Rosemary Red Soup

Tomorrow night is the season finale of MasterChef and I will be having some of my art department friends over. Here is one of the things I will be serving. Thankfully, the nights have started to cool off so this will be perfect. This recipe is from my friend, Shannon who lives near Seattle. It is one of my favorites!

Rosemary Red Soup

Prep & Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Makes 6-8 servings

3 medium carrots, scrubbed and peeled and chopped
1 beet (2 if small), scrubbed and peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 cup dried red lentils
6 cups water or stock
2 bay leaves
1- 3" sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2-3 tablespoons miso, optional (but I HIGHLY recommend using it!)

Heat oil in a soup pot; add onion and saute until soft. Add carrots and beet; saute a few minutes more. Wash and drain lentils. Add lentils, water &/or stock, bay leaves, rosemary, and oregano to sauteed vegetables; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 40 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stems of fresh herbs. Puree soup with hand blender or other device with miso. Gently reheat on stove before serving.

Chilled Gazpacho

It is getting to be one of my favorite times of year... time for chilled soups. And what is better than chilled gazpacho. This is my own recipe, adapted originally from the Moosewood Cookbook. I spent some time in Madrid, Spain and got to see how the pros do it. We ate it almost every day. This is one of things that I make that people ask for again and again! The key to this soup is to make it a day in advance. That way the flavors have time to meld together, optimally. Try it and enjoy!

Chilled Gazpacho

½ onion, roughly chopped
1 medium clove of garlic
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium cucumber, peeled & seeded and roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley
2 scallions, white & green parts, roughly chopped

Put all of the above ingredients into a food processor and pulse until mix is minced.

Add…

2 cups of freshly diced tomatoes
Juice of ½ lemon
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar (tarragon vinegar is best, if you can find it)
2 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
1 teaspoon of honey
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
A dash of ground cayenne
½ teaspoon of dried basil
½ teaspoon of dried tarragon (unless you are using tarragon vinegar)

Pulse until pureed. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add…

4 cups tomato juice (or I like to use the Veggie Juice from Trader Joe’s)

Chill until very cold. I generally like to let this mixture set for at least 4 hours in the fridge. It is best when the flavors have a bit of time to meld.

If you like, you can serve with a little crème fraiche and/or diced veggies, like cucumber or red peppers. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.

This is a great party appetizer when served in small cups. Or if you are making it as a dinner course, it generally serves 6-8.

Asparagus Soup

Asparagus is in season right now and there are some killer deals at the market. Our local grocery had a special last week and it was only .99 cents a pound. And I picked up a 2 pound bag at Costco for $3.99. Cream of Asparagus Soup is one of my all-time favorites. A vegetarian friend of mine came over for dinner last night and I made this for us. I served it with fresh olive bread. I adapted a recipe that I found on Epicurious, that used chicken broth. If you have that on hand you could just as easily use it. But the vegetable broth was wonderful... I loved this soup just the way I made it!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

2 pounds green asparagus
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 to 6 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

crème fraîche, for garnish

Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2" from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish.

Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.

Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

While soup simmers, cook reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.

Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth, transferring to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids), and return to pan. Stir in heavy cream, then add more broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Bring soup to a boil and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter.

Garnish with asparagus tips and a dollop of crème fraîche.

Chicken Tortilla Soup (for Slow Cooker)

This is about as easy as it gets. And it is always a hit at our house. It is not spicy. The little ones seem to enjoy it as much as the grown-ups!

1.5 pounds cooked & shredded chicken
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (10oz.) enchilada sauce
1 small onion chopped
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilles
1 cloved garlic, minced
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz.)
frozen white corn (8 oz.)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cover. Cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low.

Serve garnished with broken tortilla chips, slices of avocado, shredded cheese and a spoon full of sour cream.

Leek and Mushroom Soup

My friend Shannon also sent this one to me. As I have mentioned, she lives in the Pacific Northwest and has the opportunity to make lots and lots of soup! This one was a HUGE hit. I am starting to think that leeks are like the bacon of vegetables. Everything tastes good with them! Ella is not into creamy things so I reserved some of the soup with just the veggies and chicken broth, before adding the flour and 1/2 & 1/2 for us. I served it with some of our favorite wheat-free french bread. Soup has never gone so quickly in our house!


Leek and Mushroom Soup

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 large leeks, sliced
1 10 oz. package of frozen asparagus, thawed
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour (can be wheat-free)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
14 oz. can chicken broth
2 cups 1/2 & 1/2

Cook butter, leeks, mushrooms and asparagus in a large sauce pan until tender. Stir in the flour and spices. Add the chicken broth and 1/2 & 1/2. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens.

I used my stick blender to puree the soup and then I used some of the leeks and asparagus that I had set aside as a garnish.

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

I made this soup tonight and was really thrilled with how it turned out. We have been eating wheat-free french bread all week and I was able to use that when I made my goat cheese toasts. But if you can use whatever bread works best for you, wheat-free or otherwise. I also added the asparagus as an additional layer; it adds a nice contrasting texture to the smooth soup.

3 red peppers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon roasted red chili paste
1 garlic clove

3 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon of fresh thyme

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 cups chicken stock
salt

1/2 heavy cream

1 cup fresh asparagus, steamed and diced

Goat Cheese Toasts (recipe following)

Broil the red peppers, turning them so they blacken on all sides. Once they’re black, put them in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and leave them until they’re cool enough to handle (about 30 minutes). Peel, seed, and roughly chop them.

Warm the olive oil in a thick-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the peppers, chili paste, and a pinch of salt, stir to combine, and cook for 5 minutes.

Finely chop the garlic, add to the pot, and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain the tomatoes, and add to the pot with the thyme, red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken stock. Puree with a stick blender until smooth, and simmer for 15 more minutes. Check seasonings and add more salt to taste. Add the cream and heat one more minute on low heat.

Divide asparagus into 4 dishes. Pour soup on top. Finish with a goat cheese toast and serve warm.

Goat Cheese Toasts

4 slices of crusty french bread

olive oil

herbed goat cheese

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place bread on a cookie sheet and drizzle the tops with olive oil. Toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove. Top bread with goat cheese (as much or as little as you like) and sprinkle with thyme. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the cheese. Bake for approx. 7 minutes. If you like the top to be a bit brown, broil on high for an additional minute.

Caramelized Leek Soup

This has been keeping our bellies warm this winter. I try to make it as often as I can. I originally got the recipe from Epicurious, who got it from Gourmet magazine. It is so darn good!

2 pounds leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 2 bunches)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup vermouth
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
Garnish: 4 teaspoons finely sliced fresh chives

Halve leeks lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise. In a large bowl of cold water wash leeks well and lift from water into a large sieve to drain. In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook leeks in butter over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until some begin to turn golden, about 40 minutes. Stir in sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in vermouth and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated and most leeks are golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Deglaze kettle with 1/2 cup broth and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes more, until liquid is evaporated and leeks are deep golden. Add remaining 3 cups broth and bring soup just to a boil. Season soup with salt and pepper.

Serve soup, garnished with chives, or if you are feeling crazy, cheese toasts.