It's Soup Season...need some healthy suggestions

[CeeBee]

Now that the weather has cooled off here in NY, it's time to get the soup pot on the stove! I make a pot just about every week, have some for lunches and dinners and then freeze some (I'm a family of one, so a pot goes a long way).Some of my usuals: lentil, chicken veg, butternut squash and chili. I'm getting bored!
I really don't care for creamy soups too much, but if it's a great recipe, I'm willing to give it a shot.
Any ideas, hounds?

[LadyTong]

When it gets cool - I like a Winter Chicken Soup (Chinese-styled)

Source: http://www.thechinesesouplady.com/win...

1 fresh whole chicken
1 foot of fresh chinese yam
2 fresh corn
10 dried longans
5-6 dried scallops (conpoys
)1 handful of wolfberries
2 litres of water

How do I prepare it?

1. Prepare chicken (in quarters) by rinsing and blanching in a pot of hot water
2. Boil your soup water
3. Wash and soak for 10 minutes all the dried herbs
4. Wash & peel fresh Chinese Yam (be sure to wear gloves) and cube as large as necessary
5. Wash and chop corn
6. When your soup water is boiling, add all the ingredients together
7. Boil on high heat for 30 minutes and reduce to low boil for another 2 hours.
8. Serve and enjoy!

[Jetgirly]

Mmmm... I made a REALLY good soup last night! It's one of my best yet! I loosely followed a mulligatawny recipe but added lots of extra vegetables. I started by heating olive oil in the pot and then added a very finely diced yellow onion, six finely minced cloves of garlic, a big piece of ginger that I'd finely grated and a minced jalapeno. Once that was just starting to brown I chopped some vegetables into very small pieces: one red potato, a small yam, one tomato, a small zucchini, a carrot and an apple. I sauteed it all until the vegetables were soft, then added in lots of coriander, cumin and turmeric. As per a different recipe that I'd seen, I added a few tablespoons of chickpea flour at this stage. Then, I added two cups of red lentils (I would have preferred yellow but I didn't have any on hand) and mixed it all up. To this mixture I added five cups veggie stock and five cups water, brought everything to a boil and then let it simmer for an hour. At the end, I added a cup of coconut milk, half a bunch of fresh cilantro and the juice of a large lime. Frankly, I am going to have a hard time making any other soup from now on. It is sooooo good! (It's definitely a starchy soup...)

[hannaone]

A healthy Korean version of chicken soup.
http://www.chow.com/recipes/11318

[don515]

Thanks got some good ideas on this thread!
Just had one of my favorites for lunch. Emeril's smoked ham hock and orange lentil soup. Recipe calls for 3-4 hock 2 large or 3 small is plenty. At the end you will probably add more stock but hold off till the end whole lentil will turn into soup very thick but keep cooking and the pop open making a very velvety soup.
enjoy.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/em...

[foodslut]

I made a really good udon soup last night--cook udon noodles, rinse, strain, put aside. Make dashi stock using kelp and fish flakes (soak kelp for 30 min, remove when hot water starts to form bubbles), add fish flakes in tea egg, remove when water starts to boil. Add soy sauce and mirin (3 table spoons or so--so you get a nice color, plus salt) and then thicken with a few Tbsp cornstarch diluted with cold water. When thickened, add a bowl of lightly beaten eggs, chopped green onions, and mustard greens/watercress, and some salt). Pour into the soup and stir. Season soup to taste with salt/soy sauce. Rinse udon with boiling water and place in bowls. Ladle soup over and garnish with grated ginger. Serve with shichimi (Japanese 7 pepper seasoning) if desired.

[SusanB]

It's like we're all thinking alike on this!

I was recently in BC visiting my father - he's 87 and eats soup most days for lunch or dinner. I had bought some candied salmon in Victoria - that's like smoked salmon (not lox), and I made a corn and potato chowder with some of it. First time making a chowder and it was fabulous. I used condensed milk. I don't have the recipe - just took a recipe he had for corn chowder and made some changes to it. It was somewhat creamy, but not too creamy. I don't think it would freeze all that well though.

