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Posts from the ‘Soup’ Category

Sep 19

114 Comments

The Tomato Cobbler That Wasn’t….. It Became Soup

Tomato and farmers cheese soup

Tomato and farmers cheese soup

I recently saw a post on Food52 and it had a photo of a recipe from Huckleberry the new (brilliant) cookblook by Zoe Nathan, I ordered a book, my copy hasn’t arrived but I had some tomatoes I needed to use so I thought I will make the tomato and goat cheese cobbler that was pictured,(how hard could that be). It looked incredible. Long story short, mine didn’t work. I had some gorgeous cherry and small very ripe tomatoes that I cut in half and quartered, added minced garlic and shallot and put in a oval baking dish along with some farmers cheese instead of goats cheese (because thats what I had), off to a good start right? I made the top for the cobbler using my recipe that I use from my spiced plum cobbler. Put the dough on top of the tomatoes in rounds, put in a 375 degree oven and guess what, the tomatoes were so juicy they literally boiled the cobbler top. The tomatoes and cheese smelled great but I could see this was not going to have a happy ending. I removed from the oven, scooped off the cobbler top and unhappily threw it away but I saved the tomatoes, they were literally swimming in juice and tasted great. I did not want to waste the tomatoes so I put them in my blender and made soup. Fresh tomato and farmers cheese soup. It’s velvety, creamy, mildly cheesy has just a hint of garlic and onion and loads of fresh tomato taste, It really was a happy surprise. A little voice kept telling me that the tomatoes would get soupy but I didn’t listen, so it’s back to the drawing board on the cobbler. I’ll wait for my cookbook to arrive. But this soup is really good!! I was planning on taking this to Fiesta Friday #34 but I’ll have to make something else.

Tomato and farmers cheese

Tomato and farmers cheese

Tomato and farmers cheese Soup

Serves 4

3 cups ripe tomatoes (cherry tomatoes halved larger tomatoes quartered)

1 shallot minced

1 clove garlic minced

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 tsp organic brown sugar (optional)

6 oz farmers cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Place tomatoes, garlic, shallot, farmers cheese, red pepper flakes and optional brown sugar in the oven for 30 minutes. The tomatoes will become very juicy and soft. Remove from oven and let cool about 15 minutes. Pour all of it into the blender or food processor or use and immersion blender and process until smooth. Pour through sieve to remove any tomato skins and ensure a velvety smooth soup. Heat and serve.

Soup

Soup

Jul 18

93 Comments

Cold Roasted Summer Vegetable Soup Shots For Fiesta Friday #25

Sumer Vegetable Soup

Summer Vegetable Soup

I’m not much of a soup person when it’s really hot out, however a cold or room temp soup is perfect summer fare. I had an over abundance of vegetables that I bought at the farmers market that I needed to use and I love roasted vegetables, I put them in salads, eat on their own or as a side they are delicious and very versatile. When I say I had a lot of vegetables I mean a lot, I roasted two 1/2 sheet pans of assorted vegetables, some I ate the others I thought I would make into a soup. This soup is a mix of asparagus, green beans, carrots, red scallions and summer squash. It takes a short time to roast and then you are done with the hot oven and all you will need is your blender or food processor, I simply put the vegetables in the processor, added salt, pepper,creme fraiche and vegetable broth.  I garnished with mint and garlic that I fried in some olive oil. You can of course use whatever vegetables you like or have on hand. There really is no recipe. you puree vegetables and add liquid until it’s the desired thickness, I don’t use any spices if you like to add them I think it would be wonderful. Serve warm, cold or room temperature.

Week #25, my how time flies. Well this week our always glowing host Angie@The Novice Gardener has asked two bloggers that were the very first co hosts for Fiesta Friday,  Hilda @Along The Grapevine and Julianna @Foodie On Board. We are in good hands my friends

garnish

garnish

Here is what I used:

1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and woody stems snapped off (make sure to really clean the heads they can contain sand)

approximately 2 cups green beans stem end snapped off and cleaned

6 small carrots roasted whole with about an inch of the green stem left on

4 yellow summer squash cut into large chunks

4 large red bulb scallions cleaned ends cut ( I didn’t use the long green stems only about an inch above the bulb)

vegetable or chicken broth (enough to thin the soup to desired consistency)

creme fraiche or kefir I added about 1/2 cup

salt  and pepper to taste

Mint cut chiffonade

garlic sliced very thinly

Roast the vegetables in a 375 degree oven, I roasted the carrots, squash and onions longer than the asparagus and green beans. About 30 minutes for the carrots etc and 15-20 minutes for asparagus and green beans.

