Light and Lusty Tomato Soup for Right Now!

Done in under a half hour, this lusty (I almost said perky, but perky it isn't) soup just about jumped out of the pot, put its arms around me, and begged me to eat it.  Wonderful for the I-ate-too-many-chocolates post-holiday cooking time,  you can skip the fresh basil, if you still haven't gotten to the store, and add Herbes de Provence or a combination of dried oregano and basil.  Easily vegan and gluten-free (without some of the garnishes), this meal will heat everyone up despite the weather.  It's sunny, but snowy ...

I'm not eating bread at lunch today, but this would be awesome with a baguette broiled with olive oil, grated Parmesan, and lots of black pepper.   Or, naturally, with the proverbial grilled cheese sandwich. Here's how:

Stir in a little plain yogurt at the table for a "Cream of  Tomato Soup" version.

light and lusty tomato soup  serves 4 

• 1 small yellow onion, quartered
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces 
• 1/2 fennel bulb, sliced (use a little more celery if you have no fennel)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Generous pinch each:  crushed red pepper and Herbes de Provence (see above for substitutions)
• 4 whole garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup dry white wine*
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon honey          

1. Place onion, celery, carrot, and fennel in food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Process, pulsing, until vegetables are diced.  (Or dice by hand.)
2.  Heat a 6-quart heavy pot over medium low heat with the olive oil, pepper, and Herbes for a minute or until fragrant.  Add the whole garlic cloves and cook for a minute or until golden; turn and let cook another few seconds before adding the vegetables from the food processor.
3. Stir in the fresh basil leaves, kosher salt, black pepper.  Cook for five minutes, stirring, until vegetables are beginning to soften.
4. Pour in water, wine, broth, and tomatoes.  Stir in honey.  Bring to a boil.  
5. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes or so until all vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings.  Puree using an immersion blender, in batches in the food processor or blender, or mash with a potato masher.  Alternatively, eat as is.
7. Serve hot garnished with one of the following: chopped fresh basil, croutons, or chopped pistachios for vegan version.  Grated Parmesan cheese or a spoon of plain Greek yogurt for Gluten-Free version.  If you're ok any way at all, choose what you'd like, though just the Parmesan and a little fresh basil are perfectly perfect.  

*Replace the wine with water if need be.

Simple pictures are best: 

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself as you clean up your eating act,
Alyce
(published earlier and happily on this blog)

Cook the Book! Next Four Weeks -- A Free Book Each Week!

   First Up:  Spicy Cucumber with Feta and there's no cooking involved!  Happy summer soups!  Thanks for all of your lovely support during this last week.  You're helping make my dream come true.  You're wonderful!   (This blog will share some posts with More Time at the Table for the next few weeks. Enjoy.)

For the next four weeks, I'll at some time during each week feature one recipe from my new book, Soups & Sides for Every Season (click HERE to order).   Make the recipe, photograph it, email the pic to:  soupsandsides@gmail.com.   If yours is the first email with a recipe photo I receive, I'll mail you a book!  Don't forget to include your snail mail address in the email as well as any adjustments you made to the recipe.    As my own stash of books is still on the way from the printer, be patient if you don't get your book immediately; it could take just a little while.  Now get "cooking!"  I can't wait to hear from you.

SPICY CUCUMBER WITH FETA

When cucumbers are plentiful, cheap, and the weather is sultry, it’s time to make cucumber-yogurt soup.  Lebanese to start with (Kh’yaaf B’lubban) and very like the Indian Kheera Raita, Americans have made this creamy, cooling dish their own.  Perfect to eat as a cold first course or for a light meal, it’s ready in the time it takes to whir a few things through the food processor. This is also a great soup to personalize.  A bit more hot sauce? Add avocado?  Top with smoked salmon? A bit of cumin? Chopped scallions or tomatoes as a garnish?  However you make this, you’ll want it again and again.  My own version holds some heat (skip Sriracha—a Thai hot sauce-- if you don’t like heat) and includes some salty feta and chopped red bell pepper on top.  I first encountered some of the flavors from this soup in Melissa Clark’s fabulous Greek Goddess Dip (NYT, “A Good Appetite,” 2/10/10), which utilizes some of the same ingredients in a perfect herbaceous dip for fresh vegetables.  When I began to test cucumber soups for this book, I again and again returned to the combination of herbs Melissa uses in her dip.

If you don’t have a food processor, simply chop up the vegetables as finely as possible, whisk together the yogurt and buttermilk, and mix up all of the ingredients using a spoon or large spatula.

