The Soup Topic (2007–2012)

[FrogPrincesse]

am i the only one making soup?

No, you are not the only one making soup!

It's getting a little chilly here in San Diego. Yes, I know, it's not too bad at 65F but for us it's starting to look a lot like winter!!!

So tonight I made a Carrot Ginger Soup. I used Nantes carrots from my CSA.

The soup was very flavorful with a nice bite from the ginger.

A few weeks ago I made a Fennel and Tomato Soup (details on the Les Halles thread here).

And I also made this very decadent Pumpkin and Leek Soup with Foie Gras (details on the Cooking with Anne Willan’s "The Country Cooking of France" thread here)

So I've had lots of delicious soups recently. It looks like they are all some shade of orange though, so I need to vary my color palette a little...

I really love soup. It's so comforting.

[Blether]

Recently a good old lentil soup from the carcass of a roast chicken; today, having a leek & some peeled potatoes to hand, I headed towards vichyssoise but in deference to the un-reduced stock leftover from my bomb factory, instead of plain salt I followed a side-road marked 'miso' and ended up with misossoise. Very good, in fact, if also tending towards the yellow.

[heidih]

Picked up a bone-in pork loin roast the other day and roasted it with masses of garlic, set on a bed of fresh rosemary branches and strewn with fresh tarragon branches. After a few days when most of the meat was picked off I simmered the bone with some water for a few hours and produced a lovely gelatinous broth. After de-fatting I scraped the rest of the meat off the bone and simmered with carrots. Near the end I added some large elbow macaroni I had par-boiled, some chipped green onions, and some very young mustard greens from the garden. A few drops of spiced vinegar and some snipped parsley added a tart/sweet element. Surprisingly the tarragon was still a significant flavor note. Both the smell and the taste were wonderful. I am ready for cool weather and playing with soups.

[curls]

This week's startling October snow made it a soup weekend. I made split pea soup with knockwurst. Very tasty but not photogenic.

[lindag]

I made a rustic potato soup with kale and kielbasa and chicken broth instead of milk/cream. Recipe from Cooks Country. Just wonderful!

[Jaymes]

What passes for winter here in southeast Texas (and early fall elsewhere) has arrived and, with it, our family's annual yearning for thick and hearty soups.

So tonight, made the Golden Lentil Soup from Zov's marvelous cookbook, page 98.

This soup is wonderful, rich and comforting. It makes you forget that you're "supposed" to be eating lentils because they're so good for you. You'd happily eat it, no matter what.

Recipe here: Zov's Cookbook - Golden Lentil Soup

I just noticed that the recipe to which I linked doesn't mention the optional variation that Zov suggests in the book. Melt about 2 TB of butter in a small saucepan until it's foamy. Then stir in about 1 tsp or so of dried mint. When the mint softens, add it to the soup at the last minute, just before serving.

I never have dried mint, so I do this with fresh mint from the pot on my front porch. I put about a tsp or so of the butter/mint mixture in the middle of each individual bowl of soup as a garnish just before serving. It's an interesting and delightful addition.

Edited December 4, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

We had a few days of cold weather in San Diego last week, so I made a soup with beet greens that I usually throw away. I used a mirepoix base, and a few potatoes. The beet greens had a pleasant sour taste which was reminiscent of sorrel.

[FrogPrincesse]

Tonight's soup is a Cream of Parsnip Soup from How to Pick a Peach (Russ Parsons).

It is said to be a simplified version of a Jeremiah Tower recipe which is finished with shaved white truffles. Unfortunately white truffles were nowhere to be found in the house.

[FrogPrincesse]

I just found a picture that my husband took of the soup I served for the Christmas dinner: Root Vegetable Soup with Apples and Duck Ham from Think Like a Chef (Tom Colicchio). It's a very harmonious blend of butternut squash, parsnip, carrot, leek, fennel, and Granny Smith apple. My favorite part is the green apple and duck prosciutto garnish.

[FrogPrincesse]

With persian cucumbers, and sorrel that I am growing on the patio, I made this Cucumber Gazpacho from Russ Parsons' How to Pick a Peach. There is no cooking involved; the cucumbers and sorrel are blended with yoghurt, garlic and bread for thickening. Not exactly a winter dish, but we had a beautiful day in San Diego today!

[JAZ]

After many tries, I finally came up with a carrot soup that reminds me of the best soup I ever had (at Cortez in San Francisco). It had a hint of vanilla and was drizzled with chive oil. I haven't tried the carrot soup recipe from Modernist Cuisine, but I did borrow a trick -- adding carrot juice after the soup is blended. There's a photo and complete recipe here (scroll down).