Remove from oven and place in processor with some stock, process until smooth. Pour into bowl and add the creme fraiche or kefir, salt and pepper, do all of this to taste and desired thickness.

In saute pan coat with olive oil, add garlic and when it just starts to turn a light brown add the mint, saute until mint is crisp and garlic is a nice light brown, remove to paper towel. When serving sprinkle some on top of each serving you can also add a dollop of sour cream.

Roast summer vegetable soup

Roasted summer vegetable soup

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday

 

 

Mar 20

69 Comments

Spring Is Here….. In Theory And A Spring Recipe

Spring Turnips

Spring Turnips

At 12:57 PM today it’s officially spring. It is a glorious day in NYC with temps in the 50’s and after a tenacious winter those warmish temps feel really nice. It will be short lived but thats ok I see the light at the end of the tunnel. The first little nubs of green are peeking through the earth and I know that very soon there will be buds everywhere.

I can’t wait for the spring vegetables to hit the market, right now it’s still winter produce. I wanted to make something that just screamed spring but, to be perfectly honest, was completely uninspired by anything I saw at the market.

I decided to reprise a recipe that I made a couple of years ago, it’s a great spring soup, it’s simple and delicious and it will be the first thing I make when the spring produce hits the farmers market. I posted this on Food 52 about 2 years ago and was a communiuty pick, the editors also made the soup and  it was photographed by Mr Ransom the very talented food52 photographer. I also posted this here in May of 2012

Creamy turnip soup

Creamy turnip soup

Creamy Spring Turnip Soup With Wilted Radish Greens And Bacon

Serves 4-6 depending on serving size

3 cups spring turnips cut in quarters

3 young leeks cleaned very well and sliced

4 cups broth (I used chicken but vegetable broth would also be good or even water)

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Clean and slice your leeks, I like to clean, trim and chop into rounds and add to a large amount of clean water. The grit goes to the bottom, then I scoop them out and rinse again. Let them air dry while you prep the turnips. Peel, rinse and chop the turnips into quarters.

Heat only enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a heavy large saucepan, add the dried leeks and cook only until softened. Add the turnips and cook for a short time you don’t want them to brown only to start to soften, I cooked on medium/high heat, Add the stock, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until the turnips are very soft.

You may not need all of the liquid depending on how thick you like your soup, so drain the turnips and leeks and process in blender until very smooth, Pour into a bowl and add back the stock until it reaches the consistency you like. Now add the heavy cream. Adjust seasoning. Stir and set aside while you make the topping. If you are serving the soup warm pour back in the saucepan and keep on very low flame.

Greens and Bacon

4-6 slices bacon (I like maple cured)

the leaves from a head of radishes

Remove the greens from the radishes and clean very well to remove any grit, Lay on paper towel to dry.

Fry the bacon until crisp, remove from pan and lay on paper towel, add the dried radish greens and saute only until wilted, Remove to paper towel. Ladle soup into bowls lay some of the wilted greens and crumble some of the bacon on top.

Photograph by James Ransom for Food52

Photograph by James Ransom for Food52

Feb 11

42 Comments

Valentines Day – The Basics: First Course – Part 1 Leek And Potato Soup And Variations

Leek, potato and watercress soup

Leek, potato and watercress soup

With Valentines Day fast approaching I decided to  break the meal into separate posts,  3 recipes, first course, entree and dessert. Two of the recipes will be in line with my basics posts. The first is from Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom.

Julia Child calls this a primal soup, a basic soup that is uncomplicated and adapted into many variations. Leek and Potato soup is your most basic soup, it is elegant and delicious and wildly popular for many years. This recipe has withstood the test of time and has many variations. I am making the basic soup and adding watercress, this adds a little green, a peppery bite and if you are a fan of watercress you will love it. I made it exactly as written, you can add a little butter if you wish while pureeing. It’s delicious as is and is vegan friendly by simply omitting the sour cream or creme fraiche garnish.

