Category: SOUPS & STEWS & CHILIS

DARING COOKS ~ BRUNSWICK STEW

Wolf of Wolf’s Den chose a popular pan-Southern classic called Brunswick Stew.

According to Wolf, “Brunswick Stew has a long, and oft debated history. Brunswick, Georgia claimed that the first Brunswick Stew was created there in 1898. There is, at the Golden Isles Welcome Center on Interstate 95, a bronzed stew pot with a plaque proclaiming this fact.

However, Brunswick, Virginia claims that the first Brunswick Stew was created there by a camp cook named Jimmy Matthews in 1828, for a hunting expedition led by Dr. Creed Haskings, a member of the Virginia State Legislature for a number of years. He was said to have used squirrel in the original Brunswick Stew created for the group when they returned. The hunters were at first skeptical of the thick, hearty concoction, but upon tasting it, were convinced and asked for more.

Every year, there is an Annual Brunswick Stew Cookoff that pits ‘Stewmasters’ from both Virgina and Georgia against their counterparts, and takes place every October in Georgia.

In the early 20th Cent, the rivalry of the two Brunswicks helped make this dish as popular as it is today, and it quickly became a pan-Southern classic. Some recipe call for the original addition of squirrel, but most allow for chicken, turkey, ham, or pork, even beef on occasion. Rabbit is also used. The vegetables can vary widely from variation to variation, however, the Brunswick Stewmasters recipe says *exactly* what is used in competion stews, and states that “Adding any additional ingredient(s) will disqualify the stew from being an original Brunswick Stew.”

However, most agree that, Brunswick stew is not done properly “until the paddle stands up in the middle.”

The first recipe is more traditional – long and involved, as can be many Southern recipes. The second was the very first Brunswick stew I ever tasted. Both are fairly straight forward and easy, requiring no special equipment, techniques, or super hard to find ingredients.”

Recipe Source(s)- I’ve included two different recipes for this Challenge, out of the hundreds of variations out there. The first is from “The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-Be Southerners” by Matt Lee and Ted Lee”, and the second from the Callaway, Va Ruritan Club, who hand out cards with their recipe printed on them, every year at the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, and where I tried my first ever Brunswick Stew.

Blog Checking Lines- The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

Variations allowed- Recipes may be halved if you choose. You may substitute any vegetables you don’t prefer. You may use fresh, canned or frozen vegetables. My variations are included in the notes. For example- some recipes include okra in their stew, others use creamed corn. You may sub out the rabbit for pork, turkey, beef, or even another game animal if you have it available.

Mandatory- You must use one of the two recipes provided. Now, to not exclude our vegans/vegetarians, if you’d like, use vegetable stock and leave out the meats. It won’t be a ‘true’ Brunswick Stew, but it’ll have the spirit of one.} There’s no gluten anywhere in this that I’m aware of, so we’re good in that regard.

Recipe Two, The Short Way-
Brunswick Stew recipe from the Callaway, Va Ruritan Club, served yearly at the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival in Ferrum, Va.

Serves about 10

2 ½ pounds combination diced stewed chicken, turkey, and ham, with broth – yes, all three meats
3 medium diced potatoes
2 medium ripe crushed tomatoes
2 medium diced onions
3 cups frozen corn
1 ½ cups frozen lima beans I just don’t do lima beans!
4-5 strips crumbled bacon
4 tablespoons of butter
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning
Dash of red pepper
2 diced carrots (optional)
Tomato juice

