Sunday Soups: Red Lentil

I hope everyone had a good weekend.  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.  We're still picking parsley, scallions, leeks and arugula from the garden, but the wreaths are up,

the cactus is blooming,

and our little tree is decorated.

I'm providing holiday photos to distract from the out-of-focus pictures I took of the soup before we had it for lunch yesterday.  I must have hit a button and not realized it.  I don't know how to use the fancy borrowed camera I'm working with, and my mind was on dinner.  We had friends and family for a holiday gathering, tested out the ottoman tray, and I made my first standing rib roast.  Which cooked an hour faster than it was supposed to.  Just like the Thanksgiving turkey.  Something tells me my new oven may need calibrating.  Anyway, the handy meat thermometer told us when to take it out, so it was perfect, just early.

This is one of my go-to favorites because it's so healthy and quick to make.  The preparation has a good rhythm to it.  The chopping time is incorporated into the waiting time.  Depending on the ingredients I have on hand, I've used both this Gourmet recipe, and this one.  I prefer the latter, choosing red pepper over tomato, and cilantro over parsley.  Both recipes are great. 
Red Lentil Soup

1 pound red lentils, picked over

7 cups water

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

5 carrots (about 10 ounces), chopped

1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup chopped scallion greens

cayenne to taste

salt and pepper

In a 4-quart saucepan bring lentils and water to a boil and skim froth. (Chop the onion and garlic.) Stir in onion, garlic, ground coriander, cumin, and turmeric and simmer, partially covered, 15 minutes. (Chop the carrots and pepper.) Stir in carrots and bell pepper and simmer until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. (Chop the cilantro and scallions.) Soup may be prepared up to this point 3 days ahead, cooled, uncovered, and chilled, covered. Stir in cilantro, scallions, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste.

And, this is the best shot I got.

Have a good week!

Sunday Soups: White Bean, Potato and Arugula

It's December and we've still got vegetables in the garden, thanks to the mild weather we've been having.  I picked some arugula and decided it was time for one of my favorite soups.

I have never bothered to try the original recipe, but like the ingredients and find that it is delicious even with lots of short cuts.  I don't doubt that the real recipe is great, but I like a soup that I can make quickly, usually while I'm also making dinner.  The bottom line is, it calls for 10 cloves of garlic, so how can you go wrong?  (That actually seems excessive to me, and I love garlic, so sometimes I use a little less.)

White Bean, Potato and Arugula Soup
adapted from Bon Appetit

1 15 oz. can of cannelini

2 bay leaves

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped

2 cups Yukon Gold potato, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I don't even bother to peel them)

10 garlic cloves, chopped

6 cups low-salt chicken broth

3 cups arugula, tough stems removed, chopped

1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 6 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add potato pieces and sauté until brown in spots, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary, and sauté until garlic begins to color, about 3 minutes. Add 6 cups chicken broth and bay leaves, and boil until potato pieces are falling apart, about 10 minutes. Add beans and parmesan rind and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer just until beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Season soup generously with salt and pepper. Stir arugula and crushed red pepper into soup, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and parmesan rind.  Serve topped with parmesan, if you'd like.

Yum.

Sunday Soups: Spicy Turkey Posole

I know everyone is sick of turkey by now, but I hope you'll still appreciate this unexpected twist on the usual turkey soup.  On Friday, I made turkey stock from the remains of our 29 1/2 pound bird.  (I say remains because I hate the word carcass.  It sounds so vulgar.  Remains isn't much of an improvement, though, is it?)  I've learned over the last few years to break down the turkey soup process into stages, otherwise I find it to be overwhelming.  Getting the stock out of the way is a managable task the next day while putting things away and vacuuming up crumbs (and a few raw green beans I found in odd places?) and taking a nap on the couch, if you are so lucky.  I stayed out of the kitchen on Saturday.  On Sunday, I skimmed the fat off the top, and filled two large containers for the freezer, so over the course of the next several months we can have a quick turkey soup or minestrone or whatever else strikes our fancy.  The rest went into the Spicy Turkey Posole.

