Archive for the 'Soups + Stews' Category

Cravings

Published on February 2, 2011 in Beans + Legumes, Breakfast, Cakes, Cookbooks + Cooks, Cookies, Inspiration, Mexican, pasta and Soups + Stews. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Hello, it’s me. Sick again. Yippee. It sucks really. I don’t know how mouth breathers do it. Breathing through your mouth is very unpleasant.

Anyway, I spent some time clicking away on some of my favorite food sites last night and wanted to share some things I’m craving…even though I can’t taste anything. But you go have fun. Really. It’s okay.

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Soup. More soup. We like soup. This soup. Smitten Kitchen delivers (as usual).

Post Punk Kitchen is cooking up some quinoa goodness here

I’m a sucker for poppy seeds. Tim at Lottie + Doof is too.

Matt (of Matt Bites fame) is an incredible photographer and going to his site always makes me hungry. Like, this. Hello.

Winter makes me want to eat potatoes. I’m particularly obsessed with sweet potatoes right now. Give me a sweet potato roasted in its skin, slathered with butter, and topped with a healthy grind of black pepper and a sprinkle of fleur de sel and I’m in my happy place. Gluten Free Girl has taken it up a notch, and I’m feeling happy in a whole new way.

Never met a chocolate chip cookie I didn’t like. And this one from Orangette is, um, healthy. Sort of. Not really.

More soup. Again with the soup? Yes. Again with the soup. It’s for sick people. Heidi says so. Thank you 101 Cookbooks (my online food bible).

Last and perhaps least, if you’re feeling virtuous and/or enormous, pop on over to Bon Appétit and get yourself on a cleanse for food lovers. Doesn’t sound so bad actually. There is no lemon cayenne water involved. And chocolate is still on the menu.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Published on January 17, 2011 in Soups + Stews. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

It’s soup weather. And I feel like I’ve been saying that for a million years. It’s kind of ridiculous, isn’t it? I mean, it’s only January, it’s supposed to get down to 9º tonight, we’ve got another two months of winter and I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

OK, let’s look at the bright side. I really love soup. And soup is a cold-weather food. It’s THE cold-weather food. Usually one-pot. Mostly pretty easy. And just beyond comforting. So, let’s embrace the chill and get down to making some hearty, belly-warming, toasty-feeling soup, shall we?

And this is a good one because it’s really pretty healthy, but it tastes like it’s not. Yes, I know there’s cheese in there, but there’s not a ton and you can make it even healthier (if you so choose) by using olive oil instead of butter and less cheese (but please don’t use low-fat cheese — it’s just wrong). I also like to leave a few chunks of broccoli in the soup; it feels more substantial that way. And I really like the addition of the mustard. It gives it a little zing without being all in-your-face spicy. You can doll it up too — toss some homemade croutons on there, try a drizzle of olive oil or even a dollop of Greek yogurt. But this is a soup that you can just eat right out of the pot. With a spoon. Sprinkling bits of cheese on each bite as you go. Not that I did that or anything.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil (or 1 of each)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 quart/~1 liter low-sodium vegetable broth
1 pound broccoli, stems roughly chopped and florets cut into bite-sized pieces
2/3-1 cup sharp Cheddar, grated (reserve a bit for garnish)
1 – 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)
Half & half (optional)
Black pepper
Salt

In a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the potatoes and cook, covered, for about 3-4 minutes until they’re almost cooked through (test it with a fork). Add the garlic and broccoli stems and cook for a minute, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Once the potatoes are soft, add the florets and cook just until tender (about 2-4 minutes).

Blend in the pot with an immersion blender or transfer the soup to a blender in batches (and make sure to leave space in the blender and take the inside of the lid off and cover with a towel…or just wait for it to cool, which I did because I had to go pick up the kid from school). Leave some of the chunks in the soup pot. Add the cheese, mustard, pepper and salt to taste. At this point, you can thin the soup if need be with a little half & half (or more stock if you’re being all virtuous).

Lentil & Swiss Chard Stew

Published on November 23, 2010 in Beans + Legumes, Indian, Main Courses and Soups + Stews. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .


I make a variation of this dish quite often and especially now that we are looking at a very loooong and cold winter coming our way, it will probably go into heavy rotation around here. The constants are the lentils and some type of green; what varies are the other veggies and spices.



This time I went the Indian route, which gives a nice spicy kick to the hearty and basic veggies. If that’s not your style, you can go more Provençal with thyme, bay leaves and rosemary. And now that I think about it, this stew is also pretty similar to the yummy hambone lentil soup my mom always had waiting for us after skiing (minus the hambone, mind you). No wonder I like it so much. I’m a sucker for a Proustian food memory…

Lentil & Swiss Chard Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 large potato (I used an Idaho), peel and diced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala*
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 quart vegetable stock
3-4 cups Swiss chard, stems and big ribs removed, coarsely sliced into ribbons
Salt
Black pepper

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy stockpot. Sauté the onion for a few minutes until translucent. Add the carrots and cook for another 2-3 minutes and then repeat with the celery. Add the potatoes and then the spices, including salt, cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add the lentils and then the stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Cover partially and simmer until the lentils are soft but not mushy, about 25 minutes. Stir in the chard and cook just until wilted, but still bright green. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

* Garam masala is a traditional Indian spice mixture consisting of some or all of the following: black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, cloves, ginger, star anise and nutmeg. The mix I used contained the first 6 spices.

