One of the advantages of attending the Soup’s On! Luncheon is taking home the chefs’ recipes. For MySweetCharity readers who missed an outstanding talk and lunch provided by Omni Dallas Host Chef Jason Weaver, the recipes are provided for your sampling below. If you get a chance, you might want to contribute to the chefs’ efforts by donating to The Stewpot Alliance.
Chef Brian C. Luscher of The Grape — The Grape’s Famous Mushroom Soup
- 2.5# button mushrooms, washed and chopped (it’s easy to do in a food processor)
- 1 large onion, small dice
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
- 1 dry bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1/4 c dry sherry (optional)
- 1/2# unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1c all-purpose flour
- 3qt beef broth or stock, or the equivalent made with
- beef bouillon cubes
- 2c heavy cream
- 1/2t ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a heavy bottomed 6-8qt stock or soup pot, melt the butter over medium low heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf and thyme, and cook until translucent.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and cook until most of the water comes out of them.
- Add the sherry, if you like, and reduce by 1/2. Add the flour and stir well to avoid lumps (if you do get some, it’s okay- they can be pureed out later).
- Slowly whisk in the broth or stock and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. You must continue to stir the soup at this point, or the bottom may scorch.
- When the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally.
- Finish by adding the heavy cream and nutmeg, and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the thyme and bay leaf, and puree the soup either in a blender, or with a hand held blender.
This recipe may easily be cut in half, but it is worth making the whole batch because it freezes so well.
Chef Janice Provost of Parigi – Curried Butternut Squash Soup
- 4 T. Blended Olive Oil (or a little more as needed)
- 2.5# Butternut Squash, Peeled and Diced into Small, Uniform Cubes
- 1.5 Cups Diced Onion
- 1 T. Chopped Garlic
- 1 T. Curry Powder
- 1 t. Turmeric
- 2.5 Cups Chicken Stock, (or a little more depending on desired thickness of soup)
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- Salt to Taste
Directions:
- Heat stock pot and add oil.
- Sauté squash, onion, garlic for about 2 minutes, to soften onion and garlic, taking care not to brown the garlic.
- Add curry powder and turmeric, and sauté for about 1 minute more.
- Add Chicken Stock to pot, and cook until squash are soft (about 20 minutes)
- Using an immersion blender, or counter top blender, blend on high until completely pureed.
- Add heavy cream. Reheating until hot through and adding salt to taste.
- Garnish with snipped Chives or Yogurt.
Enjoy!
Side notes…
- Most curry powder recipes include coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and chili peppers in the blends.
- Turmeric is a member of the ginger family, and is used frequently not only for flavor but also for color.
Chef Chad Kelley of Café Pacific — Everleigh’s Chicken & Vegetable Soup
This recipe is an adaption to one we make at Café Pacific. One day I took some home to my 1-year-old daughter, mixed in some rice and she absolutely loved it. Now I make this hearty version for her at least once a week. The pasta in this recipe is easily switched out with long grain brown rice, which we do as well. Sometimes I will split the batch and make half with Rice and half with Pasta.
- 2# Whole Chicken, Cooked & Diced or Pulled **
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil, Good Quality
- ¼ Cup Shallots, Minced
- 2 Tablespoons Garlic, Minced
- 1 ½ Cups Carrots, Peeled & Diced
- 1 ½ Cups Celery, Diced
- 2 Red Bell Peppers, Seeded & Diced
- 2 Zucchini, Seeded & Diced
- 2 Large Ripe Tomatoes, Diced
- 1 Cup Peas, Frozen
- ½ Gallon Chicken Stock
- 1 bunch Parsley, Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Thyme, Chopped
- ½ Tablespoon Rosemary, Chopped
- 4 oz Ditalini Pasta, Cooked
Directions:
- In a large Stock pot over Medium to Low heat, sweat the Shallots & Garlic in Olive Oil.
- Once aromatic and transparent, add the remaining ingredients, but no Herbs yet.
- Turn up the heat and bring to a light boil, then turn down and let it cook slowly for about 15 minutes.
- Just before serving add the Cooked Pasta and the Fresh Herbs.
- Taste for seasoning. Season with Salt, Fresh Black Pepper and Lemon Juice if needed.
- If you want to make this even Heartier, double the pasta that you add. This soup will transform into a Pasta dish very well. Add some grated parmesan and red chile flakes and you are set.
