Sunday Soup #79: Caldo Gallego (Galician Chickpea & Sausage Soup)

This week, I was pleased to make a very interesting recipe from the cookbook, Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette. This book was given to me as a special gift by my friend Marian and, as it belonged to her brother, I am both grateful and humbled to have received it.

This book is filled with 150+ international recipes, many of them vegetarian, organized by month, all designed to "help cultivate the art of soup making." I know it is February, but this Spanish soup from December looked too good for me to wait another 10 months to try. Galicia is a region on the northwest coast of Spain (just above Portugal) known for its mild climate and a cathedral said to be the burial place of the biblical apostle Saint James the Great.

I encourage you to purchase this book, but I'll print just this recipe here for the purposes of providing commentary. Enjoy!

This recipe came from: Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette (https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Months-Monastery-Victor-DAvila-Latourrette/dp/0767901800/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1551118338&sr=8-1&keywords=twelve+months+of+monastery+soups)

*Pic 1 - The cover of Twelve Months of Monastery Soups

Recipe:

Ingredients
2 cups dried chickpeas (or 2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans)
2 large onions, sliced
6 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
4 cups chicken or meat stock
1 bay leaf
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 turnip, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 heart of celery, thinly sliced
8 slices sweet Spanish chorizo, cut in half
12 fresh spinach leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight and then rinse them and discard the water. If you wish to save time, use the canned chickpeas (garbanzos), which taste the same.

2. In a large soup pot, sauté the onions in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes or until they begin to turn soft. Add the garlic and stir well.

3. Add the water and stock. Bring the soup to a boil. Add the chickpeas, bay leaf, parsley, turnip, carrot, potatoes, celery, and chorizo. Cook the soup, with the pot covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes over medium heat (or until the chickpeas are tender).

4. Add the chopped spinach, salt, and pepper and simmer the soup gently for 15 to 20 minutes, adding more water, if needed. Stir it from time to time. Remove the bay leaf. Turn off the heat and serve the soup hot.

Variations from Recipe as Written: I used a whole loop of Spanish chorizo (7oz), procured from Amazon.com, rather than the little bit called for by the recipe. That was my only alteration.

General Thoughts: There was a fair bit of prep involved with this one. It was not overwhelming, and I took my time and meandered through it, but if you have an aversion to chopping and dicing, this one might not be the one for you. Prep and cook time combined, this recipe takes a little more than 2 hours to complete.

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

I loved all of the different ingredients in this soup and the accompanying textures. The soup was wonderfully brothy, which suits my tastes just fine, and the vegetables (including the potatoes) were perfectly done, cooked through, and tasty. The chickpeas were a bit firmer and provided a hearty mouthfeel. Finally, the chorizo was slightly chewy (maybe, a little too chewy?), but that would likely vary with the brand/type of chorizo you chose to use. The harder (i.e., drier) the chorizo starts out, the chewier it will end up in the soup.

The taste was very solid! It reminded me a little bit of the Oktoberfest Stew that was such as favorite earlier in the project (https://soupersleuth.blogspot.com/2016/10/sunday-soup-18.html), but it lacked a little of the vinegar bite. Still, the tang of the Spanish chorizo was very interesting, and each bite had a delightful continental flavor. I did learn that I needed to be a little more liberal with the salt and pepper, as they are the only herbs or spices in the mix (other than a single bay leaf). But, overall, it was super tasty!

Potential Improvements? Next time, I think I'd like to add a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the whole pot, to vary the flavor profile a little. I'd also like even more chorizo than I used, as well as trying a slightly less dry (i.e., softer) variety of sausage. Finally, I'd use 8 cups of broth rather than 4 cups each of broth and water.

Polling the Fam: I enjoyed this recipe quite a bit and would definitely make it again, particularly with the changes above. Becky did not like it as much, however, saying that she didn't care for either the taste or the firmness of the chorizo. Hunter really liked it, gave it a "perfect rating," and said he wouldn't change a thing. And, Fox, as he usually does, said it was "okay."

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)

Sunday Soup #78: Vegetable Beef Soup

When I asked my friend, Lisa, what soup we should make this past weekend, she said she had been craving a good vegetable beef soup. Vegetable beef soup is a classic, a recipe that should be in every soup cookbook and, if done right, a dish that can please the masses. I found one that seemed like it had some promise: simple, hearty, and classic. But, did it please our crowd?