Before I get to the recipe, I want to mention that the highlight of Thanksgiving for me this year, besides the wonderful time spent with family, turned out to be my mom's biscuits.  We've been eating them for breakfast with butter and jam, and for lunch with turkey and cranberry sauce.  I don't think it's possible that we'll ever get tired of them.  I was looking for the recipe online so I could share, and I found that Deb from Smitten Kitchen uses the same recipe: James Beards' Cream Biscuits.  She recommends preparing them to the point of baking and then freezing them, so you can pop a few in the oven for fresh biscuits any time.  That is a dangerous piece of information.

Spicy Turkey Posole
from Food and Wine

Carcass from one 13-pound turkey, plus 6 cups shredded turkey (about 2 pounds)
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 bay leaf
Two 15-ounce cans yellow hominy, drained
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 large jalapeño, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
Salt
Avocado chunks, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and warm corn tortillas, for serving

1. In a large stockpot, cover the turkey carcass, onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf with 16 cups of water and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Simmer the turkey stock over moderate heat until the broth is flavorful, about 2 hours. Strain the broth through a coarse sieve into a large heatproof bowl.
2. Return the broth to the stockpot. Add the hominy, tomatoes, garlic and jalapeño and cook over moderately high heat until the broth is reduced to 6 cups, about 30 minutes. Add the shredded turkey and chopped cilantro and simmer until the stew is heated through. Season the posole with salt, ladle into deep bowls and serve with the avocado chunks, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and warm tortillas.

Note: The turkey broth can be made up to 2 days ahead.

To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time I've tried hominy.  I wasn't even sure what it was.  (If you don't know, allow me: It's dried maize, treated with lime or lye to remove the hull and germ causing the grain to puff to twice its size.) The taste was mild, but it added an interesting texture, and the jalepeno and garlic brought plenty of flavor.  I thought this soup was an outstanding use of leftover turkey.

I've noticed that our neighbors have put up Christmas lights, but I haven't been able to wrap my mind around the idea that we have legitimately entered the holiday season.  The weather has been so nice, and I took advantage with several walks by the water over the last few days.  Otherwise, I spent a lot of time in the basement, exercising patience while removing thousands of staples and upholstery nails from the antique chairs, now in progress. 

How was your holiday weekend?  Did you discover any creative uses for leftover turkey or find any Black Friday deals or start any tedious projects? 

Sunday Soups: Ajiaco

My Colombian friends taught me how to make this traditional dish.  It's a potato soup with lots of fixings- topped with shredded chicken, avocado, capers, half-and-half and, usually, half an ear of corn.  I went to three grocery stores and no one had corn-on-the-cob.  I think cooking the corn in the potatoes give the soup a particular flavor, but I had my mind set on ajiaco, so we did without this time.  The other ingredient that gives the soup a unique flavor is an herb called guascas.  There's no English translation- guascas is guascas.  I ordered it online. 

Ajiaco

4 quarts of water
1 pound papas criollas (yellow potatoes; I use Yukon Gold instead), peeled and sliced
2 pounds "fine" or "smooth" potatoes (I use red/new potatoes), peeled and sliced
1 1/2 pounds "herd" potatoes (I use Russet), peeled and sliced
3 pounds of chicken breast, on the bone
4 corn cobs, shucked and cut into 3 pieces
3 scallions
8 garlic cloves (I used 5 big ones), minced
1 cup guascas
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro
half-and-half
capers
avocados, diced or sliced
mild cheese (like mozzarella), cubed

1. Cook the chicken, potatoes, scalllions, salt and pepper in water for one hour. The pototoes should be dissolving, and the chicken should be tender.

2. Take the chicken and scallions out, and add the corn and guascas.  Simmer until the potatoes become creamy.  (We got impatient and had some before all the potatoes had dissolved and it was still good.)

3.  Shred the chicken on top of the soup.  (Discard the scallions.)  Serve with cilantro, avocado, capers, half-and-half, and cheese.

Perfect for a cold night. 

Have a great week!

Sunday Soups: Split Pea

If there's ever a leftover ham in my midst, I will grab it and make split pea soup.  I was recently at a party with a bunch of people I didn't know very well and I heard talk of throwing the leftovers away.  It pained me, but I had to let that one go, because I didn't want to be known as the new girl who took the ham.  I still think about it.  Obviously.

There wasn't a ham in my midst today, and at least some of the last few soups I made had pancetta in them, so I decided to go vegetarian.  Vegan, actually, because I used olive oil instead of butter, and skipped adding milk at the end.  It's a great recipe either way, and I will feel good about my healthy lunch this week. 

