Soups

Fresh Pea Soup with Mint and Herbs

July 10, 2013 by Erica

Fresh Pea Soup with Mint

On Monday, we had green stuff. Today, we have more green stuff because on Friday, we have ice cream.

I just now realized that it’s green ice cream, but shhhh. It comes with chocolate. But let’s stick to green stuff for now.

Fresh Pea Soup with Mint

So, here’s the deal with this soup: I really like peas. But I don’t eat them very often. Sometimes I eat a handful of frozen peas (the best way to eat them, especially the big chunks!) if I’m looking for something else in the freezer and get distracted. And sometimes I buy sugar snap peas at my Asian market, because they are somehow always so fresh AND so cheap there. And every time those things happen, I remember that I really like peas. But then I forget again.

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Moosewood Cookbook Borscht

April 1, 2013 by Erica

Moosewood Cookbook Borscht

Wait, come back.

This is delicious, I promise.

For some people, there is probably no phrase in the English/Yiddish language more unwelcome than “Moosewood Cookbook borscht.” You might be thinking, “Mushy cabbage without any meat to redeem it? No thanks!” But I think borscht gets a bad rap mostly because of its name; the word seems to conjure up images of a smelly old Russian lady standing over you until you finish your meal. It certainly sounds like something you’d have to be forced to eat.

Moosewood Cookbook Borscht

Luckily, I am not a smelly old Russian lady, and I’m probably several thousand miles away from you. (This is good for both of us, because I prefer to hide behind my computer screen.) I won’t force you to make this or eat it. I will just strongly recommend it, since it’s one of the best meals to come out of my kitchen in a while. Also, I’ll show you pretty pictures of it in the hopes that that will convince you.

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Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup for Passover

March 27, 2013 by Erica

Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup

I may not be Jewish, but I still love a good matzo ball soup.

I think of it as the ultimate comfort food. Like chicken noodle soup, but no mushy bits of noodles floating around in it – just fluffy pillows of matzo ball bliss.

I have childhood memories of being comforted by matzo ball soup, specifically when I had a terrible cold on a drive down to my grandma’s house in New York. We stopped at Rein’s Deli in Connecticut and after slurping up a steaming bowl of matzo ball soup, I finally felt human again. It’s really amazing what soup can do.

Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup

You may or may not be aware that the Jewish holiday of Passover started on Monday night, a.k.a. the only time of year that you can find matzo in Salt Lake City (and even then it was a struggle involving three grocery stores and a near breakdown in Whole Foods). Growing up outside of Boston, I had lots of Jewish friends and Passover food was always a special treat. Like any Gentile kid, I loved eating the matzo that my Jewish friends brought to school during Passover but were too perennially sick of to actually eat for lunch. Clearly I took the grocery store availability of matzo for granted! I never thought of my suburban hometown as an especially diverse place, so the state of Utah did not score any points during my mad matzo hunt this past weekend.

Although I no longer live within striking distance of Rein’s Deli, my craving for matzo ball soup is as strong as ever. And it is soooo easy to make you won’t believe it – a little matzo meal and you’re in business. I personally plan on stocking up so I can make this year round!

Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup

So let’s put that vegetable stock from yesterday to good use. If you can’t find matzo meal, just pulse a few pieces of matzo in a food processor until powdery. I have to emphasize that the finer you can grind up the matzo, the better the matzo balls will come out. I found out firsthand that a coarse crumb really will not do – you want a powder, which will take a few minutes in the food processor. And whatever you do, don’t skip the dill!

Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup

5.0 from 1 reviews

Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup for Passover

Hands-on time

10 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 8-12 matzo balls, enough for 3-4 people

Ingredients

For the matzo balls:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup matzo meal (or matzo ground to a powder in a food processor)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp kosher salt (reduce to 1/2 tsp if using salted matzo)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp seltzer

For the soup:

2 to 3 quarts vegetable stock
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
several sprigs fresh dill

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix all matzo ball ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate for half an hour.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Reduce heat. Wet hands and form matzo balls by dropping a small spoonful of batter onto your palm and rolling it into a loose ball. Drop into water one by one. Cover and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes. The matzo balls will grow considerably in size.
With about 10 minutes left on the matzo balls, bring your vegetable stock to a boil in a medium-sized pot and add the sliced carrot. If the stock is unsalted, salt to taste at this point. Once the matzo balls are finished, ladle them into bowls. Ladle broth and carrots over the top and garnish with a few pieces of dill. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!

Notes

Matzo balls can be stored for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. To store, cool to room temperature, place in a single layer in an airtight container, and cover with room temperature cooking liquid. Store broth separately. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Simple Roasted Vegetable Stock

March 26, 2013 by Erica

Simple Roasted Vegetable Stock

A few months ago, I had a failed veggie stock experiment. It was my first attempt and I’m not sure what went wrong; I think I used too many greens and too few carrots and onions. And maybe too much water? Regardless, it was very disheartening, as I’ve never had a problem making meat-based stocks. It convinced me for a while that vegetable stock should be left to the pros, and I’ve been buying it from Whole Foods ever since.

