Shamrock Soup (AKA Potato-Kale Soup)

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, so we made this lovely green soup to celebrate! The flavor is fairly mild, so if you like it a bit spicier, add more red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, or whatever else you like. We adapted this recipe from a cookbook we received via a friend, who got it from her CSA provider. Because you use an immersion blender to create a smooth texture for the soup, prep time is fairly quick as you'll only need to coarsely chop the vegetables before adding them to the soup. Also, the original recipe called for three cups fresh kale, but we like A LOT of kale, so we added quite a bit more. The verdict? Great!

Shamrock Soup (12+ servings)
4 T. olive oil
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
10 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 T. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
6 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
Water and/or broth
4 large handfuls fresh kale (maybe 8 cups? who knows!)
black pepper

1. Heat oil over medium heat, add onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Saute until onions are translucent.

2. Add potatoes and enough water (or water + broth) to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, covered, for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are just tender.

3. Add kale and cook, uncovered, for an additional 10-15 minutes.

4. Puree soup using an immersion blender (if you don't have one, you can use a regular blender). Season with pepper (and additional salt & red pepper flakes, if desired).

5. Serve it up - perhaps with some soda bread?

(Vegetarian) French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, crusty bread, and melty cheese...what's not to love about French onion soup? If you are a vegetarian, perhaps the strong beef broth that serves as a base of this popular soup. But with the rain pouring down outside and oodles of onions from last week's CSA delivery filling my produce bowl inside, I was determined to make a vegetarian version of French onion soup that could pass muster. This one is lighter in color and sweeter than what you'd get with the traditional recipe, but my fiancee pronounced it delicious - just the thing for a rainy, stormy night. We actually made this one night (through step 3), froze about 2/3 of it, and refrigerated the rest to heat and serve for dinner the following day.

French Onion Soup (~6-8 servings)
1 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
4 large onions, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 T. flour
1 c. white wine
4 c. vegetable broth
1 c. apple cider
1 c. water
6-8 slices French bread, toasted
grated Gruyere cheese, to taste

1. In a large stock pots, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat until melted. Add the onions and cook about 10 minutes, until soft and just starting to go from translucent to brown.

2. Add the garlic, sugar, and thyme. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until onions are brown - about 30-35 minutes.

3. Stir in the flour, wine, broth, cider, and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes.

4. If you are brave and have oven-proof bowls, heat the broiler. Fill each bowl about 3/4 with soup, then add a piece of toast and top with grated cheese. Broil about 3-4 minutes. If you are less brave or don't have oven-proof bowls, float the bread, top with cheese, and microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until cheese is melted.

Tomato - Basil Soup

Today I went out to Larriland Farms in Woodbine, MD to take advantage of some of their fall bounty (you may remember Larriland as the inspiration for July's berry spectacular). This time around, I got apples (stayman, jonamac, braeburn, cameo, fuji, and ida red), yellow raspberries, and tomatoes. The apples will have to wait their turn, but I immediately harvested some basil from the windowsill and whipped up a batch of tomato-basil soup. While that simmered, I fashioned the golden raspberries into a crisp (using a halved version of my recipe for peach-ginger crisp). This soup is a great finish to a fall day spent at the farm with friends - and I'll freeze some of the leftovers for deep winter, when I need a bit of sunshine.

Tomato - Basil Soup (enough for a meal and for freezing)
6 -7 lbs. fresh tomatoes, sliced (and peeled and seeded, if you prefer)
1 cup fresh basil
1-2 tsp. black pepper, or to taste
1-2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 T. olive oil
1 small rind of parmiggiano-reggiano cheese
1 cup milk or cream

1. Use a food processor to puree the tomatoes and basil. For a smoother soup, strain the liquid and reprocess the remaining mash before proceeding.

2. Stir together tomato/basil puree, pepper, salt, olive oil, and cheese rind in a large stockpot. Bring to low boil over medium heat, reduce to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add milk and continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 more minutes. Remove any remaining cheese rind.

4. Ladle into bowls and serve! This soup goes well with grilled cheese (of course!), a crust bread, or tortilla chips. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or freeze for the bleak midwinter.

Potato - Kale Soup (including a sausage option)

With half a bag of potatoes to use up and a craving for green leafy vegetables (prompted by a delicious cup of wild nettle soup at the Mitsitam Cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian), this morning I decided to make potato-kale soup for this week's lunch rotation. Depending on your taste and status as vegetarian or not, you can make the the soup completely vegetarian, use a chicken stock base, or add sausage (about 1 lb., sauteed along with the onion - this will make a soup similar to the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden).

