soup

Escarole and White Bean Soup

My sister Elaine was talking about making this soup and bought escarole for it at a farm stand, so I copied her and got a big head. I looked at recipes as I don’t think I ever made this soup…and made a few changes for my own version of this classic fall soup. It is not a complicated recipe, but it has a lot of ingredients. Get the freshest veggies possible and don’t skip anything; it melds together into this incredibly balanced and hearty meal in a big soup dish. Mostly you chop, dump and stir. The delicious lemony taste is quite addictive. It has some pancetta fried to a crisp and sprinkled on top, but you could make it vegetarian by omitting that. I had it with buttered sourdough toast and a lovely beet salad. It’s naturally gf, just check the pancetta for gf labeling. I didn’t miss having a big hunk of protein; the beans and toast were full of plant protein. Great for a meatless supper and you won’t feel cheated or deprived. I think this is my new favorite soup!

Notes: you can use a couple of cans of white beans but honestly it isn’t difficult to cook them yourself and the flavor is much better and so your soup will be much tastier. The red pepper flakes are fully blended in; if you want it spicy add another half or whole teaspoon of it. I think bacon could be a decent substitute for the pancetta. I used some garlic stuffed olives from Aldi’s; they worked perfectly. One medium lemon gave me the zest and enough lemon juice.

I let mine stand 15 minutes before serving and you should definitely do that to allow the flavors to blend and the soup to cool to a reasonable temperature; boiling hot soup is never a good taste!

Escarole and White Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of dry white beans; I used medium size white ones; soak overnight, drain, rinse and cook 1.5-2 hours until soft.

4 oz pancetta

4 Tbsp mild olive oil, divided

1 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. lemon zest

1/2-1 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 tsp. fresh rosemary minced

1 fresh bay leaf

4 cups vegetable stock; you may need another 1/2-1 cups

1 lg head endive, washed and chopped into 1 inch lengths; I set the thicker bottom stems aside to add first.

1 cup large green olives cut in half (pitted)

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2-1 tsp sea salt, black pepper fresh ground to taste

Finish: EVOL and fresh grated parmesan cheese to top soup

Directions: Pour a half Tbsp. olive oil in a large soup pot; heat, add pancetta and cook until crisp. Fish out with a slotted spoon and set aside for serving with the soup. Then add rest of olive oil to the pot and diced onions. Cook 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, cook 4 minutes stirring often, add garlic, stir and cook a minute. Add bay leaf, red pepper flakes and rosemary; cook 1-2 minutes stirring frequently. Add the stock and beans including all bean liquid, let heat a couple of minutes, stir and then add the endive stems, cook a minute. Add rest of endive and heat until almost boiling. Add olives and turn heat down, simmer 6-10 minutes until endive is tender. Add lemon juice, salt and black pepper, stir well and taste. Remove bay leaf. Adjust salt/pepper. Let stand 15-20 minutes for flavors to blend and soup to cool a bit.

Serve in a wide bowl topped with fresh parmesan, a good sprinkle of pancetta and a drizzle of EVOL. Enjoy!

Refreshing Gazpacho Soup: Liquid Veggies!

Hot late summer days make me crave a cool soup. One with minimal cooking: that is easy and tasty.  Plus, I want to use some of my garden produce.  This classic Spanish soup called gazpacho is perfect for all of that and my family loves it. It absolutely must be made with ripe summer tomatoes, never ever attempt it with any less than the best vine ripened fruit.  You can get great tomatoes at farm stands, farmer’s markets and even the grocery store; look for the grown local label for the best flavored tomatoes. Please do not use greenhouse tomatoes grown far away and shipped while not really ripe. Your soup will not be full of tomato flavor and it will taste disappointing.  These ripe locally grown tomatoes are vital to the flavor of gazpacho.

I make my gazpacho in the blender but I believe a food processor works okay too.  No heat,  minimal fuss.

My version allows you to add chopped raw veggies in the amount you prefer just before you slurp it down. I prefer its fresh pure flavors to those soulless restaurant versions that are gelatinous and crammed full of a wide assortment of chunked veggies…uggh.

I had a version of gazpacho similar to mine in a Philadelphia restaurant made with golden yellow tomatoes which was beautiful looking and quite tasty too, the jar of gazpacho in my fridge right now is yellow as I had 6 big yellow ones to use for this purpose.

Warning: you do need to peel the tomatoes but that goes pretty fast.  I heat about a wide sauce pan filled 3 inches deep with water to a boil and pop the ripe tomatoes in for 3 minutes. I put in 4 at a time; done in a couple batches.  Let them cool a bit and then peel off the skin and cut out the blossom end (top) and they are ready to use. You can easily halve this recipe; just one blender-full of tomatoes for that and half the rest of the ingredients.

