Soupruary 26th: Minestrone

I decided it would be fun to look up Minestrone on Wikipedia since it's such a classic soup, and I was right! Fun! I learned that the word minestrone comes from minestra (soup) and the suffix -one to make it literally mean "the big soup." Fun, right? I also learned that the Roman armies were said to have survived on minestrone. Double fun! Also, probably violent.

Location:
My apartment, the party room, Cincinnati, Ohio

Attendees:
Cybelle, Erin, Janice, Lauren, Sara, Sirli, me


Why are there so many bottles of wine on the table? FridayThursday!

Menu:
Soup + Salad + Cheese + Hummus + Bread + Lemon Cookies

Entertainment:
Trying to take pictures of Erin to prove she exists (she's sneaky!)
Trying to get Erin to stop doing my dishes (although I think that's my new favorite thing about her)


Trying to keep people out of my certified disaster area of a bedroom (and I use the word "bed" lightly)
Gossip and confessions that shall not be published even on a blog that only 5 people read

The Soup:
Here's my cousin Kathryn, who is (1) one week older than I, (b) incredibly beautiful, and (iii) someone who I haven't seen for more than a decade but get to talk to once in a while via the magic of Facebook. When I first posted about doing this silly experiment, Kathryn said I had to try her mom's minestrone recipe and then followed through with the recipe.


And, seriously: YUM. Lauren said it might be the best minestrone she's ever had. I don't know if I can go that far just because I think everyone likes their own mother's minestrone best, but this was different and really, undeniably, incontrovertibly good. A little smokey, a lot hearty, a lot delicious.
I did make a few additions (pasta and spinach) based on my personal taste, but other than that followed Aunt Carolyn's recipe exactly.


When going to the grocery on Wednesday night I accidentally went the wrong way on the highway and ended up in Kentucky. Oops! Dixie Hwy Kroger! They (shockingly) ended up having everything I needed, although I confused the H out of the poor deli counter boy by asking for pancetta. I had to repeat myself three times, then he had to come out from behind the counter to figure out what I was pointing at, then he still couldn't figure out what the pancetta was in order to cut it so he had to unwrap a few items and ask me which one it was, while muttering "I ain't never heard o' that..." to himself. Oh, Kentucky. You're so adorbs.

8 c Chicken Broth
1/3 c olive oil
1/4 c chopped parsley
4 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 lb diced pancetta
1 chopped onion
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 potato, diced
2 zucchini, chopped
1 28-oz can whole peeled San Marzano variety tomatoes
1/4 lb mushrooms, chopped
1/4 lb green beans, chopped
1 ham hock
2 c fresh spinach leaves
6 oz orecchiete
salt/pepper

Heat oil in large soup pot. Add parsley and garlic. Saute over medium. Add pancetta before garlic changes color. Saute until lightly brown. Add vegetables and stir. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add broth to water and add ham hock. Simmer 40-50 minutes. Meanwhile, cook your pasta to al dente in a separate pot and shock with cold water to stop cooking. Add spinach to soup in last five minutes of simmering. Remove 1 - 1 1/2 cups and blend in food processor until smoothish and then put it back with the rest of the soup. Add your cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with parmesan cheese and crusty buttered bread for dipping. Its always better the next day.

Soupruary 25th: Silky Cauliflower

I don't even like cauliflower.


Location:
My apartment, Cincinnati, Ohio

Attendees:
Adam, me (complete with dark circles under my eyes; this soup is going to be the death of me!)


Menu:
Cauliflower Soup
Linguine with Sausage, Lemon & Parsley


Entertainment:
Coming up with names that start with M for a yet-to-be-named project (Mert? Mundungus? Mog?)

The Soup:
For some reason I was really excited about trying this soup, even though (as previously disclosed) I'm not cauliflower's biggest fan. I think I was overly excited. It was good, but nothing to write home about (apparently it is something to write Internet about though). I modified the recipe to use vegetable stock rather than chicken broth since I've been trying to keep my veg soups totally veg, but I think this may be one that would've benefited from the chicken broth. There was a vague sweetness to the soup, which, while it was not exactly unpleasant, I could've done without. Adam posited that the sweetness was due to the silk I added, but I think that was a joke. I also think a dash of nutmeg and cayenne would've been tasty. For all these reasons I think I might try it again. Maybe cauliflower will convert me yet.

