The Soup Topic (2007–2012)

[Rover]

Bourdain's Les Halles Onion Soup - recipe in RecipeGullet - adapt where necessary for your own goose stock. http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1318.html

Rover

Edited January 17, 2007 by Rover (log)

[Marmish]

I need to make a vegetarian soup for an upcoming luncheon for 40-50 people. We will also have chili and sandwiches. I was thinking a minestrone. Any favorite vegetarian minstrone recipes? or other vegetarian friendly soups that can be made ahead (though what soup can't be, really), and preferably are not creamy.

[Jensen]

How about a lentil soup? I made a really good one a while back that is either vegetarian or could be adapted to be vegetarian. Let me hunt down the recipe!

[time passes]

Found it!

There's a photo of it here: link to eGullet post of Feb 2006 containing a photo on another site

And the recipe can be found here: Lentil Soup Recipe

Made with vegetable broth or water, it would be vegetarian (and it's really tasty!).

[Live It Up]

I've never used a recipe for minestrone, but I think it's a natural for a vegetarian option. Start with dried beans and then use the cooking liquid for broth (supplement with veg. broth if necessary). I also like to use canned tomatoes with their juice to add richness to vegetarian soups. If dairy is not ruled out, drop a piece of parmesan rind in as well.

For other options, I do a really simple vegetarian black bean and tomatillo soup. No recipe, but it's really easy: cook some dried black beans, maybe with some epazote or oregano. Meanwhile, broil a sliced onion, some husked tomatillos, a few cloves of garlic and some serrano or jalepeno chiles. I think it's more traditional to griddle roast these ingredients, but it's far faster to do it all together in the oven. Put all those in the blender with some cilantro and puree. When the beans are cooked, puree about half of them. Mix both pureed items with the remaining beans and season to taste. I usually add the juice of a lime at this point. It's excellent with avocado and sour cream on top.

[Rover]

In keeping with my present parsnip soup lust, there's a colum in the Chicago Trib today; it includes a soup recipe:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/foo...0,7186412.story

I'm not particularly tempted to abandon the present favourite, but it was nice to read that I'm in step with the parsnip trend!

I picked up a couple of butter lettuces on my way home from work with plans to make a green pea soup; experiments in the past have resulted in a surprisingly tasty soup made from frozen peas. Perhaps this spring-like gem will raised my very damp and chilly Vancouver spirits.

Rover

[ludja]

Parsnip soup posted on RecipeGullet - Sorry, I should have come back and mentioned it.  Enjoy!

Rover

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Thank you for posting the recipe and your comments. I also can't wait to try this soup.

I found this roasted parsnip soup recipe that looks interesting: click

(non cream soup, roasted parsnips, nutmeg, sauteed onions, garnished with crumbled bacon and sour cream.)

It's from a site called "soup-a-holic" that looks like it has some good recipes...

Edited January 19, 2007 by ludja (log)

[TarteTatin]

Madhur Jaffrey has this incredible wonderful vegetarian soup.

It's a beet and tomato soup. No stock. Really nothing else in it but beets and tomatoes and some basic Indian spices. I make this in summer and winter, as she says, it's also very relaxing to just sip late at night...Probably my favorite relaxing soup.

Also just made a vegetarian carrot soup to die for, also from an Indian cookbook. Just carrots and ginger and red peppers. Again, no stock.

[Pam R]

My favorite, completely vegetarian soup, is Carrot Dill (which I may have talked about before - I'm not sure). Saute 1 part sliced onions in olive oil with salt and pepper until soft. Add 2 parts carrots, peeled and sliced and cover with vegetable stock. Simmer until soft, puree, and add a lot of chopped Dill. That's it. It has an amazing buttery flavour, but uses no butter.

[Rover]

Parsnip soup posted on RecipeGullet - Sorry, I should have come back and mentioned it.  Enjoy!

Rover

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Thank you for posting the recipe and your comments. I also can't wait to try this soup.

I found this roasted parsnip soup recipe that looks interesting: click

(non cream soup, roasted parsnips, nutmeg, sauteed onions, garnished with crumbled bacon and sour cream.)

It's from a site called "soup-a-holic" that looks like it has some good recipes...

