Abondigas Soup

Abondigas soup is one of my favorite soups to order at my favorite Mexican restaurant. This was the first time that I have ever made this soup in my entire life!!! I combined a couple of recipes to get the desired resemblance I wanted! It is a two step process: making meatballs and making soup. You are supposed to boil the meatballs in the soup while its cooking, but my family loves them too much to fit it all in one pot. So, I switched up the game by cooking them in the oven. Hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did!!!! Happy Souping!

 

These are the ingredients needed for this soup (minus the rice, I forgot). This time, the soup only cost me $6.68 because we already had the broth and tomato sauce. The celery, carrots and potato* (I would not have had enough room in the pot for so I did not add it, its sad for I love potatoes) were left over from the Super Loaded Baked Potato soup. My goal is to not waste anything, so I was super happy that I was able to reuse these ingredients! (Also, it saves some money). The total cost per serving (at around 10 servings) was only $0.67!

 

The first step I did, was to wash the cilantro. After, I pulled the little leaves off the stem and chopped them all up. I divided it in half: one half for the meatballs and the other half for the soup.

 

I cooked the rice and let it cool. I placed it in a bowl along with the ground beef, garlic, cilantro, cumin, salt & pepper, and egg. I mixed it up and rolled them into balls. I placed them in a baking dish that was sprayed with Pam and placed them in the oven at 350* for 35 -40 minutes.

 

After the meatballs were thoroughly cooked, I placed them off to the side.

 

Next, I used 7 cups of beef broth and placed it in the stock pot.

 

I then added all of the veggies in the broth as well as the tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, and salt&pepper.

 

I brought the soup up to a boil, then reduced the heat to let it simmer for 30 minutes.

 

A few minutes before the soup was finished, I added some of the meatballs into the soup to warm them up and to let them absorb the broth.

 

 

This is the final result!!! With this recipe, I was able to get about 10 servings out of it. There were five of us eating and we all had seconds. It was pretty close to the soup that I order from my favorite restaurant and I LOVED IT!!

 

The printable version

Abondigas Soup

 

 



Abondigas Soup

MeatBalls:  (Makes around 20 good sized meatballs)

§  2 lbs ground beef
§  1 egg
§  4 garlic cloves
§  1 cup of uncooked rice
§  Cilantro leaves, chopped
§  2 teaspoons ground cumin
§  Salt and pepper

 Abondigas Soup:

§  7 cups beef broth
§  ¾ cup onion, chopped
§  3 stalks of celery, chopped
§  3 carrots, peeled and chopped
§  1 large zucchini, chopped
§  ½ a small head of cabbage, chopped
§  1  8oz can of tomato sauce
§  Cilantro leaves, chopped
§  ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
§  1 ½ teaspoons oregano
§  Salt and pepper to taste

 1.        Make the meatballs first. Turn oven on to 350*. Next, need to cook the 1 cup of rice until fully cooked, let it cool. In a bowl mix the hamburger meat, cooled riced (do not need to refrigerate, only needs to be cool enough to handle), one egg, garlic, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix together thoroughly. Form medium size meatballs in hand and place in a pam sprayed baking dish. When finished making all the balls, place the baking dish in the oven for 35-40 minutes (can be more or less depending on the size of the meatballs) until it is fully cooked. Set aside.

2.      Combine Beef Broth, onion, celery, carrot, zucchini, cabbage, tomato sauce, cilantro leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt & pepper.

3.      Bring to a boil, and reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

4.     A few minutes before the soup is ready, place some (or all) of the meatballs in the soup.

5.      Enjoy.

A Little Background Info....

I've been friends with Keely for about Four years now, and although we have conflicting schedules, we still make time to see each other even if it is once in a while. We first met back in our early college years, and have continued our friendship since then. The TWO main reasons why we started this blog is because we both have a love for cooking and a love for soup. Although we live miles apart, these two things always bring us back together again. The meaning of "Two Soups Apart" is that we are two young women, living apart (miles away), using two kitchens to create 2 soups. Our goal is to create a weekly blog about a soup recipe that one of us has tried. We hope that you will enjoy this blog, try the recipes, and share the wealth!!! Having the pride of knowing that YOU created a delicious dish is not the only thing that matters, it's also the people you share your meal with. Whether it is family, friends, loved ones, or all of the above- the memories and time spent with them are among the best things in life. We hope that you can take these recipes and share them with the people that mean the most to you; also sharing it with the rest of the world so other people can create these memories too.

Another reason why I am excited about this blog is that food is something that I enjoy very much, whether it's cooking or eating, I love it regardless. One of my goals is to try and experience new soups; to expand my palate and enhance my culinary skills, as well as finding soups that are budget friendly. When I have a tight budget I want to be able to find recipes that are easy and inexpensive to make, and share this information to the rest of the world! One of the interesting things I love about soup is that it has been around for centuries and is a part of our human history! (I am a huge history buff). I find it fascinating to see that virtually every place on this planet has a soup, and I want to try them all. Not only will I be using recipes for well known soups, I will also try to find soups that have been used in the past, whether 50 years ago or centuries ago.