The Basic Recipe for Leek and potato soup:

Makes 2 quarts or approximately 6 servings

3 cups sliced leeks, the white and tender green parts, cleaned thoroughly to remove any sand and grit.

3 cups peeled and roughly chopped “baking” potatoes (I used russet)

6 cups water

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a 3 quart saucepan. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Adjust seasoning. Puree and serve with a dollop of the sour cream or creme fraiche.

Variations:

Onion and Potato – substitute onion for the leeks

Cream of leek and potato soup – After you puree whisk in 1/2 cup heavy cream

Watercress: Add a bunch of watercress during the last 5 minutes of simmering, Serve with a scattering of fresh watercress.

Cold Soup – Vichyssoise- puree any of the above, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and serve chilled. Top each bowl with minced fresh chives, parsley or watercress leaves.

Dec 26

65 Comments

Red Kuri And Butternut Squash Soup

Prepped squash

Prepped squash

I just love creamy squash soups, butternut is probably the most well known and it’s delicious. I found some red kuri squash and loved the way it looked, I have never had it before but after quickly googling on my i phone (I love that I can find info in a flash on my phone) I decided that I wanted to try it. Now I love making squash soup, but HATE cutting it, I don’t care how sharp your knife is it’s so hard to cut, serious tough skin. I trim the ends, cut in half and bake in the oven until it’s soft. I don’t have the strength or patience to peel squash.

Red Kuri Squash

Red Kuri Squash

Red Kuri squash is great, the flesh is sweet and when baked has a lovely soft consistency. It is not quite as dense as butternut squash, it’s closer to pumpkin.

The soup takes almost no time at all to prepare since the squash is already cooked. I don’t add spice only salt and pepper. It would be good with spice I am sure, it’s just that I am partial to it straight up with only aromatics (I use onion).

Serves 4-6 depending on Serving size

1 butternut squash cut in half, seeds removed

1 red kuri squash cut in half seeds removed

1 onion (I used yellow onion) diced

1 tbs brown sugar(optional)

2-3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

1/4 cup heavy cream or full fat coconut milk

2 tbs butter

splash of apple cider

salt and pepper to taste ( I used a blend of 5 peppers)

Heat oven to 375 place squash cut side down on baking sheet and bake until soft it takes approximately 45-60 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool a little and scoop out flesh into food processor or blender. Puree until very smooth and set aside.

In saucepan or soup pot add butter and melt on medium high, add the onion and saute until soft and translucent add the optional tbs of brown sugar and continue to saute for another minute or so. Add the broth or stock and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Add the squash puree, splash of cider and salt and pepper and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add the heavy cream and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve hot.

Soup and Salad

Soup and Salad

Feb 3

34 Comments

Pasta Piselli

Pasta Piselli

Pasta Piselli

I first tasted this when I lived in Naples Italy, it was served as a first course at a friends house where I went for lunch. Lunch in Italy lasted 2 or 3 hours and was the main meal of the day. There were several courses and it was eaten leisurely over the space of about 2 hours. Very different from the quickie lunches we have here in the US.  I watched my friends Grandmother make this soup and was taken first by it’s simplicity, only a few ingredients but there was something about it that was so warm and comforting and delicious. My recipe is basically the same as what I observed the only thing that I do differently is that I add a pinch of lemon zest, it brightens the flavors and adds so much to the dish IMHO. I like to use fresh pasta but you can use dried it’s perfectly fine and works just as well. Feel free to use whatever type of pasta you like, for this I like long pasta, linguine is my favorite. You can also feel free to use parmigiano instead of romano if you like or mix them. It’s all good!!

Serves 2-4 depending on serving size

32 oz chicken broth or stock

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1/2 pound fresh or dried pasta

1 large egg at room temperature beaten

1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of lemon zest (Optional)

Bring your broth or stock to a boil in a large saucepan, add the peas and cook for 3 minutes, add the pasta (If using fresh it only takes about 3 minutes to cook, dried takes longer 8 minutes approximately) NOTE: If using dried pasta it takes much longer to cook and you don’t want to over cook the peas. Dried pasta depending on the type can take 8-10 minutes so add the peas the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Beat the egg and add the grated cheese to the egg, combine. Remove pot from the heat and pour the egg in slowly stirring as you add. Add salt and pepper if you like, I like to add a pinch of lemon zest also, its optional. Serve with more cheese grated on top.