We also had a fabulous soup when I got out there. My brother had started a ham bone (from their Thanksgiving dinner) with some split peas in the slow cooker. They had a lot of roasted veggies left over from the Thansgiving dinner. We left the slow cooker on all night, then the next day, I added the veggies. We had enough soup for several days, and believe me, it got better every day. The vegetables (including brussel sprouts, which I don't usually like) were wonderful in that soup.

Last week when I got home, I made a lentil soup - one of the Barefoot Contessa recipes. It called for smoked sausage, which I didn't have - but I had chicken breast so used that. It's very thick and delicious, and the recipe made a lot of servings. I froze most of it in 3 cup containers, so basically 2 large servings in each container.

Now I have to make some other soups - I brown bag it to work and I like the idea of not inhaling my lunch, which I tend to do if I bring a sandwich. Thanks for all these ideas!

[buckeye.mary]

That lentil soup sounds good. It's a lot like her Salmon with Lentils recipe, which is one of my favorites...after I substitute balsamic vinegar for red wine vinegar and double or triple the vinegar quantity.

[The Dairy Queen]

Alice Waters' spicy cauliflower soup from this month's COTM is quite nice. I wasn't blown away by it the night I made it, but reheated as leftovers, I thought it was fabulous. And I should have used fresh cilantro, not dried, as well as all three of the garnishes she suggested (I thought it was an either or kinda thing)--anyway, I describe it here, sorry, no photo. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5688...

~TDQ

[OCKevin]

The latest issue of Gourmet Magazine has a carrot fennel soup recipe which knocked our socks off. Very simple recipe consisting of four ingredients: carrots, fennel bulbs, onion and garlic. A wee bit of work needed early on with regard to roasting the vegetables and then blending them, but the results make this well worth doing again and again during soup season. It's the issue with the Thanksgiving turkey on it.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i'm so glad someone reported on that Carrot Fennel Soup recipe. i was trying to decide if i should make it this week - looks like i've got my answer ;) thanks for the review!

[OCKevin]

You're very welcome! It's such a satisfying fall-weather soup. And it goes exceptionally well with a New Zealand or California Sauvignon Blanc.

[CeeBee]

That's on the top of my magazine pile right now...I'll check it out tonight!

[guinnysmom]

Hands down, this is my favorite nutritious, delicious, and EASY tortilla soup! Always a crowd pleaser.....You can, of course, use fresh seasonal ingredients when available, and I garnish with some avacado slices/cheeses/yogurt or sour cream/tortilla strips when serving for company!
Sometimes I use boneless-skinless thighs for super tender meat and a bit more fat=)
~Line bottom of crockpot with about 4 boneless skinless chix breasts.
~Add one roughly chopped yellow onion, a few diced or smashed garlic cloves, half a bunch chopped fresh cilantro, one can of chopped tomatos with liquid (or equivalent fresh), 4.5 ounces green chiles, handful each of corn
and beans of your choice, about a teaspoon of cumin, S&P to taste....
~set on low for about 8 hours, add some chicken broth as needed, then shred chicken with two forks
~I've heard from some folks who like a thicker soup and puree half of the mixture before shredding chix
~squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup, garnish as desired with matchstick tortilla strips or the other items listed above

Always delicious; can be presented well for parties and is also very kid-friendly ***I can top anything with fritos and they'll eat it =)

I've also been making a delicous spicy red lentil curry from Cooks Illust....mouth is watering just thinking about it.....been serving it over grilled polenta...yum-yum!

[CeeBee]

I have just about evertyhing to make this tonight! Maybe I'll let it cook while I sleep and have it for breakast! (yes, breakfast. i like savory breakfast!)
thanks for posting, guinnysmom.

[lexpatti]

Yummm!! Thanks, can't wait to try this one.

[Jetgirly]

I bought a really good soup pot today! It cost about four times more than anything else I've ever bought for my kitchen, but it's going to make my weekly soup cooking a whole lot easier. I'm not sure it's going to fit in any of my apartment cupboards, however!

So, to celebrate owning a bit pot I'm roasting up a whole mess of vegetables- potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery root, parsnips, turnips, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, etc. and I'm making enough roasted vegetable soup to last until 2009!

[JEN10]

Good for you, a soup pot will make a life time of good memmories!

[dubedo]

Avgolemono (Greek lemon chicken soup with orzo, thickened with foamy egg whites) is my absolute favorite, and very easy. There are some substandard recipes out there but I actually got mine from this Board some time ago -just search for "avgolemono".