Don't worry.  I'll still tell you how I make it when there's ham.

Split Pea Soup

6 tablespoons butter (I used 1/2 cup olive oil)
4 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced into rounds
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 large onion
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 pounds dried split green peas
14 cups of water
1 meaty ham bone (or not)
4 sprigs fresh parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup milk (I left this out)

The split peas can be soaked overnight in cold water, covered by 4 inches, OR you can add a half hour to the cooking time.

Heat the olive oil in your soup pot, and add the leeks, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper, cooking for 10 minutes until softened but not brown.  Add the split peas, water, (ham), and herbs, and let simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (or as long as 2 1/2 hours if you didn't have the foresight to soak the peas overnight).

Remove the bay leaves and the ham bone, if there is one, and stir in the milk (if you're adding it).  You can puree part or all of the soup, or you can go "rustic" (lazy) and save yourself from having to clean another appliance. Add chopped pieces of leftover ham if you've got them, and season to taste with more salt and pepper.

Easy. Peasy. 

I didn't want to miss out on all the fun, so I cooked some shallots in really hot oil to make them crispy, and put them on top of the soup.

Have a good week!

Sunday Soups: Black Bean Pumpkin

Sometimes life takes over and you forget you have a blog.  I didn't really forget.  It's just been one of those weeks where there's lots to do and no time to reflect.  The only home improvement I've managed recently is buying some mums and a pumpkin for the front porch,

and I realize that's not very exciting.  I'm always drawn to the white ones.  I love all the colors- the oranges and yellows and purples- but there's something about the big puffy white ones that makes me just want to smash my face in them.

Is that weird?  Anyway.  Tonight I put a roasted chicken in the oven with lots of fresh herbs from the garden- sage, rosemary, oregano and thyme- and then I made some soup.

I've made a vegetarian version of this soup using vegetable instead of beef broth and skipping the ham, and it also turns out great.  The pumpkin is subtle, the cumin is not. Your most important tool here is your can opener.  There's not a lot of chopping or fresh ingredients outside of the onions, shallots and garlic, of which there are plenty.  This recipe adds ham at the end, but I use the Trader Joe's 4 oz. package of pancetta and cook it at the beginning with the onions.  It's packed full of flavor, and a great Fall soup.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup
from Gourmet Magazine

3 15 ounce cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained

1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped

1 1/4 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup minced shallot

4 garlic cloves minced

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter (I used olive oil with success)

4 cups beef broth

a 16-ounce can pumpkin pureé (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup dry Sherry

1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into 1/8-inch dice

3 to 4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

1. In a food processor coarsely pureé beans and tomatoes.

2. In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper (and pancetta, if you do it my way) in butter (or olive oil) over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown.

3. Stir in bean pureé, then broth, pumpkin, and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

4. Just before serving, add ham and vinegar and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper.

5. Serve soup garnished with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds. If you have them, which I didn't.

It's not much to look at without the garnish, but it tastes good.

Have a great week!

Sunday Soups: Fall Minestrone

This is my standard minestrone recipe, only I've swapped out zucchini and tomatoes for butternut squash and kale, because that's what we have in the garden this time of year.

I'm totally lying.  Doesn't that sound great, though?  I would love to be able to say that most of the vegetables in this soup came from the garden.  But, in our garden, every single little butternut squash spontaneously aborted before it actually started growing, and the kale that wasn't eaten by an unidentified animal has stopped growing. 

 

In the meantime, I'm glad grocery stores sell the things that won't grow in our yard.

I should also acknowledge the plants that did grow for us and contribute to this soup- the garlic and parsley- for which we are very grateful.

Fall Minestrone

1/4 cup olive oil
4 oz. pancetta, cubed (Trader Joes sells a little package already chopped- handy!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 cups butternut squash, cubed
1 cup potato, cubed 
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups kale, stems removed, and chopped
1 can of cannellini
minced parsley
grated parmesan

1. Heat the olive oil in your soup pot and add the garlic and pancetta, and sauté  for 2 minutes.

2. Add the onion, carrot, celery, salt and pepper, and cover, cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add the butternut squash and potato, and cover to cook again, for 10 minutes.
4. Add the broth, cannellini, and kale and cook until the greens are tender, about another 10 minutes.
5. Serve topped with minced parsley and grated parmesan.