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Oh My ... ROASTED Parsnips... Of course, why didn't I think of that? I'm there now, though.

Rover

Edited January 19, 2007 by Rover (log)

[ludja]

Madhur Jaffrey has this incredible wonderful vegetarian soup.

It's a beet and tomato soup. No stock. Really nothing else in it but beets and tomatoes and some basic Indian spices. I make this in summer and winter, as she says, it's also very relaxing to just sip late at night...Probably my favorite relaxing soup.

...

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Sounds wonderful. Is this in her "World of Vegetarian Cooking" book?

[Jensen]

In keeping with my present parsnip soup lust, there's a colum in the Chicago Trib today; it includes a soup recipe:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/foo...0,7186412.story

I'm not particularly tempted to abandon the present favourite, but it was nice to read that I'm in step with the parsnip trend!   

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Yeah, you're ahead of the curve. Not surprising given your geographical location...vive le GVRD libre! (I have to say that since my most recent Canadian address was in New West.)

As for fresh pea soups, I have had this recipe from Epicurious and can vouch for its awesomeness.

As for me, I had the Armenian lentil soup mentioned just a couple of post ago. I split the recipe in half and it made enough for the Spawn and me for dinner and then a good sized lunch for me and about a half serving still in the fridge. I moved this summer and no longer have a lemon tree so I substituted fresh orange juice in the recipe (I have two orange trees now).

[Rover]

Une Simple Soup - This was a terrific soup and so full of nice surprises. This recipe came from Chocolate & Zucchini and I've tweaked it a little to allow for ingredients I had on hand. I used a combination of sweet potatoes and yams and a rhutabaga instead of the black radish (never was able to locate one of those). The base for the soup was water and I was strongly tempted to substitute chicken stock, but resisted. I'm glad I did, because this soup needed no extra help for flavour from a stock. I was very fortunate to find Bed of Roses seasoning mentioned in the original recipe - LOVE IT!

The soup was flavourful, rich and I thought it sophisticated - however, very simple to prepare and pretty economical, too.

You can have it as chunky or smooth as you like, finish to your personal preference.

It's a really nice way to offset a damp and chilly January evening. As soon as I figure out how to post a picture, I'll add one.

Rover

[Pontormo]

I can't believe how timely this week's collaborative food blog is for so many of us in the United States who have been running around without hats and scarves all winter. Soup weather, at last!

In the freezer at the moment: black bean, lentil minestrone with greens and carrot-fennel with dill. There is still a little bit of brodo (a mixture of turkey & beef) to go with 1-2 more servings of tiny cappelletti and a dwindling supply of chicken stock.

In the fridge: the last of a wonderful parsnip soup with cannellini and leeks. I stir in arugula at the last minute when reheating it and toasting a wedge of cornbread in the oven. Without apple, without carrot, the parsnip retains its essential bittersweet nature, yinging with the greens and yanging with the leeks.

There's a jar of pale dashi to hold tofu, miso, shitake, cilantro, scallions, soba noodles...

C. Sapidus inspired me to pick up fresh lemongrass for a little bit of chicken.

Also awaiting transformation: a new bag of green split peas and a smoked ham hock, both purchased, I swear, before the blog began. I am thinking of ignoring one piece of Klary's advice about waiting to add the meat at the end, but otherwise trying the snert method of cooking for a long time with an abundance of water and waiting a day before consumption. I will dice kohlrabi and celery instead of celariac, and while there's a lot less meat, some scraps and bones of pork that I trimmed this weekend might serve a purpose.

I also bought an excess of mushrooms last week. There is barley in the cupboard. February snarls like a wolf at the door.

[Chufi]

Also awaiting transformation: a new bag of green split peas and a smoked ham hock, both purchased, I swear, before the blog began.  I am thinking of ignoring one piece of Klary's advice about waiting to add the meat at the end,

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please, do ignore me . You don't have to make Dutch split pea soup, you know!

The carrot/fennel with dill sounds good. Is it a pureed soup or with chunks of vegetables?

[Pontormo]

I made snert last night! Snert, snert, snert!!

I cut your recipe in half, Klary, and since it was not planned in advance, there was only a cup of shredded meat to return to the pot. Dieter's version.

