Ingredients

Preparation
1. Saute onions, shallots and mushrooms in butter in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Stir frequently and do not allow the onions or shallots to brown.

2. Add sherry and chicken broth. Simmer for at least 10 minutes.

3. Add the thyme, cream and beau monde. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently and immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently to be sure the cream doesn’t break from your mixture. Add pepper, nutmeg and salt.

4. Start adding the brie a small piece at a time, stirring constantly, until it is all incorporated. Serve immediately.

If you want to make the croutons, they’re incredibly simple. Cut thin slices of french bread, butter, and dust with garlic salt or a spice blend of your choice. Then sprinkle with fresh grated Asiago cheese, a few drops of olive oil and some fresh oregano. Put them under a broiler or bake in the oven at 400 degrees for four to five minutes. They really help compliment the soup

If you reheat this soup, use a thick bottomed pot and stir often as the brie may stick on you.

Ingredients:

• 4 quarts of chicken stock
• 1 13 oz. can of shredded cooked chicken
• 1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 oz dried wide egg noodles
• 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons of Old Bay
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Place a soup pot over medium high heat and cook until liquid is reduced by 1/3..

2. Add the noodles and vegetables. Bring pot to a simmer for approximately five minutes. Reduce heat and cook for approximately 20 to 30 minutes to allow noodles to cook through.

3. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and fresh black pepper before serving.

And that’s all there is to it. It’s very, very tasty and really simple.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Chicken Stock
• 1/2 Onion Diced
• 1 Cup Chopped Fresh Spinach
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/4 Tablespoon Pepper
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 3 Heaping Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Red Bell Pepper
• 3 Cups chicken meat, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 Tablespoon Curry Powder
• 1 Cup of Half and Half

Preparation:

1. In a large stock pot, bring stock to a slow boil; simmer until reduced by 1/3.
2. Dilute cornstarch in 1/4 cup water, add to stock and stir until it thickens.
3. Reduce stock to a simmer. Add spinach, bell pepper and chicken meat.
4. Add curry powder to taste. Check for flavor and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Add heavy cream, heat for a few more minutes and serve.
Makes 8 cups

Really simple and really tasty. It’s nice and light but still has some nice creaminess.

For the first Souper Sunday, I’ll go with an awesome Roasted Tomato and Parmesan Soup. It takes a little while to do the roasting, but the payoff in flavor is definitely worth it. I borrowed the roasted tomato soup recipe from Kat over at A Good Appetite and modified it to add in the Parmesan and a little bit of a kick. Here’s how it’s done.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 yellow onions, quartered
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 3 tablespoons crushed red pepper

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Halve your tomatoes and remove the seeds. You can do this easily with a spoon or a pairing knife.
2. Put the tomatoes, onions and garlic in a large baking pan. Coat with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Try to arrange the tomatoes so the cut sides are up.

3. Roast for 45 – 55 minutes until everything is soft and starting to brown. Allow to cool slightly.

4. Put the tomatoes, onions, garlic, fresh herbs and any liquid in the roasting pan into a food processor. Purée until smooth.

5. Put purée into a large soup pot and add remaining ingredients. Add cheese slowly in small batches. If you want a little kick like I did, add the three tablespoons of crushed red pepper. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes before serving. Salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 big, tasty servings.

This is super simple, and super quick. It’s also full of flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 13 oz can of chunk chicken in water
• 1 15 oz can black beans
• 1 19 oz can red enchilada or chile sauce (we like Las Palmas medium for this recipe)
• 3 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 orange bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 quarter of a red onion (chopped)
• 8-10 button mushrooms, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/8 cup cilantro
• Mexican blend cheese for garnish
• 2 tortillas seasoned with Southwest spice blend (see this post for the recipe)

Preparation:

Gumbo
1. Open can of chicken and drain water. Place in a large skillet or saucepan and heat over a medium flame.
2. Add beans and chile sauce, bringing ingredients to a simmer. Add hot sauce, onions, mushrooms and cilantro and allow ingredients to simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add peppers after 10 minutes. (We do this to maintain the crunch of the peppers. It’s a nice textural element and the cooler peppers make for a break from the heat.
4. Serve in a bowl with a spoon. Garnish with cheese and remaining cilantro.

Fried Tortillas
1. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil (per tortilla fried) in a skillet.
2. Dust cooking oil with southwest seasoning blend.
3. Add tortilla and rub around the pan.
4. Fry each side of tortilla for 1 to 2 minutes. Cut into triangles and serve with the gumbo.

It’s a wonderful dish really. It’s perfect for a cooler evening or when you want something quick, yet hearty. My wife absolutely adores this stuff. Also, Vita did the photography for this post. I’m gonna have to start crediting her for the work. Happy eating.