  • In the largest stockpot you have, which is hopefully larger than the 5 qt ones I have, preferably a 10-12 qt or even a Dutch Oven if you’re lucky enough to have one, fry the bacon over medium-high heat until it just starts to crisp. Transfer to a large bowl, and set aside. Reserve most of the bacon fat in your pan, and with the pan on the burner, add in the chiles. Toast the chiles until they just start to smell good, or make your nose tingle, about a minute tops. Remove to bowl with the bacon.
  • Season liberally both sides of the rabbit and chicken pieces with sea salt and pepper. Place the rabbit pieces in the pot and sear off all sides possible. You just want to brown them, not cook them completely. Remove to bowl with bacon and chiles, add more bacon fat if needed, or olive oil, or other oil of your choice, then add in chicken pieces, again, browning all sides nicely. Remember not to crowd your pieces, especially if you have a narrow bottomed pot. Put the chicken in the bowl with the bacon, chiles and rabbit. Set it aside.
  • Add 2 cups of your chicken broth or stock, if you prefer, to the pan and basically deglaze the4 pan, making sure to get all the goodness cooked onto the bottom. The stock will become a nice rich dark color and start smelling good. Bring it up to a boil and let it boil away until reduced by at least half. Add your remaining stock, the bay leaves, celery, potatoes, chicken, rabbit, bacon, chiles and any liquid that may have gathered at the bottom of the bowl they were resting in. Bring the pot back up to a low boil/high simmer, over medium/high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover, remember to stir every 15 minutes, give or take, to thoroughly meld the flavors. Simmer, on low, for approximately 1 ½ hours. Supposedly, the stock may become a yellow tinge with pieces of chicken or rabbit floating up, the celery will be very limp, as will the chiles. Taste the stock, according to the recipe, it “should taste like the best chicken soup you’ve ever had”.
  • With a pair of tongs, remove the chicken and rabbit pieces to a colander over the bowl you used earlier. Be careful, as by this time, the meats will be very tender and may start falling apart. Remove the bay leaf, celery, chiles, bacon and discard.5 After you’ve allowed the meat to cool enough to handle, carefully remove all the meat from the bones, shredding it as you go. Return the meat to the pot, throwing away the bones. Add in your carrots, and stir gently, allowing it to come back to a slow simmer. Simmer gently, uncovered, for at least 25 minutes, or until the carrots have started to soften.
  • Add in your onion, butter beans, corn and tomatoes. As you add the tomatoes, crush them up, be careful not to pull a me, and squirt juice straight up into the air, requiring cleaning of the entire stove. Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring every so often until the stew has reduced slightly, and onions, corn and butter beans are tender. Remove from heat and add in vinegar, lemon juice, stir to blend in well. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce if desired.
  • You can either serve immediately or refrigerate for 24 hours, which makes the flavors meld more and makes the overall stew even better. Serve hot, either on its own, or with a side of corn bread, over steamed white rice, with any braised greens as a side.

Recipe2-In large stock pot or Dutch Oven, mix all ingredients, heat until bubbly and hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato juice as desired. Cook until all vegetables are tender. Serve hot.

Optional- Not required for the Challenge-but I always make my own broth!
Sunday Chicken Broth

From “The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-Be Southerners” by Matt Lee and Ted Lee
Makes about 1 quart (4 cups or 919.68 grams or 32.303 oz)
Estimated Time- 1 ¼ hours

Bones and trimmings, but not giblets, of one 3 ½- 4 ½ lb (1594.32-2049.84 grams or 56-72 oz) chicken, or 12-14 oz / 341.64-398.58 grams / approx. 2 cups chicken bones and trimmings
1 large onion, trimmed, peeled, quartered
6 large stems fresh flat leaf parsley
1 stalk celery, cut into 2” lengths
2 large bay leaves
5 cups / 1149.6 grams / 40.379 oz cold water
1 cup / 229.92 grams / 8.076oz crisp dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Place bones/trimmings in medium stockpot and add onion, parsley, celery and bay leaves. Add wine and water, liquid should cover all ingredients, if not, add more until it does. Bring to vigorous simmer over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer gently for roughly 45 minutes to an hour, skimming any scum or fat that comes to the surface.

Strain broth into bowl through fine mesh strainer. Discard the solids. Measure what you are left with, if not planning to further reduce, then salt and pepper to taste.

Store in tightly sealed container in refrigerator until the remaining fat congeals on the top. Remove the fat, and unless not using within 2 days, keep tightly sealed in the refrigerator. Otherwise, freeze, and it will keep for upwards of a month.

