Winter Carrot Soup

Although it has been an unseasonably mild winter, I have been craving soup in the evenings.  This carrot soup packs an unusual combination of spicy, tart, and rich flavors.  It is perfect as a starter or, if served with hearty bread, as a main dish.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 small potatoes, quartered
6 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch segments
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons hot Madras curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon oregano
4 cups stock or water
1/2 cup cranberry juice
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

Directions

1.  In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.

2.  Sauté potatoes and carrots in butter for approximately 10 minutes.  Add bay leaf, curry powder, ginger, and oregano.  Continue to cook for 5 more minutes.

3.  Add stock or water and increase heat until liquid reaches a slow boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

4.  In small batches, blend cooked vegetables and liquid and return to the pot.  Alternately, use an immersion blender.

5.  Add cranberry juice, lime juice, and evaporated milk.  Mix well.

6.  Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

Valentine Borscht

Borscht is a peasant soup popular in Central and Eastern Europe. The word comes from the Slavic word borshchevik which means hogweed, a vegetable once important to the Slavs. Today the defining ingredient in borscht is beet root although there are some versions that do not contain beets. For more information about beets read my post from last year about a summer beet salad.

In the Ukraine, where borscht is likely to have originated, it is the national soup and was sometimes eaten multiple times a day as a main meal. It is also served as the first course of a traditional Polish Christmas meal. In other places, it is generally consumed before the main meal.

There are two key types of borscht – hot and cold. The hot version is often chunky, made with potatoes, vegetables and sometimes beef. The cold version is sometimes strained before serving and thus has a thinner consistency (similar to gazpacho). Variations abound and recipes have been known to include dried mushrooms, parsley, dill, lovage, green onions, basil, beans, pickled apples, plums, cherries, eggplant, olives, prunes, ham, mint, ginger, leeks, tomatoes, bell peppers, tarragon, paprika, oregano and sausage.

Many versions require the addition of an acid to sour the – this can be achieved through the addition of lemon, vinegar or citric acid. Some recipes call for natural fermentation which requires the soup to be made several days in advance. Borscht is often served with sour cream, yogurt, cream or a local dairy equivalent.

In North American borscht is closely associated with Ashkenazi Jewish traditions. The term ‘Borscht Belt’ refers to the swath of summer resorts in upstate New York that were popular with New York City Jews between the 1920s and 1960s.

As a humble and quotidian dish, I’ve never heard of the soup in conjunction with Valentine’s Day. However, it seemed perfect as a bright red starter on a cold winter day. It freezes well but will stain plastic containers so we opted to use one gallon freezer bags.

Serves 10-14

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/2 pound russet potatoes (about 2), peeled, chopped into small cubes
1/2 lb carrots, sliced
small cabbage or half a medium cabbage, thinly chopped
6-8 cups vegetable (or meat-based) broth
15 ounces diced tomatoes
4 large beets, peeled and chopped into small cubes
5 bay leaves
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (balsamic or other)
1 bunch of dill, finely chopped
salt and pepper
sour cream, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Sauté for 10 minutes.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, beets and bay leaves. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add red wine vinegar and 1/2 dill. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Flavor with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and remaining dill.

Beer and Chocolate Chili

Chili, also known as chili con carne, is a stew traditionally made from beef, chili peppers, garlic, onions and spices. The origins of chili are unclear, but it seems to have been invented in Mexico in the mid to late nineteenth century. It was a popular way to use leftovers and to stretch available meat. One theory holds that it was served as a complimentary side dish at saloons before becoming a free-standing meal.

Today chili is primarily associated with Texas and is the state’s official dish. It became popular as a street food in San Antonio, where it was sold by women who became known as ‘chili queens’. Health department regulations ended this practice, after which chili parlors became popular. The dish acquired a national and international profile at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago where it was served at the San Antonio Chile Stand.

Traditional Texan chili contains no beans, tomatoes or other vegetables. Purists have coined a popular phrase to underline this fact, “If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain’t got no beans.” However, these ingredients are now widely used in chili recipes to stretch portions, accommodate vegetarians or provide variety. Some recipes substitute beef with turkey, chicken, venison or other game meat. Vegetarian versions are also popular. Regional variations incorporate rice or macaroni, and many use ‘secret’ ingredients including fruit, alcohol, sweeteners, coffee, chocolate, peanut butter, spices or vinegar.

