The Soup Topic (2005–2006)

[gourmande]

Thanks!  Now another couple of nit picky questions if you don't mind  ....

What kind of apple did you use? 

And....

Did you do anything in particular when making the the red pepper coulis?

Apple: Granny Smith only because it's all I had.

Red Pepper coulis: Roasted red peppers, a drizzle of olive oil and smoked paprika (to taste) puréed with the immersion blender.

Spicy pumpkin seeds: I had these on hand but basically toss raw seeds with a spicy mix of your choice (chili powder, cayenne, cumin, smoked papika or chipotle... whatever you like) a bit of salt, and a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice, then spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Toasted pumkin seeds: just sautéed some raw seeds until lightly toasted

Hope this helps

[appreciator]

Thank you ever so much for your detailed response.... I am going to make this soup tomorrow (because it really sounds extremely tasty ).... as luck would have it, I even have everything on hand.... joy

I love soup....

Reading this thread has rekindled my passion for soups of all kinds. Perhaps when I truly get back into the groove I'll report back

Thank you again Gourmande!

[gourmande]

The Les Halles mushroom soup was on the lunch menu today (made it yesterday of course) and it was indeed very good with a surprisingly intense mushroom flavour given I used plain ole' button mushrooms. I followed the recipe exactly, and garnished with flash seared mushroom slices and a drizzle of truffle oil.

Not to sway off topic, but so far, every recipe I've tried from this book has been a keeper.

[Jensen]

"Leftover" soup for lunch today:

Last night's main was roast chicken so I picked the carcass clean for the meat and used the bones to make broth. To that, I added some miso paste, a wee splash of memmi, egg noodles, and broccoli.

My bowl got a whack of sriracha added to it as well.

[gourmande]

...My bowl got a whack of sriracha added to it as well.

Mmmmm... that is my all time favourite (chicken noodle or hot and sour) soup condiment!

[suzilightning]

last night we were back to our semi-vegetarian mode with "enhanced" brocco-leekie soup

1 tsp. evtra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. butter

1 large leek, white and light green parts sliced fine

1 lb of broccoli- florets separated and stems peeled and sliced

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 qt capon stock

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp kosher salt

white pepper to taste

6 small yukon gold potatoes, peeled and minced

1 can small white beans, drained and rinsed

melt the butter in the olive oil. add the leek and cook over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until wilted and lightly colored. add broccoli and garlic, stock, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper. bring to a boil then back off to a simmer. in a separate pot bring salted water to a boil. add potatoes and cook 10 minutes. they will be a bit firm which is how you want them. when broccoli stem are soft take the simmering soup off and process in batches, carefully, in a blender. return to the pot, add the potatoes and white beans and reheat. serve with foccacia(ours had extravirgin olive oil and sea salt on it. after it came out of the oven i sprinkled basil and romano cheese over it.)

[Rehovot]

If I hadn't just had tomato-lentil soup last night, I'd try this soup! (The recipe appeared in today's Jerusalem Post.) My question about lentils.........do they always need to be soaked overnight? For example, this recipe doesn't mention anything about soaking..... But it sounds great, no?

Cumin-scented lentil soup with noodles (Serves 4)

You can use brown lentils for this soup, but red lentils are better to use because they cook to a puree.

11/2 cups lentils, any kind

2 or 3 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 celery ribs, sliced (optional)

1 carrot, diced (optional)

4 cups water

2 zucchini or pale-green squash, diced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

75 gr. linguine, vermicelli, spaghettini or extra-fine egg noodles, broken in 7.5-10-cm. lengths (about 1 cup)

2 Tbsp. snipped or chopped fresh dill or

2 tsp. dried Cayenne pepper or other hot red pepper to taste (optional)

Pick through, rinse, and drain lentils. Saute onion in oil until golden; garlic and cumin go in, too, for one minute. Take out half the onion mix and set it aside.

To onion mix left in pan, add lentils, optional celery and carrot, and water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for half an hour. You can add up to 2 cups more water if the consistency thickens too much. Add zucchini, s&p, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Cook pasta/noodles until al dente, and drain. At this point, you can blend all or part of the soup, if you want; or you can leave it in chunks. Add the onion mixture you initially set aside, add the pasta/noodles, and dill or red pepper.

[appreciator]

Personally, I've never soaked lentils before cooking, well except once, when making an appetizer, but then they were just mixed with other ingredients and fried, no water/ broth added.

But for soup... never. Red lentils usually fall apart completely, even after just minimal cooking.

Reading through the recipe.... I think I'd be more inclined to use brown/green lentils though, as they'd add a bit more texture which might be nice. But that's just my nsho.

Edited February 24, 2005 by appreciator (log)

[maggiethecat]

I'm back from: a weekend in New Orleans with friends (great Crawfish Bisque at Cafe Sbisa,) missed flights due to fog in Mobile, and godawful flu the minute my heels hit the tarmac at ORD. I have not made soup, but I crave it, and I'm so desperately happy to be able to heat up Pepin's Pumpkin Soup and curl up with "The Sunday Philosophy Club."