I also love the White Bean Soup from Todd English's cookbook Fig's Table. I don't want to offend the copyright police, but if you go to Amazon.com and pull up the book you can use the "search inside this book" function to find the recipe. (Shhhh . . . don't tell them I sent you . . . or better yet, buy the book, it's really excellent). It starts with a sautee of fennel, garlic, carrots, celery and some red pepper flakes, then add chicken broth and canned white beans and simmer. (The recipe also calls for adding a head of roasted garlic, if you happen to have had the foresight to make one.) Remove half of the soup, puree, and return to the pot. Optional - swirl in some spinach or escarole at the end, just until wilted. The fennel and garlic give this soup strong, delicious flavors, and it's really very healthy. Freezes well, too.

[JEN10]

I am making Cat Kora's Avgolemono soup this week. We love it, it is a true comfort food. I think I will serve it up with some Greek salad.

[Miss Needle]

I'm a fan of Wolfgang Puck's spiced carrot lemongrass soup. It's delicious without the creme fraiche.

http://www.wchstv.com/gmarecipes/spic...

Though it also doesn't seem seasonal, asparagus is really cheap in NY now because it probably comes from the Southern hemisphere where it is growing season for asparagus. I love Deborah Madison's asparagus soup. And her potato leek soup is also super easy, simple and delicious.

[relizabeth]

This Turkish Soup recipe is an elixir.
http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/ecmes/ph...

[CeeBee]

That looks great...and different! What a great story to go along with it, too.

[iL Divo]

I would truly love this soup ReLiz

[cassoulady]

I love soup and make some every weekend. I typically just use whatever veggies I have on hand. And in fall with so many great fall veggies, it is easy. I start with onion, carrot celery, cook them then add chicken stock and cut up veggies- squash, sweet potato, turnip etc. Cook for about 45 min, then I use my immersion blender to puree. It gives it a creamy texture with no cream. It is fun to come up with new combos based on what veggies you have on hand.

[ejpnyc]

I make a delish split pea and root vegetable soup. ABout a cup of split peas, low sodium chicken broth, 2 large turnips/parsnips/carrots each. You can add sweet potato too. I season with cumin/curry/s&p. You can either chop vegetables in uniform small cubes, or puree at the end.

[Jetgirly]

I made a yummy black bean soup last night- sauteed lots of shallots and garlic, added seasonings (salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, coriander and a pinch of cinnamon), put in one diced red pepper, added six peeled, roughly chopped tomatoes, then added two cans of (rinsed) black beans. I sauteed the mix for a while then covered with vegetable stock and cooked until the beans were pretty soft, then I pureed everything. I let it cook a while longer then added a whole bunch of lime juice and lots of fresh cilantro. In place of sour cream I put a bit of plain yogurt on top to serve. It was really good! (And it will be my lunch this week!)

Oh, and today I'll be making some salsa to put on top / stir in when I eat it as well. I've got more tomatoes, a red onion, a jalapeno, more cilantro and lime juice.

[lexpatti]

I love Giada's Paste e Fagioli and recently made a 16 bean soup (followed the package) and added some sausage.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gi...

[lgss]

Posole, goulash (my husband makes a vegan version), or miso soup might provide interesting alternatives.

[jeni1002]

Hi - could you post the vegan goulash recipe? Thanks.

[lgss]

http://www.all-creatures.org/mhvs/rec...
He starts with this recipe and tweaks it depending on the mood he's in at the moment and which ingredients or he can find.

[beggsy]

I love this super-easy asian dumpling soup from Lucy Waverman (Canada). Here is the link

http://lucywaverman.com/lucy-s-recipe...

I use whatever veggies I have on hand (broccoli, bok choy, etc). I buy the frozen dumplings at the supermarket (or asian supermarket if you can't find them).

[Chew on That]

Bean Soup with Kale

A soup that has a taste that is a little different but mild. It will surprise all skeptics. Co-workers love this soup when I take it in.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 C. kale, chopped raw
4 C. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 15 oz. cans white beans, cannellini or navy, undrained
4 plum sized tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp. died Italian herb seasoning or 1 tsp. each dried thyme and rosemary
1 C. parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions

In a large pot heat olive oil. Add garlic and onions, saute until soft. Add kale and saute, stirring until wilted. Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans and all the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper. simmer for 5 minutes. In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Stir mixture into soup to thicken. Simmer 15 minutes. Lable into bowl, sprinkle with chopped parsley.

