Soup Recipes

Corn Chowder

Source Note: This is a lower-calorie version of the traditional corn chowder that is usually made with lots of cream and butter. If you are on a sodium-restricted diet, omit the salt. 
bicolor corn
2 pounds white potatoes, diced (River Run Farm Yukon Golds!)
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
3 teaspoons margarine or butter
3 medium onions, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons Nash’s soft white wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried sage
1/2 teaspoon crushed white pepper
2 cups skim milk
1 1/3 cups cooked sweet corn
Salt

Optional
Parsley, for garnish
Red bell pepper slices, for garnish

In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, bay leaf, and water; bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Discard the bay leaf. Drain the potatoes, reserving the liquid. Set both aside.

In the same saucepan, melt the margarine. Add the onions, celery, and cumin seeds; cook until the onions are tender. Stir in the flour, sage, and white pepper. Stir in enough reserved potato liquid to make a smooth paste, then stir in the remaining potato liquid and potatoes, and heat through. Stir in the milk and corn, season to taste with salt, and heat thoroughly.

If desired, top with snipped parsley and bell pepper slices.

We thank Bounty from the Box, the CSA Farm Cookbook for this recipe.

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English Bacon, Leek, and Potato Soup

leeks

Leeks add wonderful flavor to soup.

2 Tbsp. butter or ghee
2 medium leeks, white and light-green parts, sliced thin
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 lb. English-style bacon, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces
1½ quarts chicken bone broth
2 Tbsp. chopped chives

Melt the butter in a heavy stock pot over medium. When it foams and froths, toss in the sliced leeks (save the rest of the leeks for flavoring stock) and fry them in the butter until they soften and become translucent. Stir in thyme and bacon, and continue cooking until the bacon renders its fat and is cooked through, about 6 minutes.

Dump the carrots and potatoes into the pot, stir in the broth and simmer, covered, until the vegetables become tender in the heat of the soup, about 40 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls, top with chopped chives and serve.

We thank nourishedkitchen.com for this recipe.

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Peter Rabbit’s Birthday Soup

Bulk carrots

What does Peter Rabbit like best in the whole wide world?

Serves 8 to 10

2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken or veggie stock or water (or a combination)
1½ tsp. salt
1 medium potato, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 to 2 small cloves garlic, crushed
⅓ cup chopped cashews
3 to 4 Tbsp. (about ½ stick) butter
¾ cup sour cream
½ to 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
Toasted nuts and extra sour cream (optional)

In a large saucepan, bring the carrots, chicken stock, salt, and potato to a boil. Cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft. Let cool. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, sauté the onion, garlic, and cashews in the butter until the onions turn translucent.

Puree everything together in a blender until the soup is smooth. Return the puree to a pan or double boiler, and whisk in the sour cream. Heat very slowly and season with the thyme. Garnish with the toasted nuts and more sour cream, if desired.

Our thanks to Maureen Cooney, The Bluff Country Co-op Cookbook, as it appears in Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook, by Mi Ae Lipe.

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Rutabaga Borscht

Rutabagas in a basket

What to do with a basket full of rutabagas?

2 Tbsp oil or butter
1 1/2 chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped potatoes
1 or more cup chopped beets
1 large carrot sliced
1 stalk of celery sliced
3 cups chopped rutabaga
1 cup tomato, diced or puréed
1 tsp caraway seed
4 cups stock (veggie or chicken)
2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp dill weed
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp honey

Sautee onions in oil or butter. Add caraway and salt.  When soft add the other veggies, stock/water and remaining ingredients.  Simmer until tender for at least 30 minutes. Whiz in the blender until smooth.  Serve with sour cream or yogurt dollop on top.

We thank Pam & Liam Antrim for this recipe.

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Root Vegetable Puree

Serves 4 to 6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

4 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 rutabaga, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 potato, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
3 tsp. olive oil
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
¾ cup yogurt
2 to 3 cloves garlic
Water to thin, if desired

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Place vegetables in roasting pans. Mix with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, and cover. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender. Allow vegetables to cool.