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TOMATO SPINACH SOUP

TOMATO SPINACH SOUP
1/2 (+/- to taste) pound baby spinach, washed
1/3 bag baby carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
2 cans diced tomatoes with herbs
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon basil

  • Toss all ingredients together in slow cooker.
  • Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours.

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CLEANING THE FRIDGE SOUP

I love this soup! I make it whenever I clean the refrigerator. I start with all the vegetables that are on then wilting side. You’ll notice the tomatoes are a bit wrinkly and the lettuce is limp. I clean all the outsides and trim the edges and then put them all in the pressure cooker with 3 cups of homemade chicken broth. When the rocker starts, I let it go for 10 minutes and then let it cool naturally. I’ll use whatever I have, fruit included, last time there was also a banana, apple and kiwi in the mix.
After it cools I open it and drain the broth out through a colander Then I mash all of the vegetables and and let them drain through the colander for a few minutes also.
I add 1 tablespoon of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of white pepper to the broth and a 2 1/2 pound chuck roast to the broth. I start the pressure cooker again and when it starts rocking let it rock for 20-25 minutes this time. I let it cool down naturally again.
I mix the vegetables back in and add 2 cups dry pasta and let it simmer for an hour.

You haven’t wasted anything because it’s wilted and you have a super tasty soup. It makes 8 servings.
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Tuscan Vegetable Soup

This recipe comes from Ellie Krieger. Until recently, I certainly would not have craved a vegetable soup, especially one that is advertised as healthy. I always talk about the need to grow in all areas of our life. This is what I am doing because now I certainly crave healthy soups. I, know how good they taste and Ellie has shared more than wonderful soup for us to “kvell” about.

For many years, we have chosen not to eat canned goods because of the high salt content. I have remained true to this and I am not even sure if I ever deviated from this thinking. That is, until I discovered Eden products. There is almost no salt in their canned goods. Now, I have the choice of canned beans for quick soups. I wish I was in my kitchen with a camera to show you my bean shelf. I try to keep as many kinds as are available so, at any moment, I can throw them into a soup or chili or stew. How liberating this is!

Tuscan Vegetable Soup adapted from Ellie Krieger
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
32 ounces low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves

In a small bowl, mash a third of the beans.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.

Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, spices, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil.

Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

This is a meal, I anticipate making again and again.

I would love it if you would join me at Comfy Cook and Sweet and Savory.

CREAM OF BROCCOLI POTATO CHEESE SOUP & SOUR CREAM BISCUITS





CREAM OF BROCCOLI POTATO CHEESE SOUP
2 cups frozen hash browns
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, minced
1 Vidalia Onion, chopped
1 large crown broccoli, chopped
3-4 cups boiling water (depending on desired consistency)
2 tablespoons Better Bouillon
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
salt & pepper to taste
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
dash of white pepper
3/4 cup grated aged cheddar cheese

  • Whisk together the 1/2 cup salted butter, minced garlic and white pepper.
  • Fold in grated cheese
  • In a large skillet cook over low heat until it all melts together.
  • Add frozen hash browns and saute’ until golden brown.
  • Add onions and celery. Cook until translucent.
  • In a large saucepan whisk the bouillon into the hot water.
  • Add the carrots, potatoes, celery, broccoli pieces and onions.
  • Simmer on low 1 hour until all vegetables are soft and tender.
  • Mash vegetables.
  • Add cheese and blend well.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

SOUR CREAM BISCUITS
2 3/4 cups self rising flour
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup sour cream

  • Preheat oven 450 degrees
  • Mix all ingredients together.
  • Drop evenly into muffin tins.
  • Bake for 15 minutes.
  • Makes 12 biscuits.

CHICKEN POSOLE

CHICKEN POSOLE*
1 can hominy, drained and chopped small
2 cans Rotel original tomatoes
10 ounce can Ortega green enchilada sauce
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
3 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken**
The recipe made with these ingredients makes a fairly thick stew. To make it as a soup add 2-3 cups of chicken broth.

