Vegetable Soup

Sis and Bro-in-law are in town for a couple of days between the honeymoon and Sis having to go to Pakistan on a posting for 3 months.  Honestly!  Sudan then Baghdad then Pakistan?  Do her bosses hate her?  Anyway, we had a family meal with Mom and Dad and the newlyweds and Kiddo last night.

It was the day to pick up veggies from Farmer Fred and I wasn't feeling super-well, so decided to make Vegetable Soup.  I've been doing that very frequently with the farm veggies, and have more than one friend extolling the healing powers of the soup.  This is more about technique, and of course you can use whatever vegetables you have around.  It's never quite the same, except for the initial part with the olive oil, onions and tomatoes.  In fact, you could probably just up the number of tomatoes and have a lovely basic soup with just that and the broth.

OK, even though I've described what to do with each of the ingredients in the ingredient list, the idea is that you do your chopping during the cooking.  No need to prep all ahead.

Basics:

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 T olive oil

4 medium tomatoes (1 lb) cored and sliced

64 oz. vegetable broth (I like Pacific brand organics)

Smooth ingredients:

1 small eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced

3/4 lb sweet peppers, seeded and roughly chopped

1-2 small hot peppers, seeded and roughly chopped

Chunky ingredients:

1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed and cut to roughly 2 inches apiece

1 lb potatoes, scrubbed and diced into very small cubes

sink-full of greens (turnip greens and bok choi, last night), well washed and chopped coursely

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese for serving

1. Heat the olive oil in a very large stockpot on medium heat
2. As the oil is heating, chop the onions, then add them to the oil
3. As the onions are cooking to translucent, core and slice the tomatoes, then add them plus any juices
4. Add the other "smooth" ingredients as you get them ready (but not the broth!), stirring occasionally
5. When they've cooked down fairly well, add the broth and then use some method to blend all the "smooth" ingredients.  I have a blender wand, which is the easiest thing to do, OR you could hassle with a food processor or blender.
6. Now start adding the chunky ingredients as you get them ready, potatoes first and greens (if you are using them) last.
7. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the potatoes are done.
8. Taste, add salt and pepper (or allow guests to add their own)
9. Serve with crusty bread, some nice cheese and parmesan in a grater to pass around.  This amount easily served six adults with double portions and had leftovers as well.  And we were all satisfied...even though it's a one-dish meal.

Meatball soup

The CSA started today!  Hooray!

I've been so excited about getting vegetables from Fred the Farmer again, and went to the Hilltop Farms website just a few days ago to see what was going to be available.  Immediately, I started thinking about a meatball soup I could make with greens, because Hub had picked up some ground beef earlier in the week.

We're trying to eat more vegetables, and also trying to save money, so my plan is to pretty much keep with the CSA vegetables as much as possible this season, supplementing with high-quality proteins and a few carbs.  Hub and Kiddo have promised me an herb garden, but I'm not holding my breath.

Makes six servings as a main course, but see notes below on how to stretch further...

1 lb lean ground beef

3 small young onion bulbs (~ 1 1/2 cups), chopped

2 handfuls dill, chopped

1 cup whole wheat panko

2 large cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 egg

2 lbs kale, tatsoi or other dark greens, torn and with large ribs removed, rinsed

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

3 cups beef broth

1. Mix the ingredients up to the egg in a bowl
   
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large stockpot
3. Form small meatballs and brown them in the oil (they do not need to be cooked through) in three batches, adding a tablespoon of oil in between each batch.  Drain them on paper towels
4. Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pot, and add the greens
5. Saute briefly until wilted
6. Add the meatballs and the broth, bring to a simmer
7. Cover and simmer for ten minutes
8. Serve with fresh grated parmesan

Hub had two big bowls.  I think even more greens could be added and more broth, because as written it was very, very meatball-centric.  Also, adding orzo pasta or another small pasta would be lovely, we're just limiting our starches.  I almost thought there were too many onions, but in the end the broth tasted like a lovely French onion broth...quite delicious.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chestnuts & Hazelnuts

The party people are back in town! Hub and I realized recently that we just haven't had a party recently, and were feeling itchy. We spent most of the summer as gym rats and hardly cooked or entertained, instead working on our health and hotness factors. Well, now we're ready to let loose again, so we had a cocktail party last night. It was lots of fun, and the kids are getting to the point where they pretty much entertain themselves, which is a relief.

One of the dishes I made was a lovely winter squash soup -- I had first made it back in 2001 or so for the C's. Since Ms. C can't digest any milk products, this soup is perfect -- very different from most squash soups in that it is entirely vegetarian. I gave her a call yesterday to see if she still had the recipe (I couldn't find it) and she did...but I didn't get it early enough to get some of the key ingredients. Besides, my farm guy had been producing lovely acorn squash that I wanted to use instead of butternut squash. Anyway, I did a few substitutions and it was just as delicious. I'll transcribe both the original recipe and my modifications in italics.

Oh, and smooth soup is excellent for parties with an appetizer motif -- just put the soup out in a crock pot and put small cups out for sipping. It was all gone at the end of the evening, which is kind of too bad since I didn't have any leftover to take over to Ms. C, who couldn't make it to the party.

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash or acorn squash, halved and seeded
6 Tbs olive oil
1 1/4 cups chopped shallots
1/2 cup dry marsala
2/3 cup coursely chopped peeled roasted chestnuts from a jar or pine nuts, not chopped
2 cups plain soy milk
2 cups vegetable broth (I like the Pacific brand)
1 Tbs dry white wine
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme, rosemary & marjoram or 2 Tbs thyme, rosemary and sage
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped since this is a garnish, I skipped this entirely for a drinking soup

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush cut sides of squash with 2 Tbs of the oil. Place brushed side down on large baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly.


