soup Archives - Fresh From Oregon

Summer Corn & Crab Chowder

August 20, 2017 · by Carrie Trax ·

Its the peak of summer and the fresh sweet corn is just amazing here in Oregon this year. Creamy corn & crab chowder is perfect for the summer dinner table. Yellow or Bi-color I have Fresh from Oregon corn on my summer table at least twice a week. This week I am using the fresh corn to make a Summer Corn & Crab Chowder. We are lucky here in Oregon to have fresh Dungeness Crab from the Pacific coast daily. You can find fresh crab at the local farmers market, fish store or at your local supermarket’s fresh fish department. This recipe is quick and easy to make and don’t forget to pick up some fresh potatoes too.

Summer Corn & Crab Chowder
4-6 new potatoes, chopped {about 2 cups}
½ cup butter
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1/3 cup flour
2+ cups chicken broth
2 cups half and half
2 teaspoons crab seasoning {such as Old Bay}
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1~2 bay leaves
2 cups fresh sweet corn
16 oz crab meat
Fresh parsley, garnish

Parboil potatoes*; immediately submerge in cold water to stop cooking. Set aside or in the fridge until ready to add to chowder.

Melt butter in dutch oven on stove top; add chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in 1/3 cup flour; slowly add 2 cups chicken broth, whisking. Slowly stir in 2 cups half and half; season with salt, pepper, crab seasoning, cayenne, thyme, and a bay leaf. Add parboiled potatoes, fresh corn and crab meat; simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally for 30-45 minutes. Add more chicken broth to thin if needed. Remove bay leaves before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sprinkle on some paprika.

Recipe adapted from: Alice and the Mock Turtle

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

January 29, 2016 · by Carrie Trax ·

With another winter storm coming this weekend to the mountain it is the perfect time to start planning for a big pot of chicken noodle soup. There are only a few ingredients you need to have to make a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. With a whole chicken and some vegetables you can create a pot of rich broth in just a few hours. Add some thick home-style noodles and you have the perfect homemade meal for your family.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
1 whole chicken
2 cups carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups celery, diced
2 cups onion, diced
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
water
6 cups chicken broth
16 oz bag Reames® frozen egg noodles or dry egg noodles

Unwrap whole chicken and remove from the inside any chicken parts and discard. Run chicken under water to clean the inside cavity and place in a 7-8 quart pan. Add the carrots, celery, onion, parsley, salt and pepper to the pan with the chicken. Pour in water to cover the chicken. Like me you might not have a pot that is big enough to cover the chicken so add as much water as you can and flip over the chicken about 1 hour into cooking. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 2 hours. Remove chicken to a pan and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes. Add the 6 cups of chicken broth and turn heat up to medium. Once it starts to boil add the noodles and boil for 30 – 45 minutes. While the noodles are cooking pull the chicken off the bones into smaller pieces, discard the bones. Add chicken back into the pot, season with more salt and pepper if needed and simmer for about 30 more minutes. It is ready to serve. I like to freeze any leftover soup to enjoy on another day.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Pumpkin Seeds & Goat Cheese

November 9, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

With Thanksgiving approaching soon I wanted to start planning my meal. With the newest addition to my kitchen the Ninja Blender and attachments I wanted to see if I could use it with every recipe I will be making for the Thanksgiving table. So the challenge begins and the first thing we will start my Thanksgiving meal off with is a “Roasted Pumpkin Soup”…

Roasted Pumpkin Soup
3 pounds sugar pumpkin, seeded and peeled
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds*
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese with dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut pumpkin into 2-inch pieces. Combine pumpkin, onion, mushrooms, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Add oil, salt and pepper; toss to coat, then spread in a single layer. Roast until pumpkin is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes, rotating pan and tossing vegetables halfway through. Let cool.

Transfer vegetables to the Ninja blender and pour in 2 cups stock; push the Auto-iQ Food Puree button. Just sit back for a minute and wait. The soup has been pureed perfectly. Add soup to a pot with remaining 2 cups of stock. Bring soup just to a simmer and add the heavy cream. Continue simmering until heated. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve in a bowl and top with toasted pumpkin seeds and goat cheese. Great recipe you can make 1 or 2 days before Thanksgiving!

*I used the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin I used to make the soup. Here is a recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart

Aneto Natural … 100% Fresh

September 23, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

Wow is this really an apron with my blog name on it “Fresh From Oregon”. After checking in Friday evening at the IFBC this weekend I saw this whole table filled with beautiful yellow and white checked aprons and thought “am I going to get one of those?” To my surprise not only was there one for me there was one for every person who attended the conference with their blog name on it as well. These aprons were hand stitched in Spain and all brought over in suitcases by the wonderful people of Aneto Natural chicken broth. They make 100% natural broths using fresh ingredients which they simmer for 3 hours just like you would make at home. They make 20 varieties of 100% Natural Broths and had boxes of their 100% Natural Chicken broth at the conference for us to have and try. I knew the perfect fall recipe I was going to use it in, my Turkey Chili. The first thing I did when I got back to Oregon was stop by and buy some ground turkey for my chili. Now if I had a Ninja like Devin Alexander demonstrated at the lunch on Saturday I could have used some Butterball Turkey and ground it in seconds in a Ninja. During the Pre-Gourmet fair reception Butterball spokesperson and Dad Blogger RJ Jaramillo prepared and served us Mini BBQ Turkey Burgers with the help of Butterball’s new recipe app, Butterball Cookbook Plus. They have a 2014 Butterball Cookbook Plus Blogger Contest and this Turkey Chili using Aneto Natural Chicken Broth will be perfect to enter and maybe I will win!

