Spicy Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Victoria Taylor’s New Orleans Seasoning
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6 as a main course or 8 as a first course
- 2 Large Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 3 Carrots, grated
- 2 Medium Onions chopped
- 3 McIntosh Apples, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tbs. butter
- 2 tbs. olive oil
- 2 tbs. New Orleans Seasonings
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 Cans Chicken Broth
- 2 tbs. Calvados (Apple Brandy)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, divided
- Sour Cream for garnish
Place the squash in a large sauce pan with enough water to cover and bring to a low boil. Cook until soft, about 15 minutes. In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil to hot, but not smoking. Add the carrots, onions, New Orleans Seasoning, salt and 1/4 cup of the pine nuts. Saute for five minutes on medium heat. Add the Apples and saute for another 3 minutes. Now add one can of the chicken stock and the Calvados bring back to a boil for about 2 more minutes then remove from heat. When the squash is done, drain it and place in a large bowl and combine with the apple onion mixture. Transfer the mixture in batches to a blender or a food processor to puree. Place the thick puree in a large sauce pan. Now add the second 2 cans of chicken stock and the white wine and bring the soup back to a low simmer for 10 minutes before serving. While the soup is re-heating, use an ungreased skillet on high heat to brown the last 1/4 cup of pine nuts, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish the soup with a spoonful of sour cream and a tsp. of the toasted pine nuts.
Recipe note and Serving Suggestions:
This soup makes a wonderful first course for entertaining. Its spicy, but not too spicy. An alternative garnish that is also delicious for this soup is homemade croutons.
Chorizo Black Bean Soup with Victoria Taylor’s Smoky Paprika Chipotle Seasoning
Preparation time: 15 minutes/ Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
For Soup:
- 1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb cured chorizo sausage, casing removed and chopped
- 1 small Spanish onion, chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 tbs. Victoria Taylor’s Smoky Paprika Chipotle Seasoning
- 3 cans (15 oz) black beans, drained
- 3 cups chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
For avocado cream:
- 2 ripe avocados, pit removed and halved
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 lime, juice and zest of
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Pour extra virgin olive oil into a large saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Add the chopped chorizo to the pan and cook until crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the chorizo from the pan and set aside.
Add onion, garlic, pepper, Smoky Paprika Chipotle Seasoning and salt and pepper to the pan and cook 5-6 minutes, until the onions are tender. Add the black beans and chicken stock to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
Thicken the soup by ladling 2 cups into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Return soup to pan. Add chorizo back into the soup
For the avocado cream, place the avocados, sour cream, lime zest and lime juice into a food processor. Process until smooth.
Serve the soup topped with a scoop of avocado cream and sprinkled with cilantro.
Recipe note and Serving Suggestions:
For an even spicier soup use jalapeno or Serrano peppers instead of the cubanelle peppers.
Chicken Tortilla Soup with Victoria Taylor’s Cinnamon Chile Rub
This soup will certainly warm you up on these cold winter nights.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves 8
- 5 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 lb.), cored and seeds removed
- 1 cup coarsely chopped white onion
- 1 large clove garlic
- ½ cup cilantro, loosely packed
- 1 Tbsp. Victoria Taylor’s Cinnamon Chile Rub
- 5 cups 100% fat-free chicken broth
- 2 cups shredded chicken (See Tip)
- 1 can (15.25 oz.) corn kernels with liquid
- Garnish with Victoria Taylor’s Baked Tortilla Strips, avocado and dollop of sour cream, (optional)
Place tomatoes, onion, garlic and cilantro in blender; process until smooth. In large saucepan over medium heat add tomato mixture and Cinnamon Chile Rub; stir and cook 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, chicken and corn to saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls, top with tortilla strips, avocado and sour cream, if desired.
Recipe note and Serving Suggestions:
To prepare shredded chicken, place 2 chicken breasts, about 12 ounces, in saucepan. Cover with water and allow to simmer 1-2 hours until tender and able to shred with a fork.
Pasta Fagioli With Victoria Taylor’s Sicilian Seasoning
Preparation time: 20 minutes/ Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
- 4 oz Pancetta, minced
- 1 large onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, ½ inch dice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 Tbs. Victoria Taylor’s Sicilian Seasoning
- 1 can cannellini beans (14 oz)
- 1 can cannellini beans (14 oz), mashed
- 1 lg. can (28 oz) plum tomatoes
- ¾ cup tubetti pasta
- Parmesan cheese for garnish, grated
- Italian Parsley for garnish, coarsely chopped
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Sauté pancetta until crisp and set aside. In the same pan, sauté the onion, carrots, and garlic for 5 minutes. Stir in the Sicilian seasoning. In a large soup pot, combine the pancetta, onion mixture, chicken broth, whole and mashed cannellini beans, and tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the pasta and cook 10-12 minutes until just cooked. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
All Purpose Homemade Chicken Stock with Victoria Taylor’s Herbes de Provence
Preparation Time: 15 minutes for prep., 3 hours to simmer, 30 minutes to cool.
Makes 3 1/2 quarts stock
- 5 Pounds Chicken Pieces (light and dark Meat)
- 2 medium white onions, unpeeled, quartered
- 8 Whole Cloves
- Top 1/3 of a bunch of celery (leafy tops)
- 4 Large sprigs of fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
- 1 Leek, cleaned and cut into 3” pieces
- 2 Large Carrots, scrubbed and cut into 3” pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 2 tbs. Cider vinegar
- 4 tsp. Victoria Taylor’s Herbes de Provence
- 1 gallon water (spring water preferred)
Rinse the Chicken pieces, leaving the skin on. Use a very large soup pot to cook this stock. Place the chicken in the pot. Push the cloves into the skins of each of the onion quarters and add them to the pot. Add all the other vegetables and the seasonings. Now add the water and vinegar to the pot. Simmer for 3 hours, adding water as needed. If you are looking for a very concentrated stock, add less water. Water can always be added later when you are using the stock. Remove the stock from the heat and strain it into a large bowl and cool for at least 20 minutes, but not more than 40 minutes before transferring to storage in the refrigerator or freezer. Discard all the solids. The Chicken will be tasteless after the long cooking time. When you are ready to use the stock, remove the fat that has formed on the surface and discard it.
Recipe note and Serving Suggestions:
This is my basic Chicken stock for soups and sauces. The flavor of homemade stock is far better than canned.