 If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact us. If you have a soup recipe that you would like to share with us, feel free to email us!  Join us on our journey to discovering soup! Thank you and Bon Appetit!

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

 
      Kids are picky. So are adults. Especially when it comes to veggies. And really, there's only one true way to get anyone to eat it. Douse it in cheese. Cheese and butter fix EVERYTHING. So lucky you, here's my Broccoli Cheese Soup, guaranteed to get even the stubbornest of children to devour their veggies and then say “can I have more?” 

      First, the culprits:

 See these yummy veggies? See how healthy looking they are? These are the dastardly villians that you need to hide from your picky kids/friend/sibling/significant other. Don't worry, I have your back!

Meet your heroes! Cheese, milk, and butter! I got cheddar and havarti. Really any soft, white cheese with a high fat content will do. Fat. That's the stuff that kids love. It's also the stuff that will make people forget they're even eating carrots and broccoli. You'll see!

And of course you need your sidekicks! These little guys pack a big punch (And hide any veggie flavors you might have thrown in!). As a note, the original recipe calls for Cayenne Pepper. I'm not sure if there are other colors, but having made this soup before and using the 1/8 tsp, it was WAY too spicy. I used only 1/4 tsp. But maybe you like your sidekick to be extra kicky!

And now for your directions. Don't worry, this soup is one of the easiest ones to make! If you've never made a Rue before its okay--I have pictures!  Step one is the MOST IMPORTANT STEP. Ready? Okay. First, pour yourself a drink, because cooking is hard work! 

This drink is also from Trader Joes (hey, guess where I normally shop!). Its a super fun bubbly Amusant Pink Moscato. The bubbles will make you feel bubbly too! 

Now chop the onions, garlic, and broccoli. Just nip the heads off with as little stem as possible.

Just nip off as much of the stem as you can. Don't chop the heads up, they fall part while cooking.

Grate the carrots by hand if you're a masochist like me and don't like how the thick pre-shredded carrots taste.

 Phew! We did it! All that arm exersize was a lot of work! And you need a breather before moving on to the next part! WINE BREAK!

 

Okay, while you pour yourself another glass for later, lets get these veggies under control!  

Throw in all your chopped up stuff, bay leaves,  and give it a little toss! Pour the entire content of the chicken broth in as well. Cover on medium heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. 

Veggies are steamed! Now make the Rue! First, Melt your butter.

Then add a tablespoon of flower and whisk. Repeat.

This is how a Rue should look. If you leave it alone it'll turn gelatin like.

Pour the broth from your veggies into the Rue mix. It's ok if there's some veggies in it!

Pour the now thickened broth into your veggies. Mmm...smells good already!

Now add your cream and spices. On low heat warm the soup back up. give the sidekicks time to add the kick!

Now that the soup is hot, add the cheeses and let their delicious flavor disguise the carrots and brocoli. Those are some yummy super heros! ;) 

  Aaaaaaaaaaaand you're done! You can serve it to your probably now starving partner and reap the rewards of knowing your giving them veggies in disguise! Also, enjoy that second glass of wine, you deserve it! And if you sneak a few handfuls of cheese during the cheese melting process I won't tell! And neither will the cheese!  

Enjoy! 

BROCOLI CHEESE SOUP

Ingredients:

       onе bunсh of frеsh broссoli [еnough for а fеw сups of сhoppеd tops]

• 2 сups vеgеtаblе [or сhiсkеn!] stoсk
• 1/2 сup of shаrp сhеddаr сhееsе, plus plеnty еxtrа for topping [frеshly grаtеd]
• 1 hеаping сup of rеgulаr goudа сhееsе [frеshly grаtеd, rind rеmovеd]
• 1 сup of shrеddеd саrrots [or а littlе еxtrа!]
• 1 smаll whitе onion [аbout 2/3 сup or 1 сup, сhoppеd]
• 5 lаrgе сlovеs of gаrliс, minсеd
• 1 сup hаlf аnd hаlf [or hеаvy сrеаm]
• 3 TBSP аll purposе flour
• 3 TBSP buttеr
• 2 bаy lеаf
• 1/8 tsp аllspiсе
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmеg
• 1/8 tsp driеd bаsil
• 1/8 tsp саyеnnе pеppеr
• 1/8 tsp sаlt [will vаry bаsеd on sаlt сontеnt of your stoсk/broth]
• а fеw сrаnks of frеshly ground blасk pеppеr, to tаstе
  

Directions:

Chop the brocoli, union and garlic. Shred Carrots. Dump into pot with Bay Leaf cover with 2 cups chicken stock. Simmer on medium heat covered for 15-0 minutes until tender. Make a Rue with butter and flour, then add in the broth. Once mixed put back into the Veggies. Slowly stir in the 1 cup of half and half. Return to burner on very low heat, spoon out bay leaf, add in the spices and herbs. 