It's just the right thing on a cool evening, when it's starting to feel like Fall is settling in.

Bon appétit!

Sunday Soups: Lentil Vegetable

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I went for a couple of nice walks each day, but our weather has been alternating between rain and humidity, giving me reason to keep busy with some indoor projects, one of which I'll share with you tomorrow.  I was so preoccupied with projects that I forgot to start the soup on time. This is a very simple soup to make, but you need to start it early- not, say, at 5:45 if you're expecting to have it for dinner.  I was planning to serve it with sausage on top and a fresh baguette I picked up at the bakery, but we wound up having grilled sausage, garden tomato salad and some of the baguette for dinner.  It was fantastic; I can't really complain.  We'll eat this soup for lunch all week.

I've stolen ideas from a few different recipes to put this together.  I'm basically following the Moosewood  Cookbook recipe, with a nod to the Barefoot Contessa, who adds leeks, and my friend Lisa, who adds sausage.  The sausage makes the soup heartier for dinner, but without it, you have a healthy, vegetarian lunch. 
These are the first leeks I've pulled from our garden, after they've been trimmed up nicely.  They didn't grow to be too big, but they still taste like leeks.

Lentil Vegetable Soup
adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook

Simmer for 3-4 hours:
1 16 ounce bag raw lentils
7 cups water
2 teaspoons salt

Sauté in olive oil in a separate pan for about 20 minutes as you're approaching the 3-4 hour mark:
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped leeks (white part only)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Once the vegetables soften, add them to the lentils and continue to simmer for half an hour over low heat, while you add the final ingredients:
lots of black pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 Tablespoons dry red wine (which means you have to open a bottle and have a glass or two)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar (or molasses)
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Top with fresh chopped scallions and a sprinkle of red wine vinegar.  And sausage, if you are so inclined.  We often have it with sweet Italian, but chicken apple also adds a special twist.

Enjoy!

Sunday Soups: Fresh Corn Chowder

I love making soup on Sunday and having leftovers for lunch or dinner during the week.  It never happens in the Summer, but now that it's nearly Fall, I've decided to start this series to help me make a habit of it.  There are healthy soups and hearty soups, and I thought I would start with one that is light and perfect for this time of year, when the corn at our local farm stand is still at its best.

This is not your typical corn chowder, because it's not creamy in the traditional sense.  After cooking all of the vegetables, you puree some of them and stir them back in to thicken the soup.  There is the addition of some milk at the end, but the soup is really all about the fresh corn.

Fresh Corn Chowder
from Mollie Katzen, adapted from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest

1 medium potato, peeled and diced small (about 2 cups diced)
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups minced onion
1/2 teaspoon thyme (I use fresh, but the recipe calls for dried)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)
1 medium stalk celery, finely minced
1 small red bell pepper, finely minced
5 cups (approximately 4 to 5 cobs' worth) fresh sweet corn
White pepper to taste (I give it 3 shakes, which may be more pepper than many like)
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil (or more, to taste)
1 cup milk, at room temperature (lowfat OK; I do use skim because that's what we have in the house)

TIP: This may seem obvious, but someone had to tell me, so I'm going to pass along the knowledge in case it helps.  When you're cutting corn off the cob, it tends to fly everywhere if you start from the top.  Start half way down,

work your way around, then flip the cob over and do the same.  It's less messy. Why didn't I think of that?

1. Bring the potatoes and water to a boil in a saucepan, lower to a simmer, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender. Set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a pot, then add the onion, thyme, and salt, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring. After about 5 minutes, add the celery. Five minutes later add the cooked potatoes with all their liquid, the red bell pepper, the corn, and a few shakes of white pepper. Stir well, cover, and reduce heat, cooking quietly for about 5 minutes longer.

This is what the soup looks like before you puree some of the vegetables.

3. Using a blender or food processor, purée about half the solids (about 2 to 3 cups--it doesn't have to be exact!) in some of the soup's own liquid. Add the purée back into the pot.

This is what it looks like once some of the vegetables have been puréed.

4. Stir in the basil and milk about 10 minutes before serving time. Don't actually cook the soup any further; simply heat it until it's hot enough to eat. Serve immediately.

Do you cook more on Sundays so you'll have leftovers?  Do you have any great soup recipes?  Please send them my way!