If Austin’s freezing weather has you dreaming of warm bowls of soup, you are so not alone. I’ve been perusing soup recipes since temperatures dropped into the 30s and feel really prepared to make some fun recommendations. Let’s do it:
The Driskill Hotel’s Cheese Soup
Chef Helen Corbitt served this cheese soup when she was running The Driskill’s 1886 Cafe & Bakery. The soup doesn’t appear to be on the menu anymore, which makes it even more important that you make it. The recipe calls for a pound of cheddar!
Thai Fresh’s Tom Kha Kai-Coconut Soup
Nothing hits quite like a bowl of Tom Kha soup from Thai Fresh – it’s fragrant, wonderfully spicy, and just what you want when it’s cold or if you’ve been feeling sick. That’s why I was a little shocked the recipe is just sitting on the restaurant’s website for free. It’s so good that maybe it should be kept under lock and key? (Don’t send them this newsletter! We need the recipe forever!) Everyone say, “thank you” to Chef Jam Sanitchat for sharing!
Magnolia Cafe’s Chicken Tortilla Soup
I’m sure you have a great chicken tortilla soup recipe, but you can never have too many. This one comes from Magnolia Cafe and includes the restaurant’s chipotle sauce recipe!
Soup Peddler’s Mulligatawny Soup
This copycat recipe for Soup Peddler’s mulligatawny soup looks real good. Mulligatawny, which roughly translates to “pepper water,” is made with vegetables, lentils, and curry. The mulligatawny soup is one of five that is always on the menu at Soup Peddler and it seems to be pretty popular – when you search for a mulligatawny recipe online, a lot of Soup Peddler wannabes pop up!
Fonda San Miguel’s Sopa de Elote
Sopa de Elote, or corn soup, from Fonda San Miguel is great if you’ve been looking to offload some frozen corn that’s sitting in your freezer. The recipe is made with all of life’s best things: Cheese, tortillas, butter, milk, and, of course, corn.
A bonus soup:
I have a treat for y’all! My friend Maddy Mendoza, an Axios San Antonio Newsletter Editor, was kind enough to share her mom’s caldo recipe with us! It’s really, dang good.
- 2 ears of corn, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 5 russet potatoes, halved crosswise
- 3 carrots, thickly sliced
- Small head of cabbage
- 4 quarts water
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 6 chicken bouillon cubes
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 zucchini, chopped
- 2 yellow squash, chopped
- 2 cups Spanish rice, cooked
- Avocado slices for garnish
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, for garnish
Get out a large pot and put your corn, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage in it. Next, pour 4 quarts of water over the vegetables. Bring the mixture to a boil and add garlic, salt, onion, tomato sauce, and cumin. Stir in the chicken bouillon cubes and simmer for 20 minutes.
Once you're done simmering, add the chicken breasts with zucchini, squash, and celery. Cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes with the pot covered, or until the potatoes soften.
Top with avocado slices and cilantro and serve with Spanish rice.
