Soup

November – Instant Vegetable Stock
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November – Instant Vegetable Stock

Ok, this isn’t exactly instant. It is, however, pretty darn close. And, it is a heck of a lot better tasting than those commercial canned or boxed vegetable stocks. It doesn’t require hours of simmering on the stove, it doesn’t take up half your freezer, and you don’t have to defrost frozen blocks of stock. You will have quarts of stock available in the time it takes water to boil. Is it sounding more instant by the minute? I find that canned or boxed stock are completely bland and out of balance, they can ruin a good soup or stew recipe. If you have the time, by all means make magic mineral broth, it is amazing. But if you don’t, keep a jar of this “instant vegetable stock” in your fridge and a few extra jars in the freezer.

Take a look at all these good things in this stock…

Instant Vegetable Stock

Instant Vegetable Stock

What do you think?

So, here is the trick. In careful proportions you process the above ingredients to a fine granular paste, add sea salt as a preservative, and portion into small jars. To make stock, add a rounded teaspoon (or more for a stronger stock) into a cup of very hot water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Dada! Instant vegetable stock.

This is the time of year you need to have stock on hand for soups, stews, and gravy. Make a batch, it comes together quickly.

Instant Vegetable Stock Base

Instant Vegetable Stock Base

This makes about 4 8-oz jars. It halves well if you want to make less.

Ingredients, all measured after washing, trimming and/or peeling:

  • 9 oz leeks
  • 7 oz fennel
  • 7 oz carrots
  • 9 oz celery root
  • 2 oz sun-dried tomatoes (not the ones in oil)
  • 2 or 3 garlic cloves
  • 3 1/2 oz Italian parsley
  • 3 1/2 oz cilantro
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fine sea salt

Method:

  1. A food processor is essential to this recipe. Simply put the ingredients into the processor and blend together until you have a fine, moist, granular paste.  My processor is not huge, so I made the stock base in batches, dumped each batch into a large bowl, and mixed it all together with the salt at the end.
  2. Spoon into clean jars with tight-fitting lids.
  3. Keep one jar in the fridge and put the others in the freezer. Use within 6 months.
  4. To use, stir about 1 teaspoon into a cup of very hot water. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. If you need a clear broth, strain it after it sits.
    Vegetable Stock

    Vegetable Stock

    Instant Vegetable Stock Base

    Instant Vegetable Stock Base

    Note: This stock base is salty, you may not need to add any additional salt when using it. Consider using a teaspoon instead of salt in some recipes, it will enhance the over-all flavor of the dish.

I got this idea from the wonderful folks at Food52.

May – Spring Carrot Soup
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May – Spring Carrot Soup

This soup came about because of my book club. It was my turn to host, we had decided on a salad pot luck. Because spring weather can be unpredictable here, I thought something warming would go well with all those wonderful cold salads. And I have to say that this soup was a big success. It is, by far, the best carrot soup I have ever tasted, without exception. This soup is not too sweet, not too strong, has amazing color, and the carrot flavor doesn’t hit you over the head. It is just right! It’s rich and thick without any butter or cream. In fact, this soup is both vegetarian and vegan. Plus, it has turmeric which is good for your immune system. You could call it a spring tonic is a bowl.

IMG_4475

Many recipes for carrot soup use vegetable or chicken stock, or even carrot juice as a base. I find those liquids completely overwhelm the flavors of the carrots. It’s better to use water, especially if the only choice is a packaged stock from the store. For this soup I used coconut water. It gave a subtle coconut flavor that married well with the ginger, turmeric and curry but let the carrots shine through. This recipe doesn’t use any cream (coconut or other) but you wouldn’t guess it. It’s thick and rich without all that fat. Serve it hot or chilled on a a warm day.

I did add a swirl of coconut cream and a sprinkle of carrot chips to each bowl just before serving.

This recipe will serve 8-10. Any extra soup will freeze well.

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs. of carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 3 large leeks, well washed and trimmed – use only the white and light green parts
  • 1 large shallot, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 6 cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed and coarsely chopped
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsly chopped
  • 4 tablespoons of coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground curry powder
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 7-8 cups of coconut water, a bit more if you find it is too thick
  • Optional: coconut cream and a few carrot chips to finish

Method

  1. Place a large pot over medium heat, add the coconut oil and allow it to melt. Add the leeks, shallot, onion and garlic to the oil. Cook for 10 minutes until softened but not brown.
  2. Add the carrots, turmeric, curry powder, ginger, and lemon zest to the pot. Cook until the carrots begin to soften and all starts to have the most amazing aroma. This will take 10-15 minutes.
  3. Add the coconut water, bring to a boil and cover loosely. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes until the carrots are completely soft and the stock looks murky.
    Carrot Soup

    Carrot Soup

    Carrot Soup - ready for blending

    Carrot Soup – ready for blending

  4. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool before blending in batches to a smooth consistency. I don’t recommend blending soup while it is hot, you may end up burning yourself and having most of the soup on the ceiling. For extra protection cover the blender with a tea towel.