My traditional way, which may be New England's take on Dutch pea soup as brought to New Amsterdam, calls for sautéing a mirepoix first, sometimes with bacon. Often a clove is stuck in a large chunk of onion and there's a bay leaf, too. As a child, I ate pea soup with sliced hot dogs instead of the bacon, salty ham steak from Virginia, or smoked ham shanks of grown-ups.

I liked your recipe since the only labor is dicing and you skip the fat of the initial sauté. The abundance of vegetables is welcome. Kept it covered in the oven, then put it back on top of the stove, uncovered, adding larger dice of potatoes at the end.

I'm being very good and only tasted it for seasoning thus far. Delicious !

* * *

Carrot-fennel is a typical combination here. I usually make it without the dill, using a bit of apple cider, or throwing in an apple. (Dill is not a favorite herb, I just had some left from baking salmon.) Then, yes, it is pureed until smooth.

However, I often prefer to puree half of a soup so there is texture and it seems more filling. That was the case with this. Lots of onions, chicken stock, water and a little white wine towards the end. A custard-cup full of red lentils for protein.

Edited January 31, 2007 by Pontormo (log)

[Rehovot]

Madhur Jaffrey has this incredible wonderful vegetarian soup.

It's a beet and tomato soup. No stock. Really nothing else in it but beets and tomatoes and some basic Indian spices. I make this in summer and winter, as she says, it's also very relaxing to just sip late at night...Probably my favorite relaxing soup.

...

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Sounds wonderful. Is this in her "World of Vegetarian Cooking" book?

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Is it this soup, on the Field to Feast blog?

The writer says it's "adapted from" World Vegetarian.

[snowangel]

However, I often prefer to puree half of a soup so there is texture and it seems more filling.  That was the case with this.  Lots of onions, chicken stock, water and a little white wine towards the end. A custard-cup full of red lentils for protein.

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I am so with you on this. Last night, on our blog, when we made the clam chowder, I chose to use russet, not red (or "new") postatoes and have Peter take the masher to the pot before we added the (canned) clams so that there would be that nice variety of texture. Some chunks, some smooth. For some odd reason, a combo seems to fill up kids more; makes the soup seem more substantial.

[ludja]

Madhur Jaffrey has this incredible wonderful vegetarian soup.

It's a beet and tomato soup. No stock. Really nothing else in it but beets and tomatoes and some basic Indian spices. I make this in summer and winter, as she says, it's also very relaxing to just sip late at night...Probably my favorite relaxing soup.

...

←

Sounds wonderful. Is this in her "World of Vegetarian Cooking" book?

←

Is it this soup, on the Field to Feast blog?

The writer says it's "adapted from" World Vegetarian.

←

Thanks for digging that up, Rehovat. I had some problems accessing the blogs, but I think I was able to access the post through a "cache". It looks like a nice spiced tomato soup and it is from "World Vegetarian" but I see no beets in it. Maybe TarteTatin's version is an adaptation?

If you see our posts, I'd appreciate any details you could share with us, TarteTatin (cookbook reference or some details on the recipe). I can't find anything on the net and it sounds like such a tasty, simple and original soup especially for those of us who like beets!

[KatieLoeb]

Today I was fortunate enough to stumble across two $1 bags of beautiful purple carrots at the Reading Terminal Market. I couldn't resist the idea of making some pretty pureed soup out of it so they came home with me.

I cut up the carrots, half an onion and three cloves of garlic and threw them in my soup pot.

The color of these carrots was just amazing. My cuticles are all stained as if I'd been peeling beets all night! Just look at how pretty they are:

I added some fresh thyme and covered everything with two cans of vegetable broth and some water. I boiled for about 20 minutes, skimmed off the foam and then let it cool for a short while. Pureed in two batches in the blender and put aside. I made a small amount of roux and added a quart of 2% milk and allowed it to simmer for about five minutes. I added back in the carrot puree, a bit of light sour cream and some salt, pepper and Penzey's French Four Spice. Whisked hard until heated through. I served it with a dollop of light sour cream on top.

Good thing it came out so tasty. There's a heck of a lot of it!