[cleopatra999]

Here is another favorite of mine, a very successful Thai Hot & Sour soup.

http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaisnac...

[iL Divo]

I don't have lemon grass or keffir lime leaves or red chilis
can I use:
fresh lemon juice + zest
ground dried chili
key lime juice &/or zest

[greygarious]

Just read this recipe on the Prairie Home Companion's weekly e-letter:
Reuben Soup

1/2 c chopped onions

1/2 c sliced celery

2 T butter

1 c chicken broth

1 c beef broth

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 T cornstarch

2 T water

3/4 c sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

2 c light cream

2 c chopped, cooked corned beef

1 c shredded Swiss cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Rye croutons, optional

In a large saucepan sauté onion and celery in butter until tender.

Add broth and baking soda. Combine cornstarch and water; add

to pan. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat. Add sauerkraut, cream and corned beef; simmer for

15 minutes. Add cheese; heat until melted. Add salt and pepper.

Garnish with croutons.

[oakjoan]

Yowie Zowie! Reuben Soup! I just had a Reuben sandwich last Sunday night for the first time in about 10 years.

Sounds weirdly wonderful, but it sounds as if you haven't tried it yet.

[goodhealthgourmet]

minestrone
french onion soup [use low-sodium stock, and splurge on a little bit of good-quality cheese to bake over the top]
bouillabaisse
manhattan clam chowder
corn soup with chiles, limes & cilantro from Sally Schneider's "A New Way To Cook"
black bean soup
tom yum goong or tom yum gai

[rozz01]

Has anyone tried the Knorr Tom Yum boullion? Is it any good?

[MommyTwingle]

Butternut squash soup is a great, healthy choice and Weight Watchers are raving about taco soup! Only 2 points per cup if you care.

[lexpatti]

Yes, I would love more info on the taco soup. Hubby and are doing great on WW (at least trying hard) :-)

[Antilope]

Chinese Hot & Sour soup, Tortilla soup or Pea soup.

[Emme]

Not a soup per se, but I love making a big batch of ratatouille to munch on throughout the week... great with egg whites in the morning, with salad for lunch, as a dinner side dish...

Also love making a Wild Mushroom and Greens Miso soup...I take miso broth, simmer with crushed garlic, then add in any number of greens (mustard, kale, bok choy, collards), mushrooms (portabellos, shiitakes, creminis, oyster, button - all sliced), asparagus (chopped), then simmer and let them cook down with some pepper. If I don't cook them separately with herbs of some sort, I"ll cook egg whites (egg drop soup style) and drizzle them into the rolling broth to create a stream. I've also used tofu, but I just prefer egg whites to tofu. So healthy and goes down so well.

[LauraB]

I saw a recipe for coconut curry red lentil soup in a recent Cooking Light and decided to play around with the recipe the other day. I followed the general idea of the recipe below, but I used substituted red curry paste for the dried spices in the recipe, added the whole can of light coconut milk and added softened rice noodles to the soup after it was finished. The rice noodles made it a bit difficult to eat (kind of needed a fork and a spoon at the same time), but I thought they went really well with the soup and made it a bit more substantial as a stand alone meal. Overall, I really liked it. It was a nice rift on lentil soup and definitely not boring. If you make it for freezing I would not add the rice noodles before freezing and either leave them out or make them fresh when you thaw the soup.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/rec...

[TheSnowpea]

Mushroom-barley soup is a big favourite here
Here's one possible variant:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[rozz01]

I do a pumpkin or butternut soup w/low fat coconut milk, veggie broth and some thai curry paste. You can add the paste to the hottnest you prefer...

[LoN]

Here's a favourite of mine when the flurries start to fall!!
1 can (19 oz) chick peas drained
½ t salt
¼ cup butter
2 large cloves garlic minced
1 cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped carrot
¼ t fresh pepper
½ t dried crushed basil
1/8 t dried rosemary
1 can (28 oz) plum tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth or water

Melt butter over medium heat and sauté garlic, onions and carrot until translucent. Add pepper, herbs and tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 min breaking up tomatoes as they cook. Mix in chick peas and broth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes blend flavors.

