Soup 27: Sweet Potato Soup with Orange Creme Fraiche

After a lot of thought and a family consensus, I finally settled on a recipe of Sweet Potato Soup with Orange Creme Fraiche.  This sounded like a good alternative to the regular sweet potato dish we make on Thanksgiving, so it was an easy choice.

The ingredients were easy to find.  This time, though, I decided to make my own creme fraiche.  Sounds fancy but I used the shortcut recipe from my cookbook.  Other recipes call for buttermilk and require 24-36 hours to set, but this quick recipe can be made in 8 hours and only calls for heavy cream and sour cream.  Maybe one day I'll try the full recipe but I already had the cream and sour cream at home and I liked the idea of the quicker setting time given the rest of the prep I had to do for Thanksgiving dinner, so this worked fine for now.  I think I prefer the store bought to this recipe, but considering the price of store bought creme fraiche, this worked fine for a soup and adding the orange flavor.

To make the creme fraiche, I whisked together 1 cup heavy cream and 2/3 cup sour cream in a nonreactive bowl.  (The recipe actually called for 1/3 cup but I found that it didn't set thick enough so I added a little more sour cream.)  Once whisked together, I let stand at room temperature for 8 hours.  I refrigerated it after set and whisked in 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1 teaspoon ginger.  I refrigerated it overnight and brought to room temperature before serving.

To make the soup, I first peeled and cubed the sweet potatoes and sauteed them in a pan with 2 tablespoons butter and brown sugar till the butter was melted and mixed in with the sweet potatoes.  I transferred to a roasting pan and roasted for 15 minutes.

In a large pot, I melted 2 tablespoons butter and sauteed leeks, celery and ginger for about 4 minutes.  I added the roasted sweet potatoes and sauteed for 2 more minutes.  I added the chicken stock, oj, and salt and pepper and let simmer for about 20 minutes.

I pureed the soup with my handy dandy hand mixer and just seasoned with salt and white pepper.  I went a little light on the salt and pepper.  I made this the night before and reheated it for Thanksgiving dinner the next day.  The flavors definitely developed over night.

I served with a big dollup of orange creme fraiche.  Overall the family liked it and ate it all up.  It was a great festive starter for a yummy Thanksgiving.  I do have to say, however that I missed the regular butternut squash soup for Thanksgiving dinner, but it's always fun to change things up.  The orange in the soup really came through.  It did taste A LOT like sweet potatoes, so next time I might experiment with more spices.  As for my star rating system, as I remember, I originally started out with 4 stars but all the soups were getting 4 stars.  I added an extra star for soups that were phenomenally good.  So I suppose that would make 3 stars average.  Long story short- this soup gets 3.5 stars.  Above average but not very very good and surely not phenomenal.  But still yummy :-)

Ingredients

Creme fraiche
1 cup heavy cream / from home
2/3 cups sour cream / from home
1 teaspoon freshly minced, peeled ginger / $2.99/lb = $0.66/ Safeway
1 teaspoon grated orange zest / From home

Soup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter / $3.79 / Safeway
4 1/2 cups peeled, cubed red-skinned sweet potatoes / $1.49/lb = $3.53 / Safeway
2 teaspoons light brown sugar / From home
2 cups chopped leeks / $2.99/lb = $2.93 / Safeway
2/3 cup finely chopped celery / $1.00 / Safeway
1 teaspoon freshly minces, peeled ginger / Safeway
6 cups chicken stock / $2.49 / Smart & Final
2/3 cups orange juice / From home
salt
ground white pepper / $3.99 / Whole Foods


Prep time: 20 minutes (24 hours if making creme fraiche)
Cook time: 1 hour
Servings: 6
Taste: 3.75 stars
Prep: medium
Cost: $18.39 ($3.07 per serving)

Soup 26: Seafood Corn Bisque

I was soooo excited to make this soup. The original recipe called for crab, although the title gives the final ingredients away. I would have loved to use crab but could not find fresh crab meat anywhere (and I was not about to cook a whole crab and scoop out the meat). Despite the audible, the soup cam out amazing! I'd make this again in a heartbeat.

Most of the ingredients I found at the farmer's market. I did, however, have a hard time finding the crab meat. I was not about to use imitation crab, so when I came up empty at Safeway, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, I decided to use a package I found at Trader Joe's that had shrimp, scallops and calamari. It was perfect, but I would like to try this again with crab.

