October Soups

Carrot Soup ala Normandie

1 onion

4 carrots

3 cups water

½ cup milk or unsweetened soy milk

1 ½ Tbsp flour

Pinch of thyme

3 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

3 Tbsp lemon juice (add 1 Tbsp at at time)

Finely minced parsley

Chop onions and carrots finely, put in soup pot, and add water. Cook slowly, bringing the water to a boil. Then let the soup sit, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the milk, flour, thyme, oil, salt, and pepper. Blend in a blender and pour the soup back into the pot. Add the lemon juice, tasting after each Tbsp. Cook slowly for 10 minutes, until hot. Serve the soup with parsley on top. It can be served hot or cold if refrigerated for several hours.

Also pictured are Broccoli Fritters: http://healthiersteps.com/broccoli-fritters/

Cannelini Bean Soup

1 can cannellini beans

6 cups water

1 onion

1 carrot

1 leek

1 celery stalk

A few leaves of spinach

2 garlic cloves

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 bouillon cube

Salt and pepper to taste

Finely chopped thyme

Cut the onions, carrots, leeks, celery, and greens into thin pieces. Mince the garlic. Add them to the beans, water, olive oil and bouillon cube. Cook covered on medium heat for 1 hour. Add salt, pepper, and thyme.

 Brodo Ala Romana

Ingredients

4 cups water

1 cup white wine

1 bouillon cube

1 large onion, chopped

1 carrot, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, peeled and cubed

Salt and pepper to taste

Pour the water and wine into a soup pot. Add all the ingredients and let it boil over low-medium heat for 30 minutes. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for at least 1 hour 15 minutes. Strain the vegetables and serve the broth hot. This serves as a stock base for other soups or stews.

Ossobuco Soup

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and cubed

1 heart of celery, thinly sliced

1 ½ cups dry white wine

Rind of half a lemon, grated

1 ½ tsp dry sage

1 tsp rosemary leaves

1 tsp thyme

2 garlic cloves

5 pitted olives

4 cups stock (vegetable or fish)

½ cup Italian rice

3 tsp capers

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh Italian parsley, chopped for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a good-sized pot, and gently saute the onions, carrots, and celery for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the wine, cover the pot, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Put the lemon rind, sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and olives through a food processor. Add this mixture to the soup pot. Blend and stir thoroughly. Add the stock, rice, capers, salt, and pepper. Stir and cover the pot. Cook over medium-low for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the soup rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley on top of each bowl and serve with Parmesan for topping.

 French Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

3 cups water

2 cups pumpkin peeled and cubed or boxed puree

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

1 large carrot, sliced thin

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove

Pinch tarragon

Salt and pepper to taste

1 bouillon cube, chicken or vegetable

1 cup milk or unsweetened soy milk

2 Tbsp sunflower or safflower oil

¼ cup parsley, chopped finely

Pour the water in the pot. Add the pumpkin, potatoes, and carrot and bring to a boil. Add onion, minced garlic, tarragon, salt, and pepper and continue on low boil for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer another 20 minutes. Blend the soup in a blender and pour it back into the pot. Add the milk/soy milk and oil, stir well, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

Portuguese Kale Soup

Ingredients

1 can white beans or 1 cup of dried white beans

5 cups of water

1 large onion, chopped

½ lb kale, chopped (one bag)

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

3 oz tomato paste

4 garlic cloves

1 chorizo sausage, sliced

1 garlic bouillon cube

1 pork bouillon cube

Salt and pepper to taste

Soak the beans overnight if using dried beans. Rinse in cold water. Add the water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the beans, onions, kale, potatoes, tomato paste, chorizo, and garlic. Cook slowly over low-medium heat for 2 hours uncovered. Add more water if necessary. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. Season to taste.

Chinese Cucumber Soup

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 hothouse cucumber, peeled and diced

4 mushrooms, washed and sliced thinly

2 scallions, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tsp sesame oil

½ Tbsp rice wine vinegar

Pinch of dried ginger

Place the broth in a soup pot and bring it to a boil. Add the cucumbers, mushrooms, scallions, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on medium low heat for 15-20 minutes. Blend the soup in a blender. Add the sesame oil, vinegar, and ginger. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours and serve cold or serve it hot.

