Soup's On!

It's a pleasant daytime highs in the 50's, lows in the 60's in the Southwest this January, but as soon as the sun sets all too soon behind the mountains, there is a definite chill in the air. As dinner time draws near, I am drawn to soups.  

I'm not talking about  the overly processed, salty soups often found in cans (although I have been known to get out my can opener in emergencies),but hearty,flavorful, homemade soups. I would like to share two recipes with you that I have made recently.

Hamburger Soup.    You'll have to forgive me for not giving exact quantities, but I had to reconstruct this soup from one our former housekeeper used to make every Wednesday.  It was always a treat to walk into the kitchen after a long work day and find soup on the stove (and a stack of warm homemade flour tortillas on the counter).  I haven't mastered tortilla making yet, but here is how to make the soup.

Brown a pound of (preferably lean) hamburger meat in a skillet with some onion and garlic. Add a package of frozen mixed vegetables, a can of tomatoes (with green chiles or other flavors), enough beef broth to make the mixture look like soup, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add about half a cup of some kind of dried pasta.  Simmer about 10 minutes more. That's it!  This soup can also be frozen with success.

  

Gorgonzola Soup.  Another soup recipe was sent to me by a former colleague at New Mexico State University, Mark Milliorn. Mark is not only responsible for what computer skills I now have, but it looks like he is going to upgrade my cooking skills as well!  I recently made Mark's Gorgonzola Cheese Soup for my husband, who took one spoonful and declared, "Now that's gourmet-ish." 

This soup requires a trip to the market.  I bought a red onion, a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (you just need one chile) , a half pound of gorgonzola cheese, a six pack of ale (you just need 8 ounces), a small carton of whipping cream, and a quart of whole milk.  I already had olive oil, garlic cloves, and of course salt and pepper.  Whenever I try a recipe for the first time, I try to follow the instructions exactly before I start substituting ingredients!

The instructions said to puree one chopped red onion, three garlic cloves, and one chipotle pepper and then sauté the mixture in two tablespoons of hot olive oil. Add the crumbled cheese and heat on low-medium heat until cheese begins to melt.  Stir in beer, then milk and cream.  Whisk if necessary.  Heat to boiling point, but DON'T BOIL.  (Some patience required at this stage.)  Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.  My husband was right.  This soup is indeed very gourmet-ish.  

Soup would be great to serve to avid TV watchers of  Super Bowl football in the coming weeks.  A cry of "Soup's on!", provided at halftime of course, will be welcome, I'm sure.