Packer Soup!

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Packer Soup!

Submitted by the wicked noodle on January 31, 2011 – 4:05 pm7 Comments

packer soup

I’m not a football fan…shhhh…please don’t tell anyone! The thing is, I grew up in Wisconsin…Packer territory. That means it’s a legal requirement for me to be a Packer fan. It’s actually in the WI constitution that if you’re born there you have to participate in certain activities – eat cheese curds, brats that have been simmered in beer and grilled (not barbecued…grilled) and drink at least the occasional beer, preferably something sorta cheap and out of a can. The cheese curds are easy; my mom brings some squeaky-fresh curds every time she visits and they’re usually gone within the first hour. The brats are also a no-brainer; there is no summertime without some good Johnsonville brats (and yes, they do have to be Johnsonville)! The beer, well…I’m a huge beer fan but I’m also a bit of a beer snob. I love a good dark beer with notes of coffee and chocolate, ice cold and straight out of the bottle, but my days of shot-gunning Pabst Blue Ribbon are long gone. And I just can’t bring my cheese curd-lovin’ self to watch football (cheesehead hung in shame).

I did watch the game against the Bears last weekend, however – how could I not, knowing the historic rivalry between the two teams? I was actually excited about it – looked forward to it, even – and so I decided that I’d whip up some fun football food and make a little family party out of it. I made empanadas, Shambeau guacamole, homemade tortilla chips and some Packer soup. Yes…Packer soup.

I wanted to make a soup because I knew it was likely the only way we’d all eat something healthy. I also wanted to serve something that showcased that gorgeous green & gold, and soup seemed the easiest way to do it. So I actually made two soups, then served them side-by-side in the same bowl. It was easy to get a perfect half-bowl – all you do is pour the soups into the bowl at the same time. It looked gorgeous and tasted awesome! The soups I chose were Roasted Yellow Pepper and Green Chile Avocado, although I’ll admit that I tweaked the recipes as I went along so I’m not entirely certain what the actual recipe is at this point. I added cumin and ancho chile powder, more fresh garlic and lime, sauteed onions and twice the cilantro. They ended up complimenting each other really well, and the Chile Cream I drizzled on the top brought it all together and made it pop!

Just in case there are some (cough) Steelers fans reading this, an idea for your team colors could be a delicious black bean soup along with the Roasted Yellow Pepper soup – that color contrast would be awesome! Garnishing with some fresh cilantro would set off the colors nicely, too. But you didn’t hear that from me…ahem.

Here are the recipes I started out with, but I do suggest incorporating some of the changes I mentioned. Just add a little here and a little there until it tastes just right. Or don’t make any changes at all and if it tastes perfect to you then go for it! In any case, you’ll have a delicious, healthy and gorgeous soup to serve on game day. And don’t be afraid to add a few drops of food coloring if you’d like to colors to be more vibrant. I opted not to do that but if I was feeding a crowd I would definitely go there. What a conversation starter!

Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup

For the pepper soup:

1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 yellow bell peppers, roasted and chopped
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth plus additional to thin the soup
1/2 cup heavy cream
fresh lime juice to taste

To roast peppers:
Slice peppers in half and remove stem and seeds. Broil the peppers skin side up under a preheated broiler about 2 inches from the heat until the skins are blistered and charred. Immediately put blackened peppers into a resealable plastic bag and let them steam in sealed bag until they are cool enough to handle. Remove skin and discard; chop peppers.

Make the pepper soup:
In a heavy saucepan cook the onion in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until soft. Add the bell peppers and broth, and simmer the mixture for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the peppers are very soft. Puree the soup with either an immersion or standard blender then strain the soup with a sieve. Place back in pan and whisk in the cream, enough of the additional broth to reach the desired consistency, the lime juice and salt and pepper to taste (and some cumin, chile powder, etc. to taste). You can easily make this the day before and just reheat at game time.

3 large ripe avocados
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles (I roasted a poblano pepper and added that instead)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and ground white pepper, to taste

Saute onions and garlic until soft. Add broth and half-and-half and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Stir in mashed avocado, chiles, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until warm.

Chile Cream