Recently, though, I wanted to make a soup that just uses a simple broth for the base (recipe coming tomorrow!), and I felt like I couldn’t cop out and use store-bought stuff. If I’m going to use store-bought broth, I at least want it to be hidden, you know? So I gave the ol’ veggie stock another shot, and this time I roasted the vegetables to make sure they would be flavorful enough. Success! If veggie stock should be left to the pros, well, consider me one of them… and you can be, too.

Simple Roasted Vegetable Stock

Making your own stock really isn’t as scary as it sounds, and it’s also cheaper than buying it. And I should point out that it’s much quicker than making chicken stock. Unlike meat-based stocks, simmering vegetable stock for longer does not give it more flavor, so an hour is all you need. And as a bonus, you’ll feel like Martha Stewart as your kitchen fills with the scent of your homemade stock bubbling on the stove. For some reason, this always makes me feel like I really have my life together. Ego boost in a soup pot? Sure, I’ll take it!

Get crackin’ on this homemade vegetable stock so you can be prepared for the soup recipe coming tomorrow!

Simple Roasted Vegetable Stock

Hands-on time

5 mins

Cook time

1 hour 45 mins

Total time

1 hour 50 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 3-4 quarts

Ingredients

2 carrots, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 parsnips, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, rinsed and roughly chopped
greens of 1 leek, thoroughly cleaned and roughly chopped
2 yellow onions, skins left on, quartered
3 garlic cloves, peels left on
2 Tbsp olive oil (more or less)
1 small bunch parsley
4-5 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Place vegetables (carrots through garlic) in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil (I probably used about 2 Tbsp but you can use more or less) and toss to coat. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring about every 10-15 minutes to ensure that nothing burns. If you notice that any of the vegetables are starting to char before the time is up, remove them and continue cooking the rest. Some caramelization is fine, but not charring! The leek greens are especially prone to burn.
Remove from oven and place the vegetables in a large pot with the parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Cover with cold water. (The more water you use, the less concentrated the flavor of your stock will be.) Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. (A few minutes more or less is fine.)
Strain into storage containers. If not using in the next day or two, freeze until ready to use.

Butternut, Chickpea and Kale Soup with Tahini Broth

March 6, 2013 by Erica

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

Can you believe it’s March?

I’ve started off every month for the past… oh, year or so, with that same question. I think it’s a sign I’m getting old.

But this month, unlike every month in the fall when I know that another month means even colder weather, I’m happy it’s March. March means that, although everything may still be snow-covered, a few warm days will be tossed in here and there. It’s actually been over 50 the past few days! (Don’t be too alarmed; there’s a chance of snow today… now THAT is March for you.) I always look forward to the warm weather because it means summer produce. Strawberries, tomatoes, basil, peaches… and other things that I have probably forgotten about because I haven’t seen them in so long.

But this year, I kind of started to panic when I realized spring was coming. I haven’t cooked enough winter food yet! Blogging will do that to you. I need more time for soup!

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

So that was the impetus behind this soup. That, and wanting to make something creative with tahini while Nate was out of town this weekend because, as you may remember, he does not like tahini. So I made a soup and put tahini in the broth. It’s yummy, and satisfied my soup craving so that I can finally make peace with winter.

The main flavor of this soup comes from the butternut squash, making it slightly sweet. The broth is also spiced; I used coriander, turmeric, and thyme, but you could play around with those. And when it comes down to it, I think the tahini is actually optional (for all you tahini haters out there… I don’t understand you).

I love that this soup is chock full of veggies and flavor. Warming, filling, yummy-tasting… all my favorite qualities in an end-of-winter soup.

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

5.0 from 1 reviews

Butternut, Chickpea and Kale Soup with Tahini Broth

Hands-on time

15 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 4-5 servings

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 large or 3 small cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of cayenne
pinch of dried thyme (optional)
5 cups vegetable broth with no tomatoes (such as Whole Foods 365 Organic)
4 cups diced butternut squash
1 14-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
1 cup reserved chickpea liquid (or substitute 1 cup vegetable broth)
1/4 cup tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 handfuls curly kale, torn into bite-size pieces
sprinkle of salt

Instructions

In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute about 5-6 minutes. Add celery and saute another 3-4 minutes.
Add bay leaf and all spices and stir to coat. Add the vegetable broth, butternut squash, and chickpeas and bring to a simmer. Simmer 20-25 minutes, until squash is tender.
In a heat-proof measuring cup, microwave the chickpea liquid (or additional vegetable broth) until hot, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tahini until thoroughly combined. Add to the soup along with the lemon juice and kale.
Remove from heat. Salt to taste. Allow to cool slightly before serving.