Meanwhile shred the cheese while soup warms back up (note: Shred Havarti last, as its soft and clumps together easily after you shred it and its exposed to heat). Add cheese in once the soup is hot and remove from heat right away. Serve with some spongy white bread (like sourdough, or a french baguette), or in a bread bowl and enjoy!

The Bond of Food

    Have you ever ordered food you've never tried and when it was set before you, you knew you 'd made the right decision? That's how it was when I first met Sierra. I took one look at her awesome glasses and knew we were going to be great friends. Well, that we were both becoming sign language interpreters was also another good indication!

      From that day on Sierra has been an amazing and supportive friend. Reading reams upon reams of pages for my novels, encouraging me when I was down, and keeping my signing skills sharp whenever I have need. What a trooper! We realized our mutual love of food when she came over one day and I made her my famous (and much devoured) Red Lentil Soup, which I will post here sometime soon. When she saw I made it from scratch she begged me for the recipe, saying she loved making food from scratch herself! Since then we've traded recipes here and there and when she came to me asking if I would like to make a food blog with her, I was elated! Sharing my recipes AND getting to steal learn some from her? How could I say no!?

     I truly believe there are only two things that connect humans to each other, even when language fails, or cultural ideas clash.

Food and music.

    It brings us together and transcends language and politics. Food is an amazing thing. It can bring back memories of childhood, or cause us to stop what we are doing to enjoy the moment of that first bite; a bite that makes us appreciate the moment of simply being and enjoying. A moment that will become a memory or pleasure. And all that from food. It is in that spirit that I cook. It may not always be fancy, it may not always get a Michelin Star, but it makes people happy. When I see people close their eyes, or widen them in delighted surprise as they eat food I've slaved over, it makes the hour of stress worth it. 

    Please enjoy the recipes we make--some are experiments, and some are tried and true--and I hope they produce the same reaction for the people you serve!

   Oh! As a bonus for reading this post, here is a free Cooking Tip: Always keep a glass of wine handy, it'll save your nerves when something goes wrong! ;)

Super Loaded Baked Potato Soup

No joke. This soup is AMAZING!!!!!! The first time I tried this, I felt like my mouth went to foodie heaven. The total cost for meal was $18.96 (I bought bulk celery, carrots and green onion), but it fed 8 adults and we still had left overs. Lets say there was 10 servings (and by servings, I mean heaping bowls full) that is still only $1.90 per serving. If you want to make this meal to use for dinner and lunch the next day, you would still have plenty to save in the freezer for future meals. So the first step is the ingredients...

 

Since this is my first blog entry I was excited to get started. So I prepped the carrots, onion, and celery early in the day and waited until later to begin cooking.

 

 

 

First is the bacon. It calls for one pound, but I just bought one package of Applewood Smoked Bacon. It doesn't matter what kind of bacon you use, I like the smokey flavor (plus it was the cheaper one). If you put the bacon into the freezer for about 10 to 15 mins, it is easier to chop up compared to when it is only refrigerated. (I actually chopped up the potatoes while I was waiting for the bacon to get cold). I just chopped the bacon coarsely and through it into a huge stockpot to cook, stirring to make sure it all cooked.

 

 

After the bacon was cooked, I spooned it out onto a plate and patted the grease off. I split the bacon in half, one for the soup and the other for the garnish. I left the grease in the stock pot and poured the prepped veggies into the pot. I cooked the veggies until the onions were translucent.

 

 

After the onions become translucent, I added the chopped potatoes, both the russet and the red potatoes, and cooked it for 4 mins. After that, I added 1/4 cup of flour into the pot and constantly stirred for 5 minutes, until the mixture became thicker.

 

 

After the mixture thickened, I added 2 cups of chicken broth (I bought it on accident instead of stock) and tossed in one half of the bacon. I brought this to a simmer and cooked it for 25 mins.

 

 

After the time was up, I smashed most of the potato mix to make it more smooth (you can determine the thickness and consistency to your own desires). I then added the entire 32 oz container of heavy whipping cream into the stock pot and let it simmer for 5 mins. The soup looked thick so I added more chicken broth to the pot until it reached my desired consistency. At this point, it is finished and I dished it out. You can add different toppings: green onions, sour cream, cheese, the other half of the bacon, or whatever your heart desires. Here is the final product. :)

 

Here's the Printable version of this recipe. Enjoy!!!!

 

Super Loaded Baked Potato Soup