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Potato & Celeriac Soup
1/4 cup oil, olive preferably
1 # yellow onions, small diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 # potatoes, peeled and roughly cubed
2 # celeriac, peeled and rough cubed
2 quarts stock, chicken or vegetable
4 sprigs thyme, stripped
1-cup heavy cream (optional if you want a lighter soup)
Heat oil in soup pot. Add onions and sauté until slightly caramelized. Add garlic and sauté for one minute longer. Add potatoes and celeriac for one minute. Add stock and simmer until potatoes and celeriac are soft. Remove from heat. Using a blend stick or blender, process until smooth in small batches. If using a blender, initially pulse it so that it doesn’t splash upward. Transfer puree to a container. Continue until all is pureed. Add fresh thyme and heavy cream (if desired). Season with salt and pepper.
South American Butternut Bisque
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chili, seeded, chopped
2 pounds winter squash peeled, cut into 1/2 cubes such as butternut or acorn
4 cups vegetable stock
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 bunch parsley or cilantro, washed and finely chopped
Saute onions, tomato, garlic, and hot peppers in the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until the onion is softened and the mixture is thick, about 15 minutes. Stir in the squash and the stock and simmer. Reduce heat, stir in salt and sugar, then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Turn of heat and stir in cilantro or parsley. Garnish with dollop of sour cream or yogurt.
Easy Onion Soup
2# onions, sliced thinly
.25 cup olive oil
2 quarts chicken stock
2 tbsp. sherry (optional)
Heat olive oil in a heavy sauce pot. Add onions and SLOWLY caramelize, very low heat. Add stock when the onions are brown. Season with salt & pepper and sherry if desired.
Rub slices of Red Hen bread with olive oil and toast. Top the soup with a slice each and grate fresh parmesan reggiano on them. Cheddar works well too.
Nicola Potato & Cheddar Soup
Bill wrote up this recipe in honor of the cold dreary weather today while waiting for his delayed flight! It is soup weather indeed.
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly slice
.75 cup apple cider
2 # potatoes, peeled and diced
4 1/2 cups stock chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream (half-and-half will work as well)
2 apples, small dice
I bottle dark beer (optional)
2 tsp. butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
In a soup pot, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until starting to turn golden. Add the cider and cook until it reduces somewhat. Add the potatoes, stock and beer, bring to a boil, simmer it, covered. Whisk the cheddar in off the heat.
Blend, in small batches, in a blender. Be VERY careful and pulse the liquid. If too thick, add some water. It won’t deter from the flavor.
Once the soup is all blended, add the cream. In a small pan, melt the butter. When it melts, add in the apple chunks, and cook for a couple of minutes until they start to get a bit caramelized. Garnish Soup with carmelized apples.
Not Your Grandmother's Irish Lamb Stew
4 links lamb sausage
3 tbsp. oil
2 cloves garlic, fine chop
1 copra onion, medium dice
2 carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 Gilfeather turnips, washed, quartered and cut into medium chunks
6 Norland potatoes, washed and cut into medium chunks
4 cups beef broth
1/4 cup fresh mint, rough chop
Greens - beet, spinach or braising greens
Prepare all vegetables and set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy soup pot. Once hot, add the sausage links and brown evenly on all sides. Remove to a plate and add onions, carrots and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes. Add beef broth, turnips and potatoes. When the sausage in cool enough to handle, slice each link into one inch pieces. Add to pot, cover and lower heat to simmer. When vegetables are tender, remove from heat and stir in mint and season with salt and pepper.
In a separate pan, heat a small amount of oil and sauté greens until barely wilted. Place greens in the bottom of a bowl and ladle the stew on top.
Kale & Potato Soup
4 large russet potatoes, washed, cut into large cubes
3 links linguica sausage, cut into small cubes (or andouille, kielbasa or chorizo...)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large onion, small dice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 bunch kale, ribs removed, chopped
3 quarts chicken stock
3 sprigs fresh oregano, stripped and roughly chopped
Heat oil in soup pot Add linguica and sauté until the oil takes on a reddish hue.
Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent. Add chicken stock and bring to simmer. Add the potatoes and cook until they are just tender. Remove from heat. Add kale and oregano and stir until the kale wilts.
Cut thick slices of the Elmore Mountain bread. Rub with some olive oil and toast them in oven. Ladle soup into bowls and place a piece of bread on top.
Sorrel Soup
This is a very simple light soup that highlights the fresh, slightly lemony flavor of the sorrel. It's from the Sundays at Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. Light, lemony and delicious.
2 c. well-packed, washed and stemmed sorrel leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
3 T. butter
1 T. unbleached white flour
3 c. vegetable stock
2 egg yolks
1 c. milk or half and half
salt and freshly ground black pepper
dash of Tabasco or other hot sauce (optional)
Finely chop the sorrel leaves. In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion in the butter until translucent. Stir in the flour. Mix in the sorrel and cook for a minute or so, just until it wilts. Add the vegetable stock. Bring the soup to a low simmer and cook for about 3 minutes. Beat the egg yolks and milk in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly add 2 c. of the hot soup while stirring constantly. Stir this soup-egg mixture into the soup pot. Reheat the soup gently but don’t let it boil. Add salt, pepper to taste and a dash of Tabasco, if you like.
Chilled Fennel & Potato Soup
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cups fennel, rough chop (save fronds for garnish)
2 onions, chopped
2 cups potatoes, peeled, diced
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream
3 sprigs tarragon, stripped, chopped
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add fennel bulbs, onions and potatoes. Sauté until slightly softened. Add broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. Cool slightly.
Meanwhile, bring cream and tarragon to boil in heavy small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 20 minutes so that flavors can infuse.
Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream mixture. Simmer thinning with some water or more broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds.
'Caponata' (Sicilian Aubergine Stew)
Caponata is a kind of eggplant stew that is flavoured with vinegar and sugar which gives it a sweet and sour flavour. It is usually served cold as part of an antipasti platter but is also nice served as a light lunch with some good crusty bread. Adapted from a recipe on Jamie Oliver.com
1 large aubergine, cubed
1 med onion, thinly sliced
3 sticks of celery (leaves left on), sliced (can be skipped - or could add sliced fennel)
about 20 green olives
1 heaped tbsp of capers
2-3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp of vinegar
3 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Approx 4-5 tbsp olive oil
Using a large frying pan, heat the 3-4 tbsp of olive oil and fry the eggplants over a medium heat till nicely browned. Remove from the pan.
Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and fry the onions gently till opaque and lightly golden. Add the celery (or fennel) next and fry for about 2 mins. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan (including the eggplants)and season with salt and pepper. Add a few of tablespoons of water to the mixture and cook over a low heat for a total of 15mins. If the mixture begins to dry out, add a little more water (no more than a tbsp at a time).
Remove from the heat and allow to cool down to room temperature before serving.
HEATHER's FALL HARVEST PUMPKIN SOUP
1 pie pumpkin, about 3 lbs
2 medium or 3 small white turnips
1 or 2 fennel bulbs
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbs olive oil
1 qt chicken or vegetable broth
1 qt water, as needed
Fresh or dried herbs to taste: thyme, sage, parsley, fennel greens
Pinch or red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 350; cut pumpkin in half, place in baking pan cut side down, add 2 inches water. Bake until tender, about an hour. Cool to handle, discard seeds, scoop out flesh and chop up a bit if it's in large pieces. Set aside for now.
Now you could make a nice vegetable stock with the pumpkin shell, and the parings from the onions, fennel, and turnip. Cover with water in a large stock pot and simmer 15 minutes. While this cooks, you can chop and sauté the vegetables.
Dice the turnip, fennel bulb, and onion. Mince the garlic.
Heat olive oil in large soup pot, add onion, sauté 5 minutes; add the rest of the vegetables and sauté until fragrant and slightly browning. Add the salt, pepper, and seasonings. Stir around a couple of minutes, and then add in the pumpkin. Set a mesh strainer over the pot and very carefully pour in the vegetable stock. Simmer about 30 minutes, adding more stock or water as needed.
This can be a thick chunky soup or a velvety smooth puree, so add as much broth or more water as needed to make the desired consistency. A splash of cider is also lovely. Puree if you wish.