Place in a food processor (in batches, if necessary), along with yogurt and garlic, adding water if needed. Process until smooth.

Try serving the puree under a spoonful of your favorite soup!

Original recipe by Virginia Newman.

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Bright Carrot Cumin Soup

Carrots

Winter is when warm carrot soup tastes soooooooo good!

Serves 4 to 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

6 to 7 carrots, chopped (about 4 cups)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tablespoon butter
1 quart vegetable broth, divided
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon finely diced ginger
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice from 1/2 lemon slice
1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Combine carrots, oil and a pinch of salt on a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender.

Sauté onions in butter over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons broth, cumin, turmeric, paprika and remaining salt and allow to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining broth, ginger, garlic and roasted carrots. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and coconut milk, then blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or in batches in a stand-up blender.

We thank Virginia Newman for this recipe.

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Sunchoke Soup

sunchokes

Sunchokes are a knobby but delicious root vegetable. Not to be confused with ginger, which is a common mistake, sunchokes offer a sweet and nutty crunch to your winter menus.

2 pounds sunchokes
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped leek (white and pale green parts only)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
7 cups (or more) vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Ground white pepper
Shelled and roasted pumpkin seeds

Rinse and scrub sunchokes to remove all soil. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and garlic; sprinkle with salt and sauté until soft and translucent, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Cut sunchokes into 1-inch pieces. Add to onion mixture and sauté 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chokes are very tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth. Return to pot. Rewarm soup, adding more broth by 1/4 cups, if needed, to thin. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and white pepper.

This soup can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm before serving. Divide soup among bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds; top with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and some sautéed mushrooms, if desired.
 
Recipe adapted from epicurious.com.

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Beet Citrus Soup

golden beets

Pair these sunny golden beets with lemon and grapefruit!

1 bunch beets, 1/2-inch cubed (about 5 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, roughly diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 apple, roughly diced
1 quart vegetable broth
Juice from 1/4 grapefruit slice
Juice from 1/4 lemon slice
Sour cream or plain yogurt for topping

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place beets in roasting pan and add olive oil and 14 teaspoon salt; mix until evenly coated. Cover and roast for 25 to 30 minutes.

Heat butter in pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add apples and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add beets, broth, grapefruit juice, lemon juice and remaining salt. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Allow soup to cool before pureeing with an immersion blender to a thick, smooth consistency. Top with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt.

We thank Virginia Newman for this recipe.

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Rustic Garlic Soup

Two Garlic Bulbs

Making something out of nothing can really be something.

A certain rough-hewn elegance is apparent here: the garlic is mellow and sweet, the broth enriched with egg yolks. This classic peasant soup works as a first course as well as a Sunday night supper around the kitchen table. In Italy, it’s called aquacotta, or “cooked water.” Making something out of nothing can really be something.

5 cups water
2 large heads of garlic separated into cloves, smashed, and peeled
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 Turkish or California bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 large egg yolks
3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 loaf country-style bread (Nash’s Miche from Pane D’Amore is a great possibility)

Special Equipment: an instant-read thermometer

Combine water, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

Discard thyme and bay leaf. Force mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then return to saucepan. Whisk together yolks, cheese, and 2 tablespoons oil in same bowl until well combined. Add 1/2 cup hot garlic broth in a slow stream, whisking, then add yolk mixture to remaining hot garlic broth, whisking.

Cook soup over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until it is slightly thickened and registers 170F on thermometer, about 5 minutes; do not let boil. Stir in pepper to taste.
Tear bread into bite-sized pieces and divide among four soup bowls. Ladle soup over bread and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

We thank The Gourmet Cookbook for this recipe.

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Italian Sausage Soup

1 pound Italian-spiced pork sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
2 cups great Northern beans with cooking liquid
2 small zucchini, cubed
2 cups spinach, packed, rinsed and torn
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.

Remove from heat and add spinach. Replace lid, allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

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