Clean out the Crisper Vegetable Soup

Last week I used this as the basis of a pierogy soup:  a turnip and cabbage stew spiced with the "Krakow Nights" seasoning blend from Penzeys and a few fried pierogies floating in it.  It was a delicious soup, but the pierogies got too mushy for my taste.  I would have preferred them on the side.   My point, however, is that you can create all kinds of good soups from the odds and ends of vegetables left in the bottom of your fridge drawer.  It can help you reduce waste and use up what you have.  These guidelines can help get you started.  Give it a try and make a mental note of what works for you and what doesn't.   I think I got the original version of this from Leanne Ely via the Flylady website.

Clean out the Crisper Vegetable Soup

Chop what you have and set it aside:
(some good ones are carrots, celery, cabbage, zucchini, turnips, green beans, etc.)
1 small onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot, saute the onion until almost clear.  Add the rest of the vegetables and cook about 2 minutes. Add some good chicken or vegetable broth and the seasoning.  If you're adding tender greens like spinach, stir them in at the end of the cooking time so they stay bright green. Sometimes I like to add something a little more substantial like some canned beans (white or kidney or garbanzo) or some pasta (tiny or chunky or tortellini are good).   The beans just need to warm up and can be added at the end, but the pasta should be added just after the broth comes to a simmer so it has time to cook.  Let simmer until the vegetables are tender and serve with plenty of bread and butter.  

Broccoli and cauliflower are also good in soup, but if you're going to add them, skip the tomato and add some potatoes and cheese - this can be pureed.

Yummy, cheesy potato soup that's heavier on the veggies and lighter on the cheese than most potato cheese soups, but you wouldn't guess it.  The buttermilk accentuates the cheddar, and using sharp cheese make less cheese go further.  In the winter, I sometimes substitute winter squash like butternut for the yellow summer squash, and it's good, too.

Golden Cheddar Cheese Soup 

from Moosewood Cooks At Home

Minutes to Cook: 35

Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onions
2 TBSP Vegetable oil
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
2 cups of vegetable stock or chicken broth (water's o.k. too)
1 cup buttermilk or milk
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt to taste

minced fresh scallions, chives, or parsley to garnish (optional)

Directions

Serves 4-6

Saute the onions in the oil for about 5 minutes or until they begin to soften. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, squash, black pepper, and turmeric. Add the stock or water and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the buttermilk or milk and the cheese. puree the soup in a blender or food processor or with a stick blender. Gently reheat. Add salt to taste, and serve topped with minced scallions, chives, or parsley.

Turkey Harvest Soup

I stumbled across this recipe in my files last week and wondered why I never think to make it.   It is kind of like a minestrone, but made with ground turkey.  It makes a delicious winter meal with breadsticks or some crusty bread.  Margie made it once when we got together for lunch, and it was so satisfying I had to get the recipe from her.

Turkey Harvest Soup

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning (I just threw in some marjoram, basil, and thyme)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 large carrots, peeled and diced small
1 large potato, peeled and diced
6 cups beef broth
2 cups V8 or tomato juice
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup pastina or acini di pepe pasta
1 tsp. liquid hot pepper or a few dashes of crushed red pepper flakes (opt.)
2 medium zucchini, diced (about 2 cups)

Brown turkey and onion in a little olive oil.  Stir in oregano and herb seasoning.  Stir in tomatoes, carrots, potato, broth, V* and Worcestershire.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the pasta, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove lid and add zucchini and hot pepper to taste.  Boil uncovered 8-10 minutes until zucchini is cooked.  Taste to adjust seasonings and serve.

Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

I'm surprised that I haven't posted this recipe before now.  Amy gave it to me a few years ago (I think the original source was Food and Wine), and we have loved it ever since.  It is delicious, healthy, and easy.  It's a perfect soup to make in January because, well, it can help you get over the over-indulgences of December.  It's a good New Year's Resolution soup, because although it's over-the-top healthy, it can also be a comfort food.  Besides, it uses winter vegetables but still has bright colors so there's some color in your life even when it's snowy and grey outside.

Speaking of which, the longer this cold goes on, the more grateful I am that we have a small house and can afford to keep the heat turned up.  I'm ready for spring!

Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

 serves 6-8

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, chopped fine

3/4 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. crushed red peppers

3/4 lb. kale, tough stems removed and roughly chopped

1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 3/4 inch cubes

1 1/2 quart chicken or vegetable broth

1 tsp. salt

fresh ground pepper to taste

1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

about 2 cups cooked brown rice (I like the texture of Lundberg Farms medium grain rice - it has a good chew)

Start cooking the rice if you don't have any leftovers on hand.  It will take longer than the rest of the soup to cook.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook down until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric and crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.

Add the sweet potato chunks and stir.  Add the chicken or vegetable broth and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.  Add the kale once the broth is simmering and submerge all the leaves, helping them to cook down, and stirring occasionally.  Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over a bed of brown rice.

note: when I made this last night, I cooked extra brown rice and used some of it to make a kind of Thai sticky rice with the extra coconut milk from the can.  I added the rest of the can of coconut milk, about 2 cups of brown rice, about 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 c. sugar.  I wish I had measured so I could tell you exactly how much.  But you just stir it together, give it a taste to see if it needs more of anything, and it makes a lovely dessert, especially topped with fresh mango!  In fact, I even think I might like the texture better than traditional Thai coconut sticky rice.

Miso Soup

I originally found this recipe on steamykitchen.com and have really liked it.  It is super fast and easy, using an instant dashi instead of requiring that you make the dashi stock yourself from boiling seaweed and bonito flakes.  I've adapted the recipe by adding an extra cup of water, because I thought it was too strong and salty without.    This also makes it serve an extra person.  Taste your finished broth to see if it needs more water than that (it might, if it has simmered a while). I've used several different kinds of dried seaweed for garnish, and they've all been fine.  I made this for our New Year's Eve Sushi Party.  It's great to have such an easy side dish for something more difficult like sushi.  Just pop some edamame in the microwave for another easy side, and you've got yourself a feast.

Miso Soup Recipe

Ready in 10 minutes! Remember, you don’t want to boil the miso paste — add it at the end with the heat off to avoid a gritty texture.

serves 5
5 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant dashi granules
1/2 cup miso paste
1 tablespoon dried seaweed (for miso soup), soaked in water
1/2 cup cubed tofu
2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1. Pour the water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the instant dashi and whisk to dissolve. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the tofu. Drain the seaweed and add the seaweed to the pot. Simmer for 2 minutes.

2. In the meatime, Spoon the miso paste into a bowl. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot dashi broth into a bowl and whisk with chopsticks or a whisk to mix and melt the miso paste so that it becomes a smooth mixture.

3. Turn the heat off, add the miso paste to the pot and stir well. Top with green onions and serve immediately.

Thai Roasted Butternut Soup

Today I cleaned out most of the rest of my vegetable garden.  I still have a basil, and few beets and carrots that just don't seem big enough to bother harvesting yet, as well as tiny kale, which will survive a freeze.  I picked armloads of chard, beets (with greens), and rhubarb.    We ate chard and onion tacos for dinner.  It's a beautiful fall day, which helps me be glad to be home again instead of visiting with family in California.

This is for my mom, whose beautiful California garden is overflowing right now with not only roses and guavas, but butternut squash, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass.  The original recipe doesn't call for the lime leaves and lemongrass, but this is how I would adapt the recipe to take advantage of them.  I plan to make this myself later this week with what I brought home from my visit.

Thai Roasted Butternut Soup

Adapted from "Can I Freeze It"
makes about 2 quarts

4 lbs butternut squash
2 Tbs. canola oil
2 Tbs. butter
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
4 Tbs. red curry paste
2 15 oz. cans unsweetened coconut milk
2 stalks lemongrass, cleaned, trimmed, and split lengthwise (opt)
4 kaffir lime leaves (opt)
4 limes (less if using lemongrass and lime leaves)
bean sprouts
fresh basil & cilantro to garnish

Preheat to 350.  Cut the butternut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Place cut side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.  Roast on rack in top third of oven for about 45 mins, or until very soft to the touch.  It should not brown on the cut surface; if needed, reduce temperature by 50 degrees.  Allow to cool slightly.