This recipe came from: https://therecipecritic.com/vegetable-beef-soup/

*Pic 1 - https://therecipecritic.com/vegetable-beef-soup/

Variations from Recipe as Written: We actually ended up with quite a few alterations to this recipe, primarily based on what we had on hand. We used about double the meat called for, and a mixture of cuts (i.e., top round, bottom round, and stew meat). The diced tomatoes we used came already seasoned with Italian seasoning, so we forewent the additional Italian seasoning the recipe called for.  And we used russet potatoes, but they were HUGE, so the recipe wound up very potato-y.

General Thoughts: As usual, when I cook with Lisa, she did a lot of the chopping, so she handled the prep on carrots, celery, and potatoes, as well as cubing the beef. There was a moderate amount of prep involved overall, which was not unexpected for a vegetable beef soup, particularly with needing to brown the meat ahead of time. But, it didn't take extraordinarily long because Lisa is a pro; every kitchen needs a Lisa!

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

This soup was on the verge of being a stew, hearty and filling, with tasty chunks in every spoonful. The vegetables were perfectly done and may have even been my favorite part. As previously mentioned, it seemed like a few too many potatoes for a proper balance, but it wasn't too overwhelming. The taste was solid and consistent with  many traditional vegetable beef soups I've eaten, made in restaurant kitchens.

However, using different cuts of beef (which we did because we already had them on hand) led to some slightly odd texture and (to a lesser extent) taste variations. Further, the meat, which I was hoping would be flavorful and savory in and of itself, was just kind of bland and... well... beefy. The beef needed to be richer, more tender, and as least as much of a focus as the veggies.

The bottom line is that, as far as vegetable beef soups go, this one was pretty good. But, when considered against the whole universe of other interesting and intriguing soups out there, this one was somewhat unremarkable.

Potential Improvements? Lisa thinks this is one we should make again and make some improvements... I agree, because I think there are plenty to be made. First and foremost, the beef: using 100% stew beef, and marinating it for three-ish hours in a salt, olive oil, worcestershire sauce, and red wine mixture would have given a much richer, deeper flavor and made it more tender. I would use petite diced tomatoes to avoid large chunks (this is a very personal food quirk for me, so you might want to stick with large diced). I'd go a bit lighter on the potatoes to provide better beef/veggie/potato balance. And, I'd probably go a little heavier on the salt and pepper, while going a little lighter on the Italian seasoning. 

Polling the Fam: I thought it was tasty, and it was good leftover, but nothing really special in its current state. I'd love to try again with the improvements above. Becky thought it was okay (but she's not generally a vegetable beef soup fan) and wished it was thicker, like a stew. Lisa thought it was good, but that the broth needed to be richer (maybe homemade beef broth?), there were too many potatoes, and the Italian seasoning seemed "wrong." Jayson thought the best part was the broth, but found it otherwise unremarkable. Hunter thought it was solid, very filling, well-balanced, and liked how he could not taste the celery. And, Fox thought it was okay but that it needed more flavor.

Verdict: It was okay. (3 stars)

Sunday Soup #77: Hot & Sour Glass Noodle Soup

Boy #1 (Hunter) and I were geographical bachelors this weekend, as my wife took our youngest to a marching band event in SoCal. And, when me and Hunter are by ourselves, we like to try soups that are either heavily Asian-influenced or contain seafood (because Becky and Fox don't usually love either of those two flavors). I let Hunter pick the recipe to make, and this was the one he picked out... So, let's see how it went!

This recipe came from: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/hot-sour-glass-noodle-soup/

*Pic 1 - https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/hot-sour-glass-noodle-soup/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I doubled the recipe, but ended up using half chicken broth because it is what I had on hand. So, my version was not strictly vegetarian, even though the original recipe is 100% veggie-compliant (vegan, in fact, as I used vegan maifun rice noodles).

General Thoughts: This soup was quite easy to prepare... Boil water, soak noodles, sauté garlic and ginger, add more stuff, a little more simmering, add some more stuff, and that was it! I did use pre-julienned carrots, so that helped, but it really felt like a snap. From start of prep to soup in bowl, it couldn't have taken more than 30 minutes overall.

