Lenten special: Seafood Chowder

The seafood chowder is a success, selling 12 quarts!

The creaminess is achieved with homemade seafood stock, thickened with flour and finished with a little cream. The seafood includes tilapia, shrimp, bay scallops and calamari. Fingerling potatoes add substance, and the aromatics are onion and leek.

I am considering one final seafood soup for Lent which will be available on Good Friday, March 21st. Please email me ASAP if you are interested and I will provide you with the options. I'm thinking about a tomato-ey bouillabaisse-style stew.

March 3rd: Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper

Break out the grilled cheese sandwiches, it's Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper soup again!

Simple ingredients (tomatoes, red peppers and onions), oven roasted and pureed with the juice from the tomatoes and a little chicken stock make this soup both healthful & delicious.

Here's the rest of March:

Next week, March 11th: Split Pea & Ham (meatless by request)
March 18th: tentatively Irish Potato & Leek soup (with parsnip)
March 25th: tentatively Beef Vegetable Stew
April 1: tentatively Spring Pea soup (pureed green peas with a touch of yogurt and whole sugar snap pea pods)

March monthly subscription renewals are now due!

February 26th: Creamy Turkey & Wild Rice

Despite the rich mouthfeel, this soup is surprisingly good for you. The creaminess is the result of a flour-thickened homemade broth and the turkey is roasted breast meat.

Organic brown & wild rice medley as well as onions and celery round out the ingredients.

Next week: Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper

Friday 3/7: Lenten Creamy Fish Chowder

February 19th: Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta Fagioli is a great peasant soup, with chunks of tomato and creamy cannelini beans. Dress it with good-quality olive oil and lots of Parmesan cheese.

The quarts are less full than normal because I am providing you with the pre-cooked pasta on the side. If I put it in the soup it just falls apart. So heat the soup however you normally do and stir in the pasta right before you serve it.

Next week: Turkey & Wild Rice

Friday's Lenten special: Shrimp Gumbo ($10 per quart). Orders due by end of day Tuesday.

February 12th: Chili Verde

The Chili Verde (or White Chicken Chili, if you prefer) is a whole different take on chili. Lighter and fresher than thick red chili, this stew-like selection showcases three green chili peppers.

Made with jalepeno, Anaheim & Poblano peppers, the flavor profile is completed with diced onion, cumin & ground coriander. Ground chicken and white beans add lean protein. Additional beans are pureed with homemade chicken broth to add body to the chili.

If you like it hotter, add some ground white pepper or more jalapeno. The heat is fairly subtle, but if it's too much for you, cool your palate with a dollop of low-fat yogurt.

Next week: Pasta Fagioli

February 26th: Turkey & Wild Rice

February 5th: Italian Wedding Soup

Zuppa del giorno: Italian Wedding Soup.

Instead of meatballs, I used chunks of mild pork sausage as well as acini de pepe pasta, celery, carrots, onions and chopped escarole in an organic chicken broth enhanced with the traditional Parmesan-egg mixture.

You can always add more Parmesan, or just break out the crusty bread and have at it.

This soup may not freeze well because of the pasta as well as the egg that is used to thicken the soup. But you will find that the acini de pepe hold up much longer than most larger pastas. There's always the pasta-liquid absorption issue, but this soup is so chock full of goodness that, personally, I would NOT add more broth. But that's up to you.

Please do post or email me your comments on this one!

Next week: White Chicken Chili

January 29th: Roasted Vegetable

Here again is the Roasted Vegetable. A smooth puree of butternut & acorn squash, new potatoes, onions, carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes, all oven-roasted to bring out their sweetness. Finished with cracked pepper, sea salt and a touch of nutmeg.

Next week will be my take on Italian Wedding Soup. This will contain sausage chunks instead of meatballs, as well as little pasta, celery, carrots and chopped escarole in a broth enhanced with the traditional Parmesan-egg mixture. Please confirm your orders by the end of the day Thursday.

The following week (2/12) will be a White Chicken Chili. Also known as chili verde, the ingredients include: chicken, onions, green chili peppers, white beans and the classic chili seasonings (garlic, cumin & coriander). It's a lighter & healthier option than red beef chili.

For the rest of the month I am planning the following:
February 19th: Pasta Fagioli
February 26th: probably Turkey & Wild Rice

Soups still on the back burner include Vegetable (it's really tough to find a great recipe!) and the meatless Tex-Mex soup that I keep alluding to. I was hoping to make Gumbo again in time for Mardi Gras, but the shrimp prices have made this prohibitive. When repeating soups, I am trying to select those that were top-sellers in their previous appearance. But if you really loved something, do let me know and I'll be sure to get it on the schedule again!