Farmhouse Soup Food

FARMHOUSE SOUP

Steps:

• Dice the carrots, and turnips and white portion of the leeks.
• Melt butter in a large pan. Put in the carrots, turnips, leeks and soften on low heat for 10minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Wash the bacon in cold water and put in a saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10minutes on low heat, drain and set aside to cool.
• Finely shred the cabbage, and chop the bacon into cubes.
• Add stock and bacon and cabbage to the vegetables, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer gently for about 1hour.
• Cap and string the beans, wash and cut into pieces about 4cm long. Chop the celery and cube the potatoes.
• About 20minutes before end of cooking time, add cubed potatoes and peas to soup and cook further until tender.
• Serve with croûtons (optional) and grated Gruyère Cheese.

FARMHOUSE SOUP

Steps:

• Place the chickpeas and half the water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Cook, covered, for 1 minute. Set aside for 1 hr to soak.
• Drain chickpeas. Return to pan with the remaining water. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Add veal, onion, rosemary, bay leaves and parsley, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours Discard rosemary bay leaves and parsley. Set aside to cool completely. Place in the fridge to chill.
• Remove fat from the surface. Transfer the veal to a plate. Discard bones. Coarsely shred.
• Add carrot, potato, parsnip, leek, tomato, rice and tomato paste to the pan.
• Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, for 30-40 minutes or until rice is tender.
• Add the veal, broccoli and beans and cook for 5 minutes or until the beans are bright green and tender crisp.
• Ladle among the serving bowls and serve.

FARMHOUSE BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a 4-to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
• Add garlic and caraway seeds to fat in pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add squash, carrots, apple, thyme, bay leaves, broth, water, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and boil, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaves.
• Purée about 4 cups soup in a blender, in batches if necessary, until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pot and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Serve topped with crumbled bacon.

CREAMY CHICKEN CHOWDER

Steps:

• Place chicken, breast side down, in a large pot. Add enough water to just cover chicken. Add whole 1/2 onion, carrot halves, parsley, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, partially covered. Reduce heat, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Remove chicken, and let cool. Strain broth through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth into another pot, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes to reduce and intensify flavor. Shred chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding bones and skin.
• Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and diced carrot, and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in reserved chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Add turnip, rutabaga or parsnip, and 2 1/2 teaspoons salt. Reduce heat, and simmer until root vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in reserved chicken and the cream, and heat until warmed through, about 1 minute. Season with salt, and garnish with dill. Serve immediately with crackers on the side.

FARMHOUSE SUNDAY SOUP

Steps:

• Make pasta dough:
• Mound flour on a work surface (preferably wooden) and make a large well in center with your fingertips. Stir together egg and warm water in a small bowl, then add to well and gently beat with a fork, gradually incorporating shallow scrapings from inside flour wall while supporting outside of wall with your other hand. Continue to gradually beat in flour in same manner, switching to pastry scraper to incorporate last bits of flour into dough. (Dough will look rough and messy.)
• Knead dough, adding a little flour if dough becomes too sticky, until satiny and elastic, about 10 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes but no more than 4 hours.
• Fill pasta:
• Divide dough into 4 balls. Roll out 1 ball of dough (keep remaining balls covered) on lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin until it is sheer enough to read newspaper print through. (Round should be about 10 inches wide.) Lightly brush round with beaten egg, then sprinkle half of round evenly with 1/4 cup cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chives. Fold other half of round over filling, stretching slightly as needed to cover completely, then roll whole semicircle with pin, pressing to seal.
• Cut filled dough into small irregular pieces (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch) with pastry wheel. Pinch edges of pieces to reseal, arrange in 1 layer on a large rack, and cover with a kitchen towel.
• Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, repeat procedure with remaining dough. Reserve remaining cup cheese for serving.
• Assemble soup:
• Bring broth to a simmer in a 4- to 5-quart pot and season with salt and pepper. Add filled pasta and simmer, partially covered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve soup with cheese.