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What better way to soothe the soul in cold months than with a delicious soup?
Becky Ellis
Past Fagioli Zuppa with Red Pepper Pesto
On blustery cold winter days, there is nothing better than a steamy bowl of homemade soup to keep you and your family warm and toasty. There are so many wonderful things about soup – it’s a one pot wonder, so easy to make and serve with crunchy French or Italian bread for a satisfying supper. Dress soup up for company with garnishes (only limited by your imagination) to add crunch, color and pizazz and don’t forget a dash or two of hot pepper sauce. My recipes include locally made hot pepper sauces.
Mosaic Potato Corn Chowder
8 servings
- 8 slices thick cut bacon, cut into very small pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 leek, white part only, cleaned, cut into thin slices
- ½ carrot, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube
- 2 tablespoons Clark and Hopkins Chesapeake Bay Pepper Sauce
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1½ cups frozen corn
- 1 cup whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For mosaic garnish: finely diced red bell pepper, crisp bacon crumbles, finely shredded cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green onions and a few drops of pepper sauce.
Place bacon and olive oil in a large stock pot. Cook over medium-high heat until bacon is crisp. Reduce heat to low and add onions, leek, carrot and celery. Stir and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add Greek seasoning and thyme and crumble the Knorr chicken bouillon cube into the mixture. Add pepper sauce, chicken broth and potatoes. Stir and increase heat to medium.
When the soup starts to simmer, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes. Add corn, whipping cream, salt and pepper. Stir and continue to cook for 1 more minute. Keep warm until service. Garnish each bowl of soup with finely diced red bell pepper, crisp bacon crumbles, finely shredded cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green onions and drizzle with pepper sauce.
Virginia wine pairing suggestion: Gabriele Rausse Albemarle County Viognier. $22 range.
Sausage & Lentil Soup
Recipe inspired by Carrabba’s Sausage and Lentil Soup.
8 servings.
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 48-ounce package low-sodium chicken broth
- 11/2 teaspoons Greek Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup red lentils
- 2 tablespoons Clark and Hopkins Chesapeake Bay Pepper Sauce
In a large pot, add onions, carrots, garlic, and celery and butter or vegetable oil. Sauté until the onions are transparent. Cook sausage in a skillet until browned. Drain fat off of sausage and add to pot.
Add chicken broth, salt, Greek seasoning, diced tomatoes, red lentils and pepper sauce. Cover with lid and simmer for about an hour. Add additional chicken broth if too much liquid cooks out during the cooking process.
Virginia wine pairing suggestion: True Heritage Castalia Farm Reserve Petit Verdot Monticello 2018. $20 range.
For more warm weather soup recipes, including Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Soup, Pasta Fagioli Soup and Pasta Fagioli Zuppa with Red Pepper Pesto, get our latest issue on newsstands now!
The story above is a preview from our January/February 2021 issue. For the full story subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!
