Sunday Soup #111: Cowboy Stew

I have been holding onto this recipe for a few weeks now, waiting for when I didn't have another one ready to go. When I finally made it this week, it made me wonder why I'd waited so long! I have made a run of good soups lately (which makes me very happy!), and this one definitely fits right in as one of the best soups I have made in months. I know I kind of already gave away the ending there, but please indulge me as I break it down for you...

This recipe came from: https://www.gonnawantseconds.com/cowboy-stew/

*Pic 1 - https://www.gonnawantseconds.com/cowboy-stew/

Variations from the Recipe as Written: I used 5 pieces of bacon (instead of just 4) because bacon! I used 28oz of kielbasa (other than 24oz) because of package sizes. And I used the fire-roasted variety of both the diced green chiles and diced tomatoes to add depth of flavor.

General Thoughts: The prep on this one was fairly simple and straightforward... I had to chop the bacon and slice the sausage, but that was easy and quick. The biggest time-suck was peeling and cubing the potatoes; however, as it only called for two, and I saved a bit of time by using pre-diced onions, it went fast. Other than that, most of the other ingredients were canned, so other than having to brown the bacon and sausage, it was a fairly easy lift, overall.

I often feel like I need to double recipes to make them go far enough, but that definitely wasn't the case with this one. As you can see from the pic below, a single batch of this recipe filled a large soup pot, feeding my family of four to fullness (with maybe four more servings leftover, even).

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

It came as no surprise that this recipe was incredibly hearty! It is very protein-dense, which, when combined with the potatoes, baked beans, and veggies, produced a thick "stick-to-your-ribs" quality that is too often missing from recipes that claim to be stew. But, don't misunderstand, I am not trying to imply that the soup was "heavy," which I feared it might be after looking at its component parts. On the contrary, the sheer variety of ingredients kept every bite different and interesting, with the vegetables, in particular, given this recipe the proper "room" so as not to be a stomach bomb. The recipe mentioned that I could add water if the soup turned out too thick, but I had no need; I may want to add a little to my leftovers if the potatoes keep soaking up the liquid but, on the stove, there seemed to be the perfect amount of broth for a stew.

The textures and flavors, both, were quite complex in this one, which was part of its appeal to me. The depth of textures (e.g., the tender meats, the crunchy corn, the soft beans and potatoes, the rich broth, etc.) made each bite a delightful adventure. And, the flavors layered very nicely, as each bite started with the deep, savory tastes of the meat but soon presented the more subtle flavors of the onion, chiles, sweet corn, and spices. Finally, each bite finished with the distinct sweet, smokey tang of the baked beans, which left me practically seeing the campfire crackling in front of my eyes!

This one would definitely be PERFECT on a cool Fall or Winter evening!!

Potential Improvements? Frankly, I would be hard-pressed to make this one any better. But, it is worth noting that if you fear you may be overwhelmed by its meatiness, you could easily reduce the amount of ground beef by 1/3 (using 1 pound instead of 1.5 pounds) without hurting this recipe much at all.

Polling the Fam: I loved this one and would rank it (for me, personally) as one of the top-3 soups I've made in this project, overall. Becky thought it was very solid, super hearty, and said she definitely liked it. Hunter said he would give it a nearly perfect score, with so many great textures and flavors, and went back for thirds! Fox, with his typical stoicism, said he thought it was okay and that he'd eat it again if I made it.

Verdict: Loved it! (5 stars)

Sunday Soup #110: Slow Cooker Steak and Potato Soup

I know I just posted Sunday Soup #109 yesterday, but that one was from last week. So, as yesterday was Sunday, and I made another soup, I figured I'd get this one posted in a much more timely fashion. :-)

I am not generally a huge fan of stews, but I got some stew meat from a friend who bought an FFA cow (that is Future Farmers of America, for those without kids in high school), so I was looking for something potentially yummy to do with it. The recipe I made this week was very straightforward, with simple ingredients and prep steps, which looked like it was designed to feature the meat. But, did it deliver? Let's see...

This recipe came from: https://www.plainchicken.com/slow-cooker-steak-and-potato-soup/

*Pic 1 - https://www.plainchicken.com/slow-cooker-steak-and-potato-soup/

Variations from the Recipe as Written: I made 1.5x the recipe and used garlic salt instead of "regular" salt. That's it!

General Thoughts: As I said above, this one was easy to prep! The peeling took the longest, but that was small potatoes. I know, I know... Bad dad joke. Sorry (not sorry). :-) In all seriousness, the peeling went quickly, and the potatoes just needed to be cubed, which did not take very long. I minced the parsley in about a minute and used pre-diced onion from the market, so everything was ready to put in the slow cooker in a jiffy! And, since this was a slow cooker recipe, it really was fire-and-forget, with no need to watch the pot throughout the day. All in all, a piece of cake!

