Two Soup Thursday!

Today I thought I'd share two recipes with you - one is my fall back, gotta have it when I need comforted bean soup and the other is my test results for Military Spouse Test Kitchen's recipe challenge.  It's a very exotic (to me anyways LOL) chicken and buckwheat soba noodle soup.  Since it's getting all chilly willy at night here in GA, soup is always welcomed on my table.

First up is my very own bean soup.  One of my very first memories of being in the kitchen is with my great grandma Rose very early in the morning, and she was dicing carrots and celery into tiny cubes for her homemade bean soup as her percolated coffee pot bubbled away.  She did the whole shebang from scratch and it took ALL day to do.  It was super delicious and she died before I could ever ask her how she made it.  I have since perfected my own using canned veggies.  Gasp now, I know, but this comes together REALLY quick and I'm not standing chopping and dicing for hours on end.  I have made it from scratch before and its awesome but this toss together works just great on a busy night where I don't have alot of time to cook.  (It works well in the crock pot too...just save adding the cream till right before serving.)  Served up with corn bread, this is the perfect fall cozy comfort food.

Quick & Easy Bean Soup
inspired by my Great G'ma Rose

3 cans of Great Northern Beans
1 can of sliced carrots
1 can of diced potatoes
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 pint of heavy cream
1 box of chicken stock (or more)
1 package of ham cubes
salt & pepper to taste
dried parsley
chicken flavoring crystals (to taste, optional)

Melt the butter in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the beans, carrots, potatoes and ham to pot.  Pour the chicken stock over top.  (Make sure they are covered completely - add more stock or water as needed.)  Add salt, pepper and parsley.  Stir well to combine all and continue cooking over medium heat.  DO NOT BOIL!  (Note:  this is where I add some chicken flavoring. Its totally optional but I think it really gives a good flavor kick to the whole pot.  Start out with just a pinch and go from there until you like the flavor.  I think I used a good 2 tsp total.)  Once your soup is good and hot throughout, use a potato masher or an immersion blender to mash up just a small bit of the soup.  This helps thicken it and add nice texture.  Re-season as needed and about 15 minutes before serving, add in the cream.  (PS - the longer it cooks, the better it is.)

Serve with sweet cornbread.  Freezes VERY well and serves about 6.  Just note, if tossing it in a crockpot, save the cream till you are nearly ready to serve.

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This week's challenge for Military Spouse Test Kitchen was an Asian soup to *die* for.  She challenged us to make Chicken & Buckwheat Noodle Soup from Barnes & Noble's Asian Cookbook featuring the use of sake to make the marinated chicken.  Sake, did you say?  I was intrigued.  I have great affinity for sake as in, next to Coca Cola, nothing is better.  Ok, maybe sweet tea but its a close tie.  lol  And since the hubs had just bought a new bottle of sake the weekend before this challenge, it just seemed destined for me to make this.

Originally looking at the recipe, it seemed, drab.  Sure it had some flavor components but I thought it needed a bit more.  (always the tweaker, I know)  So I added in some thinly sliced carrots and some scallions with the leeks in the cooking process.  The broth is so smooth and flavorful...but then you get this delicious tangy marinated cooked chicken to add on top and you're just in heaven.  I couldn't keep from nibbling at the chicken.  The sauce is just so yummy.  I might make it on its own and dip some potstickers in it!  Hope you make it too...make a beautiful presentation for guests!

Chicken & Buckwheat Noodle Soup
From Barnes & Noble's Asian Cookbook

8 ounces skinless and boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sake (you can substitute white wine if you have that handy instead)
4 cups chicken broth
2 pieces young leek, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 ounces spinach
11 ounces buckwheat
Roasted sesame seed for garnishing

Slice chicken diagonally into bite size pieces. Combine soy sauce and sake in a saucepan. Bring to simmer. Add the chicken and cook gently for 3 mins until tender. Keep hot.

In a separate saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add leeks. Simmer for 3 minutes then add spinach. Remove from heat but keep warm.   Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water until just tender. Follow packaging's suggestion.

Drain noodles and divide equally into individual bowls. Ladle broth into the bowls, then add chicken in each bowl. Add sesame seed if desired. Serve while hot.