Chilled Tomatillo and Cucumber Soup [printable recipe]

Adapted from Bon Appetit, July 2001
Serves 4 as a main

• 2 poblano chiles
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 cups chicken broth (or all veggie, if vegetarian)
• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1/2 jalapeño, minced, seeded
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 avocado, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup cooked beans, any variety
• 1/2 cup roasted corn
• sunflower seeds (for garnish)
• queso fresco, queso cotija or feta, crumbled

Broil poblanos 4 – 6″ from heat until well blackened on all sides. Drop into a paper bag and close the top. After 10 minutes, peel the peppers and remove seeds, then roughly chop.

Heat oil in a large (5qt) pot over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno and garlic, saute 5 minutes. Add tomatillos and cucumber, continue to saute
 until onion browns. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Deglaze with white wine. Add broth and poblanos, bring to a boil before reducing the heat to medium-low and simmering until tomatillos are tender, about 5 – 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice and cilantro and remove to a sink filled with cold water and ice. Cool completely (about 30 minutes via this method).

Stir in avocado and sour cream, then puree the soup with an immersion blender. Finally, stir in beans and roasted corn. Taste and season with salt or pepper as needed. Sprinkle servings with green onions, sunflower seeds and crumbled cheese.

Serve with crusty bread.

Creamy Egg & Lemon Soup with Meatballs [printable recipe]

Adapted from Sunset
Serves 4 to 6

Meatballs:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup panko or breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
• zest of 1 whole small lemon
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced or 1 tsp dried
• 2 tbsp fresh mint, minced or 1 1/2 tsp dried
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb ground pork or lamb
• oil for frying

Soup:

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups vegetable broth (I recommend using 4 tsp of Vegetable Bouillon)
• 1/2 cup arborio, sushi or other short-grain rice
• 3 eggs, beaten
• large strips of zest from 1 lemon – use a peeler or knife
• juice of 2 small lemons (about 1 1/2 ounces)

Making the Meatballs
Combine 1 beaten egg, milk, panko, garlic, lemon zest, mint, parsley, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and let it rest for a few minutes so that the panko can begin to soak up the milk. Add the ground meat by crumbling it in your hands into the bowl, then mix everything together thoroughly.

Form tiny meatballs – about 1/2″ to 3/4″ in diameter or 10 g each by weight – and set aside. In a large, preferably cast-iron skillet, heat about a tablespoon of oil over moderate heat. Fry the meatballs in batches, being careful not to overcrowd, until golden brown and remove to a dish.

Making the Soup
In a medium pot, bring both broths and strips of zest to a simmer. Add the rice and cover partially, simmering for about 20 minutes until the rice is al dente. Remove the zest ribbons and discard. Add the meatballs and return to a simmer then remove from the heat.

Whisk the three eggs together well in a large bowl then whisk in the lemon juice. Slowly pour in about 1/2 cup of the soup, whisking constantly.¹ Repeat four times. Pour the egg-broth mixture into the soup and serve immediately.²

I recommend serving this soup with a small salad and a slice of crusty bread to sop up the last drops.

Notes:

1. This is called tempering the eggs. If you add the eggs into the hot soup, they will curdle. By adding hot liquid slowly into the eggs while whisking, we can control the temperature and prevent the eggs from getting too hot too fast. It seems kind of finicky but it’s necessary and will result in a deliciously creamy soup.
2. If it isn’t hot enough for you, you can gently rewarm it over low heat but DO NOT allow it to simmer or boil. The eggs will curdle and all that hard work you did tempering will be for naught.

Vegetable Bouillon [printable recipe]

Adapted from 101Cookbooks
Original recipe featured in The River Cottage Preserves Handbook
Makes approximately 3 1/2 cups

• 150 g | 1 regular leek, white and light green parts
• 200 g | 3 medium carrots, peeled
• 200 g | 1/3 stalk celery
• 30 g | about 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• 100 g | 1 large shallot, peeled
• 25 g | 3 – 4 large cloves of garlic — roasted or raw
• 250 g | 7 ounces fine sea salt
• 40 g | about 1 bunch parsley, flat-leaf or curly

Chop everything roughly and combine all but the salt and parsley in the bowl of a food processor. You may need to pulse several times between ingredients to make enough room, depending on your model³. Process to a coarse puree then add the parsley and salt. Puree until mostly smooth.