First, I had to de-kernel the corn. *Note to self - sharpen my knife.* This got a little scary, but I somehow managed to not cut any fingers off. Check out this video for pointers on how to remove fresh corn kernels.



The next step was to sautee the corn and leaks stirring for 6 minutes. I added the garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes and cooked for a minute more. I then added 4 cups of broth and brought to a simmer. I let simmer for 30 minutes.

While the soup simmered, I cooked the seafood in a separate pan, careful not to over cook. Once the soup cooked, I blended with a hand mixer until slightly chunky.

The original recipe called for half and half and sour cream. As much as I love those two ingredients, I wanted to try my best to keep it low cal. I substituted for a fat free half and half from Trader Joe's and a fat free sour cream. I whisked these in and seasoned with salt, to taste. I added a ton of basil, which really, really added to the flavor. Right before serving, I added the seafood. ALL of it!

YUMMY! The soup tasted great. The fam enjoyed it too. The substitutions worked well -the seafood, fat free sour cream and half and half. I do wonder if the soup would have been a little thicker with the full fat ingredients, but since the taste was still good, I don't think I would add the fat and calories next time. I might, however, add some diced potatoes or something else to thicken it up a bit, or simply adding less broth may work too. But overall, the flavors were awesome and this soup gets 5 stars.






Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil / from home
4 cups fresh corn kernels 7 ears of corn /$6.00 / Farmer's Market
2 cups chopped leaks / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
1 tablespoon garlic / from home
kosher salt / from home
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes / from home
4 cups chicken stock / $1.99 / Trader Joe's
1/2 cup fat free creamer/$2.49 / Trader Joe's
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream /$1.29 / Trader Joe's
Seafood mix / $7.99 / Trader Joe's
3 tablespoons julienned fresh basil / $1.00 / Farmer's Market

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Servings: 5
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: medium
Cost: $22.76 ($4.55 per serving)

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)

Soup 24: Broccoil Marscapone

I have to admit, I wasn't sold on this soup when I decided to make it, but it seemed so quick and easy that I went with it. Sooo glad I did! Not only did I enjoy it, my coworkers raved about it!

I started with cooking the shallots in the olive oil until soft. I added the broccoli and cooked for a minute more. I than added the chicken stock and let simmer for 10 minutes. I let cool and then pureed with my handy immersion blender. I whisked in 1 1/4 cups marscopone a little at a time and then added some cayenne pepper. And then I added more cayenne pepper :-D I refrigerated it overnight and took it to work in the morning.

And because I served it at work, I totally forgot to take a picture. To be honest, it's not the prettiest soup I've made, especially serving and eating it out of a coffee mug at work, but it was good. The cayenne really came through as a fabulously surprising bit of heat at the end. And anyone who loves broccoli will also love this.


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil / from home
1 1/2 cups sliced shallots
1 1/2 pounds broccoli florets
6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups mascarpone
salt
1/4 cayenne pepper

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 22: Lemongrass Soup with Shrimp

Let me first say I love Thai food; however, I have never tried to cook it. As a general rule, I am afraid of simplified recipes of ethnic food. BUT this was awesome and I could absolutely imaging being served this soup as a starter at a legit Thai restaurant. And thanks to You Tube, I learned how to prepare the lemongrass, an unfamiliar ingredient.

The first step was to doctor up the broth. To prep the lemongrass, I cut off the woody stem and green leafy part and them removed a few outer layers. The fun part was crushing the stems with a rolling pin to release the oils and get ultimate flavor out of the stems. I added the lemongrass and sliced limes to the broth and let simmer for 10 minutes. I strained the stock and discarded the lime and lemongrass.


The rest was super easy and super fast! I added the mushrooms, red bell pepper and red pepper flakes and simmered for 5 minutes. Next step was to add shrimp, snow peas and and green onions and cook until shrimp are curled and pink, about 2-3 minutes, careful not to overcook the shrimp or let the soup sit too long on the heat. I stirred in fresh squeezed lime juice and seasoned with salt, although the broth was already quite flavorful so minimal salt was needed.