Heat oil in a skillet over low heat.  Add the butter and once foaming, add the onion and garlic and cook for 8 minutes or until soft but not browned.  Place the onion mixture and the squash in a blender and puree until smooth.  You  may need to add a little of the stock and process in two batches to help puree more efficiently.  Transfer the puree to a large pot and add the remaining stock.  Stir in the curry paste and coconut milk and toss in the lemongrass and lime leaves.  Bring to a boil and cook for 10 min. Salt to taste.  Add freshly squeezed lime juice to taste, and garnish with bean sprouts, fresh basil, and cilantro (all are optional). You can also garnish with a little finely julienned kaffir lime leaves (cut out the central rib first).

This soup freezes wonderfully, so feel free to double it.  You can also make a plain butternut soup by stopping before you add the curry paste and later ingredients, just adding salt and pepper to taste and simmering 5 min and serving swirled with creme fraiche in each bowl.

I hope you like it as much as we do!

Carrot Soup with Dill Pesto

I know, the title sounds like too much work, but really it's very simple and way worth it.  I finally got around to trying this recipe from our farmer tonight, and I can't even hope to post pictures of the leftovers because we ate every last drop.  So if you have more than 3 people, you'd better make more and allow a little more cooking time.   I expected the dill to have a much stronger taste than it did, but it tasted super fresh and summery and was the perfect compliment to the sweetness of the carrots and onions.  I think I can even give you the recipe from memory.  We had it with some toasted "English Muffin Bread" (a recipe I found on Pinterest which is super easy).  It was a nice warming meal to have in the face of all of this drizzling rain.

Carrot Soup with Dill Pesto

for the soup
2 Tbs. butter
1 onion, chopped
4 large carrots, sliced
1 tsp. dill seed
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
 for the pesto
1 cup chopped fresh dill
2 Tbs. pinenuts
2 Tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and carrots and dill seed in butter until tender, about 10 minutes.  Add the broth, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until carrots are very soft, about 30 minutes.  Use a hand blender or transfer in batches to a regular blender and blend until smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

While the soup is cooking, make the dill pesto:  in a food processor finely chop the fresh dill and pinenuts, using on/off and scraping down the sides as necessary.  Slowly drizzle in the oil and blend well, then add salt and pepper to taste. 

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with a dollop of dill pesto.

Moosewood Gazpacho

Here's the other Gazpacho recipe, in case you want to try them both.  

Gazpacho 

from the Moosewood Cookbook

6 servings

4 cups cold tomato juice
1 small, minced onion
2 cups freshly diced tomatoes
1 cup minced green pepper
1 clove crushed garlic
1 diced cucumber
2 scallions chopped
1/4 cup freshly-chopped parsley
juice of 1/2 lemon & 1 lime
1 tsp. honey
2 Tbs. wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 tsp dried basil
dash of ground cumin
dash of tabasco sauce
1-2 Tbs. olive oil
salt & black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least 2 hours.  Sometimes I chop it all finely, and other times I put it in the food processor.  Both ways are great.

Sarah Jay's Gazpacho

Do I ever post a recipe that doesn't come from Fine Cooking or Rick Bayless?  I'm not sure.  But here's another one that we loved from Fine Cooking.  This one caught my eye despite the fact that I'm a diehard fan of the Moosewood Cookbook's Gazpacho recipe.  That one is not at all a traditional Spanish gazpacho, but it's so light and fresh and tastes so good for you its like medicine for the soul and a mouthful of summer all in one.  This one caught my eye because it was a recipe by Sarah Jay, who once served me the best Paella I've ever eaten when we were both visiting our husbands at a residency at the lovely Millay Colony, back before I'd ever heard of Fine Cooking, where she worked.  I was never tempted to repeat her Paella after seeing how much washing up it required, but I figured I could handle a cold tomato soup. 

The recipe is adapted from the traditional one by her Spanish mother-in-law, and it tasted so much like the ones we ate in Spain!  It was full-bodied and smooth on the tongue.  It's a totally different creature than the Moosewood Gazpacho, but I adore them both.  Such a nice way to enjoy these late summer tomatoes!

