Posts filed under 'soup'
This is my first experience with Kabocha squash, a japanese winter pumpkin. I saw them at the co-op and couldn’t resist their cute size – I immediately wanted to make little soup bowls out of their rinds. Besides being cute, they’re also tasty and good for you, rich in beta carotene, with a decent amount of vitamin C and iron to boot.
When I cut them open I was so surprised by their color. The flesh near the rind was avocado green, giving way to a bright yellow-orange. I roasted them before I scooped out the flesh for the soup, but only one of my squash rind soup bowls survived the roasting process. The second came out of the oven with large cracks in it. Since I’ve never worked with this squash before I’m not sure if I was extremely lucky to have one survive, or unlucky to have one break.
This soup is really simple, complicated only by creating the decorative bowl for it. The rich yellow color makes the soup look for all the world like it was spiked with tumeric. It’s very rich so a small serving alongside some hearty steamed kale was just the thing I needed for a cold February night.
Kabocha Squash Soup
Serves Two
2 Small-Medium Kabocha Squashes, of similar size
1 Cup Soymilk
1/2 Can of Coconut Milk (about 7 oz)
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1 Vegetable Bullion Cube (package should state that 1 cube makes 2 cups of broth)
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Black Pepper to taste
Smoked Paprika
Parsley
If not making bowls from the rinds, halve squashes, scoop out the seeds and coat with olive oil. Sprinke with salt and place in a 400º F oven for 30 minutes, or until flesh is tender enough to spoon from the rinds.
Scoop out flesh into a soup pot, it will look sort of dry. Add remaining ingredients, less paprika and parsey. Whisk to break down lumps while simmering. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
The thickness of the soup will depend on how much squash you scraped out of the rinds, so feel free to add liquid (more coconut milk, soymilk, or even water) at this point to reach a consistancy you like. Reheat on the stove if necessary. Serve, garnished with paprika and parsley.
February 10th, 2007
Hi, I’m Stewart — It’s nice to meet you! Lauren wasn’t feeling well this evening, and when your wife is sick, you’re supposed to take care of her. You’re supposed to make sure that she has everything she needs. Failing that, however, you should at least make her dinner. So that’s what I did.
Walking home from work tonight, I had a plan. I knew that we had some leftover sourdough bread from last night, and I thought it was probably fairly crusty. Why not serve a thick soup with it? How about right on top of it? It would be some kind of, I don’t know, bread soup. I’m pretty sure I had something like that when I was a kid. Or maybe that was an open-faced sandwich. If you think about it, they’re on the same continuum. When I got home, though, I realized that I can’t just make a soup. Maybe you can; I know Lauren does it all the time. For a low-confidence cook like myself, however, soup isn’t something you play around with. It’s scary. You tell your friends, “I’m going to make soup,” and they laugh at you. Then they realize you’re actually serious, and they do their best to change your mind. “Peanut Butter and Jelly is good, too,” they tell you in a consoling voice. Actually, I don’t have any friends.
I decided to take the easy way out and make something from Vegan With a Vengeance. Isa doesn’t offer any bread soups, per se, but she does have something called “Moroccan Tagine with Spring Vegetables,” which looked pretty good. February isn’t such a good month for spring vegetables, though, so I had to alter the recipe significantly. The result:
Moroccan Sweet Potato Soup
Serves Two
1 Sweet Potato
2 Medium-Sized Carrots, diced
1/2 Small Onion, chopped
1 Lemon
1 cup Frozen Peas
1 cup Frozen Corn
1/4 cup Raisins
1 big handful Baby Spinach
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Bay Leaf
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 1/2 cup Vegetable Stock
1 cup Water
1/2 tsp Salt.
Spices:
1/4 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Mushroom Stock Powder
1/4 tsp Cardamom
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Tumeric
1 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Cumin
Dash of Celery Salt
Sprinkle of Chili Flakes
Sauté your onion in a pan with some olive oil. Once the onion starts to brown, toss in your spices and let them cook in the oil for fifteen seconds or so. Then pour in the rest of the ingredients, except for the corn, peas, and spinach. Bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer until the carrots are soft enough for your taste. Chop your sweet potato into half-inch pieces while the soup is simmering, and sauté in some olive olive until soft. Be careful not to overcook them, though; they’re going into a bowl of soup, and you don’t want them to fall apart.