Turkey Chili Recipe

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French “Candy” Onion Soup

September 16, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

Why did I get so excited when I found these yellow onions last week? These are not just any yellow onions they are “Candy Onions” I got at the Beaverton farmer’s market here in Oregon. These onions are high in sugar content and caramelize into a rich brown color making them perfect for French onion soup. You can also cut them in 1/2″ slices, brush with some olive oil and place on medium-high heat on your grill. These onions will grill up beautifully and are a perfect topper for your next burger or pizza. I got these onions Fresh From Oregon but they are found all across the country. If you can get your hands on some gather them up and try some of these sweet onions for yourself.

French “Candy” Onion Soup
6 large “Candy” onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 Tablespoon flour
16 oz. chicken broth
16 oz. beef broth
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Loaf French bread
12 slices Swiss cheese

Saute onions in butter until caramelized. This is really important to get the best flavor. I saute for 45 minutes to a hour. Sprinkle flour over onions and stir until smooth. Gradually add the chicken and beef broth, water and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Slice bread in 1/2 inch slices and brush with olive oil and toast both sides. Once soup is ready ladle about 2 cups into a bowl and place 1 or 2 pieces of toast on top and then add 2 slices of Swiss cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Zuppa Toscana Soup

February 11, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

If you ask what’s Fresh From Oregon this week it seems like anytime you can get Kale. The Portland Farmers Winter Market is over flowing with all types of greens this time of year and the Kale is looking great. There are several types of Kale as you look around the market, Italian Kale, Red Russian Kale and Curly Kale just to name a few. I chose to use the Curly Kale in my soup. The recipe for Zuppa Toscana soup can be found all over the internet since this is a favorite soup sold at Olive Garden restaurants everyone wants to make it at home. I found one I liked the best on Mom On Time Out Blog and with a few changes created my version below. This is a very hearty soup and can be a meal in itself. This is no wimpy cracker soup, serve it with a great crusty bread and butter.

Zuppa Toscana Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage
8 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
4 large russet potatoes
2 cups water
3 cans of chicken broth
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (If you like it hotter add another teaspoon)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream

In large pot add the olive oil, sausage and bacon, cook over medium-high heat until the sausage and bacon are cooked and browned. Slice the potatoes about 1/4-inch thick, I use my mandolin to get an even cut, set aside. Once the sausage and bacon are cooked add the water and chicken broth to the pot. Add the potatoes, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are cooked through about 30-40 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat. Add the kale and heavy cream and heat through about 5 minutes.

Kale is a form of cabbage, but the central leaves do not form a head. It is more related to the wild cabbage than the ones that are grown in our gardens.

Kale is a cold weather crop and you will mainly find it in the spring, fall and winter. It freezes well and taste sweeter and has more flavor after is has been exposed to a frost.

Kale can be used in soups, stews, salad, stir-fry’s and be dehydrated. It can be steamed and used as a side dish and also is one of the ingredients in the traditional Irish dish colcannon.

Potato Leek Soup

January 30, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

This past week on the mountain here in Oregon has been snowy and cold. The ski resorts here on Mt Hood received up to 5 feet of snow the past few days. So what do we eat to keep warm, hearty potato leek soup. Leeks are Fresh From Oregon this time of year and I had three in my refrigerator from my last visit to the Portland Farmers Winter Market. This is a quick soup you can make in one hour. The secret ingredient that gives it extra flavor is bacon. This soup is so hearty that all you need to have with it to make a meal is a nice roll. The recipe makes about 6 servings but you can easily double it. I had some extra so I just ladled the soup into a plastic container and placed it in the freezer for the next cold day we have here on the mountain.

Potato Leek Soup
3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 russet potatoes, thinly sliced
5 cups chicken broth (3 cans)
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
4 pieces bacon, finely chopped
2 green onions, chopped (garnish)

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat then add onions and leeks. Cook, stirring, until onions are limp and just slightly brown.

Add sliced potatoes to saucepan then pour chicken broth over the potatoes. Continue cooking over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Using a potato masher or immersion blender mash potatoes until creamy. Add the heavy cream, salt, pepper and bacon, stir until mixed. Cook 15 minutes more over low heat. Stir frequently because the soup is thick, it will create bubbles and may splash and burn you.

Leeks have a mild onion-like taste and can be eaten raw in salad, fried, broiled or used in soups. The white part and light green parts of the leek is what you want to use, discard the top dark green part.