Tag: American

Broccoli-Cheese Soup

Soups & Stews, Vegetarian

This recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen. It’s a very delicious broccoli soup, the trick is overcooking the broccoli (right? I know!) but the color is brought back by adding fresh spinach.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs. unsalted butter
  • 2 lbs. broccoli, florets roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces, stems trimmed, peeled, adn cute into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tsp.)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
  • 3-4 cups of water
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 oz. baby spinach (2 loosely packed cups)
  • 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar (white preferred)
  • 3/4 cup grated fine Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • pinch of cayenne
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Heat butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add broccoli, onion, garlic, dry mustard, cayenne, and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and baking soda. bring to simmer, cover, and cook until broccoli is very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once during cooking.
  2. Add broth and 2 cups of water and increase heat to medium-high. When mixture begins to simmers, stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer half of soup to blender, add cheddar and Parmesan, and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer soup to medium bowl and repeat with remaining soup. Return soup to Dutch oven, place over medium heat and bring to simmer. Adjust consistency of soup with up to 1 cup of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.

Photo by Cookthinker via Flickr used with CC Attribution, Non Commercial, Share Alike license

Sloppy Joe’s

Meat

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into small dice
  • 2 medium yellow onions, small dice
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • ½ tsp cayenne
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 28-ounce can of tomato sauce
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ tsp xatan gum (optional)
  • 6 to 8 hamburger buns

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the peppers, onion, and garlic, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 6 minutes.
  2. Add the tomato paste, stir to combine, and cook until the raw flavor has cooked out, about 1 minute.
  3. Increase the heat to medium high, add the ground beef, and cook, breaking the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until it’s just cooked through and no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
  4. Add the cayenne, paprika, cumin, and measured salt, stir to coat the meat and vegetables, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  5. Add the tomato sauce, water, vinegar, Worcestershire, and brown sugar, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld and the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes. If mixture hasn’t thickened enough after 30 minutes powder Xatan gum can be added as needed (about ½ to 1 tsp).
  6. Serve warm on fluffy hamburger buns.

Adapted from Chow. Photo by Casey Bisson via Flickr used with CC Attribution, Non Commercial, Share Alike license