Currently viewing the tag: "soup"
This is a pureed soup, so it is smooth and “creamy” feeling, although there is no cream. The ingredients combine to make a slightly sweet soup, so serving this with a salad of bitter winter greens with a sharp-ish vinaigrette is excellent. The flavoring of this soup can go from Provençal to Southwestern American to Indian with ease. See Chef’s Notes for ideas.
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Pistou is the French equivalent of pesto, but has no nuts or cheese. The cheese is added either to the soup or scattered over the soup at the end. This soup is only inspired and is not a true pistou, just in case any Provençal are reading this.
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Tagged with: carrots • cranberry shelling beans • filet beans • green beans • potatoes • rainbow carrots • San Marzano tomatoes • shelling beans • soup • summer squash • tomatoes • zucchini
Like so many things French, you can find more than one “vrais” (real, true) recipe for soupe au pistou, and the basil paste that gives it its name. Some have tomatoes, some not. A few have cheese. Most do not. None have nuts. That I have seen so far. Since I first learned pistou without tomatoes, that iteration will be v.1.
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Here is a soup inspired by the heat wave that just went through. Although first done cold, it could easily be served warm. To me, this tastes of a fresh raw tomato, where a pureed tomato soup misses that delicate fresh fruity quality you get from a raw tomato. This takes time as you need to let the pureé drip without disturbing it so it stays clear, so plan ahead. You can change the garnish to suit your taste or refrigerator contents.
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This soup is a riff on borscht, with kale filling in for the cabbage, and the vinegar on the roast beets filling in for the things that are often pickled in borscht. Some borscht uses sauerkraut, some have chopped pickles, some use a soured broth or kvass as the base. Although written as a hot soup, it could easily be chilled and served cold with yogurt or labne.
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Tagged with: beets • carrots • dill • kale • mushrooms • parsley • rainbow carrots • Red Russian kale • soup
Pureeing fennel, leeks, and butternut squash give this soup a rich creamy texture while the absence of cream or other dairy keeps it light and airy. This would even be good as a cold soup on a hot day, or could be used as a sauce for light proteins such as chicken or goat. To use as a sauce, just use less stock to thin it with. Although the recipe looks longish, it really is simple and fairly quick, and does not require a lot of attention.
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A variation on a theme, this soup is made easier by simply roasting the squash and scooping out the flesh rather than peeling and cutting and cooking it. It is a fairly simple dish, and is smooth enough to serve in cups to be sipped if you wish, or you could add substance to it by adding shrimp and/or some rice-even easier if you have some left over in the refrigerator. This soup can be made thicker and then double as a sauce for fish or on noodles with peppers and shrimp added to them.
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Roasting the tomatoes concentrates the tomato sweetness, while also adding a haunting roasted background note. The basil oil is a great finish, and you could use Thai basil for the oil which would be great also. If you don’t have that handy, the mint crema (yogurt and mint) will work fine. You could also drizzle with some balsamic vinegar, especially if you have some of the thick aged stuff stashed.
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This stock first occurred one spring after market when I opened the refrigerator and found it full of whole and partial bits of green garlic and young garlic, leeks, scallions and spring onions as well as the tops I had saved, not to mention the halves of white and yellow onions. Everything was in great shape, but I needed room for the next batch of produce. So, I made stock. This recipe is sized down for the average kitchen.
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Tagged with: alliums • broth • green garlic • leeks • parsley • scallions • soup • spring onions • stock
Although it says “Creamy” in the title, there is no cream, just a bit of yogurt for the smooth texture. You can, of course, skip the yogurt and the soup will still be quite good, if a little sweeter perhaps. The tomato adds acid and brightens the flavors of the soup, while adding liquid as well. As to seasoning, this soup is amenable to so many different herbs it makes this a truly versatile dish. The vegetable garnish is optional, so this can be a quick and simple dish as well.
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This light soup celebrates spring. If you have asparagus, add some 1/8th inch bias cut slices and you have all the local vegetable harbingers of the season. This recipe is more of a guideline, really. Feel free to play with it. You could just add the chard stems to the liquid, but the sautéing brings out sweetness in the stems, and wilting the chard in a separate pan gives a lighter, cleaner flavor to the broth. The fava greens are the tips of the plants, including some of the flowers. Add mushrooms, carrot shreds, whatever you find.
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Tagged with: chard • cheese • farro • fava beans • fava greens • green garlic • leeks • mushrooms • oyster mushrooms • soup • spring
This is my take on something I learned in cooking school. Fujian cuisine is known for full flavored yet light dishes that showcase the main ingredients. The area is also known for wet dishes such as soups, stews, and braises, as well as seafood, along with an emphasis on umami flavoring. This dish hits all those points. The chicken version is another dish that uses a store bought roasted chicken or left-overs. This dish goes together pretty quickly.
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This recipe uses a store bought roast chicken, but feel free to use leftover chicken if you have it. If you wish, substitute soba or udon for the ramen, as each noodle type has something to offer to this dish. A Ben-Riner or other fixed blade slicer makes this dish a lot easier to prep. Thin slices help keep cooking time down.