**For the Chicken, cook the meat in chicken stock to fortify the stock. Just let it all simmer in a large pot together, never let it boil. The chicken will be soft, tender & flavorful. Pull it out and let it cool before you dice it.
For Chicken Stock I prefer Kitchen Basics. It’s a great readily available Stock that has nearly no salt added compared to the almost chemically/metallic tasting canned broths at the store.
Chef Danyele McPherson, Chef de Cuisine at The Grape — Smoked Sausage & Chicken with Barley & Crispy Pumpernickel (Serves 4)
For the Soup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, small diced
- ½ cup carrot, peeled and small diced
- ½ cup celery, small diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
- 1 cup beer (preferably a medium bodied lager)
- 4 quarts chicken stock
- ½ pound smoked sausage, fully cooked and sliced into rounds
- 1 pound chicken, pulled (can use white or dark meat)
- 2 cups barley, cooked
- 2 each bay leaf
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 cups cabbage, chopped
- 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon marjoram
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Sauté the celery, onion and carrot in olive oil over medium heat in a small stock pot or large sauce pan until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the beer and cook until the liquid has been absorbed into the vegetables. Add the smoked sausage, pulled chicken and chicken stock. With a piece of butcher’s twine, tie the bay leaves and thyme sprigs together and add to the pot. Once the soup is at a simmer, add the cabbage and cooked barley. Continue to simmer until the cabbage is soft. Add the marjoram and parsley to the soup and remove the bundle of thyme and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the Crispy Pumpernickel
- 8 ounces pumpernickel bread
- 2 ounces butter, unsalted and melted
- 1 pinch salt
Directions: Tear pumpernickel bread with your hands into small pieces and add to a food processor. Turn on the machine and once the bread has been chopped, add salt and slowly drizzle in the melted butter. Turn on the machine immediately after adding the butter. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake on the bottom rack at 350F for about 15 min, rotating the pan every 5 minutes. Breadcrumbs will become more crunchy as they cool.
To Assemble
- Ladle the soup into a bowl and sprinkle with the crispy pumpernickel. Enjoy immediately.
Chef Ian Tate and Chef Abraham Salum of Komali — Roasted Root Vegetable Bisque, Crab, Corn and Serrano Fritter, Pasilla Oil
Ingredients for the soup:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 celery root peeled and diced
- 1 rutabaga peeled and diced
- 2 parsnips peeled and diced
- 4 cups chicken broth or water
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, optional
Directions:
- Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt and season with pepper, to taste.
- Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 15 minutes.
- Add the vegetables and the remaining teaspoon salt, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables tender, about 20 minutes.
- Set aside to cool slightly.
Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, or with an immersion blender. Return the soup to the pot and reheat over medium heat. Serve the soup in warm bowls a fritter and a drizzle of pasilla oil.
Ingredients for the fritter:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups cornmeal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
- ½ corn off the cob
- ½ cup Crab meat.
- 2 serrano chilies, seeded and diced small
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Directions
- Heat oil to 325 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches in a Dutch oven, or use a deep-fryer. Drop by tablespoons into hot oil. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, or until golden, turning once. Drain on paper towels.
Pasilla Oil:
- 3 Pasilla chilies, seeded and rough chopped
- 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
- Heat up the oil in a small pot, add the chilies and let them fry for about a minute, make sure they don’t burn.
- Put the oil and chiles in a blender and blend until very smooth. Put in a small squirt bottle and let cool.
Chef Nathan Tate of Boulevardier – French Onion Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 yellow onions sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 8 cups beef stock
- 5 sprigs Parsley
- 1 Bay leaf
- 5 sprigs Thyme
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
- Sherry vinegar to taste
- 6 slices of baguette
- 2 cups gruyere shredded
Directions:
- In a large sauce pot, sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium heat until the onions are caramelized. This is the most important part of the recipe and where the majority of the flavor comes from.
- Cook the onions for about an hour, stirring periodically and more frequently as they get darker. The onions should be dark brown but not burned.
- Once the onions are dark brown add the minced garlic and cook until softened. Then add the wine and brandy and reduce by half.
- Tie the parsley, thyme and bay leaf with butcher’s twine so it may be removed later.
- Add the beef stock and the bundle of herbs.
- Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Remove the herb bundle and season with salt, pepper and a splash of sherry vinegar.
- At this point, portion the soup into individual crocks, top with a slice of baguette and the gruyere cheese.
- Broil the cheese in the oven until it is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Chef Omar Flores of Driftwood – Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons shallot
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 stalk celery minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 14 oz chicken stock
- 1 cup cream
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 1/4 pound butter
- 3 fl. Oz Pedro Ximenez
- 1 juice of lemon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Place the cauliflower in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and salt.
- Roast the cauliflower in the preheated oven stirring every 10 minutes until golden brown and tender, 20 to minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, shallot, celery and cook and stir until translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Slowly pour the chicken stock and cream into the pan. Mix with a wire whisk. Bring to a boil while stirring continuously until it thickens, then reduce heat to low. Stir in the sherry, roasted garlic and cauliflower. Purée in a blender and season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.
- Take the 1/4 pound of butter and brown, cool slightly and add PX, marcona almonds and lemon juice.
- Mix well and serve a spoon full around soup.
Chef Jason Weaver of Omni Dallas — Spinach and Brie Soup
Soup
- 1 ea onion diced
- 4 ea cloves garlic
- 3 oz whole butter
- 2 cups white wine
- 2 qts Chicken Stock (fortified and reduced by half)
- 7 oz clarified butter
- 7 .5 oz flour
- ¼ cup chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary)
- 1 cup heavy Cream
- 8 oz brie
- 8 oz Spinach
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Sweat the onion and garlic in the whole butter.
- Add the white wine and reduce till ¾ gone.
- Add the chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes
- While simmering make a roux with the clarified butter and flour
- Add the roux being careful not to get lumps and simmer for another ½ hour.
- Add the cream, brie and spinach and puree
- Add the fresh herbs and adjust seasonings
Chef Bruno Davaillon of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek — Tortilla Soup (serves 6)
- 6 Roma tomatoes
- ½ medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 New Mexico chile, seeded
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons plus about ½ cup canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped (seeded for milder soup)
- 6 small corn tortillas, quartered
- 2 epazote leaves, or fresh Mexican oregano (see note)
- Salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Cayenne pepper
- GARNISH
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups vegetable oil
- 2 corn tortillas, cut into
- 2 x ½-inch strips
- Salt
- 1 ripe avocado, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 ounces aged cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
- Combine the tomatoes and onion in a blender and puree. Pour the puree into a bowl and set aside.
- Roast the New Mexico chile in a 375-degree-F oven for 3 to 4 minutes. In a blender, puree the chile with 1 cup chicken stock. Pour the mixture into a bowl and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a medium saute pan over high heat and toast the garlic, cumin seeds, thyme, dried oregano, and coriander seeds, stirring, until golden and fragrant. Set the toasted spice mixture aside in a small bowl.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large stockpot over high heat. Add the onion and tomato puree and cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining chicken stock, the bay leaf, tomato paste, chile puree, jalapeno, and the toasted spice mixture.
- In a dutch oven or heavy skillet, add just enough oil to cover the quartered tortillas (do not add the tortillas to the pot at this point), and heat the oil to 350 degrees F. When the oil is hot, fry the quartered tortillas for 2 to 4 minutes, or until crisp. Drain the fried quarters on paper towels, add them to the stockpot, and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour, skimming off the fat as necessary. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the epazote leaves or fresh oregano. Process the soup in a food mill, or use a blender to obtain a smooth consistency, and return the soup to the stockpot to keep warm. If the soup becomes too thick, add additional chicken stock to thin it out. Season the soup with salt, lemon juice, and cayenne to taste.
- Just before serving, prepare the garnish. In a separate stockpot, poach the chicken breast in the chicken stock over low heat for 15 minutes, then cut into ½-inch cubes. In a dutch oven or heavy skillet, heat 4 cups vegetable oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the tortilla strips for 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain the strips on paper towels and season with salt.
- To serve, warm the chicken and avocado cubes up slowly in a little bit of the tortilla soup, then divide evenly among four soup bowls. Pour the hot tortilla soup over each bowl and top with the cheddar cheese and fried tortilla strips, or serve on the side.
Note: Epazote is a pungent Mexican herb available in Mexican specialty stores. If epazote isn’t available, you can substitute fresh Mexican oregano.