[TarteTatin]

One of the Madhur Jaffrey cookbooks I have is a big compilation of two books, has a red cover, is titled, "The Madhur Jaffrey Cookbook". Part one is, "Eastern Vegetarian Cooking." Part two is, "An Invitation to Indian Cooking." Published in Great Britain by Jonathan Cape as two volumes. 1981, 1973, this edition, 1992.

Under Part one, "Beetroot and Tomato Soup":

3 beets, 1 tsp ghee or veg oil, 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, 1 tsp whole black peppercorns, 4 whole cloves, large stick of cinnamon, 3 tomatoes-peeled and chopped, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 ounces crm optional.

Peel beetroot (I use rubber gloves), cut into large dice. Put in food processor with 12 oz. water. Blend for 1 minute (be careful not to fill too much, I do this in batches or it leaks). Strain the juice through a sieve, (I use my fist), getting out as much liquid as possible. (Then you throw away the rest of the beautiful beet's! What else can be done with it after the liquid is squeezed out of it?)

Heat the ghee, when hot, put in cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon (I make a little muslin bag, otherwise it's all floating in the soup). Stir for a second, put in chopped tomatoes. Stir 3-4 seconds, add beet juice, salt and another 4 oz. water. Bring to boil, cover, simmer low for 10 minutes. Strain (I never do). Add cream if you desire and re-heat.

It's SO delicious, and comforting!

I have found it's better when the tomatoes are in season. "Plastic" tomatoes aren't as flavorful.

The paragraph with this, she talks about drinking it like broth when she's working late into the night. She also says that in the 19th century, this was probably thickened with flour.

[-sheila mooney]

How about a lentil soup? I made a really good one a while back that is either vegetarian or could be adapted to be vegetarian. Let me hunt down the recipe!

lentil soup, yay! i have decided to go back to the source, my source: julia. so i made one with no spices, no tomatoes, no spinach. one that even has a roux in it.... it is sublime, nuanced, french and delicious. i have come home, people, and it feels so good.

[ludja]

One of the Madhur Jaffrey cookbooks I have is a big compilation of two books, has a red cover, is titled, "The Madhur Jaffrey Cookbook". Part one is, "Eastern Vegetarian Cooking." Part two is, "An Invitation to Indian Cooking." Published in Great Britain by Jonathan Cape as two volumes. 1981, 1973, this edition, 1992.

Under Part one, "Beetroot and Tomato Soup":

3 beets, 1 tsp ghee or veg oil, 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, 1 tsp whole black peppercorns, 4 whole cloves, large stick of cinnamon, 3 tomatoes-peeled and chopped, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 ounces crm optional.

...

It's SO delicious, and comforting!

I have found it's better when the tomatoes are in season. "Plastic" tomatoes aren't as flavorful.

The paragraph with this, she talks about drinking it like broth when she's working late into the night. She also says that in the 19th century, this was probably thickened with flour.

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Thank you very much for sharing the recipe, tartetatin, along with your notes and experience with it. I can't wait to try this. It reminds me of an Indian "borscht".

Edited February 7, 2007 by ludja (log)

[Pontormo]

The tomato-beet soup does sound good and quick.

In light of original observations concerning the straining of grated raw beets and instructions to discard the vegetable itself, I also find the recipe curious.

I'd be tempted to retain the flavor combinations, but blend all the cooked ingredients.

Since I regularly add beets to salads during all those months without local, ripe tomatoes, I might use a large roasted one to make a bowl of the soup with the contents of an opened can of tomatoes.

[suzilightning]

reheated for lunch -

garlic potato soup from the current Cook's Illustrated. it was sooooooo good. if you like garlic and potatoes do try this recipe. topped it with some frizzled prosciutto.

tonight will be posole with cornbread

[rcaffelle]

reheated for lunch -

garlic potato soup from the current Cook's Illustrated.  it was sooooooo good. if you like garlic and potatoes do try this recipe.  topped it with some frizzled prosciutto.

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Here is an (out of focus, sorry!) image of the CI Garlic Potato Soup that I made this weekend. Sometimes a photo can inspire, I hope this is the case. The soup is topped with garlic chips and chives. Really yummy, not too fussy. Happy Cooking!

rich

Edited: A 'better' photo

Edited February 19, 2007 by rcaffelle (log)