Jan 4

31 Comments

Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup hearty and delicious!

Lentil Soup hearty and delicious!

Its cold outside and in the winter I really love to have a hot bowl of soup. I love lentils, they are nutritious, loaded with protein, fiber and vitamins, one of natures perfect foods. They are also so easy to make. I usually make the whole package, 2 cups dry lentils and this yields a big pot of soup, for me this is multiple meals and it freezes nicely. I divide into portions, stick them in the freezer. I like to add lots of vegetables, onion, celery, carrot, garlic and parsley.  It is a healthful delicious meal as is, but I really love adding kielbasa to my lentil soup there is something about the smoky sausage that adds so much flavor. You don’t have to, this is optional of course. I’m sure all of you have your go to lentil soup recipe, this is mine. I sometimes add kale or spinach to the pot at the end of cooking time.

Ingredients:

2 cups lentils washed and sorted

1 small onion chopped

1 large stalk celery

1 medium size carrot cleaned peeled and chopped

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

6-8 cups chicken, beef, vegetable stock or water

1/2 lb smoked kielbasa sausage (Optional)

salt and pepper to taste

handfull of Spinach or Kale

Coat the bottom of your pot or dutch oven with olive oil (not too much), heat on medium high and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot, saute stirring frequently until the vegetables start of soften, add the  parsley.  Heat the stock if you are using stock. Now add the cleaned lentils, give it a stir and add hot stock or hot water. Cover, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low. Let cook stirring occasionally for approximately 1 hour or until lentils are softened and cooked through. Watch it carefully, if you think it’s too thick add more water or stock to thin. I threw in some spinach after it was cooked the heat of the soup wilts the spinach. NOTE: If adding Kale you will need to continue cooking for 5 minutes or a little longer. Spinach wilts instantly but Kale is a bit tougher and requires a small amount of cooking time.

Nov 8

36 Comments

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for Comfort Food Thursday #FBS4Sandy

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Comfort food can encompass so many different varieties of foods depending on your culture or ethnicity. Meatloaf, pasta, mac and cheese all delicious and oh so comforting. This soup takes me back to my childhood and was the starter for almost every meal we had with my Italian family. Homemade chicken soup with pasta and escarole. It’s warm and comforting and delicious. I like to grate a little pecorino romano cheese on top and for me it’s heaven. If I have time I like to make the pasta for this soup but it’s perfectly fine with commercially prepared pasta of whatever size and shape you like. Making the chicken stock is so easy, basically throwing everything in a pot and let it cook for hours. The pasta takes a little work but is so worth it in the end.

Chicken Stock:

1 whole chicken, organic if possible

1 whole onion peeled and cut in half

2 stalks celery cut in half

2 cloves garlic

2 big carrots cut into big chunks

handful of cleaned parsley and whatever herbs you like to add

enough water to cover the chicken

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups torn or chopped well cleaned escarole

noodles or whatever type of pasta you like to add to the soup. About 2 1/2 cups cooked pasta

Add everything except the escarole and noodles to stock pot and boil for 2-3 hours on med/high heat or lower heat if you want to cook all day. When done remove chicken and vegetables from pot, add the escarole and cook for 20 minutes. In separate pot boil your noodles and add to chicken soup when they are done, Cut the carrots on the diagonal and add back to soup, You can serve with some of the boiled chicken in the bowl and I like to grate some romano cheese on top.

Pasta:
2 1/2 cups AP flour
4 large eggs
1 tbs water
2 tsp olive oil
On work surface dump flour and make a well in the middle, add the eggs, water and olive oil and beat with a fork, working in a circle incorporate the flour until you have a cohesive dough, add more flour if your dough is too sticky. Knead until dough is smooth, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
Or by food processor (which I did)  place flour in bowl then add the eggs, oil and water and pulse until it comes together into a ball. Turn onto lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
If rolling by hand roll dough with rolling pin as thin as you can, the dough should be almost translucent. Fold and cut into thin strips like linguine. If using a pasta machine follow manufacturers directions. NOTE: You will only need half of the pasta for this, wrap the other half of the dough well and freeze for later use).
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, when water is boiling add salt (the water should be salty like sea water) Add the pasta stirring to make sure each piece is separated and cook for 2 minutes.