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

The first thing I noticed was that this was not a "traditional" hot and sour soup (i.e., not what you'd expect to get at a Chinese food restaurant), but the recipe author fully acknowledged that up front, so that shouldn't have been a surprise. And, it was not necessarily a bad thing... The lime juice and the ginger gave it a nice sour bite, and the sambal oelek and garlic provided the heat I was looking for, more or less. The mushrooms were tasty, if a little bit rubbery in some bites (but, hey, they're shiitakes, so they naturally tend that direction), and the carrots provided a nice splash of color, but didn't add much to the taste. The noodles turned out to be perfectly done and really just soaked up the flavor of the broth in the soup.

All of that was good, obviously, but this one did have some things that failed to completely hook me... First, the snap peas... I didn't love them. Their texture and taste were different enough from the rest of the soup that it just seemed out of place. I get it... Snap peas are a staple in some Asian dishes, and they added some nice color, but they just didn't do it for me here. Also, the soup needed a protein of some type to really bring it home. It could be tofu (to keep it veggie), but some chicken (thinly sliced) or jumbo shrimp would have done the job as well. Without it, this soup falls into the category of solid Asian appetizer/pre-dinner soup course, rather than featured meal.

Potential Improvements? This one definitely has potential... Next time, I think I'd use a different variety of mushroom (maybe some sliced portobello) that would be a little more tender, even though that changes the Asian profile of the dish. I would greatly decrease the snap peas (or maybe forget them entirely), and consider replacing them with some shelled edamame? I'd go for some protein, like jumbo shrimp. And, finally, I consider a tablespoon of sesame oil in the pot.

Polling the Fam: Hunter and I were solidly at the 3.5/5 stars point with this one, but I don't do half stars. In the end, I'd make this one again, particularly with the changes above, but it in its current state it isn't one I am super excited about. Solid, but not "wow"... Hunter felt the same.

Verdict: It was okay. (3 stars)

Sunday Soup #76: Mulligatawny Soup

I love making soups that have some history! Mulligatawny soups (aka, Mulligatawny stews) originated in India and became popular in English cuisine as a result of the British Empire's occupation of the Subcontinent. According to Wikipedia, the earliest references to Mulligatawny in English go back to 1784, and it became fashionable in Britain in the early-1800s. There are a lot of different varieties, but this one looked tasty, and I've wanted to try one for some time. Tonight, I had the privilege of cooking for our good friends, Matt and Nicole (as they are moving out of town), as well as the usual suspects. And now, I am excited to share this recipe with you...

This recipe came from: https://soupaddict.com/2009/12/mulligatawny-soup/

*Pic 1 - https://soupaddict.com/2009/12/mulligatawny-soup/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I tripled the recipe. That's it!

General Thoughts: Lisa blessed me by being my prep cook again tonight, doing the necessary chopping and grating on the produce (especially the onions, which always make me cry!), while I cut up and prepped the chicken and did the cooking. This one definitely required a fair amount of prep and was one of the more labor intensive recipes I've made in a while. It was not as over-the-top as some of the soups I've made in this project, but it did take us about an hour before everything made it in to the pot together. Maybe not bad, considering we tripled the recipe (which means triple the prep), but worth mentioning.

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

The. Smells. Were. Amazing! As soon as I put the chicken (tossed with flour and spices) into the pot to brown, all of the rich aromas became intoxicating. Garam masala, cumin, coriander, and cayenne combined to promise that this dish could be something special and, as soon as the chicken was finished, I certainly wouldn't have minded sitting right down and eating it over rice.

The taste was very solid! The soup had a rich, Indian flavor, full of the tastes of garam marsala and curry powder, in particular. One of our guests said it initially reminded him of a good chicken tikka masala. The coconut milk gave it a smooth, creamy broth that complimented the hearty texture of the soup, and the grated honey crisp apples imparted a little bit of tang, which was nice. But, the real star was the chicken, perfectly browned and spiced, each piece I got in my bowl was terrific.

There were some small things that could have been a little better... Several of the guests mentioned they thought it could use some more salt, and it did taste even better when I sprinkled some additional salt over my bowl. Also, while the flavors were rich and deep, it was not very (heat) spicy. As a result, several of our guests thought it could have used a bit more heat.

Lisa bought some naan bread, so I also made some fry bread to accompany the soup. It was my first time making it, and I am sorry to say I burned a good bit of it. Ooops! But, despite the fact that I overcooked it, it still turned out quite tasty and was a good companion for the Mulligatawny.