Potato - Kale Soup (6-8 servings)
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
8-10 cups liquid (I used 4 cups chicken broth, 1 cup vegetable juice, 1 cup white wine, and 2 cups water)
small piece of rind (~ 2 in. x 2 in.) from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 stalks celery
2-3 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb kale, stems removed and leaves cut or torn
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil or Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1. Combine potatoes, liquid, and cheese rind in a large stock pot. Cook over medium heat about 10-15 minutes (until potatoes begin to soften), stirring occasionally.

2. While potatoes cook, heat olive oil in a skillet. Add onion, celery, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute until onions and celery begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

3. Add onion mixture, kale, pepper, basil, and cumin to stock pot (don't worry - the kale WILL boil down and shrink!). Reduce heat to medium-low (slow boil) and continue to cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If desired / necessary, add additional water to soup while cooking to achieve desired ratio of vegetables to broth.

4. Remove any remaining cheese rind and serve!

Sweet & Spicy Carrot - Ginger Soup (with Orange and Curry!)

In the past few weeks, DC has swung from a crippling snowstorm to 70 degree temperatures to flurries. With that sort of range in weather, what's a girl to make for a week's worth of lunches? I settled on a carrot - ginger soup that is both spicy (curry) and sweet (orange). This is a very easy recipe to put together and can easily be altered to fit your own tastes - more or less ginger, curry, and orange juice, depending on how sweet and spicy you prefer. Be forewarned, though - carrots can take a while to soften, so leave plenty of time for this soup to simmer before you puree!

Sweet & Spicy Carrot - Ginger Soup (4-8 servings)
1 lb carrots, sliced thinly
2 T. fresh-chopped ginger or ginger paste
1 T. curry powder
6 cups liquid (I used 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 cup range juice concentrate, and 3 cups water)

1. Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Cover and cook on medium (easy boil), stirring often, until carrots are softened (at least 30 minutes).

2. Puree in batches in a food processor or blender. Return to heat and cook and additional 5-10 minutes, stirring often, to make sure that soup is well blended. Adjust sweetness and spiciness by adding additional water or spices as necessary.

3. Serve piping hot, perhaps with a sprig of parsley for garnish!

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Black bean soup is one of my favorite meals - especially with some crusty bread on the side. If you use dried beans for this recipe, make sure that you leave plenty of time for soaking (at least 8 hours, or overnight) and simmering (about 2 hours) before you plan to serve the soup. Leftovers can be divided into single or multiple serving portions and refrigerated or frozen for later use (e.g., lunches or dinners for the week ahead).

Black Bean Soup (~ 10 - 12 servings)
1 lb. dried black beans [or 4 14 oz. cans black beans]
1 T. olive oil
4-5 carrots, diced (~ 2 cups)*
4-5 ribs celery, diced (~ 2 cups)*
2 medium onions, diced (~ 2 cups)*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano or Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. ground black pepper
8 cups liquid (I used 4 cups vegetable stock + 4 cups water)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 T. lime juice
grated parmesan or cheddar cheese, scallions, sour cream, diced tomatoes, or other garnish
*If your grocery store carries prepared mirepoix (diced onion, celery, and carrot) in the produce section, you can use this to substitute for the individual vegetables [~ 5-6 cups is needed, approximately 24 oz.].

1. If using dried beans, sort and wash beans in cold water. Soak beans in 6 cups of water for 8-12 hours, or overnight. Drain and discard soaking liquid.

2. In a large stockpot, warm oil over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic for 1 minute, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in cumin, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add beans, liquid, and tomato paste. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 2 hours, until beans are soft. (You may want to cover soup for the first hour or so, then remove the cover to allow soup to thicken while it simmers.)

5. Remove soup from heat and stir in lime juice. Serve with desired garnish(es).

Vegetarian Lentil Stew

With December here and temperatures barely topping 40, I've resigned myself to winter arriving in DC. However, winter is not all bad (Christmas, Inauguration Day, and hearty soups all come to mind as good things about winter...). Earlier this week I had a nice bowl of lentil soup and it inspired me to pick up the makings for some legume-based dishes for the coming week. Today I made vegetarian lentil stew, which is packed with veggies, fiber, and protein.


Vegetarian Lentil Stew (6-8 servings)
1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced (~ 2 cups)*
4 carrots, diced (~ 1 1/2 cups)*
4-5 ribs celery, diced (~ 2 cups)*
1 lb. lentils, washed and drained
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
9 oz. bag spinach, stems removed and leaves chopped
* If your grocery store carries prepared mirepoix (diced onion, celery, and carrot) in the produce section, you can use this to substitute for the individual vegetables [~ 5 cups is needed, approximately 24 oz.].

