Soup 25: Cucumber & Smoked Salmon

Well...so much for one soup per week. I realize it's been a while. I've been eating soup but haven't had much time to blog about soup lately. Hopefully I can remember the soups I made, good thing I took pictures.

I wanted to try this soup especially because I am a huge fan of cucumbers and dill and I'm a little fascinated chilled soups. I wasn't really sure about how the smoked salmon would add to the soup, but the whole point of this blog is to try new foods, so Why not! Although I love seafood, especially sushi, salmon isn't my favorite but I thought I would try it paired with some of my favorite ingredients.

Overall the ingredients were easy to find. One trip to the farmer's market and Trader Joe's and I had everything I needed. I had seen the smoked salmon guy at the farmer's market many times before, but this was the first time I visited his stand. I only needed a few ounces so I bought the smallest piece, but it was still a little pricey considering I wouldn't likely use the rest.

The first step was to sautee the onions in butter until softened. I added the cucumbers and potato and cooked for another minute. Then I added the stock, 3 dill sprigs and 1 teaspoon salt. I simmered covered for 25 minutes.

I used my awesome hand blender to puree the soup and let cool for about 15 minutes. Then I added the creme fraiche and 4 tablespoons chopped dill. Feel free to add more dill to taste. The cucumbers give a faint taste, so the dill really freshens the soup up and adds flavor. I put it in the fridge overnight and served the next day.

Before serving I added salt to taste and a tad bit of lemon juice. Last part was a garnish of smoked salmon and I was ready to serve.

Overall, I give this soup 3 stars. The salmon seemed to overpower the light flavor of the cucumber. I almost felt like I was eating cold salmon with dill. It was different, which is what I expected. Not sure I'd make this one again, but glad I tried it. Pretty much confirmed that I do not like smoked salmon. I wonder what other garnish may have made this better???? If you have an idea, please let me know. I'd be happy to try this again.



Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter / from home
1 cup chopped onion / from home
4 medium cucumbers (peeled, deseeded, chopped to 1/2" cubes) / 4 @ $1.50 = $6.00 / Farmer's Market
1 cup peeled, cubed russet potato / from home
3 1/2 cups chicken broth / $1.99 / Trader Joe's
3 dill sprigs / $1.00 / Farmer's market
kosher salt
3/4 cup creme fraiche / $3.29 / Trader Joe's
Black pepper
2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice / from home (optional)
2-3 ounces smoked salmon / $9.00 / Farmer's market (for the smallest piece I could find)


Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour plus 4 hours to cool
Servings: 6
Taste: 3 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $21.28 ($3.55 per serving)

Week 23: "Cool & Hot" Tomato Chipotle Soup

Yes, I realize that I've made several tomato soups already, but tomatoes are just so yummy and pair so well with a variety of different ingredients. This week's recipe is Tomato & Chipotle and can be served hot or cold.

Unlike the prior recipes, this one calls for fresh tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes. I decided to stick with that even tho it was a ton more work, but I wanted to see how the fresh would compare with the canned. To prep the tomatoes as the recipe suggested, I cut them in quarters and removed the seeds and membranes. I then cut into 1/2 inch pieces to yield 5 cups. This wasn't so bad. I wore gloves to protect my fingers from getting wrinkled by the water from the tomatoes, and I had some time to kill as I waited for the chipotles to cook.

The recipe also called for dried chipotle peppers rather than the canned chipotle. I found the peppers at Chavez Market in the cellophane package. But... I could not find a package of chipotles. I googled it and tried to find a chile that looked like the picture. I ended up with "Chili Pasilla" which worked just fine. To cook the peppers, I boiled them in hot water for 30 minutes and then removed from the pan and saved the liquid left in the pan. Before soaking, I should have removed the chili seed and membranes, but it wasn't too bad doing that after the chilis were cooked. I chopped the peppers and set them aside. Although the recipe called for only 4 peppers, I cooked more just in case the soup needed more heat (and it did!). I also strained the cooking liquid through a sieve and paper towel.

As much as I love using fresh ingredients, I think the soup would have been just as good with the canned tomato and chipotle in adobo sauce. And it would have saved tons of time, effort and money. And with the organic canned tomatoes, it would have been healthy too! Oh well, you don't know until you try.