Remove to freezer-safe containers. Store only what you need in the fridge, the rest in the freezer. The bouillon will still be easily usable straight out of the freezer due to the high salt content.

Usage: 1 teaspoon of bouillon per cup of water.

Notes:

1. You can change this recipe up to suit your tastes or what’s in season. I’m looking forward to checking out this book when it arrives in the US to see what other combinations they recommend.
2. I wanted to use cilantro too but I had run out the day before.
3. I have a 7-cup and had to remove part of it at one point to make sure it pureed evenly. An 11-cup, on the other hand, would just chow through this in no time.

Baked Potato Soup [printable recipe]

Serves 4

• 3 shallots, unpeeled
• 1 head garlic, separated but unpeeled
• 120 g bacon ends, chopped (about 1/4 lb)
• 3 – 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 – 3 potatoes, diced (about 1 lb or 450 g)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1 medium-large onion, diced (about 3/4 lb or 340 g)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock (about 750 ml)
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried (or about 3 – 4 sprigs)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
• 1 cup light beer¹ or white wine

Dry-roast the shallots in a cast-iron skillet (without oil!) over moderate-low heat for 10 minutes, then add the garlic. Shake the pan regularly and roast until they’re soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Some black and brown spots are okay. Peel and/or squeeze the garlic and shallots out of their skins, mash and set aside.

Dice the onion and bacon ends, then fry over medium-low heat in a large pot for about 15 minutes until the bacon is mostly cooked and the onion is soft and turning brown. Add thyme, salt, pepper, Worcestershire or soy, shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds then add the beer or wine. Add the potatoes and pour in the stock.

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes or so. Using an immersion blender², puree to a chunky puree. Stir in green onions, sour cream and cheese.

Notes:

1. We used Corona, but many beers would be good here.
2. Or a blender or a food processor. Just be careful not to overload it.

Ukrainian Kapusniak [printable recipe]

Adapted from a recipe on Wikibooks
Serves 4+

• 1 liter | 1 quart chicken stock
• 500 g | about 1 medium head green cabbage, cored and sliced
• 360 g | about 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 230 g | about 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 230 g | about 1 medium onion, diced
• 25 g | about 3 – 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 175 g | about 1 small boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced or sliced
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• salt, pepper to taste
• olive oil

Saute onion and garlic over moderate heat until brown. Add spices, cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add broth, chicken, carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Add cabbage and Worcestershire or soy. Taste and adjust seasonings. Simmer for another 15 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Serve with dark bread and sour cream.

Creamy Cabbage and Carrot Soup [printable recipe]

Adapted from a recipe on RecipeZaar
Serves 2

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 largish garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• 2 carrots, peeled
• about 1/2 small head of green cabbage or about 6 cups
• 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
• salt and pepper, to taste
• cream or sour cream, to taste if desired

Grate the carrot and shred the cabbage. I recommend using a food processor’s slicing and grating discs, but a mandolin works extremely well too. Set them aside in separate bowls.

In a medium saucepot set over moderate heat, add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the onion and a small pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes until soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another two minutes.

Add the grated carrot and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the cabbage, thyme, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste then the broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Puree with an immersion blender if desired and add a splash of cream to the bowls.

Black Bean & Bacon Soup [printable recipe]

Makes about 2 quarts

• 3.5 ounces bacon ends or ham, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 roasted red bell pepper or 1/2 poblano or other large, mild pepper, diced
• 3 cups of collard greens, chard or kale, stemmed and sliced
• 1 14 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 carrot, finely grated
• 1/4 cup quick-cooking barley
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 4 cups chicken broth/stock
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chile powder
• salt, pepper to taste

Saute bacon ends until the fat renders and the bits begin to brown. (If using ham, saute in some olive oil until lightly browned.) Add onions and saute until lightly browned. Add bell (or poblano or other) pepper along with carrot, cook for another minute. Stir in all of the spices, cook for 30 – 45 seconds, then add white wine and stir well for another minute.

Add barley, beans, greens and stock. Stir well. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 – 12 minutes.