• Meanwhile, heat remaining 4 Tbs oil in large pot on medium heat. Add shallots; saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add marsala. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until all liquid evaporates and shallots are deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add chestnuts or pine nuts, saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Scoop squash flesh into pot, combine.


• Working in batches, puree the mixture in a blender or food processor (or use a soup wand), adding the soy milk and broth, until smooth.


• Strain the soup back into pot. Stir in wine and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead -- cool slightly, then cover and chill)


• Bring soup to a simmer. Ladle into soup bowls; sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Green Vegetable Soup

Hub talked with his Mum in Scotland yesterday, and she mentioned she had lost 2 stone on the Weight Watchers plan so far...and her secret was to make homemade vegetable soup. So here's my first stab at it...even Kiddo loved it. I think I'd put in more fresh peas next time, they were delicious little surprise packets of green yumminess. Hub was not crazy about the whole peppercorns, but I enjoyed the occasional blast of pepper in a mouthful.

POINTS® Value: 1
Servings: 16

Ingredients

* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 medium leek(s)
* 10 medium carrot(s)
* 3 stalk broccoli
* 1/2 pound green snap beans
* 1/2 cup peas, raw
* 2 small potato(es)
* 2 tsp kosher salt
* 1 Tbsp peppercorn
* 1 oz fresh oregano
* 2 clove garlic clove(s)
* 12 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

Chop garlic; wash and chop leek, white and green parts. Add olive oil to large stockpot and heat, then add garlic and leek and saute briefly.
Add the chicken stock, and then chop and add all the rest of the vegetables. For the broccoli, peel the stalks and add them as well, chopped.
Add salt, peppercorns (not ground) and oregano branches.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about an hour.

Kota Soupa Avgolemono

Mom had surgery on Thursday, which went very well. As a consequence, both of my siblings plus Sis's Beau came in last night. Sis had called me last week to relate my recipe for Avgolemono soup like Mom makes it, and I had been wanting it all week.

It's bizarrely warm here right now, which meant we could eat on the porch. We had soup, Greek salad and crusty organic wheat bread for dipping. It was a lovely evening, and I think Bro, Sis and I are all feeling very fortunate and blessed that Mom was there with us, looking and feeling so well.

3 large chicken breasts, bone in but skinless (Mom uses a whole chicken, but that takes longer, is more hassle and the soup ends up a bit too greasy unless you skim, skim, skim -- so this is my change)
8 cups chicken broth, or 8 cups water plus 4 boullion cubes
1-2 onions, chopped finely
3 carrots, chopped finely
kosher salt (if using unsalted or low-sodium broth -- for regular broth, there's already more than enough salt)
fresh ground pepper
2 lemons, juiced
1 cup long-grain rice
3 eggs

• In a stockpot, bring chicken, broth, vegetables and fresh ground pepper to taste to a simmer, and simmer for 30-45 minutes, just until the chicken is done.


• Remove the chicken and vegetables, add 8 cups of hot water, and bring to a boil uncovered


• Add the rice, reduce heat to simmer, put on the lid and simmer until rice is done, about 20 minutes


• Meanwhile, remove the bones from the chicken and cut it into cubes, and season the chicken and vegetables with kosher salt (if you used unsalted or low-sodium broth) and fresh ground pepper


• When the rice is done, seperate the eggs into two bowls (I usually put the yolks into the bowl I have the lemon juice in)


• Beat the egg whites until frothy, then add the yolks and lemon juice. While still beating, add a couple of ladlefuls of hot soup.


• Continually beating (I use a big whisk at this point), add the avgolemono sauce into the stockpot. Then add the chicken and vegetables. It should be the right temperature to serve at once, or you can warm it gently. Keep stirring to avoid curdling the avgolemono sauce...but honestly, if you did the beating and slow addition of the broth properly, curdling is not likely to happen.

"Asian" noodle soup

After making Carolina BBQ Ribs, you'll have a big pot of lovely broth left. Let it cool, then skim the fat off the top. Then have fun creating your own "Asian" soup - this is what we did on Sunday, but it all comes down to what we happen to have in the fridge and pantry.

3 Quarts broth
4 pork chops
2 inches fresh ginger, skinned and chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
4 green onions (we happened to have the whole bulbs, not the green parts)
1 box rice noodles
2 hearts of Romaine, chopped
2 T hoisin sauce
2 T chile and garlic sauce

1. Simmer the broth
2. Add the ginger, garlic and green onions
3. Add the pork chops, cook gently for about 30 minutes
4. Remove the pork chops
5. Add the rice noodles and lettuce, cook for 5 minutes
6. Add the sauces
   
7. In the meantime, cut the pork chops from the bones, remove the fat and cube the meat.

Serve in big noodle bowls with chopsticks. If you have cilantro and lime, garnish away.

This is soooooo good. You can substitute about a million ways - using tofu or chicken for the protein, using actual bok choy or spinach for the greens, adding mushrooms, heck, you can even use angel hair instead of the rice noodles. The real key is the fresh ginger, I think.

Oh, and by the way...we threw this together as a quick meal before going to see Fiona Apple in concert last night. Kiddo really enjoyed the cubed pork and noodles, sans broth. And he enjoyed his first non-classical concert, too. The boy is destined to play in a band, I'm sure of it. After all, his mom did!