May 21

13 Comments

Creamy Spring Turnip Soup With Wilted Radish Greens And Bacon

Creamy Spring Turnip Soup

The contest on Food52 is all about radishes and turnips. Honestly, I am not a lover of either but if I had to pick I guess turnips would be my choice. I do however love greens, turnip or radish they are delicious and anything is better with bacon, right? This soup is silky and creamy and can be eaten warm/hot or chilled. The wilted radish greens and bacon are delicious with the soup. I made this with young spring leeks and turnips and only added a little cream to smooth out the bite from the turnips. I am so pleased at how wonderfully this soup came out and it literally takes less than an hour to prepare. With the weather turning warmer I’m sure soup is not high on the priority list, I had it slightly chilled last night for dinner and it was wonderful.

The Soup

3 cups spring turnips cut in quarters

3 young leeks cleaned very well and sliced

4 cups broth (I used chicken but vegetable broth would also be good)

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Clean and slice your leeks, I like to clean, trim and chop into rounds and add to a large amount of clean water. The grit goes to the bottom, then I scoop them out and rinse again. Let them air dry while you prep the turnips. Peel, rinse and chop the turnips into quarters.

Heat only enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a heavy large saucepan, add the dried leeks and cook only until softened. Add the turnips and cook for a short time you don’t want them to brown only to start to soften, I cooked on medium/high heat, Add the stock, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until the turnips are very soft.

You may not need all of the liquid depending on how thick you like your soup, so drain the turnips and leeks and process in blender until very smooth, Pour into a bowl and add back the stock until it reaches the consistency you like. Now add the heavy cream. Adjust seasoning. Stir and set aside while you make the topping. If you are serving the soup warm pour back in the saucepan and keep on very low flame.

Greens and Bacon

4-6 slices bacon (I like maple cured)

the leaves from a head of radishes

Remove the greens from the radishes and clean very well to remove any grit, Lay on paper towel to dry.

Fry the bacon until crisp, remove from pan and lay on paper towel, add the dried radish greens and saute only until wilted, Remove to paper towel. Ladle soup into bowls lay some of the wilted greens and crumble some of the bacon on top.

Mar 5

2 Comments

Last Pot of Hot Soup, Maybe…. Chicken Noodle Soup

Crocus in bloom

During the cold winter months I sometimes make a pot of soup a week, this winter my thoughts were turning to gazpacho because the it’s been unusually warm. I walk outside and see bulbs have already bloomed, actually I saw the beginnings at the end of January and now we have full blooms. I really haven’t followed tradition, my own, and made soup. I’ve barely had hot chocolate or hot toddy’s. So I decided to make soup today, with temperatures in the low to mid 40’s and the weather forecast in the high 50’s low 60’s the rest of the week, I thought I better do it now or else I might just retire my soup pot. I made chicken soup with escarole and noodles. The noodles are homemade from dough left over from last weeks Italian offerings, made some stock with chicken, onions, celery, carrots, garlic and herbs (parsley). I will probably freeze what’s left after enjoying a bowl, you never know, next week we may get snow.

Chicken Stock:

1 whole chicken, organic if possible

1 whole onion peeled and cut in half

2 stalks celery cut in half

2 cloves garlic

2 big carrots cut into big chunks

handful of cleaned parsley and whatever herbs you like to add

enough water to cover the chicken

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups torn or chopped well cleaned escarole

noodles or whatever type of pasta you like to add to the soup. About 2 1/2 cups cooked pasta

Add everything except the escarole and noodles to stock pot and boil for 2-3 hours on med/high heat or lower heat if you want to cook all day. When done remove chicken and vegetables from pot, add the escarole and cook for 20 minutes. In separate pot boil your noodles and add to chicken soup when they are done, Cut the carrots on the diagonal and add back to soup, You can serve with some of the boiled chicken in the bowl and I like to grate some romano cheese on top.

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