lentil soup

And to wrap up soup week, here is one of my absolute favorites, lentil soup. :-)

Here's what you need:

2 Tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped into little cubes (for some reason I think they taste better that way)
1 potato, chopped into little cubes (same reason as above)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup lentils (pardina, the little brown ones)
3 Tsp, red wine vinegar
6 cups, veggie stock (or chicken, if you prefer)
2 cups, spinach, chopped
Pepper
Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, and when medium hot, add the onion, carrot, potato, and celery, sauteing for about 7 minutes, until tender. Add the vinegar to the pan, using a wooden scraper to loosen any brown bits from the bottom. Then add the broth and lentils, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 40 minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach, and continue simmering until the leaves have wilted. Finally, a few twists of the pepper mill will finish the soup perfectly. Serve with cornbread.

Happy Friday---TGIF, TGIF!!!

vegetarian chili

Ok, ok, so chili is not really a soup, but it falls under the soup/stew/stoup category, sort of. We've had a chilly week, so the timing seemed right anyway. :-) We are a mix of meat eaters and vegetarians here, and this is one meal everyone enjoys.

Here is what you need:

Olive oil, 2 T
Garlic, 6 cloves, minced
Onion, 1 medium, chopped
Tomatoes, 3 medium, chopped
Red bell pepper, 1, chopped
Green Italian pepper, 3, chopped
Kidney beans
Garbanzo beans
Faux ground meat (I used Quorn-brand mince)
Pureed tomatoes
Tomato paste, 1 T
Corn (frozen or canned)
Cumin, 1 T
Red chili peppers, 3, small
Fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, chopped onion, for garnish

Like I've said before I use dried beans, but canned work just as well. If you use dried beans, don't forget to soak them overnight and cook until soft ahead of time. :-) I used one 16-oz. jar of pureed tomatoes that we canned ourselves; obviously, store-bought is also fine. We grow many varieties of chili peppers each year for our cooking; if you are not sure what Scoville level you can tolerate, you may want to skip the fresh chilis and play safe using basic chili powder.

Saute the chopped vegetables and faux ground meat in the olive oil until onions and peppers are soft. Add the remaining ingredients (save the garnishes) and simmer for 40 minutes. While cooking if you find the chili too thick or thin, add a little water or corn flour, respectively. Enjoy!

tomato soup therapy

What chicken soup does to ease the common cold, I think a bowl of tomato soup, along with a grilled cheddar sandwich of course, does the same to comfort an overworked and harried woman when she finally gets a moment to sit and relax.

Which is why there is a pot of this tomato and bread soup simmering on the stove top in the kitchen for Soup Week. The afternoon skies are cloud-filled and gray, and a dose of tomato soup therapy will provide the color and warmth of spirit needed on an otherwise dreary day.

A personal suggestion: a dollop of crème fraîche on the tomato soup = divine. :-D


Painting is Campbell's Soup Can by Andy Warhol.

peasant food: white bean soup

Peasant food maybe, but also incredibly tasty and satisfying. :-) I owe much to the Spanish woman I lived with years ago while attending university in Seville. She was a single mom with three kids and not a lot of money. In the late 1980s there was no such thing as convenience food in Spain. All the meals were prepared from scratch. Because Pastora was a busy woman, many of the dishes she prepared were quite simple but all were delicious.

It was Pastora who first introduced me to dried beans, now an important staple in our pantry. Not only are they incredibly nutritious, but dried beans are also superaffordable, too. I was craving a white bean soup, so last night before I went to bed, I measured out two cups of cannellini beans into a large glass bowl, covered with water, and went off to dreamland. In the morning, I drained and rinsed the beans and then boiled with water for just over an hour. Here's the complete ingredient list:

2 cups of dried white beans, soaked overnight, and cooked the next morning
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 T olive oil
1 large potato, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
8 cups veggie broth
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 bay leaves
Spinach, kale, or your favorite leafy green

Saute the garlic in the olive oil for a couple minutes until lightly golden. Add the potato and carrots; saute a couple minutes more. Next add the beans, broth, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Simmer for 40 minutes. Add several handfuls of chopped fresh spinach, and then cook for a few more minutes, until the greens wilt. Serve with fresh ground pepper, possibly a little grated cheese, and a healthy chuck of ciabatta bread. And give thanks to my old friend Pastora. :-)

carrot curry soup

To kick off Soup Week, I'm happy to share with you one of my favorites---carrot curry soup. It's not only really healthy but also superyummy, too. :-)
Here's what I use:

• Nine carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Olive oil, 2-3 T
• Onion, 1 medium-sized chopped
• Ginger, 1.5-inch piece finely chopped
• Garlic, 4 cloves finely chopped
• Veggie stock, 6 cups (use less if you prefer a thicker soup)
• Fennel seeds, 1 t
• Curry powder, 1-2 t OR I use 1/2 t each of cumin, turmeric, coriander powder, and asofetida
• Greek yogurt (or regular plain yogurt, sour cream, crème fraîche, etc.), 2 small individual containers
• Parsley, to garnish

First I sauteed the onion, garlic, ginger, and fennel seeds in the olive oil for about 10 minutes, medium heat, stirring frequently until the onion was translucent. Then I added the stock and carrots, brought to a boil, and simmered for 30-40 minutes, until the carrots were soft. After removing from the heat, I used a hand blender (if you don't have one of these, get one! Otherwise, use a regular blender) to cream until smooth, adding the curry spices and yogurt. Finish off with a bit of parsley---or a drizzle of fresh cream! Enjoy!!! :-)

red pepper hummus

Here's a superquick, easy and delicious recipe---just the way I like it. :-)

Chickpeas
Garlic
Lemon juice
Tahini

Roasted red peppers

Olive oil

I always use dry beans, soak them overnight and then cook the next day, but you can always use canned or jarred (a 15-oz. can works here). Add the cooked beans to a large mixing bowl, along with 2 cloves garlic, juice from 1 lemon, 1/3 cup tahini, a drizzle of olive oil and two chopped roasted red peppers (again, from a jar is fine). Either mash with a potato masher or whip up with a snazzy hand blender---one of my favorite kitchen tools---and voilà! Delish!