Even though the weather here in Vegas is unseasonably warm, for some reason or other the only thing I feel like cooking, or eating is SOUP! I am not sure why. Maybe it is because I am coming down with a cold (first and only of the season if I have my way), maybe it is because this time of year I want comfort food. The Post-Holiday Blahs always set in hard and fast with me and eating comfort food makes everything all better. Like a kiss on a boo-boo.
My friend Deb P and I have a running joke about soup. Whenever we go out to eat she ALWAYS orders the soup. For me, since I like to MAKE soup, I only order it in restaurants when it is something I really love, like cream of mushroom, or when it is something I can’t or won’t make, or any seafood bisque. I am typically a creamy soup person as opposed to a brothy soup person, with the complete exception of hot & sour soup and wonton soup. There was, however, this fantastic “beef tea” I had at a coffee shop in San Antonio with friend Nanette C and I am still not sure what was in it. It was a beef consommé, but flavored with unusual seasonings. They said there was cinnamon of all things in it, but I can’t wrap my head around that!
Once you know how to make a decent stock the possibilities are endless. And as I have mentioned before, my favorite primer for making a good stock is in Anthony Bourdain’s book “The Les Halles Cookbook”. It is simple, to the point and written the way most of us cook. Start there!
Lately I have been playing around with “unusual” soup ingredients. And by “unusual”, I mean things I don’t normally put into a soup. This week it was kale, Italian sausage and beans. (Moment of truth – I really don’t tolerate any colored beans, like pintos and kidneys, well. They disagree with me.) A few weeks ago I was trying my hand at VEGAN “cream” of broccoli, “creamed” with soft tofu – the vegans liked it, I thought it was gross!
So what is YOUR comfort food? I know for many it is a pasta dish of some sort, others meatloaf and mashers, and still others it is chocolate. But what is it about our own individual comfort food that makes us feel comforted? For me it is about warmth. It’s always about warmth. When I eat soup I am warm from the inside out and I stay that way. If soup is your thing, here are a few good ones in Vegas and one in San Antonio to try:
• The Four Mushroom soup at Mon Ami Gabi – it is NOT a regular menu item, so if it is the special of the day, you should have it.
• The New England Clam Chowder at Rick Moonen’s rm Seafood at Mandalay Bay. If you don’t live in Vegas, grab a copy of his book, “Fish Without a Doubt” – the recipe is on page 302.
• The Lobster Bisque at Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza – it is not traditional, it’s a lot thicker than typical bisque, but I like it that way and Sammy’s are scattered around, so they are easy to access.
• The WonTon Soup at New York Chinese – Del Webb and Lake Mead – if you are from NY and are craving soup, theirs is the closest I have found to the ones I like at home. Their wontons are NOT a slimy mushy mess like everyone else’s! And at $4.05 for a quart it’s a great bargain!
• The Tortilla Soup at Mama’s in San Antonio – there are several locations, but I usually go to the one on Pat Booker Rd. For some reason this one is my fave – thanks Deb P for pointing it out!
Enjoy the recipe below.
This week’s Food Memories are all birthday related – trying out the new Public House at the Venetian/Palazzo with friend Lynn, oysters and snacks at PJ Clarke’s with Laurie and Lynn, sushi and cocktails with Super Star bartender JR Starkus at rm Seafood, Chinese food at Joyful House with The Bells!
THe lovely beer menu at the new Public House – check it out! They have CASK beer – yippee!
The Public House pate collection with some cheese
With friends at rm Seafood along with Manager & family friend Chris Moonen (with the beard) and rock star bartender JR Starkus
Sausage and Kale Soup
serves 4 generously – serves 6 regularly!
3-4 links hot Italian sausage
3 qts chicken stock
1 C dried white kidney beans (cannellini) – soaked and cooked OR 1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
1 bunch kale – coarsely chopped – tough ribs removed
Crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon – or to taste – Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning)
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes OR 1 can whole tomatoes crushed with your hands
1 ½ C small pasta – ditallini is my fave – but you can use anything small
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese for garnish if desired.
Poach sausage links in 2 cups of the stock until done. When cool enough to handle, slice into disks. Strain the poaching stock to remove any solid matter and place the sausage back in. You will be adding this stock to the soup along with the sausage. When you do this there will be a thin film of reddish oil on the top of the stock – that is the flavor from the sausage’s fat and peppers leaking out. We want that BACK into the soup.
Heat the remaining stock to boiling. Add everything to the pot except the pasta – cook for 3-4 minutes until the kale is wilted. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. The kale should be done by then too.
Serve immediately topped with cheese if you like. You can also add additional red pepper flakes if you want it a little spicier.
This is basically a free form recipe – add more beans, change the beans, leave out the pasta, 1add other veggies, increase starches to make it more of a stew. It is a GUIDELINE to encourage you to experiment. Have fun with it!
Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories!
