Soup Beautiful Soup
“Beautiful soup, so rich and green
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful soup!
— Lewis Carroll, “Alice in Wonderland”
Did you know that Americans consume approximately 2.5 billion bowls of Campbell’s Tomato, Cream of Mushroom and Chicken Noodle Soup every year? I definitely have Campbell soup memories from my childhood in Minnesota, where it got very cold in the winter. But really, is there anything better than a big bowl of comforting hot soup on a cold winter day? It’s just what we need now during these rainy times in the South Bay. Here are three great soups that will warm your insides and taste fantastic.
The End of Summer Zucchini Soup came from a class at Grace-Marie’s Kitchen at Bristol Farms. It started out with diced onion, chopped garlic, diced zucchini and chicken stock, with Italian Dried Herbs. This smelled so good when it was simmering away on the stove that I took lots of photos of it so I could get close and let the aroma waft into my nose. When the zucchini and diced onion in the chicken stock was tender, the basil was added. It was pureed with an emersion blender until smooth. It smelled soooo good. And when I finally got to eat, it was so perfectly creamy and zucchini-y.
The Ancho Chili Soup is a recipe from a farm wife in Iowa from the 1960s. I have been making this soup for about 45 years and have never tired of it. It makes a big pot that I freeze in small containers and then heat up in the microwave. Recently I discovered one in the back of my freezer that I made about a month ago and felt like I had discovered gold. I heated it up and it tasted just as delicious as the day I made it.
Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup with Thai Pesto is a great starter, flavored with red curry paste and topped with a dollop of Thai pesto, which is chunky with peanuts and minced basil, cilantro and mint. I love this pesto because it is flavored with palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice, the quintessential triumvirate of Thai cuisine. Plus grated ginger, green chile and garlic. Oh man. When the pesto is swirled into the orange soup, the melded taste is just sublime. Ok, I talked myself into it. This is definitely going on my Valentine’s Day menu.
And remember the words of humorist and publisher Bennett Cerf,
“Good manners: The noise you don’t make when you’re eating soup.”
End of Summer Zucchini Soup
Serves 8
Soup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups sweet onion, diced small
2 tablespoons garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon Italian dried herb mix (any favorite)
To taste – kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper
4 pounds zucchini squash, ends trimmed and diced medium
1+ quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup basil, loosely packed
1/2 cup heavy cream
1. Warm the oil and butter in a large soup pot over a medium flame. Stir in the onions, garlic, herb mix, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are slightly tender (5 minutes).
2. Add the zucchini and sauté for another minute, then pour in stock (just enough to cover the mixture by 2 inches). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are fork tender (15 minutes).
3. Puree the soup and basil (in batches) using a blender. Return to soup pot. Stir in cream (add less if you prefer) and reheat just until warmed through.
Garnish
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound zucchini squash, ends trimmed and diced medium or cut into thin strips
To taste – kosher or sea salt and ground black pepper
1. Warm the oil and butter in a skillet over medium flame. Add zucchini and sauté until just tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve
Ladle warm soup into bowls and scatter garnish over top.
Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup with Thai Pesto
Serves 6
Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 pound sweet potatoes (3 ea), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces, 5-1/2 – 6 cups
1 red onion, chopped, about 3 cups
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium
1 can (13.5 fl.oz) coconut milk, about 2 cups
Thai Pesto
2/3 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger with the juice
2 long green Thai chiles, seeded and chopped (I used fresh cayenne chiles)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro leaves (about 1 packed cup), stems discarded
1 large handful of fresh mint leaves
1 large handful of fresh basil leaves (rough chop)
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce or Thai fish sauce (to taste)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
1 tablespoon brown sugar or palm sugar
1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the sweet potatoes and onion. Partially cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until soft and just starting to turn golden.
2. Increase the heat to high, add the curry paste and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes so the paste cooks and becomes fragrant. Add the broth and coconut milk and bring to a boil, stirring to incorporate the curry paste into the liquid.
3. Transfer the mixture to a food processor with the feed tube open (so steam can escape) and whizz until smooth. I did it in two batches. Return the soup to a clean saucepan.
4. To make the pesto, put all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and whizz, occasionally scraping down the sides of bowl, until you have a chunky paste and the ingredients are all evenly chopped.
5. Gently reheat the soup, ladle into warmed serving bowls and top with a generous spoonful of Thai pesto.
Serve.
Iowa Farm House Chili Soup
Serves 8
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion 1/2-inch dice
1 pound ground beef
1 green pepper, 1/4-inch dice
2 cans S&W Chile Beans with juice (not Chipotle)
2 cans S&W Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans S&W Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1 64-ounce container Campbell Tomato Juice
3-4 tablespoons chili powder (I use Spice Island)
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder (I use Penzeys)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
? teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
minute pinch ground cloves, optional
1. In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until slightly browned
2. Add the ground beef, breaking up with a large spoon into small pieces until meat has lost its raw color.
3. Add the diced green pepper, the Chile Beans with its juice, and the drained and rinsed Kidney Beans.
4. Place a strainer over the pot and dump in the two cans of Stewed Tomatoes. Shake the strainer to get all the juice into the pot. Leaving the strainer over the pot, cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and add them to the meat/bean mixture. Discard the celery and other bits in the strainer.
5. Shake the container of tomato juice thoroughly, then add about 3/4 of the container to the pot. Check the ratio of liquid to solids and add more tomato juice if desired.
6. Add the chili powders, salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, and the cinnamon and cloves if using, to the soup. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
7. Taste and adjust the chili powders and salt if needed.
Serve. Garnish with cheese, onions or cilantro if desired. B
