With temperatures still dipping, a nice bowl of hot soup is just the answer to warm those winter chills. Thanks to the 2015 Soup’s On! chefs (Brian Luscher, Donald Chalko, Omar Flores, Chad Houser, Chad Kelley, Matt McCallister, Danyele McPherson, Janice Provost, Abraham Salum, Oliver Sitrin and Sarah Snow), here are recipes of the soups that were served up at The Stewpot Alliance fundraiser on Tuesday, January 20, at the Omni. Even if you’re not a gourmet cook, you’ll find these easy to make and darn impressive.
Famous Mushroom Soup provided by The Grape’s Chef Brian Luscher
Ingredients for Soup
- 2½ lbs 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
- ¼ C dry sherry (optional)
- ½ lb unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 C all-purpose flour
- 3 qt beef broth or stock, or the equivalent made with beef boullion cubes
- 2 C heavy cream
- ½ t ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- In a heavy bottomed 6 to 8 quart 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 half. Add the flour and stir well to avoid lumps (if you do get some, it’s okay — they can be puréed 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, 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.
Yields 16 servings.
Lemongrass Ginger Broth And Asian Chicken Dumplings provided by Omni Dallas Chef Donald Chalko
Ingredients for Soup
- 4 qt chicken stock (8 cups)
- 4 stalks lemongrass 2” nub of ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed 4 T soy sauce
- white pepper to taste
Ingredients for Garniches
- Scallions, thinly cut jalapeños, thinly sliced cilantro, chopped mushrooms, thinly cut
Ingredients for Dumplings
- ½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 t ginger, minced 1 t garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, chopped
- ½ t sesame oil 4 T soy sauce 1 T fish sauce
- 1 package gyoza skins egg wash
Directions for Soup
- Heat up chicken stock on stove. While chicken stock is heating up, beat the lemongrass with the back edge of a knife. This will release the essential oils from the stalks. Rough chop the ginger. Do not worry about the skin; we will be straining the broth. Add the lemongrass, ginger, garlic and soy sauce to the chicken stock. Taste and adjust the seasoning with white pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes; then strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot. Reserve to the side and keep warm.
Directions for Dumplings
- Place chicken into a food processor and blend until smooth. After chicken has been processed, add ginger, garlic, shallot, sesame oil, soy sauce and fish sauce into the food processor. After all ingredients have been fully incorporated, remove from the processor and place into a bowl that has been set over ice to keep chilled.
Directions to Assemble Dumplings
- Remove gyoza skin from packaging. Dip half of one side of the skin into the egg wash. Place approximately 1 T of chicken mixture onto the center of the skin. Fold skin in half, crimping the edges to ensure a tight bond. Set aside under a damp cloth to keep from drying out. While making the dumplings, have pot of water at a boil. Once dumplings are complete, gently place into the boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes or until done.
To Serve
- Place a drop of sesame oil into each soup bowl. Place 2 dumplings into bowl and garnish with scallions,
- jalapeños, cilantro and mushrooms. Gently ladle broth onto dumplings and serve immediately.
Short Rib Soup With Wheat Berry And Smoked Horseradish Cream provided by Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek Chef Bruno Davaillon
Ingredients for Braise
- 10 lb beef short rib
- 3 qt chicken stock
- 6 oz red wine
- 4 oz tomato paste
- 1 sachet: thyme, bay leaf, and black peppercorn
- 3 onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 celery rib, large dice
- 2 large carrots, peeled and large dice
- 1 fennel bulb, quartered
- 4 oz banyuls vinegar
Ingredients for Wheat Berries
- 2 C wheat berries, Anson Mills
- 1 onion, fine dice
- 4 oz white wine
- 2 qt chicken stock
- 1 T canola oil
Ingredients for Garnish
- 3 carrots, small dice
- 1 fennel bulb, small dice
- 1 bunch celery, small dice
- 1 small daikon, small dice (optional)
- 1 T canola oil
- 2 T whole butter
- 2 T espelette
- salt to taste
- 4 T fine herbs (chives, parsley, tarragon)
- Ingredients for Smoked Horseradish Cream
- 4 oz fresh horseradish, grated
- 16 oz heavy cream
- 2 drops liquid smoke
Directions for Braise
- Preheat oven to 225°F. Season short rib with salt and pepper. Heat up a large braising pan. Add 2 T canola oil and roast short rib on both sides until golden brown.
