Winter soup

I know just in time for spring, but I made this last week when we had over a foot of snow. This is a recipe from food and wine for a Nordic soup using winter vegetables. It was one of those recipes where I could read the recipe and tell we were going to like it, so I documented it. It was very yummy and I think you can use other root vegetables, I just wouldn't use potatoes or sweet potatoes since they add too much starch to the broth. The multi-onion base makes the soup.

leeks, onions, garlic, parsnips, celery root, barley, spinach, oil, nutmeg, salt and pepper

slice leeks and onions, mince garlic

saute in oil until softened

stir barley into the onions and cook a few minutes until toasty

cube parsnips and celery root (peel the celery root well)

add to base with bay leaves

add veggie stock (I used my concentrate cubes and water) and simmer until veggies are done

stir in spinach and a generous amount of nutmeg

cook until just wilted

serve with homemade crusty bread

Very satisfying on a cold day.

Pumpkin carrot soup

I made this soup because I had a rather large pumpkin to cook (the last from our garden) and I accidentally froze a whole bag of carrots in our garage. It came out much better than I expected, so much better that it will be made again, soon.

cooked pumpkin, carrots, onions, garlic, oil, salt, pepper, and spices

de-flesh your cooked pumpkin

cut your carrots and onions and saute in oil till onions are softened

add garlic, and spices (here cumin and garam masala) and cook till fragrant

then add pumpkin and salt

for a liquid I used a can of coconut cream

and a can of water, let simmer for a long while

then grate in some ginger

blend well and season more to taste (here pepper)

serve with some fresh cilantro and some crunchy toppings

It is really yummy!

Black bean soup

I have a love hate relationship with black beans. Mostly I don't like them. They tend to be bland and boring, so unless they are hiding in a burrito under a boatload of salsa I won't order them. However, I do like them when I make them. My secret is to cook the beans with a whole chipotle en adobo from start to finish, this makes them super yummy. I also rinse them before and after cooking to keep the recipe from becoming too murky from the color coming off the beans.

As with all my beans I pre-soak them overnight to 'activate' the nutrients. I tried soaking beans to almost sprouting before, but they ended up tasting too vegetal, overnight works just fine.  For the soup I wanted it to simmer in the crock pot all day since we were going to be out. If you want to cook it on the stovetop you don't have to worry as much about cooking the beans through as they can cook in the soup, but if you are using a crockpot your beans need to be fully cooked, they won't cook through in a crockpot.
 

beans, onion, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, oil, jalapeno, and the chipotle

soak the beans overnight in salted water w/the chipotle pepper

drain and rinse

simmer beans and chipotle until cooked through

drain and rinse again

chop onion and carrots, and mince garlic and jalapeno

add to crock pot with oil

add beans w/chipotle, cumin, and water to cover, (I decided to add two of my tomato yum cubes)

let cook all day

before serving blend to desired consistency removing the chipotle first, I like mine chunky

now taste, I needed more salt and a little acid so I used vinegar

fry up some tortilla strips

and serve with hot sauce and sour cream/supreme

Tummy warming goodness!

Broccoli soup

Save the broccoli I say!

We tend eat a lot of the stems when we make broccoli, but some of the tougher ones we freeze and store up until we have enough to make broccoli soup. I like to also add a fresh head of broccoli for some nice color. Before you freeze the stems peel the knobs and rough skin off with a peeler or a knife. I like this soup to be fresh so I try not to cook it for too long. Just enough to cook the stems through and then soften the florets.

fresh broccoli, frozen stems, onions, veggie stock, oil, salt and pepper

quick saute your fresh chopped broccoli florets to barely cook them, save half for garnish

chop your onion

soften in some oil

add frozen stems and cook covered 10 minutes

than add stock and half the sauted florets

simmer another 10 minutes

remove from heat and you can add cream, soy milk, or coconut milk (seen here)

then blend the heck out of it

if you have a chinois, use it, or skip if you like chunky soup

all the tough bits get left behind

chop reserved florets and add to bowls

top with soup and serve with yummy beets

Viva la vegetable!

Borscht

Ahh the sweet, sweet beet, how many ways can we prepare you. We pickle you for salads (mine and my daughters favorite). We boil you to serve with butter and salt. Some people sneak you into chocolate cakes. We grate you raw into slaws, but most of all we love you in borscht. This is my recipe for borscht.

I think I have mentioned I lived in little Poland (greenpoint, brooklyn) for seven years and have an affinity for eastern european foods, especially during lent when I could eat them as they didn't have meat in them. My personal favorite that I tried on a recommendation from a friend was pickle soup. Mmmm, it really is good. Based on that and a borscht I had in Waupaca, I came up with this recipe best made with the huge winter beets that are great for storing. Even my husband has come and around to say that he doesn't mind that I make this all winter long in huge batches that we eat all week.

For this batch I decided to throw in a small head of red cabbage that was in the crisper. Normally I don't put this in, but this was just one of those times. Feel free to omit it. I usually make the soup early in the day, bring it up to a boil to mix everything up well. Then I turn it off and let it sit covered until about an hour before dinner, when I turn it back on medium low to simmer until it is time to serve.

beets, carrots, onion, salt, pepper, oil, sauerkraut, and this time cabbage

chop your onions and carrots - and cabbage if using

pre-boil your beets until you can peel the skin off easily

saute onions and carrots (and cabbage) in lots of oil

once that has softened down considerably add pepper and lots of salt

once cool enough, peel and chop your beets

add beets to the pot with enough water to cover it all

then add a diced pickle (the not so secret ingredient)

when it is ready everything should be purplish, season with more salt to taste

serve with fresh rolls, sauerkraut, hot sauce, and sour cream or sour supreme

I told you my daughter loves beets, drinking leftover pickled beet juice just like her mommy

Na Zdrowie!