Adapted from Dave Lieberman at foodnetwork.com

1 head cauliflower
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c vegetable stock

2 c water
1/2 c finely grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower, coarsely chop, and reserve.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup, or puree in small batches in a blender and return it to the pot.
Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth.
Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Soupruary 24th: Carrot & Sweet Potato

Who invited beta-carotene to the party? (I'll give you a hint: It was me.)

Location:
My apartment, Cincinnati, Ohio

Attendees:
Josh, Matt, me

Menu:
Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup
Tofu & Rice Noodle Salad


Entertainment:
Just good conversation at my place, but it deserves to be noted that this happened later:

The Soup:
I feel very good about this soup—healthwise, it's pretty awesome; in the texture department, it's velvety and decadent; the flavor transcends both carrot and sweet potato to reach some new plane of orange root vegetable savorissitude. (Don't worry, I work for the spelling bee so I'm totes allowed to make up new words.)

Almost as orange as my YYA hoodie!

I almost had a breakdown when I realized I'd left my trusty immersion blender at Taylor's the nigth before and he was already at another party. Luckily: Magic Bullet® to the rescue! It was a pain and it took a while and got the plastic bullet up to nearly skin-searing temperatures, but it did the job. I thought I was staring down a soup fail, but it was really just another reason to be grateful that Liz & Sam bought me the most ridiculous/awesome birthday present ever.

Adapted from infectiousrecipes.com

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered

2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsley chopped

4 c vegetable stock

1 15-oz can lite coconut milk

thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

fresh cilantro, as garnish

Place sweet potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic in your soup pot and cover with vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer until all vegetables are tender (about 25 minutes). And coconut milk and fresh ginger and cook for another 5 minutes. Puree until smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve garnished with cilantro leaves.

Soupruary 23rd: Tomato, Spinach & Tortellini

An easy, quick, super-filling weeknight meal that I can't imagine anyone not liking? Sign me up, yo.

Location:
Taylor's house, Covington, Kentucky

Attendees:
Adam, Kate, Kris, Taylor, me

Menu:
Tomato, Spinach & Tortellini Soup
A whole lotta garlic bread
A salad I didn't make because we were too full of soup

Entertainment:
Anthony Bourdain on a full stomach, which is preferable to Anthony Bourdain on an empty stomach

The Soup:
This soup was definitely a meal. Adam said he thought it might be his new favorite, and there were seconds and second-seconds going down in the kitchen. Not the healthiest soup, but mmm mmmmm tasty. And, I have to admit, I've been craving a heavy, pasta-centric soup after this 22-day liquid joy streak.

Adapted from Bon Apetit, November 1991

1/4 c unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 28-oz cans San Marzano tomatoes (peeled, whole)
1/4 t dried oregano
1 t sugar
1 T dried basil
1 10-oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 9 oz. pkg fresh three-cheese tortellini
1/2 c cream
1/2 c milk
1/2 c fresh grated parmesan

In your soup pot, melt the butter and sautee the onions and garlic over medium-high heat until onions are very tender. Add tomatoes, oregano, sugar, and basil, and simmer about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and puree until smooth with an immersion blender. Return to heat and add spinach and tortellini; simmer until tortellini is tender (7 to 9 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in cream and milk. Season with salt to taste. When serving, garnish with parmesan.

Soupruary 22nd: Chilled Blueberry

You can all this soup either Frost/Blueberry or Frozen River Soup; but neither of them won any Oscars...


Location:
Mikey B.'s, Fort Mitchell, Kentucky

Attendees:
These folks:


Menu:
All I made was the soup, but there was an array of nommables ranging from lemon-rosemary cookies with mascarpone (Cookie Cristina Mascarpona) to baguette with melted brie (Milktoast).
Entertainment: The 81st Annual Academy Awards (I cried three times!)
The ever-popular clap-as-someone-emerges-from-Mike's-bathroom game



The Soup:
Well, I suppose I had to do a chilled soup at some point, and with two (2!) chilly titles nominated for Oscars this year, it seemed to be the excuse I needed.

This was very sweet. Very sweet. It was tasty, but...it'd probably be better in a shot glass-sized serving than in a bowl.

Or maybe I'm just weird about cold soups.

Adapted from Cookie, July 2007

juice of one orange
1/2 c sugar
1 c water
1 c fruity white wine
2 c fresh blueberries
1 c plain yogurt

In a deep saucepan bring orange juice, sugar, water and wine to a boil, and boil for about one minute. Add blueberries and boil for another minute. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Puree the mixture, then strain through a fine sieve. Just before serving, stir in the plain yogurt until fully incorporated.