At serving I garnished with cilantro. The smell was amazing and the colors in the soup were beautiful. I can't believe how easy this was. This recipe is for only 4 servings, but it was 4 hearty servings and not a drop of leftovers. This soup is easy and quick enough to make a second day if you are craving more. I wouldn't recommend reheating the shrimp in case they get chewy. You could always prepare the veggies and broth and add the shrimp when ready to enjoy.
Ingredients:

2 lemon grass stalks / $1 / Farmers market
2 limes / from home
4 cups chicken broth / $2.49 / Smart & Final
8 ounces sliced mushrooms / $3 / Farmer's Market (sold in a carton, had a ton left over)
1 red bell pepper / $1.50 / Farmer's Market
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes / from home
1 pound uncooked shrimp / 8.99 / Safeway
1 cup snow peas / $1.00 / Farmers market
2 green onions / $1.00 / Farmers market
salt / from home
cilantro for garnish / $1.00 / Farmers market

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: super easy
Cost: $19.98 ($4.99 per serving)


Check out this video if you would like to learn more about cooking with lemongrass!

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

Week 20: Summer Minestrone

Usually I'd be a little annoyed by rain in June, but since I need a tan and I am still in the mood for soup, I don't mind it so much. The challenge was to find a hearty, warm summer soup in my cook book, but I found something and added some stuff to make it a satisfying meal on a rainy day. The family loved it, and I'm still eating leftovers even thought the sun finally came out.

Basically this was a minestrone soup with summer veggies but the addition of pesto mixed in really gave it a unique flavor. Also, since I was going for something a little heartier, I added the green beans and wax beans and also the cannelli beans. I also threw in a little extra pasta.

This was my first shot at making a homemade pesto. The recipe actually calls it "pistou" which, I think, the difference is the absence of pine nuts. It was super easy to make; I put the basil, Parmesan and garlic in the food processor and pulsed a few times. I then added the olive oil in a stream and pulsed until the pistou was smooth. I saved it in a small dish to be served in the soup.

The soup was also quick and easy to make. I brought the broth to a boil, added the tomatoes, pasta and onion & cayenne and cooked for 10 minutes. I then added the squash, beans, & green beans and cooked for another 5 minutes. I seasoned with salt and pepper and the soup was good to go!

I served the soup with the pistou on the side and let the family add their own. I added a good couple spoonfuls to mine. The family was a little more reserved, but tried some and really liked it. My only disappointment was that the leftovers soaked up most of the remaining broth in the fridge overnight, so I had to add more broth to eat leftovers the next day.

Looks like the weather is getting more summer-like now, so you will begin to see more cold soups in the upcoming weeks.... stay tuned.

Ingredients
4 medium tomatoes / $2.50 / Farmer's Market
1 pound small yellow and green summer squash / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
1/2 pound green beans & wax beans / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
1 can cannellini beans / $0.89 / Trader Joe's
8 cups vegetable broth / 2 @ $1.99 / 3.98 / Trader Joe's
1 1/2 cup small penne pasta / $0.99 / Trader Joe's
1/2 cup diced red onion / $0.50 / Farmer's Market
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper / from home

Pistou
1/2 cup basil leaves / $1.00 / Farmer's Market
1 teaspoon chopped garlic / from home
3 tablespoons olive oil / from home
6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese / from home

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $13.86

Week 19: Watercress Soup with Seared Scallops

So I took a little break from blogging for a few weeks, so that meant I felt the pressure to return with an AWESOME soup.
Done and done!

I'll be honest. I saw the recipe, but didn't know for sure it was going to be amazing. I've never tried watercress before, cooked or raw. Wikipedia called it "peppery." I'm not sure that came across in the soup but it was super yummy regardless.

This was a perfect starter for a yummy seafood diner. I was happy to make it for my mom and her friends for a birthday celebration. The guests loved it, and it was fun to cook for a new audience.

I wasn't surprised that this was one of the more pricey soups to make since scallops can add up quickly. However, with a little more time and advanced planning, I could have cut the cost a bit. I ended up purchasing the watercress & scallops at Whole Foods, and buying twice the amount of scallops just because it seemed like it would not be enough. The watercress was not available at my regular Real Produce spot, even though I've seen it there before. Had I known, I could have probably found it at an Asian market much cheaper. Also, I wasn't sure how much it would chop down to, so I ended up buying too much and could have gotten away with only 1 bunch. I also found out after the fact that Trader Joe's sells frozen scallops for $12.99 for about the same amount in cost and bulk that I purchased from Whole Foods at TWICE the price! I was thinking Whole Foods would have some awesome fresh scallops, but it turns out they are previously frozen anyway. They tasted great regardless, which leads me to believe that when I make this again --and I WILL-- that I will cut the cost and buy the bag at Trader Joe's. But still, it's not a full meal, so it's not a good budget course at all.

