Cool Weather Comfort: Hearty Soup Recipes, Perfect for Fall

Soup is probably the original comfort food. Through the ages, when times were tough, people often had to make do with very little meat and precious few ingredients. Surviving the cold weather months meant creatively and effectively dealing with limited food resources. By combining water, a few root vegetables and some herbs, a single portion of meat could feed an entire family.

Today, most of us face nothing nearly so drastic as starvation. Still, homemade soups can readily help stretch a tight household budget while providing delicious meals and excellent nutrition. Ranging from light broths to thick and hearty chowders, there's a soup to suit every taste.

Chicken Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
5 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup *creme fraiche
5-6 ears fresh corn
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 TBS chicken base/bouillon
1 TBS flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 TBS unsalted butter
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a heavy bottom stock pot or Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring ocassionally until onions turn translucent. Add potatoes and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in milk, heavy cream, cayenne and chicken base. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, use a knife to remove the corn from the cobs. Add the corn to the pot and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Using a small strainer, drain and transfer 2 1/2 cups of corn, onion and potatoes to a separate bowl. Use a stick immersion blender, puree remaining soup until smooth. If using a blender, process the soup to smooth, working in 3-4 small batches.

Combine reserved vegetables, chicken and soup in the stockpot over medium heat, stirring through for 2-3 minutes. Add the creme fraiche, remaining butter, cayenne pepper, sea salt and black pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve, garnished with crumbled bacon and parsley.

Mushroom Crab Soup

Ingredients:
6 cups water
2 cups whole milk
8 ounces fresh crab meat
4 TBS unsalted butter
1/3 cup shallot, minced
1 lb button mushroom mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 TBS fresh thyme, minced
2 TBS garlic, minced
2 TBS chicken base
2 large baking potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup red wine
Sea salt and pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus 2 TBS for garnish

Directions:
Over moderate heat, melt butter in a heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add the shallots and mushrooms and saute 5-6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Add thyme and garlic and saute 3-4 minutes. Stir in the water and chicken base. Increase heat to medium high. Stir in chicken base and cubed potatoes. Bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover loosely and simmer for 15 minutes. Carefully strain and transfer potato quarters and 1 cup of mushroom pieces to a blender. Add 2 cups of milk and puree/blend until smooth. Return the mushroom-potato puree to the stockpot, stirring in the wine and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Heat through, seasoning with sea salt and black pepper to taste.

To serve, garnish each bowl with a drizzle of the remaining heavy cream and top with a 1-2 tablespoon mound of crab meat.

Beef Barley

Ingredients:
2 pounds bottom of the round beef
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
2 TBS celery leaves, finely chopped 1 large onion, diced
1 cup white button mushrooms, sliced thin
3 TBS fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
6 cups rich beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes (16oz)
1 1/4 cups pearl barley
2 TBS tomato paste
1 TBS hot sauce
2 teaspoons dried basil
2-3 teaspoons sea salt, to taste
2-3 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Season the meat with salt and pepper. In a cast iron or other heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Brown the meat on all sides then transfer to a large bowl or plate.

To the Dutch oven, add diced carrots, celery with leaves and onion. Saute for 3-4 minutes then add mushrooms. Continue cooking for 5 minutes longer then add the broth, tomatoes, barley, tomato paste, basil, sea salt, black pepper and hot sauce. Return to a boil, then add in browned meat.

Cover, reducing heat to a simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours or until meat is tender and breaks up easily. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Move meat to a cutting board and chop or break up into small pieces. Trim and discard any fat. Return meat to the pan and heat through.

Creamy Irish Potato

Ingredients:
6 large potatoes
2 large onions
4 cups rich chicken stock
2 1/2 cups milk
2 TBS Irish butter
2 TBS flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Peel the potatoes and dice. Rough chop half the onions and finely chop the other half. Melt 1 TBS butter and gently cook the onions and potatoes in a covered saucepan until just soft and beginning to turn translucent. Add the liquid, adjust the seasoning to taste. Remove 1 cup of potato solids and puree together with 1/2 cup broth using a stick/immersion blender. Add the puree back into the soup and heat through.

Serve in individual bowls. Top each with a small pat of the remaining butter and garnish with chopped parsley.

Beer Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup flour
32 fluid ounces low sodium chicken broth
2 cups boiling water
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces Velveta Cheese, cubed
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces Lager beer
1/2 cup *creme fraiche
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 TBS hot sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
*Philly soft pretzels (optional, see recipe info below)

Directions:
Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a heavy bottom stockpot. Add the flour and stir constantly, cooking until fragrant and light beige in color.

Stir in chicken broth, boiling water and milk until well combined. Whisk in the cream, Velveta, cheddar cheese, lager/beer, Worcestershire, hot sauce, garlic and onion powder.

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring ocassionally until creamy and smooth. Add creme fraiche and stir through. Serve in individual bowls, garnishing each with a Philly soft pretzel.

* Links to Chef Daymon's recipes for homemade Philly Soft Pretzels and Creme Fraiche can be found below.