Castellon's Kitchen: October 2017

I'm on a soup kick...I've moved on from Halloween dishes and I'm starting to focus on warm, comforting, fall foods, like soup. Those one pot meals that taste even better the next day or series of days. I made this soup on Sunday and I've had it two more times for lunch. I ate the last of it today and added leftover rice and a few more morsels of sausage crumbles and it was divine. And here's the best part...its super simple to make. I used what I had in my fridge and freezer but feel free to add different toppings. Have fun adding your own ingredients to this delicious base made with a puree of onions, bell peppers, garlic and tomatoes in chicken broth and tomato paste.
If you like mushroom, chicken and spinach pizza, add those instead of the pepperoni and sausage. If you like veggie pizza, add your favorites veggies as toppings and substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth. Meat lovers pizza, add more meat and substitute the chicken broth with beef broth for a more intensely flavored soup. The sky's the limit. I made some cheesy bread on soft ciabatta with a mixture of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses to dunk into the soup which really makes it feel like you are eating pizza, but I'd imagine garlic bread would be pretty darn delicious as well. Enjoy!

Pizza Soup

(Adapted recipe from Vitamix)

Serves 6

2 T olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup bell peppers, diced
8 Roma Tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic
3 T tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. oregano, dried
2 tsp. basil, dried
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
16 slices pepperoni
1 cup Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Fresh basil (garnish)

Add oil to large dutch oven. Saute onion, peppers (I prefer the flavor of red bell peppers in this soup over green bell peppers but I used what I had on hand which was an orange bell pepper but feel free to use any color bell pepper), tomatoes and garlic until onions are soft, about 8-10 minutes.

Add sauteed vegetables to a blender and add 2 cups chicken stock and tomato paste and puree. Add contents of the blender back to the dutch oven and add the remaining chicken broth, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Heat to a boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes to reduce a little. Add pepperoni and sausage and simmer an additional 10 minutes or until heated through. Taste and add more salt, oregano or basil as needed.

Ladle into bowls, top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, fresh basil and some crispy pepperoni. Enjoy!

Optional:
Pepperoni Leaves
I love fall so I decided to make some crispy pepperoni leaves as a garnish to this yummy soup. But, if you don't want to go to the trouble of cutting out leaves, you can make crispy whole pepperoni by putting a few slices on a foil lined cookie sheet and heat in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Longer if you want them crispier. Drain on a paper towel and then garnish your soup.

Other recipes to try:

Tomato Garlic Soup with Cheese Tortellini

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Short Rib and Bok Choy Soup

October has finally arrived and that means comfort foods. I realize fall in Southern California isn't as obvious as the brilliant fall colors of the northeast. Southern California fall is definitely more subtle. The temps still hang in the upper 80's and even 90's on some days, but you need to look around to really see fall outside of the blinding high temps. Fall is in the sun that doesn't hang as high. It's in the long shadows below the trees. It's in the shorter days and chilly mornings. Our trees really don't drop their leaves until December and January, but if you look real hard, you'll see a few early leaves working hard to give us bursts of yellows, reds, and oranges. These little signs of fall speak to this Socal girl and inspires me to slow braise meats, bake bread, and make soup... or in this case chili. This Hatch Chile and Beef Chorizo Chili is spicy and comforting and perfect for a cool or warm-ish fall evening. Enjoy!

Hatch Chile and Beef Chorizo Chili

Serves 12

3 lbs. lean ground beef
2 tubes beef chorizo
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups Trader Joe's Roasted Hatch Chiles®, chopped
3/4 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin

1 tsp Penzey's® Epazote
3 14 oz. cans S & W® Black Chili Beans
2 14 oz. cans S & W® Regular Chili Beans
salt and pepper
Green onions, sliced (garnish)

Brown ground beef and drain the fat. Add chorizo, onions, hatch chiles, roasted red peppers, garlic tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, epazote and beans. Simmer on low for a minimum of 1 hour. The longer it cooks the better. I placed it in a Slow Cooker on low for 4 hours and it was incredible. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sour cream and sliced green onions.