Spinach Soup with Indian SpicesThis soup does the same thing, where the bit of rice makes a huge difference in how satisfying it is as a meal.
From The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison
Stock:
2 Tablespoons clarified butter (it's not difficult to make...just gently heat butter, skimming the solids at the top, and then strain it through a sieve lined with cheesecloth and let cool)
2 carrots, diced
3 zucchini or yellow squash, diced
1 celery stalk with leaves, diced
1 large red onion, sliced
1 small potato, chopped
5 parsley branches
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
3-inch piece cinnamon stick
6 cloves
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon cardamom seeds
1½ teaspoons salt
8 cups cold water
Heat butter in a soup pot and add vegetables, herbs, spices and salt, stirring vegetables to coat well with butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onion begins to color, about 10 minutes. Add water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer about 30 minutes. Strain stock, pushing hard on the solids to extract as much flavor as possible.
Soup:
6 Tablespoons butter (they recommend clarified butter here too)
1 large red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons white rice
½ teaspoon salt
4 whole cloves (or 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or 1 teaspoon ground)
¼ freshly grated nutmeg
Stock (added in two different steps)
1 pound spinach (or any combination of greens)
½ cup light cream
Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
Pepper to taste
Bread, cubed to crouton-size bits
Grind the cloves and cumin electrically or use a mortar and pestle, and combine with the nutmeg. Set aside. Warm 3 Tablespoons of the butter in soup pot and add onion, garlic, rice and salt. Add ground cloves, cumin, and nutmeg to onion and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add 1½ cups stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add spinach (or greens), cover and let it wilt. Add remaining stock. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Cool soup, then purée in a blender (note: to whatever degree you prefer; me, I did not do this at all since mushrooms and meatballs were involved, and it was fine). Return to pot and stir in cream and grated lemon peel. Season to taste with lemon juice, pepper and more salt if needed.
Heat the remaining clarified butter in a small pan. Fry the bread cubes until crispy and golden. Top the soup with the croutons and enjoy.
Italian Leek and Potato SoupAnother good option for the winter, one I always make when it gets cold. Personally, even though it isn't as pretty, I actually prefer it with normal potatoes, not sweet potatoes (which is strange because I almost always choose sweet potatoes over normal ones). For some reason when I make it with sweet potatoes it doesn't taste as filling and it's almost too sweet. It looks like this.
Adapted from Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking by Beth Hensperger
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 medium leeks, washed and thinly sliced, white part only
3 medium-sized russet potatoes, peeled and chunked
About 6 cups water or broth of your choice (vegetable, beef, chicken all fine)
1/4 cup arborio rice
3 Tablespoons fresh Italian parsley or chervil, chopped
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks, potatoes, and enough water to cover. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to coarsely puree the soup. Add the rice and parsley and cook for about 20 more minutes until the rice is soft.
Stir in the cheese and salt and pepper. Serve immediately, with more cheese on the side if you like.Personal Note: I love this because it's so unfinicky compared to its French counterpart, and it's heartier and lip-smackingly good thanks to the nutty Parmesan and added texture of the arborio.
Valencian "Gypsy Pot" Soup (Olla Gitana)Speaking of Mollie, her version of borscht is the best I have ever made, it was a total breakthrough for me. I have to admit a big chunk of what made it so, so deliciously satisfying probably had to do with my use of chicken fat (schmaltz). But having potatoes is the key too, to making it more than just a watery thin sweet tangy gruel. It looks like this.
Adapted from The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen
Olive oil
3 cloves (or more) garlic, pressed
Handful blanched almonds
1 large yellow onion, chopped
Around 1 pound fresh pumpkin, winter squash, sweet potato, carrots, or a mixture, peeled and cubed
1 or 2 apples or pears, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 (or more) cups stock or water or a blend of both
1 whole dried pepper, seeded and chopped, steeped to soften in a bit of boiling water or stock
Pinch saffron threads, crumbled and steeped in a bit of boiling water or stock (can be same liquid as above)
2 teaspoons paprika (sweet, not smoked)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch cayenne
2 bay leaves
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 can chick peas, drained
About 10 ounces green beans or peas, frozen (optional)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari (preferable) or soy sauce
Fresh mint, chopped
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven warm the oil over medium heat and carefully saute the garlic and almonds until lightly golden but not burnt, no more than 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove and reserve the garlic and almonds, leaving as much of the oil in the pot as possible.