Lentils: Such a lovely legume: no soaking required.

Because I'm sick I'm capricious: all your recipes sound wonderful, but I'm leaning to suzi's Brocco-Leekie.

[snowangel]

Another great one, Maggie, if you are under the weather, is my Chinesey chicken soup -- chicken broth laden with garlic and star anise, green onions. Finished with wacked up greens (bok choy is my favorite) and those bean thread noodles. I also add a couple of whole hot peppers. Oh, and there's some soy and sesame oil. Let me know if anyone is interested in more precise ratios.

[marlena spieler]

Pickle Soup!

Don't laugh or turn your face away in disgust (though i wouldn't blame you if you did as it does sound kinda crazy. esp when i say: cream of pickle soup).

pickle soup, though, is a polish delight, and so wonderful, filled with carrots and potatoes and awash with cream and studded with fresh dill. you'd never know there are pickles in it, but it is a wonderful wonderful soup.

for the full recipe, go to the san francisco chronicle link in the regional cooking forum, its from this past wednesday roving feast column.

everyone i know whose eaten it gets a smile of pleasure across their face within moments of lifting spoon to mouth!

yum.

[Rachel Perlow]

I made two soups last night: Les Halles' Mushroom Soup and Beef and Mushroom Barley.

I followed Bourdain's recipe most closely, although it felt really weird to not cut up the mushrooms before cooking. I think either the timing is short or my burner can be lower than the average stovetop's. Being that I have a Garland, my low setting probably is lower. So the initial onion sweat took about 10 minutes, but after adding the mushrooms, they didn't look even warm after the 8 minutes the recipe outlines. Turned up the heat slightly and gave them another 10. I did a double take when I realized how much more butter the recipe called for. At this point you are basically poaching the mushrooms in stock, I just don't see the purpose for that much butter. I suppose it is in lieu of adding cream at the end?

I had added two large slices of dried porcini with the button mushrooms (cremini), but at the end, it still lacked the mushroomy-oomph of the mushroom soup we like, so I cheated, crumbling in an Italian porcini boullion cube.

Not chopping the mushrooms did save a major PITA step, especially since you puree the soup in a blender regardless of pre-chopping the mushrooms or not, so I liked that part. Next time, less butter, more real dried porcini. I usually use a potato to add body instead of butter or cream, that works well for us.

Didn't follow a recipe for the Beef & Mushroom Barley. Diced onion, celery, carrots, quartered mushrooms, beef ribeye, 28 oz can tomato puree, 1 quart chicken stock, about a cup of pearl barley (par-cooked in water). The meat was frozen bulgogi meat, not really the right kind of meat, but after a long simmer, it eventually tenderized. Salt, plenty of pepper and some zatar (Greek seasoning) perked it up nicely. We had recently had some Beef Barley soup at a Greek place and that put us in the mood for more of this kind of soup, hence the addition of zatar.

[hazardnc]

It's been a tough day here with nasty cold rain, temps in the upper 30's. The hubby slipped and stepped in a puddle up to his knees and the daughter's car broke down in the rain

This kind of day calls for comforting, and the vote was Wisconsin Beer Cheese soup with pumpernickle croutons. It's warmed up and ready to go for dinner by the fire.

[fifi]

I made the Bourdain mushroom soup tonight. I went by the book with one exception, I added a bit of dried porcini since I had the plain button mushrooms. The baby bellas were a bit pricy. Also, I used my home made stock and it was on the dark side. I liked it.

For as simple as it is, this soup is astonishing. I am also now in love with my new toy, the Bamix. (It was my Christmas present to myself.)

One question, how smooth have you guys blended it? I could have gotten it smooth but I liked leaving a bit of texture to it.

This is such a basic recipe (but sooooo good) that I can see using it to explore different mushroom flavors. I can also see it served in big sippy cups on a fishing boat. And, serving with a plop of sour cream wouldn't hurt my feelings. I will be repeating this one.

[Rachel Perlow]

How do you feel about using a whole stick of butter for 4 servings of soup?

[gourmande]

...For as simple as it is, this soup is astonishing. ... One question, how smooth have you guys blended it? I could have gotten it smooth but I liked leaving a bit of texture to it...

That's what I thought as well. Yes, other recipes using more exotic (and expensive) mushroooms may yield a richer, deeper mushroom flavour, but for a simple recipe using basic shrooms, this one is hard to beat.

Personally I blended until it was velvety smooth. I added a bit of texture with a garnish of pan seared mushrooms.

[fifi]

How do you feel about using a whole stick of butter for 4 servings of soup?

