March Soups

Cream of Leek

Ingredients

¼ olive oil

6 leeks, chopped

4 cups water

1 ½ cups day old bread

2 egg yolks

1 cup of milk or coconut milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the chopped leeks in the oil in a large soup pot over low heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Don’t let them brown. Add water immediately and bring to a boil. Add the bread and simmer 30 minutes. Blend the soup in a blender. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add milk and salt and pepper to the egg mixture. Blend the eggs and milk with the soup.

Country Mushroom with Sour Cream

Ingredients

½ lb mushrooms, finely sliced

1 medium carrot, julienned

1 medium potato, diced

1 large onion, finely sliced

4 Tbsp olive oil

3 cups water

1 bouillon cube (mushroom or vegetable)

Salt and paprika to taste

½ cup sour cream (or Tofutti equivalent + white wine vinegar)

Chopped chives as garnish

Prepare the vegetables. Place the oil in a soup pot and saute the vegetables for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the water and bouillon cube and cook slowly, covered, over medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Add the salt, paprika, and sour cream. Stir well and simmer 10 minutes more. Serve hot garnished with chopped chives.

Soup du Berry (Red Bean)

A castle in the Berry region of central France

Berry is famous for its canals

"The Annunciation" from The
Book of Hours owned by the Duc du Berry

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil

1 ½ onions, chopped

1 ½ cups canned or precooked red beans

½ bottle (375 ml) of red wine

2 cups water or ham stock

1 ham bone

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Pour the olive oil into the soup pot and add the onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the red beans, wine, water, ham bone, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower to medium low. Cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir well and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and rest 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and ham bone and serve the soup hot.

Ravioli Potage

Ingredients

2 ½ Tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

1 ½ tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

¾ cup chopped spinach

2 ½ cups chicken stock

10 oz fresh or frozen small ravioli

Salt and pepper

2 sprigs chervil, chopped

2 tsp crème fraiche or sour cream as garnish

Pour the oil in a pot. Add shallots and tomatoes. Saute gently for 3 minutes. Add the spinach and the stock. Stir and slowly bring the soup to a boil. Add the ravioli, salt, and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the chervil and cover. Turn off the heat and let the soup rest for 5 minutes. Serve the soup hot, and place a teaspoon of crème fraiche or sour cream on top as a garnish.

Bulgarian Soup

Ingredients

4 cups beef broth

2 carrots, diced

2 small turnips, diced

1 small celeriac, diced

½ cup rice

½ large onion or 1 small onion

1 Tbsp butter

½ tsp flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Chopped parsley

Pour the broth into a soup pot. Add all the vegetables and rice and cook slowly over medium heat for 30 minutes with the pot covered. Peel and slice the onion. Melt the butter and saute the onion briefly until it begins to brown. Add the flour and mix until even. Add the onion mixture and salt and pepper the soup and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Just before serving, beat the egg with the lemon juice. Add to the soup and stir continuously for 1 minute. Serve the soup hot, garnished with finely chopped parsley.

St. Lioba Beer and Mushroom Soup

3 Tbsp oil of choice

1 cup mushrooms chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 cans of beer

1 bay leaf

1 egg

2 Tbsp heavy cream or coconut milk

Chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated Gruyere cheese

Pour the oil into a soup pot. Saute the mushrooms and onions lightly for a few minutes over low heat. Add the beer and bay leaf and raise the heat to medium. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, beat the egg and cream. Add 6 Tbsp of hot soup to the egg mixture and blend thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the soup, mixing well. Add the chopped parsley, salt and pepper, and mix well. Reheat the soup over medium heat and continue stirring for a few minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve hot topped with grated cheese.

Minostrone di Verdua (Tuscan)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

½ of a 15-oz can of cooked cannellini beans

½ of a 15-oz can of peeled tomatoes

5 cups water

1 potato, peeled and diced

Small radicchio, chopped

½ cup white wine

1 bay leaf

Chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Gently saute the onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes and continue to saute for 2 more minutes. Add the water and bring the soup to a boil. Add the diced potatoes, radicchio, wine, bay leaf, parsley, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for an hour. Turn off the heat and let stand 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Serve hot topped with grated cheese if preferred.

Lima Bean Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil

½ onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 ½ cups water

1 bouillon cube

1 carrot, sliced

1 potato, cubed

1 cup fresh or frozen lima beans

Chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated cheese of choice as garnish

Pour the oil into a soup pot. Saute the onion and garlic lightly over low heat for a minute or two, stirring continually. Add the water, carrot, potato, and bouillon cube. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce heat to low. Add the lima beans, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Cook slowly over medium-low heat for an hour or until the beans are tender. Let the soup sit for 5 minutes and serve hot. Grated cheese may be used as a garnish.