Saute the onion, pumpkin, fruit, and celery in the pot with the remaining oil until a bit soft, about 5 minutes.
Add stock or water and all seasonings except for the tamari and mint, cover, and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the tomato, chick peas, and green beans or peas if using and simmer gently until everything is tender, about another 10 minutes.
Off heat, crush the garlic and almond mixture to paste either by hand or using a food processor, blender, or grinder. Blend this paste with the vinegar and add to the soup pot.
Stir in the tamari, adjust seasoning if necessary, and garnish with mint. Serve with crusty bread.Personal Note: I will definitely try the more authentic recipe as soon as I get my hands on more ingredients aaand we've gotten over our winter-soup-hangover (we've had constant root veggie soup, I tell you). But this somewhat inauthentic bastard pot I've created? I have to say, it smells like heaven and did the whole way through. The heart of what defines this soup, as far as I can gather online from a messy amalgam of discordant takes, is the pretty balance of seasonal orange and green vegetables and the spice blend used (which is AMAZING, as everyone online says in their reviews, just so you know). I think I like making soup so much because it quickly and efficiently but gently warms the kitchen (unlike long-roastin' oven fare, which can still make me nervous sometimes when the oven groans and rattles), and makes the place smell so divine. This is the first dish I've made in my getting-over-a-cold-yes-still state that I can REALLY smell and appreciate. Wow.
Russian Cabbage and Beet Soup (Borscht)posted by ifjuly at 10:03 AM on September 25, 2010
Adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen
Serves 6 (and can be doubled if your pots and colander are big enough!).
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced potatoes
1 cup thinly sliced beets
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water
2 Tablespoons butter or, if you've got it, chicken fat (schmaltz)
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 scant teaspoon caraway seed
2 teaspoons salt
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 or 2 large carrots, sliced
3 to 4 cups coarsely chopped red or green cabbage (about 1 small head or half of 1 large head)
1 cup tomato puree
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar or honey
1 teaspoon dried dill
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sour cream, for topping (yogurt works too)
Sprigs of fresh dill, for garnish (optional)
Chopped tomatoes, for garnish (optional)
Place sliced potatoes and beets in a medium to large saucepan over high heat; cover with stock or water, and boil until vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter or schmaltz in a large heavy-bottomed non-reactive stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onions, caraway seeds, and salt and toss to coat; cook until onions become soft and translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in celery, carrots, and cabbage. Mix in at least 2 cups of the stock used to cook the potatoes and beets (or more if needed to cover). Cover the pot and cook until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the cooked potatoes and beets and any of their remaining stock, along with the tomato puree, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar or honey, dill, and pepper. Cover again, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer at least 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Serve hot topped with sour cream and any desired garnishes.Personal Note: Jackpot! The most successful borscht I have ever made; Mollie Katzen's (rather simple, really) version from the Moosewood Cookbook. Finally I have a borscht as savory and satisfying yet tangy and bright as any I've had out in good restaurants in Toronto and Chicago!
I have, I kid you not, literally 20 borsch(t) recipes on hand and have felt a little overwhelmed, especially since it's the one beet-y thing Robert requests (he hates the taste of beets but loves borscht), we both have had fantastic borscht out that set the bar pretty high, and the first few I tried making were very disappointing. I really wanted to emulate the kind we had on repeated trips to Old L'viv in Chicago--warming and hearty, where you can tell the stock and herbs involved were what made it. To be frank, fully fleshed out, fatty, animal-y stew-like stuff. Not the citrus-y sweet and light chilled summer versions.
So I was skeptical with this, since it does come, after all, from an infamous vegetarian cookbook. But I used homemade chicken stock and the schmaltz I'd saved from making it, and oh. This is exactly the stuff! I also love that it included potatoes, to thicken it and make it feel like the hearty wintery real deal. Mm. And oh, it was the most gorgeous borscht I've made too--the color is a deep, shiny, lovely ruby, not a muddy, dull, silt-y pinkish brown like past efforts (yeah, I don't know why either!).
So yeah. This can be vegetarian if you like, using water or vegetable stock and butter--that was the recipe in its original form. But personally, I love it with all the added savory, buttery elements chicken stock and schmaltz provide.
note: we make ours pretty much exactly as this recipe specifies, though we don't bother with keeping the green beans in a layer, and more importantly, while the recipe says either-or, my Greek husband would have a conniption if the tomatoes were chopped instead of grated. You better grate!
posted by taz at 3:13 AM on September 25, 2010 [2 favorites]