Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Time will pass and seasons will come and go, so to will football season inevitably end for every fan base...some sooner than others. Unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans, the season has ended at the hands of a New England Patriots butt whoopin'. As hard as it is to admit, the better team clearly won....with that said...LETS GO PENS!!

Whenever I watch big games, like the Steelers/Patriots AFC Championship game, I always make a point to make something absolutely delicious. So that whatever the outcome of the game, at least I still win because I had something delicious...well that's my silver lining logic. So, in true fashion, I made this delicious Bacon Cheeseburger soup! What really makes this soup fantastic is layering the bacon flavor through the entire cooking process. This flavor layering can be achieved in lots of recipes, especially when using a fat (i.e. butter, oil, bacon fat, etc). In this example, I rendered fat from both the ground beef and bacon. I then saved that rendered fat and used it through the entire recipe. I used the golden delicious fat to saute the mirepoix, as well as, the base for the roux. Layering or building flavor, especially in soup, is definitely a great way to elevate any dish. With that said, lets check out this delicious recipe!

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Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Prep time: 45m | Cook time: 30min | Total time: 1hr 15min | Yield: 8 servings (2 1/4 quart)

Ingredients

1/2 lbs ground beef
4 slices bacon, 1" chop
3/4 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup carrots, shredded
3/4 cup celery, diced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1-3/4 pounds peeled potatoes, cubed (about 4 cups)
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package (16-ounce) Velvetta cheese, cubed
1-1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup sour cream

Cooking Directions

1. In a dutch oven over medium heat, cook and crumble beef until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the dutch oven, add chopped bacon and cook until crispy and bacon fat is rendered. Place mesh sieve over a bowl and drain bacon, separating the bacon bits from fat. Set both the fat and cooked bacon aside. In same dutch oven, add 1 tablespoon bacon fat over medium heat. Saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley until tender, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, beef and chicken stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 10-12 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of bacon fat until shimmering. Add flour; cook and stir until bubbly, 3-5 minutes. Add roux to the soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and worchestershire sauce; cook until cheese melts. Remove from heat; blend in sour cream.
3. To service, top soup with shredded cheddar cheese, cooked bacon bits, and sliced scallions.

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Of course when throwing a Super Bowl Party (or should I say Soup-er Bowl Party...ba doom ching!) you may want to keep food out to snack on during the game. It is crucial that hot foods at above 135F and cold foods don't exceed 41F. Always check these temperatures every 2 hours to maintain proper food safety protocol. The best way to monitor food temperatures? Thermapen of course! I use mine pretty much every time I cook. It's incredibly accurate, easy to ready, fast, and most importantly durable. 

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Other delicious soup recipes...

Roasted Salsa

I was really in the mood for salsa and I figured since tomorrow is the Super Bowl I would make a new salsa. What really makes this salsa special is the fact that most of the veggies area roasted and charred under a broiled given a very intense depth of flavor. I also added in some un-roasted vegetables to bring the salsa freshness and stability. This is definitely a fantastic recipe that has quite a bite to it...I would probably put it at the same heat level as the hot salsa at Chipotle. 

So what do you have going on for the super bowl tomorrow? Are having a party? Are you going to a party? Are you making something special?? Let me know in the comments below! Me?? The wife and I are probably going to bunker down tomorrow since we are expecting quite the snow storm tomorrow. I will probably watch some of the game, but really once the Steelers are out of the mix, I pretty much move on to Hockey season (Lets go Pens!). 

All I have to say is no pressure Tom Brady...If you win don't let it inflate your ego...if you lose don't let it deflate your spirit.....#deflategate #punintended

Roasted Salsa

Ingredients

• 5 Jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded
• 6 Roma tomatoes, halved horizontally
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 1 Red bell peppers, seeded and quartered
• 1/2 Red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Lime, juiced
• 2 Chipotles in Adobo
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 1/4 tsp Cumin
• 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the broiler and place rack on top position.
2. Squeeze the tomato halves, reserving the juice and seeds.
3. Set aside 2 of the tomatoes and one of the jalapenos and toss the rest of the produce in a large bowl with the olive oil then spread onto a foil lined baking sheet.
4. Broil for 20 min, stirring often for even browning.
5. Move to a work bowl of a food processor and add the reserved tomatoes, jalapeno and lime juice. Pulse several times until mixture reaches salsa consistency. If mixture is too dry, add part or all of the reserved tomato liquid.
6. Stir in cilantro and refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Other Super Bowl Party Recipes...