Gazpacho

by Sarah Jay

Best served icy cold, gazpacho needs to be chilled for at least an hour. Here it's garnished with croutons for crunch and cilantro for a burst of bright flavor, but chopped cucumbers and onions are another traditional garnish. Serves 4 or 5

1-3/4 lb. ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
1/2 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)
1/2 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup packed torn fresh bread, such as a soft baguette, Portuguese roll, or slice of white sandwich bread, plus 1/4 cup packed 1/2-inch cubes (crusts removed) for croutons
9 Tbs. good-quality extra-virgin olive oil; more for drizzling
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
1 small clove garlic
Kosher salt
Ground cumin
1 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro 

Put the tomatoes, bell peppers, torn bread, 6 Tbs. of the olive oil, the vinegar, garlic, 1 tsp. salt, and a pinch or two of cumin in a blender. Pulse until coarsely puréed, then blend until very smooth, 4 to 5 minutes (it may be a bit frothy). Season to taste with salt and refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add a bread cube; if it sizzles immediately, add the remaining cubes (if it doesn’t, continue to heat the oil). Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown all over, about 1 minute. Transfer the croutons to paper towels to drain and cool.
Taste the gazpacho just before serving and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve drizzled with oil and garnished with the croutons and cilantro.

Make Ahead Tips

The gazpacho can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, covered. The croutons should be made the day of serving the gazpacho.

Zuppa Toscana

It hasn't been above freezing for days now, and today seemed particularly bitter out. Even inside, you can feel the cold coming off the walls. A hot, hearty soup was just what we needed to warm up from the inside. Since I knew we had a winter box from the farmer to pick up today, I planned to make Zuppa Toscana to use up some of the giant bunch of kale. I've been meaning to try this soup since the summer, but this was the perfect time of year for it. I cobbled together this recipe from several that I've seen. It was fantastic! So very warming and satisfying. We all agree this is a keeper. The only thing that might have made it better would have been if I'd made some fresh crusty bread and heated up the house even more with the oven.

What are you all doing to stay warm?

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. mild italian sausage
1 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbs. minced garlic
2 large potatoes, scrubbed and cubed but not peeled (red potatoes are great)
1 quart chicken broth
2-3 cups water, as needed
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (to taste)
2-3 generous cups of kale, washed, stemmed and cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup heavy cream

Take the sausage out of its casing and crumble and fry it over med-high heat. When it about half cooked, stir in the onion and continue to saute. When the sausage is cooked, spoon out the fat, then return to the heat, add the potatoes and garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and 1-2 cups of water and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are nearly tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the kale and salt and pepper if desired. Cook until the kale is tender, about 5 more minutes, adding more water if desired to keep it brothy. Remove from heat and stir in the cream and serve.

All this needs is a good salad and some crusty bread on the side.

Ricky's Tortilla Soup

So a while back I promised to do a taste comparison of my two tortilla soup recipes.

And the winner is . . .

Rick Bayless's tortilla soup from Authentic Mexican. It takes a little longer to prepare, but the broth just has so much more depth of flavor. I usually double or triple the soup base, freeze it, and add the last quart of broth to each bag when I thaw it.


Sopa de Tortilla

2 Tbs. oil
1 med. onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 15 oz. can tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 quarts good broth, preferably poultry
4-6 corn tortillas
1/3 c. oil
1-2 cried chiles pasillas
8 oz. cubed Mexican queso fresco or monterey jack
1 large lime, cut in wedges
1 avocado (my addition)
fresh cilantro, chopped (my addition)

1. The broth flavoring: In a medium skillet, heat 1 Tbs. lard or oil over medium low. Add the onion and garlic and fry until deep golden brown - about 12-15 min. Scoop into blender or food processor, add tomato, and process until smooth. Heat the remaining Tbs. oil in the same skillet over medium high. When hot, add the tomato mixture and stir constantly until thick and considerably darker, about 5 minutes. Scrape into large saucepan.

2. Stir the broth into the tomato mixture, partially cover and simmer for 1/2 hour over medium-low heat. Season with salt to taste.

3. The garnishing ingredients: If the tortillas are fresh, let them dry out in a single layer. Slice them in half, then slice the halves cross-wise into 1/4 strips. Heat the 1/3 cup oil in medium-small skillet and fry, turning frequently, until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Cut the chiles into 1-in. squares and fry in the hot oil very briefly, about 3-4 seconds; immediately remove and drain. (I usally just blend some pasilla into the soup base).