[cleopatra999]

I like this slow cooker recipe for Red lentil & coconut soup. It is creamy and hearty. My SO is not a lentil fan, however he is all over this soup. It needs a large slow cooker and a long day (10hrs) to be best. It is best when the lentils are really soft. Very easy to make.

http://www.recipezaar.com/113554

[iL Divo]

Cleo, just read ingreds. sounds do good.

[jeni1002]

Great thread - I am in much need for inspiration myself. Here are a few suggestions:
* Escarole soup: carrots, garlic, onions, vegetable stock, cannellini beans, lots of good pepper - the escarole gives it a tang
* Tomato & seafood soup from the latest issue of Cooking Light - fennel, carrots, green peppers, onions, mixed with seafood (I only used fish when I made it and it came out fine....), tomato paste, clam juice, white wine, thyme & tarragon
* Borscht or any variation of beet soup
* Potato & leek soup - I typically don't blend the vegetables, so it's chunky....

[mcel215]

This is my "Hearty Root Vegetable Soup"

This soup has quite a bite with the turnip and broccoli rabe!

1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
2 stalks of celery, cut the same as carrots
1 medium turnip,peeled and diced small
1 bunch of broccoli rabe, cleaned, stemmed, chopped
5 cups of Chicken Stock (or vegetarian)
1/2 tespoon red pepper flakes.
2 Bay leaves
Good parmesean, grated for sprinkling
Salt, pepper to taste.

In a Dutch oven on top of stove, heat olive oil, and all the veggies except broccoli rabe.
Cook on medium low, until veggies are a bit tender, about 5 minutes.
Add 5 cups stock, stir.
Bring to a simmer, add red pepper flakes, bay leaves and simmer about 15 minutes.
Add chopped broccoli rabe, stir, cover and turn off stove. Remove bay leaves. Check flavors, at this point add salt and pepper as desired.
Cook Orzo, and drain. To serve, add a ladle of orzo to bottom of bowl, ladle soup in. Add a tablespoon of good parmesean cheese.

This soup freezes great in zip lock bags, but don't add orzo when freezing.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I make a nice soup with spinach, mushrooms, and tofu (you can add soba noodles if you'd like to bulk it up). Heat 4 cups of water or veg or chicken stock or broth with 2 T each soy sauce and rice vinegar and about 1 T each minced garlic and fresh ginger. Add sliced mushrooms of whatever type you have on hand or like, and simmer till they're tender (if you want soba, you can add it now and let it cook with the mushrooms). Add cubed tofu, chopped green onions and let them heat through, then add spinach leaves and let them wilt. Finish with a bit of toasted sesame oil. If you're going to reheat it, add the spinach then, as it only takes a minute or two to wilt, but can easily get overcooked.

[cyberroo]

I like Alton Brown's split pea soup. You can find the proper recipe on the food tv site, but it's basically an onion sauteed in olive oil, lots of cumin, and then split peas and broth, simmered until the peas fall apart. In addition to being tasty, it's pretty much made up of pantry staples, so it's a good one to have in your repertoire.

I also really like Wolfgang Puck's tortilla soup recipe, which you can find on his website. It's a thick, tomato-based version rather than a brothy version.

[Kelli2006]

I made the Good Eats lentil soup on Sunday.

[starbucksbrew]

Tortellini Soup:

1 package frozen cheese tortellini
1 box organic low sodium beef broth (or homemade beef stock)
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
Optional: 1 lb. beef tips, cooked
Upon serving, top with parmesan cheese

[janetms383]

Starbuck... this sounds delicious and so easy! Thanks for posting

[buckeye.mary]

I love making tortellini/ravioli soup. It's so simple and you can throw in whatever veggies you have on-hand. Asparagus and spinach are my favorites.

I just made this oven-baked lentil and split pea soup. Very good with a bit of yogurt on top:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/rec...

[valerie]

Here's a Tortellini Vegetable Soup that I make. Got the recipe from my sister. At the end, I puree it a bit with my immersion blender. And since I am always trying to cut calories, I don't always add the tortellini. The soup is really tasty even without it.