Another reason to L O V E this soup is that it was so quick and easy to make! I started by sauteing the leaks and potatoes till leeks were tender. I added the broth, brought to a simmer, and let simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. After potatoes were tender, I removed from the heat and added the watercress until it wiled, for about 5 minutes. Once again I got to get out my super cool immersion blender and puree. I whisked in the sour cream and added milk until the desired consistency then seasoned with salt and pepper. Delish!

For the scallops, I melted oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. I cooked about 2 minutes on each side. This was the first time I've cooked scallops too, so it was hard to tell when they were done and I was afraid to overcook. But I guess I had a little streak of beginner's luck because they were perfect.

I took the picture as the recipe calls for with just one scallop, but since I had extra and they were delicious, I added an extra scallop to every one's bowl.



Ingredients

3 1/2 tablespoons butter / from home
3 cups chopped leeks /2 bunches @ $1.79 = $3.58 / Real Produce
2 medium russet potatoes (peeled & chopped into 1" cubes /$0.69/lb = $1.46 / Real Produce
4 1/2 cups chicken broth / $2.49 / Smart & Final
2 1/4 cups trimmed & coarsely chopped watercress / $2.99/bunch / Whole Foods
1/2 cup sour cream /$1.69 / Trader Joe's
3/4 cup whole milk / $1.29 / Trader Joe's
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil / from home
6 jumbo sea scallops, side muscles removed / $22.99/ lb = $21.61 / Whole Foods

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $35.11

Week 18: Carrot, Orange & Tarragon soup

I ventured outside of my cookbook again once I came across this recipe I had saved a while ago. Now that I have a true appreciation for tarragon, I can't pass up a tarragon soup recipe. Oh, and the best part, this recipe called for a bit of brandy. That pretty much sealed the deal.

This is going down as one of my favorite soups. It was super easy to make and I had most of the ingredients at home. And the taste was so yummy and super unique. The carrots and orange gave a subtle sweetness while the earthiness of the tarragon and brandy. I ate the soup with a yummy wheat bread, and it was the perfect lunch for a few days.

To make the soup, I sauteed onions with carrots until the onions were soft. I then added the broth and brought to a simmer. I let simmer for 15 minutes, or until carrots were tender. I pureed the soup with an immersion blender and added the orange juice, brandy, tarragon and salt and pepper. I let simmer for 10 more minutes so the flavors could blend. The soup was yummy, but I added a bit more brandy just because I thought the flavor wasn't bold enough and partially because it's fun putting liquor in soup!




Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $9.99


Ingredients

1 teaspoon butter / from home
3 cups chicken broth / $3.99 / Lucky's
1 medium onion / $0.50 / Farmer's market
1 1/2 pounds carrots / $4.00 / Farmer's Market
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon / $1.50 / Farmer's Market
1/2 cup orange juice / From home
2-3 tablespoons brandy / from home

Carrot, orange & tarragon soup
garnished with a sprig of fresh tarragon

Week 17: Risotto Soup

I've been curious about this soup since the first time I looked over the recipe. But I was a little afraid to make the risotto and it also called for a homemade broth, which takes time but is usually worth it. But since I made some extra broth last week, all that was left was learning how to make risotto...

For the broth, I used "short-cut chicken broth" that I had frozen from last week. I simmered 8 cups canned chicken broth with 1 1/2 cups onions, 2 celery stocks, 2-3 medium carrots, 2 sprigs of Italian parsley and 1/2 teaspoon thyme. After 20 minutes, strain and then it's ready to go, much tastier than the canned stuff.

