As the whitest guy on this forum, i can honestly say that good Phở beats any grandma's or mamma's soup any day of the week. Mmmmm...gonna have to get me some tonight. Some Phở, too.
I love all soups/stews/chilis. But my favorite is probably my classic chicken noodle soup. We make stock every time we cook a whole bird, so I keep some handy in the freezer. Sear some chicken thighs and a breast in a stock pot, remove once they have a nice golden brown color. In same same pot, throw in some fresh garlic, onions, celery, and carrot and allow them sweat down in the chicken fat. Cut the celery and carrots with a mandolin so thy're thin and consistently sized. Add enough homemade stock to almost cover your veggies, then add 1/2 cup of dry white wine and the juice of a whole lemon. Add the seared chicken back in the liquid once it gets a little simmer going and poach them until tender. Remove the cooked chicken pieces and shred/chop them before adding back into the soup. Season with fresh thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Cook some egg noodles to al dente in a separate pot and add them to each bowl when you serve (keeps them from disintegrating in pot of hot soup). Serve with a lemon wedge and a crusty piece of warm french bread. It's maybe 20 minutes of work, 45 minutes of simmering. Delicious.
I make a mean escarole and sausage soup that's perfect for winter. Can't wait to start making that one again. Lots of red pepper and chicken broth base.
I made Tom Yum once. Didn't turn out that great. I love all kinds of soups/stews, but Chili is the only thing I make every year. I never work off a recipe, just throw stuff in there.. So sometimes it's amazing, and sometimes it is lacking.
I make a mean tomato-basil cream style (ala La Madeline) a few times a year, since I have the tomatoes and basil. I used to make a mean crab or crawfish bisque when I lived in Houston, actually made a lot of seafood soups (cioppino & bouillabase) since I had easy access to fishmongers. Now I have to drive a ways. Quality Seafood (and Central Market) in Austin are pretty good, my favorite place though is Groomer's in SA. It's just awesome. @cardpire @VooDooPope @the shark I'll post it when I can get a copy of my mom's, I just go by sight and memory but I'd like to get yall some actual measurements & whatnot. Moms made a b!tchin' broccoli-cheese (it had pureed cauliflower in it too) soup for my grandmother today. They were reading my mind I guess...post thread...boom, I have homemade soup. @B-Bob How similar/different is it to that spinach-sausage recipe I posted earlier? I like escarole. ETA: Tortilla Soup brethren: SAVE YOUR TURKEY CARCASS for stock making purposes
Speaking of saving your turkey carcass: Turkey Gumbo http://www.mystatesman.com/lifestyl...ksgiving-turkey-gumbo/O1Baw9vNpHhfh2hVsgZNAL/
With a side of tiger penis, eaten with an ivory spoon, while drinking from a rhinoceros horn goblet. **** that ****.
Platypus? I figured you'd be all over the Dodo egg omelette. Stop eating endangered/threatened species, dammit. Sea turtle is delicious, swordfish is delicious, I'm sure Orangutan testicles are too, but you'd have to ask a Chinese person.
I can vouch for swordfish steaks. Get it while it lasts. Don't judge me. Spanish and French love weird food too.
Started my first big pot of 'eternal stew' for the season this week (actually soup) - started with classic chicken noodle.
Gumbo? I got ya covered. A cajun friend of mine introduced me to Kary's Roux decades ago and it makes everything a piece of cake. First, get your large pot and fill with 2/3 water. Boil, and then add half of oil on top of the jar and 1/2 the roux of Kary's and stir until completely disolved. Simmer for 30 minutes and add a bunch of cajun seasoning and salt until it is to your liking. After that, I either throw in a rotisserie bird from HEB (torn up, obviously) and some andouille, or I throw in some shrimp & lump crab meat. Then I simmer for another hour. This'll make almost 3 quarts, but it freezes incredibly well.