a little soupy feedback

here's what is making my tureen sing today, a comment from a follower:

I just wanted to let you know that thanks to you I have started making stews and soups again.  I had gotten out of the habit and am now enjoying having soup homemade from scratch.  I am always nervous making a new recipe as I never know how the family will react. It is always a disappointment when I spend a lot of time making something only to hear "mom, don't ever make this again".

Tonight I made a corn chowder with shrimp.  Evan says the next time I make it to add crab. Yay they like it!

Thanks, Marjorie, for the encouragement. 

Happy Souping! 

 

Roasted Carrot Soup (my version)

Photo courtesy of Ms. Tureen

on a busy night, or even an unbusy night, one of my favorite "go to" soup recipes is Roasted Carrot Soup ... not only because it is so flavorful and satisfying, but because I almost always have the ingredients in the house ... and it is a very flexible soup ... so have fun with it ...

 

Ingredients

• 1 or 2 small onions, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 lb carrots, well scrubbed and cut into halves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
• Pinch of freshly ground pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or enough to cover roasted veggies)

 

Now here's where it gets fun:  if you like ginger, add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger (or to taste); if you like curry, add curry to taste 

 

How To

 

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees and cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (makes clean up so much easier).  Toss onions and carrots with salt and pepper and olive oil.  If you happen to have any seasoned oil, that works too.  I have a lovely herby olive oil that adds incredible flavor.  Roast the vegetables, turning occasionally until they have turned a lovely deep golden brown. 

 

2.  Transfer cooked vegetables to a large saucepan and cover with stock.  Add curry or ginger if you so desire.  Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until carrots are soft. 

 

3.  Puree vegetables and stock (I use my immersion blender for this task).

 

4.  Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche if you so desire ... I do not desire but that's just me.  I love it just the way it is ... sometimes I might serve it with a few crunchy homemade croutons but not always.

 

(And yes for those very observant few, I did sneak a sweet potato into my soup only because I had one lone sweet potato in the pantry.)

 

 

Happy Souping

 

 















Jamie Oliver's English Onion Soup

Chicken soup is probably my favorite go-to comfort food but second on the list would be this flavorful soup compliments of Jamie Oliver ... don't be deterred by the "knob of butter" or "lug of olive oil" the recipe begins with ...

And you must must take the time and have the patience to cook the onions slowly so they release their sweetness ...

You will have no regrets ... enjoy Jamie's English Onion Soup ...

soup quote

 "It [soup] breathes reassurance, it offers consolation; after a weary day it promotes sociability...There is nothing like a bowl of hot soup, it's wisp of aromatic steam teasing the nostrils into quivering anticipation."

~ Louis P. DeGouy, Waldorf-Astoria chef, The Soup Book (1949)*

* (Ms. Tureen is thinking she might need to find a

copy of The Soup Book, 1949) 





 

soupy tidbit

here's a little soupy fact for you to digest whilst I start chopping ... cherub #2 has chosen Spicy Black Bean Chili Soup (p. 107 in "for the love of SOUP") ...

according to Wikepedia: evidence of the existence of soup can be found as far back as about 6,000 BC ...

of course this is also about the time that Persians started making wine ... 

let's just pause for a moment of silence to give thanks for these two great happenings ...

 

 

Photo courtesy of Jeff Newfeld

 

 

 

souper etiquette

this is my soupy chuckle for the day:

"Hot soup at table is very vulgar; it either leads to an unseemly mode of taking it, or keeps people waiting too long whilst it cools. Soup should be brought to table only moderately warm."

~ Charles Day, Hints on Etiquette (1844)

le creuset "too good to be true" crusty bread

Staff of Life

 

 

 

well, when I'm not making soup, I can quite often (too often in fact) be found here on Pinterest ... yes it's become a bit of an unhealthy addiction and one I won't be giving up soon ... honestly ... however, I could be doing much worse things with my time, I truly could ...

so, whilst doing some recipe research, I came across this lovely blog Simply So Good ... and therein the magic began ... for it was on this blog that I discovered the "too good to be true" crusty le creuset bread recipe ... and it truly is "too good to be true" ...

give it a try ... you won't be sorry ...