[Tri2Cook]

I made a big pot of split pea soup with the bone and remaining ham from easter. A few bags went in the freezer. After an early warm spell that got rid of the snow, the temps returned to the chilly side here. This seemed like a perfect evening to break one of those bags out and bake a loaf of bread to go with it. Now I'm sitting here wondering if there are many things better than a good bowl of soup or stew (in all of their worldwide variations) with a good piece of bread...

[TheTInCook]

Did kind of an interesting soup today at work. Made a sofrito with onion, tomato, and garlic. Added a bunch of sweet paprika. Then chicken stock. Kidney beans (cooked from dried, not canned) and some of their liquid. Diced tomatoes (canned, I think they hold their shape better in soups because of the Ca++ treatment). And some diced left over roasted chicken. Herbs were thyme, bay, and oregano (because I didn't have marjorem)

I called it Hungarian Chicken and Bean soup.

[emilyr]

Has anyone made a cream soup with soy milk. I'm living with and cooking for my Grandmama while she recovers from an illness, and while she doesn't have to go totally lactose free, her doctor said it's best to cut out things that basically aren't yogurt and hard cheese. She's been craving this cream of veggie soup that we make in the family. Do you think I can use soy milk? It doesn't have a ton. Just about 1/2 C. Most of the "creaminess" comes from the potato when the soup is pureed. Do you think I even need the milk?

[radtek]

Couldn't bring myself to read (slog through) all 36 pages of this thread as I am late to the game.

FrogPrincess has some might tasty-looking food there- here and in other threads! I might have to start following some recipes...

Soup is king in my household. Eventually nearly everything finds it's way into the soup pot. And even then leftover soup can morph into different soups... As a result I rarely need to compost out of my kitchen and my trash-can rarely has any scraps in it except cooked bones.

One thing I cannot stand is overly hearty gloppy soups. I love soup but feel it should be on the thinner brothier side. Not talking about bisques or the like, but if one can stand their spoon up in their chowder or bean soup you have made seafood stew and in the case of the latter- just beans.

[C. sapidus]

Crema de elote con polly y Poblano: Corn pureed with fried onion and garlic, ham stock, milk, and corn starch, strained, and then simmered with roasted chile Poblano and cubed chicken breast.

[Emily_R]

Last week I made this Roasted Celery soup from Food 52 -- it was outstanding! Subtle, savory, and simple to make... Highly recommended!

Roasted Celery Soup

[FrogPrincesse]

Last week I made this Roasted Celery soup from Food 52 -- it was outstanding! Subtle, savory, and simple to make... Highly recommended!

Roasted Celery Soup

Excellent. I happen to have all of the ingredients, including an aging bunch of celery I did not know what to do with, so I am making this right now!

Bruce's corn and chicken soup looks fabulous too.

[FrogPrincesse]

Here is the Roasted Celery Soup from food52. This is the unstrained version which was a little stringy. Much better texture after passing it through a sieve.

[mm84321]

Pumpkin soup with basil, from Alain Passard

[FrogPrincesse]

Pumpkin soup with basil, from Alain Passard

Lovely. Is that from the Art of Cooking with Vegetables? And can you describe the foam on top? Thanks!

[mm84321]

Pumpkin soup with basil, from Alain Passard

Lovely. Is that from the Art of Cooking with Vegetables? And can you describe the foam on top? Thanks!

Yes! It is a great recipe. That is simply whole milk, simmered and frothed with a Bamix.

[BeeZee]

Has anyone made a cream soup with soy milk. I'm living with and cooking for my Grandmama while she recovers from an illness, and while she doesn't have to go totally lactose free, her doctor said it's best to cut out things that basically aren't yogurt and hard cheese. She's been craving this cream of veggie soup that we make in the family. Do you think I can use soy milk? It doesn't have a ton. Just about 1/2 C. Most of the "creaminess" comes from the potato when the soup is pureed. Do you think I even need the milk?

I have used soy milk without a problem, especially when it is a "minor player". Funny how you'll crave something more when it's off limits!

[FrogPrincesse]

Lovely. Is that from the Art of Cooking with Vegetables? And can you describe the foam on top? Thanks!

Yes! It is a great recipe. That is simply whole milk, simmered and frothed with a Bamix.

Thanks! I need to get that book. It looks like it has recipes that have great flavor combinations while not being overly complicated.

[mm84321]

It is quite simple. Take 300 grams of diced pumpkin (I used butternut) and simmer gently in 2 cups of milk for 40 minutes. Stir in 4 tablespoons of olive oil, fleur de sel to taste, and pour into a blender. Add the leaves from a bunch of basil and mix until the color starts to turn green (maybe a minute or so--don't mix for too long, or the basil will discolor from the heat). Strain. At this point you can serve immediately, or chill over ice and reheat later.