Tag Archives: Soupy Sunday

It’s officially the first weekend of fall, and that means the return of Soupy Sunday!

This soup was inspired by Au Bon Pain’s 12-Vegetable Soup. After being drawn there for lunch three days in one week, I decided to make a pot of my own. And yes, I ate it for lunch three times last week.

Use whatever veggies you like; I went to my local farmers market and chose what looked good. Au Bon Pain’s soup is vegan, but this is decidedly not, using beef bones and beef stock for flavor.

11-Vegetable Soup
Serves 6-8
1 extra-large zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 poblano pepper
1 Russet potato
4 carrots
1 pint shiitake mushrooms
2 shallots
2 ears corn
2 cloves garlic
Soup bones (optional)
Salt, pepper
Olive oil
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 cup red wine
2 bay leaves
1 cup tomato sauce
1-2 cups stock (beef)
4-6 cups water, plus extra for simmering
1 pound fresh green beans, ends snapped and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 head kale, stalks removed and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 425. Chop first 7 ingredients into bite-size pieces. Cut corn off cobs (reserve cobs). Smash garlic cloves and remove their skins. Spread chopped veggies and soup bones in even layers over 2-3 half sheet pans. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss. Roast 30-40 minutes. Rotate sheet trays and flip veggies with spatula halfway through.

Scrape roasted veggies, bones, leftover oil and any browned bits into soup pot. Use back of knife blade to milk corn cobs over pot. Crush coriander seeds and rosemary, and stir into veggies. Add bay leaves.

Turn burner to medium-high. When veggies start to sizzle, add red wine. Cook down wine, stirring occasionally so veggies don’t burn, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce. Cook and stir, another 2 minutes. Add water to desired soup consistency. Taste and check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop in green beans and kale.

Reduce heat to low and simmer at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours, with no lid. Add water by the cup as necessary, continuing to check for seasoning every time water is
added.

Remove soup bones and bay leaves before serving.

Soupy Sunday has returned! Today’s recipe isn’t pretty. In fact, its ugly green color and gloppy texture is the main reason I wouldn’t touch my mom’s split pea soup growing up. After a 20-year hiatus, I tried Caprice Bistro’s wonderfully hammy version in 2010. I’m now a split pea soup convert.

My recipe is adapted from Food Network Magazine’s version in the January/February 2011 issue.

Slow cooker split pea soup
Makes 4 servings
1/2 pound split peas
1 smoked turkey leg
2 carrots, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
4 1/2 cups water
Salt, pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas

Put all ingredients except frozen peas in slow cooker. Turn on low and cook 6-8 hours. About halfway through cooking time, taste soup for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

After 6-8 hours, take out turkey leg and remove meat from bone. Shred meat and return it to soup. Discard the skin and bones. Stir soup to thicken.

This is another one of those soups that tastes better the next day. So if you have time to stash it in the fridge overnight, then rewarm before serving, go for it!

Ladle soup into bowls, then stir in about 1/4 cup frozen peas per serving.

I love Sundays because I have time to try out new recipes and get my fill of cooking for the week. Last weekend, it was this Indian-inspired meal.

It started with this recipe in the December issue of Bon Appetit, which let me use up homemade curry powder from a co-worker and the last of my garden carrots. The soup may not look pretty, but it’s easy and super healthy because it uses pureed chickpeas as a thickener.

A search of AllRecipes.com led to this take on naan, the garlicky, sweet flatbread that is my No. 1 reason for visiting any Indian restaurant. The recipe was a good one, but it made way too much for two people (my freezer is holding 14 remaining dough balls right now).

Finally, I improvised on some yogurt-marinated chicken, which turned out to be my hubby’s favorite part of the meal.

Yogurt-marinated chicken

1 whole chicken breast (or 2 chicken cutlets), cut into 1-inch cubes

3 oz. plain Greek yogurt

Handful of chopped fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley and oregano

1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt, pepper

Place chicken chunks in sealable plastic bag with yogurt, herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper. Seal bag, then massage marinade into chicken. Place in fridge for a couple hours.

Heat cast-iron grill pan over high heat. Brush with vegetable oil. Remove chicken from bag and place in pan. Saute 2-3 minutes per side, until chicken has grill marks and is cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges.

I enjoyed the naan slathered with the thick soup and topped with chicken and a squeeze of lemon. Voila — Indian tacos!

This is another family recipe my husband didn’t want me to share. But it’s so easy and adaptable. You can add extra veggies for a chunky soup. Or you could serve with grated cheddar, bacon crumbles and green onions and call it baked potato soup.

