I got this recipe from a family of food-lovers. (Thank you, Schoonovers!) If you like chili but are in the mood for something a little different from the traditional chili (tomato-meat-beans), then I hope you’ll give this recipe a try.
I have made it a couple of different ways. It works really well in a crock pot. I also sometimes make it on the stove top. Either way, it is quick to make and delicious to eat.
Of course, I always make a few changes to most recipes, so I’ll make note of those changes.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used the kind in a jar. Use more or less to taste. I use more.)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb. total), chopped (I prefer chicken thighs. You could also use leftover chicken or meat from a deli roasted chicken.)
2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth (I like the 32 oz. boxes of broth, especially Trader Joe’s organic broths. YUM.)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
2 t. ground cumin (If you aren’t sure how much spice, you could cut down on this. As always, I use Penzeys spices.)
2 t. dried oregano
1 1/2 t. cayenne pepper (I used only about 1/2 t. of cayenne for my family. The last time I made this I used 1 1/2 t. of regular chili powder instead and it tasted great.)
3 cans (14-1/2 oz each) great northern beans, drained and rinsed (Look for a large jar or can that has close to this total amount to save time opening cans.)
*oh — smash one can of the beans with a fork or potato masher before added them to the soup pot. This will thicken the soup nicely.
salt and pepper to taste
optional garnishes:
shredded cheese (A good sharp cheddar, colby-jack, or pepper jack would be tasty)
chopped jalapeno pepper (I haven’t done this one. You could even use the pickled, jarred or canned jalapeno.)
cilantro (Always!)
sour cream
crushed taco chips
Procedure:
The easy way is to put all the ingredients in the crock pot, turn it on and walk away for several hours.
I’ve used bone-in chicken to make this, even in the crock pot. I dug it out of the crock pot shortly before serving time, took the meat off the bones and threw the meat back into the pot. It was not a big deal.
On the stove top, I’ve browned the chicken and sautéed the onions and garlic in olive oil, then added the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 20 min. or until you are ready to eat.
This is good with corn bread or with crunchy cheese quesadillas. A nice salad is always a good thing, too.
This is my mom’s chili recipe. The original recipe was called “Chili Concoction” and it came from a children’s cookbook.
I threw this together in less than 15 minutes tonight. Then it just needs to simmer for a bit.
Ingredients:
1.5 pounds ground beef (85 percent lean)
1 medium onion, diced
1 t. chopped garlic (or 2 cloves finely chopped)
1 can ( 1 lb. 12 oz. petite diced tomatoes)
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 can (15 oz.) dark red kidney beans
1 t. sugar
1 T. chili powder (I use Penzey’s)
1 t. salt and black pepper to taste
In a dutch oven or 5 quart or larger pan, brown the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain. Put the beef back in the pan with the chopped onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Open the can of tomatoes and the tomato paste. Drain and rinse kidney beans. Add all of this to the beef pan along with the sugar and chili powder. Simmer for 15 to 30 minutes or longer if you have time. If it gets too thick you can add water.
You can add more spice by adding some cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes. You could add more chili powder if you wish. You could add cumin and/or oregano. You could add another can of kidney beans. This chili is fairly thick and very tomatoe-y.
Enjoy! Please let me know if you try this recipe. I’d love to hear your feedback.
This is the bowl I used to make the rivels. Flour, salt and pepper, then make a well. Stir an egg around til it gathers enough flour to hold together. Scrape fork fulls off into the simmering soup pot. Cook through. Rivels will be chewy even when done.
Finished! Garnished w/ crispy bacon and freshly ground black pepper. This is the actual soup I made. TTQ cc
I have been craving my mom’s potato soup. I wasn’t going to make it a blog post, but I am not in the mood to try something new (or even cook at all for that matter) so I reconsidered. In keeping with my minimal effort attitude today, I decided to look online for some photos so I don’t have to actually MAKE the soup before I write this post (since I have time to write right now but there isn’t a meal coming for several more hours yet).
Well, in the end, I couldn’t find any images that closely resemble my mom’s soup so now I think I MUST write it up and photograph it for my recipe blog as soon as possible!
The potato soup gauntlet has been thrown down.
Last Christmas I created a cookbook of my mom’s family recipes using Shutterfly. I was quite happy with the finished product, and I think she was surprised and pleased as punch. This soup recipe is included in that book, and I’m happy to share it with you!
4 to 6 potatoes (my mom likes Idaho)
water to cover the potatoes and vegs (or chicken broth)
1 T. butter (or more to taste)
a little onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped (include all the leaves if you have them)
1 carrot, shredded or very finely chopped (opt.)
parsley, opt. (I don’t think my mom used this very often. If you use parsley fresh would be better; add it near the end of the cooking time)
flour
2 eggs
salt and pepper
milk (or half and half)
garnish with crispy bacon and/or thinly sliced green onions
some people like grated cheddar cheese on top, or stirred in
Image by Kristin (beautyredefined) via Flickr CC
Peel and dice the taties. Boil them in water (or broth) to cover. Season the water with plenty of salt and pepper.