- Remove the meat and add carrot to sear for 2 minutes. Add onion and fennel, allow to caramelize. Add tomato paste and allow fond to form. Deglaze pan with wine. Add celery, sachet & stock; bring to simmer and season with salt. Add the short rib.
- Wrap braising pan with foil and place in oven for 2-4 hours, until fork tender. Allow to rest for 30-40 minutes in liquid. Chill in refrigerator. Remove short rib when cold; cut in small dice. Strain stock, adjust seasoning and add vinegar, reserve for soup.
Directions for Wheat Berries
- In a medium rondeau (wide, shallow pot with heavy base) sweat onions in 1 T canola oil. Add wheat berries and allow to toast, risotto style. Add wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add stock 4-6 ounces at a time, stirring constantly as you would a risotto. Cook until wheat berries are tender (about 10 minutes) yet still have bite. Reserve.
Directions for Garnish
- Heat a sauté pan and add 1 T canola oil. Add carrot & sear. Add fennel and celery and allow to caramelize slightly. Add daikon and whole butter and allow butter to brown. Cook until vegetables are tender but still have bite, not soft. Season with salt and reserve. Combine wheat berries, short rib and vegetables.
Adjust seasoning with salt and add espelette and herbs.
Directions for Smoked Horseradish Cream
- Bring horseradish and cream to a simmer; steep for 5 minutes. Purée in blender and pass through fine mesh strainer. Season with salt and black pepper and chill in refrigerator. Add liquid smoke. Whip chilled cream mixture until fluffy, like 3/4 whipped cream. Season with salt and pepper.
To Serve
- Warm vegetable/short rib/wheat berries garnish with a touch of soup broth; place in soup bowl. Place a generous spoonful of smoked cream over vegetables and pour broth over cream to cover. Finish with fresh herbs. Enjoy!
Austurian Fabada Soup provided by Casa Rubia Chef Omar Flores
Ingredients
- 1 large spanish onion, peeled and minced
- 10 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 lb dried fabadas (or cannelini beans)
- 1 T pimentón (smoked paprika)
- 1 large pinch of saffron threads, crushed
- 1 meaty fresh ham hock (1 lb)
- 1/2 lb slab bacon, in 1 piece
- 1/2 lb iberico jamon scrap, minced
- 2 T minced parsley and oregano
- lemon juice to taste
- olive oil to finish
- salt
- freshly ground pepper
Directions
- Soak the beans overnight; drain and transfer them to a large enameled cast-iron casserole or stock pot. Add to the beans onion and garlic, and sweat with a small amount of olive oil. Add pimentón, crushed saffron, ham hock, bacon and 12 cups of cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer the stew, tucking the ham hock under the cooking liquid as necessary, until the beans are almost tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Add the iberico jamon to the bean stew and cook until the meat and beans are tender and the cooking liquid is thick and slightly reduced, about 45 minutes longer.
- Transfer the ham hock and bacon to a bowl. Pull the meat from the ham hock and cut it into large pieces. Add the ham hock meat to the beans and season lightly with salt and pepper, lemon juice and herbs.
Smoked Carrot Soup With Cilantro Crème Fraiche provided by Café Momentum Chef Chad Houser
Ingredients
- 2 lbs carrots, smoked over oak wood until tender
- 3 T olive oil
- 1 C yellow onion, chopped
- ¼ C celery, chopped
- 1 T garlic, chopped
- ½ T salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 C water
- 1 T cilantro, chopped
- 1 C crème fraiche
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a medium size saucepan over medium high heat. Add carrots, yellow onion, celery, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, approximately 5 minutes. Add the water to the pan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook the soup for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
- While soup is cooking, place cilantro and crème fraiche in a food processor and purée until smooth and green throughout.