Bread Recipe

go make yourself a loaf ... start now ... and you could have a delicious piece of your very own homemade bread for lunch tomorrow ...

is there anything better ...

happy bread making ...

Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup (thanks Nancy Carney)

6 C. chicken broth
1 T. vegetable oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 medium onion, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch rounds
1 t minced fresh thyme
¾ c. long-grain rice
2 T minced fresh parsley
3 T. lemon juice
4 large egg yolks

 1. Bring broth to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Cover and set aside. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Lower heat to medium, add onion and cook until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Stir in hot broth and scrape browned bits from pan. Add carrots, thyme, rice and chicken. Cover and simmer over low heat until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer chicken to cutting board and continue simmering soup, covered, until rice is tender, about 10 minutes. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Off heat, stir in chicken and parsley.
3. Whisk lemon juice and yolks together in bowl. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle 1 cup of soup into egg mixture, then stir egg mixture back into soup. Reheat over low heat for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Healing Chicken Soup (thanks Jan Gourley)

The healing power of soup ... my always-giving sister-in-law Jan made this soup for a friend suffering from lymphoma ... see her note below*


Whole chicken cut-up
onion chopped
bok choy. chopped
garlic, minced
leeks, chopped
low sodium chicken broth
egg noodles

I boil until noodles start to break-up and it tastes like dumplings! The bok choy is the secret ingredient!


*The most expensive soup I ever made - cost $79 to ship overnight!

Tomato Soup--plain old Tomato Soup

2 tsp olive oil
2 c chopped onion (I told you to make extra onions)
2 c chopped fennel bulb
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c organic vegetable broth
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes undrained1 thyme sprig (I just tossed in some dried thyme)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 min. Add fennel; sauté 3 min. Add garlic; sauté 5 min. (Ok let's be frank ... I just tossed them all in together and sautéed until they were tender.)

Add broth, tomatoes and thyme and bring to a boil. Simmer 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Blend and enjoy.

soup quotes (thanks Kris Brewster)

"Beautiful soup! Who cares for fish, game, or any other dish? Who would not give all else for two pennyworth only of beautiful soup?" -Lewis Carroll

Vegetarian African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup (thanks Karen-Anne Thomson)

This is a vegetarian version of African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup. After making it the first time, I cut back on the cumin as I personally found it to be too strong.  

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced2 tsp minced fresh ginger root
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
4 ½ c water
1 tsp salt
¼ c chopped, unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute the onion 10 min until lightly browned. Mix in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cloves. Stir in the tomatoes, sweet potatoes and carrot and continue to cook and stir about 5 min. Pour water into the saucepan and season the mixture with salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 min. Remove from heat and in a food processor or blender, blend the soup with peanuts until almost smooth. Season with cayenne pepper. Return to the saucepan, whisk in the peanut butter and cook until heated through. Serve warm with fresh cilantro.

Seeded Biscuits (thanks Karen-Anne Thomson)

A form of bread is a must when enjoying soup, especially on a cold night! I’ve made these seeded biscuits countless times and they never fail to disappoint.  They are quick to make and freeze amazingly well for up to 2 weeks. Just thaw and reheat in a 350 oven for 10 minutes.

1 ¼ c all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
¼ c each sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and wheat germ
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ c cold butter, cubed
1 c milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp sesame seeds

 In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose and whole wheat flours, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk to form soft slightly sticky dough. With floured hands, turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead gently 10 times. Pat out into 7 inch square. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into 3 strips. . (I’ve sometimes used a floured glass and cut the pastry so the biscuits are round instead of in strips) Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush tops with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in centre of a 425/220 oven until golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool on pan on racks.

Enjoy :)

 
 

 

Roasted Parsnip Bisque (thanks Karen-Anne Thomson)

1 lb parsnips, peeled and trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
½ med onion, coarsely chopped2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
1 med leek, white and pale green parts only, chopped
4 ½ c chicken broth
¾ c heavy cream
2 tsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

 

Toss parsnips in shallow baking pan with ½ tsp olive oil and roast in middle of oven, turning often, for 30 min. 

 

In a bowl, toss onion, celery and leek with remaining ½ tsp olive oil and add to pan. Roast all veggies for another 30 min, turning often. 