  • Combine the hominy, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, carrots, onion and cumin in a stockpot over a very low heat and mix well. A crock pot works well too!
  • Add chicken.
  • Cover and cook on high 3+ hours until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
  • Remove chicken and shred.
  • Stir chicken back into soup.
  • Serve with fresh chopped cilamtro, lime wedges, tortilla chips, warm flour tortillas or fresh chile corn bread.
*POZOLE ~ Pozolepene (from Spanish pozole, from Nahuatl potzolli; variant spellings: posole, pozolé, pozolli) is a traditional pre-Columbian soup or stew from Mexico and New Mexico. It is made from hominy, with pork (or other meat), chili pepper, and other seasonings and garnish, such as cabbage, lettuce, oregano, cilantro, radish, avocado, lime juice, etc. There are a number of variations on pozole, including blanco (white or clear), verde (green), rojo (red), de frijol (with beans), and elopozole (sweet corn, squash, and chicken or pork meat).

**I like to substitute the shredded chicken pieces I have frozen from when I buy rotisserie chickens 2 for 1 at my local store and portion them for quick meals. That way I can make this recipe quickly on a week night too.

TOMATO SPINACH SOUP

TOMATO SPINACH SOUP
1/2 (+/- to taste) pound baby spinach, washed
1/3 bag baby carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
2 cans diced tomatoes with herbs
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon basil

  • Toss all ingredients together in slow cooker.
  • Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours.

SPLIT PEA SOUP


SPLIT PEA SOUP

1 Honey Baked Ham Bone
2 cups ham pieces
3 quarts water
1 small bag baby carrots, chopped
5 large stalk celery, leaves included, chopped
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cups split green peas
2 cups split yellow peas
1/4 cup barley
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper & white pepper mix
1 bottle beer – Mystery ingredient

  • In a large stock pot, bring ham bone* & water to a boil. Boil until the meat is falling off the bone, about 1 – 1 1/2 hours)
  • Remove the bone and let cool enough so you can cut the meat off the bone.
  • In the mean time add the carrots, celery, onion (4 cups total) and seasonings to the water and return to a slow boil for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
  • While the vegetables are boiling, rinse the peas and pick out any bad ones.
  • Cut the ham pieces off the bone. Refrigerate the ham pieces and discard the bone.
  • After the vegetables have cooked 45 minutes or until tender, add the peas and barley. Cook for another 1 1/2 hours.
  • Add the beer and ham pieces back in and cook another 1 1/2 hours.

*I always save my honey baked ham bones after the meat is all cut off. I then freeze them and save them for future soups. I always get at least 2 cups of meat off when I boil the bone.

This makes a huge batch and I always freeze it in several batches (3-4) for future easy weeknight meals. In this case it will be a big batch when everyone is here at Christmas.

TODAY’S TRIVIA as heard by hubby on an old game show – Campbell’s soup used to fill the bottom of the bowl with marbles so the vegetables would be at the top giving the appearance of more vegetables in each bowl of soup. That trick was not done here – what you see is what you get.

FRENCH ONION & TOMATO SOUP


FRENCH ONION & TOMATO SOUP
4 tablespoons salted butter
3 medium Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
3 medium hot house tomatoes
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
6 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon Better than Beef Bouillon
1 tablespoon kitchen bouquet
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
4 thin slices french or sourdough bread, toasted
4 slices Gruyere cheese*

  • Melt butter in bottom of stock pot.
  • Separate onions into rings and add to butter. Cook until tender and golden.
  • Add flour and blend well with butter mixture and onions.
  • Add broth, beef bouillon, kitchen bouquet, paprika, onion powder, celery salt, sea salt and pepper and stir well.
  • Simmer 15-20 minutes.
  • Toast bread and then butter it.
  • Ladle soup into 4 oven proof bowls that have been put on a cookie sheet for easier handling.
  • Place 1 slice of toast over top of soup.
  • Lay 1 slice of cheese on top of toast.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for 7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Another great option is to use these cheesy baked croutons to top the soup. Both ways are super yummy!