Potato Dumpling Soup

Ingredients

½ onion, diced

1 carrot, sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

2 mushrooms

3 Tbsp oil

2 ½ cups water

1 cube of vegetable or chicken bouillon

Salt and pepper to taste

Dumplings:

¾ cup of mashed potatoes

½ tsp salt

1 egg

1 ½ tsp chopped parsley

1 tsp chopped fresh chives

¼ cup flour

Slice the vegetables thinly and saute slowly in oil for a few minutes in a soup pot. Add the water gradually, stirring. Add salt and pepper. Cover the pot and cook over medium-low for 30 minutes. While the soup is cooking, combine all the ingredients for the dumplings. [Note: Be sure that the mashed potatoes are well-seasoned before combining with the remaining dumpling ingredients.] Roll the paste into a thin, long cylinder. Cut into 1-inch lengths and roll them in the palms of your hands. Drop the dumplings into the soup and continue cooking covered for another 8-10 minutes. Serve hot.

Ham and Rice Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter or olive oil

1 leek

1 tomato peeled and diced

1 ham steak, cubed

3 cups water

1 cube of ham bouillon (e.g., Goya brand)

½ cup cooked medium grain rice

1 pinch saffron

½ tsp dried or fresh thyme

Saute the leek, tomato, and ham in butter or oil for 2 minutes on medium low. Add the water, bouillon, and spices. Simmer over medium heat 20-30 minutes.

Italian Owl spoonrest

November Soups

Minestra Toscana

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil

½ of a yellow onion, chopped

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup white wine

1 bouquet garni (thyme, oregano, bay leaf, tied together)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 carrot, sliced julienne

½ red pepper, sliced julienne

1 small zucchini, diced

8 spinach leaves

¼ cup olives (black or green, pitted)

¼ cup Italian rice or small noodles

Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for garnish

Pour the olive oil into a large soup pot and saute the onion slightly for about 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the broth, wine, bouquet garni, salt, and pepper and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the carrots, pepper, zucchini, spinach, and olives. Cover the pot and cook slowly for 1 hour. Add the rice and more broth if necessary, and simmer the soup for 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove the bouquet garni. Serve hot and garnish with grated cheese.

 Yellow Lentil Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 medium turnip, diced

4 cups water

½ butternut squash, peeled and chunked

¾ cup yellow split lentils

1 sprig of thyme

1 bay leaf

Fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Pour oil into a soup pot. Saute onions over medium heat until soft. Add celery, carrot, and turnip. Saute another minute. Add the water, squash, lentils, thyme, bay leaf, and parsley. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium for 30 min to an hour until the lentils completely break down. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

 Polish Pearl Barley Soup

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 ½ leeks, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

1 celery heart, chopped

1 turnip, diced

4 cups beef broth

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

Sour cream

Pour the oil into the saucepan and gently saute the leeks, carrots, celery, and turnip for 3 minutes stirring often. Add the broth, barley, salt, and pepper and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 45-50 minutes. Add the parsley, turn off  the heat, and rest the soup for 10 minutes. Serve the soup hot with a teaspoon of sour cream if desired.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

Ingredients

4 cups water

5 Jerusalem artichokes, washed and sliced

3 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced

1 leek, thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

3 Tbsp oil or butter

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup milk or unsweetened soy milk

Fresh parsley or chives for garnish

Pout the water in a soup pot and add the Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes. Cover the pot, bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer gently for 45 minutes. Slice the leek and onions, and mince the garlic. Place them in a separate pot, add the oil or butter, and saute over low heat with the pan covered for 3 minutes, maximum. Stir frequently, and see that the vegetables don’t burn. Add the leek-garli-onion mixture to the soup and continue cooking for and added 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool. Blend the soup in a blender or food processor or pass through a sieve. Return the soup to a clean pot and add the seasonings and milk. Mix well and reheat the soup, bringing it to a boil. Turn off the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley or chives. Can also be refrigerated and served cold.