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

The taste of this soup was terrific and immediately put me in mind of Beef Bourguignon recipe I featured a couple of years ago (https://soupersleuth.blogspot.com/2018/01/sunday-soup-50-beef-bourguignon.html). While it did not have quite the depth of flavor of that more sophisticated Beef Bourguignon, likely owing to the far more simple ingredients and prep, this one managed to capture some of its rich, savory flavors with far less work (the use of "brown steak sauce" - like A1 - definitely contributes to the taste profile of the dish). The flavors seem like they would really hit the spot on a cold Fall or Winter evening!

The star of the soup was definitely the beef. After slow cooking for 8+ hours, it is natural to assume that any meat would be tender (which the protein in this recipe certainly was), but the beef was perfectly done and had taken on the savoriness of the broth, which made it a real treat.

All was not perfect with this one, however, as the lack of ingredients made the soup feel a little empty and robbed it of the heartiness for which many good beef soups and stews are known. I like my soups brothy, but this one was so brothy as to make it seem like I forgot to add the other ingredients. So, while each bite was a taste treat, it felt a little lacking, overall. Adding some additional ingredients to the base recipe (e.g., sliced carrots and mushrooms) without adding more both could really have made this one great. And, using a good French or sourdough bread as a side dish would also definitely have helped close the gap here, but we avoided bread this go-round for health reasons. :-)

Potential Improvements? Next time I make this - because there will be a next time - I'd like to add some carrots and mushrooms (without adding any more broth) to give it more heft.

Polling the Fam: I thought this one was really good and just kept from 5 stars by its lack of heartiness; I feel like this will be a great "canvas" to which I can add just a few more things to knock it out of the park next time! Becky thought it was very good and really liked the flavor of the broth. And, Hunter also thought it was very good, super solid, saying that he loved the broth but thought it could benefit from the addition of some carrots.

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)

Sunday Soup #109: Smoked Pork Bayou Soup

As we continue to labor under quarantine, states in the U.S. are more or less free to "do their own thing" with regard to shelter-in-place, restrictions, and what-not... But, if you are anything like me and my family, your activity level (i.e., going to the office, going out to eat, and generally being social) has gone way down since the Coronavirus arrived on the scene. But, also like us, you may have developed a group of friends or family (8-10 folks or less) in whose judgment and behavior you trust enough to have small get-togethers or gatherings to maintain your face-to-face relationships and (maybe) share a meal. Whatever your situation, above all, I hope that you stay safe, healthy, and happy!

Luckily for us, our good friends Lisa and Jayson have been quarantining, staying safe, and are as in need of real human contact as we are, so we felt comfortable enough to share a Sunday dinner, which (more often than not) means soup!! Go figure, right? ;-) Lisa had two smoked pork shoulders in her freezer that she needed to use, so I found this Cajun soup that looked like it had some promise...

This recipe came from: https://www.nibblemethis.com/2015/02/smoked-pork-bayou-soup.html

*Pic 1 - https://www.nibblemethis.com/2015/02/smoked-pork-bayou-soup.html

Variations from the Recipe as Written: I made 1.5x the recipe and, though I did not measure exactly, I likely used a little over double the pork called for.

General Thoughts: This one took a bit to prepare... I used fresh peppers, which the recipe said was an option (since it would have been even more work to make the dried), so I spent a little time dicing. There was also some time involved in making the roux and baking corn muffins (which I burnt a little because I am not a baker!). But, the most time-consuming task was trimming all of the smoked pork off the bone. It took a bit of nimble knife work, and it was well worth it in the end, but it still took a bit of effort.

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

The first thing I noticed was that the soup was super hearty (which was good)! However, the meat, veggies, and rice combined to make it almost "heavy" and, as time passed, it got more so (which was not as good). The dirty rice soaked up most of the liquid. When we all took our first bowls, I would have characterized the soup as a thick-ish chowder, but by the time people got around to seconds, it was more like a jambalaya with very little broth.

The flavor was very good! The taste of the smoked ham was present in every bite and there was a delightful Cajun flavor throughout. That was likely a result of the dirty rice mix (I used Zatarain's), which also made the soup surprisingly spicy. I added just the amount of hot sauce called for by the recipe (I chose a medium-spicy Cajun-style sauce), but the soup turned out quite spicy overall. It was at the perfect level for me, but the heat built over time, which pushed some of my guests past their spice thresholds. Despite that, all of my diners, even the picky ones, thought it was delicious!

Potential Improvements? Next time I would add more broth (maybe even double) and leave the hot sauce out to make it more palatable to all diners (I can always sauce my bowl to taste after-the-fact!).

Polling the Fam: I think this one definitely needs to be made again, with the above changes; only its consistency and spice kept it from being 5 stars. Becky said she'd give it 5-out-of-5 but wished it was a bit milder. Jayson, likewise, really liked it but was kept from getting seconds by how spicy it was, and he thought it needed to be brothier. Lisa really liked it and was fine with the spice level but said it could have used less rice and more broth/meat/veggies. Andrew said it was a "home run," with good spice and texture. Hunter said he'd give it a perfect score and wouldn't change anything. And, Fox said it was good despite getting too spicy for him by the end.

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)