The soup and the sweet potatoes should finish about the same time, but it’s OK if they don’t. They’re both very patient. Set the sweet potatoes aside if they’re done first, or turn the soup’s burner to low if they’re not. When the carrots in your soup are the desired level of softness, add the peas and the corn and continue simmering for two or three minutes. Then add the baby spinach and stir it into the soup until wilted. Depending on what kind of vegetable stock you use, your soup may need some salt at this point. We use vegetable bouillon cubes, for convenience, and they have a decent amount of salt in them already. Definitely taste before you serve.
Ladle the soup into bowls and spoon the sweet potato bits on top of it. Make sure you take the cinnamon stick and the bay leaf out first. Isa and Terry recommend garnishing the original recipe with lemon slices, and even though I changed it quite a bit, I think it’s still a good idea. Crusty sourdough bread and Earth Balance is also highly recommended.
February 1st, 2007
Besides being very tasty and satisfying, this soup is wonderful for the sheer lack of effort required to make it. Relying on canned and frozen goods instead of fresh (gasp!), it’s the perfect “I don’t feel like cooking” or “I don’t want to have to run to the store to make dinner” soup. But don’t be fooled! I enjoy this soup so much, I often make it even when I have a refrigerator full of fresh ingredients to work with. But maybe that’s just because I’m silly.
Coconut, Corn, and Black Bean Soup
Makes 4 lunch sized portions
2 Cans Black Beans
1 Cup Pureed Stewed Tomatoes (canned)
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
1 Vegetable Bullion Cube
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 tsp Smoked Paprika (please actually use the smoked kind!)
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp of your favorite herb(s) (pictured with fresh thyme)
Add both cans of beans with their liquid to a heavy soup pot. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, bullion cube, paprika, corn and herbs. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, but it can cook on low, covered, for much longer if needed. A few minutes before serving, add the corn. Garnish with some fresh herbs, if available, and/or a splash of coconut milk.
You may consider adding shredded carrot, fresh baby spinach, pasta, rice, lentils, or even a diced potato if you feel like jazzing it up a bit. It’s a very versatile soup, and I find it refreshing change from the vegetable broth and tomato based soups I usually make.
January 20th, 2007
Sweet Potato Soup
She served us a sweet potato soup that we decided to have at the wedding. It was so good, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I went home and feverishly tried to recreate it. These are my results. When I had the soup again at our wedding, I realized that either it wasn’t as good as I had remembered, or I had unknowingly created something even better (and much cheaper!). Here’s the recipe:
Stewart My Sweet Potato Soup
3+ Cups (575 g) Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 Can Coconut Milk (not the low fat stuff!)
1 Cup Vegetable Stock or Water
1 Vegetable Bullion Cube
1 tsp Celery Salt
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cardamom (optional)
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 Tbs Maple Syrup
1 Tbs Olive Oil
In a large heavy bottomed stock pot or cast-iron dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add sweet potatoes and caramelize the chunks on all sides over medium-high heat. Deglaze the pan with the vegetable stock or water, scraping the bits from the bottom, then add the coconut milk and bullion cube. Simmer covered until potatoes are soft and can be mushed with a spoon, about 20 minutes.
Transfer soup to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Please be careful during this step! If you’re not positive your machine can fit all the soup in one go, blend it in batches. No one wants boiling soup exploding all over them! Unfortunately I speak from experience here.
When the soup is blended, transfer back into your pot and add the spices, vinegar and syrup. Simmer for 5 minutes more and serve.
Garnish with maple syrup and fresh cracked pepper. It would also be great with a little cranberry sauce!
Serves 2-3 main courses, 3-4 sides
December 30th, 2006
Chipotle, Corn, and Black Bean Stew
I also added a bunch of baby spinach at the end to wilt into the soup once mixed. I think that this not only preserves the nutrients in the spinach since you’re not cooking them directly, but it also looks pretty for serving. We almost always have a package of baby spinach sitting in the fridge, so we throw it into a lot of the things we make.
It’s almost as if we make soups and stews as an excuse to have Jessica’s Brick Oven sourdough round. We discovered this bread at our local food co-op one day, and it’s quickly become our favorite. I’m not exactly sure where else Jessica’s breads are sold, but if you see them, do bring home a loaf. You won’t be disappointed!
I think I’m going to make a sourdough starter and see if I can convert the No Knead Bread recipe to use a sponge instead of commercial rapid rise yeast. As good as Jessica’s is, I’d love to be able to make a loaf of sourdough at home with the ease of the No Knead recipe.
December 26th, 2006
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