Kitchen
Korner
Autumn
Soups
by Karin LaRonde
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When
I think autumn, I think soup. This time of year, we have an abundance
of vegetables and herbs.
Remember
the "Stone Soup" story? Soup is an easy way to be creative.
It's important to have a good base. Vegetable stock is easy to
make. It's flavourful and fat-free.
Here
is a method...
VEGETABLE
STOCK
Makes
about 1 1/2 quarts.
2 medium
Onions with peels
3 medium Carrots
3 ribs Celery
1 cup Parsley with stems
3 cloves Garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
2 Bay leaves
2 quarts Water
Salt and Pepper to taste
Place
all ingredients in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the
heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Strain and use immediately
or refrigerate (or freeze) until needed. Once you have a stock,
you can use it to make any soup.
THAI COCONUT CARROT SOUP WITH CORIANDER
This
a favourite of many at the Farmer's Market
2 lb
Carrots
1 lb Sweet potato
1 sm Onion, peeled and diced
3-4 stalks of Celery, copped
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon fresh grated Ginger
1 tablespoon chopped Garlic
1 tsp Ground Coriander
4 c Vegetable Stock
1 tablespoon Thai Curry Paste
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Freshly ground Black Pepper
1 can (13.5 oz or 400 ml.) Coconut Milk
zest & juice from 1 Lime
1/4 c chopped fresh Cilantro
Peel
the carrots and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces (about 5-6
cups). Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small cubes (about
1 1/2 cups). In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the
olive. Add the onion and sautee while stirring occasionally, until
translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic & ginger and sautee
while stirring until it begins to change color, 20-30 seconds.
Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, and coriander and sautee, stirring
a couple of times, for about 2-3 minutes. Add stock, sugar, curry
paste and Braggs. Over medium heat bring to a simmer, lower the
heat, cover partially and continue simmering until vegetables
are soft when pierced with the point of a knife, about 20-25 minutes.
Using
a food processor with its metal blade attached, or a blender,
process the vegetables in small batches with the stock, until
a smooth puree (soup may be made ahead to this point; cover and
refrigerate). Return to the saucepan and add the add lime juice,
zest and coconut milk. Place over medium heat and heat almost
to a boil. Taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary. If too
thick, add more stock. Add chopped cilantro and serve.
We've served fresh Gazpacho ( below) at the Farmer's Market a
few times. It was a big
hit.
GAZPACHO
2 cloves
Garlic, peeled
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 English Cucumber, cut
½ small Red Onion, peeled and quartered
6 ripe Tomatoes quartered
1/2 Green Pepper, seeded & quartered
3 tablespoon Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 tablespoons each: fresh Basil, fresh Oregano, fresh Parsley
1 tsp Salt
1/2 c Vegetable Stock
Put
all ingredients into container of electric blender in order listed.
Cover and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped. Chill
thoroughly and serve. Serve with croutons.
ROASTED
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
2 small
Butternut Squash, halved & seeded
2 tablespoons Honey
3 Shallots, minced
1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 quarts Vegetable Stock
1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Brush
each squash half with honey. Roast at 350 degrees until tender,
about 45 minutes; cool. Remove flesh from skin. In a large pot
over low heat, saute shallots and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
Add squash and stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Add rosemary.
Simmer 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree. Season to
taste with salt, pepper and additional honey.
ZESTY
LENTIL STEW
Sometimes
I omit the tomatoes and add 2 cups of cooked chick peas to this
recipe.
2-3
tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
2 Celery stalks, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1½ c Brown Rice
1 c Red Lentils
6 c Vegetable Stock
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tablespoon Sweet Hungarian Paprika
½ tsp Curry
pinch Cayenne
½ tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Braggs Liquid Soy
2 tablespoons Honey
2 c Tomatoes, chopped
1½ c Sweet Potatoes, diced
1 c Green Peas, fresh or frozen
Rinse
rice and lentils. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and celery
and sautee until lightly browned. Add garlic and rice-lentil mix.
Sautee for 1 minute. Add stock, seasonings and honey and simmer
for 35 minutes. Add tomatoes & sweet potatoes bring to boil
and let simmer an additional 10 min. Add peas and simmer another
5 minutes. Adjust seasonings.
ROASTED
GARLIC POTATO SOUP
5 whole
garlic heads
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 c onion, diced
1 c carrot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 c potatoes, diced ( aprox 2 pounds)
4 c vegetable stock
1 tsp Bragg's Liquid Soy
¼ tsp pepper
2 bay leaves
1 c 2% low-fat milk or soy milk
¼ c fresh parsley, chopped
Remove
white papery skin from each garlic head (do not peel or separate
cloves). Wrap each head separately in aluminum foil. Bake at 350F
degrees for 1 hour; let cool for 10 minutes. Separate cloves,
and squeeze to extract 1/4 cup of garlic pulp; discard the skins.
Cook
onions with olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat
until soft. Add carrot and minced garlic, and sautee 5 minutes.
Add potato, stock liquid soy, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a
boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until potato
is tender. Remove bay leaf. Combine garlic pulp
and 2 cups potato mixture in a blender or food processor and process
until smooth.
Return
puree to pan; stir in milk, and cook over low heat until thoroughly
heated. Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley.
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