Soups Galore!

During our Fall Barrel Tasting Weekend which happened this last Thanksgiving weekend we held our annual soup contest. Our guests took on the responsibility of tasting and voting on their favorite soup. The judges haven spoken, and we found our Soup Savant on each day. They have graciously offered that we share their winning recipes. You can find the results and the recipes below.

FRIDAY

Friday’s competition was dominated by the talented Cheryl Bell! Cheryl submitted Black Bean & Hominy Soup. This spicy Tex–Mex inspired dish was killer with a nice Cabernet (especially if you were lucky enough to get some of the 2020 Reserve Cabernet from the barrel).

Black Bean & Hominy Soup Ingredients: 16 ounces ground chorizo 2 cans (15 oz) beef broth 2 cans (15 oz) black beans 1 can (15 oz) hominy 1 can (15 oz) stewed tomatoes 1 cup shredded potato 1 cup chopped onions 1 can (4 oz) green chili peppers, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 TBS chili powder 1 tsp cumin powder Instructions: Brown the chorizo in a large stock pot. Add the beef broth, onion, and potato. Drain and add the black beans and hominy. Add the tomatoes and green chilies. Add the chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 40 minutes. Serves 12

 For a printable copy: Black Bean and Hominy Soup

SATURDAY

Saturday’s favorite soup was made by the amazing Cathy Rogers! Cathy created a Loaded Mushroom soup that was simply to die for! This creamy dish of comfort paired nicely with the 2020 Malbec.  Mmm mmm good!

Loaded Mushroom Soup Ingredients: ½ pound bacon, chopped ½ pound mushrooms, sliced 1 onion, diced 4 cups chicken broth 2 potatoes, cut into julienne strips 1 large carrot, cut into julienne strips 1 bay leaf 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 cup whipping cream, optional 1 tbs cornstarch, optional Instructions: Fry bacon over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook till onions are limp. Add the next five ingredients. If using whipping cream and cornstarch, blend those together and add at same time. Bring to a boil. Simmer till carrots and potatoes are cooked, about 2 minutes. (Note: soup was not made with the whipping cream and cornstarch for this recipe contest.) Serves 4-6

For a printable copy: Loaded Mushroom Soup

Finally, we want to send out a great big thank you to all the contestants who participated in our soup contest. We love how giving and fun our wine community is! If you didn’t get a chance to submit or sip this year we hope you remember to join us next year at our Fall Barrel Tasting Weekend!