After the prep of the chilis and tomatoes, the rest went quickly. I sauteed the chopped onions in olive oil for a few minutes then added the garlic and peppers, stirring for a minute or so. Next, I added the tomatoes, strained liquid from cooking the chilis, chicken stock, salt, and cumin. I brought this to a simmer and let it continue to simmer uncovered for 25 minutes.

I then used my immersion blender to puree. I tasted the soup hear and added more salt, cumin and chili and placed in the fridge to cool overnight.

The next day I served the soup cold with a dollup of sour cream and sprinkle of cilantro. The soup was good but, truthfully neither myself nor the rest of the fam was overwhelmed. But I didn't want to waste, so I took a big bowl full to work for lunch the next day. Under the cold A/C of the office, I decided to eat the soup hot for lunch. What a difference! Heated up the smokey flavors of the chili really showed up! I brought enough for a coworker and he loved it too (also warm).

So the moral of the story is, this soup is awesome served warm, and if you are serving warm, feel free to use the canned tomatoes and chipotle in adobo to save some time and money. And don't skimp on the chili!

Ingredients
1 bag dried chipotle peppers (or canned chipotle in adobo sauce) / $2.49 / Chavez market
3 lbs tomatoes / $1.50/ lb = $4.50 / Real Produce
1/4 cup olive oil / from home
2 cups chopped onion / from home
1 tablespoon minced garlic / from home
2 cups chicken broth / $1.99 / Trader Joe's
kosher salt / from home
2 teaspoons ground cumin / from home (more to taste)
sour cream / $1.79 / Trader Joe's (optional)
1/4 cups chopped cilantro / $0.99 / Chavez Market (optional)


Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Taste: 4 stars
Prep: lots of prep if using fresh tomatoes and peppers
Cost: $11.76 ($1.96 per serving)

Week 21: Watermelon Gazpacho

Oppps... It's been quite a while since I've blogged. Funny thing is, I have been making soup, just haven't found the time to write about it. There have been some really good ones, so it's about time I share.

Whats great about summertime soups is that they are cold and refreshing. They are also very easy and quick to make, except for the chill time which takes some advanced planning, but worth the time. Most weeks I've made the soup in the evenings anyway, to be eaten the next day.

The soup I couldn't wait to make once it was time for the summer recipes is the Watermelon Gazpacho. It sounded so light and delicious and also gave me a chance to grill!

The first step was to cut and drain the watermelon. After cubing the watermelon, I let it drain in a colander to remove excess liquid. ---If I make this again (which I might), I would be sure to set aside a few larger cubes for the garnish. --- I then blended the watermelon and bread crumbs together in a food processor in 3 separate batches, careful not to blend too much so that there was some texture to the soup. Once all the watermelon was blended, I combined the mixtures and stirred in the lime juice, salt and red pepper flakes. I then covered the soup and placed it in the freezer for about 1 1/2 hours or until slushy. I tasted it again when I was ready to serve and added extra lime juice and salt.

The garnish was super fun to make! I heated the grill, skewered the remaining watermelon cubes and brushed them with olive oil. (Remember to soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes before placing them on the grill.) My cubes were a little small and started to fall off the skewers while they were warming up, so I will definitely cut them larger next time. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get grill marks on the melon. I may have not had the grill hot enough or I didn't leave them on long enough because they were starting to fall off the skewers, but they were still yummy. Once grilled, I re-skewered the melon between mint leaves and added to the bowls of watermelon gazpacho.

The gazpacho was yummy and refreshing. It was a great starter to the first bbq meal of the summer, and the family ate it all up! I will definitely try this again, maybe adding mint to the gazpacho or maybe basil would be yummy too... so many options.



Ingredients
6 cups cubed watermelon, plus extra for skewers (About 5 lb watermelon) / $6.99 /Safeway
3/4 cup bread crumbs / from home
2 1/4 teaspoon fresh lime juice, more if needed / from home
salt / from home
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes / from home
Olive oil / from home
6 fresh mint leaves / $1 / Real Produce

Also needed
skewers

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes, 1 1/2 hour freezing time
Servings: 8
Taste: 4 stars
Prep: super easy
Cost: $7.99