 

Cool slightly and coarsely chop parsnips. 

 

In a large saucepan (like your new le creuset), simmer broth and veggies, covered, for 20 min. 

 

Puree mixture in batches in a blender or food processer with the heavy cream. 

 

Transfer to cleaned saucepan, stir in brown sugar and add salt and pepper to taste. 

 

**If freezing, do not add the cream, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the cream once the soup is thawed and heat through, then add the brown sugar, salt and pepper**

Enjoy :)

heart-shaped carrot tutorial ...

here's a link from helpful follower Linda Berres for cutting heart-shaped carrots ...

when my daughter is not feeling well, the two things she asks for are ginger ale and my homemade chicken soup ...

don't you think being served chicken soup with heart-shaped carrots would speed up the healing process ...

http://www.recipebyphoto.com/heart-shaped-carrots-tutorial/

Kitchen "Must Haves" ... (souper tip)

happy Monday fellow soupers ...

 

 

BUT before we get ahead of ourselves, I thought we'd best talk "Must Haves" for the kitchen ...

 

1. Lovely large pot for simmering soup (here’s your chance to justify that Le Creuset you’ve been coveting … my groom bought me one for my 50th birthday and it has improved my cooking immensely)
2. A beautiful apron (mine came from the sale room of Anthropologie) -- some soups can be a bit splashy
3. Veggie peeler
4. Sharp chef’s knife for chopping
5. Measuring cups and spoons
6. A large chopping board
7. Soup ladle (I’m still looking for the perfect one ... my Mom has a lovely hand-carved wooden one that almost found it's way into my suitcase at Christmas)
8. Colander
9. The freshest possible herbs
10. Something to blend soup--my immersion blender works wonders for churning the soup but, if you don’t have one, you can use a blender or food processor for pureeing
11. The new Nissan Leaf for jetting back and forth from the grocery store economically (ok this one is a bit of a stretch but I do have another birthday coming up and a girl can dream while she's in the kitchen can't she)

Bobby Flay's Pork Chile Verde (thanks Sandy Tatko Gorman)

2 red onions, chopped
1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and halved 3 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and halved
2 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt
Pepper
10 flour tortillas, warmed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss the onions, tomatillos, jalapenos, and garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Roast until soft and starting to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring twice during roasting.

Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat. Brown the pork, in batches, until well-browned. When browned, add all of the pork back to the pan and cover with chicken stock. Add the roasted vegetables, cover the pan and place in the oven. Cook until the pork is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

While pork is cooking, place the cilantro in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of water and puree. Remove the pork from the oven and stir in the cilantro puree. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve with warm flour tortillas.

Souper Tip: Onions

just about to start chopping for African Peanut Chicken Soup ... on a chilly northwest day like today, this is going to hit the spot for dinner ...

souper tip: when you chop onions for a recipe, double the amount and put it away in the fridge for the next pot of soup ... almost every soup begins with a bit of oil and a chopped onion ...

Hamburger Soup

you know the old saying "hair of the dog" ... well i think a ladle full of this soup will cure what ails ... years ago, on Christmas Eve, i used to make a big pot of soup and have friends and family in for dinner ... well we've moved far from home but this soup never fails to satisfy ... it was one of the first i made way back when ...

Hamburger Soup

1 ½ lbs ground beef
1 medium onion chopped fi...ne
1 28 oz can tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cans consommé
1 can tomato soup
4 carrots chopped fine
1 bay leaf
3 celery sticks chopped fine
fresh parsley
½ tsp thyme
pepper to taste
8 tbsps barley

Brown meat and onions together. Drain well. Combine all ingredients in large pot and simmer covered, at least 2 hours or all day in crock pot. Serves 10 and freezes super well. Amazing with crusty bread.

Happy Souping :)

"Soup" ... the poem ...

and, so, to get us started down our potagey path, here's a poem by Carl Sandburg aptly entitled "Soup":

I saw a famous man eating soup.
I say he was lifting a fat broth
Into his mouth with a spoon.
His name was in the newspapers that day
Spelled out in tall black headlines
And thousands of people were talking about him.

When I saw him,
He sat bending his head over a plate
Putting soup in his mouth with a spoon.