Chili is now served in a variety of ways including on spaghetti, baked potatoes, hot dogs, rice, corn chips or French fries. The dish has become a staple at Super Bowl parties. Its popularity has spread and chili is now available in France, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan and Australia.


Serves 6-8


Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds spicy ground turkey
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1 ounce package spicy taco seasoning mix
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 ounce dark chocolate or 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 (12 ounce) bottle of lager-style beer or chicken broth
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese or sliced scallions (all optional), for garnish

Directions
1. Heat half the olive oil in a large, heavy, preferably non-stick pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, oregano and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Heat remaining olive oil. Add the turkey, breaking it up with a metal or plastic spoon, and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.  Add back the onion and bell pepper mixture.

3. Stir in the tomato paste, chili pepper flakes, taco seasoning, salt, chili powder, and chocolate or cocoa powder; cook 1 minute more.

4. Add the beer and simmer on medium heat for 8-10 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and their juices, kidney beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
6. Serve garnished with sour cream, cheddar cheese or sliced green onions. Serve with warn cornbread.
7. Store covered in the fridge for one week or in an airtight container in the freezer for three months.

Peanut Butter Soup

Many of you have been experiencing an Arctic cold front this week. My recommendation is homemade soup. This recipe, adapted from the Moosewood cookbook, is delicious served with buttermilk cornbread.


Serves 8 as a starter, 4-6 as a main dish

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne or to taste
2 tablespoons ginger, grated
1 large carrot, sliced
2 medium sweet potatoes, coarsely chopped
4 cups water
2 cups tomato juice
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3 green onions, chopped

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pot and sauté onions until translucent. Add cayenne, ginger and carrots and sauté for 3 minutes.
2. Add sweet potatoes and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Cool for a few minutes.
3. Add the tomato juice and peanut butter and puree in a blender or use an immersion blender.
4. Return to the pot and reheat gently.
5. Serve garnished with green onions.

Mexican Gazpacho with Lime-Cilantro Shrimp

In the middle of a summer heat wave, cold, colorful, and flavorful food can be the antidote to lethargy. Gazpacho is the epitome of cold, colorful, and flavorful. It also has a rich history. Originating in Andalusia during the Middle Ages, gazpacho was a pulverized pulp of garlic, almonds, bread, olive oil and vinegar. Tomatoes and peppers were not added to the mix until after Columbus. Regional varieties of gazpacho abound, some with a bread base, others without. Often called a ‘liquid salad,’ the now standard tomato-garlic-bell pepper-cucumber base is quite forgiving. So I attempted some Tex-Mex fusion. Cilantro (aka coriander), cumin, ground chili powder, and jalapenos are quintessential Mexican flavors; combined, they serve as a sturdy platform for most salsas and sauces. Stir in a few drops of Tabasco, or my Texas favorite—‘Kick Ass Hot Sauce’ made from habanero and serrano peppers—and you’ve got a bit of extra ferocity. The challenge then, was to balance the simplicity of freshly pureed vegetables with the boisterous Mexican spice. Integrating lemon and lime juice plus a dab of honey yielded equilibrium. To turn a light soup into a more substantial meal, I garnished with fresh avocado, Manchego cheese cubes, fried tortilla strips, and lime-cilantro shrimp. The result, according to my dinner companion, was ‘pure summer.’

Mexican Gazpacho
Ingredients
44 ounces of V8 juice
3 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
2 large Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
A fistful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
21/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Mexican chili pepper
½ teaspoon of Mexican paprika
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried whole basil
11/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Tabasco or ‘Kick Ass Hot Sauce’ a few shakes to taste

Directions

1. I know the ingredient list is long, but the directions are fairly simple. Chop up all the veggies, coarsely, and place into a large bowl.
2. If you’re like me and didn’t know how to peel a tomato, drop it in boiling water for about 30 seconds until the skin disintegrates. To de-seed a cucumber, cut it in half, and with a spoon remove the inside layer of seeds.
3. Add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon and lime juices, spices, honey, and hot sauce.
4. Pour some of the vegetable mixture and chilled V8 juice into the blender. Pulverize, do not fully blend.
5. Repeat until all of the vegetable mixture and juice has been used.
6. Refrigerate in an airtight for at least four hours before serving.