One more important instruction: gazpacho HAS to chill really good; make it early in the morning to serve as a late lunch or better yet; for supper. The colder the better, I actually put my soup bowls in the freezer for 15 or 20 minutes and yank them out just before filling and serving this cold summer delight.

It is a flexible recipe; depends on the size of your tomatoes. This should make close to 60 ounces or just shy of 2 quarts; cut in half if you don’t want too much. But you will wish you had made more…I promise!  It will keep 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

gazpacho and pork steak 004

tomato juice for thinning the soup

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skinned tomatoes ready for soup making

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I am about to press the puree button!

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Still in blender, just pureed soup.

Summer Chill Gazpacho (makes like 8 servings; I often halve this recipe)

Soup ingredients:

8 to 10 ripe fat tomatoes (large ones)

About ¼ cup EVOL; best you can afford

2 slices white bread (GF if you have celiac)

1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 to 1 ½ tsp. sea salt

Toppings:

2 large tomatoes diced, heirloom if possible

1 cup diced burpless cucumber

2 scallions, sliced thin, green and white parts or 

Directions: peel the tomatoes as described above.  When I peel them I do it over a bowl to capture the juices and seeds. I save them, strain off the seeds and I add back the juice as needed to thin the finished soup.    Put 4-5 tomatoes in the blender; add a slice of bread broken up, 2 tbsp. olive oil, the juice of half a lemon and one garlic clove.  Put the lid on and blend well.  Note: do not fill the blender more then ¾ full. Taste; add salt; ½ to ¾ tsp.

Repeat entire process with the rest of the ingredients and thin with reserved tomato juice – it should be thick but not porridge thick. Just know that it will thicken as it rests and chills in your refrigerator.  Mix the two batches together in a big glass bowl; never metal because of the acidity of tomatoes and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Then chill it at least 3 to 4 hours.

Serve with bowls of toppings to sprinkle on top of the thick soup; diced ripe tomatoes, scallion slices and cucumber ( preferably burpless) cut in small dice.  If you want to guild the lily, top with croutons (gf ones if you have celiac), I don’t bother. This most recent batch has been topped with Crispy Onions by Golden Farms.

Note: gluten free bread often gives a slightly different texture to the soup; somewhat less smooth in the look of it and the taste.  It’s okay as it doesn’t affect the flavor: it still is delicious and a bowl of it is so very refreshing on a hot day.  Serve with a sandwich and you have a perfect summer lunch.

Note: This recipe has not been changed but some additional information is in this repeat posting of this most delicious soup!

I used some chunks of gf sourdough as my croutons in this bowl. Used zucchini not cucumber in topping.

Borscht, A Great Summer Soup!

When the day is hot and I want a refreshing start to my meal that is quick to make I think of borscht. I just do it very fast; use canned whole beets and add some bullion paste, lemon juice, salt and red wine vinegar. Blender does a quick puree and the liquid in the cans makes it the right thickness. It just needs a good chill in the fridge and you are ready to enjoy a cup of summer chill! It doesn’t get easier than this soup!

Beets, lemon juice and chicken broth concentrate in my blender.
Not super appealing but this is it after the puree process. I use a spatula to scrape all I can get out of the blender canister.

This soup is filling, refreshing and even my sometimes-picky guy has taken to it and happily spoons it up as a first course! It keeps in my fridge for about a week although it generally gets eaten by the third day.

Notes: you can use fresh cooked and peeled beets. Fresh lemon juice is best. In a pinch you could use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. I pour mine into a quart yogurt container and snap on the lid and in the fridge it goes for a minimum of 6 hours; better to do 8-10 hours. I like to chill the cups/bowl I serve it in. And, of course you need sour cream to top it with!

Angie’s Borscht

Ingredients

2 14-ounce cans whole beets

1/2 Tsp chicken broth bullion paste or half a cube of chicken broth

1/2 a lemon

1/2-1 Tsp sea salt

1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions:

Pour the beets in the blender, juice and all. Add the remaining ingredients. Blend 20-30 seconds. Pour into a lidded container and chill 6-12 hours. Serve in chilled cups with lots of sour cream to spoon on top. Enjoy!

Sausage and White Bean Soup

This is a lovely winter soup in that it is hearty and can be made with what you have in the wintertime. Italian sausage is totally required as are onions, carrots, celery, great northern beans plus some delicious seasonings that make it perfection.