The risotto was not so easy. Definitely a dish to make while drinking a glass (or 2) of wine! It's not hard so much as time consuming and requires a ton of attention and pretty much non-stop stirring. Simmer 3 1/2 cups broth in a separate pan. Saute shallots in butter until cooked and translucent. Add rice and cook until opaque (about 3-4 minutes). Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, stirring constantly until all liquid is dissolved. Continue to add broth 1/2 cup at a time, each time ensuring the broth has been absorbed. Stir often so that rice does not stick. The rice was still a little under cooked for me by the time the last of the broth was used up. I used a bit of water to cook the rice longer until the desired texture. Lastly, I added parmesan cheese.

The final step was to bring the rest of the both to a simmer and add the veggies. I used asparagus, mushrooms and green onions. These cooked quickly in the broth.

I served each bowl with a scoop of risotto in the middle and ladled in the broth and veggies. Sooo yummy. The broth was definitely worth the extra time. The risotto kept a nice texture in the broth and the asparagus and mushrooms were awesome too. The original recipe actually called for snap peas cut thinly for this soup, but the snap peas didn't look very good at the store and asparagus was on sale, so i opted for that. Glad I did. This was a hearty meal in itself, but a smaller portion made for a great first course. My girlfriends and I ate it with chicken in a mushroom sauce and the whole meal was delish! Can't wait to make this again, even with the stirring. And making the risotto wasn't too bad, but glad I gad that glass of wine and my girlfriends to keep me company through all the stirring.


Prep time: 10 minutes (not including broth)
Cook time: 40 minutes (not including broth)
Servings: 5-6
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: takes some attention
Cost: $7.49 for broth, $8.58


Ingredients

Chicken Broth:
8 cups chicken broth / $2.49 / Smart & Final
2 onions / from home
2 celery stalks / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
2 medium carrots / 6 for $2.00 / Farmer's Market
2 Italian parsley sprigs $1.00 per bunch / Farmers' market
1/2 tsp Thyme / from home

Risotto Soup:
1/2 cup shallots / @2.99/lb = $1.76 / Whole Foods
1/2 pound asparagus / $3.99/lb = $0.84 / Whole Foods
1 bunch green onions / $0.99 / Whole Foods
4 oz crimini mushrooms /$4.99/lb = $2.30 Whole Foods
Grated parmesan cheese / from home
1 cup Aborio rice / 2.69 / Whole Foods


The girls eating Risotto Soup

Week 16: Penne & Aspargus in Parmesan Broth

Given my love for cheese, I've been looking forward to making this soup for weeks. The only thing stopping me was the fact that I'd have to make the broth and track down what I thought was going to be a hard-to-find ingredient. But all-in-all, this soup wasn't too hard to make and eating it was sooooo worth any trouble.

First off, this soup is all about the broth. Luckily, my awesome cookbook gave me an idea on how to doctor up a store bought broth, and it works amazingly. Basically just simmer regular store bought broth with onions, carrots, celery stalks and Italian parsley and thyme for 20 minutes. I even made and extra batch and froze it for future brothy soups.

This soup broth, though, calls for parmesan cheese rinds to add an incredibly interesting flavor to the broth. Not knowing that I could just purchase the rinds, I almost used the back up plan the cookbook offered and spooned in grated parmesan once the soup was ready to serve. I was worried I'd have to buy several full pieces of cheese with rinds in order to have enough to flavor the broth, and that would have cost a fortune. But I figured, I wanted the full effect, so I called up Whole Foods and they said they did sell Parmesan with the rinds (Nob Hill, Trader Joe's and Safeway did not). Once I got to Whole Foods, after walking around the cheese section looking confused but too stubborn to ask, I caught a glimpse of a huge parmesan display with just rinds for sale in a little container. Jackpot! And this helped keep the cost down too! The rinds simmered in the store-bought broth with the veggies and herbs for 20 minutes. I strained the broth and then it was ready to go! The smell was amazing and the broth was delicious enough to drink on its own. Not sure what the effect of just sprinkling in grated parmesan before serving would have been, but I can't imagine it would have been the same. This came out too good to skimp the next time I make it.