Potential Improvements? I think I'd definitely add more salt next time, seeing that was something several of my guests mentioned. Also, particularly if the crowd I am making for likes things on the spicier side (which I certainly do), I'd kick the spice up a notch by using spicy curry powder (instead of mild), a little more cayenne, and maybe even a bit of chili powder. If I'm feeling really froggy, I might even dice up a single serrano pepper (which have grown in popularity in southern Asian cuisine) to add to the veggie mix. 

Polling the Fam: I certainly enjoyed this one (including its history and exotic origins) and would certainly make it again (particularly with the changes above). Becky and Jayson, who both do not normally like Indian food or curry, thought it was just okay, but said that the chicken was good. Fox and Hunter both said they liked it okay, but that it needed more spice. Lisa said she really liked it, but mentioned that it needed more salt, and she suggested using at least some spicy curry powder in the mix. Matt said he loved it and that it was great, but (like Lisa) recommended more salt and spice. Nicole said it was "perfect," with just the right amount of curry, and said the fry bread added the extra salt she wanted.

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)

Sunday Soup #75: Vegetarian Lentil Tortilla Soup

I know what you're thinking... Are eyebrows considered facial hair? After that, though, you may have had the same thought as me... As a meat-a-saurus, could I really like a vegetarian tortilla soup? My Spidey-senses usually tingle any time someone suggests that I cook a vegetarian dish, but my family is one of hundreds of thousands affected by the US Government shutdown, and money is tight right now. So my wife (Becky) suggested this vegetarian soup as a way to save a little on the grocery bill, and (I guess?) to be healthier or whatever. ;-) Let's see how it went...

This recipe came from: https://peasandcrayons.com/2017/02/vegetarian-lentil-tortilla-soup.html

*Pic 1 - https://peasandcrayons.com/2017/02/vegetarian-lentil-tortilla-soup.html

Variations from Recipe as Written: Not really a variation, since it was listed as "Optional" in the recipe, but we did not add heavy cream.

General Thoughts: Becky and I worked to prep this one together, so it went quickly. There was some dicing to be done, quite a few cans to open, beans to drain and rinse, etc., but considering that it was all going to be cooked in the Instant Pot (seal it, cook it, done!), it didn't feel that onerous. It looked a little brothy in the pot, but given the black beans, pinto beans, and (most importantly) dried lentils, I figured it would thicken up as it cooked.

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

When the soup was ready, it smelled delightful! It had a rich aroma of (surprise, surprise) tortilla soup, which I think is quite important. The consistency was also a pleasant surprise. It wasn't too brothy and it wasn't too thick... Like Baby Bear's bowl of oatmeal for Goldilocks, it was JUST right! It was chocked full of legumes and veggies, all of which combined to give it a great mouth-feel, and made it come across as warm, hearty, and satisfying.

The taste was so surprising to me that I almost couldn't believe it... How could a vegetarian tortilla soup (in which I have always been accustomed to having meat protein) not make me miss chicken or other cooked animal flesh? I really enjoyed the flavors imparted by the veggies and spices, and the beans and lentils were perfect. Even the corn, of which I am not generally a fan in my tortilla soups, was tasty and not too overpowering. As it came out of the pot, it was a little bland for me (remember, Ryan = Fire Eater), but some sliced raw jalapeño as a garnish kicked it up to the right level for me. Also, I highly recommend (if you are so inclined) a dollop of sour cream, as well, as it gave the soup a great finish.

As an aside, I am not always eager to try tortilla soup recipes because they all taste the same to me. However, this one was just different enough (being vegetarian and so rich and hearty) that it held my interest.

Also, this one was TERRIFIC left over... A little thicker, but with the same wonderful taste and tummy-filling yumminess!

Potential Improvements? Not much to improve on here... I might like to try it with the heavy cream and see how that differs from the sour cream I used as garnish, but that is more out of curiosity than something I actually think could make it better. And, unless I had a reason to keep it vegetarian, it might benefit from some roasted chicken, but that is certainly not a requirement.

Polling the Fam: I really liked this one and would definitely make it again. Becky thought it was tasty and filling. Hunter thought it was good but opined that some chicken in it would be great. Fox (our picky one) even thought it was good and couldn't think of a way to improve it.

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)

Sunday Soup #74: Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup

Helloooooooo, Souper Troopers! This is my first post in a while, I know... I went dark in November, and December was pretty busy with the holidays and all, so this is my first chance to get back at it. But, just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I haven't been cooking! In fact, I have three recipes and reviews ready to post now, and I'll be making another on Sunday!! So, to my three loyal readers, thank you... And, for everyone else who just likes to cruise by and see if anything looks good, let's get started with my first soup of the holiday... Was this one good enough to make Santa say ho-ho-ho, or would it make him want to say no-no-no? Let's see...

This recipe came from: https://pinchofyum.com/instant-pot-wild-rice-soup

*Pic 1 - https://pinchofyum.com/instant-pot-wild-rice-soup

My Variations from Recipe as Written: I used a wild rice mix, instead of the straight wild rice called for, because I could not find actual 100% wild rice. More on this later...

General Thoughts: I felt like a soup with some rice in it because... ya know... sometimes you just feel like rice. This recipe looked rich and creamy, and it called for mushrooms, so it looked promising. There isn't much I can say about how it actually looked or smelled while it was cooking because I made it in the Instant Pot. But, because of that fact, the prep was simple enough; a little chop, chop, chop on the carrots, celery, and onions, and that was about it! Quick and clean... But how did it taste?

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

The taste was... only okay. It was rather bland and unremarkable. The mushrooms were pleasant enough, and the other veggies imparted some measure of flavor, but it was mostly uninteresting and unremarkable. It certainly never made any of us say "yum."

The worst thing about this one was the texture and consistency. It straight up turned into wall paper paste! This is where the 100% wild rice (or the lack thereof) comes in, I am sure... The easily-available wild rice mix I got at the grocery store just went to mush in the pot. It put me in mind of gruel, oatmeal, or other gooey cooked grain. It was thick and gloppy, with all of the appeal you can probably imagine goes with that.

The best thing I can say about it... It had decent color.

Potential Improvements? If I were to make it again (which I likely won't), I would have to special order the wild rice. If that would keep it from turning into spackle, it could only be an improvement.

Polling the Fam: I'll save you the trouble here... Thumbs down all around. The only reason I am giving it two stars instead of one is that it just has to be better using actual wild rice, else they'd have been embarrassed to post it on their website, right?

Verdict: Not a fan. (2 stars)

Sunday Soup #73: Spicy Tuscan Soup

This one initially caught my eye because it resembled a particular Olive Garden soup of which I am a fan, and this Sunday seemed to just beg for a warm, hearty soup to fill our bellies! It also drew me that the picture from the website was not the typical engineered, glossy, staged-type picture that is usually on professional recipe sites, but rather more closely resembled the simple iPhone pics I take of my soups. Yay for the little guy!! But, did the taste on this one deliver?

This recipe came from: https://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/spicy-tuscan-soup/

*Pic 1 - https://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/spicy-tuscan-soup/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I doubled the recipe. That's it!

General Thoughts: This soup was decently easy to prepare... The biggest time suck was peeling the potatoes, but only having to cut them longways and then slice them into 1/4" half moons, rather than having to fully chop or dice them, was a nice trade-off. And, if you make this one, keep in mind that the recipe calls for you to remove and reserve the sausage after browning, and drain the sausage grease before proceeding, so make sure you have suitable stove/counter real estate available to enable that operation.

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

I have to say, the taste let me down a bit on this one. It was warm and hearty, so it delivered on that promise, but it was just missing... something. At first, I thought it might be butter (as weird as that sounds). Other, similar, versions of this soup that I've had in the past left me with a sense of a buttery richness that was lacking in this one, despite the use of heavy cream. Using breakfast sausage (as opposed to a more traditional Italian sausage) gave the soup a unique flavor profile, but that was not necessarily a good thing. It is not that it was bad, really, just not quite "right". Which was unfortunate because, beyond the sausage, the soup was otherwise somewhat lacking in flavor; a heavier dose of pepper and the addition of hot sauce to my bowl did help, however.

Potential Improvements? This one could certainly be improved with a few changes... I'd use hot Italian sausage rather than breakfast sausage. I'd add more pepper to the pot. And, maybe a tablespoon or two of salted butter?

Polling the Fam: I'd make this one again with the changes above, but it was just kind of "meh" for me overall, in its current state. Becky said it was "just okay," and she did not care for the breakfast sausage taste. Hunter said it was pretty good, at first, but then said "it was missing a flavor" (though he did not know what) and ended with "It was just okay." Fox simply said he thought it was good.

Verdict: It was okay. (3 stars)