Lime-Cilantro Shrimp

Ingredients
About a pound of fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
A lime
1 Tablespoon of Butter
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
Garlic, pressed
3 tablespoons of cilantro
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of pepper
¼ teaspoon of chili powder
¼ teaspoon of paprika
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
¼ teaspoon of cumin

Directions

1. Heat a skillet with butter and olive oil.
2. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute.
3. Add the shrimp, juice of one lime, and spice mix.
4. Cook both sides until browned.
5. Add the fresh cilantro

Other Gazpacho Garnishes

• Corn tortilla, cut into strips, and fried in a bit of butter with dashes of chili and onion powder
• Manchego cheese, shredded or diced in small cubes
• Fresh avocado, cubed
  

Summer Zucchini Soup

This week has felt like fall in Chicago – tonight it may dip to 40F (4C). Despite the cold snap it is still technically summer, and I plan to make chilled summer dishes until they freeze solid!

Today’s recipe features zucchini, which was first cultivated outside Milan from summer squash ancestors that are native to the Americas. Like the tomato, it is a fruit that is treated as a vegetable in the culinary context. In reality, zucchini are the swollen ovaries of the female blossom.

The name zucchini is the diminutive of zucca, the Italian word for squash. In some parts of Europe it is known by its French moniker – courgette which is diminutive of courge (squash).


Our next door neighbor growing up was a woman named Eleanor. She was a fantastic gardener and had beautiful and well-maintained flower beds as well as a lovely vegetable patch. When she was on holiday, my brother and I would take turns mowing her lawn and watering her plants.

She would often share fresh vegetables with our family including sweet carrots, crisp peas and firm zucchinis, which my mom would make into a vegetable curry. One year Eleanor brought us a 3 pound fruit which had become fibrous and unsuitable for cooking. While we couldn't have used it to make a pot of this humble soup, it would have been ideal for zucchini bread (which I hope to feature this winter).


Serves 8

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups broth
3.5 pounds zucchini, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature (optional)

Directions
1. In a large pot on medium heat sauté the onion in olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for 5 more minutes.
2. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
3. Add zucchini, oregano and salt and cook covered for 30 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool significantly.
5. Pureé the soup in a blender or food processor. Chill several hours or overnight.
6. Bring soup to room temperature and serve with a dollop of mascarpone.

Spicy Cilantro Gazpacho

Although it’s only May, Chicago is sweltering. Whether the heat should be attributed to global warming or not, it’s time to start the summer culinary season. Besides ice cream and watermelon, I cannot think of a more satisfying summer treat than gazpacho.

I was shocked to learn that this cold tomato soup did not originally have tomatoes. It originated in Andalusia, a southern region of Spain. While its provenance is unclear, many believe it was created during the Middle Ages in the heavily Muslim region of Al-Andalus (which is modern day Andalusia).

The soup is believed to have originally contained only stale bread, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Tomatoes and peppers were only introduced when they arrived from the New World after 1492. Gazpacho, described by some as a liquid salad, was introduced to Northern Spain in the nineteenth century by Eugenia de Montijo, the wife of the French Emperor Napoleon III. It experienced a surge in popularity in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s as blenders became common kitchen appliances.

Unlike many modern North American gazpacho recipes, this one includes bread, which thickens the soup and gives it added substance. However, it can be without bread (or with gluten free bread) for the gluten allergic.

Serves 6

Ingredients
2 inches of baguette, crust removed
3 cups tomato juice
1 lime, juiced
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 garlic cloves
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and sliced
1 cup roasted red peppers
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, in chunks
1/3 bunch fresh cilantro (stalks removed)

Tabasco to taste
1 avocado, for garnish
cilantro, for garnish

Directions
1. Slice off a 2-inch piece of baguette. Remove the crust. Soak the bread in water for one minute and then squeeze dry. Set aside.
2. Liquefy all the ingredients (except the Tabasco and avocado) in a blender. You will have to do this in batches.
3. Add Tabasco to taste. Add additional salt and pepper if desired.
4. Chill soup for at least 3 hours or overnight.
5. Serve with sliced avocado and cilantro leaves as garnish.