Empty fridge? End of the month? I have the answer…soup. Seriously. Once you have cooked up a homemade soup or two you can easily forge out on your own. When you find yourself repeatedly opening the fridge as if its contents will have suddenly changed from small stash of condiments to overflowing with gourmet goods I bet you have soup ingredients in there.
Recently, after spending a long weekend away and coming home to a busy schedule (and empty cupboard) I found myself in the predicament of little time and nothing to eat. I hate to blow the food budget on eating out so I took another look at what was still lingering in the kitchen. What I came out with was a delicious, might I say gourmet, meal of herbed chicken vegetable soup topped with shredded Romano cheese, homemade beer bread and a nice glass of Cambria Clone 76 Chardonnay. Great meal that lasts for days on the fly and on the cheap. I have included my recipes below but you can seriously use anything for the soup (think frozen vegetables, canned beans, leftover meat, remnants of the weeks past meals, 10 lb. bag of dried beans that has been sitting on the shelf for three years…).
Kitchen Sink Homemade Soup (all ingredients are optional)
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 onions, diced
- 4 c. chicken broth (I use Better than Bouillon)
- 2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 c dried lentils
- 1 tsp. each tarragon, oregano and fresh sage
- Dash cayenne
- 2 frozen chicken breasts, thawed and diced
- 1 small box dried pasta
- 2 c. brussel sprouts, halved
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Squeeze of lemon
- Shredded Romano cheese
In a large pot heat olive oil and add onion. Sauté until soft about 4 minutes. Add broth, canned tomatoes, lentils herbs and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until lentils begin to soften, around 30 minutes. Add diced chicken, pasta and brussel sprouts. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, around 6 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon. Serve with Romano and beer bread (recipe follows).
Beer Bread
- 2 c. whole wheat flour
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- 14 oz beer (or 12 oz beer and 2 oz water)
Preheat oven to 375 and grease an 8×8 pan. Mix dry ingredients. Slowly stir in beer until incorporated. Spread batter into greased 8×8 pan and bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
Eat up!