Winter Warming: A Pot (or Two) of Soup

Is it any wonder that I've been craving soups lately? Warming, delicious, and nutritious, they are a great way to get a balanced meal. Especially for lunch, so I've been toting plastic containers of the stuff to work all month. These soups have been delicious and satisfying, and they just get better day after day (which is good, since I make a big pot on Sunday night and then eat it all week).

Unfortunately, I didn't think to take any pictures of the soup. However, both looked pretty much the same: smooth and orange. I recently acquired an immersion blender, and this tool has changed my life, so to speak. You see, I love a good, smooth pureed vegetable soup, but swapping cooked vegetables out to a blender or food processor is slow, annoying, messy, and potentially dangerous, if the liquid expands and you get burned. You can still do it this way, but now I gleefully puree these soups with the push of a button. It's just so satisfying, and I think I may be addicted to using it. I'm even beginning to wonder how I ever functioned without it. And so, without further ado, I offer two tasty and nutritious soup recipes that will make you feel warm and cozy.


Spiced Butternut Squash Soup with an Apple
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, by Ina Garten, and Orangette

This soup gets a lot of its warm flavor from spices, which isn't to say that it's spicy. It has a savory sweetness, and Sean even thought it smelled a little like maple syrup. I'd recommend using a two or three of these spices, in addition to the curry powder:nutmeg, allspice, mace, or cardomom. Whatever you have available. Mace and cardomom are expensive, so I skipped them. Just be sure to season carefully, or the flavor of the spices could become overwhelming. A day or two after I made this soup, I saw this article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. This version of a butternut squash soup with apple suggests the addition of a sweet potato and apple cider vinegar. I'd like to try that version soon. Plus, they actually show you a picture!

1/4 cup canola oil, or light tasting olive oil (no EVOO here)
2 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into two inch pieces, about 2 cups (I chopped these last to avoid the icky browning)
1 large onion or 2-3 small, peeled and coarsely chopped, about one cup
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1+ quart vegetable stock (or chicken, if that's what you have)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in your largest pot over medium heat. Add the squash, apples and onion, and stir to coat with the oil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and transparent, about ten minutes. Stir in the spices and continue to cook until the onion is nicely browned. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the hear to medium-low and allow it to simmer, covered, for 35 minutes, or until the squash is very tender.

Turn off the heat and allow to cool a bit, so you aren't splashed with scalding hot liquid. Place your immersion blender inside the mixture and then turn it on, moving it around slowly, though the blender will do most of the work. When you are satisfied with the puree, turn off the immersion blender and then remove it from the soup. Unplug and set aside. Stir the soup and add salt and pepper, as well as any additional seasonings, to taste. The soup is ready to serve (see below, however).

Alternately, turn off the heat and allow to cool even more, then transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor. Be sure not to fill the blender or food processor too much, as hot liquid expands. Place all of the soup back in the pot and reheat, stirring occasionally. You will need a large bowl or another large pot to successfully maneuver this. When the soup is sufficiently warmed, add salt and pepper, adjust the seasonings, and stir again.

This soup becomes significantly better after a day or two. Right after making the soup, I thought it was weak and underwhelming. By Thursday afternoon, it was a rich, complex puree.

_____________________________________________________________________

Week 2:

Ginger Carrot Soup

Adapted from The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market Cookbook, by Christopher Hirsheimer and Peggy Knickerbocker.


The end result of this soup is quite spicy. This is a very low-fat soup, with the creaminess coming from the addition of potatoes. I particularly enjoyed this with a piece of whole wheat baguette, buttered and toasted.


3 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil (EVOO would be fine here)
2 large or 4 small onions, chopped
About 5 ounces of fresh ginger root, chopped into six to eight pieces (do not make the ginger too small, as you will be removing later, but you do want to add enough of it, as the ginger is central to the flavor of the soup.)
2 pounds of carrots, trimmed, peeled and chopped
2 or 3 red-skinned potatoes or one russet potato (whatever you have at home), peeled and quartered
Salt and ground pepper
4 cups chicken stock (homemade is always nice!), or vegetable stock

In your largest pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent, about ten minutes. Add the ginger, carrots and potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and stir. Pour in the stock, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and allow the soup to simmer. You want the carrots to be very soft, and to give the ginger enough time to incorporate its flavor to the soup. Expect this to take about one hour.
When the carrot has softened, turn off the heat and remove the ginger. It's too strong tasting and fibrous to remain in the soup, so it is important to get it all out. Allow to cool a bit, so you aren't splashed with scalding hot liquid. Place your immersion blender inside the mixture and then turn it on, moving it around slowly, though the blender will do most of the work. When you are satisfied with the puree, turn off the immersion blender and then remove it from the soup. Unplug and set aside. Adjust the seasonings. The soup is ready to serve.

Alternately, turn off the heat and allow to cool even more, then transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor. Be sure not to fill the blender or food processor too much, as hot liquid expands. Place all of the soup back in the pot and reheat, stirring occasionally. You will need a large bowl or another large pot to successfully maneuver this. When the soup is sufficiently warmed,adjust the seasonings, and stir again.