork and add about half of that paste to the soup.

Fold in the cream and thyme, cover with the lid (tightly this time, not all catawampus), and let rest for 5 minutes. The cast iron's carryover heat is still cooking.

Taste for seasoning and add salt (I added maybe 1/2 tsp), pepper (~1/2 tsp), and more of the garlic paste (I didn't add any more).

Use a slotted spoon to get about 2 cups of potatoes out of the soup into a blender. Add about 1 cup of the liquid. Puree for about 20 seconds. Be careful using a blender with hot liquid, I actually did this in two small batches of 1 cup potato/ half cup soup. Return to the soup mixture and stir it in.

Garnish with fried leek rings and chives.

Without hesitation, I will tell you that this is the creamiest, best tasting potato soup I have ever had. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if it was 30 degrees colder outside.

America's Test Kitchen wasn't lying when they added this to their currently available special collector's edition Best-Ever Recipes. Alexis found our copy at Food City for $9.95. It's available until December 13th so keep your eyes out for it. [Standard FTC Disclaimer].

Giveaway Reminder:
Both Larry of BBQ Grail and Curt of Livefire are each giving away a Masterbuilt Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer. Larry's giveaway ends Sunday and I think Curt's ends on Wednesday, so you can have it in your grubby little paws by Thanksgiving. Click on the links and enter both of them today.