Meanwhile in a small skillet melt the 1 T. butter, and add the onion, celery (and carrots, any other vegs if using). After they get softened and get a little color, add the vegs to the boiling potato pot. The taties will take about 20 min. to cook. (Note — you can skip this step of cooking the vegs in a skillet with butter and just toss them in with the potatoes at the start. I think it tastes better to cook them a little separately first. But you are in charge!)
Keep poking the taties with a fork as they boil. When taties are nearly done, begin to make the rivels. Put 1 C. flour and a little salt and pepper in a bowl and make a well in the center of the flour. Stir two eggs up and pour them into the well with a fork, pulling bits of flour in as you stir gently. Scrape the small blobs onto the simmering soup until all the egg is gone. All the flour will not be used. Use as many or as few blobs as you like. As it boils, the rivels will cook but will still be pretty chewy.
Turn the heat way down. Add milk or half and half to get the consistency you want for your soup. Heat gently but don’t boil it at this point or it will curdle.
Serve steaming hot garnished with some crispy bacon and slivers of green onions on top.
I sometimes add leftover ham to this soup. Home made buttermilk or baking soda biscuits go great to eat with this hearty, satisfying soup. A fresh salad with lots of crunchy vegetables would be nice, too.
For a vegetarian version, you would obviously leave off the bacon and use water or vegetable stock.
Finished! Garnished w/ crispy bacon and freshly ground black pepper. This is the actual soup I made. TTQ cc
I’m guessing this recipe is a combination of recipes from my mom’s and my dad’s families. They both grew up in the same small town and were grade school sweethearts, graduating from HS together in 1949. Dad went into the Army and then they got married in 1952.
Dad was the youngest of eight children, living on a farm in central Indiana during the Depression. Their lives were not easy by any stretch of the imagination. Dad’s dad died on his 13th birthday, so his mom was a single Mom through most of the Depression years. Dad’s favorite foods included mashed potatoes, noodles, homemade bread, potato soup — inexpensive and filling foods that could be made with very simple ingredients. Flour, eggs, milk, potatoes, butter, broth — I assume they grew or made most of these things on their farm.
My mom’s family was a “town” family. Her dad was a mechanic, a fireman and town councilman. My mom’s family probably had more income, but my grandparents on that side were extremely frugal. They saved EVERYTHING, and though my grandma on that side was also a very good cook, she didn’t make the same buttery, starchy foods my dad’s family made.
I’ll share more family recipes in the future.
I looked for a video to show how to make the rivels, and I found this little gem. The music is very fun. I have never heard of garnishing with boiled eggs! Proceed at your own risk. I will add photos to this post of rivels when I actually make the soup next time, okay?
Here are several potato soup recipes similar to mine: It is interesting to me that several mention Indiana, Amish, German heritage and/or Grandmothers.
This quick and easy soup tastes like you spent all day cooking. I love it because it starts with cans of black beans so you can be eating soup in just about 1/2 an hour.
Ingredients:
2 T. of olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 1/2 t. cumin
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 or 2 chopped canned chipotles in adobo sauce (freeze the rest for another day)
3 cloves of garlic (more or less to taste)
1 to 1 1/2 t. salt
3 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, drained and rinsed
3 to 4 cups broth (vegetarians use veggie broth or water; others can use chicken or beef broth)
1 T. lime juice (can use lemon)
cilantro
crushed red pepper flakes
black pepper
sour cream
How to:
1. Turn the heat on! 🙂 In a dutch oven or other large pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cumin. Stir. Cook til onion gets soft (a few minutes).
2. Add the chopped carrot, garlic and salt. Cook about 5 or so more min. until vegs are well on the way to being done.
3. While that stuff is cooking in the pot, open the cans of beans and drain them. I use a colander over the sick and then rinse them well with cold water.
4. Add the beans and the broth to the pot. Add the chipotle chilies if you are using them. Add just a couple, and be sure to remove the seeds or you will get a LOT of heat! (unless that is what you like, then go for it of course!) Simmer all this for about 10 or even 15 minutes (if you are hungry then go for the lower time).
5. When things are smelling so good you can’t wait much longer, get out your potato masher or immersion blender and squish up some of the beans to thicken the soup up a bit. I don’t like my black bean soup completely smooth, but you can suit yourself on the squish factor.
6. Now for the magic! Add the lime juice (fresh squeezed is fabulous, but I live in WI so I often use the bottle stuff). Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper, freshly ground black pepper to taste (about 15 grinds for me), and chop up a pretty large handful of cilantro and throw it in the pot. Let that simmer just a few more minutes while you get out bowls, spoons and such.
7. You can taste it to check for seasonings, but I’m sure it’ll be fine! You are an excellent cook! Serve it up with your lovely stainless steel soup ladle and sprinkle a bit more cilantro on top. I like it with a small spoonful of really good sour cream (which I stir into the soup so it gets creamy looking). OH MY GOSH it is GOOOD!
If you want to fill out a meal add a salad and maybe some crispy cheese quesadillas.
Or blue corn chips with guacamole.
Or cornbread muffins.
Margaritas would be excellent.
Enjoy!
Please let me know how you like this recipe. Really. I want to know.
This soup freezes well. Not that there will be any left over.
Note: This is inspired by a recipe of Mollie Katzen’s in her book “get cooking” but I’ve changed so many things it isn’t the same as that recipe anymore.
The Tromp Queen COOKS! 