To complete the soup I cooked the pasta for 5 minutes less than the package directions. I then added the asparagus and green onions and cooked for a few minutes more. Finally, I added the peas and cooked for another few minutes. While this was happening, I sliced some prosciutto and crisped it in a fry pan until crispy. This can be added with grated parmesan for a garnish. And that's it. Soup's on! This soup is 5 stars all the way. Even my dad, Mr. Meat & Potatoes loved it. AND my dear friend who is less than experimental with his food was pretty impressed too... AND my foody girlfriend Cat came and took some in a tuperware to heat up for her lunch that day. I appreciate the shout out she gave to me on Facebook, but also kinda wish I had kept that last serving for myself. Hahaha.
I can't wait to make this again. Although the broth is intended to be the star of this dish, I did add more pasta and peas than the recipe called for to make more of a hearty meal. I would also increase the asparagus next time too. I will also try a different kind of pasta too because my penne was a little big and hard to eat with a spoon.

The soup was a little pricier per serving than the last few, but considering this was a meal in itself, $26 for 6 servings is a pretty economic meal. Also, I was out of parmesan and ended up not even needing it since the broth was flavorful enough without it, so that can be skipped to cut cost if you don't have it on hand. I served it with a yummy ciabatta bread too!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: Easy
Cost: $25.84
Nutritionals: calories 242, fat 2 grams (per serving)


Ingredients
8 cups chicken broth / $2.49 / Smart & Final
2 onions / from home
2 celery stalks / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
2 medium carrots / 6 for $2.00 / Farmer's Market
2 Italian parsley sprigs $1.00 per bunch / Farmers' market
6-8 ounces parmesan cheese rinds /$3.96 / Whole Food's
2-3 cups uncoooked penne pasta / $0.99 / Trader Joe's
1 pound asparagus / $5 / Farmer's Market
1 bunch green onions / $1 / Farmer's Market
1-2 cups frozen peas (defrosted) / From home
5 ounces prosciutto (for garnish) / $3.99/ Trader Joe's
Grated parmesan cheese (for garnish) / $3.41.Trader Joe's



Feeding the troops soup!
A-bay loves his soup!

Week 15: Parsley Soup

So this is the first soup blog entry while working at my new job. While my last job afforded me tons of time to blog all day and leave early and make soup, part of the reason I left was to have a better job where I would want to concentrate on work. But I miss my soup blog. So now this challenge got a little more challenging, but I'm still making soup. And if ever there is an extra crazy, hectic week, I'll just figure it out as I go along. It is my blog, my rules, after all =)

Anyway, this week I made Parsley soup. Yup, you got that right. Soup with parsley as the main ingredient. I was actually very curious about this soup from the beginning. It just seemed so original. In the end, it was! I'm still trying to figure out the taste. The really exciting part was that the soup was very good cold! I almost felt like I put a tad too much lemon in it when I tasted it hot, but as a cold soup, it was perfect. The parsley was very fresh tasting and the lemon added some much needed acid. I do understand now what they mean in those cooking shows when they speak of a "palatte cleanser." A small serving would be perfect to introduce a new bold flavored course.

So in case you are wondering, here is how you make parsley soup. I first sauteed the leeks til soft and then added the potato, broth and yogurt and let simmer for 20 minutes. While that is simmering, clean the parsely so only leaves and tender stems remain. The actual recipe called for light cream rather than yogurt, but I thought I'd keep this light so I used plain, non-fat yogurt instead. If you like a richer soup, use the cream. Another distinction, the recipe called for flat-leaf, Italian parsley, not the curly-leaf parsley that is more common. I found this easily and cheaply at the farmer's market. Once the soup is cooked, add parsely leaves and cook for 2 minutes more, until leaves are wilted. Puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice to taste. I think I ended up adding the juice from half a large lemon. (Remember this might have been too much when eaten hot). The end, another easy to make soup. The color in the picture doesn't actually do it justice, it was a very lovely fresh green color.

Ingredients

3 packed cups Italian parsley, leaves & tender stems /$1.00/bunch = $2.00 /Farmer's Market
Butter / from home
2 cups chopped leaks / $5 / Safeway
3 cups chicken stock / $2.49 / Smart & Final
1 1/2 cup plain, non-fat yogurt / from home
8 ounces potatoes, peeled & diced / from home
salt / from home
pepper / from home
lemon / from home

Prep time: 25 min (took forever to remove the parsley stems!)
Cook time: 30 min
Servings: 8 (small)
Taste: 4 stars
Prep: moderate (stupid parsley stems!)
Cost: $9.49
Nutritionals: Calories-88, Fat grams-2 (per 8 oz. serving)

(The cost could have been less but I forgot the leeks at the farmer's market and had to pay a fortune (comparitively) for them at my nearby grocery store. Also, although the calorie count is pretty low, I could have easily used less butter to saute the veggies)


Cold soup! What's next?

