- Potato and Leek Soup with tofu bacon and green onion
Soup
has become my go to because you can put anything in it. Remember the
old folk story about "Stone Soup" It's super simple to make and it's all
about the things you like to eat.
Here's a basic method for making approximately 4 servings.
Decide
on a vegetable or fruit, you can even use two or more complementary
vegetables and fruit. You will need approximately 2 - 2 1/2 cups. If you
are using 2 items you can split them equally or add more of one and
less of the other. Here are some things that work well together:
Potatoes and Onions (or Leeks)
Tomatoes and Summer Squash
Apples and Sweet Potatoes
Pears and Parsnips
Butternut squash, tomato, cauliflower and carrots are great on their own.
Ahead
of time, make your vegetable broth. Sometimes I'm good and make my own,
sometimes I just use the organic, low sodium cubes. You will need two
cups.
Saute your aromatics first. Aromatics include onion and
garlic. Secondary aromatics are celery and carrots. You will need about
1/2 cup of onion and 1-2 cloves of garlic (depends of your love of
garlic, mine is high!). One carrot or celery rib if you are adding
those. Adding celery and carrot is best reserved for a single vegetable
or fruit soup.
- Garden fresh tomatoes and summer squash
To
saute, use 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon
unsalted butter. The butter will allow you to saute at a higher heat
point. If you are making a curried soup or using mild vegetables or
fruit, coconut oil is best. You can also use a safflower or grape seed
oil. You don't want the taste of the oil to dominate your main
vegetables or fruit.
Consider how much onion flavor you want in
your soup. Onions with pungent flavor will also fill your soup with that
flavor. My scale for onion pungent flavor from high to low is:
White
Yellow
Red
Shallots
Green Onions
Leeks
There are also sweet onions but I don't use these in my soup. I prefer red, shallots and leeks for soup.
Here's a recipe for tomato and Summer squash soup.
Saute
1/2 cup of diced leeks in extra virgin olive oil and butter. Salt and
pepper to taste. When leeks are translucent, add garlic and cook an
additional minute until you smell the flavor of the garlic. Don't burn
the garlic!
As soon as you smell the garlic flavor, add your broth
and your vegetables, 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup diced squash.
Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Add your herbs, 1/2
tablespoon of basil and parsley. Use 1/2 teaspoon if your herbs are
dried.
If you use fresh herbs to spice your soup, always reserve some for the end.
Let
your soup simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes partially covered. When the
vegetables are soft, it's ready to puree. Add small portions to a
blender or food processor. The steam builds up in the appliance and will
blow the top off and soup will go everywhere. (Hot, painful mess)
Taste
your soup for seasoning. You may need to add a little more salt and
pepper. Serve soup and toss in fresh herbs. You can also grate some
Parmesan for your tomato and squash soup and add a little fresh basil.
Soup
is easy. Experiment and have fun. You can always use a different broth,
like chicken or beef and you can add meat to it if you like. I would
used a precooked meat.
*Personal Note: If you are making a curried
soup, I suggest using hearty vegetables and fruit. Apples, fall squash,
cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes and potatoes work well. Use a high
quality curry powder or Garam masala. Start with 1/2 tablespoon and add
more if needed to suit your taste. You can find high quality curry
powder and Garam masala in the bulk section of Central Market and other
health conscious grocery stores.
- Butternut Squash soup
