There is a holiday for pretty much anything and today is national Homemade Soup day. As noted by National Day Calendar, there are thousands of soups recipes available and it has a lot of history throughout different cultures. Before the era of modern transportation, soup was a product of regionally available foods. And everyone knows there is nothing better than a good homemade soup. So in honor of the holiday, here are three recipes by some of your favorite chefs.

Aaron Sanchez’s Tortilla Soup

Ingredients (8 servings)

• 4 oz. Cacique® Queso Fresco, crumbled
• 2 oz. Cacique® Crema Mexicana
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tomatoes, washed
• 4 tomatillos, peeled and washed
• ½ cup yellow onion, small dice
• 1 Chile Guajillo, seeded and toasted
• 1 tsp. chipotle chile canned in adobo, minced
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp. oregano
• ½ tsp. cumin
• 6 oz. corn tortilla chips
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 avocado, medium dice
• Cilantro sprigs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, both chiles, garlic, oregano, and cumin. Sauté for 15 minutes until soft.
2. Add 5 ounces of the tortilla chips to the pot along with the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the soup in a blender and blend until very smooth. Add the soup back to the soup pot and bring it back to a simmer and add additional seasonings to taste.
4. Serve soup in a bowl and garnish with the reserved tortilla chips, a drizzle of Cacique® Crema Mexicana, crumbles of Cacique® Queso Fresco, avocado, and a sprig of cilantro.

RACHAEL RAY’S PORTUGUESE CHOURICO AND KALE SOUP

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium white waxy potatoes, like Yukon golds, peeled and diced
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
• 1 pound kale, coarsely chopped
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzos (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound diced Portuguese Chourico, (or spiced pork sausage substitute) casing removed.
• 1-quart chicken broth
• Warm, crusty bread

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and onions, cover, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add garlic, bay leaves, and kale to the pot. Cover and wilt greens for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add beans, tomatoes, chorizo, and broth to the pot and bring soup to a full boil. Reduce heat back to medium and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.
4. Serve soup with crusty bread and butter.

Gordon Ramsey’s 3 ingredient broccoli soup, by Chef Clare Smyth

Note: The recipe in the video is different, but the technique is there

Ingredients (6 servings)

• 4.5 pounds broccoli heads, washed
• 1.5 liters cold water
• 4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Black pepper
   

Instructions

1. Trim the florets from 4.5 broccoli heads to the point there is basically no stalk.
2. Fill a pot half up with water, bring the water to a roiling boil at high heat, add the salt, then the florets, and cook for 10 minutes. Once cooked, drain, but RESERVE the water.
3. Return the florets to the pan and heat for two to three minutes to dry them out, shaking the pan frequently.
4. Blend the florets in a food processor, and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water. You are going to continue adding ladle by ladle as needed (not all of it) and be sure to stop now and then to scrape down the sides. Keep the process going until you it gets silky and smooth, and it becomes a bright-green puree that is runny, soft, and without any lumps. It may be easiest to do this step in two or three batches.
5. Thin with a little more of the reserved water and pass through a fine sifter. Set aside to cool down with the rest of your reserve water.
6. Before serving, bring the puree to a boil and slowly stir in about three-quarters of the rest of the cooking liquid. Then mix in the double cream. Adjust the seasoning to taste and if you want the consistency of the soup to be thinner, add more of the reserve water.