BAKED CHEESY CROUTONS
6 slices thick sourdough bread
butter, melted, enough to coat bread
½ cup Fontina Cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread slices on oven rack and bake until dry and golden. Melt butter in flat bowl. Combine cheeses in flat bowl. Dip first in butter and the cheese mixture. Bake on cookie sheet 8-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted. Float croutons on top of soup bowls just before serving.

Yields: 6 BOWLS
Time to make: 1½ hr

*you’d think living close to Wisconsin, the cheese state, I could get all sorts of flavors of cheese, but alas I still can’t find gruyere and have been substituting provolone.

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

CHICKEN SAUSAGE GUMBO
6-8 cups chicken broth
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 large bunch green onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoons hot shot black & red pepper blend by McCormick
2 teaspoons Frank’s Red Hot Pepper Sauce
8 ounces smoked sausage, diced
3 chicken tenders, diced
½ cup long grain rice
½ cup medium pasta shells
Combine all ingredients except for the pasta and rice. Cook on high 1 hour. Add pasta and rice. Cook 1 additional hour. Serve with cornbread or biscuits.

NAVY BEAN & HAM SOUP with GARLIC CHEESE BISCUITS

According to Wisegeek, Navy beans are pea sized white beans which can be used in a variety of dishes. These very common beans are known by a variety of alternate names, including haricot beans, Boston beans, pea beans, and Yankee beans, and they are closely related to larger white beans such as Great Northern and cannelloni beans. Most markets carry navy beans, typically in both dried and canned form, and they are also very easy to grow in the garden, if you have a little bit of room.
The flavor of navy beans is fairly mild, and the texture of the beans tends to be fairly dense. The common name “navy bean” is a reference to the fact that the beans were once widely included among the staple supplies of the United States Navy, since dried beans do not go bad, and they provide an excellent source of nutrition. Many classic American bean dishes call for navy beans as a result, since they were so widespread and well known; Boston baked beans, for example, are made with navy beans. So of course I am now researching these recipes to replace my current BBQ bean recipe and get away from using canned products.

My recipe was developed from what I had on hand along with childhood memories of navy beans and ham hocks cooking on the stove. Min from the Bad Girl’s Kitchen recently ran a recipe for Ham & Bean soup that is most similar to what my family cooked when I was young. I developed this biscuit recipe after I fell in love with the Red Lobster’s cheddar biscuits.


NAVY BEAN & HAM SOUP

1 ham bone with meat on it
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Frank’s red pepper hot sauce
1/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

  • Soak the beans in room temperature water overnight.
  • Cover ham bone with water. Sprinkle generously with cayenne pepper, salt, thyme sprigs and black pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours or ham falls off the bone.
  • Strain the stock and separate into 2 separate 8 cup portions. Freeze 1 portion for your next batch of soup.
  • Return the stock to your pan and add the vegetables.
  • Bring to a boil. Add beans and ham pieces. Lower to a simmer for 2 hours.
  • Sprinkle with a few drops of Frank’s red pepper sauce and some grated cheese.
  • Serve with Garlic Cheddar Biscuits.

GARLIC CHEESE BISCUITS
2 cups biscuit baking mix
1 1/2 cups finely shredded Cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk
1 clove finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons butter

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
  • In a large bowl, combine baking mix, 1 1/4 cups of the Cheddar cheese, minced garlic and garlic powder.
  • Stir in milk.
  • Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
  • Brush biscuits with melted butter, and sprinkle with parsley, garlic salt and remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 5 more minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

CHICKEN SAUSAGE GUMBO
6-8 cups chicken broth
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 large bunch green onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoons hot shot black & red pepper blend by McCormick
2 teaspoons Frank’s Red Hot Pepper Sauce
8 ounces smoked sausage, diced
3 chicken tenders, diced
½ cup long grain rice
½ cup medium pasta shells
Combine all ingredients except for the pasta and rice. Cook on high 1 hour. Add pasta and rice. Cook 1 additional hour. Serve with cornbread or biscuits.

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