Chicken Tortilla Soup

Warm up with this fresh, flavorful, fiesta fare.  Shredded chicken combined with classic Mexican spices served up with crisp tortilla chips and a dollop of guac...perfect for a SoCal soul anywhere.

Gazpacho

A chilled, flavorful, vegetable-packed soup perfect for hot summer days paired with a piece of crusty bread.

Broccoli Soup with Cheese Tortellini

Broccoli is a 51 Porter favorite!  Roasted...sauteed...and now, pureed!  This broccoli soup is very simple with a clean flavor.  It is packed with veggies and complemented by a splash of balsamic and a sprinkle of feta cheese.  The simple wonton wrapper sun-dried tomato, cheese tortellini add a bit of heartiness to this simple soup, but do not overwhelm the fresh, clean flavor of the star...broccoli.

Tomato Soup (with pesto) and Grilled Cheese...51 Porter Style

We have been experimenting with different variations of tomato soup.  This one is our favorite.  Seriously, give it a try...tomato soup has never been so easy and delicious! Plus this recipe can be used as a tasty sauce for pizzas!

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese...51 Porter Style

There may be a common theme among some of the more recent posts: soup. As the temperatures lower here in New England we are faced with all sorts of reasons to try new soup recipes. So grab your favorite stew pot and food processor and give these scrumptious, warm meals a go!


Ingredients:
1. 1, 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
2. 1, 6oz. can tomato paste
3. 1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut in ribbons
4. 1 medium onion chopped
5. 1 cup roughly chopped carrots
6. 3 cloves garlic, crushed
7. 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
8. 1/2 cup white wine
9. 1 Tablespoon olive oil
10. 3/4 cup crumbled feta
11. Salt and pepper to taste
12. Mini grilled cheeses (recipe follows)


Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic together for about 3 minutes over medium-high heat.


2. Add carrots and continue to saute another 3 minutes.

3. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, and vegetable stock.

4. Add about half the basil, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

5. In batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor. On the last batch to blend, add the 3/4 cup feta and puree. Add to the rest of the pureed soup and stir together.


6. Stir in the rest of the basil and you're ready to serve!







Serving Suggestions:
*Serve with a sprinkling of feta and fresh basil on top.
*Serve with mini grilled cheese (we just took leftover baguette slices, added sharp cheddar cheese, and grilled them in the George Foreman grill). mmm...mmm...gooooood!

Difficulty?
Kelly Kut Rating: Minor bruises...but overall a very easy soup and a classic comfort...move over Campbells! :)


Taste?
Renee's Mmmmm-gasm Scale: This soup exemplifies a key issue that the girls of 51 Porters are now facing. In the past when I pondered tomato soup, I thought of Campbell's condensed soup, which was rather thin, a little too sweet for my taste, and undoubtedly extremely unhealthy. Once you try a home-made pot of tomato soup, you just can't bring yourself to actually buy canned soup again. This soup was absolutely amazing. The tomato flavor was just fantastic, as was the hint of basil and feta! I went back for seconds, and the mini grilled cheese dunkers were a great addition, giving a little texture contrast to our meal. I without hesitation give this meal 10,000 Mmmmm-gasms.

Appearance?
Stephanie's Hotty Hot Hotness Rating: Woooo-wee was this soup good lookin'! I appreciated the garnish of fresh basil, the the mini grilled cheese dunkers are a must do!

Cornbread and Chili...51 Porter Style

Ingredients:
1, 16oz. can white cannellini beans
1, 16oz. can white navy beans
1, 8oz. can diced green chilis
1 medium onion diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 Cloves crushed garlic
2 Tablespoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or more if you like it spicy)
1/2 Cup white wine
3 to 4 Cups vegetable broth (depending on how thick you like it)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 Bunch chopped cilantro
3/4 cup salsa verde (fresh or jarred)
2 Tablespoons lime juice

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat oil and add onion. Saute about 3 minutes and add the garlic. Saute over medium heat 2 more minutes.

2. Add garlic, chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

3. Add the white wine, lime juice, and salsa verde.

4. Drain the cannellini beans and add.

5. Drain the navy beans and add half of the navy beans to the pot. In a separate bowl, mash up the other half of the navy beans with a fork until it makes a paste. Add to chili pot (this will thicken the chili).

6. Add the stock and half the cilantro.

7. Stir to combine and simmer over medium heat about 20 minutes.

8. When ready to serve, garnish with additional cilantro and taste for seasoning.




















Great Serving additions:
-Creamy salsa verde:
If you have tomatillos, remove the husk and toss them in a food processor with a handful of cilantro, squirt of lime juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and some feta cheese. Blend for a creamy salsa topping to the chili. You could also just add fresh cilantro and feta to a jarred salsa verde or red salsa.
-Cornbread is also amazing with this chili!

Difficulty?

Kelly Kut Rating: No major wounds. This is a really simple chili but the flavors are so intense, refreshing, and delicious!

Taste?

Renee's Mmmmm-gasm Scale: Wow. I remember the first time we made this together--it had snowed the first time in Massachusetts, and we were eager for a warm bowl of deliciousness. This chili has one heck of a taste with notes of cilantro, green chiles, and of course, feta! The pairing of the chili with the salsa verde, a dollop of Daisy (sour cream), and a spoon-full of salsa is out of this world and earned a strong 9,800 mmmmm-gasms. Warning: You will be tempted to gets seconds and thirds, but remember that there is a bounty of beans in each bowl, so take your GI system into account and make sure you don't have any hot dates within the next 2-3 hours of eating...

Appearance?

Stephanie's Hotty Hot Hotness Rating: Mmmmm, white bean chili. So warm, slightly spicy and beautiful! This shows up a normal, brown mess of a chili any day. Plus, the decorating of the corn bread with our favorite number '51' was a great addition!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (with a creamy flare from feta)

So my rooms...Renee and Steph...ventured out apple pickin' one fine Massachusetts day...the result... bushels and bushels of apples. This recipe sprouted out of our need to use up these delicious fruits and warm our little California bodies, shocked by the Massachusetts weather...