4. Assembly: In each bowl, place some cheese, tortilla strips and avocado. Ladle on the hot soup, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with the lime and chiles on the side. (I usually also add the lime to the frozen soup base to taste so that it's one thing less I have to provide fresh when I serve the soup later).

Autumn Vegetable Soup

Since I tried making this soup, Elie Krieger is my new favorite contributor to Fine Cooking Magazine. I expected it to taste a little bland and a little too healthy, but the reviewers raved about it (with the exception of one who chose to add cream of mushroom soup - ick!) and so, wanting to use up fall veggies and eat something healthy, I decided to give it a try. I LOVED it! Really. So did my family. And I've greedily reserved all the leftovers for myself. There's something about that unexpected allspice that kicks it up a notch. I think I need to make it again soon.

Autumn Vegetable Soup

Serves 6 to 8 as a starter; 4 as a main course

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 medium carrots, cut into medium dice
1 large yellow onion, cut into medium dice
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 cups 1/2-inch-cubed peeled butternut squash (about half a 2-lb. squash)
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
Pinch cayenne pepper; more to taste
Kosher salt
1 quart lower-salt chicken broth (I used Costco's organic chicken stock. Sub veg. stock to make it vegetarian)
1 14.5-oz. can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme (I have tons of lemon thyme right now if anyone wants some!)
2 cups lightly packed, coarsely chopped kale
1 cup lower-salt canned chickpeas (I'd use white beans next time)

---

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the squash, allspice, cayenne, and 1 tsp. salt and stir to combine. Add the broth, tomatoes with their juice, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the kale and the chickpeas and cook uncovered until the squash is tender and the kale has wilted, about 10 minutes more. Discard the thyme springs before serving. Season to taste with more salt and cayenne.

Make Ahead Tips

You can refrigerate this soup for 3 days or freeze for 2 months.

Variations

Feel free to substitute other fall vegetables or beans.

Serving Suggestions

If you're serving as a main course, a slice of Classic Buttermilk Cornbread makes a nice side.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 120; Fat (g): 4.5; Fat Calories (kcal): 40; Saturated Fat (g): 0.5; Protein (g): 5; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 3; Carbohydrates (g): 16; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1; Sodium (mg): 250; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Fiber (g): 3;

photo: Scott Phillips

From Fine Cooking 101, pp. 35

September 3, 2009

Quick Blender Tomato Soup

This one comes from the Williams Sonoma The Kids Cookbook, which I think is my favorite cookbook for kids because it has real food, not just decorated food and tons of sweets. It also is a good basic introduction to cooking, since the recipes teach a lot of cooking skills that transfer to all sorts of other cooking. I also like the fact that the recipes are good enough that I actually choose to make them myself fairly often. This tomato soup recipe is a good example. It is easy enough for a child to make, but soooo much better than the stuff you get out of a can.

On Monday I had a lot of fresh tomatoes, so I substituted them (chopped) for the canned ones and strained the puree after I blended it to get the seeds and skins out. I had to mess with the recipe to get it to taste right, though, and I have no idea what I did, so I'd recommend going with the canned tomatoes the first time around.

Here's my shortened version of the recipe for more experienced cooks. The kids' version is much more detailed.

Creamy Tomato Soup

3 small green onions
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper

Blend until smooth: tomatoes, chicken broth, chopped green onions, milk, sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a pinch of pepper. Pour into medium saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the soup thickens, about 15 minutes. Serves 2.

Bean and Veggie Pesto Soup

I'm always on the lookout for meals that are healthy and easy. This soup from Rachel Ray is super easy if you already have some pesto in the freezer. I have bunches of basil in the garden this year (one of the few plants the groundhogs and deer didn't eat), so I made three batches of pesto and froze what we didn't eat that night. I still have to make more this week. Once you're familiar with this recipe, it's easy to cut up the veggies as the earlier parts of the soup are cooking. It takes about 30 minutes and is so full of veggies that you really don't need a side dish, though a green salad and some garlic bread would be good.

Bean and Veggie Pesto Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 large potato, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 1/2 cups green beans, fresh or frozen
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can cannellini beans, drained
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup thin egg noodles or other pasta
1/2 cup pesto, fresh or frozen

Saute onion in olive oil. Add zucchini and potato and cook until barely soft. Stir in chicken broth and beans. Heat to boiling. Add noodles and green beans and cook until done, about 5-6 minutes (add noodles earlier if they need more time to cook than the green beans). To serve, put pesto in bottom of each bowl, spoon in soup and stir briefly.

