Cooking With Rania: Winter Soup Recipes

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- This week, Rania Harris is in the Pittsburgh Today Live kitchen making two soup recipes perfect for this cold winter weather!

Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup with Parsley Pesto

Ingredients:

• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and diced
• 6 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 2 turnips, peeled and diced
• ½ pint Brussels sprouts, cut in quarters
• 3 quarts vegetable broth
• 1 cup canned plum tomatoes, chopped
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup parsley leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Toss the onions, carrots, celery, turnips and Brussels sprouts, add a generous amount of the olive oil and season it with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a roasting pan and place into a hot oven for 45 minutes or until caramelized, stirring and shaking the pan occasionally to prevent scorching and to make sure the vegetables cook evenly.
3. While the vegetables roast, add the vegetable broth and chopped tomatoes to a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Gently simmer for 15 minutes and then keep warm.
4. Add the parsley leaves, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and Parmesan cheese to a blender and puree till smooth.
5. When the vegetables have roasted, remove and transfer to the hot vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and let the soup simmer until all of the vegetables are tender, approximately 30 minutes.
6. Divide the soup among four to six bowls and serve with a drizzle of parsley pesto.

Serves: 4 - 6

Bacon and Beer Cheese Chowder

Ingredients:

• ½ pound bacon
• 1 large sweet onion ~ diced
• 2 cloves of garlic ~ minced
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• 8 ounce bottle lager beer
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Baguette of French Bread - toasted

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp, 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to let drain, then crumble.
2. Heat skillet with bacon fat over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, 6 minutes, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add flour and whisk until golden, 3 minutes, then add broth, milk, and beer and let simmer, 15 minutes.
3. Add cheese and stir until melted. Season generously with salt and pepper, then stir in most of the crumbled bacon.
4. Ladle soup into bowls and top with remaining bacon. Serve warm with bread.

Serves: 4

In:
• Rania's Recipes