    Cover your blender with a tea towel

    Cover your blender with a tea towel

  5. Pour the soup back into a pot and heat before serving (or serve chilled).
Carrot Soup

Carrot Soup

This soup is so wonderful that I think I will take it to the Fiesta Friday party at Angie’s blog. Come by the site by clicking here to see the wonderful food delicious treats other bloggers have brought to Fiesta Friday #121.

I am wishing all my readers a Memorial Day weekend filled with family, friends, BBQ, fun and gratitude. Gratitude to all those who have died defending our freedom while serving in the U.S. military. We grieve for them and their loved ones.

January – Roasted Cauliflower Soup
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January – Roasted Cauliflower Soup

One of the amazing things about cauliflower is that it behaves a little like a starch. What do I mean? You can use it as a replacement for rice, wheat flour, and potatoes. I’m sure there are even more interesting recipes using cauliflower in surprising ways on the internet as well. Of course they don’t taste quite the same as rice or potatoes or bread. But, being a huge fan of cauliflower, that is ok with me. I have found cauliflower does a lovely job of creating a thick soup that resembles potato (but is even better for you).

This is a “non” recipe in that I don’t have exact measurements. You could use this same recipe to make a simple warming vegetable soup out of any leftover vegetables.

Back in the 60’s my mother used to add leftover salad to a can of ‘cream-of-something’ soup; she then pureed everything together in the blender with some milk or stock. Heated gently it was lunch. I’m not a big fan of commercial soups as most are full of sugar and salt and other unpronounceable ingredients. This soup is rich and creamy with less than 5 ingredients…roasted cauliflower, milk or half and half or stock, olive oil, and salt.

You could use leftover whole roasted cauliflower or leftover roasted cauliflower with urfu biber (would be slightly spicy). For that matter this basic technique would also work with broccoli or carrots or a green such as cooked chard.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

  • roasted cauliflower, about 2 cups, roasted with olive oil and salt
  • stock (chicken or vegetable) or half and half or milk
  • salt as needed and pepper
  1. Add the cooked vegetable to your blender with enough liquid to puree it to a soup-like texture. You could use an immersion blender as well, it wouldn’t be quite as smooth but would have an interesting texture.
  2. Pour into a saucepan and heat to a simmer.
  3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I find roasting adds a flavor profile which doesn’t need much embellishment.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

You can garnish this soup with sour cream or plain yogurt, scallions, cilantro, or a sprinkling of chili powder.

October – Jook or Congee or Rice Porridge
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October – Jook or Congee or Rice Porridge

Jook or Congee

Jook or Congee

All 3 names (jook, congee, and rice porridge) refer to rice cooked in a lot of water to form a thick or creamy consistency.

The most accurate English name should be rice porridge. But in various parts of China and places with overseas Chinese, there are many variations in the names as well as how the rice porridge is made and served.

Jook/Juk is the English transliteration of the Cantonese name for rice porridge. It resembles a thick soup and ingredients like minced meat or seafood are served in the porridge, making it a one-dish meal. The proliferation of Cantonese-styled restaurants on the west coast means that this is the most familiar version of rice porridge.

Travellers to Southeast Asia will have encountered other types of rice porridge such as the Teochew (chiu chow) plain rice porridge, the Hokkien sweet potato porridge and the Teochew fish porridge, especially in Singapore. There are also the Japanese okayu, the Korean juk, the Thai jok, and the Filipino lugao and the rice pudding (albeit sweet).

Jook is a very forgiving dish. It doesn’t matter if you are a great cook or a rookie. It is a wonderful restorative soup. Have it sweet or savoury, thick or thin, luxurious or simple. It is up to you. It has a long history of use as dietary therapy. Some of the oldest Chinese imperial records have mentions of it as being a premier health food. Its healing power is entrenches in the chinese collective memory. When you are sick, eat rice porridge. Period. – See more at: http://www.homemade-chinese-soups.com/congee.html#sthash.J53eAebv.dpuf.