Serve with sour cream.

Basic Chicken Stock [printable recipe]

Makes 8+ cups

• 3 chicken leg quarters (about 2 pounds) or equivalent amount of chicken thighs and wings or wing tips
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme
• 4 – 5 green onions or 1 leek, green tops included
• 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
• 1/2 head garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup white wine
• salt
• olive oil

Cut apart the leg quarters at the joints and leave the skin on. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and fry the chicken quarters with a bit of salt and rosemary until nice and brown. Remove those to a large stockpot and cover with water. Start heating the water on high.

Add a bit more oil to the pan and dump in the onions, garlic, carrots and leek or green onion. Here you want the flavorful tops, so don’t throw out the leek tops if you’re using that. Saute the veggies until they get a bit of color then dump them into the water with the chicken. Deglaze the pan with white wine and when all the browned bits (the “fond”) have been scraped up, dump the resulting mixture into the pot.

Add the peppercorns along with the rest of the rosemary. Make sure there’s enough water to cover everything by about an inch. By now it should be getting close to simmering. Bring it to a full boil, then cover it and let it simmer for 2 – 3 hours.

Every so often, skim the fat and other impurities from the surface. Using a fine-meshed sieve, drain the stock into a large bowl or container. Throw away all of the veggies — trust me, they’ve given their all. Strip the meat from the bones and reserve for some other recipe needing boiled chicken, like chicken noodle soup or chicken salad.

Let the stock cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight. The next morning, remove any fat that’s solidified at the top. Pour into smaller (1 or 2 cup) containers and freeze, making sure to leave enough headroom.

Vietnamese Pho [printable recipe]

Courtesy of Jaden of the Steamy Kitchen
Serves 4

For the Chicken Pho Broth:

• 2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 whole star anise
• 2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) chicken stock
• 1 whole boneless chicken breast
• 1/2 onion
• 1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 200 grams dried rice noodles (about 1/4 inch/6 mm wide)

Accompaniments:

• 2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
• Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (50 grams/~2 ounces) shaved red onions
• 1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
• Sriracha chili sauce or chili-garlic sauce
• Hoisin sauce
• Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

To make the Chicken Pho Broth:

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately remove. Add the chicken and lightly brown it.

In a large pot, add the chicken, stock, spices, onion, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming if necessary. Taste.

Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts. Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.

Cook the noodles by package directions. Mine asked for 3 minutes in boiling water, which was pretty darn easy, so I put the broth back on the heat and boiled my noodles in there. (Why make more dishes?)

Ladle the broth into bowls then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.

Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

Spicy Roasted Tomato Stew [printable recipe]

Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Makes approximately 6 cups

• 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes in juice
• 1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1/2 jalapeno, deseeded, julienned
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup loosely packed sun-dried tomatoes (dry not the kind in oil)
• 1 leftover boiled potato, diced (OR 1 can sliced new potatoes, drained)
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn, roasted¹
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp honey (or agave syrup, if vegan)
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• sour cream (optional)
• avocado (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Drain canned tomatoes, reserving liquid. Spread tomatoes in a large roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes until the tomatoes begin to darken. While they roast, soak the sun-dried tomatoes in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Drain sun-dried tomatoes and roughly chop, reserving soaking liquid. When the oven roasted tomatoes are done, add sun-dried tomatoes and their soaking liquid to the pan. Scrape up any stuck bits and roughly chop the tomatoes.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, drizzle olive oil. Add onions, jalapeno and carrots, along with salt and pepper. Saute until vegetables begin to give off liquid. Add honey and stir until it melts. Mix in the reserved liquid from the canned tomatoes. Cook until liquid darkens and reduces, about 5 – 8 minutes.

Add tomatoes and soaking liquid, then vegetable stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes until the tomatoes begin to melt into the liquid. Stir in potatoes, beans and corn. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender for a semi-chunky soup or process about 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding it back to the pot when finished².

Serve. Top with sour cream and/or avocado slices.

Notes:

1. Don’t have fresh corn? Get a bag of frozen corn kernels from the store and roast them alongside the tomatoes at 375F for about 15 minutes.
2. For a more elegant version, puree it with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in about a cup of cream or sour cream (any kind of dairy, really).