TORTELLINI VEGETABLE SOUP

1T vegetable oil
1/2 c sliced carrots
1/2 c chopped onions
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cans vegetable broth
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 c water
1 zucchini, diced
1 can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
12 oz cheese tortellini
1-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables begin to soften (about 5 minutes). Stir in broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Simmer 10 minutes. Add zucchini, beans, tortellini, and seasoning. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan.

[JEN10]

I make this all the time, I usually do it for a Xmas Eve party and everyone loves it!!!

Tortellini Soup
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 red bell peppers chopped
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp oregano
4 tbsp. parsley
48 oz chicken broth
40 oz water
15 oz tomato sauce
2 packages small tortellini
2 cups sliced zuchinni

Brown sausage breaking up as you go, add onion, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook until peppers are soft. add broth, water, tomatoes and herbs. Simmer for 1 hour, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and add zuchinni and tortellini, cook about 8 -10 minutes. Ready to eat, oh yum!

[CeeBee]

Thanks Jen10...that seems so easy!

[JEN10]

Made it last night for some new Italian friends and they LOVED it. Enjoy!

[janetms383]

I made this soup this weekend. It was fast, easy and DELICIOUS!! Thanks for the post

[LA Buckeye Fan]

I do a similar version when I am sick. Chicken stock with cheese tortellini. That's the entire soup. But I top it with a gremolata of lemon zest, parsley and mixed garlic...stirred in before eating. So fragrent and the raw garlic cuts through my congestion.

[chefathome]

Roasted red pepper with orange cream and roasted carrot with cumin are amongst my favourites. Oh, and potato leek with bacon. Let me know if you are interested in recipes.

[Kate is always hungry]

I'd love to have the roasted carrot recipe. Thanks in advance!

[oakjoan]

Don't know if chefathome posted the carrot soup recipe, I don't see it...

Here's mine.

Sautee 1 chopped (large) onion and 3 cloves of chopped garlic until wilted and somewhat browned.

Add lots of chopped carrots - depends on how big they are, but if medium, use about 10. Add chicken broth to cover by an inch or two. Add a good-sized pinch of thyme.

Simmer until carrots are cooked through - about 20 minutes.

Puree in batches in blender.

While soup is cooking, sautee a couple of chopped red bell peppers in a small frying pan with some butter and olive oil.

Puree the peppers in the blender and serve a dollop on top of each bowl of carrot soup.

I also use those red pepper spreads or jarred roasted red peppers if I'm lazy or out of fresh bells.

My husband likes a dollop of yoghurt on top of the red pepper dollop.

I also make this with cumin as a flavoring. Adapted from Bertoli/Waters Chez Panisse Cookbook

[iL Divo]

roasted red pepper soup recipe please Chef@home

[Soup]

Anyone ever try lidia bastianich's recipe for veggie soup with parm. cheese rinds?

[CeeBee]

I haven't, but it sounds quite good! I'll have to try and do a search for the recipe...

[goodhealthgourmet]

any good minestrone recipe should call for parm rinds...

[lucyis]

Absolutely! Never throw those rinds away. When you have all your ingredients simmering add a nice chunk of rind. Take it out when serving.

[oakjoan]

Since I first read about this use for parm/pec cheese rinds, I've been putting them in almost all my soups, Italian or not. Wonderful discovery.

Also, I had a verrrrry old frozen chunk of prosciutto recently which I put in some bean soup. Great. It's also a great use for the prosciutto we can get here in Oakland, CA that is much cheaper than the regular, sliced kind. It looks like a small ham hock, which I suppose it is. Perfect for flavoring soups, but too tough to cut into thin slices to serve with figs ;+)

[TheSnowpea]

HA! That's hilarious! I too unearthed an ancient chunk of prosciutto from my freezer. I was making soup in a hurry: parsnips, carrot, small turnips, cabbage, leeks, and winter squash, all chopped up and tossed in the pressure cooker with a few herbs. I decided to shove in that frozen chunk in the middle and pressure-cooked the lot for 15 minutes. Voilà, soup. I then took out the hunk and diced it, put it back in and added a canned of diced tomatoes and a small can of haricots blancs. The smell and the flavour are out of this world.

