Winter in New England.  It has been appropriately cold and snowy so far this winter.  And that means soup.  In the last three days I have made lots of it.

First, French Onion (and Mushroom).  Wondering what to do with the leftover onion skins? I made a couple quarts of vegetable broth and tossed them in the freezer for a later date.

I also made chicken soup, with no particular recipe.  I started with a mirepoix plus garlic (I am Italian, afterall).  I browned some skin-on chicken thighs, added water, herbs and let it simmer for a while.  I removed the chicken thighs and cut them into pieces before adding them back into the soup.  Once it cooled I skimmed most of the chicken fat off the top so that it’s not greasy and unhealthy.  Here, you could choose to add the chicken bones to the veggie broth or start a chicken broth from scratch.  Use every ingredient to its fullest!

Finally, I made vegetarian tortilla soup.  It’s so quick and reaches maximum flavor potential very quickly.  Perfect for getting home late and whipping up a healthy, filling dinner on a very chilly evening.  My mouth still burns as I post this, but you can alter the heat to your taste.  Here’s my recipe:

Elizabeth’s Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 t. olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small onion, diced
1 cups tomato sauce
1.5 cup bottled salsa
1 can corn, including liquid
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
.5 teaspoon cumin
1  teaspoon chile powder
.5 teaspoon cayenne
.5 teaspoon chipotle seasoning, optional
5 small corn tortillas
.5 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350.  Break corn tortillas into pieces and coat lightly with vegetable oil.  Spread evenly on cookie sheet and back for 4-6 minutes, watching carefully and turning/stirring frequently.  Remove when lightly toasted and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.  Note: If you prefer to use store-bought chips, feel free, but I find the toasted chips make a big difference.

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in medium-large sauce pan.  Add next 8 ingredients.  Simmer for at least 10 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Top w/ cheddar cheese (optional).

So I failed New Year’s, culinarily speaking.  I had a grand Mediterranean plan for a small New Year’s eve gathering.  Well, perhaps grand is not quite the right adjective.  I was trying to stay sane and not go overboard, so perhaps “Modest Mediterranean” is a better description.  This was the menu:

Tsatsiki
Babaganoush
Home-made whole wheat pita bread
Artichoke-stuffed mushrooms
Greek-spiced baked shrimp
Baked goat cheese with olives and tomatoes
Homemade sourdough bread

I made the first three items, none of which particularly excited me, the day before New Year’s eve.  I tried a new pita bread recipe, and it was quite dense.  I’ll have to find a happy medium between this recipe and the nice light one that makes my home spell like burnt cornmeal (no mystery there).  I was quite sick on New Year’s Eve, so I didn’t get to the rest of the recipes, and stayed in bed trying to figure out how to drag myself into the kitchen to avoid disappointing myself and my guests, but I never made it.  Nor did we have the planned amaretto margaritas or pomegranate-champagne cocktails I had planned on.  But everyone seemed to have a great night nonetheless.

Tonight, however, I’m pretty sure I’m back on track!  The other day I found baby shiitake mushrooms at the grocery store, and I just couldn’t resist.  So I combined those with tofu and broccolini, and made a delicious Asian dinner.  Here’s how I did it:

1 pkg. extra firm tofu
1 T. honey
3 T. ponzu
1 t. crushed red pepper
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c. chicken broth (substitute veggie broth to make this a vegan dish)
3 oz. baby shiitake mushrooms
1 t. sesame oil
2 t. chili oil

Drain moisture from tofu by resting entire block on paper towel for at least 20 minutes. While tofu is drying, combine all with next 7 ingredients (through mushrooms).  Cut tofu into cubes (I make 1/2-inch cubes in order to maximize my marinade-to-tofu ratio).  Marinate tofu and  mushrooms in liquid mixture for at least 24 hours.

Cut broccolini into thirds, saute in wok in sesame oil.  Remove to a bowl when cooked to your liking.  Add chili oil to wok.  When hot, add tofu and mushroom mix.  Saute for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add broccolini back in to reheat.  Serve and enjoy – hope you like it spicy!