Cauliflower Soup

Published on November 11, 2010 in Soups + Stews. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .


I love soup. Soup can be so hearty and soothing and comforting. And it’s such a nice easy meal with a hunk of crusty bread and a maybe a slice of delicious cheese — and OK, why not? — let’s throw in a lovely glass of pinot noir. We’re celebrating. It’s almost Thanksgiving, right? Great.

Anyway, I found this delicious cauliflower soup on Ree’s site (always a great read) and realized if I still want to fit into my pants, I’d need to make a few changes. But not too many; butter is your friend, people. And there are vegetables in here to counteract all that dairy and fat. Promise. I liked the Pioneer Woman’s idea of mixing the milk and flour in a bowl first to make the white sauce (I usually add the flour to the melted butter and then add warm milk). It did end up taking longer to thicken for me, as I started with cold milk, but I don’t see why you can’t warm the milk first before adding to the flour. So do that, please. Or just do it the other way. Whatever makes you happy.

If you’re lactose-intolerant, you might think this is not the recipe for you, but I imagine you could substitute soy or rice milk for the dairy. And now that I’m thinking about it, wouldn’t a bit of coconut milk be divine in here? With some lemongrass and cilantro tossed in for good measure? Well, then, it would be an entirely different soup, but that’s the beauty of soup. You can jigger it here and there and usually it turns out pretty well. I may just have to try this again with a Thai bent…could be fun. Or you could and then tell me how it is. And then I’ll copy you. Thanks!

Cauliflower Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized chunks
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, minced (thyme would also be great)
2 quarts (32 oz/~1 liter) vegetable stock
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
6 tablespoons flour (I used whole-wheat)
2 cups whole milk, warmed
1 cup half & half
2 bay leaves
2-3 teaspoons salt
Black pepper
Sour cream (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Cook the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes or the time it takes to chop the carrots and celery. Add the carrots, celery, a pinch of salt and pepper and cook another few minutes. Add the cauliflower and parsley and turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is softened. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for another 15 minutes or so.

While that’s getting all happy, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on low-medium heat. Combine the warm milk and flour in a bowl and add that to the melted butter. Whisk continuously until the sauce begins to thicken (you may need to turn the heat up a notch). Once thickened, add a cup of half & half to the white sauce and pour that into the soup.

Toss in a couple bay leaves, and let the now-super-creamy soup simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary (I ended up using about 2 teaspoons of salt because I used a low-sodium broth). If you’re feeling particularly naughty, add a tablespoon of sour cream to your serving bowl before adding the hot soup (in my defense, it was reduced-fat sour cream).

Enjoy with aforementioned crusty bread and glass o’ wine. Moan softly. Then go lie down.

Vegetable Stock

Published on April 22, 2010 in Basics and Soups + Stews. 1 Comment

Vegetable stock is one of those super-easy but essential elements of vegetarian cooking. You can use it as a base for soup, naturally, but it’s also used in risottos, for thinning sauces and lots of other ways. While the canned or boxed varieties are readily available in the US and other spots, for some odd reason, you can’t find it here. Yes, you can find vegetable bouillon cubes chock full of MSG and sodium, but not a decent vegetable broth. So, needless to say, I make this a lot.

And I’d really love to show you glorious photos of chopped vegetables, simmering pots and the like, but Houston, we have a problem. You see, my darling son, who is of the curious ilk, had a better idea. After I’d slaved over a hot stove for the better part of 2 hours*, chopping said vegetables, stirring and skimming said stock, straining and draining and then, finally, cooling the beautiful golden nectar, well…something happened. While I stepped away for the briefest of moments (it’s always those “briefest” of moments, isn’t it?), the hombrecito ever so casually dragged a chair over to the sink (where he spends hours pouring water from cup to cup), climbed up on said chair, discovered my cooled (don’t worry) and gorgeous vegetable stock and proceeded to pour the entire contents down the drain. Oh yes. Gone. All of it. Not even a smidgen left to salvage [cue sounds of quiet sobbing]. All I can say is the kid is lucky he’s cute. And you’ll just have to pretend there are photos.

* OK, most of this is cooking and cooling time, but I’m just being dramatic. As usual.

NOTES:
If I have other veggies lying around starting to look a bit limp and sad, I’ll toss them in the pot. The inner stems of swiss chard or kale are good too. The fluffy fronds from fennel (oh yes, I did just say that) work as well. And if you have a rind of Parmesan sitting in the freezer (I always seem to have, like, 10), toss that in during the simmering part.

Vegetable Stock

2-3 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
3 leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned carefully (nothing worse than dirt in your stock) and roughly chopped
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped into 1″ pieces
3 stalks of celery, chopped into 1″ pieces
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
10 sprigs of thyme
10 sage leaves
2 bay leaves
Small handful of black peppercorns
½ cup decent white wine (no 2 Buck Chuck, please)
6-7 cups water

Heat the oil over medium heat. Toss in your onions, leeks, carrots and celery (as you’re chopping them is fine, if like me, you only have one lame-o cutting board). Let that cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato, garlic, thyme and sage and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the wine, water, bay leaves and peppercorns and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Strain. Let cool or use immediately. Will keep in the fridge for a couple days.