This is my go to soup when I am feeling under the weather, or felling like I am about to go under the weather. The basic ingredients are very simple, rice (white or brown), ginger, and water. Good for upset tummies or run down immune systems. In China this is often the first food fed to babies. You can fancy it up with chicken (a bone stock is wonderful and nutritious), pork, pickled vegetables, roast vegetables (winter squash, yum), garnishes, and a savory sauce. Or, simply eat is as is if you are feeling unwell.

Although not a favorite for anyone else in my family (they don’t know what they are missing!), I keep a couple of quarts in my freezer just for me. A few years ago when undergoing chemo for breast cancer it was the food I craved.

Chicken Jook or Congee

  • 6 chicken thighs, skin and any visible fat removed
  • 1 cup of rice, any kind
  • 8 cups of water
  • I large knob of ginger, peeled – about the size of a wine cork
  • Garnishes such as chopped scallions, fried shallots, pickled or fermented vegetables, chopped roast peanuts, soy sauce, roast sesame oil, chili sauce, and Yum Sauce
  1. Place the chicken in a large pot, cover with the water and add the ginger.
  2. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low and cover.
  3. Simmer for 60 to 90 minutes until the rice melts into the soup.
  4. Cool, shred the chicken and add back into the soup.
  5. Reheat and serve garnished with your choice.
  6. If reheating you will probably need to add more water as it thickens on cooling.
Jook with Yum Sauce

Jook with Yum Sauce

IMG_3714

Congee or Jook

Congee or Jook

A quart of this soup in your freezer is an insurance policy against those days when you are feeling under the weather and/or in need of comfort. They sell this in the International Terminal at San Francisco Airport, I almost always have a bowl before embarking on a grueling flight to Europe or elsewhere.

October – Parmesan Rinds
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October – Parmesan Rinds

One of my favorite cheeses is Parmesan, especially the nutty and wonderful Parmigiano-Reggiano, known as the “King of Cheeses”. I consider it a kitchen essential. It’s named after the areas where it is produced in Italy, they comprise the provinces of Parma, Reggio, Emilia, part of Bologna, Modena, and Mantova. Under Italian law only cheese produced in those areas are allowed to be labelled “Parmigiano-Reggiano”. You can see the name stamped on the rind. Outside the EU the name “Parmesan” can legally be used for cheeses similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Keep a hunk of it in your fridge or freezer. It lasts forever and even a small grating adds a lot of flavor to a dish. I use it with scrambled eggs and roast vegetables, as well as pasta and pizza. Parmigiano-Reggiano has a lot of the quality umami, or savory.

It’s not an inexpensive cheese, but a little goes a long way. And you end up with these wonderful leftovers at the end…Parmesan rinds. Yes, don’t throw them away. Keep a bag in your freezer and save them. You might ask for what? Here are some ideas.

  • Drop a rind into a pot of beans, especially white beans, while they cook. Remove before serving.
  • A traditional use is in an Italian minestrone soup. Again drop in a rind to cook with your pasta and beans, then add fresh vegetables. The rind adds invaluable flavor. When you are ready to serve the soup, remove the rind and add a grating of fresh Parmesan.
  • Make Parmesan stock. It tastes a lot like chicken (have you heard that before?) and packs a punch of umami. Use it for a risotto.
  • Make Parmesan olive oil. Have you seen those tiny bottles of Parmesan oil in the better delis? They are outrageously expensive! And, you can make your own with your own leftover rinds. Simply add them to a jar, cover with good olive oil (make sure they are entirely covered) and store in a cool dark place. It will take several months for the flavors to blend. If you store it in the fridge, warm it up before use.

    Parmesan Olive Oil

    Parmesan Olive Oil

Use the oil as a finishing oil for a pasta dish, soup, or roast vegetables. Or maybe instead of your regular oil in a salad? I think you will find the uses are endless.

Pasta with Parmesan Olive Oil

Pasta with Parmesan Olive Oil

Pasta with Cauliflower. Artichoke Hearts and Parmesan

Pasta with Cauliflower. Artichoke Hearts and Parmesan

So, buy good quality Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano if possible) and don’t throw away the rinds!

This oil is part of my contribution to Fiesta Friday, I can only imagine what a boost of flavor it will add to many of the dishes. It’s Fiesta Friday #91. Come join the fun at a virtual blogging party hosted by Angie of The Novice Gardener. The co-hosts this week are Juju @ cookingwithauntjuju and Indira @ I’ll Cook, You Wash.