Serves 8  -- Or Cut in half for 4

• 4 English cucumbers unpeeled, sliced in half, seeded (pull a big spoon down the center of each half), and cut into 1” pieces*
• 4 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh basil and mint
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (or a few drops of other hot sauce)
• Juice of 2 lemons (about 4 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/2  teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons honey

Garnish:  1 cup each: feta cheese, crumbled, and finely chopped red bell pepper

Cook’s Note:  If using regular American cucumbers purchased from the grocery store, please peel them before blending to make the soup; they’re often waxed.

Combine all ingredients (except feta and red bell pepper) in the food processor and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Chill for a few hours in refrigerator if you have the time.   Divide soup between the bowls and top each with a bit of feta cheese and red pepper.

Accompaniments:  This soup is lovely all on its own, but if you have a hungry group you could add some smoked salmon and crackers to the table or even a basket of pita or naan.  If it’s not too hot, bake up a batch of your favorite biscuits early in the morning.

Wine: Sauvignon Blanc is a great go-to wine with feta cheese, and Pinot Grigio would be good as well.  (Drew Robinson, CS)  Note:  Drew expands greatly on this theme in the book itself; I've edited it in the interest of space for the blog.

Dessert:  I love the idea of some fresh fruit and a bit of cheese—nothing more.

Sing a new song,

Alyce

Asparagus-Wild Rice Chowder

Evidently Mother Nature didn't get the memo that it's Mother's Day, which is supposed to be sunny and gorgeous with irises and lilacs in bloom.  (Instead, we have a snow storm.)

Curried Lentil Soup with Fresh Greens

My most recent lentil love soup -- happily vegan, curried, and garnished with sunflower seeds and scallions.

Once, while visiting my sister, I said, "How about some lentil soup?"  knowing I was cooking dinner.   She shuddered and made as if to retch, all the while saying, "I love lentil soup, but..."  Turns out that years ago, when she was still cooking for her family, a very large and delicious kettle of the soup went uneaten by anyone except by her.  Days went by, the soup remained, she kept eating until....well, you might get the picture.  If you are not used to eating lentil soup (or bean soup or beans) every day for days on end, and you embark on such a journey, you might find you are in a tad of intestinal distress.  No one can fake-retch like my sister or show a horror of food quite like her; I wish I had a picture.  I made chicken noodle or asparagus--something else anyway. Maybe we went out?

Here's one of my oldest lentil soups.

Tomato Soup Faster Than You Can Say Grilled Cheese

I'm on a fitness program that includes lots of vegetable meals for lunch.  So instead of getting tired of one green salad after another, I switch off between soup, vegetables with vegetable dip, salad, and so on.  Luckily I cook.  Today I had a taste for tomato soup and no, I didn't want canned.  I have nothing against canned tomato soup and keep it in my pantry; there are days nothing else appeals.  But today I wanted real food.

Done in under a half hour, this lusty (I almost said perky, but perky it isn't) soup just about jumped out of the pot, put its arms around me, and begged me to eat it.  If you have no fresh basil, increase the Herbes de Provence (or a combination of dried basil, thyme, etc.) to a teaspoonful and then test taste it.   Easily vegan and gluten-free (without some of the garnishes), this meal will heat everyone up despite the weather.  It's sunny, but snowy in Saint Paul today.

Roasted Vegetable Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

 Blogger's Note:  I wrote a post for this recipe several days ago and linked it to Pinterest and fb; somehow (??) the post disappeared.  Never happened before and hope it never happens again.
Here's the new shorter version.  I apologize if you've been looking for this recipe and it wasn't here!
      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When I make a dinner that includes roasted vegetables (see below), I always make an extra big pan full of just vegetables so I can make this soup.  It's luscious, filling, healthy (even with the prosciutto) and is a whole meal if you add rolls or whole wheat crackers and maybe a little cheese.  The soup itself comes together quickly since most of it is already cooked.

Certainly this makes a beautiful, make-ahead first course for Thanksgiving (or any) dinner, as well.  Bring it to a potluck gathering in a crock-pot and plug it in out in the dining room or living room away from the maddening kitchen crowd.  It could also be a main course if you'd like something light or if you're cooking for someone who either can't chew or must be on a largely liquid diet. Skip the prosciutto and add a little grated Parmesan if needed.

For a vegan or vegetarian version, use vegetable stock and garnish with fried sage.  Try this: