Category: Soups and Stews

Big on comfort, easy on the heat: Tomatillo Chicken/Turkey Chili

The traditional bowl of red turns green and lightens up, as tomatillos replace tomatoes and chicken and turkey stand in for beef. Recipe below.

TOmatillo Chicken Turkey Chili

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]C[/su_dropcap]hili. For many, it’s over-the-top flavor pyrotechnics. Or “I dare you” fiery hot. To us, chili is comfort food. Like a good stew or soup. Subtle complexity rather than giant flavors, heartily satisfying. You know, comforting. This tomatillo-based turkey/chicken chili checks all those boxes and then some. Continue reading “Big on comfort, easy on the heat: Tomatillo Chicken/Turkey Chili” →

An accidental restaurant and an enduring soup: Balaban’s Chilled Cucumber Bisque

This rich, creamy chilled cucumber bisque is an elegant starter. Make it up to a day ahead to give it time to chill. Recipe below.

Balaban’s Chilled Cucumber Bisque

RECENT NEWS MADE MY FORMER-SAINT-LOUISAN-PERENNIAL-FOODLOVER HEART SKIP A BEAT: the restaurant Balaban’s is moving back to the city. And according to a press release, the new owner is bringing back its “original menu and signature dishes.” For Marion and me, that means this glorious soup. Continue reading “An accidental restaurant and an enduring soup: Balaban’s Chilled Cucumber Bisque” →

A springlike soup from the depths of the winter root cellar: Celeriac Pear Soup

A winter root vegetable—celeriac—and a winter-hoarded fruit, pears—create a fresh, springlike, creamy soup. Recipe below.

Celeriac Pear Soup

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]C[/su_dropcap]eleriac is one of those leap-of-faith vegetables. It’s not very well known—even goes by various aliases, including celery root. It’s round, it’s ugly, you dig it out of the ground, for Chrissake. For a really long time, it never even occurred to me to give it a try. That door was shut tight. Continue reading “A springlike soup from the depths of the winter root cellar: Celeriac Pear Soup” →

Cooking up a great bowl of red (or white or green): Four Chili recipes

Marion's Chili

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]W[/su_dropcap]e just got back from a lovely weekend of too much driving, eating out and staying up late. So when we were finally back home in our kitchen, I craved a restorative bowl of chili. Specifically, Marion’s go-to recipe. That got me thinking about some of the various chili recipes we like to make and eat. Here are four of them. Continue reading “Cooking up a great bowl of red (or white or green): Four Chili recipes” →

Meat, sauerkraut and warm, delicious traditions: Bigos, Polish Hunter’s Stew

Kielbasa, pork roast, chicken, sauerkraut and cabbage anchor bigos, a hearty stew and Poland’s national dish. Recipe below.

Bigos, Polish Hunter’s Stew

TECHNICALLY, MARCH 1 IS THE END OF METEOROLOGICAL WINTER. So why is the weather still so wildly cold? In fact, just before sitting down to write this, I saw that this coming weekend we will be in a bubble of frigid air that will be the coldest on the planet. How can we face it? The answer, of course, is bigos. Continue reading “Meat, sauerkraut and warm, delicious traditions: Bigos, Polish Hunter’s Stew” →

A quick-cooking, show-stealing dish: Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans

In the Instant Pot, dried black beans and a handful of ingredients turn into a luxuriously delicious side or main course in 45 minutes, no presoaking, no sautéing, no fuss. Recipe below.

Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans

THE FIRST TIME I EVER HAD BLACK BEANS was in a tiny restaurant somewhere in upstate New York, in the form of black bean soup. I was ever so young and ever so inexperienced. I don’t remember anything about the restaurant except that it was small and friendly, and the windows looked out on hemlock trees, and our waiter, a tall, calm woman, was also the sole front of house person and likely the owner and possibly one of the cooks. Continue reading “A quick-cooking, show-stealing dish: Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans” →

A traditional Mexican favorite, not so slow cooked: Beef Barbacoa Tacos

Barbacoa is a flavorful Mexican meat preparation with many variations. Here, it’s cooked in an Instant Pot and served as tacos. Recipe below.

Beef Barbacoa Tacos

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]I[/su_dropcap]t is colder in Chicago right now than in Antarctica. And the North Pole. And Mount Everest. But even before the polar vortex bore down on us this week, bringing the coldest weather in a generation, snow and cold had us thinking of meaty, stewy, cozy dishes. And as luck would have it, Marion had recently come across a barbacoa recipe. Continue reading “A traditional Mexican favorite, not so slow cooked: Beef Barbacoa Tacos” →

A warming soup from people who understand the cold: French Canadian Pea Soup

This traditional Quebecois soup turns dried yellow peas, smoked ham hock, aromatics and broth into a simple, comforting meal. Recipe below.

French Canadian Pea Soup

WHEN I WAS A KID IN DETROIT, our family was all about practical home cooking from fresh ingredients. One of the few prepared foods that was a regular part of the rotation came in a can: Habitant French-Canadian Pea Soup. And, you know, all these years later, I still love this soup—and, wonderfully, it still tastes the same: hearty, soothing, and delicious. It’s still a part of our lives, even though now, to buy it, we have to drive to Canada. Continue reading “A warming soup from people who understand the cold: French Canadian Pea Soup” →

Unexpected quick comfort: Cabbage and Red Lentil Soup

An unlikely mix of ingredients—cabbage, red lentils, leeks, a jalapeño pepper, white miso paste, turmeric and fresh ginger—creates a simple, satisfying soup. Recipe below.

Cabbage Red Lentil Soup

THIS SOUP IS SO EASY THAT WHEN I WAS PUTTING IT TOGETHER, I expected it to be nothing. At best, an acceptable meal cooked quickly from things we had in our pantry and fridge at the end of a busy, exhausting weekend. But it surprised us both, turning into something wonderful. Continue reading “Unexpected quick comfort: Cabbage and Red Lentil Soup” →