February Soups

Cream of Pea Soup

I served the cream of pea Adelaide style (with a meat pie) for Australia Day

2 ½ cups water

½ cup split peas

½ onion, minced

1 carrot, minced

2 bouillon cubes

1 bay leaf

Salt to taste

½ tsp sugar

2 sprigs of parsley

1 ½ Tbsp oil

1 ½ Tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1 egg yolk

Pour the water into a soup pot. Add the peas, onion, and carrot. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes over medium-low, stirring periodically. Add the bouillon cubes, bay leaf, salt, sugar, and parsley. Continue cooking on low for 15 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf. Mix the oil and the flour, making a paste, then blend into the soup. Add milk. Stirring continuously, bring the soup to the boilin point and then add the eggs, first mixed in a bowl with a little bit of the soup. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring constantly, without letting the soup get to the boiling point.

Spinach Cream Soup

Spinach cream tastes like the creamed spinach side dish

½ package fresh or frozen spinach

½ onion, sliced

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 ½ cups chicken stock

2 eggs

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan

Salt, pepper, and nutmeg

1 garlic clove, minced

3 slices of bread

Wash the spinach, making sure it is well cleaned. Then chop it and the onion. Pour the olive oil into a soup pot and briefly saute the spinach and onion. After 3 minutes, add the chicken stock and cook slowly over low heat for about 30 minutes. Add more stock if necessary. Beat the eggs and parmesan cheese in a deep bowl. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg and mix it all very well. Blend the soup in a blender until thick and creamy and return it to the pot. Add the egg mixture and stir continually until all the elements blend well. Reheat the soup over low heat for about 5-8 min. Rub the garlic on slices of bread and place them in the oven for a few minutes. Place a bread slice in each bowl and immediately pour the hot soup on top.

Orzo Soup

orzo soup

¼ cup olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2.5 cups water or vegetable stock

1 cup dry white wine

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

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup finely chopped mushrooms

½ cup frozen green peas

½ cup orzo noodles

Dried marjoram and grated Romano cheese as garnish

Pour the olive oil into a soup pot and saute the shallots and garlic for 1 minute. Stir often. Add the water, wine, bouquet garni, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Lower to medium heat and add mushrooms and peas. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add orzo noodles, check seasonings, and add wine if necessary. Simmer the soup, covered, gently for 15 minutes, then remove the bouquet garni and serve the soup hot. Sprinkle marjoram and some Romano cheese on the top of each serving.

Saint Antony Soup

Saint Antony Soup

2 Tbsp oil of choice

½ cup barley

2 carrots, grated

1 leek, sliced

1 bay leaf

¼ cup fresh minced parsley or chervil

Salt to taste

3 ½ cups water

1 bouillon cube

Chopped mushrooms

Pour the oil into a soup pot and add the barley, stirring continuously for 1 minute. Immediately add the carrots, leeks, bay leaf, parsley, salt, and water. Cook the soup over low to medium heat for 45 minutes, or until barley is tender. Add more water if necessary. Add bouillon cube and chopped mushrooms if desired.

Veloute a la Dubarry

½ lb cauliflower

1 leek, white part only

1 medium potato

3 ½ cups water

2 Tbsp butter

1 ½ Tbsp flour

Salt and white pepper to taste

1 egg yolk

½ dry vermouth

1 Tbsp sour cream

Pinch of nutmeg

Chop the cauliflower and leeks and dice the potato. Place them in a large pot. Add the water and cook slowly, covered, over low-medium heat for 30 minutes. Melt the butter in a separate pot. Gradually add the flour, salt, and pepper and make a roux, while stirring vigorously. Add some of the broth from the soup and mix well. Place some cooked cauliflower florettes aside, then blend the rest of the vegetable mix in a blender. Return the soup to a clean soup pot. Add the roux, stir, and continue cooking, uncovered, over very low heat, not allowing the soup to reach the boiling point. Beat the egg yolk. Add the vermouth and sour cream and mix thoroughly. Pour this mixture into the soup. Add the nutmeg and stir well. Check the seasonings. Reheat the soup for a few minutes if it is cold without allowing to boil. Serve hot, with reserved cauliflower on top as a garnish.

Saint Scholastica Soup

Saint Scholastica

Saint Scholastica Soup

Ingredients

6 cups water

1 cube vegetable bouillon

5 Tbsp French lentils

5 Tbsp split peas

4 Tbsp lima beans

1 leek, chopped fine

2 shallots, chopped fine (2 Tbsp fried shallots)

1 carrot (parsnip), thick slices, quartered

2 turnips (golden beets), thick slices, quartered

1 celery stalk, sliced

½ head of red leaf or green leaf lettuce

1.5 oz butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Pour water in a large pot. Add the lentils, split peas, and lima beans and bring to a boil. Add the leeks, shallots, root vegetables, and celery and continue cooking covered on medium heat for 30 minutes. Add the lettuce and simmer another 30 minutes on low. Add butter, salt, and pepper and stir well. Serve hot. [I made several substitutions shown in parentheses.]

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).

Pistou

Summer produce feels a little like being in Provence for a few months because the middle of the summer is a time to eat a lot of basil, zucchini, and squash. One way is to make a ratatouille. Another is to make Provence's answer to Italian pesto in soup form or pistou.

Flavors of Provence by Nouvelle Images

Soup au Pistou

5 cups water

1 leek, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 zucchini, cubed

6 haricot verts beans cut into small pieces

1 ½ tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 stalk of celery, chopped

Sprig of parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Pistou sauce

4 garlic cloves

5 sweet basil leaves

½ cup olive oil

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Place 5 cups of water in a large soup pot. Add all the vegetables and herbs and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for an hour, until beans are tender. Add salt and pepper. Simmer and stir for another 15 minutes. During final simmer prepare pistou sauce. Mash the garlic in a mortar and basil leaves and continue mashing with the pestle until well mixed. Add grated cheese and mix well until it turns into a stiff, consistent paste. Place the mixture into a serving bowl and add the olive oil gradually while stirring until evenly mixed or prepare in a blender or food processor. Serve the soup and let individuals garnish their soup with the pistou sauce.

Castle Downs Lavender, one of the biggest lavender producers in the U.K.

Seeing this image, I may be inspired to try to figure out how to make the lavender chess pie that was always a summer offering at Scratch Bake in Durham, NC.