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)