Week 14: Pea Soup

So this week, Pea soup is on the menu. Last week's asparagus soup was so yummy, I thought I'd stick with the veggies, plus I had some left over creme fraiche that I didn't want to go to waste. This was an easy, economic soup to make and the best part was that there were no onions to burn my eyes. Yay for a tear-free soup week! The leeks are always tricky to clean, but I have a little system now, so it want too bad.


The first step was to saute the leeks until soft and then add the peas, potato, and broth. This was brought to a simmer and left uncovered simmering for about 25 minutes, until all veggies were soft. Next step was to get out my immersion blender and puree the soup. This was a little tricky because the soup appeared to be completely pureed but I found a few little leeks that escaped the first blending, so take your time with the blender. I whisked in the creme fraiche and added the nutmeg and cayenne. The recipe called for either an eighth or a fourth teaspoon depending on how much spice you prefer. I went for the spice! The soup was still a tad bland at this point, so I added more salt and pepper. I let the soup sit over low heat for about 20 minutes to allow the spices to do their thing, but the soup could have also been served and eaten right away. Finally, I served the soup to the fam with chopped chives.

I used frozen peas for ease and cost. But if you are up to the challenge, you can also use fresh peas. Also, the original recipe called for regular sour cream, but since I had the creme fraiche left over I went with that. If you are keeping cost down, sour cream should be fine.

Maybe it's my memory of pea soup on the hot lunch menu once a week in elementary school, but this soup was not one of my favorites. It was very pea tasting, unlike the asparagus soup from last week that had some great flavors to it despite being 95% asparagus. Not sure I would make this again since there have been some much yummier soups over the last 14 weeks, but it was worth trying I'd say.

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped leeks (2-3 leeks, white and light green parts) / 2 for $2.49 / Real Produce
5 cups frozen peas, patted dry / $1.79 / some from home, some from Trader Joe's
1 cup peeled chopped potato / $0.99/lb = $0.67
2 tablespoons butter / from home
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg / from home
1/4 teaspoon cayenne / from home
1/2 cup creme fraiche / from home
5 cups chicken broth / $2.49 / Smart & Final
2 tablespoons chives (for garnish) / $1.79 / Trader Joe's

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Servings: 6
Taste: 3 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $9.23


What should I make next week?????

Week 13: Asparagus Soup with Tarragon Cream

I can't believe it's been 13 weeks already! And I can't believe I'm not tired of eating and making soup. Maybe I'm getting better, but each week seems to be easier and faster! This week I was finally able to enjoy the weather and make it to the Farmer's Market for my ingredients. My typical farmer's market routine is to do a lap to see what's there and do a second lap paying attention to prices and make my purchases in my final lap. This time around, the asparagus were calling to me to take them home. I got distracted by some amazing oranges and forgot to look for the tarragon, but I was able to pick up a few shallots too.

To make the soup, I cut the asparagus into 1/2" pieces, and sauteed the shallots. A note about the shallots: This is the first recipe that called for shallots rather than onions. I've never used a shallot so I figured I'd stick to the recipe since they were easy to find at the farmer's market and not real pricey (although in comparison to an onion they are a little pricey). I even thought I might get a break from burning, tearing eyes this week --no such luck. In the end, I couldn't taste the difference, so if you don't have shallots on hand, a plain old onion would probably be fine. If you are interested in learning more, my friends at Good Housekeeping have more to say on the subject.

Back to the steps...
So after sauteing the shallots in butter for a few minutes, I added the asparagus for a minute more. I then added broth, a sprinkle of cayenne, salt and rice. I covered and let simmer for 20 minutes, until the asparagus were very soft.

In the meantime, I whisked the creme fraiche with the chopped tarragon. A note about the tarragon/creme fraiche: This was another unfamiliar ingredient to me. But loving fresh herbs and being stubborn and never measuring, I may have overdone it a tad. I'm not entirely sure how much tarragon I used, but next time I would add a little at a time to taste before dumping it in. Also, the last time I used creme fraiche, I recall not being too impressed by the taste considering the high price and similarity to plain, cheap sour cream, but this time I found the creme fraiche at Trader Joe's much cheaper, so I used it. However, this is another ingredient that can be easily substituted and still come out with a great soup.

