Recipes: Winter Weather Recipes to Make at Home

March 2, 2009 — --

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

Serves four

Ingredients:

Preparation

Put a medium pot over medium-high heat, then add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and the bacon and cook until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Pour off a little of the bacon fat, leaving a thin, even layer. Add the potatoes, onion, celery, bell pepper and bay leaf to the pot, season with salt and pepper and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the milk, cover the pot and bring to a simmer.

Run your fingers through the crabmeat to check for shell bits, then combine it with the thyme and seafood seasoning. Uncover the pot, stir in the crabmeat and simmer for 6-7 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork-tender and the soup has thickened. Finish the chowder with the sherry and serve with the crispy bacon, chives, oyster crackers and hot sauce.

3 green or yellow bell peppers, diced into bite-size chunks

1 large softball-size onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

¼ cup good quality balsamic vinegar (eyeball it)

1 quart chicken stock

1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)

4 cups stale crusty bread, torn or chopped (half a loaf)

Salt and black pepper

1 cup basil leaves (about 20), torn

6 corn tortillas, halved then cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick strips

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt

6 ears fresh corn, kernels scraped from the cob, or two boxes frozen corn kernels (10 ounces each)

1 red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Pepper

One container vegetable broth (4 cups) or (32 ounces)

One can fire-roasted diced or crushed tomatoes (14.5 ounces)

1 avocado, chopped

1 lime, halved

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

1/4 cup sour cream

Preparation:

Pre-heat the broiler. Broil the poblanos until blackened, 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let cool. Peel, seed and chop the poblanos.

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. On a baking sheet, toss the tortilla strips with 1 tablespoon oil and the cumin. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes; season with salt.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook until charred at the edges, 10-12 minutes. Add the red onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomatoes and poblanos.

Divide the tortilla strips among 4 soup bowls. Add the avocado and a squeeze of lime juice. Ladle the soup over the avocado. Top with cilantro; serve with the sour cream.