SOUP WEEK, ROUND 2

Soups just seem appropriate for winter!  They are quick, easy, and tasty.  Plus they help you fill up on lighter vegetables which is always helpful when surrounded by heavy winter food.  Plus the warmth is perfect for any winter lunch or dinner.  So on that note, welcome to Soup Week, round 2.  A new set of recipes to keep you warm.

Another wonderfully easy vegetable soup.  This comes together in minutes if you already have vegetable stock, if not that only takes 30 minutes to whip up! You may wonder why the cauliflower soup is yellow?  The tumeric!  And one other note, add the hot pepper flakes to your liking – my soup was very spicy! 

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 t. tumeric
• 1 t. ground coriander
• 1 t. ground cumin
• big pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 5-6 c. vegetable stock

1. In a soup pot over medium, warm some olive oil then add the onion and carrot.  Sauté several minutes until vegetables soften.  Add the spices, along with salt & pepper and continue to cook several more minutes.
2. Once fragrant, add the cauliflower and soup stock and raise the heat to high.  Bring the mixture to a boil, the partially cover and lower the heat to a simmer.  Simmer about 20 minutes until cauliflower is soft and mashable.
3. Transfer soup carefully to a blender (you may have to do this in several batches).  Remove the clear stopper from the lid and cover with a towel to let the steam escape while blending.  Blend well until mixture is thicker and nicely combined.  Serve hot!

SOUP WEEK, DAY 3

In honor of Halloween, today I’m posting about Winter Squash soup, which can easily be made with pumpkin! In fact I’ve made it with a pumpkin sister, the Australian Blue. Brad actually declared the soup made with the Australian Blue his all time favorite. I really like the Delicata Squash variety for soup. The wonderful thing about this recipe though is that you can use any type of these hard winter squashes – all following the same recipe! You may have to roast a squash such as the Australian Blue a bit longer though. Try it with different varieties and let me know your favorite!

Winter squash tend to have hard skins and can be difficult to peel. Therefore roast them first as described below, then simply scoop out all the goodness directly into the pot.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 – 3 pounds winter squash
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 t. dried sage (or 1 T. fresh chopped)
• 1/4 t. dried thyme
• 1/4 c. chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 2 quarts vegetable stock (or use water if necessary)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds. Rub the surfaces with oil then place cut side down on a baking sheet with the garlic cloves tucked inside the squash cavities. Bake until tender when pressed with a finger, about 30-45 minutes.
2. In a soup pot, warm several tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften. Add the sage, thyme, and parsley and continue cooking until the onion begins to brown around the edges – a total cooking time of about 12-15 minutes.
3. Scoop out the squash flesh and add to the pot, along with any juices that may have accumulated.
4. Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the pot along with the salt and stock.
5. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Partially cover and lower the heat to simmer for 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
6. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a bit of cheese (such as fontina, pecorina, ricotta salata, or goat cheese), fried sage leaves, or baked squash seeds as desired. No garnish works just as well!

Here are a few example photos, enjoy!

Australian Blue Squash
	Roasted Delicata squash plus garlic cloves
Scooped out Delicata squash flesh

SOUP WEEK, DAY 1

Vegetable stock is ridiculously easy and comes together very quickly. Not only that but you can vary the ingredients to fit the soup du jour, or simply whip up a more general batch for all sorts of daily uses: cooking rice, farro, risotto, sauces, and on & on! One of my dear friends also reduces vegetable stock and uses it often as a finishing sauce – it works beautifully this way too!

Today I want to share with you my go-to vegetable stock recipe. This recipe has never failed me and I have performed numerous variations on it, all with great success. The inspiration and most of the guidelines here are from one of my favorite books: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison.

My hope is that you will be inspired to try making your very own version of vegetable stock, and be able to do away with the store bought version forever! Good luck, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, discard outer papery skin
• 2 large carrots
• 2 celery ribs, include leaves if you have them
• 1 T olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 T nutritional yeast (optional – this adds extra flavor but is not necessary)
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 8 parsley branches
• 6 thyme sprigs or 1/2 t. dried
• 2 bay leaves
• salt

1. Scrub the vegetables and chop them into 1-inch chunks. This is not an exact science, do it quickly and don’t fret.
2. Heat oil in a stock pot over medium. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté about 10-15 minutes until the onions have a nice deep color. This is the base flavor for your stock so let the onions really develop some color here.
3. Add the remaining ingredients except salt. Continue cooking another few (2-3) minutes to combine flavors.
4. Add 2 t. salt and 2 quarts cold water. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain into a bowl or container. (Try to strain the stock immediately as leaving vegetables in the stock after cooking can impart a bitter flavor)
5. Use immediately or cool and refrigerate. Discard the vegetables and herbs that were strained out.