Soupruary 21st: Hot Pot

I wanted to find something to make that was party-worthy, customizable, vegetarian and carnitarianivorousish, and at least vaguely pan-Asian-influenced. Thus: The cheater hot pot!


Location:
Adam's house, Covington, Kentucky


Attendees:
Adam, Aileen, Ashley, Evey, Kevin, Yusef, Mikey, Shiv, Taylor, me


Menu:
Hot Pot

Entertainment:
PAJAMAJAMIYAZAKITHON!!!

The Soup:
This soup was different for each person who ate it. I like that it allowed everyone to be involved in the food. The spread was rather pretty, and the leftovers made some great stir fry the next day. I have to give special thanks to Adam here; I had to duck out to attend another party for a while before all the Pajamajam guests had arrived, and he did the stirrin' and fryin' for the rest of the folks.

I'm calling this happy party soup cheater hot pot, because really everything should just be cooked by the broth instead of being stir-fried (as I did it), and I should have made a broth from scratch. But! This seemed to work. Here's what I did:

Chopped vegetables:

green beans

green onions

daikon

snow peas

carrots

celery

red bell pepper

shiitake mushrooms

asparagus

broccoli

napa cabbage

hot finger chiles

Also:

bean sprouts

bamboo shoots

Minced:

garlic

fresh ginger

Garnish:

cilantro

lime wedges

chicken breast, cut into bit sized pieces and stir-fried with Szechuan chile sauce

extra firm tofu, cubed

cellophane rice noodles, soaked in hot water 15 minutes and cut in 3-inch sections

vegetable broth, brought to a boil and seasoned with salt, green curry paste and Szechuan chile sauce to taste

Have guests pile their selected ingredients into their bowls, stir fry for about 30 seconds on medium-high heat, and pour the ingredients back into the bowl (one at a time, but it goes quickly). Ladle broth over ingredients, garnish and serve.

Soupruary 20th: Ramadan Soup

Hey, y'all! Let's get together and make Yusef homesick!


Location:
The Party Room, my apartment, Cincinnati, Ohio


Attendees:
Adam, Brian, Kelly, Kevin, Shiv, Yusef, me

Menu:
Yusef's Gramma's Ramadan Soup
Foul Mudammas & Pita
Four Pepper Salad

Entertainment:
Ruckus Roboticus on the stereo
Inordinate displays of my friends' creative genius during The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Game

The Soup:

On Soupruary 1st, Yusef told me about this soup that his mother and grandmother make, and said he'd have to get me the recipe. And boy am I glad he did.
This.
Was.
Delicious.
Our mealtime conversation consisted only of exclamations of how good the soup was, how the chicken was melting off the bone, how the flavors in the broth were divine. And even Yusef said I pretty much did it right.

Because it's too cute not to include, here's Yusef's email to me:

"the thing that you'll notice, is that pretty much all my mom's measurements are approximate. the great thing about this is that it is not from a cook book, or awritten recording of the recipe. this is how my mom learned to cook it from my grandma and my aunts. and they all cook to taste. so you are getting an authentic Arabian family version of this recipe. and though i wish i could've learned this straight from my grandma, i'll have you know that her food can asplode the mind. i believe the official name of this soup is 'shoorba't hab' or 'grainsoup', but we always called it Ramadan Soup. we rarely ate this soup in other months, but during Ramadan, we had this soup almost every day. it saves really well."

You'll need a spice ball for this recipe; mine has a snowman on it, which deeply confused Yusef.

Now, the recipe for my new favorite non-vegetarian soup, semi-translated into standard recipe format:

1 small chicken, minus the breast

7 c water

1 c coarse ground bulghur (or oats)

1 tomato, peeled and grated

2 T tomato paste

1 T olive oil

6 whole black peppercorns

1 t whole cumin seeds

3 whole cardamom pods

1 small piece of cinnamon stick

salt to taste

Put chicken and water in your soup pot and bring to a boil. For about 2 or 3 min. skim off anyfoam that accumulates on top. Add bulghur and bring to a boil (if you use oats add in the last 1/2 hour of cooking instead). Add the grated tomato and the tomato paste (Note from Yusef's mom: "You want a nice color, but not as red as tomato soup"). Add the olive oil and all spices in a spice ball or wrapped in cheesecloth. Add salt to taste, start with 1/2 tsp. Cook all at a simmer, uncovered, about 1 1/2 hours.

Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze in just before eating.