At Orignal Fuzz, we believe that hanger is real and true happiness can be found in a few areas, one being food. With the passing of the first snowfall this winter and temperatures continuously dropping, soup is the only thing on our minds. Luckily for us, our contributor Dee Gross has come up with some mouth-watering recipes to cure the craving. Find them below and kiss the hangry goodbye!
For most of us, after the thrill and chaos of the holidays has subsided, we must now face the long perilous winter ahead. Bitter cold, sickness, and cabin-fever often combine to make January look at bit bleak. There is a solution to this prospective misery—soup, my dear friends. The answer to our wintry woes takes the form of liquid sunshine to brighten even the darkest winter day.
Soup is the great unifier. Whether it comes from a can or is the result of hours of toil, soup never fails to feed the soul. Soup preferences are oddly personal. Families, food gurus, even cultures, all have their own recipe. So, when I needed a little soupiration, I went to one of the best and cheapest places I knew—friends and family.
Potato Soup
Nothing beats potato soup. While I must mention my aunts Carol and Margaret, who sent me virtually the same recipe, I had to chose Southern Fatty’s recipe. I betrayed my family for you dear readers. Southern Fatty aka Phillip Fryman’s version was a clickable link which feeds your voracious need for digital content. He is also a noted food blogger, which ups his soup-cred, ever so slightly, above blood relations.
Loaded Potato Soup via Southern Fatty
Ingredients:
1 and ½ pounds potatoes (any variety works fine), cubed
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
½ cup shallots, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced finely (1-2 teaspoons)
4 cups half and half (whole milk works, but not as well)
½ teaspoon hot sauce (eg: Tobasco)
1 teaspoon jalapeño juice (juice from can of jalapeños)
8 oz Velveeta, softened/melted (microwave for 30 seconds and stir)
1 cup cheddar, shredded, divided into (2) ½ cup portions
½ cup Monterey jack, shredded
salt/pepper/white pepper, to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
bacon, crispy
chives, to finish
Cook potato cubes until cooked through, but still somewhat firm. A knife should pass but not tear the potatoes apart. Boil and drain to cook, or microwave in plastic-wrapped container.
In a large pot (Dutch oven works perfectly), add butter over medium heat.
When melted, add shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic. Add flour and whisk constantly until light brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Slowly add half and half, still stirring to smooth completely.
Cook for a few minutes to thicken this roux.
Add Velveeta cheese.
Add potatoes to base. Add ½ cup cheddar and Monterey jack.
Mix in hot sauce, jalapeño juice, a bit of salt and pepper (both black and white pepper is best) and garlic powder.
Decrease heat to low/medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes.
Serve topped with remaining cheddar cheese, bacon, chives.
French Onion Soup
My good friend Henry Riley is a veritable domestic wizard. You may doubt this saying your friend, cousin, lover, whatever is so much more crafty or creative, but you are quite mistaken. To prove her renaissance woman status I must merely tell a single tale.
I was spending a pleasant evening with friends at Riley’s. Suddenly, she disappeared, and moments later we heard an awful pounding coming from the back room. When she returned, we inquired about what she had been doing. In the most nonchalant manner, she answered, “making a loom.” Of course that would be our natural assumption. Anytime she says she's going to whip up, “just a little something,” you can be assured anything from a full course meal to a tapestry is on its way. I say all this to convey that if Riley says something is good, then it must be true. Here is her favorite recipe for French Onion Soup via the Pioneer Woman.
She does, however, recommend using beef stock instead of chicken stock and red wine instead of white. Your taste buds will thank you.
Ingredients:
1 stick Butter
4 whole Large (or 6 Medium) Yellow Onions, Halved Root To Tip, And Sliced Thin
1 cup (generous) Dry White Wine
4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
4 cups Beef Broth
2 cloves Minced Garlic
Worcestershire Sauce
Several Thick Slices Of French Bread Or Baguette
5 ounces, weight (to 7 Ounces) Gruyere Cheese, Grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt butter in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Place soup pot into the oven with the lid slightly ajar to ensure the onions will brown. Allow onions to cook in the oven for 1 hour, stirring at least once during the cooking process so onions won’t stick and burn.
Remove pot from oven and place back on stovetop over medium heat. Stir, scraping off all the brown, flavorful bits. Turn off heat and pour in wine. Turn heat back to medium. Cook wine for five minutes, allowing it to reduce. Add broths, Worcestershire Sauce and minced garlic and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Butter one side of the bread slices and broil over low heat, allowing bread to brown and become crispy. When soup is ready, ladle into bowl or ramekin. Place crispy bread on top, and then sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve immediately.
Potato and Leek Soup
Dominic Oxenham-Morris is the most British friend I have. How is this pertinent, you ask? It's not, but it will make you want to read his recipe in your best/worst accent. Aside being from the UK, he is also a delightful cook who's not afraid to experiment. Here's his recipe for a tasty potato and leek soup.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large shallot (cue ball size), diced
1 extra large russet potato, cubed to half an inch pieces
5 medium leeks, sliced
3 pints vegetable stock
150 ml/5fl oz double cream
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the shallot, potatoes and leeks. Cook for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Season well and simmer until the vegetables are tender (30-35 mins).
Whizz with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth. Reheat in a clean pan, stir in the cream or crème fraîche, heat through, and serve.
If you're vegan and looking for something just as tasty, look no further than Diana Lee Zadlo. She is a badass vegan chef that can make magic happen seemingly out of thin air. It’s vegan wizardry at its most spectacular.
Vegan Creamy Celery Soup
Ingredients:
1-2 T oil (refined coconut, vegetable, other non-flavored oil)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, chopped (save some leaves for garnish)
2 T minced garlic
1/2 t salt
3 c vegetable broth
1 t dijon mustard
⅓ c raw cashews, soaked for atleast an hour
1 c water
2 T fresh dill, minced
Fresh cracked pepper and celery leaves to garnish
*optional garnish* Dill Oil: blend fresh dill with a mild oil and a pinch of salt.
Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven, add diced onion and sweat them.
Once onions are soft, add celery, minced garlic, and salt. Sauté until celery has developed a little color. Add broth, 1 t dijon mustard and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, turn down the heat to medium and cook until celery is tender.
While soup is cooking away, put cashews and water into blender and process until smooth.
Once celery is tender, place the soup into a blender and process until smooth. Put back in pot, add cashew cream and minced dill. Serve with fresh cracked pepper and some celery leaves.
According to Diana, “You’ll be surprised how comforting and buttery a celery soup is!”
January can seem like a never-ending grey slog. With your New Year's resolutions still fresh enough to count, you're probably looking for a healthier way to take the edge off. So instead of your favorite vice, spend time with a nice bowl of soup and the people who make you laugh. —DG
Dee Gross is a writer and frequent contributor to the Original Fuzz Magazine. You can find more of her words on her blog The Mad Scientists and Their Gross Life.