Free Sunny's Kitchen by Sunny Anderson Page B

tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, mustard, and thyme and cook until the garlic is tender and the pot smells good, 6 to 8 minutes.
    3 Finish the soup. Add the potatoes and stock. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, 14 to 16 minutes total. Remove the thyme sprigs. Turn off the heat and blitz with an immersion blender, leaving a few chunks. Stir in the heavy cream and return the heat to low, cooking for just a few minutes more to reheat the soup. Serve warm, garnished with scallions and the reserved bacon.

    Digging in to knackwurst and pommes frites, one of several German meat and potato combos. (Bad Kreuznach, Germany, 1986)

chunkychicken chowder
    i nstead of chicken soup for my soul, I do chowder. Chowder is fun because it can have plenty of personality and chunky goodness. That means less detail on the chopping and more detail on the chomping. Chunks of juicy dark meat, plump hominy kernels, and knobs of potato all fighting for room on my spoon with each scoop is why I love this recipe. And the secret is out: dark meat is really flavorful. Not only is this soup comforting, but it also comes together faster than old-school chicken soup, and if you’re under the weather, that means less time outside of your blanket cocoon. SERVES 4 TO 6
    4 chicken thighs, bone in, skin removed
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
    1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
    1 cup roughly chopped Vidalia or sweet onions
    10 to 12 sprigs fresh thyme, tied in a bundle
    2 bay leaves
    4 garlic cloves, grated on a rasp or finely minced
    1 quart chicken stock
    2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
    8 ounces white hominy, drained if from the can and thawed if frozen
    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    2 cups whole milk
    1 cup heavy cream
    1 lemon, cut into wedges
    1 Prepare the chicken. Cut the flaps from the thighs and cube the meat, leaving some meat on the bone. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and all the oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted and the oil hot, add the thigh bones and cubed meat. Brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer all the meat, bones included, to a plate.
    2 Sweat the veggies. Reduce the heat slightly and add the onion, thyme, bay leaves, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic smells great but isn’t browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
    3 Build the soup. Stir the chicken and bones back into the pot and add the stock. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the potatoes, hominy, and another pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes more, depending on how small you chopped them.
    4 Finish the soup. Use tongs to fish out the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. In a small bowl or plastic bag, make a paste with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the flour. Reduce the heat and add the milk, cream, and flour paste in bits. Bring the soup to a simmer and stir to make sure the flour paste breaks up as the soup cooks. When the soup thickens, 6 to 8 minutes, taste and season with salt if needed. Serve with bones included in the bowls for nibbling and a wedge of lemon to spritz over the soup.



fastestchunky tomato cream soup
    a lthough canned tomato soup has been the de facto spouse of grilled cheese for years, have you looked at the sodium content on those cans lately? I sure never thought about it as a kid, devouring this combo on many occasions while watching an after-school special on TV. So I say give this a go; a homemade soup is easy and tastes way better, plus you might have leftovers—more than I can say for the can. Pair this with my Pepper Jack Grilled Cheese , or my Maple Bacon and