- Remove the soup from heat and puree in a blender until smooth.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Using a teaspoon, drizzle cilantro crème fraiche across the top.
Yields 4 servings
Lobster Bisque provided by Café Pacific Chef Chad Kelley
Ingredients
- 4 lobster heads
- 32 oz canned tomatoes
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2½ C water
- 1 C red wine
- 1 qt heavy cream
- salt
- white pepper
- fresh tarragon
- sweet or dry sherry
Directions
- Remove the shells from the lobster heads and scrape the gills off the bodies. Coarsely chop up the lobster heads and place into a food processor with the shallots, carrot and celery. Pulse (hold on tight – it will shake) until the lobster bodies are a rough paste. Place into a pressure cooker with the tomatoes, water and wine. Stir to combine. Heat over medium high heat until the pressure cooker begins to vent. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Let the pressure dissipate naturally.
- While the stock is cooking, or pressure is dropping, reduce 1 qt of heavy cream by half.
- Once the pressure has naturally subsided, carefully strain the stock into the reduced cream. Stir.
- Season with a sweet or dry sherry, salt, white pepper and freshly chopped tarragon.
Celeriac Root Soup provided by FT33 Chef Matt McCallister
Ingredients
- 50 g butter
- 1 celeriac, peeled and cubed
- 1 potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 leek, trimmed washed and roughly sliced
- 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 8 g toasted coriander seeds
- 1 liter chicken or vegetable stock
- parsley and walnut pesto to serve
Directions
- Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pot over a medium-low heat. Add celeriac, leek, potato, garlic and onion; season generously and sweat the vegetables until they are all starting to soften, approximately 10 minutes. Add the stock; bring soup to a boil and turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the celeriac is completely tender. Liquidize until smooth, return to the pan and reheat over a medium flame.
- Just before serving, check the soup for seasoning and serve with a drizzle of pesto and parsley.
Yields 6 servings
Cream of Tomato Soup provided by Remedy Chef Danyele McPherson
Ingredients
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 lb yellow onions, medium diced
- ¼ lb celery, chopped
- 1 T garlic, chopped
- 1 #6 can (or 108 oz) tomatoes, canned,
- blended
- 2½ C heavy cream
- 1 T fresh ground Black Pepper
- coarse flake salt, to taste
Directions
- In a small stockpot over medium high heat, sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant. Add the blended tomatoes, a few pinches of salt and simmer until reduced by 20%. Remove from heat and add heavy cream, blending constantly with the immersion blender. Finish with salt and pepper, making sure it is blended thoroughly. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender in batches.
Yield: 3¾ quarts
Vegetarian and gluten free
Creamy Chick Pea Soup With Basil-Meyer Lemon Oil provided by Parigi Chef Janice Provost
Ingredients for Soup
- 2 T blended olive oil (or a little more as needed)
- 1 T curry powder
- 1 t turmeric
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 T chopped garlic
- 1 T fresh grated ginger
- 2 C garbanzo beans, cooked
- 2 C canned diced tomatoes
- 2 C coconut milk
- vegetable stock as needed
- salt to taste
- Ingredients for Basil-Meyer Lemon Oil
- 1/3 C finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 T fresh meyer lemon juice
- ½ t minced garlic
- 1½ t meyer lemon zest
- ¼ C olive oil
Directions for Soup
- Heat stockpot and add oil. Add curry powder and turmeric, and sauté for about 30 seconds to release oils. Sauté onion, celery, carrot, garlic and ginger for about 2 minutes, to soften. Add Garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes, and coconut milk to pot, and cook until heated through, about 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, or counter top blender, blend mixture on high until completely puréed.
Directions for Basil-Lemon Pesto
- Combine basil, lemon juice, garlic and lemon zest in blender, stream oil in until combined.
To Serve
- Ladle soup into warm bowls, and garnish with Basil-Lemon Oil.
- Serve with grilled baguette, if desired.