Once again, back to the steps...
After vegetables are soft, puree the soup and whisk in the creme fraiche/tarragon mixture. I returned the soup to the stove and kept on low heat until we were ready to eat. The licorice flavor of the fennel subdued a tad, I think. Or maybe I just got used to it.

Overall the soup was yummy! It was actually even quite good before adding the tarragon, so if you aren't a fan of the licorice/anise flavor, this can be skipped and enjoyed just as well. My friends loved the soup and went back for more! Even my fried who was stunned by the strong flavors of the tarragon ended up having a second helping later. The moral of the story, is don't rule out the tarragon right away. Give it a chance and you will LOVE this soup!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds medium asparagus /2 bunches = $6 / farmer's market
2 tablespoons butter / from home
1/2 cup chopped shallots / $1.50/lb = $0.75 / farmer's market
4 cups chicken stock / from home
salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper / from home
1/3 cup long grain white rice, uncooked / from home
1/2 cup creme fraiche / $3.49 / Trader Joe's
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon / $1.99 / Whole Foods

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Taste: 4 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $12.23

Can't wait to see what's at the Farmer's Market next week!

Week 12: Fruity Curry Soup

After 12 weeks of me trying to get my coworkers to try my soup, I finally gave in to a special recipe request. My friend asked me (after turning down corned beef & cabbage), "Can't you just make a curry soup?" Well, actually, yes I can!

My cookbook didn't have a recipe, so I spent some time looking online and narrowed it down to 4. Many of the curry soups were Thai and contained coconut milk, which I am not a fan, and others included lentils which sounded yummy and hearty and perfect for the weather we've been having, but in the end we choose a Caribbean style recipe which called for apples & bananas. Sounded good to me!

This soup was super easy, from ingredients to stove top. I started by peeling and chopping potatoes and apples, onion and celery, and banana. Yes, you read that correctly, this savory soup has fruit in it. I simmered the fruits and vegetables in the chicken broth until tender. I then added the yogurt, butter, salt and curry powder. And then I used my awesome immersion blender to puree and that was it! Done and done. The original recipe called for heavy cream, but I substituted non-fat yogurt for a healthier option.


The only hang up was that I've been battling a little cold and no matter how much curry I dumped in that pot, I couldn't taste a thing. But after I had more than doubled the amount of curry called for in the recipe, I decided to stop. I hope they like it! Oh, and I did feel like I wanted a little bit of chunkiness in the soup, so at the last minute, I peeled, diced and cooked another small apple and threw it in. Why not?

Besides being really easy to make, this soup was very affordable. I actually had most of the ingredients at home, but I purchased more just to not deplete my stock. I also purchased enough for a double batch, so this would be even more affordable for someone to make it at home for 4 - 6 servings. For 10 - 12 servings, this soup cost only $5.99. To be fair, I did use left over, frozen chicken broth from another week, so that would add about $3 to the cost. I would say that's still well within the budget!

I took this to work for my coworkers and have to say I was a bit nervous given my lack of tastebuds, but it was a hit. The soup smelled really good and got a lot of attention in the breakroom. The fruit really came through with the savoriness of the curry and it totally worked. I did not miss the heavy cream at all, so I think I will keep yougurt in mind for future substitutes. Sean gave it his seal of approval, which is pretty awesome considering his Caribbean roots. I ate it with wheat flat bread and it was a very satisfying lunch. I will keep this recipe in mind next time I'm craving something out of the ordinary.



Ingredients
1 large potato / $0.99/lb = $0.71 / Real Produce
2 celery stalks / $1.99 /Real Produce
1 onion / from home
1 large granny smith apple, peeled / $0.79/lb = $0.92 / Real Produce
1 unripened, firm banana / 2 @ $0.19 = $0.38 / Trader Joe's
2 cups chicken broth / from home
1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt / from home
1 tablespoon butter / from home
2 teaspoons curry powder / $1.99 / Trader Joe's
salt / from home

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 - 6 (althought I made a double batch, I have included measurements for a single)
Taste:
Prep: easy, easy, easy
Cost: $5.99 (approximately $2 per serving)

Yummy!