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This is a variation on a theme for soup we call “Monday Soup”, which is a hearty vegetable soup, usually with sausage added, that can be eaten for 2-3 days after for lunches or whenever. This one uses a fair amount of fennel, and so will be a little sweet, which is countered by the greens and with vinegar added at the end.
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Tagged with: beans • braising mix • butternut squash • Carnival squash • carrots • celery • chard • fennel • grains • kale • mushrooms • soup • swiss chard • winter squash
This soup has a rich and creamy texture, and a light body. It is a little on the sweet side from the onions and squash. If you wish to add substance to it, you could add cooked rice- Forbidden or wild rice would be nice for color and texture- and various vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, spinach, etc. If you wish, you can roast the squash or steam it instead of sautéing it.
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This simple recipe gives tons of flavor from something that would normally be thrown out. This stock can be used to enhance dishes made with corn such as a succotash or corn sauce, or used instead of water when making polenta-it really makes the corn flavor sing here. It can also be used as a glaze by reducing it down to a syrup and then drizzling it on something like roast halibut or chicken.
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The dice of colorful vegetables and the mix of flavors and textures is like confetti, making this easy soup a celebration of the season. If you have pesto in the refrigerator already, go with the pesto in lieu of the basil leaf shreds as it will reduce the workload. If you wish to make this a more substantial soup, think about adding beans or some pasta.
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Here is a basic “recipe” I use a lot, especially in the summer; this is for “roasted” onions. It is more of a technique than a recipe, as it only calls for onions and flame, really. These onions are a key ingredient to my dark vegetable stock as they lend a depth of flavor, deep color, and the pectin helps to produce a density or viscosity to the stock that is usually derived from animal products. I use these onions in braises, soups, and salsas. Tossed with a little vinegar (red-wine or balsamic) then placed on toasts they make a nice quick appetizer. They elevate roasted peppers. These onions find their way into eggs, pastas, and sandwiches. Good for pizza, too. Grill a few and keep them in a sealed box in the refrigerator. They last 4-5 days.
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This is a flavorful mélange that is not wet enough to be a soup, but not dry, either. Although you could easily add more liquid for a soup or cook it dry as a side dish.
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Tagged with: Bintji potatoes • braise • carrots • collard greens • collards • cranberry beans • cranberry shelling beans • herbs • Italian parsley • parsley • potatoes • scallions • shelling beans • soup • stew • thyme • tomatoes
This is my version of a classic Portuguese soup winemaker and friend Jeff Emery told me about having in Portugal. This is one of those dishes that arose from a very poor culture, making the most out of what was available, such as garlic, eggs, and stale bread. This version is gussied up a bit in that the stock is infused with additional garlic and the stems of the cilantro to really up the flavor. Try this with a Portuguese style wine from Jeff’s Quinta Cruz label for Lisbon vacation on the cheap.
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This soup uses potato to give it a creamy feel, and there is no dairy in it at all. The garlic used is young “green” garlic which has a lovely garlic aroma and a mild flavor without any heat. If you wish, omit it. The soup is excellent either way. This soup is also good served cold a la Vichyssoise. See Notes for ideas. By the way, you do not want this soup to boil- boil this soup and it will turn khaki and smell very broccoli-esque. This recipe includes a step where the stock is simmered with the peelings of the broccoli to add flavor. This is optional, and omitting it won’t hurt.
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As it says, this stock is perfect for braising Chinese greens such as mei quin and other choys. It makes a great base for noodle soups with vegetables, and shiitake mushrooms pair with this quite well. This recipe makes 1 quart, which is more than most dishes call for, but this freezes well and is great for turning leftovers and a packet of quick ramen into something really good without using those little flavor packets full of who knows what. You can freeze this in ice-cube trays and pull out what you need as you go. Use a couple cubes as a base with water for quick soups.
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Frequently, when a chef hears “greens”, the next thing they think is “Get some bacon, ham, or other pork…” They just go together like peanut butter and jelly. This stock is for those occasions. It carries the pork flavor without taking up time to cook the bacon or ham first, and is a lighter flavor and there is little fat to deal with. This is a “basic” version infused with the sweet smoky flavor of ham. (See Ham Stock 2 for a Chinese/Asian boost to make it ideal for things like braising mei quin or using in noodle dishes and soups.) This recipe makes 1 quart, which is more than most dishes call for, but this freezes well.
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Roasting the squash adds depth of flavor, and the apple and squash are a great combination. There are different options for seasoning the soup that, while they are small changes, they move the soup a lot in terms of flavor.
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Tagged with: apples • butternut squash • dairy-free • gluten-free • Granny Smith apples • Kabocha squash • leeks • onions • soup • vegan • vegetarian • winter squash
This is a basic for any Japanese kitchen. In fact, dashi plus miso and some shreds of vegetable equals “miso-shiru”, or miso soup. There are various styles of hana-katsuo (dried bonito flakes)-some are smoked or dried over wood fires, others are not. I especially like using the smokey ones for miso soup as the year turns cool. Look for these flakes in Japanese or oriental markets, some “health-food” stores, and better groceries. In Watsonville, look for them at Yamashita Market. You can find them online as well.
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