Garnish with fresh snipped parsley/fennel greens and/or some roasted pumpkin seeds.
More...
THAI SOUP WITH GINGER AND COCONUT
With chicken, make a stock by simmering the chicken in a large stock pot. Cover with water, and add any vegetable parings as you prepare the vegetables. Remove the chicken after about 30 minutes. Cool and then shred the meat. Strain the broth and set aside 8 cups.
Vegetarian broth can be made from the vegetable parings. For this recipe, use some ginger, lemongrass and garlic to flavor the broth.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 pc lemongrass, diced, or pinch of dry lemongrass powder
2 tsp red Thai curry paste, to taste
2 tsp salt
3 shallots, sliced
6 piece diakon, halved and sliced on a diagonal
2 carrots, halved and sliced on a diagonal
1 c coconut milk
8 c broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 tbsp fish sauce (or tamari for vegetarian)
1 cake tofu, drained & cubed
or
chicken from one bird
1 # pac choi, cut into shreds
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
1 lime cut in wedges
Hot sauce
Combine the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, curry paste and salt together in a small bowl to make paste. Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat and add this spice paste and the shallots. Sweat for a few minutes, and then add the coconut milk, daikon and carrots. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, add the broth, fish sauce/tamari, and tofu or chicken. Simmer until vegetables are tender, adding the pac choi at the very end. Garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Add hot sauce to taste.
You could serve this with rice or noodles, if you like.
So, as promised, here's another great greens recipe. This is a dish shared with me by Barry at the Buffalo Mt Coop in Hardwick. He was having his lunch while I was shopping. It looked so yummy he gave me a bite. The sweet flavor of the caramelized onions really shines through, and kale is especially good here. I’m sure I’ve changed it some since then, but that's the evolution of cooking!
FROZEN SOUP BASE
Roasted vegetable soup
1 quart vegetable soup base
1 quart water
2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
3 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
1 large onion cut in wedges
8 cups peeled and cubed assorted winter vegetables; carrots, beets, parsnip, winter squash, sweet potato, celeriac, leeks, etc
Salt to taste
Seasoning of choice:
1 tbsp minced ginger, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp corriander, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Or
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, pinch thyme, black pepper, parsley
2 qt water or vegetable broth
Preheat oven to 425
Place soup base and water in a saucepan, cover and simmer until melted. Stir often to make a nice smooth puree.
Combine cubed vegetables with onion wedges, garlic, 2 tbsp oil, salt, and ginger if using. Roast in oven for at least an hour; stir occasionally.
When vegetables are tender and nicely carmelized, combine in a large stock pot with the puree and additional water or broth as needed. Puree with a stick blender, or in batches in a food processor or blender. Add water or stock as needed to make a smooth and creamy soup. Adjust seasoning and simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors.
Gingered Squash and Apple Soup
6 servings
3 C squash puree
3 Tbsp butter
2 onions, diced
1 lb apples, peeled & diced
salt & pepper to taste
pinch red pepper flakes
5 c vegetable broth
1/2 c dry white wine
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp fresh minced cilantro
cream or creme fraiche, optional
Saute onions in butter for 5 minutes, add apples with a pinch of salt and saute another 15 minutes. Add the squash, broth, wine, ginger and pepper to taste and simmer 15 minutes. Puree until smooth; adjust salt & pepper to taste. Stir in a bit of cream if you like, or garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Chilled Buttermilk Cucumber Soup
adapted from Gourmet Cookbook. You need pickled beets to make this, or it's just as good without. Serves 4.
2 c well shaken buttermilk
1/2 c sour cream
1 c milk (or more buttermilk)
1/2 tsp salt
grind of fresh black pepper
1 c chopped pickled beets
1/4 c pickled beet liquid
1 c chopped cucumber
1/2 c chopped sweet salad turnips
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp fresh minced chives
1 clove garlic, minced, optional(nice if you omit the beets)
Whisk together buttermilk, sour cream ,milk, and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate, covered at least 15 minutes, up to 8 hours. Stir to combine again before serving.
