Soup season arriving soon

Soon, the weather will start cooling off. I am always looking for new soup recipes to share with you. I didn’t have to look far this time. While looking for dishes to photograph for my cookbook, I realized that I have not shared these with you.

Today, I am sharing two soup recipes from my upcoming book, You Can’t Take New Orleans Out Of The Cook. The first one, Red Bean Soup, is a great variation of the New Orleans classic. The second one, Shrimp and Corn Chowder, pairs sweet shrimp and corn in a succulent broth. So, gather your ingredients, and Let’s head to the kitchen!

Red Bean Soup

Here’s a twist on the traditional New Orleans Monday dinner. If you cook this down for another hour, you have a great pot of traditional red beans.

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces bacon, cooked and chopped

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

3 bay leaves

8 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into bite sized disc

2 cups dry kidney beans, soaked overnight

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

8 cups Chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

Cooked rice

In a large pot over high heat, heat the oil. Add the bacon and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, and andouille and sauté 2 more minutes. Add the beans and sauté for 2 minutes more. Stir in the Creole seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the salt, cover the pot and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit, covered, for about 20 minutes. Serve with 1/4 cup of cooked rice.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Chowders of various seafood and vegetables have been showing up on restaurant menus for years. Here is my take on one of the more popular. Shrimp and corn are a great pairing.

4 slice bacon, diced into 1-inch pieces

1/3 cup onion, diced

3 tablespoons flour, divided

8 ounces seafood stock or clam juice

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, divided

2 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

2 cups whole milk

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup frozen corn

In a large dutch oven, cook bacon until browned. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoon of the bacon drippings. Set bacon aside. Add onion to the dutch oven with the reserved bacon drippings. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour stock and water into dutch oven. Add potatoes, celery, bay leaf, salt, and creole seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until the potatoes are tender. Stir in 3 tablespoons of hot broth into the milk to temper it. Pour tempered milk into the soup. Make slurry with the remaining 1-tablespoon of flour and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir slurry into soup and let simmer for 30 more minutes. After the soup has simmered, add the shrimp and corn. Cook 5 minutes more or until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. Remove bay leaf. Stir in the reserve bacon. Serve immediately.

In New Orleans, soup is eaten all year round. In my opinion, soup always taste a little better when there is a chill in the air. As the season starts to change, I hope that you try either or both of these recipes. They will bring New Orleans into your kitchen without the travel.