December Soups

 Saint Lucy Soup Sicilian Style

St. Lucy was martyred by having her eyes torn out but later becomes the Saint that welcomes the Christmas season for Skandinavians

Ingredients

8 cups water

½ cup olive oil

½ lb whole-grain dried wheat (farro)

½ lb dried chickpeas or 1 8-oz can

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, sliced

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

Pour water and oil into a pot. Add the other ingredients and let it boil slowly covered for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally. Check the seasonings, remove bay leaves, and serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Bearn Country Soup

Ingredients

1 can of navy beans

2 quarts water

1 leek, julienned

1 yellow beet, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

½ small cabbage, coarsely chopped

10 green beans

3 potatoes, peeled and left whole

Bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, 4 sprigs parsley)

3 sweet Italian sausages

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 lb salt pork

Salt and pepper

Soak the beans overnight. Drain and rinse. Pour the water into a large soup pot and all the vegetables except the potatoes, bouquet garni, and garlic. Cover the pot and cook on medium-low for 1 ½ hrs. Add water if necessary. Add the potatoes, herbs, sausages, garlic, and bacon and continue cooking for another 1 ¼ hrs. Taste and add seasoning. Remove the potatoes, sausage, and bacon and hold warm. Simmer 15 minutes longer and remove bouquet garni. Serve hot with French bread and then serve the potatoes and sausage on a separate plate accompanied by a green salad with some vinaigrette over the potatoes.

 

Saint Nicholas Soup

1 oz butter

1 leek

2 medium carrots

2 turnips

2 potatoes

½ head of cabbage

½ tsp salt

2 quarts water

Croutons

1/6 cup chervil, chopped

Wash and peel vegetables and slice into small pieces. Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the vegetables and salt and stir a few times. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium low and cook for 30 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. Blend the cooked soup in a blender until creamy. Serve topped with croutons and chopped chervil.

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients

1/6 cup olive oil

½ onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ Tbsp minced fresh rosemary

½ Tbsp minced sage

1 Tbsp thyme

8 slices Italian bread

4 tomatoes, peeled or 1 16-oz can of tomatoes

2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups white wine

Salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a pot. Add onion, garlic, and herbs and saute for 1-2 minutes without browning. Add stale bread slices and continue cooking for a minute or two while stirring and turn off the heat. In a separate pot, cook the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes if fresh. Add the stock, wine, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and add the bread mixture. Continue cooking 12-15 minutes. Lower the heat and simmer another 15 minutes. Serve hot topped with Parmesan cheese.

Acorn Squash Soup

Ingredients

1 large acorn squash, cubed (I used two delicata squash)

½ large onion, chopped

½ cup precooked Arborio rice

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 cups water

1 cup milk or unsweetened soy milk

Pinch sugar

Salt and white pepper to taste

Chopped parsley

Peel and cube the squash. Place cubes into a soup pot with onion, cooked rice, celery, and water. Cook the soup, covered over medium heat 30 minutes. Blend the soup and pour back into the pot. Add milk, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring almost to a boil and reduce to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Lagniappe: Kimchee Jigae

I boiled pressed tofu marinated in gochujang paste, boy choy, chicken stock, sweet potato starch noodles, and sliced Danish bacon (I like the texture between ham and bacon).

Green Borscht

Since April I've celebrating celebrating all the independence days of as many countries as I can discover by finding a restaurant of its type in Houston or cooking something myself. August 24 was Ukrainian Independence Day. Since Ukraine separated from the USSR in the 1980s, the capitol is now Kiev and Ukraine's signature dishes are chicken Kiev, borscht (both the red beet and green sorrel varieties), holutubski, holodec, pierogis, and salo.

Ukrainian painted blown eggs or pysanky for Greek Orthodox Easter

decorative breads made for Easter in Ukraine

holodec or pork aspic is popular

Ukrainian borscht is not limited to beets alone but also has added eggs, potatoes, beans, etc.

holubtsi or stuffed cabbage

salo, a type of fatback, is a food of cultural identity for Ukrainians

So I decided to check out the Russian General Store in the Meyerland neighborhood of Houston where many Russian and Eastern European Jews live to look for Ukrainian food. I love that they label all the foods with their country of origin and I found lots of picked and fried vegetables, prepared borscht, hearty dark rye and pumpernickel breads, sausages and preserved meats, gingerbread cookies, and unusual drinks (sea buckthorn fruit juice, kvass [a soft drink made from bread like beer], and koumiss [fermented mare's milk]). I picked up some canned prepared sorrel to make green borscht myself, since that type of borscht is not eaten in other parts of the former Soviet Union.

