Emmylicious Cooking Day

For the last 1/2 hour I have been going through old blog posts trying to find my favourite soup recipe: Golden Winter Soup.  There has to be a way to search my blog w/o paging down all the posts right?  Well whatever that is, I don't know it.

So below you will find the recipe.  It's all made right now and so so good.  It's part of my Emmylicious cooking today.  Can you guess what show inspires Golden Winter Soup? 

Right! Game of Thrones.  "Winter is Coming"  for the Starks of Winterfell and Golden for the Lannisters of Casterly Rock!

Next I am making Cabbage Soup, that is a play on the required super thin figures actresses and actors have to keep in order to stay employable.  The recipe I found at all recipes required a bunch of stuff I didn't have like french onion soup mix, tomato juice, but I forged ahead anyway see below.

I also made Cabbage Rolls, why two cabbage dishes?  That is because 2 cabbages were included in our organic food delivery from Timber Creek Farms  !  I have no Emmy tie in for the Cabbage Rolls.  Wait, I am making one up right now. During Prohibition, cabbage rolls were a popular dish.  Boardwalk Empire on HBO is nominated for some Emmys!

Next up I am making Nana's Apple Cake.  Nana's Apple Cake is an ode to Mags Bennett on Justified--cake because I don't have any moonshine on hand to make Apple Pie Shots.

Lastly I am making Bountiful Corn Bread because it calls for creamed corn and I accidently purchased a can of Green Giant Creamed Corn instead of reg. corn when they were on sale last week at Jewel.  Corn bread matches the tone of my formerly fav. show True Blood which was ridiculously corny this season.

Golden Winter Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled russet potato (about 12 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups sliced leek (about 2 medium)
• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 12 ounces baguette, cut into 16 slices
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped chives
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation

• Preheat broiler.
• Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add squash, potato, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add leek; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Place half of potato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture. Stir in half-and-half. Cover and keep warm.
• Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil bread slices 2 minutes or until golden. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 1 teaspoon chives. Serve 2 bread slices with each serving. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.
• Wine note: This is one vegetable soup that can easily handle a lighter red wine. Stick with the French theme and look for bargains from Burgundy, like Louis Jadot Pinot Noir 2005 ($20). This wine has pretty red berry fruit, great balance, and gentle tannins that make it ideal for lower-fat dishes. The underlying earthy, leathery flavors bring out the rustic nuances of the potatoes and squash. —Jeffery Lindenmuth

Barbara Kafka, Cooking Light
JANUARY 2008

Original Recipe Yield15 servings

Ingredients

• 5 carrots, chopped
• 3 onions, chopped
• 2 (16 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, with liquid
• 1 large head cabbage, chopped
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1 (15 ounce) can cut green beans, drained
• 2 quarts tomato juice
• 2 green bell peppers, diced
• 10 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

Directions

1. Place carrots, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, green beans, peppers, and celery in a large pot. Add onion soup mix, tomato juice, beef broth, and enough water to cover vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are tender. May be stored in the refrigerator for several days.