Notes: I used dried great northern beans; cooked them in my instant Pot until done. Once you have that it is about 30 minutes to make it. You can use canned beans but I do prefer the wonderful flavor when you cook them from a dried state. If you want to change the veggies; sure but don’t leave them out as they really add to the substance and flavor of the soup. The cream gets so dispersed that it really doesn’t taste all that rich, but it does pull the whole thing together perfectly.

Sausage and White Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup (half a bag) of dried Great Northern beans

1 bay leaf

1 lb of Italian sausage; loose (if in links you will need to slit the casing and dump out the meat before cooking.

1 large onion diced

2 big carrots, cut in half rounds

3 celery stalks diced

2 tsp. minced garlic

4 cups chicken broth or all the bean cooking liquid plus 2 tsp. Better than Boullion chicken broth paste and enough water to make 4 cups; I had 3 cups of bean broth leftover from cooking the beans

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (up to 1/2 tsp.)

1/4-1/2 tsp. black pepper (I used 1/4 tsp)

2 cups or handfuls of baby spinach

1/2 cup heavy cream

1-2 Tbsp. chopped parsley to sprinkle on top or 1 tsp. dried parsely

Directions: I put the beans in water to cover them, brought to a boil and boiled 2 minutes. Then let them stand 1 hour. Drain water and rinse beans well. Place in IP with filtered water to cover by nearly 2 inches. I set my IP for 15 minutes as I had this bag for at least 6 months. After it cools 15 more minutes open the top and let cool while you make the soup.

In a large saucepan spray the bottom with cooking spray as it heats. Add sausage meat. Cook 10-15 minutes, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the chopped onions and carrots; stir well and add the celery. Stir and cook about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; stir and cook a minute. Then add the spices, the tomato paste and stir well. Add the stock/broth. Let heat a couple of minutes and add the beans. Stir well and let it come to a simmer. Cook 8 minutes. Taste and make sure the veggies are cooked. If not cook a few minutes more. Add the cream slowly (I like to pour a few spoonfuls of the hot soup in and stir it up to warm the cream before adding it.) Cook a minute at a simmer and add the spinach. Cook 3-4 more minutes; sprinkle with parsley and serve. Enjoy!

Finnish Salmon Soup

This soup is a combination of at least 3 recipes maybe 4. I think it is delicious, delicate and definitely a different direction than what I normally do with salmon fillet. You can mess with the ingredients but stick with salmon, dill and potatoes in a light creamy soup. Change up your soup game and try this one for sure!

Notes: I deskinned the salmon and fried up the skin for the cat, if you like crispy salmon skin you could Jullianne it and add on top of your soup at serving time. Most of the recipes wanted soup stock but vegetable or even chicken stock were listed as alternative choices. I went with vegetable stock. Try for a creamy potato- I used homegrown organic reds. Most recipes say whipping cream but a few said half and half or light cream if you want less richness. Your choice but I went with heavy cream. Carrots seem to be in most every recipe and most ask for leek. I got leeks and used one; lovely undertone flavor. The other 2 leeks are going in a turkey and pasta dish that is a favorite of mine. I love planning to use all of an unusual ingredient like leeks. Nothing is wasted and great food is created. I added a serving of shrimp (in shell for more flavor) but honestly I think I just want to stick with salmon. Several other recipes had cod too. Another good option. Definately fresh dill is a must…it is totaly in the flavor profile for this geographic area. Leftover dill could go in potato salad, on top of a sauteed fish fillet or on a white sauce for a pop of fresh flavor. I used less dill than the recipes suggested; totally a personal choice but dry dill would be a sad sad choice.

Finnish Salmon Soup

1 leek; remove dark green leaves and cut up white portion and pale green into quarter inch rounds.

2 Tbsp. butter plus one more for topping finished soup

2 medium carrots peeled and thinly sliced on a bit of a diagnonal for lots of surface area

4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced to 3/4 inch size more or less. About 2 cups worth

4 cups of veggie/fish/chicken broth

2/3 cup heavy cream or half/half

1 -1 1/4 lb. of salmon fillet, deskinned and cut into 1 inch cubes

40-60 grams of fresh dill chopped somewhat fine- about a cups worth, can add more if you like

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter in a medium (2-3 qt) saucepan. Add leeks, sauté slowly for 6 minutes, do not let it brown. Add the carrots, stir and cook a minute. Add the potatoes and broth, stir well and cook for 15 minutes on medium low – until the potatoes are close to fork done. Add the heavy cream, stir up and let heat a minute. Then add salmon cubes and cook 4 minutes on low heat. Add the dill and turn off; let stand a minute and add that tbsp. of butter. Once it melts serve it up in a wide bowl. This would go well with a slice of toasted sourdough bread. Enjoy!