[iL Divo]

snow&oak, that makes 3 of us who have buried treasures in our freezers.
but I can go ya one better. I have both prosciutto and panchetta in there just waiting to be used.
do they ever actually go bad? hiding behind a couch here while asking for fear one'il come flyin my way and thump my melon :)

[emilief]

I make Greek Bean Soup (fassolatha) very often- easy, very healthy and delicious. My Greek husband loves it. It doesn't sound like much but you will be surprised how good it is. Soak one lb navy beans or great northern beans overnight. Rinse. Add 12 cups of water, 2 carrots cut in 1/4 inch slices, 2 stalks of celery, same slice, 2 chopped onions and about 7 cloves of garlic sliced thin.Bring to boil, turn down to simmer and cook until beans are almost cooked through (about 2 hrs). Add 3 tbsp tomato paste and 1/4- 1/2 cup of good Greek olive oil (any really flavorful olive oil will do). Stir well, add salt and pepper to taste and cook about 1 more hour. Serve with crusty bread, feta cheese and olives.

[southernitalian]

Wow Emilie - I was going to make lentil soup in ym crockpot this w/e but this sounds really good. Thanks.

[greedygirl]

I made a lovely Moroccan vegetable soup the other day. The base was onion, celery, carrots and butternut squash, with chicken stock and tinned tomatoes. There was also turmeric and ras-el-hanout in there. It was delicious with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt on the top, and really filling. I'll dig out the recipe if you're interested.

[CeeBee]

Yes, recipe please!

[greedygirl]

Rustic tomato and vegetable soup with ras-el-hanout

Heat three tbsps of olive oil with a small knob of butter and add two chopped onions, 4 chopped celery stalks, 2 chopped carrots and 1 butternut squash (peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks). Cook for about 5 mins, until the vegetables start to soften and take on a little colour. Stir in 1-2 tsps of ground turmeric, 2-3 tsps of ras-el-hanout and 1 tbsp of sugar, then add 800g of tinned, chopped tomatoes, drained of their juice. Add 1 tbsp of tomato puree and 1.5 litres of vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 mins, until the vegetables are very tender and the liquid has reduced a little.

Season to taste and serve with a spoonful of Greek or natural yoghurt and some chopped coriander. Really yummy.

[DonShirer]

Another thread recommended an Epicurious recipe for Moroccan Carrot Soup. Made it a few days ago and got raves from the family.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[T42]

I have been making a great soup recently. Base of celery, carrots, shallots in a tbsp oil or butter then add some toasted ground cilantro seeds, add several sweet potatoes and chopped coriander. Simmer in chicken broth and lime juice and then use my immersion blender to mix it all up. Low in fat and very healthy!

[Loveling]

I tried this today, but had to replace the sweet potatoes with regulars. WOW! Thank you, I loved this!

[CeeBee]

I was thinking about try this with a mix of white and sweet potatoes. I'll have to give it a try!

[iL Divo]

I love the ease and sound of that T42

[janetms383]

Here's another one for you. I had this at a Peruvian restaurant and it was so good, I had to learn to make it at home.

Aguadito

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut in chunks
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon seeded, minced serrano chile
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup green peas
1 cup corn
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
10 cups chicken broth
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in half
1 cup uncooked white rice

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and serrano chili; cook until the onion has softened, about 1 minute. Add the chicken, and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in the cilantro, peas, corn, and red pepper; cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken broth, potatoes, and rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is opaque and the potatoes are tender, about 40 minutes.

[don515]

Made Aguadito today very nice serrano must.

Thanks

dc

[janetms383]

I live in So Calif and in homestyle Mexican restaurants, you find Caldo de Pollo. It's really chicken soup, but with a Mexican flair.

Prepare your basic chicken soup recipe. Remove chicken pieces, shred chicken. Strain the stock and return to the stock pot. Flavor the stock with bottled red taco sauce. If you like spicy foods, seed and chop a couple of serrano chilis. Saute them in a little oil to release the flavor and add them to the stock. Seed and chop plum tomatoes and add them to the soup along with the shredded chicken and cooked rice.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with chopped cilantro, chopped white onion and then squeeze a wedge of lime over the top. Serve with tortillas or tortilla chips.

[OCAnn]

I'm in Southern CA too and it hit 100* today. Vichyssoise, chilled tomato (or maybe melon) for us.