Cajun Potato Soup

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I can honestly say, when it comes to Mardi Gras, I really don’t do that much celebrating. I do, however, really enjoy the food. As a consequence, year after year, I try new recipes for Cajun and Creole dishes. With the frigid temperatures that we’ve been having, nothing sounds better than a hot sandwich or steaming bowl of soup. This Cajun Potato Soup warms you inside and out, thanks to the spices and andouille sausage. It goes together rather quickly; I got the oil and butter melting as I was chopping the vegetables, and then just threw them into the pan as they were cooking. In no time, I had a delicious, comforting bowl of soup.

 

 Cajun Potato Soup

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

2 T. butter 

2 T. olive oil 

1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s shallots, diced 

2 ribs celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1½ lbs. andouille sausage, sliced into rounds 

1 1.5-oz bag Melissa’s Baby Red Potatoes, quartered

3 c. chicken broth 

2 c. whole milk 

2 c. heavy cream 

2 t. Italian seasoning

1 t. Creole seasoning

1 lg. Handful fresh spinach, chopped 

Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

 In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt butter and oil together. Add onion, celery, and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage slices; cook, stirring occasionally another 5 minutes. Add potatoes; cook and stir 15 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 to 12 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about one minute more. Remove from heat. Top with Parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

Robust's Chowder

On most days when the paper arrives in the morning, I head straight for the Sports Section (yes, girls like sports, too), but on Wednesday the Sports Section is cast aside in favor of the Food Section, and specifically the column in the food section called “Special Requests” that divulges specially requested recipes from area restaurants.  This past week the Post-Dispatch featured a recipe that particularly caught my eye, lifetime lover of soup that I am.  It was for chowder from Robust's Wine Bar, an area eatery with three locations.

The list of ingredients is ample, but the soup comes together rather quickly as the vegetables can be chopped while the meats are cooking. I cut the recipe in half, and it came out beautifully (and I was certainly glad that I had a bag of previously roasted poblanos in the freezer).

I took a portion to my dad, who is more a fan of the broth-y meat-and-vegetable kind of soup, and he gave this a thumbs up, as did the two of us. It has loads of flavor, with a tiny bit of heat that will have you scraping the bowl and wanting more.

Robust's Chowder

Yield: 16 (1-cup) servings

1 quart whole milk

1 quart heavy cream

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ pound chorizo, diced

½ pound andouille, diced

½ large yellow onion, diced small

1 rib celery, diced small

½ red bell pepper, diced small

½ green pepper, diced small

½ poblano chile, diced small

5 russet potatoes, peeled and diced small

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground thyme

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon salt

½ tablespoon black pepper

1 pound 71-90 count shrimp, shelled

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup frozen corn

Crostini, for serving

In a large, heavy pot, heat milk and cream until just before it begins to boil, stirring often; do not allow to boil.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pot, heat butter and oil until shimmery on medium heat. Add chorizo and andouille and cook for about 5 minutes until fat begins to render. Add onion, celery, peppers, chile and potato, let sweat for about 5 minutes. Stir in spices, salt, pepper and shrimp.

Stir in flour, stirring well to combine evenly, scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking and burning.

Slowly stir in milk and cream mixture, then gently stir continuously until chowder comes almost to a boil. When shrimp are cooked, stir in corn and remove from heat. Refrigerate for 24 hours to allow flavors to develop.

To serve Robust-style, gently reheat, stirring often to prevent scorching. Serve in bowls with crostini on the side. (I topped mine with a few slices of Melissa’s shishito peppers to give it a bit more pizazz!)

This post is linked to:

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Full Plate Thursday

Create It Thursday

Show and Tell Friday 

Foodie Friday

Spicy Sausage and Potato Soup

It's hard to imagine waking up near the end of March and seeing five inches of snow on the ground, at least where we live, so inasmuch as springtime normally doesn't have me thinking about thick, hearty soups, today certainly did.  In digging through the fridge I found the remainder of a package of andouille sausages that we'd bought for making jambalaya and remembered that I'd printed out a recipe for an andouille and potato soup, so decided to give it a try.  The recipe can be found here, but for the sake of convenience I've also listed it below.

Before I proceed, let me tell you that it is delicious!  I'd never made soup in a skillet before, so that was a first, nor had I ever made soup with andouille.  The skillet preparation makes it quick and easy, with little need for extensive clean-up afterwards, and the andouille makes for one delicious soup.  It's very hearty, so a bowl of this and a roll, and you have dinner.  I served mine with a tiny little side of mixed greens.

The recipe called for the sausage to be diced, but my husband thought he'd prefer it sliced, so that's what I did.  I'm not so sure dicing isn't the better idea in order to get a better sausage-to-spoonful ratio, but do whatever you'd prefer here.

Spicy Sausage and Potato Soup

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

12 to 16 ounces andouille sausage or other smoked sausage

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon dried leaf basil

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups chicken broth

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, and diced (or in my case, sliced) sausage.

Saute until the vegetables are tender and sausage is lightly browned. 

Stir in the flour until smooth and well-blended.

Stir in green onions, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring, for 1 minute. 

Blend in the chicken broth. Add the diced potatoes, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 

Stir in the heavy cream and continue cooking until heated through.  

Serves 6.

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