Chicken Noodle Soup

This one I make without a recipe, so it's a bit different every time, depending on what I have. I usually try to freeze some of the leftovers so we have something comforting when someone gets sick. The current incarnation was made for my dear husband, who got what we think was food poisoning from the catering at my family reunion. He was violently ill, recovered enough for us to travel home again (6 hours driving on Tuesday, then traveling from 6 am until 10:30 pm on Wednesday getting to and from airports and flying from Phoenix to Pittsburgh). At about 10 pm his fever and chills came back. And he's still not better! So anyway, I made him this chicken noodle soup.

1 small onion
2 stalks celery, with leaves
2-3 medium carrots
1 chicken breast
2 quarts chicken stock or broth
3/4 cup noodles (I had star shaped)
a small bunch of herbs: parsley, thyme, and sage (optional)

Chop the veggies and sautee them in a bit of olive oil until tender. Add some kosher salt. Add the chicken stock and the chicken breast and boil until the chicken is cooked, about 8 minutes. Pull out the chicken, shred, then return to the pot. Add the herbs and the noodles. If you tie the herbs together, they're easier to fish out at the end. I also added a few dried mushrooms to add more depth to the flavor of the broth. It was good, but entirely optional. Cook until the noodles are soft. Add more broth/stock/water until the soup has the right proportion of broth to other things. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Zucchini Soup aka Pizza Soup

Here it is. I can't even remember who recommended this to me, but it's a great way to use up zucchini and tomatoes from the garden. I'm a little more generous with the veggies and skimpy with the sausage than she recommends, and I've been known to slip in greens like swiss chard at the last minute, but we all love the many variations. We usually use mozzarella to top it. Zoe dubbed it pizza soup because that's what it tastes like and it sounds so much more appetizing than zucchini soup. Think tomatoes, italian sausage and peppers. We had it last night with some ciabatta bread from the farmer's market. Cherries for dessert.

The only drawback is eating a hot soup in the summer. I don't recommend it on the hottest days. It freezes quite well, though and is fantastically hearty in the middle of the winter.

http://marzipanmom.blogspot.com/2008/09/zucchini-soup.html

Tortilla Soup

After a day shoveling snow and a few runs sledding down our steepest steps (2 feet of snow made it a pretty good luge), soup was just what we wanted for dinner. I have two versions of tortilla soup that I like. Someday I'll have to taste test them side by side and figure out which is faster to make. If I had to tell you now, I'd say that the one from Rick Bayless is tastier and the one from the Moosewood is easier. The one we ate last night is adapted from Sundays at the Moosewood Restaurant. I made a quadruple batch last time and froze it in quart baggies. I added the full amount of lime it called for, which made it a little too limey, so when I thawed the soup last night, I thinned it with a little chicken stock I had in the freezer and it was just a little more than the three of us ate. With the soup base already made, all I had to do was assemble the toppings, which went much faster than the time it took to thaw and heat up the soup.

Tomato, Lime and Tortilla Soup

1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (I used canned diced tomatoes)
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (to taste - probably 1/4 cup is about right)
salt to taste

Toppings:
tortilla chips
cheese (queso fresco is best, but cheddar and jack are also good)
chopped cilantro
cubed avocado
pasilla or chipotle hot sauce

In a medium soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are translucent. Add the chiles, cumin, and oregano, and saute for a few more minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover the pot and cook gently. Stir occasionally. Add the stock and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Add the lime juice and salt to taste.

I prefer this soup pureed. It's easiest if you have a hand blender to do it right in the pot, but if you don't, then do the tomatoes and onions in the blender in batches, adding just enough stock to thin. Put it back in the pot and simmer.

Serve with the toppings. When we really want to make it more authentic and delicious, we make our own tortilla chips. Cut 6 tortillas in 1/2 inch strips 2-3 inches long, let them dry out a bit, then fry them in 1/2 inch of hot oil (I use canola) until they are crispy and lightly browned. The browning gives them a delicious flavor, so I try to push it until they're golden, but not brown (somewhere in the middle range).