1. In a large stockpot, warm oil over medium-high heat; add garlic, onion, carrot, and celery and saute until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Add lentils, vegetable stock, sage, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover, allow to simmer until lentils just begin to soften, about 20 minutes; stir occasionally.

3. Stir in spinach [if needed, add up to 1 cup water to replace liquid soaked up by lentils] and continue simmering until lentils are tender, about 10 minutes; stir occasionally.

4. Serve!

Orange Velvet Soup (Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, and Rutabaga)

One of the best things about living in Central New York during graduate school was being in Wegmans country - one of the best grocery stores that I have ever shopped. When I moved to the DC area, I was quite excited to find that Wegmans had followed me, opening stores in some of the outlying suburbs in Virginia and Maryland. The selection of produce is great - and in addition to the many whole fruits and vegetables available, there are also a number of packaged peeled and sliced options ready for cooking. Today I found both butternut squash and rutabaga, and with a few other ingredients, put together this "orange velvet" soup to combat the chilly November days. To give the soup an extra kick, I used a bottle of pumpkin ale as part of the stock.

Orange Velvet Soup (6-8 servings)
12 oz. rutabaga, peeled and cubed
20 oz. butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato / yam, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
3 cups stock (broth, cider, water, etc.)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 12 oz. can fat-free evaporated milk

1. Combine rutabaga, squash, and sweet potato in a large stockpot, add water to cover the vegetables, and bring to a boil. Cover and continue boiling for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are soft enough to mash. Drain (reserve some water for stock, if desired).

2. While vegetables are cooking, saute onions and apple in a small amount of olive oil.

3. Mix rutabaga/squash/sweet potato and onion/apple together and puree using a food processor or potato masher. Return vegetable mixture to stockpot.

4. Add stock, cinnamon, and nutmeg to vegetable mixture. Simmer on low-medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add evaporated milk and continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 minutes.

Curried Pumpkin Soup (spicy!!!)

I've already said in previous posts (also here and here) that squash is one of my favorite foods. Pumpkin is also a squash, and today I tried my hand at making pumpkin soup. I decided to try making a curried soup, and I definitely came out with something spicy! The soup goes great with crusty whole grain bread (see the photo). A few variations to try: for the liquid, try using vegetable broth, apple cider, or pumpkin ale (I used 3 cups vegetable broth + 1 cup apple cider); if you don't like your food too spicy, reduce the amount of curry and red pepper flakes in the recipe below.

Curried Pumpkin Soup (6-12 servings, depending on serving size)
1 29 oz. can pumpkin
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 ribs celery, fined chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
dash cinnamon
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. chopped fresh ginger (or ginger paste)
4 cups liquid (vegetable broth, apple cider, pumpkin ale, etc.)
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk (regular or nonfat)

1. Saute onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil until onions begin to turn clear and celery softens. Use a food processor to puree mixture.

2. Combine pumpkin, curry, black pepper, red pepper, cinnamon, brown sugar, ginger, liquid, and onion / garlic / celery mixture in a large pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add evaporated milk and continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 minutes.

4. Ladle soup into bowls and serve!

Squash Soup

Squash is one of my favorite foods, and squash soup is one of my favorite autumn dishes. For this soup, you can use any of the hard winter squashes (e.g., butternut, acorn, etc.) - many grocery stores sell peeled and sliced squash if you don't want to do it yourself, or you can get frozen cooked squash in the frozen foods section. If you are using fresh squash, boil it until tender (10-15 minutes, or until a fork can easily be inserted), drain, and mash with a potato masher. Depending on what liquid bases and add-ins you have on hand and whether you use a food processor or not, you can play around with this recipe to make it more savory or more sweet and smoother or chunkier.

Squash Soup (4-8 servings, depending on serving size)
2 lbs. winter squash (butternut, acorn, etc.), cooked and mashed
2 cups liquid (apple cider, vegetable broth, water, etc.)
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 large ribs celery, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large apple, cut into chunks
1 can (~ 14 oz.) whole kernel or creamed corn (drain if using whole kernel corn)
1 rind parmesan cheese
1 T. chopped fresh dill (or dill paste)
1 tsp. cinnamon
ground black pepper to taste
1 cup milk (optional)

1. Combine squash and liquid in a large pot; simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to combine squash and liquid.

2. Saute onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil until onions begin to turn clear and celery softens. Add apples and continue to saute for 5 minutes.

3. Add onion / celery / garlic / apple mixture, corn, parmesan cheese rind, dill, cinnamon, and pepper to squash mixture; simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. [If you'd like a slightly creamier soup, add 1 cup milk at this point and simmer - but do not boil - for an additional 10 minutes.]

4. Remove parmesan rind (if it has not completely melted). Use a potato masher or food processor to blend soup; ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh dill.