- Vegetarian and gluten free
Watercress And Chick Pea Soup With Rose Water and Ras El Hanout And Crab Fritters provided by Salum Chef Abraham Salum
Ingredients for Soup
- 2 medium carrots, cut in ¾ inch dice
- 3 T olive oil
- 2½ t Ras el Hanout*
- ½ t ground cinnamon
- 1½ C cooked chickpeas (fresh or canned)
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2½ t ginger, finely chopped
- 2½ C vegetable stock
- 7 oz watercress
- 3½ oz spinach leaves
- 2 t sugar
- 1 t rose water
- salt and pepper to taste
- greek yogurt to garnish
Ingredients for Fritters
- ½ C all-purpose flour
- ½ t baking powder
- pinch of salt
- ½ C milk
- 1 egg
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 C chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 t fresh lemon juice
- ½ lb lump crabmeat, picked for shells and with excess
- liquid carefully squeezed out without breaking up lumps
- 1 qt canola oil (approximately, as needed for deep frying)
Directions for Soup
- Toss the carrots with the ras el hanout, cinnamon, salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a
- 425°F oven for 15 minutes. Add half the chickpeas and roast for another 10 minutes. You want the carrots cooked but al dente. Set aside.
- In a sauce pan, place the onion and ginger and sauté with olive oil adding the rest of the chickpeas, stock, watercress, spinach, sugar and salt; bring to a boil until the leaves wilt. Don’t overcook the leaves!
- Place the mix in the blender and purée until smooth. Add the rose water and check for seasoning.
Directions for Fritters
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In another smaller bowl, whisk together milk, egg and black pepper. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and combine until all dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the crab and rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat canola oil to 375°F in a deep fryer. Drop small amounts of the crab fritter mix into fryer until golden brown, remove and drain.
To Serve
- Reheat to soup, garnish with a small dollop of yogurt, carrots, chickpeas and a small crab fritter.
- *Ras el Hanout usually consists of over a dozen spices, in different proportions, although some purists insist that it must contain exactly 12 items. Commonly used ingredients include: cardamom, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, dry ginger, chili peppers, coriander seed, peppercorn, sweet and hot paprika, fenugreek and dry turmeric.
Chicken And Rice Soup provided by Blind Butcher Chef Oliver Sitrin
Ingredients
- 2 T oil (grape seed or olive)
- 1 chicken (about 3 lbs) boned, skinned, visible fat removed, diced (save the bones and carcass)
- 1½ C chopped onions
- 1 C chopped celery
- 1 C diced carrots
- ½ T minced garlic
- ¼ C fresh parsley leaves
- 4 bay leaves
- 3 qts chicken stock
- ¼ lb long grain white rice, uncooked
- salt and pepper
Directions
- In a large saucepot, heat oil. When oil is hot, add the diced chicken, bones and carcass. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the meat and bones are browned and chicken meat is fully cooked. Remove meat, bones and carcass. Add to pot onions, celery, carrots, garlic, parsley and bay leaves. Sauté vegetables for 4 minutes. Add stock, carcass and rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Add cooked chicken meat. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve hot.
Roasted Kabocha Squash And Coconut Soup With Pomegrante Relish provided by The Grape Chef Sarah Snow
Ingredients for Soup
- 4 T olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 lbs kabocha squash
- 3 T maple syrup
- ½ t nutmeg
- ½ t cayenne
- 8 C chicken stock
- 2½ C coconut milk
- 1½ T salt
Ingredients for Pomegranate Relish
- 2 pomegranates
- 3 T olive oil
- 1 red onion, minced
- ½ C fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1½ T lime juice
- 1 t salt
Directions for Soup
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Cut kabocha squash in half, skin on, and rub with maple syrup, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Roast, skin side down, for approximately 20 minutes. Turn squash to cut side down and roast for an additional 25 minutes until flesh is fork tender. Heat oil a heavy stockpot over moderately high heat; add and sauté onions stirring occasionally. Cook until softened and edges begin to brown. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Remove flesh from squash and add to pan and stir all ingredients until well incorporated. Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk, and salt. Cook uncovered for approximately 25 minutes over medium heat.
Directions for Relish
- In small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and season to taste. This is best when made a few hours before serving.