The haul from the Russian General Store

Some cat-themed nesting dolls sold in the store

fresh sorrel look similar to beets or Swiss chard

don't be confused with sorrel flowers used to make a tart drink in the Caribbean and Mexico similar to hamaica which is in also in the hibiscus family 

green or sorrel borscht

Green Borscht

Ingredients

2 cups water and 2 bouillon cubes

1 carrot, sliced

1 leek or onion

1 bunch of sorrel leaves or one can of sorrel

¼ cup white vermouth

3 waxy potatoes (such as Yukon Gold), peeled and boiled

3 hard-boiled eggs, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil and add bouillon cubes, carrots, leeks, sorrel, lemon juice, vermouth, and salt and pepper. Cook soup slowly for 30 minutes. Add sliced cooked potatoes and garnish with chopped hard-boiled eggs. Alternatively thin egg noodles and even cooked beans may be added to change the flavor of the soup. The soup is very lemony so you may wish to add 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil or Kerrygold butter at the end to add some fattiness to balance the taste.

August Soups

August is a time when there is an abundance of tomatoes, peppers, corn, zucchini, and eggplants. During August I explored four soups with these themes: Provencal Rainbow Soup, Avocado Soup, Corn Tomato Pepper Soup, and Tomato Soup Florentine. These soups are easy to make and have lots of great summery flavor. The Provencal Rainbow Soup is probably the most colorful of the four, and the combination of anchovies and crisped bacon really creates a depth of flavor. Avocado Soup takes people by surprise because they may not imagine that avocados have a use outside guacamole and a taco topping. I like a little more heat so I used Hatch chiles in my version of Corn Tomato Pepper Soup. You can feel the transition to the fall with the inclusion of spinach in the Tomato Soup Florentine as the fall crop of spinach starts to appear as August's baking heat declines. Both of the last two soups could easily be made with your own roasted and frozen peppers and canned tomatoes.

mise en place

lots of layers of colors and flavor

Provencal Rainbow Soup

Ingredients

1 small red onion, diced

1 clove garlic

1 red pepper, diced

1 zucchini, cubed

20 haricot verts, halved

1 4-oz can pitted black olives

1 anchovy filet

4 leaves of fresh mint

2 tsp olive oil

2 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces

1 can of diced tomatoes or 3 fresh diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

Salt and pepper

Peel the onion and garlic and slice finely. Cut the red pepper and zucchinis into small cubes. Cut the green beans in half. Slice the black olives. Chop the mint leaves. Pour the olive oil into a large soup pot. Add the bacon, onion, and garlic and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Remove the onions and continue to brown the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, chop into pieces, and return to the pan. Add the other vegetables, olives, and anchovy-mint mixture. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for 8-10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the sliced tomatoes, chicken stock, water, salt, and pepper. Cover the pot, raise the heat to medium, and let the soup come to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes. Turn heat down and let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Avocado Soup

1 ripe avocado

½ skim milk or unsweetened soy milk

2 Tbsp scallions, minced

½ tsp lemon juice

1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/8 cup dry sherry

Salt and pepper to taste

1/8 cup cilantro, minced

Cut the avocado in half. Pit, peel, and cut into chunks. Blend the chunks and the milk in a blender. Add the scallions and lemon juice and blend again until smooth. Bring the chicken broth to a boil. Turn off the heat and add sherry, salt, pepper, and half of the cilantro. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Pour the avocado mixture into the broth and mix thoroughly. Allow the soup to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours. Serve cold and garnish with cilantro.

Corn Tomato Pepper Soup

Ingredients

1 onion

1 garlic clove

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 ½ cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 small red pepper, diced

1 small green pepper, diced

1 ½ Tbsp tomato paste

4-oz frozen whole kernel corn

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel, slice, and mince the onion and garlic. Saute the onion and garlic in the vegetable oil, until they begin to brown. Add the broth immediately. Add the red pepper, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Lower to medium heat and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the remaining ingredients (green pepper, tomato paste, corn, salt, and pepper). Stir soup until well mixed. Cover and cook another 15 minutes. Serve hot.

  

Tomato Soup Florentine

¼ cup olive oil

½ onion, finely sliced

4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp fresh basil

1 bay leaf

½ tsp thyme

1 bouillon cube

3 cups water or chicken stock

1 package frozen or 1 bunch fresh spinach

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

Heat the oil and add the onions and tomatoes. Saute vegetables 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic cloves, celery, carrots, and herbs. Stir well and saute another 2 min. Add the bouillon cubes and water/stock and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and cook another 10 min. Stir well. Blend the soup until the spinach is fine. Turn off the heat, and let the soup stand covered 5 min. Serve hot topped with grated cheese.