←

It doesn't bother me a bit. I like butter. Actually, it is 2 tablespoons shy of a stick, but who is quibbling at that point. I am trying to mentally compare that to the ridiculously rich mushroom soup with the cream and cheese that I posted earlier. I am not sure it is any more butterlicious (I refuse to say "worse") than that. The way I figure it, it all balances out. I go through a pound of butter in maybe 6 weeks, sometimes longer. And some of that gets left in the pot. So, that delicious cup of soup isn't going to kill me, and if it did, I would die happy.

[Rachel Perlow]

I'll have to check the book, but I recall 2 Tbs to sweat the onions, then 6 Tbs added to the poaching of the mushrooms.

[fifi]

I went by the Epicurious recipe. I don't have the book, yet. Actually, I am pretty sure you could cut back on the butter without harming the recipe. I am just now sipping on a cup of it for my lunch and I am not tasting a lot of butter. I am beginning to think that the "secret" of the recipe is that sweating of the mushrooms. That is what I did when I developed my recipe many moons ago (by accident, I didn't know what I was doing at the time) and folks often made the same kind of comments . . . "I can't believe this tastes so mushroomy." Cutting back the butter is certainly worth a try. I would suggest not adding the additional 4 tablespoons of butter with the mushrooms and go from there. I am willing to bet it will still be great.

[purplewiz]

I accidentally bought a bag of frozen chopped broccoli instead of florets, so I figured it would make a good soup. So tonight's vegetable was broccoli cheese soup :-).

I sweated 1/2 chopped onion in some olive oil...ok, had the heat up a little high, so it also fried a little. I figured it didn't matter, and I was right. Added about a tsp of chopped garlic, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, a couple big shakes of smoked paprika (just enough to add a little extra oomph, not enough to really taste of paprika, I like smoked paprika for this), sauteed that a little, then added 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock and the bag of chopped broccoli. I think it was 24 oz...about 4 cups.

Simmered all of that for about 10 minutes, until the broccoli was defrosted and cooked, then pureed the mess in the blender. Then made a roux of 1 1/2 tbsp butter and flour, cooked it a bit until it wasn't floury, and added a cup of milk. Cooked that until thick.

Stirred in the broccoli puree, brought to a simmer, and added about 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar. Turned off the heat and stirred until it was melted in. Added a mess of black pepper and a little salt.

It turned out great, and next time I might use only 1 tbsp flour/butter for the roux, because the broccoli puree thickened it all so nicely. Of course all measurements are approximate - it's soup, after all.

Marcia.

[Pam R]

I have a craving for borscht. So tomorrow I'll find and thaw some shortribs and any stray brisket scraps, pick up some beets and simmer like crazy. A dash of sour salt - some other veggies and that'll probably be dinner on Friday.

[gourmande]

I'll have to check the book, but I recall 2 Tbs to sweat the onions, then 6 Tbs added to the poaching of the mushrooms.

His recipe calls for 6 tbs/75 g total

Though it's more than I might normally use for a similar preparation, this recipe was the perfect excuse for my secret indulgence

[bloviatrix]

I made a pot of lentil soup for tonight's dinner.

I picked up some beef-fry which is kosher mock bacon product (although it appears to me to be like corned beef). I've been playing around with all sorts of variations on lentil soup so I rendered off the fat and then sweat the mirepoix. Added some ground cumin and tomato paste and then a combination of vegetable broth and water. Once that came to a boil I added the lentils and let the whole thing simmer for about 30 minutes when I threw the beef-fry back into the pot.

Soup was good. Blovie ate about quarts worth. The meat added some additional flavor, but I think that I would add more going forward.

[Priscilla]

OK, I made Anthony's Les Halles mushroom soup yesterday, for serving tonight. Have not yet added the sherry, as per his directions. Thinking a teensy duxelles garni would not go amiss, but may not get that far tonight.

What an incredible soup! Instant staple.

Next up, more asparagus soup, I fear. Issued the usual March asparagus warning to my family.

(S edit.)

Edited March 3, 2005 by Priscilla (log)

[maggiethecat]

Priscilla: Sigh. Asparagus in March. I'm glad the lads are warned. And yes, the Les Halles mushroom soup has entered the family canon.

Trying to kick the debilitating plague that has renedered me miserable for six weeks, I made Sally Schneider's Garlic Soup from New Way to Cook. Throw two big heads of garlic into four cups of chciken broth. (I blush and hang my head here: In two months I'll have fresh sage and thyme from my garden, but I was reduced to using elderly dried herbs) Simmer for thirty-five minutes ,then puree the whole thing and inhale Italian penicillin. Mama mia.

She asks for some pasta and parm, which I had; I used orchiette. Her recipe calls for sizzled ham, which I didn't have, so I sliced and frizzled an andouille. Plunk the pasta in the bottom of the bowl, add the soup, toss on the cured pork product and top with a generous handful of grated parm.

Terrifically garlicy, but sweet and mellow. I feel surges of well-bing. Plus: I have a cup or so left, and I might try one of Sally's variations: poach an egg within.