Potato soup

8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, divided

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

5 Russet potatoes, cubed (I like Russets for thick and creamy soup, but Yukon Golds work if you want a more crisp texture)

Liberal amount of salt and pepper

Water

1 can evaporated milk

Melt 2 tbsp. butter in heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Saute until onions are clear, 3-5 minutes. Add potatoes, salt and pepper (remember, you are flavoring not only the potatoes but also the veggies and broth — so don’t be shy!). Add water to pot until it just covers the veggies. Bring to boil and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes. Then, add remaining 6 tbsp. butter and evaporated milk. Stir and simmer at least another 30 minutes. It gets better the longer it sits, especially overnight in the fridge.

This is probably my favorite broth-based soup. Its real name is too long, so I’m calling it Dream Soup because it combines four of my favorite ingredients: Sweet potato, sausage, beans and garlic.

This week we got some great kale in the Produce Box. I’ve never eaten kale any other way, but I think it was made just for this soup. It’s so hearty and delicious.

Here’s the recipe (adapted from MyRecipes.com):

Dream Soup

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

One onion, diced

1 tsp. salt, divided

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 links hot Italian sausage, casings removed

3 medium sweet potatoes, skinned and cubed

3 cups water

5 cups chicken stock

1 lb. kale, washed, trimmed and torn

1 can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

Heat olive oil in heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Saute 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add sausage and break up with spatula. Cook until sausage is brown, about 8 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, water and stock. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in kale and the other 1/2 tsp salt. Cover pot and cook another 10 minutes, until kale is wilted and bright green. Stir in beans. Serve immediately or let simmer as desired.

Give me a bowl of chili and some tortilla chips, and I can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This chili went quite far, giving us a couple lunches, a couple dinners and many random snacks.

I don’t want to get into all the chili arguments, such as beans vs. no beans, veggies vs. no veggies, etc. This is how *I* like it — take this recipe and adjust it to your liking.

Chili

Extra virgin olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced

Assortment of peppers (I used jalapenos, green bell and dried cayenne), chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt, pepper

1 can beer

Packet chili seasoning

1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds

3 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans tomato soup

Heat drizzle of olive oil in heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Add beef, onions, peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute 2-3 minutes. While meat is still pink, add can of beer. Let liquid finish cooking meat. Add seasoning, coriander, kidney beans and tomato soup. Fill empty tomato soup cans with water, and add it to the pot. Mix everything together well. Bring chili to boil, then reduce heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Simmer at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

Baked corn tortilla chips

6-10 corn tortillas

Canola oil

Salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Brush corn tortillas lightly with oil. Cut tortillas into quarters. Space chips 1/4 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper while chips are still warm.

You might’ve heard Wilmington got a wee bit of rain the last week of September.  22 inches in five days, to be exact. This soup was extremely comforting during the sogginess.

Most of the ingredients were leftovers stored in the freezer/fridge: chicken stock, noodles, shredded chicken. Add in some chopped vegetables and dried herbs, and you’re good to go.

Chicken noodle soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, sliced
2 teaspoons dried herbs, such as parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme
1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Salt, pepper
1 mason jar (12 ounces) chicken stock
4 mason jars water
About 1 pound shredded chicken
1/2 pound fresh or frozen egg pasta (I used bucatini)

Over medium heat, saute vegetables in butter until soft, about 15 minutes. Add spices, and cook another two minutes.
Add stock, water and chicken. Simmer 15-20 minutes. When ready to serve, bring soup to a boil, drop in pasta and boil until al dente. Serve hot.

Happy fall! Here, we’re thankful for mid-80s and lower humidity.

In honor of the season, I’m starting a feature called Soupy Sunday. It won’t necessarily post on Sunday, but that’s when I’ll make the soup. There’s so much to love about soup: it’s comforting, it’s generally cheap to make, and it makes great leftovers.

The first installment: French onion

I followed Tyler Florence’s recipe. Went great with a glass of the leftover red wine. (Note: the recipe calls for 1 cup, or about ‘half a bottle’ of red wine. Where I come from, a regular bottle is about 4-6 servings. And I had about 3/4 bottle of Cabernet sauvignon left over after making the soup.)

Dunno if anyone’s watched Showtime’s “The Big C,” but I was feeling Laura Linney’s character’s love of onions.

In the pilot episode, she tells her husband the reason she’s kicked him out is his hatred of onions. She wants to eat them again after 15 years of marriage. I wouldn’t want to live without onions, either — sauteed, grilled, roasted, as the base of a soup — a big bowlful is just wonderful.